Takani Megumi comes from a region in Japan called Aizu. Her father was a doctor and though I don't remember anybody saying it directly, I believe practicing medicine runs in her family. And because of her background Megumi also has some medical experience. I'm still uncertain whether she's actually a full-fledged doctor or just a doctor in training, but she seems pretty capable to me! After the death of her father, Megumi was forced by a man named Takeda Kanryuu to illegally make opium for him. He hired the Oniwabanshu (Aoshi and his four followers) to guard her, but somehow she managed to escape. As a result Megumi formed a lasting hatred for Aoshi (and maybe a fear as well?). Well, hate maybe too strong of a word but she definitely doesn't like the man. Megumi ran off in an attempt to get away from Aoshi and Kanryuu, and ended up crashing Kenshin and Sano's little gambling game. Of course, like any other woman, she asked Himura Kenshin for help and our rurouni didn't refuse. However, Sanosuke had a more suspicious nature and refused to trust her from the start even though Megumi began to make herself at home at the Kamiya dojo (much to Kaoru's utter dismay hehe). So I guess you could say that Megumi and Sanosuke got off on the wrong foot, but in the end Sano seemed to understand the true reasons for Megumi's actions, and he even went so far as to save her life. Now you can't tell me he doesn't care! ^_~

I'll have to admit that at first Megumi didn't strike me as a cool character or anything. Unlike Kaoru and Misao, both of whom I thought were kick-ass cool from the very first moment I saw them, Megumi came off as a scheming woman who was trying to break up one of RK's most popular and canon couples. Alright, to come completely clean, I didn't like Megumi at all to begin with ^_^ I spent the first few episodes after she showed up screaming for her to get her paws off Kenshin, and I wasn't gracious about it. But then after the Kyoto arc I suddenly realized that maybe there was more to her than I first thought. And now I'm making a shrine dedicated to her and Sano, so go figure. The world works in mysterious ways.

Megumi comes off as an experienced, mature, older woman whose teasing can sometimes seem mercilessly cruel. However, she's often the more practical one compared to the other RK women and even though she can't fight, she shouldn't be underestimated. She's the one who knocks some sense into Kaoru when she's in bed and crying over Kenshin's leaving for Kyoto, and she's the one who calms Misao's tantrum when she refuses to go home in episode 89 "To My Angel, Misao". She gives good advice! I think Megumi's probably the most intelligent and sensible female character in RK. That's not to say that Misao and Kaoru are stupid, it's just that they're more hotheaded and impulsive, tending to put heart before brain most of the time. But despite her intelligence, Megumi has quite a wicked streak to her and loves to tease. She can be quite sarcastic, and more often than not the recipient and victim of her wit ends up being Sanosuke. What can I say? As the old phrase goes, "we torture the ones we love!".^_~