Rurouni Kenshin: Wandering Samurai (1996–1999)
"Rurôni Kenshin: Meiji kenkaku roman tan" (original title)

The adventures of a young wandering swordsman who stumbles upon a struggling martial arts school in Meiji era Japan.

Stars:

Yûji Ueda, Miki Fujitani, Tetsuo Komura

Cast

Series cast summary:
Yûji Ueda	...	Sanosuke Sagara (1 episode, 1996)
Miki Fujitani	...	Kaoru Kamiya (1 episode, 1996)
Tetsuo Komura	...	Gohei Hiruma (1 episode, 1996)
Noriko Namiki	...	Suzume (1 episode, 1996)
Ikuya Sawaki	...	Koshijirô Kamiya (1 episode, 1996)
Yoku Shioya	...	Gensai Oguni (1 episode, 1996)
Mayo Suzukaze	...	Kenshin Himura (Hitokiri Battôsai) (1 episode, 1996)
Kaori Yuasa	...	Ayame (1 episode, 1996)

Storyline

During the Bakumatsu (the final days of the Tokugawa government) in Japan, there was a merciless swordsman known as Hitokiri Battousai (Himura Kenshin), who fought alongside revolutionaries against the government. After the revolution, he suddenly disappeared and throughout the years became a legend. About ten years later, he is a wandering swordsman, who dedicates his life to helping and protecting people as a way to pay for all the lives he took during the revolution. This is the story of Kenshin, wandering swordsman, master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu style of sword fighting. His many adventures begin with his arrival at Tokyo and meeting Kamiya Kaoru, sword instructor and owner of a dojo...

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Plot Keywords:

swordsman | revolution | japan | martial arts | meiji | 

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | History | Thriller

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

10 January 1996 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Rurouni Kenshin: Wandering Samurai

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fuji Television Network

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min 25 min (95 episodes)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Another real-life personality in the show is Toshimichi Okubo. Okubo was one of the men who overthrew the Tokugawa Shogunate, and was one of the founding members of the new Meiji government.

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Quotes

Sanosuke Sagara (Zanza): [to Saitoh] Hey, if you don't let me out of this jail cell, I'll let myself out!

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Connections

Remade as Rurouni Kenshin: Shin Kyoto-Hen Zenpen Homura no Ori Part 2 (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Sobakasu"
Performed by Yuki Isoya, Takuya Asanuma, Yoshihito Onda and Kohta Igarashi (as Judy and Mary)
Lyrics by Yuki Isoya (as Yuki)
Composed by Kaito Onta
Opening Theme: Episodes 1-38

User Reviews

One of the best anime series ever made!

This is one of the most memorable and most recognizable anime I know, with a cast of great characters and story lines and funny sub-plots, it's everything you'd want to see in an anime. It starts out as Kenshin Himura a wanderer in the Meiji era, ends with a kendo teacher Kaoru Kamiya, and he starts living with her, and eventually she finds out this is no ordinary traveler, this is Battousai, the slasher! An infamous samurai who killed a lot of people in his past. But finds him to be a sweet gentle man who is kind towards children, who wants to restore peace, and end his days as a slasher. Later more characters appear, Yahiko, and then Sanosuke, then Megumi. A great cast with very dark and dramatic backgrounds filled with tragedies. Every episode seems to give each character some background and info and their dark secrets. The soundtracks are also great, I love the one by L~Arc~Ciel in the latter episodes. The sword fighting is also cool, and unforgettable. But wait, a few characters portrayed or based on actual people, like Saitou Hajime and Aritomo Yamagata, oh my, I wonder if they were really like that in real life, I mean their personalities as seen here. Anyways recommended to all anime fans, and to non-anime fans who are not familiar with anime yet, forget Dragon Ball or Pokemon, watch this.