Rurouni Kenshin aka Samurai X...
Way back in the misty dawn of time, I picked up the VHS version of Rurouni Kenshin aka Samurai X...
I'm not really a big fan of the ninja genre, in general, and, as it turns out, Rurouni Kenshin aka Samurai X is just not my cup of tea. I used to have the first OVA on subtitled VHS. I gave Rurouni Kenshin aka Samurai X a 2 out of 5. In the aftermath of the Ultimate Otaku Fall Cleanup, I decided not to keep it in my archive.
Volume 1
TV Series
Legendary Swordsman
Our saga begins over ten years after the bloody Meiji Revolution that marked the end of the rule of the Shogun and the Samurai in Japan. In Tokyo, where swords have been banned, Kaoru bumps into the wandering Kenshin while looking for the man that is tarnishing the name of her fencing school. This proves to be the beginning of a long, exciting adventure for herself, a master swordsman with a reverse-blade sword and a heart of gold. Now, the adventure starts as we are thrust into an era long gone, not only of blades and duels, but where honor and reputation were still a person's most prized possessions.
Volume 2
Battle in the Moonlight
As the battle between Kenshin and Sanosuke comes to an end, a new alliance against evil is formed. Their skill is duly tested as their first opponent proves to possess great ability. Kenshin faces a new challenge as he must decide whether to throw everything away that he has worked for to defeat his adversary, or lose to preserve his honor. Subsequently, we learn of a mysterious young woman, Megumi, who is being chased by a shady drug dealer's henchmen. Ever the gentlemen, Kenshin and his friends come to her rescue and the saga continues to unfold in this tale of honor and justice.
Volume 3
Shadow Elite
The evil Kanryuu was forcing Dr. Megumi Takani to make opium against her will. When she refuses to cooperate and takes refuge in the Kamiya Dojo, Kanryuu sends his elite team of ninja guards known as the Oniwabanshuu to recover the renegade doctor and punish those that interfere with the operation. Not wanting to bring their wrath upon her protectors, Megumi returns to Kanryuu. Now, Kenshin must act if he is to keep his promise to protect her. Kenshin and Sanosuke lead the rescue mission to Kanryuu's mansion. The obstacles in Kanryuu's mansion are fierce. Even if Kenshin and Sanosuke can defeat all of the Oniwabanshuu, they will still have to face the Oniwabanshuu's dreaded leader, Aoshi Shinomori. His sword is fast, his Kempo is invincible. Can Kenshin's reverse blade defeat Aoshi's short sword? Can Sanosuke bring himself to rescue the maker of the drug that killed his friend? Even if they can overcome obstacles from outside and from within, Kanryuu awaits...
Volume 4
False Prophet
A vicious band of con artists, the Hishi Manji, devise a fake illness to discredit Megumi's medical practice. It is part of a plot to sucker the town into a faith healing scam. Megumi realizes that the truth must be told when a young girl is dying of a real illness, and the Hishi Manji's lies will not cure her. When she seeks to expose the truth that will prevent the Hishi Manji from making money, they become violent. The time has come once again for Kenshin and his allies to protect a young girl's life from lies and corruption.
Volume 5
Renegade Samurai
On holiday in the countryside, Kenshin and his companions come across a massive European mansion owned by the wealthy Tsukayama family. There, the young master Yutarou searches for a powerful master of swordsmanship to become his teacher. Kenshin, however, does not measure up to Yutarou's idea of a father-figure, and the job goes to the giant Raijuuta Isurugi. Raijuuta wastes no time in proving himself to be more than just the average teacher. He's an undefeated manslayer from the Revolution, whose special swordsmanship techniques can cut opponents in half without even touching them. Yutarou trusts his new surrogate father completely, but Raijuuta hasn't forgotten the time of the Revolution just yet. When he uses the Tsukayama fortune to spark a new rebellion, Kenshin and Yahiko must not only stop an all-out war from exploding, they must also protect Yutarou's heart... because he may be losing his father-figure for the second time.
Volume 6
The Flames of The Revolution
During his stay in Tokyo, Kenshin Himura has made many life-long friends, but none are closer to him than Sanosuke Sagara, a former member of the Sekihoutai. However, for every man there are duties and ideals, which run deeper than any friendship, no matter how strong. When a fellow survivor from the Sekihoutai hatches a plan to avenge their slain comrades, Sanosuke is drawn back into his past. Kenshin has relentlessly defeated all those who have stood in the way of peace before, but this time his opponent is a comrade fighting for personal ideals and the memory of those he loved. Best friends turn to bitter enemies as Kenshin and Sanosuke face off on a moonlit battlefield.
Volume 7
Shadow of the Wolf
You've seen Kenshin's past, now experience his future. His peaceful life in Tokyo Has been shattered by the threat of National revolution, so Himura Kenshin picks up his sword and becomes a wanderer once more. Leaving behind everyone he loves in Tokyo, Kenshin plunges into the dark world of the Juppon Gatana, a merciless group of assassins and swordsmen. They plan to end the Meji completely, replacing it with a reign of tyranny and violence. Kenshin is surrounded and must match gazes with the crimson eye of insanity. The new Battosai Shishio.
Volume 8
Ice Blue Eyes
As the ambitious Shishio circles Japan in flames, Kenshin is forced to leave behind everything he loves and become a wanderer once again. After joining forces with Misao Makimachi a young Ninja and member of the Oniwaban group, Kenshin comes across a rural area that has already fallen into Shishio's grip. The new villain controls the villages with public executions and random acts of terror, while Kenshin finds himself drawn closer and closer to the true heart of darkness. As he faces off with Shishio and the boy assassin Soujiro, another opponent reappears after a long absence. It's a relentless warrior with a heart of ice and no hopes or dreams other than to defeat Kenshin!
Volume 9
Heart of Sword
In the heart of the Japanese countryside, Himura Kenshin finally reaches the source of the fire that has been blackening his nation. It's the historic first meeting of Kenshin and Shishio, the heralds of revolutions past and future. Shishio sets Kenshin against Soujiro, a young man who always has a pleasant smile on his face, even when he is committing murder. Kenshin defends himself, but Soujiro's ferocious attack splits the reverse-blade sword in two!
Volume 10
Between Life and Death
Kenshin's swordsmanship has always been the strongest, but he is not a true master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style. As a young revolutionary, Kenshin abandoned his martial training prematurely, in order to become a killer and tread the dark path of the Battosai. Finally, Kenshin is determined to finish what he started, and is reunited with his former master, Seijuro Hiko. But his new trial will not be easy, and the odds are stacked against him. Ice and fire join in an unholy alliance, as Shishio strikes a deal with none other than Aoshi Shinamori... Is Aoshi is willing to throw his soul away for a chance to defeat Kenshin?
Volume 11
Faces of Evil
It is the hour of evil, when all the Juppon Gatana meet under one roof. Shishio, lord of madness, amasses his solders for a second revolution in Kyoto. With Soujiro, the boy assassin, and Anji, the fallen monk, Shishio launches his attack from a great iron ship. A product of industry and hatred, Shishio's ship is nearly invulnerable. Kenshin is reunited with Sanosuke, a former student of Anji, and both are determined to sink Shishio's bringer of evil. They agree to work with Saito, a former member of the Shinsengumi, and stage an assault on the sea fortress just as its cannons are being aimed towards Kyoto!
Volume 12
Blind Justice
When Evil is blind, murder is justice! The killer Usui serves as one of Shishio's most powerful lieutenants, despite the fact he is blind. The last survivor of the Shinsengumi, Hajime Saito, believes that only one willing to commit murder can defeat Usui. Therefore, he challenges the blind assassin himself and lets Kenshin go ahead on the road to Shishio. However, Saito is now up against someone with senses so sharp, he can hear any opponent's muscles contract and predict their movements. If that isn't enough, yet another legendary warrior appears to block Kenshin's path... Shinomori Aoshi has returned, and this time he plans to kill Kenshin and then take his own life. Can Kenshin thaw his heart and bring him back to the woman who is waiting for him?
Volume 13
Innocence and Experience
Sojiro, a young boy, stands beside the bodies of his murdered family. He holds a bloody sword in his hands, and lets the warm rain wash over his face. He is smiling pleasantly. Kenshin Himura, sworn to defeat the evil Shishio, has only one obstacle left between him and the mad lord himself. This obstacle is Sojiro, the boy assassin. Kenshin has already beaten many opponents on the road to Shishio, but Sojiro is special. He is faster than Kenshin, stronger than Kenshin, more skilled than Kenshin, and his temperament makes him immune to the special techniques of Kenshin's Hiten Mitsurugi Style! He is called the Tenken, because his swordsmanship can only be a gift from the heavens.
Volume 14
Fire Requiem
In every war there will come a single battle like no other. It is a battle with no rules, where unlikely allies fight side by side until none have the strength to stand. The stage has been lit with fire and hate as the final players gather. Kenshin Himura, Sanosuke Sagara, Saito Hajime, Aoshi Shinamori, and Shishio Makoto remain. Between these five men, the future of the Meiji Era will be decided. Kenshin has come a long way since he began walking the road to Kyoto. However, if he doesn't find closure to the tragic tale of the Battousai, he will never return home to Tokyo. The final battle has begun!
Volume 15
The Firefly's Wish
The first volume of Tales of the Meiji, the third arc of the Rurouni Kenshin story. After returning from Kyoto, Kenshin, Sanosuke and the others are looking for a rest from the ghosts of the Revolution. Despite Yahiko being mistaken for a foreign prince and Sanosuke finding a treasure-hiding dog, peace prevails at the Kamiya dojo. During this breather, Kenshin and Karou think back to the one moment they had together among the fireflies. Kenshin may still be haunted by the love he buried in the past, but now he has the chance for a wish for the future.
Volume 16
Son of God
Beware the wrath of the Son of God, for he commands an army of the faithful and fights with the Hiten Mitsurugi Style! The first half of the Christian Saga unfolds as Kenshin unravels the past of a rogue Hiten Mitsurugi master. His young apprentice decides to use the power of this swordsmanship to destroy the newly restored peace of the Meiji. Kenshin, Sanosuke and the others disembark to challenge this new army of revolution, but their enemy marches under the flags of faith and justice. Kenshin is left to decide if a just war is truly impossible.
Volume 17
Holy War
Amakusa Shougo took up the mantle of divinity after witnessing the murder of his mother. Calling himself the Son of God, he surrounds himself with an army of the faithful and starts his own revolution. As Kenshin lies blinded by Shougo's Rai Ryu Sen, Sanosuke ends up rescuing a spiritual woman known as Magdaria. The war then turns doubly deadly as one of the faithful plans to make Shougo a martyr like his namesake. Despite his affliction, Kenshin must fight to end this new revolution before Shougo is crucified!
Volume 18
Fall from Grace
The Christian Saga thunders to a close as the army and Shougo's followers meet on the battlefield. Elsten manages to arrange a truce for one hour, while Kenshin and Shougo fight to decide the outcome for every soldier. Kenshin is still blind from the Rai Ryu Sen, while Shougo was wounded by a bullet in the earlier fighting. Will either Hiten Mitsurugi master be able to pull off the ultimate attack of their style, the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki?
Volume 19
Dreams of Youth
Kenshin and the others meet Daigoro, a young man with a western education. Daigoro has been rejected by Kaishu, a famous teacher, who has been active since the times of the Revolution. Kaoru steps in, and the Kamiya Dojo gets a new student. Kenshin suspects that something is amiss, however, and he uncovers a strange conspiracy leading back to the Tokugawa Era. A powerful group of outlaws, the Beni Aoi, believe that Kaishu is the heir of the Tokugawa fortune, and they won't let him or Daigoro live in peace until it is uncovered!
Volume 20
Soulless Knights
After being wounded by his own teacher during a revolution on the Izu Peninsula, Yutaro Tsukayama departed for Germany in search of treatment for the tendons in his arm. On the day he left, he had promised to return and finish his unfinished duel with Yahiko. Now Yutaro has landed on the Japanese coast once again, rejoining Karou and the others as a member of the Kamiya Kashin style. However, Yutaro is not the only one to have arrived from Germany. A mysterious order of Germanic soldiers has followed him, each skilled in medieval-style melee combat and fighting from horseback. They bring with them a new threat, one Kenshin and Yutaro must prevent at any cost!
Volume 21
A Shinobi's Love
Yutaro and the others are on the trail of Meldars, a deadly swordsman from Germany. Meldars's ambition knows no end as he searches for the legendary Divine Elixir, said to grant eternal life. Enlisting the help of Misanagi and her Sanada Ninja clan, the Germans prepare for a final confrontation with Kenshin and the others. The tragedy begins when Meldars's Lieutenant, Schneider finds himself attracted to the ninja, Misanagi. When the Germans plan a lethal double-cross, Schneider will have to choose between his feelings and his loyalty to the Fatherland.
Voulme 22
End of Song
As the end of Kenshin's legend draws near, the scarred swordsman meets an opponent like none other. Saeki Mizu is a master of Feng Shui, a mysterious form of Chinese astrology that prevents him from ever being defeated by a sword! During the time of the Tokugawa, there were two competing families who taught the art of Feng Shui, the Kaze and the Mizu families. Before the slighted Mizu family topples the Meiji government, Kenshin must join forces with Jinpu Kaze, whose family knowledge is the only defense against his attackers.
Volume 1
OVAs
Trust
Nineteenth century Japan: a land torn by warfare and rebellion where small bands of soldiers seek to overthrow the tyrannical Tokugawa Shogunate. Enter Kenshin, a young orphan whose fighting skills were honed by the great swordsman Hiko. But Kenshin's soul is embattled much like the killing fields of Japan, his hopes for a new world peace at odds with his life of blood and killing. His world is thrown into further confusion by the arrival of a mysterious woman named Tomoe. Her kindness and attention show him a kind of life he didn't know existed. Can she help the assassin become a real man? Or does she hide a secret that could destroy everything he has come to depend on? Join the battle and discover the enemy within.
Volume 2
Betrayal
After the Great Fire in Kyoto, Kenshin and Tomoe are sent into exile on a small farm. They experience peace and quiet for the first time in their turbulent lives. The rebellion, wounded after the events in Kyoto, is slowly rebuilding, far away from Kenshin and Tomoe. Their only link to the outside world is Iizuka who brings them dire news from the city.
Volume 3
Reflection
Rurouni Kenshin is a wanderer, a lost soul, cursed to seek atonement for his life in the bloody trade of the samurai. During the long war to overthrow the corrupt government, he was known throughout all Japan as the Hitokiri Battousai ("sword-bearing master assassin"). But the end of the war has brought no peace to Kenshin, despite a vow to draw his sword only for the protection of those in need. Now his wife, Kaoru, steadfastly awaits his return, mourning his absence as well as that of their son, Kenji. Will Kenshin return before she dies of grief? The past meets the present fifteen years after Kenshin first left.
Movie
The war against the Tokugawa Shogunate ended years ago. But there are some who are not happy with the outcome... Shigure Takimi watched his friends and family get slashed down in the name of freedom and prosperity. Now he and a band of desperate rebels have sworn to settle one final score. Only one man stands in their way: Rurouni Kenshin. Will the former assassin take up his sword to fight again? When Shigure discovers Kenshin's true identity and his fight becomes a personal vendetta, the young hero will have no choice.
I'm not really a big fan of the ninja genre, in general, and, as it turns out, Rurouni Kenshin aka Samurai X is just not my cup of tea. I used to have the first OVA on subtitled VHS. I gave Rurouni Kenshin aka Samurai X a 2 out of 5. In the aftermath of the Ultimate Otaku Fall Cleanup, I decided not to keep it in my archive.
