Last week’s episode ended on a high note: Yahiko impressed a cute girl by taking down her former lord and his lackeys. Akabeko was saved, and Yahiko grew as a person and warrior. Well. Hold onto those positive feelings because this week’s episode of Rurouni Kenshin will be a bit of a downer. After all, one of the more callously cruel villains in the series is being introduced.
Episode 15 — That Man・Raijuta
Rurouni Kenshin: Past and Present — Maekawa and Kamiya
Let’s get this out of the way first: the 2023 episode had a way better opening. There’s no denying it. The 1996 version showed Raijuta standing on a cliff, declaring the land he surveyed before him to be his kingdom. The 2023 version showed Kaoru getting dressed. Instantly, a better opening. Unfortunately, Yahiko walks in on her, not Kenshin, as the cultured artists would prefer.
Besides that, the Kenshingumi of 1996 is crossing a bridge in Izu for their vacation. The Kenshingumi of 2023 instead only stays home. In fact, Kaoru manages to convince Kenshin to come with her to the Maekawa Dojo for some training. We will miss out on seeing that Kaoru is afraid of heights, a hot spring scene, and meeting Dr. Gensai’s anime-only sister, Hana. She works at the Tsukayama estate under its lord, Yutaro. However, this will be Maekawa’s first anime appearance.
Rurouni Kenshin: Past and Present — Raijuta’s Might
Raijuta takes the stage in an impressive display of strength both then and now. He effortlessly and mercilessly cut down several bandits who attempted to abduct Yutaro in the 1996 adaptation. This time, he stomped his way into the Maekawa Dojo and tossed the students aside when they tried to stop him because of the disrespect he showed the dojo.
Yutaro has already become Raijuta’s student. Likewise, he finds wooden swords to be laughable. In the past, he became Raijuta’s student after being saved from the bandits.
Kenshin and Raijuta cross blades in both iterations but for very different reasons. In the past, Kenshin was worried about Raijuta’s corrupting influence on Yutaro and made a move to separate the two. This time, Raijuta threatened not only Maekawa, his dojo’s dignity, but Kaoru as well. She challenged Raijuta, and fearing for her safety, Kenshin stepped in and accepted the challenge.
Rurouni Kenshin: Past and Present — Kenshin vs. Raijuta, Part 1
Fortunately, Yutaro doesn’t go off a cliff during this matchup. Given how much Yahiko and Yutaro have already argued, Yahiko probably wishes they were by a cliff about now. In addition to that, they will be using wooden swords this time, and Raijuta’s other students are nowhere to be seen.
In the past, Kenshin had trouble holding his own against multiple opponents. It wasn’t until Yutaro went off the cliff that he became serious and defeated Raijuta’s students. This time, in a dojo against Raijuta himself, Kenshin could dodge or block every strike with minimal effort. As before, the battle ended without a clear victor. Kenshin dove after Yutaro and returned the boy to his home in 1996. In this 2023 version, Raijuta used his Izuna strike to crack the floor and his wooden sword. He left after Kenshin dodged it. Both instances saw Raijuta remark about Kenshin’s strength.
Rurouni Kenshin: Past and Present — Raijuta’s Challenge
Raijuta, through Yutaro’s funds, sent Kenshin a letter of challenge and invited him to his manor. Whether or not this place is in Izu is unclear, but we finally got here. Unlike the 1996 version, Yutaro’s father is very much alive. Raijuta still saved Yutaro from bandits, but his father was present for the attack and hired Raijuta. All of this happened in the past and off-screen. Still, the events are similar between then and now, even if they happened at different times.
As we saw in the past, Raijuta tries to recruit Kenshin to his cause of making swordsmanship dangerous again. Then and now, Kenshin refuses the offer, which makes them enemies.
Rurouni Kenshin Ep. 16: The Ideal Man
The gauntlet is thrown, and Kenshin has to face Raijuta to prevent needless bloodshed. I worry for Yutaro, who will likely be drawn into it.
Next up for our fantasy fights is another Fate character. The Illyasviel [Install: Berserker] 1/7 KDcolle Figure is now available for pre-order. Raijuta acts more like a berserker than an actual berserker.
What did you think of this week’s episode? Were you happy to see Maekawa finally introduced in anime? Did you miss Dr. Gensai’s sister Hana? He never catches a break. Let us know in the comments below.
