How to Watch "Rurouni Kenshin" in Order? A Complete Guide

Rurouni Kenshin is a timeless tale of redemption and swordsmanship that has left an enduring mark on anime history. Since its initial release in the 1990s, the series has expanded into a rich franchise, encompassing a beloved TV anime, OVAs, live-action adaptations, and a stunning 2023 remake.

At its heart is Kenshin Himura, a wandering swordsman with a haunted past who seeks to make amends for his former life as an assassin. The series weaves together themes of honor, forgiveness, and the struggle to uphold a vow of pacifism in a world still scarred by conflict.

With so many adaptations and storylines to explore, deciding where to start can be daunting. To help, here’s a comprehensive guide to the Rurouni Kenshin series, including both essential and optional entries to enhance your viewing experience.

How to Watch Rurouni Kenshin in Release Order?

When starting Rurouni Kenshin, you have the option to watch it either in release order or chronological order. For the best enjoyment It's recommend to watch it based on the release order rather than the chronological order. But if you'd like to watch it by release order, here's a guide to every Rurouni Kenshin installment in release order:

• Rurouni Kenshin (1996)
• Rurouni Kenshin: Review Special (1997)
• Rurouni Kenshin: Special Techniques (1997)
• Rurouni Kenshin: Requiem for the Restoration Royalists (1997)
• Rurouni Kenshin: End of Wanderings (1998)
• Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal (1999)
• Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection (2002)
• Rurouni Kenshin DVD-BOX Special Ending (2007)
• Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc (2011)
• Rurouni Kenshin (2023)
• Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Disturbance (2024)
• Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan 3 (TBD)

Note: Rurouni Kenshin remakes Rurouni Kenshin and Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Disturbance can be watched instead of the original Rurouni Kenshin anime from 1996.

How to Watch Rurouni Kenshin in Chronological Order?

For better clarity, I’ve divided all the installments into two categories: essential and optional. The optional additions are entirely filler and can be skipped without impacting your understanding or enjoyment of the main story.
Here’s a chronological watch order for the Rurouni Kenshin series:

• Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal
• Rurouni Kenshin Season 1 / Rurouni Kenshin
• Rurouni Kenshin: Requiem for the Restoration Royalists
• Rurouni Kenshin Season 2 / Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Disturbance
• Rurouni Kenshin Season 3
  

Optional installments:

• Rurouni Kenshin: Review Special
• Rurouni Kenshin: Special Techniques
• Rurouni Kenshin: End of Wanderings
• Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection
• Rurouni Kenshin DVD-BOX Special Ending
• Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc

Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal

Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal is a prequel to the Rurouni Kenshin series. Set during Japan's Bakumatsu era, it tells the tragic backstory of Himura Kenshin, a skilled assassin known as Hitokiri Battosai. The story follows Kenshin's transformation from an idealistic swordsman to a cold-hearted killer, his encounter with Tomoe Yukishiro, a woman seeking revenge for her fiancé, and the heartbreaking love that develops between them. Their doomed relationship ultimately shapes Kenshin’s resolve to leave behind his life of bloodshed and become a rurouni.

Although the OVA serves as a prequel to the series, I recommend watching it after finishing the Season 2 finale or the Kyoto Disturbance remake due to the spoilers that appear in it.

Rurouni Kenshin Season 1 / Rurouni Kenshin (2023)

Season one of Rurouni Kenshin introduces Kenshin Himura, a wandering swordsman with a dark past, as he starts a new life helping those in need while sticking to his vow never to kill again. The story has a slow start, focusing on smaller conflicts and building up the characters.

For first-time viewers I'd definitely recommend watching the remake of the first season instead of the original one. The remake from 2023 includes a short story arc that wasn't adapted in the original season one, the animation is much better, and the pacing got improved. The first season might be a little mundane to watch but things get better where we are heading next, The Kyoto Arc.

Rurouni Kenshin: Requiem for the Restoration Royalists

The story follows Kenshin Himura, the wandering swordsman who has vowed never to kill again, as he encounters Takimi Shigure, a man seeking vengeance for the betrayal and death of his comrades during the Bakumatsu war.

Shigure’s hatred toward the new government clashes with Kenshin’s ideals of protecting peace without violence. As the two men face off, Kenshin must confront his own bloody past and reaffirm his commitment to atonement. The movie is 100% filler so you can safely skip it without missing anything out.

Rurouni Kenshin Season 2 / Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Disturbance

Season two of Rurouni Kenshin delves deeper into Kenshin Himura's journey as his past begins to catch up with him, introducing a larger and more dangerous conflict. The story shifts to Kyoto, where the stakes are higher, the battles more intense, and the themes much darker. While the first season focused on smaller, episodic conflicts, the Kyoto arc expands the scope significantly, with a more complex narrative and memorable antagonists.

At the moment the Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Disturbance hasn't been completely released yet. At this point you can either choose to watch the second season of the original anime or just wait for the remake to finish airing.

Rurouni Kenshin Season 3

In Rurouni Kenshin’s third season, the story completely drifts away from the main plot. Instead, it’s all about random, one-off adventures that don’t really add anything meaningful to the characters or their journey. The third season is basically all fillers, and honestly, watching it was pretty tedious for me.

You can check it out if you want, but I doubt it’ll be worth your time. It’s a big letdown compared to the previous season, with no real plot progression.

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan 3 (TBD)

In the newly announced Season 3 of Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan, Kenshin Himura is poised to confront formidable new adversaries and the lingering shadows of his past. Following the conclusion of the Kyoto Disturbance arc, this season is widely anticipated to cover the pivotal Jinchu Arc (Revenge Arc), emphasizing Kenshin's atonement and the resilience of his bonds with Kaoru and his newfound companions. While the season's episode count and whether it will be separated into multiple parts remain unknown for now, its official announcement has heightened anticipation for the continuation of Kenshin's journey.

Optioonal Installments

The installments I've listed above is not everything Rurouni Kenshin has to offer. If you're really keen on watching everything the series has to offer here's the list of every other installment:

• Rurouni Kenshin: Review Special (Summary of various fighting scenes of the first half of the series and a brief overview of the Kyoto arc)
• Rurouni Kenshin: Special Techniques (This episode goes through every technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu and explains how it works)
• Rurouni Kenshin: End of Wanderings (Also known as episode 95, it was a bonus episode included in the DVD version)
• Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection (An OVA continuation to the anime)
• Rurouni Kenshin DVD-BOX Special Ending (The special is a 2 minute episodes that was delivered inside the DVD box. It's literally a spoiler to the ending of Ruroken manga not counting the Hokkaido Arc Series. Don't watch that)
• Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc (The Kyoto Arc Retelling)
  
  

All of the installments listed above can be watched only after The Kyoto Arc to avoid spoilers. The reason why I haven't included those in the watch order is because none of the episodes is canon. There's also a few live action movies which I haven't includes but that's a story for another article.