To say that Rurouni Kenshin is one of the greatest series ever made would be an understatement. Like Gundam and Inuyasha, it is a mainstay of anime and manga. It should be a rite of passage for people just becoming familiar with Japanese works. Kenshin’s famous sakabatou was even created in real life, and not with cheap metal that bends under the smallest amount of pressure.
Aniplex has been hyping up the new anime adaptation of Rurouni Kenshin with different preview videos and a Twitter account posting updates, the second Rurouni Kenshin anime series after the original ran from 1996 through 1998. Western fans would have seen it on Toonami, and I’m certain I just gave them all a wave of nostalgia. Liden Films will be developing this second anime series, and rejoicing fans will be able to enjoy it when airing begins sometime in 2023. Until then, we have these trailers to enjoy. This newest PV shows parts of Kenshin Himura’s bloody history, then fast forwards to his first meeting with Kaoru Kamiya, then briefly shows Sanosuke Sagara and Yahiko Myōjin, and Kenshin’s fight against Sanosuke.
The previous trailer connected Kenshin’s past and present. The titular Rurouni Kenshin stands in a forest as leaves fall around him, granting him some peace as he goes through some sword techniques and recalls his past as the Hitokiri Battosai, handily slaying numerous opposing samurai with a cold, killer look in his eyes.
The original trailer was simply a close-up of Kenshin himself. It set the Rurouni Kenshin fandom ablaze.
For a bit of history, Rurouni Kenshin was created by noted mangaka Nobuhiro Watsuki, with a one-shot titled Rurouni: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story appearing in 1992. The manga itself ran from 1994 to 1999, with later arcs such as Restoration, a sort of remake, running from 2012 to 2013. Master of Flame, a prequel starring Makoto Shishio, hit shelves in 2014, and a proper sequel arc titled The Hokkaido Arc greeted eager Kenshin fans starting in 2017, and it is currently running as of this writing.
The story follows Kenshin Himura, a master swordsman who fought during the Boshin war, journeying through Japan in the early Meiji era, trying to escape his bloody past. He meets Kaoru Kamiya, the successor of the Kamiya Kasshin style, who accuses him of trying to slander his name. He works with her to clear his name, and the name of her dojo, setting off events that rock the entire country, from the lowliest commoner to the highest positions of government.
Besides the main anime series, and the few video games that never came to the West, there was a movie simply titled Rurouni Kenshin: The Motion Picture that premiered on December 20th, 1997, as well as three OVAs including Trust & Betrayal that was released in 1999, Reflection that was released between 2001 and 2002, and New Kyoto Arc that was released between 2011 and 2012.
Standing as a testament to how well anime can translate to live-action (when placed in the right hands of people who respect the source material), Rurouni Kenshin saw four live-action movies that were incredibly well-received. Starting with a movie simply titled Rurouni Kenshin that premiered in 2012, followed by Kyoto Inferno in 2014, The Legend Ends also in 2014, The Final in 2021, and The Beginning just last year in 2021.
