Tokyo Arc

The first season of the series starts off by introducing Kenshin and the main characters he meets as he wanders as a Rurouni through Tokyo. Meeting and quickly forming a relationship with Kamiya Kaoru, he gets himself a home and decides to stay. Subsequently, he meets up with the other main characters who tag along with him and form a 'family' of a sort.

The Tokyo Arc is basically an introduction to some of the series' many characters and contains some 'get-nowhere' episodes that weren't in the original manga and most likely intended as TV fillers. However, there are still some very important parts with some of the enemies Kenshin and his group encounter that carry vital story elements.

Revenge Arc

Only available in the form of the manga, this section of the story begins straight after the Kyoto Arc. After returning from Kyoto, a man named Yukishiro Enishi, who's sister Kenshin killed during the Bakumatsu, comes hunting for him.

It is revealed in these chapters exactly why Kenshin became a Rurouni and there are several flashback chapters of his past as the 'Hitokiri Battousai' while he explains the circumstances to his friends at the Kamiya Dojo.

Kyoto Arc

From here the series starts to get more serious. Kenshin's past comes back to him as he encounters many of his old friends and enemies he met when he was still the 'Hitokiri Battousai'. He finds out that Shishio Makoto, the man chosen to replace Kenshin after he quit being 'Hitokiri', has been gathering a vast army and plotting the downfall of the Meiji Government. Kenshin leaves the Kamiya Dojo and sets out for Kyoto.

This part of the series contains no in-between 'filler' episodes as the story here gets very involving and tense in plot. There are also many great fight scenes and a lot of fancy sword moves.

OVA Series and Movie Information