Rurouni Kenshin (roughly translated as "Wandering Swordsman Kenshin") is the story of the master swordsman Himura Kenshin. Once a lethal assassin feared throughout Japan as the Hitokiri Battousai, he fought for the Ishin Shishi to bring about the new Meiji Era. After killing countless men to achieve the goals he believed in, Kenshin decided to leave behind the life of the Hitokiri. He gave up his katana for a sakabatou -- a reverse-bladed sword incapable of killing. Kenshin chose the path of the Rurouni, sworn to use his sword only to protect innocent people as best he can. No one knew where the deadly Hitokiri Battousai had vanished to, but his name became legendary among the people...

Rurouni Kenshin was originally created by Watsuki Nobuhiro. It is currently running in Japan in two forms: a manga appearing in Shonen Jump and a weekly anime series currently in its third season. With great characters, a deep storyline, a perfect mix of drama and humor, beautiful artwork and truly awe-inspiring battle scenes, it should come as no surprise that RK is so immensely popular. The series has developed a huge following -- especially in Japan, but also in countries all over the world.

Storyline of Rurouni Kenshin:

Rurouni Kenshin is based (somewhat loosely ^_~) on actual events in Japanese history, at the beginning of the Meiji Era. The story begins in the year of Meiji 11 (1878 by the American calendar). Kenshin is travelling through Tokyo when he is confronted by the Kamiya Kaoru, a beautiful young Kendo master who is searching for a murderer. Seeing Kenshin's sword, she believes that he is the man dishonouring her dojo in the name of the Hitokiri Battousai, but she quickly finds out otherwise. After Kenshin protects her from the true killer, Kaoru offers him a home at the Kamiya Dojo... They are soon joined by Myojin Yahiko, the proud 10 year-old son of a samurai family, and the very cool ex-gangster (and self-proclaimed 'bad-ass' ^_^x) Sagara Sanosuke. Together, these four form a new family that would not easily be torn apart...
The Tokyo chapter (first season of the anime) begins the story of Kenshin, as he meets Kaoru, Yahiko, Sano, and Megumi Takani, all of whom will play important roles in his life. Kenshin endeavours to protect his new-found friends from villains like the Kurogasa (Udou Jin'e, a dangerous assassin from his past), Takeda Kanryuu (a dealer in illegal drugs and arms), the Oniwa-Banshuu (a ninja group) and their leader, Shinomori Aoshi... In the anime, the first season also contained many 'made-for-tv' episodes, which weren't in Watsuki-sensei's original story. These filler eps vary in quality, but for the most part just don't deliver the true Rurouni Kenshin experience...
The Kyoto chapter (second season of the anime), however, is where things really start to get good. ^_^ Kenshin meets up with Saitoh Hajime (an ex-Shinsen Gumi captain) who was Kenshin's greatest rival ten years previously and now works for the government. From here, the series focuses on Kenshin's journey to Kyoto to battle against Shishio Makoto -- an evil warlord determined to rule Japan -- and his elite mercenary group, the Juppon-Gatana (Ten Swords). Starting from here, the story becomes very involved and intense...