Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan (Rurouni Kenshin)

In the final years of the Bakumatsu era lived a legendary assassin known as Hitokiri Battousai. Feared as a merciless killer, he was unmatched throughout the country, but mysteriously disappeared at the peak of the Japanese Revolution. It has been ten peaceful years since then, but the very mention of Battousai still strikes terror into the hearts of war veterans.

Unbeknownst to them, Battousai has abandoned his bloodstained lifestyle in an effort to repent for his sins, now living as Kenshin Himura, a wandering swordsman with a cheerful attitude and a strong will. Vowing never to kill again, Kenshin dedicates himself to protecting the weak. One day, he stumbles across Kaoru Kamiya at her kendo dojo, which is being threatened by an impostor claiming to be Battousai. After receiving help from Kenshin, Kaoru allows him to stay at the dojo, and so the former assassin temporarily ceases his travels.

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan tells the story of Kenshin as he strives to save those in need of saving. However, as enemies from both past and present begin to emerge, will the reformed killer be able to uphold his new ideals?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Edit

Background

No background information has been added to this title. Help improve our database by adding background information here.

Episode Videos

Edit

Related Anime

Adaptation:	Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan
Prequel:	Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Tsuioku-hen
Side story:	Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Ishinshishi e no Chinkonka, Rurouni Kenshin: Special Techniques, Rurouni Kenshin: Review Special, Rurouni Kenshin Special
Sequel:	Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Seisou-hen
Alternative version:	Rurouni Kenshin DVD-BOX Special Ending, Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Shin Kyoto-hen, Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan (2023)
Summary:	Rurouni Kenshin Recap
Other:	Sobakasu

Sakurai, Tomo
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Hasegawa, Hiroshi

Producer

Katou, Toshiyuki

Assistant Producer

Matsuda, Keiichi

Assistant Producer

Furuhashi, Kazuhiro

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Edit

Opening Theme

	1: "Sobakasu (そばかす)" by JUDY AND MARY (eps 1-38)
	2: "½" by Makoto Kawamoto (eps 39-82)
	3: "Kimi ni Fureru Dake de (君に触れるだけで)" by CURIO (eps 83-94)

Edit

Ending Theme

	1: "Tactics" by THE YELLOW MONKEY (eps 1-12)
	2: "Namida wa Shitteiru" by Mayo Suzukaze (eps 13-27)
	3: "HEART OF SWORD ~Yoake Mae~ (HEART OF SWORD 〜夜明け前〜)" by T.M.Revolution (eps 28-38,43-49)
	4: "the Fourth Avenue Café" by L'Arc~en~Ciel (eps 39-42)
	5: "It's gonna rain!" by BONNIE PINK (eps 50-66)
	6: "1/3 no Junjou na Kanjou (1/3の純情な感情)" by SIAM SHADE (eps 67-82)
	7: "Dame! (ダメ！)" by You Izumi (eps 83-95)

Reviews

Jun 3, 2007

VK11

Recommended

Rurouni Kenshin - an amazing anime taking place during the Japan Revolution - is an amazing story first written by Nobuhiro Watsuki in 1994 and first aired as an anime in 1996. If you're one of the older anime fans, chances are that you probably have seen this anime already and give it the respect that it deserves. If you are one of the younger anime fans out there and haven't heard too much about Rurouni Kenshin (also known as Samurai X in other countries outside of the United States), I urge to immediately to get your hands on a copy of the ... anime somehow and start watching it, you won't be disappointed if you are into samurai.

The story is deep, intricate, emotional, and touching. Everything from romance, action, suspense, and even some thriller in included in Rurouni Kenshin. There are a total of 95 episodes to Rurouni Kenshin, however, only the first 62 (the first two seasons) are only worth watching because the third season is all fillers. The first two seaons depict the story of Himura Kenshin, also known as Hitokiri Battousai, and his motley bunch of friends in Sagara Sonouske, Myojin Yahiko, and Kamiya Kaoru. Without giving too much away, the first season is based on his stay with Kaoru Kamiya and how he keeps his vow of not to kill. The second season is where the plot develops and we are introduced to a little bit of Kenshin's past.

To some of the younger fans out there, the animation may seem a bit older and not as new as some of our recent anime like Death Note and Full Metal Alchemist, it still is drawn with very exceptional quality and after the first few episodes, you find that the style perfectly suits the time frame in which the story takes place.

Taku Iwasaki has done a beautiful job with the soundtrack to Rurouni Kenshin as during each and every part, there is the perfect song that fits the scene. This is especially the case during the second season as Iwasaki unveils a multitude of amazing pieces of music that you will undoubtedly look to download.

You will either hate the characters or love them. The character development during the anime is portrayed very well. An example of this is the development of Yahiko from an innocent child to an exceptional swordsman throughout the show. The only qualm people may have is the lack of romance between Kenshin and Kaoru. Though its hinted at very slightly during the first two seasons, there is not much between them. All of Kenshin's rivals also have unique personalities and Nobuhiro Watsuki has done an excellent job with them.

The only reason I advise you to avoid the episodes 63-95 is that they are pointless fillers. By the time the second arc had ended, the Kyoto arc, the anime had caught up to the manga. So as with all animes, they stopped animating the manga and aired fillers so the manga could develop. However, by the time the manga finished, the fillers were so terribly bad that Rurouni Kenshin had to be cancelled.

That is why after episode 62, I urge you to find the manga and start reading it from Volume 18 to enjoy the amazing story of Enishi and the Revenge Arc. It is there where the true story of Kenshin is continued and completed, and not with the later episodes.

Overall,
I rate episodes 1-62 a 10/10 because they follow the manga very well..
I rate episodes 63-95 a 6/10 because even though they are pointless, some of the fillers do have good back stories and battle scenes..

A final overall rating of a 9/10 is due to the anime, Rurouni Kenshin (the manga I would give a 10 ^_^). There is no doubt in my mind that if you are looking for an anime with a little bit of everything and looking for an anime that involves mystic sword styles, amazing battles and an "oro-ing red-headed samurai," look no further.

Open

Gift

Mar 19, 2016

FAKEANIMEGIRL

Mixed Feelings

March 2003. That was when the Rurouni Kenshin anime first premiered on Cartoon Network’s Toonami block. I looked up the original year expecting to feel old, but somehow 2003 doesn’t seem that long ago. It’s actually almost exactly 13 years. I grew up on this show, and one way or another I’m willing to bet the same could be said of most people still visiting this MAL page. Rurouni Kenshin gave me the hope that I too could be a samurai in a modern world unsuited for one. That hasn’t worked out very well for me.

Rurouni Kenshin stars its titular protagonist, Kenshin Himura, a former ...

Open

Gift

Jan 31, 2009

critic

Not Recommended

Funny

Absolutely horrible. I don't know what can make a series so unwatchable while its OVA and movies were fantastic. The lame excuses of jokes that this anime try to come up with makes you want to hop off a cliff. Kenshin totally does not possess the aura of a fighter but rather a klutz and fails at being funny. Even during the fights, it is just ridiculously stupid. E.g. forgot the name but there was this one villain who has a blade that reeks of the fats of the victims that he slaughtered in the past that when he fights his blade becomes coated ...

Open

Gift

More stacks

Interest Stacks

Killer Protagonist

by Enivlens

43 Entries · 106 Restacks

Anime that influenced videogames like grandia/lunar

by jyagan0

26 Entries · 3 Restacks

Best of the 90s

by marcosocram2004

50 Entries · 31 Restacks

More recommendations

Recommendations

View All

More news

Recent News

'Rurouni Kenshin' Manga Gets New TV Anime Adaptation

The Jump Studio Red stage for Nobuhiro Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan (Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story) manga announced a ne...read more

Dec 18, 2021 9:33 PM by Vindstot | Discuss (81 comments)

Manga 'Rurouni Kenshin' to Have Two New Live Action Movie Adaptations Due Summer 2014

In the latest issue of Jump Square, it was announced that manga "Rurouni Kenshin" will have a two new live-action movie adaptations, "Kyoto Taika hen&...read more

Jun 29, 2013 4:22 AM by symbv | Discuss (52 comments)

More discussions

Recent Forum Discussion

Poll: Rurouni Kenshin Episode 17 Discussion Drgentile777 - Feb 28, 2010	17 replies	by Osk_Social »» Apr 19, 11:46 AM
Poll: Rurouni Kenshin Episode 15 Discussion Drgentile777 - Feb 27, 2010	19 replies	by Osk_Social »» Apr 18, 4:30 PM
spoilers inside shishio..... Videogamecoper - Mar 13	2 replies	by Nikolo123 »» Mar 14, 2:55 AM
Poll: Rurouni Kenshin Episode 8 Discussion Drgentile777 - Feb 25, 2010	26 replies	by MajedM1999 »» Mar 7, 12:54 AM
Poll: Rurouni Kenshin Episode 7 Discussion WolfWood37 - Apr 15, 2009	31 replies	by MajedM1999 »» Mar 6, 7:58 PM

Recent Featured Articles

11 Anime Starring Grown Adults!

These 11 entertaining anime put adults in the limelight.

by Unnamedhero

130,324 views

Top 20 Most Epic Anime Fight/Battle Scenes

Fighting is bad... but sometimes it can be so bad that it's good, right? Prepare yourself for some serious ass-kicking. We're counting down 20 of the greatest, coolest, and most epic anime fight scenes in anime history.

by removed_user

630,868 views

Spoiler

Recommendation Collection Action Supernatural Superhuman Sci-fi Video

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Himura, Kenshin

Sagara, Sanosuke

Kamiya, Kaoru

Myoujin, Yahiko

Saitou, Hajime

Shishio, Makoto

Seta, Soujirou

Hiko, Seijuurou

Shinomori, Aoshi

Makimachi, Misao

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

Visit MALxJapan MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-