Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The story begins during the 11th year of the Meiji era in Japan (1878) and follows a former assassin from the Bakumatsu, known as Hitokiri Battosai. After his work against the bakufu, he becomes Himura Kenshin, a wandering swordsman who protects the people of Japan with a vow never to take another life. Watsuki wrote the series upon his desire to make a shōnen manga different from others published at the time, with Kenshin being a former assassin and the story taking a more serious tone as it continued.
Himura Kenshin, known as Kenshin Himura in the English-language anime dubs, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the manga Rurouni Kenshin created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Kenshin's story is set in a fictional version of Japan during the Meiji period. Kenshin is a former legendary assassin known as "Hitokiri Battōsai" (人斬り抜刀斎), more properly named Himura Battōsai (緋村抜刀斎). At the end of the Bakumatsu, he becomes a wandering swordsman, now wielding a sakabatō—a katana that has the cutting edge on the inwardly curved side of the sword, thus being nearly incapable of killing. Kenshin wanders the Japanese countryside offering protection and aid to those in need as atonement for the murders he once committed as an assassin. In Tokyo, he meets a young woman named Kamiya Kaoru, who invites him to live in her dojo, despite learning about Kenshin's past. Throughout the series, Kenshin begins to establish lifelong relationships with many people, including ex-enemies, while dealing with his fair share of enemies, new and old.
Kamiya Kaoru, known as Kaoru Kamiya in the Media Blasters English-language dub and Kori Kamiya in the English Sony Samurai X dub, is a fictional character in the Rurouni Kenshin manga created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. In the story Kaoru is the instructor of a kendo school in Tokyo, Kamiya Kasshin-ryū (神谷活心流). The students leave when many people are killed by someone claiming to be the Hitokiri Battōsai (人斬り抜刀斎) from the Kamiya Kasshin-ryū", damaging the school's reputation. Kaoru is saved from the murderous impostor by the real Battōsai, Himura Kenshin, now a wanderer who has sworn to stop killing. During the series, Kaoru grows fond of Kenshin due to his good actions to society and becomes his ally.
Myōjin Yahiko, known as Yahiko Myojin in the Media Blasters English-language dub and Yoshi Mujin in the English Sony Samurai X dub, is a fictional character from the Rurouni Kenshin manga and anime series authored by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The character of Yahiko is based on the author's childhood experiences practicing kendo; since Watsuki's experienced frustration during kendo classes, the author wrote Yahiko as experiencing frustration with his kendo skills. Watsuki liked Yahiko, and while writing the manga, he began to develop the character so that readers would enjoy him.
Nobuhiro Nishiwaki, better known by his pen name Nobuhiro Watsuki, is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his samurai-themed series Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story (1994–1999), which has over 70 million copies in circulation and a sequel he is currently creating titled Rurouni Kenshin: The Hokkaido Arc (2017–present). He has written three more series, the western Gun Blaze West (2001), the supernatural Buso Renkin (2003–2005), and the horror manga Embalming -The Another Tale of Frankenstein- (2007–2015). Watsuki has mentored several well-known manga artists, including One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, Hiroyuki Takei of Shaman King fame, and Mr. Fullswing author Shinya Suzuki.
Sagara Sanosuke is a fictional character from the Rurouni Kenshin manga and anime series created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. In the English anime adaptations he is known as Sanosuke Sagara and nicknamed Sano. Watsuki, being a fan of the Shinsengumi, created Sanosuke by basing his name and characteristics on that of a real Shinsengumi member named Harada Sanosuke.
Saitō Hajime, known as Hajime Saito in the English-language anime dubs, is a fictional character from the Rurouni Kenshin manga and anime series created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Being a fan of the Shinsengumi, Watsuki created Saitō as an anti-heroic and a foil to Himura Kenshin, the main character of the story, while basing him on the real life Shinsengumi member of the same name.
Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal, known in Japan as Rurōni Kenshin -Meiji Kenkaku Rōman Tan- Tsuioku-hen, is an original video animation (OVA) series, based on the Rurouni Kenshin manga series by Nobuhiro Watsuki, and a prequel to the anime television series adaptation of the same name. Trust & Betrayal chronicles the story of Himura Kenshin as the Hitokiri Battōsai during the final years of the Bakumatsu era while also revealing the origins of his cross-shaped scar and exploring his relationship with a woman named Yukishiro Tomoe.
Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection, known in Japan as Rurōni Kenshin -Meiji Kenkaku Romantan- Seisōhen, is a Japanese original video animation (OVA) which serves as a sequel to the 1996 anime television series Rurouni Kenshin, an adaptation of the manga series of the same name by Nobuhiro Watsuki. It was animated by Studio Deen, directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi and written by Reiko Yoshida. It was released from December 2001 to March 2002.
The episodes covering the third and fourth seasons of The Prince of Tennis anime series are directed by Takayuki Hamaااات animated by Trans Arts, and co-produced by Nihon Ad Systems, J.C.Staff, and Production I.G. The two seasons originally aired on the terrestrial Japanese network TV Tokyo from October 2002 to August 2003. The anime is an adaption of Konomi's Prince of Tennis manga series created in 2000. The series revolves around a 12-year-old tennis prodigy named Ryoma Echizen, who moves back to his native Japan in order to attend his father's alma mater, a private middle school famous for its strong tennis team.
One Piece is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation that premiered on Fuji TV in October 1999. It is based on Eiichiro Oda's manga series of the same name. The story follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a boy whose body gained the properties of rubber after unintentionally eating a Devil Fruit. With his crew, named the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy explores the Grand Line in search of the world's ultimate treasure known as the "One Piece" in order to become the next Pirate King.
The second season of the 1996 Rurouni Kenshin anime television series is directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi and produced by Aniplex and Fuji Television. The season ran in Japan on Fuji Television from October 30, 1996, to September 17, 1997. The season is based on volumes 7–18 of the manga series of the same name by Nobuhiro Watsuki, and depicts the fight of the former assassin named Kenshin Himura, against his successor Makoto Shishio, who aims to conquer Japan.
The following is a list of episodes 63–95 of the anime series Rurouni Kenshin, based on the manga series of the same name by Nobuhiro Watsuki. They aired in Japan, with the exception of episode 95, on Fuji TV from October 14, 1997, until the series concluded on October 15, 1998. Directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi and produced by Aniplex and Fuji TV, the anime is set during the early Meiji period in Japan and follows the story of a fictional assassin named Himura Kenshin, who becomes a wanderer to protect the people of Japan. Unlike previous episodes, these were not adapted from the manga. During that period, the Jinchu Arc was still being written and one more final episode was missing by the end of the anime fillers. Studio Deen, who later animated the Trust & Betrayal, Reflections and New Kyoto Arc OVAs would replace Studio Gallop on animation production starting with episode 67.
Rurouni Kenshin: The Motion Picture, also known as Rurouni Kenshin: The Movie and Samurai X: The Motion Picture, is a Japanese animated martial arts film directed by Tsuji Hatsuki, produced by Katsunori Narumo and Akio Wakana and written by Yukiyoshi Ohashi. It is based on the Rurouni Kenshin manga by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Set in the Meiji Era, the plot follows the clashes between the two warriors, Himura Kenshin, a pacifist who wishes to stop a rebellion from Takimi Shigure and a band of desperate rebels who have sworn to settle one final score with society. The movie takes place somewhere after the Kyoto arc. It was released in Japanese theaters on December 20, 1997.
Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc is a two-part original video animation (OVA) based on the manga series Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki. It is a retelling of the manga's Kyoto arc. Produced by Aniplex and animated by Studio Deen, it was released in December 2011 and June 2012. The story focuses on the young Oniwabanshu member Makimachi Misao, who encounters the protagonist, the wanderer Himura Kenshin, who is on a quest to defeat the forces of his hitokiri successor Shishio Makoto.
Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning is a 2021 Japanese jidaigeki action film based on the Rurouni Kenshin manga series by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Written and directed by Keishi Ōtomo, it is the fifth and final installment of the Rurouni Kenshin film series and serves as a prequel, depicting Himura Kenshin's origins as the assassin "Hitokiri Battōsai", while exploring his relationship with the woman named Yukishiro Tomoe.
Rurouni Kenshin, sometimes called Samurai X, is a Japanese anime television series, based on the manga series of the same name by Nobuhiro Watsuki. It was directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi, produced by SPE Visual Works and Fuji Television, and animated by Studio Gallop and Studio Deen. It was broadcast on Fuji TV from January 1996 to September 1998. Besides an animated feature film, three series of original video animations (OVAs) were also produced; the first adapts stories from the manga that were not featured in the anime series; the second is both a retelling and a sequel to the anime series; and the third was a reimagining of the second arc of the series.
Rurouni Kenshin is a Japanese anime television series, based on the manga series of the same name by Nobuhiro Watsuki. It is the second anime television series adaptation after the 1996–98 series. Directed by Hideyo Yamamoto and animated by Liden Films, the series premiered in July 2023 on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block. In December 2023, the series was renewed for a second season, subtitled Kyoto Disturbance, which is set to premiere in October 2024.
