Rurouni Kenshin poster

Rurouni Kenshin

★ 8.5 22K votes 1996–1998 3 seasons · 95 episodes Ended Fuji TV
RedemptionThe long road to earning back a lost self.This show: 9/10AnimeJapanese animation traditions and grammar.This show: 9/10Period pieceSet meaningfully in a past era.This show: 9/10AdrenalineAction and thrills as the primary reward.This show: 7/10
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Starring
Mayo SuzukazeDorothy Elias-FahnRichard CansinoRebecca ForstadtFuminori MorisadaMīna Tominaga
Starring
Mayo SuzukazeDorothy Elias-FahnRichard CansinoRebecca ForstadtFuminori MorisadaMīna Tominaga
Ratings per Episode
246810
Votes per Episode
0100200300400

Rurouni Kenshin Episode Ratings Heatmap

AvgE1E2E3E4E5E6E7E8E9E10E11E12E13E14E15E16E17E18E19E20E21E22E23E24E25E26E27E28E29E30E31E32E33E34E35
S17.57.67.27.47.57.87.68.17.67.77.98.37.36.47.17.27.56.47.27.37.37.67.07.48.27.37.57.6
S28.38.48.89.18.78.07.77.78.08.38.28.17.88.38.18.19.08.07.78.08.28.68.48.28.27.78.18.38.58.38.08.78.48.87.88.2
S37.27.66.67.07.07.47.37.27.57.37.47.47.87.67.37.17.17.07.17.17.37.27.27.37.37.27.47.17.17.07.07.07.17.2

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About

"A killer's quiet, bloody path to redemption"

In Meiji-era Japan, a former assassin known as the Battousai now wanders as Kenshin Himura, wielding a reverse-blade sword and swearing never to kill again. He settles into a found family while past enemies and old sins keep resurfacing. The show balances gentle domestic comedy with genuinely tense, beautifully choreographed swordfights, and its best arc (Kyoto) is regarded as a genre highlight. It's earnest, a little melodramatic, and clearly a product of its era, but the central question of atonement through nonviolence gives it real weight beneath the action.

Watch it for

the Kyoto arc's tense, elegantly choreographed swordfights and its surprisingly thoughtful take on violence.

Maybe skip if

you dislike mid-90s pacing, obvious filler arcs, and melodrama that occasionally overstays its welcome.

Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.

All Seasons

▶
Wandering Samurai1996
7.56K2710h 21m
▶
Legend of Kyoto1996
8.36K3514h 13m
▶
Tales of the Meiji1997
7.24K3313h 20m

Full Cast & Crew

Cast

Mayo Suzukaze Himura Kenshin
Dorothy Elias-Fahn Kaoru, Kaoru Kamiya
Richard Cansino Himura Kenshin, Kenshi Himura (Sony Samurai X dub)
Rebecca Forstadt Kori Kamiya (Sony Samurai X dub)
Fuminori Morisada Gonzou, Sailor, Servant
Mīna Tominaga Yahiko Myôjin
Lex Lang Sanosuke Sagara
Steve Prince Sanosuke Sagara (Sony Samurai X dub)
Brianne Brozey Yoshi (Sony Samurai X dub), Korey's Student (Sony Samurai X dub)
Yûji Ueda Sanosuke Sagara

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