The Best Episodes of Rurouni Kenshin
Every episode of Rurouni Kenshin ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Rurouni Kenshin!
Ten years have passed since the end of Bakumatsu, an era of war that saw the uprising of citizens against the Tokugawa shogunate. The revolutionaries wanted to create a time of peace, and a thriving country free from oppression. The new age of Meiji has come, but peace has not yet been achieved. Swords are banned but people are still murdered in the streets. Orphans of war veterans are left with nowhere to go, while the government seems content to just line their pockets with money.
Top Episode Ratings Summary
The best episode of "Rurouni Kenshin" is "The Two Hitokiri", rated 8.8/10 from 234 user votes. It was directed by Yoshitaka Makino and written by Hideyuki Kurata. "The Two Hitokiri" aired on 8/18/2023 and is rated 0.1 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "Okashira - Aoshi Shinomori".
8.8/10 234 votes#1 - The Two Hitokiri
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 8/18/2023
Knowing how strong Kenshin was when he was the Hitokiri Battosai, Jine takes Kaoru hostage in order to fuel Kenshin's anger. The two engage in a fierce battle. However, Jine, believing that Kenshin has not yet regained his former strength, inflicts the Nikaido Heiho "Shin no Ippo" on Kaoru, causing her to stop breathing. With only two minutes until Kaoru dies of asphyxiation - Kenshin's anger reaches its peak.
Director: Yoshitaka Makino
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
8.7/10 166 votes#2 - Okashira - Aoshi Shinomori
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 9/22/2023
At last, Kenshin faces off against Aoshi Shinomori, the head of the Oniwaban Group. In the Bakumatsu Era, the battle-obsessed "Oniwaban group" lost their meaning of existence after surrendering the castle they served without even being able to fight. Aoshi is unable to bear this regret and is in earnest pursuit of the title of the strongest warrior. As a former Revolutionary warrior, Kenshin cannot tolerate conflict without morality. Two men who made killing their profession in the Bakumatsu Era clash against one another, putting their pride on the line.
Director: Yoshifumi Sueda
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
8.7/10 139 votes#3 - The Wolf's Fangs
Season 1 Episode 23 - Aired 12/8/2023
After defeating Arundo Akamatsu, Kenshin returns to the Kamiya Dojo and sees Hajime Saito. Hajime had introduced himself to Kaoru and Yahiko as Goro Fujita, the police officer, and they had invited him into the Dojo without any suspicion. Hajime criticizes Kenshin and the others for their naivety. Over the past ten years that Kenshin had washed his hands of manslaying, Hajime had honed his killing intent and skills as a hitman, and now Hajime's ferocity was aimed at them.
Director: Hideyo Yamamoto
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
8.6/10 129 votes#4 - Meiji 11, May 14th
Season 1 Episode 24 - Aired 12/15/2023
The person who had sent Hajime to face Kenshin was none other than the Head of the Home Ministry, former Satsuma Domain Revolutionary warrior, Toshimichi Okubo. He asks Kenshin to go to Kyoto to stop the secret plans of a man who claims to be the legitimate successor of the Hitokiri Battosai. However, that man was supposed to have been killed 10 years ago by his own comrades in the government, as they regarded him as a threat. Receiving this request to conduct an assassination, what will Kenshin's answer be...?
Director: Yoshitaka Makino
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
8.5/10 151 votes#5 - Battle's End
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 9/29/2023
In order to kill Kenshin, Kanryu uses his Gatling gun and rains a flurry of bullets at him, uncaring that the Oniwaban Group that was under his command would also be hit by this attack. In the face of this evil act, the Oniwaban Group make full use of their individual abilities to counter the Gatling gun. At this moment, theirs and Kenshin's purpose become one. Kenshin and the Oniwaban group team up to challenge the overwhelming power of a modern weapon.
Director: Tetsuaki Matsuda
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
8.3/10 196 votes#6 - And Then, Another
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 8/4/2023
Kenshin confronts Sanosuke, who wields the giant Zanbato with ease. However, Sanosuke shows his incredible durability after withstanding a strike from Kenshin with ease. This leads Kenshin to instead launch a barrage of blows at him, and Sanosuke falls to the ground. For a moment it looked as if victory has been decided. However, while Sanosuke is in a daze, he recalls the reason for his obsession with victory, his past from ten years ago when he was in the Sekiho Army...
Director: Akira Odama
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
8.3/10 130 votes#7 - Settling the Score
Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 10/27/2023
Yutaro sustains a heavy injury from Raijuta's sword, and it is so severe that he will never be able to swing a sword with that arm ever again. Although Yahiko was constantly disagreeing with Yutaro until now, he understood very well what swordsmanship meant to him. He takes Yutaro's hand and leads him out of the medical room, so they could witness the final battle between Kenshin and Raijuta. Deep in the night on a woodland path, Kenshin and Raijuta's duel begins.
Director: Rion Kujo
Writer: Kaoru Kurosaki
8.1/10 197 votes#8 - The Fighter for Hire - Sanosuke Sagara
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 7/28/2023
Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko visit Akabeko, a beef hot-pot restaurant, where a group of democratic rights activists gets into a heated argument. One of them throws a bottle of sake, and it hits Kenshin, causing a commotion. Sanosuke Sagara, who happened to be in the store during the quarrel, stood up and blew away the activists with a single flick to the forehead. Seeing Kenshin's strength, Sanosuke's curiosity is roused and he asks, "You wanna buy a fight from me?"
Director: Yoshitaka Makino
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
8.1/10 179 votes#9 - Kurogasa
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 8/11/2023
Kenshin receives a request from the police chief, asking for his help to take down "Kurogasa," a serial killer who has been repeatedly targeting former Revolutionary warriors. Kenshin and Sanosuke go to escort Jusanro Tani, who received a letter containing a death threat. As warned in the letter, at 1:00 a.m. sharp, Kurogasa appears. His true identity was Jine Udo, a vagabond slayer who had made a name for himself in the assassination business since the Bakumatsu Era.
Director: Keisuke Nishijima
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
8.1/10 140 votes#10 - Savage Han'nya - Honorable Shikijo
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 9/15/2023
Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Yahiko scramble to take back Megumi from the Kanryu residence. They are confronted by Han'nya, a spy of the Oniwaban Group. He trifles Kenshin with his martial arts skills and his "Arm-extension Spell", but Kenshin successfully conquers him when he uncovers the secret of the technique during the fight. Just when it looked like the battle was up, Han'nya removes his mask and reveals his startling true face.
Director: Yoshitaka Makino
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
8.1/10 111 votes#11 - Resurrection of the Wolf
Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 12/1/2023
Kenshin sees a dream recalling the Shinsengumi, who he faced off against back when he was a Revolutionary warrior. The Shinsengumi was a group of highly skilled swordsmen who he fought on equal footing back when he was the Hitokiri Battosai. He feels unsettled and ponders why he is suddenly remembering them. As the tension persists, a mysterious man with very unique-looking eyes pays a visit to the Kamiya Dojo while Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko are not home. When he meets Sanosuke, who just happened to be at the Dojo, he claims that he is Goro Fujita, a medicine seller, but...
Director: Tetsuya Endo
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
8.0/10 165 votes#12 - Beauty on the Run
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 8/25/2023
Sanosuke's friend has died from an opium overdose. However, Kenshin and Sanosuke are perplexed at how he even got his hands on the drug, since opium is banned and too expensive for the average person to afford. Then a mysterious woman, Megumi Takani, appears before them. Kenshin and the others fight off Kanryu Takeda's private army who is trying to capture Megumi. However, Megumi is carrying opium...
Director: Kayona Yamada
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
8.0/10 148 votes#13 - The Oniwabanshu Strike
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 9/1/2023
Hyottoko, a member of the Oniwaban group, raids Kamiya Dojo, where Megumi is hiding. He unleashes his special attack "Fire Breath," in which he breathes fire from his mouth, onto Kenshin and Sanosuke. Anticipating the defeat of Kenshin and the others at the appearance of the powerful middle-ranked spy, Megumi tries to flee the scene, but Kaoru stops her and says "He's fighting for you," telling her to believe in Kenshin's strength.
Director: Shohei Yamanaka
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
7.9/10 293 votes#14 - Kenshin - Himura Battosai
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 7/7/2023
11th year of the Meiji Era in downtown Tokyo. Kaoru Kamiya, the acting master of the “Kamiya Kasshin-ryu” style, was chasing after the “Hitokiri Battosai,” who was claiming to be a user of her sword style. One night, Kaoru meets a man carrying a sword. She immediately questions the man, but he seems to have absolutely no will to fight. “Is this the rumored Hitokiri Battosai?” As Kaoru dubiously looks on, the man introduces himself as Kenshin Himura, a “Rurouni.”
Director: Hideyo Yamamoto
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
7.9/10 141 votes#15 - A Reason to Act
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 9/8/2023
The pursuers from the Oniwaban Group haven't made an appearance for over a week, and during this time Megumi familiarized herself with the Kamiya Dojo group. Sanosuke, however, was still unsettled and feeling frustrated knowing that Megumi was the one who made the opium that caused his friend's death. Then one day, Megumi suddenly disappears. In a letter they found from her, it stated that she had left of her own volition, but Kenshin and the others found this to be unnatural. They decide to head to Kanryu Takeda's residence, the man who was sending spies after her.
Director: Minami
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
7.9/10 129 votes#16 - Yahiko's Battle
Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 10/6/2023
Yahiko, the sole student of the Kamiya Dojo, has started to step away from his training from time to time. He says he's merely going on a walk, but it is clear that he takes his swordsmanship training very seriously, and it doesn’t look like he's ditching to slack off. Curious about what he's doing, Kenshin, Kaoru, and Sanosuke decide to follow him. What exactly is Yahiko's reason for ditching?
Director: Shohei Yamanaka
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
7.9/10 120 votes#17 - Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story, Act Zero (2)
Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 11/24/2023
The current Kenshin has left his past as a manslayer and wished for a peaceful world. Though Elder looked at him with eyes of confusion, Kenshin knew that Elder also shared this same desire for a healthy society and felt a sense of comradery with him. Meanwhile, another doctor called Deian Ishizu was scheming to get rid of Elder, as Elder did not seek monetary gain in exchange for her medical services, and Deian thought this was disrupting his business. Deian hires Espiral, a master of Western swordsmanship, to get rid of Elder. However, it seems Espiral has an entirely different motive for taking on the job...
Director: Shohei Yamanaka
Writer: Kaoru Kurosaki
7.8/10 228 votes#18 - Tokyo Samurai - Yahiko Myojin
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 7/14/2023
It's been a week since the resolution of the crossroad killing case, in which the name of the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu was deceptively used. Although the name of Kamiya Dojo has been cleared, there's no sign of an increase in the number of Kaoru's students. Then a passing boy, Yahiko Myojin, pickpockets Kenshin's wallet. Kenshin gives him the wallet, saying that it was his fault for allowing it to get stolen. Yahiko is repulsed at being treated like a child, but he has a reason to collect the money.
Director: Kazunari Araki
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
7.7/10 205 votes#19 - Kasshin-ryu - Reborn
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 7/21/2023
Yahiko's heart is moved by Kenshin and he decides to quit pickpocketing. Yahiko refuses to pay Kanto Shueigumi and resists their demands, but he is beaten up. Kenshin comes to his rescue and settles the matter. Regretful that he could not solve the problem by himself, Yahiko wishes to become stronger. Seeing this, Kenshin takes Yahiko to the Kamiya Dojo.
Director: Minami
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
7.7/10 126 votes#20 - That Man - Raijuta
Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 10/13/2023
Kaoru, Kenshin, and Yahiko visit Maekawa Dojo for a training session. The dojo is very lively, and Kaoru's training is well-received by the students of other sword styles. Then a swordsman named Isurugi Raijuta breaks in. He says he is concerned about the future of sword art, and the man, carrying only an actual sword, dismisses the idea of a bamboo sword match. In order to defeat the challenger, Maekawa, the master of Maekawa Dojo, takes on Raijuta, but...
Director: Yu Harima
Writer: Kaoru Kurosaki
7.7/10 126 votes#21 - The Ideal Man
Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 10/20/2023
Raijuta, who wants to revive the murderous sword, considers Kenshin, who denies his idea, as an enemy. Raijuta initiates a fight using his actual sword, but Kenshin lands a blow that breaks Raijuta's sword and stops the situation from escalating further. After some time has passed, Yutaro, a boy who claims to be Raijuta's apprentice, arrives at the Kamiya Dojo. He claims he has come to challenge Yahiko, with whom he doesn't get along, to a match, but the way Yutaro holds his bamboo sword is no good...
Director: Daiki Handa
Writer: Kaoru Kurosaki
7.6/10 124 votes#22 - Sanosuke & Nishiki Paintings
Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 11/3/2023
Sanosuke is visiting the sukiyaki restaurant Akabeko, where he always leaves his bill on a tab. One of Akabeko's workers, Tae, asks him to go buy a Nishiki painting from the painting shop on her behalf. Though Sanosuke had no interest in paintings, he finds one at the store that catches his eye. It was a painting of the man he looked up to as his master back when he was a member of the Sekiho Army, Captain Sagara. With a gleam in his eyes, Sanosuke makes his way to meet with the artist of the painting.
Director: Yoshitaka Nagaoka
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
7.6/10 124 votes#23 - Tsunan & Nishiki Paintings
Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 11/10/2023
Tsunan is seeking to clear his decade-old unresolved regrets surrounding the Sekiho Army. Empathizing with him, Sanosuke joins Tsunan in conspiring an attack on the Home Ministry. However, Kenshin was waiting for them inside the building to stop them. Seeing the former Revolutionary warrior standing in their way, the same way they faced off against Revolutionary warriors when they were in the Sekiho Army, Tsunan's fighting spirit burns. A flurry of explosives are hurled at Kenshin.
Director: Misato Takada, Tetsuaki Matsuda
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
7.1/10 119 votes#24 - Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story, Act Zero (1)
Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 11/17/2023
Kenshin and the group are enjoying some tea time together. The group probes Kenshin to entertain them with an interesting story from his travels, specifically requesting "a story that's unusual, fun, and includes a villain's defeat." To answer to their demands, Kenshin decides to tell them about someone he met when he was visiting a foreign settlement in the lively city of Yokohama. A foreign doctor named Elder who was always wearing a mask.
Director: Keishi Kawakubo
Writer: Kaoru Kurosaki