Rurouni Kenshin | |
Cover of the last Japanese manga volume
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るろうに剣心 -明治剣客浪漫譚- (Rurōni Kenshin -Meiji Kenkaku Rōman Tan-) |
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Genre | Chanbara |
Manga | |
Written by | Nobuhiro Watsuki |
Published by | Shueisha |
English publisher | |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Imprint | Jump Comics |
Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Jump |
Original run | April 25, 1994 – November 4, 1999 |
Volumes | 28 |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Kazuhiro Furuhashi |
Written by | Akemi Omode Masashi Sogo Michiko Yokote Michiru Shimada Nobuaki Kishima Yoshiyuki Suga |
Music by | Noriyuki Asakura |
Studio |
Studio Gallop (Episodes 1-66) Studio Deen (Episodes 67-95) |
Licensed by | |
Original network | Fuji Television |
English network | |
Original run | January 10, 1996 – September 8, 1998 |
Episodes | 95 |
Light novel | |
Rurouni Kenshin: Voyage to the Moon World | |
Written by | Kaoru Shizuka |
Illustrated by | Nobuhiro Watsuki |
Published by | Shueisha |
Demographic | Male |
Imprint | Jump J Books |
Magazine | Jump Novel |
Published | October 10, 1996 |
Anime film | |
Samurai X: The Motion Picture | |
Directed by | Hatsuki Tsuji |
Produced by | Yoshinori Naruke Ayao Wakana |
Written by | Yukiyoshi Ohashi |
Music by | Tarō Iwashiro |
Studio | Studio Gallop |
Licensed by | |
Released | December 20, 1997 |
Runtime | 90 minutes |
Anime film series | |
Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc | |
Directed by | Kazuhiro Furuhashi |
Written by | Mari Okada |
Music by | Noriyuki Asakura |
Studio | Studio Deen |
Licensed by | |
Released | December 17, 2011 – June 23, 2012 |
Runtime | 45 minutes |
Films | 2 |
Manga | |
Rurouni Kenshin: Restoration | |
Written by | Nobuhiro Watsuki |
Published by | Shueisha |
English publisher | |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Magazine | Jump SQ |
English magazine | |
Original run | May 2, 2012 – June 4, 2013 |
Volumes | 2 |
Manga | |
Rurouni Kenshin: To Rule Flame | |
Written by | Nobuhiro Watsuki |
Published by | Shueisha |
English publisher | |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Magazine | Jump SQ |
English magazine | |
Original run | July 4, 2014 – September 4, 2014 |
Volumes | 1 |
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 Rōman Tan-), also referred as simply Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai X, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The story begins during the 11th year of the Meiji period in Japan (1878) and follows a former assassin from the Bakumatsu, known as Hitokiri Battosai. After his work against the bakufu, Hitokiri Battosai disappears to become Himura Kenshin: a wandering swordsman who protects the people of Japan with a vow of to never take another life. Watsuki wrote this series upon his desire of making a shōnen manga different from the other ones that were published at the time, with Kenshin being a former assassin and the story taking a more serious tone as it continued. The manga revolves around themes of , peace, and romance.
The manga initially appeared in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from April 25, 1994, to November 4, 1999. The complete work consists of 28 tankōbon volumes, while years later it was reprinted into twenty-two kanzenban volumes. Studio Gallop, Studio Deen and SPE Visual Works adapted the manga into an anime series which aired in Japan from January 10, 1996 to September 8, 1998. Besides an animated feature film, two series of original video animations (OVAs) were also produced. The first adapted stories from the manga that were not featured in the anime, while the second was a sequel to the manga. Several art and guidebooks for Rurouni Kenshin have been published and writer Kaoru Shizuka has authored three official light novels which were published by Shueisha. Many video games have also been released for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable consoles. A successful live-action theatrical film adaptation was released in 2012, with limited international screenings.