Rurouni Kenshin: Volume 5 (Rur

The battle to decide the fate of Meiji-era swordsmanship has begun!

Action, romance, and historical intrigue help make Nobuhiro Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin, the tale of a wandering swordsman set against the backdrop of the Meiji Restoration, one of the most popular Shonen Jump titles among fans to date. Himura Kenshin, once an assassin (or hitokiri ) of ferocious power, now fights to protect the honor of those in need.

Isurugi Raijûta, a truly old-school swordsman, comes to Kenshin and requests his aid in reforming the state of swordsmanship schools, or kenjutsu dojo, in Japan. Although Kenshin is intrigued by Raijûta's ideals (chiefly, that there is a need for a nation-wide, unifying school), Raijûta's plan to "weed out" the schools he deems unfit is not in accordance with Kenshin's deepest-held beliefs. Given the choice of either joining Raijûta's "Shinko-ryû" movement or dying, Kenshin walks away, choosing neither. But Raijûta isn't willing to let Kenshin off the hook so easily...

Rurouni Kenshin, which has found fans not only in Japan but around the world, first made its appearance in 1992 as an original short story in Weekly Shonen Jump Special. Later rewritten and published as a regular, continuing Jump series in 1994, Rurouni Kenshin ended serialization in 1999 but continued in popularity, as evidenced by the 2000 publication of Yahiko no Sakabatô (Yahiko’s Reversed-Edge Sword) and the 2015 publication of Rurouni Kenshin: Restoration in Weekly Shonen Jump. The series has also inspired novels, anime and films. Watsuki is also the author of the popular series Buso Renkin, published by VIZ Media.