Rurouni Kenshin

Rurouni Kenshin


るろうに剣心
Rurouni Kenshin

Also known as Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins
Director Keishi Otomo
Original Story Nobuhiro Watsuki
Screenplay Kiyomi Fujii
Keishi Otomo
Music Naoki Sato
Photography Takuro Ishizaka
Lighting Shori Hirano
Art Hajime Hashimoto
Sound Hiroaki Masuko
Editor Tsuyoshi Imai
Screenplay Cooperation Kaoru Kurosaki
Production Companies Warner Brothers Films, Amuse, Shueisha, KDDI, C&I Entertainment, Yahoo! JAPAN
Release Date August 25, 2012
Runtime 134 minutes
Followed by Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno (2014)

るろうに剣心
Rurouni Kenshin

Director Keishi Otomo
Original Story Nobuhiro Watsuki
Screenplay Kiyomi Fujii
Keishi Otomo
Music Naoki Sato
Photography Takuro Ishizaka
Lighting Shori Hirano
Art Hajime Hashimoto
Sound Hiroaki Masuko
Editor Tsuyoshi Imai
Screenplay Cooperation Kaoru Kurosaki
Also known as Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins
Production Companies Warner Brothers Films, Amuse, Shueisha, KDDI, C&I Entertainment, Yahoo! JAPAN
Release Date August 25, 2012
Runtime 134 minutes
Followed by Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno (2014)

Ten years after the end of the Boshin war, which abolished the power of the shogunate, a wealthy businessman named Takeda has established an opium ring in a busy, unsuspecting district. The opium is manufactured by Megumi, who knows the secret recipe. Megumi escapes from Takeda, and Takeda sends his hitman Jin-e to retrieve her. Jin-e threatens a local girl, Kaoru. A wandering vagrant intervenes and rescues Kaoru. Some of Takeda’s flunkies try to invade Kaoru’s dojo, and the vagrant fights them off, too. The police arrest the vagrant, who calls himself Kenshin. Kenshin is brought before Saito, a police officer. Saito identifies Kenshin as Battosai, a former assassin who killed many high-ranking samurai in the service of the emperor, before the climax of the Boshin war. Battosai threw away his blade and swore never to kill again. Kenshin now only carries a reverse blade, with the cutting edge facing away from his opponent. Saito tries to enlist Kenshin to help shut down Takeda’s opium operations, but Kenshin refuses. Kaoru collects him and brings him back to her dojo to stay; she has taken a liking to him, despite his past as a killer.

Megumi also finds shelter at Kaoru’s dojo, and falls in with Kaoru and Kenshin. Takeda discover’s Megumi’s location, and has his men poison the wells around Kaoru’s dojo. Megumi is able to use her herbal knowledge to save everyone who was poisoned, but she is overcome with guilt for putting everyone in danger. She turns herself in to Takeda and attempts to kill him, but fails. Kenshin storms Takeda’s mansion and fights through his personal army to rescue Megumi and deliver Takeda to Saito. However, Kenshin learns that Jin-e has abducted Kaoru.

Kenshin confronts Jin-e, who is also a former soldier from the Boshin war and is obsessed with Battosai. Jin-e lays a trap for Kenshin; he has put a trance on Kaoru that paralyzes her breathing, and the only way to save her is for Kenshin to break his vow and slay Jin-e. They duel and Kenshin gains the upper hand. Kenshin is about to deliver the killing stroke when Kaoru breaks out of the trance herself and stops him. Jin-e slays himself while taunting Kenshin, lording his past over him. Kenshin returns to the dojo with Kaoru.

Top Billed Cast

Takeru Sato
Kenshin Himura
Emi Takei
Kaoru Kamiya
Koji Kikkawa
Jin'e Udo
Yu Aoi
Megumi Takani
Munetaka Aoki
Sanosuke Sagara
Go Ayano
Gein
Genki Sudo
Banjin Inui
Taketo Tanaka
Yahiko Myojin
Yosuke Saito
Chief Uramura
Kaoru Hirata
Tae Sekihara
Mai Nagano
Tsubame Sanjo
Yusuke Hirayama
Ani
Motoki Fukami
Ototo
Daisuke Honda
Kodama
Kotaro Okamoto
Kikuchi
Jun Yamasaki
Mitsui
Toshihiro Yashiba
Mr. Kubo
Atsuko Anami
Mrs. Kubo
Masashi Arifuku
Medicine Man
Motoki Ochiai
Mizushima
Taketoshi Nagahori
Policeman
Ryuta Matsushima
Police Spy
Masataka Kubota
Akiyoshi Kiyosato
Ichirota Miyakawa
Kogoro Katsura
Eiji Okuda
Aritomo Yamagata
Yosuke Eguchi
Hajime Saito
Teruyuki Kagawa
Kanryu Takeda
Top Billed Cast

Kenshin Himura
Takeru Sato

Kaoru Kamiya
Emi Takei

Jin'e Udo
Koji Kikkawa

Megumi Takani
Yu Aoi

Sanosuke Sagara
Munetaka Aoki

Gein
Go Ayano

Banjin Inui
Genki Sudo

Yahiko Myojin
Taketo Tanaka

Chief Uramura
Yosuke Saito

Tae Sekihara
Kaoru Hirata

Tsubame Sanjo
Mai Nagano

Ani
Yusuke Hirayama

Ototo
Motoki Fukami

Kodama
Daisuke Honda

Kikuchi
Kotaro Okamoto

Mitsui
Jun Yamasaki

Mr. Kubo
Toshihiro Yashiba

Mrs. Kubo
Atsuko Anami

Medicine Man
Masashi Arifuku

Mizushima
Motoki Ochiai

Policeman
Taketoshi Nagahori

Police Spy
Ryuta Matsushima

Akiyoshi Kiyosato
Masataka Kubota

Kogoro Katsura
Ichirota Miyakawa

Aritomo Yamagata
Eiji Okuda

Hajime Saito
Yosuke Eguchi

Kanryu Takeda
Teruyuki Kagawa