Makimachi Misao: The New Okashira!
The Kenshin-gumi finds its most unlikely, yet strangely most loyal, ally in the person of Makimachi Misao, the self-proclaimed new Okashira of the Kyoto Oniwabanshu. Misao adds some much-needed warmth and humor in what would otherwise have been a long and dreary trek to Kyoto. She provides the balance to Kenshin's character while Kenshin and Kaoru are apart.
The dynamic between Misao and Kenshin is more old-brother-to-younger-sister than anything else. Misao admires Kenshin and Kenshin tolerates Misao. Kenshin tends to be more annoying toward Misao (read, slightly more insulting but still terribly polite) but, in return, I think he actually suffers more at Misao's hands than at Kaoru's. I mean, Misao is present for half the time Kaoru is, yet she manages to give more punches and kicks to our beloved hero than probably even Shishio. Misao also develops very strong ties with Kaoru, perhaps viewing her as a sort of older sister, a kindred spirit in that they have both fallen in love with very strong men who are struggling to change their lives.
Misao as a warrior is nowhere near the level of the rest of the Oniwabanshuu and has strength probably somewhere above Yahiko (at the beginning of the Kyoto arc) and below Kaoru. Although she is well-trained, skilled, and quick, she is terribly inexperienced and naive when it comes to actual combat. Thus, she is easily distracted by the cross-dressing Kamatari, lets the blind and murderous Usui sneak up behind her, falls off a cliff while attempting an impossible jump, and almost fails or dies all three times but for the intervention of other characters (Kaoru, Anji, and Kenshin).
Her inexperience does not hinder her, however, in proclaiming herself the new leader of the Edo Oniwabanshuu and dedicating herself (and her comrades) to the aid of Kenshin and his friends in order to save all of Kyoto.
Misao's fighting style is that of the ninja, relying on trickery, agility, and stealth. Her primary weapon are the kunai - broad-bladed implements descended from the humble trowel and which work sort of as a cross between knives and darts.
As I said, Misao is quite naive, but it is also this naivety that allows her to immediately see that Aoshi is spiraling down the dark side and needs to be saved, even from himself. Like everyone else in the Kenshin-gumi, she is a person of deep sincerity and great ideals, all of which fuel her during battles.