Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Anik5087
"Rurouni Kenshin" is a timeless classic that blends historical drama, action, and emotional storytelling with incredible finesse. Set in the Meiji era, it follows Kenshin Himura — a former assassin turned wandering swordsman — as he seeks redemption for his bloody past while protecting those around him. What makes this anime stand out is not just its gripping sword fights, but the moral weight behind every conflict.
The story is exceptionally well-written. It's more than just action — it's about forgiveness, identity, and the struggle to change. The arcs are structured in a way that gives time for character growth, quiet moments, and intense showdowns. Each major arc builds naturally and ties back to Kenshin’s internal struggle, making it feel meaningful rather than episodic.
The charact…
Read at the sourceRailroadWanderer
If it was just the Kyoto Arc, parts of Tokyo Arc(main e.g. Sanosuke Episodes, Jine Udou 2-parter), this series would be perfect. But almost half of the series is made up filler that ranges from mediocre to flat out terrible and all of it is complete waste of time. I will also note that on my most recent rewatch of the Tokyo Arc, the Raijuta 3-parter toward the end of the 1st season is the only part of the "Manga Cannon" story that falls flat for me as it's the only cannon storyline that doesn't impact later story events and just feels like a waste time when it's over. But ultimatley the good heavily outweighs the bad, and the filler is easily skippable, I just were able to adapt the Jinchū Arc at the time, we could've had so good.
Read at the sourceDompa112
As far as individual story arcs go the Kyoto arc in Rouronin Kenshin might be the best of the lot. The fights are probably my favorite among anime. The suspension around it. The way they dont drag it out. Each character is interesting and has their own technique. Mostly not supernatural stuff but really good sword techniques theyve learned through effort and training. The accompanying music is such a good fit also. Voice acting is great. Didnt care much for opening and endings though.
So why only a 9/10? Well unfortunely the Kyoto arc starts around 30 and ends around 60. Rest is just filler or episodic. Especially the post Kyoto arc was a slog to go through. The pre Kyoto arc still introduced characters and stuff so you shouldnt skip that. But the post Kyoto arc you could skip and miss n…
Read at the sourcenurBeL_xelA
Now before I begin I should probably address the elephant in the room, which is Nobuhiro Watsuki, the creator of Rurouni Kenshin. If you don't know, Mr. Watsuki has done some really questionable things in real life and honestly, I don't feel like going down that rabbit hole. I do recommend that you do some research into it so you can know what I mean. The question is, should you support Rurouni Kenshin even with all the mistakes Nobuhiro has made? Personally, I only try to judge and support the art and not focus on the artist. It's like listening to Kanye West. Ye has said and done some things that are pretty controversial, but the music he makes is usually quality. (For the most part, I'm gonna act like Donda 2 never existed). I'm a Ye fan myself and I really cannot defend what he says or…
Read at the sourceNisemonoDesu
Oro? Oro oro??
Ruroni Kenshin… a beloved classic produced the year I was born. I decided to pick this up mainly because of how good I’ve heard Trust and Betrayal is, but after finishing the series proper I had to write a full review because it would do this show a disservice to just slap a number on it and move on. I’ll try and keep this one brief. I’ll probably fail.
This is a show I want to be able to say I love, because there’s a lot here to love. Kenshin is one of the gems in director Kazuhiro Furuhashi’s Infinity Gauntlet, next to Hunter x Hunter, Gundam Unicorn, and Spy x Family. This is a director who needs no introduction—his work across 40 years of anime speaks for itself. His blood runs shounen, and he’s made a name for himself because almost everything he touches is quality. A…
Read at the sourceJastereich
The series in question is an amazing piece of entertainment that boasts well-crafted characters with dramatic storylines. The protagonist character can display a wide range of emotions, from comical to romantic to violent. The female characters are portrayed as strong and admirable, making them easy to root for.
The story is set in the 1870s era and features impressive sword-fighting action scenes. The show offers viewers a glimpse into the past and its historical context while touching on contemporary issues. For instance, it addresses terrorism by showing the villains attacking the government, and it also explores the complexities of living a life of peace instead of violence, as the protagonist, Kenshin, vows never to kill again after years as an assassin.
Overall, this series offers…
Read at the sourcebboy_X
The Boshin War left 8,200 killed and 5,000+ wounded people in its path. A truly devastating statistic that undoubtedly left ten times more that number impacted by the events. A war that was started over the dissatisfaction felt by many samurai and Japanese noblemen on how the shogunate handled trade issues when they opened Japan's trade to other countries, and the increase in Western influence on their economy. The series Rurouni Kenshin gives us a glimpse into the era that followed. Through the eyes of Kenshin, formerly the deadliest assassin during the war fighting for the Meiji government, now turning a new leaf, vowing never to kill another human again after helping turn Japan into a much more peaceful land. Or is it?
Nothing is ever as perfect as it seems, and I think that goes for t…
Read at the sourceResting_Bonfire
Rurouni Kenshin
This work has undoubtedly a deserved cult status for its performance at the time. Many still see her as a heavyweight of her time and would call this shounen even today one of the best.
Note, I only watched the anime adaptation and not read the manga. The manga is supposed to be better and also have a different ending, I don't know about this.
At the time, he was definitely one of the more individual anime among the anime. The portrayal of the old Japanese era in which there was a lot of cruelty has given the series a certain atmosphere.
Apart from that, the series has some nice portrayals of sword fights and techniques, even if the adaptation at the time couldn't raise enough funds to give the fights the right dynamic.
What unfortunately prevents "Rurouni Kenshin" f…
Read at the sourcelilkraken
*Review contains spoilers*
Story 8/10
Rurouni Kenshin manages to keep you engaged for the most part. It seems to follow a structure where an arc develop, afterwards characters have a normal day and then another arc develops. When I say "for the most part" I mean Kenshin has very solid and amazing arcs (such as Shishio's arc) and then others (such as the Feng Shui arc) where you are left wondering why they even bothered to do them. Mind you I have read the anime is about 40% fillers, so that made me inclined to read the manga because the story and the characters are very interesting. I think Rurouni Kenshin has a great balance between comedy, action, drama and romance. What I really like about the romance is how subtle it is, nobody ever says "I love you" but you definitely can tell throug…
Read at the sourceKkelles152
This is my first review so i apologize in advance for any mistakes. I will not go into specific details because more often than not, reviews greatly impact one's perception and outlook on an anime, it happened to me a lot of times. Some light spoilers will be used though not blatantly.
Starting off, i'd like to say that i thoroughly enjoyed Rurouni Kenshin. Even though i'm not one to particularly enjoy romance in anime, it was greatly placed here.
If i were to summarize Rurouni Kenshin, i'd say it's a story about a man haunted and hunted by his past, either memories or enemies or regret. It's a story about a man's path towards redemption acting in complete opposition to his past actions as he tries to rediscover himself and find out if he is truly worthy of happiness and valuable allies…
Read at the sourcekdndk
During my time watching Rurouni Kenshin, I've enjoyed it from the most part. To be honest its one of my favorite animes out there. yes, it's another Shonen but i feel like there was something different. the first thing i wanna talk about is the soundtrack. The soundtrack hit me every single time when a sad moment was happening or an impactful scene. Even battle scenes. my personal favorite song was "Departure" of "Rurouni Kenshin OST Soundtrack II". when this song came on, I was in it. Somehow the soundtrack would always put me in the show.
The second thing i would like to talk about is specifically character development. all characters where developed in a well time matter. Throughout the whole anime, the stories of each character continued and got more serious. it started off with a si…
Read at the sourceTwilight_rose
Alright now this is just fascinating, the story the best story i have ever seen in any Historical anime. The story is just great when i was watching it, it felt like i am peaking at the history of Japan when ninja and samurai existed. The story revolves around a wanderer named Himura Kenshin who is none other than the Legendary man slayer battousai who has swore never to kill anyone again and is welding a reverse blade katana. Not much of romance in this series but there were some good scenes that felt romantic.
The art might be old as the anime is old one, but this is really heartwarming series, the way its plotted is too good.
It's a shame that no one talks about this anime.
Nobuhiro Watsuki let me kiss your hands for making such a wonderful story.
Read at the sourceShinMegami13
AMAKAKERU RYU NO HIRAMEKI!!!!
Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan. An anime that I watched when I was I child and my source was just anime that broadcasted on a TV Station. Well I ain’t finished it yet, 9-10 years after that, exactly at July 2020. I decided to watch it again, Our lovely Rurouni. Himura Kenshin.
Story: 7
In this anime, I would say the plot is good but not the best. “What do you mean by that huh?” Well okay here’s a thing, The story focused on Himura Kenshin as a Rurouni (Wandering) who wants to take an atoney caused by his role as a Hitokiri Battousai (Legendary Killer) at a Meiji Reformation era. The story is a typical shounen manga because the template of the story is a main character that wants to punch a bad guy in the face while doing that he met a bunch of friend…
Read at the sourceKishinEgg
Rurouni Kenshin was one of the most popular anime series of the past decade; it ran to 95 episodes in three years before declining story quality and subsequent declining ratings finally got it canceled. Media Blasters currently plans to market the series through episode 68, the end of the famous "Kyoto arc," via an ambitious plan that would have them releasing a DVD every month (coinciding with the two VHS tapes released simultaneously every alternate month) through February of 2002. Production problems have delayed the second DVD, but the DVDs look to be worth the wait--if nothing else, for the liner notes, which explain some of Kenshin's complex history and vocabulary and the decisions that went into the translation.
The reason behind the series' popularity is obvious. The characters sh…
Read at the sourceSigmazyal
The story is very good, showing the historic events of Japan along with very interesting fictional characters that indirectly also represent historical elements and social consequences of the revolutions Japan went through. In my opinion, the best story arc is the Kyoto one (Shishio), it's the center of the main story. The first episodes show shorter independent stories to introduce the main characters, I particularly found them enjoyable, however, they aren't as good as the Kyoto arc. After the Kyoto arc, the anime took a different path from the manga, all the other seasons being fillers, some with independent stories lasting just one or two episodes, others with long sequences of episodes. These fillers seasons do have interesting fights and show many interesting historic elements, howev…
Read at the sourceSeinenJump
Rurouni Kenshin is a historical drama that follows the penitent path of a reformed assassin Himura Kenshin and his martial artist companions. His purpose to protect others paired with his deep commitment to non-violence converge as he and his allies confront post-Boshin-war realities.
The setting couldn’t be more fascinating. Scars are still fresh for many of the people Kenshin & company come into contact with. Japan at the time was sorting itself out and attempting to modernize. Different factions and individuals caught up in the war that have won or lost all have different reactions to the formation of this new government and the reforms it implemented.
Each character has motivations that make sense in light of their past and begin to make even more sense as their unique community wo…
Read at the sourceMichigo1
I love Rurouni Kenshin. It first came out when I was still in high school and I watched every single episode of it back then. This is my favorite Anime Series of all time. It's got a cast of great characters, a fun story to go through, and a beautiful setting no matter where they are. However, I will say that the last season is absolute crap. Seriously just skip the fourth season and go watch the movie or OVA. It'll be better than that. Other than that, there were a few episode here and there I didn't like but overall I still loved it.
It's a different take on these kind of story and it's really nice to see how the cast actually comes together like they do. I would recommend this Anime to anyone whose just starting out on Anime. You'll get a taste for it and then you'll be able to go fart…
Read at the sourceDOOMTheWarLord
This anime is a great one for it art and the story and has had me rewatch it a few time and still love this anime for how it is done. I like this anime as it stands out in its own area and i put it up there with overlord as it can be rewatch and it story is easy to follow and very good. it is worth a watch if you have not seen it and worth a second if you have. 10/10 for me cant ask you anything more.
I Dont want to say anything to spoil it but I will say i put this up there with all my top 10 such as NGNL, overlord and magic and knights
Read at the sourceTosshiM4yo
Rurouni Kenshin for the most part is like a breeze of fresh air that you get while looking on the blue sky and walking through the rural area or a small town. It's not absurdly fancy, it's natural, makes you feel good, and the story flows good as the wind blows.
That is until staff makes fillers and put the anime to an end, without covering all manga offered.
But even so, the best part (A.K.A. the Kyoto Arc) surpasses all of it and makes this anime different from average. Art is really incredible, the director know how to adapt the iconic manga shots to a whole beautiful scene where you see characters interacting with the environment.
Animation is good, not outstanding, but it's good for this show. The fights are realistic at the most, and debating is the more important element of it,…
Read at the sourcemrbeckham09
Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan
English: Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story
The legendary Battousai the Manslayer was the original name of Kenshin Himura. Everywhere he goes, he can be recognized by his long red hair in a pony tail and the cross-shaped sword scar on his cheek. And any man or swordsman who recognizes him either wants to get a piece to prove they are the better or scrams quick! But most like the idea of becoming know as the man who beat the legendary manslayer.
Kenshin is a wanderer who travels from town to town making amends for his bloodthirsty lifestyle in his past, yet as his foes increase in skill, so does his failing restraint to hold himself back and never break his vow to slay another man. Will he kill a man to save his loved ones?
This classi…
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