Rurouni Kenshin

    (Viz, 2003-2006)
™ and © Viz Communications, Inc.
Black and white graphic novel; read right to left.

Eleven years after the Meiji Revolution in 1878, Himura Kenshin is a modest “rurouni,” a swordsman traveling with no destination. However, could he be the legendary swordsman Hitokiri Battôsai, who was once considered the revolution’s greatest warrior?

Just arriving in Tokyo, Kenshin is accosted by the swordswoman Kaoru, who must fight off devious rogues who wish to ruin her dojo’s reputation. After running afoul of the police for violating the city’s “sword-banning” law, why does he bother to make the young criminal Yahiko into Kaoru’s newest pupil? Then, he faces his toughest opponent yet: the tough street fighter Zanza, who is determined to defeat him at all costs!

Adapted into a popular anime now on the Cartoon Network, this manga was a long-running series in the Japanese anthology Shonen Jump starting in 1994. Now printed in the original right–to–left format, it fulfills fans’ lofty expectations with meticulous art, tongue-in-cheek humor, period history, and swirling combat. With the addition of the side tale “Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story,” this is an auspicious start to one of Japan’s most renowned manga.

— Oliver Chin
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#10

December, 2004
Cover Price: $7.95
1 copy available for $7.99 		Nobuhiro WatsukiNobuhiro Watsuki
#19

September, 2005
Cover Price: $7.95
1 copy available for $7.99 		Nobuhiro WatsukiNobuhiro Watsuki