It is revealed that he is the son of Hijikata Toshizō, who was once the feared “demon” vice commander of the Shinsengumi, an elite Japanese police force that patrolled the imperial capital of Kyoto in the late 18th to early 19th century until his supposed death at the Battle of Hakodate. His first name was named in the honor of his late comrade and friend, Kondō Isami, who was the commander of Shisengumi.