Until the abolition of the samurai class in Japan in 1868, a ronin ("wave man") was a samurai without a master, generally through the former master's death, the individual ronin's disgrace, or the destruction of his lord's clan. Without a job, an income, or a home, ronin could and would spend their days Walking the Earth looking for a master willing to take them on. It was common for ronin to [...] [tvtropes.org]