| Rurouni Kenshin | |
 | |
| るろうに剣心 -明治剣客浪漫譚- (Rurōni Kenshin -Meiji Kenkaku Roman Tan-) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Nobuhiro Watsuki |
| Published by | Shueisha |
| English publisher | |
| Imprint | Jump Comics |
| Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Jump |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Original run | April 12, 1994 – September 21, 1999 |
| Volumes | 28 |
| Manga | |
| |
| Anime series | |
| |
| Anime film / Original video animations | |
| |
| Live-action films | |
| |
Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story (Japanese: るろうに剣心 -明治剣客浪漫譚-, Hepburn: Rurōni Kenshin -Meiji Kenkaku Roman Tan-)[a] is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The story begins in 1878, the 11th year of the Meiji era in Japan, and follows a former assassin of 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 based on his desire to make a shōnen manga different from others being published at the time, with Kenshin being a former assassin and the story taking a more serious tone as it progressed.
The manga was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine from April 1994 to September 1999. The complete series originally consisted of 28 tankōbon volumes, and was later republished in 22 kanzenban volumes. It was adapted into an anime television series by Studio Gallop, Studio Deen, and SPE Visual Works, which aired from January 1996 to September 1998. In addition to an animated feature film, Rurouni Kenshin: The Motion Picture, two series of original video animations (OVAs) were also produced; Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal, which adapted stories from the manga that were not featured in the anime, and Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection, a sequel to the manga. In 2017, Watsuki began publishing a direct sequel, Rurouni Kenshin: The Hokkaido Arc, in Jump Square. A second anime television series adaptation by Liden Films premiered in July 2023. In addition, other media based on the franchise has been produced, including a series of five live-action theatrical film adaptations, beginning with Rurouni Kenshin in 2012 and ending with Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning in 2021, and video games for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable. Several art and guidebooks have been published, and writer Kaoru Shizuka has written three official light novels, which were published by Shueisha.
The manga, as well as the first light novel and guidebook, have received a complete North American release by Viz Media, being subtitled "Wandering Samurai" in some English versions. The Rurouni Kenshin manga has over 72 million copies in circulation as of 2019, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. The series has received praise from various publications for manga, anime, and other media, particularly for the characters' designs and historical setting.
- ^ "Viz Media Announces New 3-in-1 Omnibus Editions of the Samurai Adventure Saga Rurouni Kenshin". Viz Media via Anime News Network. December 12, 2016. Archived from the original on December 14, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
- ^ a b "The Official Website for Rurouni Kenshin". Viz Media. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
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