is a Japanese anime television series, based on Nobuhiro Watsuki's manga series Rurouni Kenshin. It is the second anime television series adaptation after the 1996âÂÂ98 series. Animated by Liden Films, the series' first season, which was directed and storyboarded by Hideyo Yamamoto, aired from July to December 2023 on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block. A second season, subtitled Kyoto Disturbance and directed by Yuki Komada, aired from October 2024 to March 2025. A third season has been announced.
In the Meiji era, Japan, Himura Kenshin is a pacifistic swordsman, wandering the country and helping people with his swordsmanship skills. Once a deadly and feared political assassin known as , he has since led a path of peace, wielding a reverse-bladed sword, known as , in a vow to never again take another life.
On December 19, 2021, at the Jump Festa '22 event, Liden Films was announced to be producing a new television series adaptation of the Rurouni Kenshin manga. A promotional video was presented at the Aniplex Online Fest 2022 on September 24, 2022. The series is a re-adaptation of the original manga. Hideyo Yamamoto served as director, with scripts by Hideyuki Kurata, character designs by , and music composed by . Original manga author Nobuhiro Watsuki supervised the character designs and scenario.
Yamamoto stated he was a longtime fan of the franchise, particularly impressed by the distinct artwork of the original video animations. He identified the series' appeal as its depiction of life in the Meiji era and Kenshin's role in aiding his adversaries' redemption. To differentiate this adaptation, Yamamoto sought a more serious tone, minimizing slapstick and super-deformed elements to achieve greater realism. The production incorporated 3DCG for environments and CGI for period elements like horse carriages. Fight scenes were given a distinct visual style. Character designs by Terumi Nishii, supervised by Yamamoto and Watsuki, emphasized detailed period-accurate clothing.
Supervisors and Watsuki aimed to make the series accessible for a Reiwa era audience, both new and returning. Narrative revisions were made, including to the Raijuta story arc, with Kurosaki directly revising those scripts. Screenwriter Hideyuki Kurata introduced new elements to expand Sanosuke's backstory. Character artwork was updated from the manga and 1990s anime to reflect modern aesthetics, though costumes remained faithful. Casting sought to capture the dual nature of Kenshin's character, leading to the selection of Soma Saito. The adaptation intentionally reduced the protagonist's comedic interjection "Oro?" to maintain a more serious tone, though some comedic elements were retained.
Kenshin's voice actor, Soma Saito, a longtime series fan, expressed his aim to create a distinct portrayal. Kaoru's voice actress, Rie Takahashi, similarly aimed to present an appealing version of the character. Other main cast members include Makoto Koichi as Yahiko, aiming to capture his passionate spirit, and Taku Yashiro as Sanosuke, seeking to portray the character's multifaceted personality.
A second season, subtitled , was announced at Jump Festa '24 on December 16, 2023. Yuki Komada replaced Yamamoto as director for the second season, with Kazuo Watanabe (first season's sub-character designer and chief animation director) joining Nishii on character designs.
On March 22, 2025, Aniplex announced a third season renewal at AnimeJapan 2025.
Aniplex producer Masami Niwa expressed interest in a future adaptation of the ' manga.
The first season of Rurouni Kenshin ran for two consecutive cours, for a total of 24 episodes aired from July 7 to December 15, 2023, on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block. For the first season, the first opening theme is , performed by Ayase and (under the name AyaseÃÂR-Shitei), while the ending theme is , performed by Reol. The second opening theme is , performed by Masaki Suda and Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (under the name Masaki SudaÃÂTokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra), while the second ending theme is , performed by Kid Phenomenon. The episodes were collected by Aniplex on eight DVDs and Blu-ray sets, released from October 25, 2023, to May 29, 2024.
The second season, subtitled Kyoto Disturbance, aired for two consecutive cours, for a total of 23 episodes, from October 4, 2024, to March 21, 2025, on Fuji TV's same programming block. For the second season, the first opening theme is "Chained" (also known as ), performed by Tatsuya Kitani and (under the name Tatsuya KitaniÃÂNatori), while the first ending theme is , performed by . The second opening theme is "Burn", performed by Yama and (under the name YamaÃÂWurtS), while the second ending theme is , performed by .
Following the second season's finale, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a third season.
Aniplex of America screened the U.S. premiere for the series at the 2023 Anime Expo on July 3 in the Main Events stage of the Los Angeles Convention Center. A conversation between Aniplex producer Masami Niwa and voice actors Soma Saito and Rie Takahashi followed the screening. Crunchyroll is streaming the series outside of Asia. An English dub premiered on October 15, 2023, although neither Aniplex of America nor Crunchyroll revealed the cast. The English dub for the second season premiered on October 24, 2024.
The storyboarding for the entire first season was handled by Hideyo Yamamoto.