A Wandering Sword: Story Summary
Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan was published by Shueisha, and was written and drawn by Watsuki Nobuhiro. It ran from 1994 to 1999 in Weekly Shounen Jump and it was adapted into an anime in 1996, becoming a big hit. As an anime, it also bore the title of Samurai X in certain regions. Although RuroKen, as it is known for short, seems to follow the typical shounen manga format (baddies come, the main character powers up/upgrades endlessly), it has so much more to it than that. It follows the story of Himura Kenshin, a fearsome assassin previously known as the Hitokiri Battousai who slew countless people for the Isshin Shishi during the violent struggle for power between the Japanese imperial government and the shogunate. However, the Kenshin we are introduced to is nothing like we'd expect from his reputation. He is a vagabond filled with remorse for all the blood on his hands and has sworn not to kill, but to protect. It is the story of a man's journey, his search for atonement, and - finally - his salvation.
There are 28 volumes in all, with four major story arcs. The Tokyo arc shows the gathering of the so-called "Kenshin-gumi." Here, everyone's personalities and general ideas of their backgrounds are set and relationships begin to form. In the Kyoto arc, Kenshin returns to the site of his former exploits to face his insane successor to the title of Hitokiri and stop him from causing a revolt. The last two arcs are tied up together and are referred to by other people as a single arc: the Jinchuu Arc. But I like to think of it as two arcs entwined. One tackles the full story of Kenshin's past and the reason for his change from ruthless assassin to gentle wanderer. The second one brings him full circle as he faces a remnant of his past.
But don't think it's all doom and gloom! Ruroken has comedy (a surplus of), romance, bits of philosophy and psychology, and some scraps of historical facts tossed in with the fiction. It's a very worthwhile read, and a story that will definitely withstand the test of time. It's been years since the last volume was written, and even longer since Kenshin's journey began, but Rurouni Kenshin has stayed strong.