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Rurouni Kenshin (3-in-1 Edition) #1
Rurouni Kenshin (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 1
The beloved landmark tale of a Meiji-era swordsman’s quest for redemption.
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 manga titles of all time. Himura Kenshin, once an assassin of ferocious power, now fights to protect the honor of those in need.
One hundred and forty years ago in Kyoto, with the coming of the American “Black Ships,” there arose a warrior who, felling men with his bloodstained blade, gained the name Hitokiri, or Manslayer! His killer blade helped close the turbulent Bakumatsu era and slashed open the progressive Meiji period. Then he vanished and, with the flow of years, became legend.
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 manga titles of all time. Himura Kenshin, once an assassin of ferocious power, now fights to protect the honor of those in need.
One hundred and forty years ago in Kyoto, with the coming of the American “Black Ships,” there arose a warrior who, felling men with his bloodstained blade, gained the name Hitokiri, or Manslayer! His killer blade helped close the turbulent Bakumatsu era and slashed open the progressive Meiji period. Then he vanished and, with the flow of years, became legend.
583 pages, Paperback
First published January 3, 2017
8 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Nobuhiro Watsuki
246 books425 followersWatsuki Nobuhiro (和月伸宏) is a Japanese manga artist, best known for his samurai-themed series Rurouni Kenshin. He once worked as an assistant for his favorite author Takeshi Obata.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 8, 2018
☆4.75/5☆
▪Plot 4.75/5
▪Details 4.75/5
▪Characters 5/5
▪Romance 5/5
▪Logic 4.75/5
▪Artwork 5/5
▪Enjoyment 5/5
Nothing to say. Only good things about it!
First physical copy of manga to our collection. ♡
▪Plot 4.75/5
▪Details 4.75/5
▪Characters 5/5
▪Romance 5/5
▪Logic 4.75/5
▪Artwork 5/5
▪Enjoyment 5/5
Nothing to say. Only good things about it!
First physical copy of manga to our collection. ♡
September 26, 2018
I was reccomended this by a friend after wanting something with samurai. I was bit apprehensive as I heard this had a romantic element. Dont let that put you off.
Volume 1 introduces us to the main characters. Its a little slow, but the artwork and action scenes are amazing. It really picks up towards the latter end of this volume. Volume 2 was the best of the bunch. Great fight scenes, the plot really kicks in and the development of the characters really does go up a notch. However, I felt volume 3 fell into the typical manga stereotypes, of new villain turns up, good guy fights them away. I knoe thats what shonen manga was all about but something was missing as compared to volume 2. The story arc still developed but a little slower this time. I really did enjoy the historical aspect at times, although not sure if accurate at all.
Good fun fantasy samurai action manga. Would reccomend for anyone wanting a good read.
Volume 1 introduces us to the main characters. Its a little slow, but the artwork and action scenes are amazing. It really picks up towards the latter end of this volume. Volume 2 was the best of the bunch. Great fight scenes, the plot really kicks in and the development of the characters really does go up a notch. However, I felt volume 3 fell into the typical manga stereotypes, of new villain turns up, good guy fights them away. I knoe thats what shonen manga was all about but something was missing as compared to volume 2. The story arc still developed but a little slower this time. I really did enjoy the historical aspect at times, although not sure if accurate at all.
Good fun fantasy samurai action manga. Would reccomend for anyone wanting a good read.
May 9, 2018
So... this one is torn by this manga. This volume is good, better than I remember it being. Since I don't know if Goodreads has changed their policy on talking about the "real world", I'll leave that stuff in the comments so my review doesn't get removed.
Rurouni Kenshin is the story of a wandering samurai who is a holdover from a previous age. He ends up wandering into the life of Kaoru Kamiya, a woman who runs a dojo and is determined to find the guy who has been killing using her family's sword style. Stuff happens, and now Kenshin is living under Kaoru's roof, saving people from bad guys and other historical hold overs.
The art is functional, and the battles are interesting (if short). It's a shounen manga with good characters and dynamics that feel more at home in a shoujo manga, if not for the battles-to-the-death-or-concussion every few chapters.
Will I keep reading with those "real world" problems I mentioned? Probably. I grew up on Kenshin, and I want to see how this whole thing ends.
Rurouni Kenshin is the story of a wandering samurai who is a holdover from a previous age. He ends up wandering into the life of Kaoru Kamiya, a woman who runs a dojo and is determined to find the guy who has been killing using her family's sword style. Stuff happens, and now Kenshin is living under Kaoru's roof, saving people from bad guys and other historical hold overs.
The art is functional, and the battles are interesting (if short). It's a shounen manga with good characters and dynamics that feel more at home in a shoujo manga, if not for the battles-to-the-death-or-concussion every few chapters.
Will I keep reading with those "real world" problems I mentioned? Probably. I grew up on Kenshin, and I want to see how this whole thing ends.
February 5, 2019
Rurouni Kenshin is probably one of the most fun reading mangas I came across since before the publication of Naruto. If you haven't read it, this is one of the lightest but also the most interesting beginnings of a samurai action romantic epic classic ever drawn.
Set in the era of Meiji Restoration, a wandering samurai (Himura Kenshin) was mistaken as Hitokiri Battosai, a feared revolutionary warrior that kills thousands by Kamiya Kaoru, master of the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu Dojo sword arts. When discovered as a harmless Rurouni, a scuffle between a fake Battosai reveals a past of who Himura really is. Thus set a journey of an adventure romantic epic samurai of redemption and discovery of self.
This is a must read if you are into the first year of reading mangas. Rurouni Kenshin is a light manga read that builds up the story to its own epic proportion filled with themes of redemption and forgiveness, strength and loss. There are some moments of worthy mention of fighting sword arts in here and with interesting characters and light humor included, this is a must read. I love the lightness of the artwork and the story flow really challenges the reader into wanting to know more and love of the characters that created this world based on history of Japan Meiji era. Overall - I love Rurouni Kenshin and its well-crafted story. If you haven't read it, be sure to pick this edition; it includes two rare short stories by Nobuhiro Watsuki
April 28, 2021
3.75 stars, really. I chose to start re-reading the series despite everything that came out about the author, because I want to establish a fresh opinion on the series as an adult and bear in mind as I go through what we've learned regarding Watsuki and see whether or not it affects my reading.
That being said, I do have a few disclaimers here.
The first is that if you don't feel comfortable reading this because of what came out about Watsuki and you feel like reading the series is a means of supporting him and you don't wish to do that, then probably don't read it.
The second is that if you are willing to read it in spite of this but you do not handle a series with a lot of violence, blood and gore very well, then probably don't read it.
Third, if you can get past those things but you dislike historical fiction and/or slower-paced stories, probably don't read it.
I think it's important to read and expose ourselves to material as adults in order to form our own thoughts and opinions independently, and I don't want to discourage anyone from doing so. I also think it important to bear in mind drama, discourse and concerns surrounding material and its creator, in order to keep those things in mind and stay informed during exposure to said media. But I also know that not everyone is going to be comfortable or okay with doing so, and I mentioned the above recommendations because I think those are the major things that will make reading Rurouni Kenshin a bad experience for many people.
Personally I cannot simply discount the impact the series had, and I know for a fact that this series is still highly praised to the point of even being recommended as reading material for its focus on Japan's history. And that's "recommended as reading material" from instructors and professors who teach Japanese and Japanese history. The series did have an impact on Western audiences for that reason (since very little of it got localized, thank goodness,) and it's still an older shonen series that I think should be acknowledged as having a cornerstone impact. And for what it's worth, this first omnibus volume is still a very solid read. The pacing may be slow and heavy with Japanese history, but the story beats are still good, the history is interesting and the characters are still enjoyable.
I'm probably going to continue to go through this series at my own pace, but I completely understand if people disagree with my choice. Don't expect another review for the next omnibus soon though, these 3-in-1 volumes are expensive. (And I don't recommend them to serious collectors, because the pages are almost Bible-paper-thin, the printing quality isn't great, and they're very flimsy and easy to damage. I only grabbed this because it's more convenient than trying to hunt down the individual volumes.)
That being said, I do have a few disclaimers here.
The first is that if you don't feel comfortable reading this because of what came out about Watsuki and you feel like reading the series is a means of supporting him and you don't wish to do that, then probably don't read it.
The second is that if you are willing to read it in spite of this but you do not handle a series with a lot of violence, blood and gore very well, then probably don't read it.
Third, if you can get past those things but you dislike historical fiction and/or slower-paced stories, probably don't read it.
I think it's important to read and expose ourselves to material as adults in order to form our own thoughts and opinions independently, and I don't want to discourage anyone from doing so. I also think it important to bear in mind drama, discourse and concerns surrounding material and its creator, in order to keep those things in mind and stay informed during exposure to said media. But I also know that not everyone is going to be comfortable or okay with doing so, and I mentioned the above recommendations because I think those are the major things that will make reading Rurouni Kenshin a bad experience for many people.
Personally I cannot simply discount the impact the series had, and I know for a fact that this series is still highly praised to the point of even being recommended as reading material for its focus on Japan's history. And that's "recommended as reading material" from instructors and professors who teach Japanese and Japanese history. The series did have an impact on Western audiences for that reason (since very little of it got localized, thank goodness,) and it's still an older shonen series that I think should be acknowledged as having a cornerstone impact. And for what it's worth, this first omnibus volume is still a very solid read. The pacing may be slow and heavy with Japanese history, but the story beats are still good, the history is interesting and the characters are still enjoyable.
I'm probably going to continue to go through this series at my own pace, but I completely understand if people disagree with my choice. Don't expect another review for the next omnibus soon though, these 3-in-1 volumes are expensive. (And I don't recommend them to serious collectors, because the pages are almost Bible-paper-thin, the printing quality isn't great, and they're very flimsy and easy to damage. I only grabbed this because it's more convenient than trying to hunt down the individual volumes.)
October 30, 2022
I received this as a gift and it would definitely not the type of manga I would read otherwise, so it was nice to have a bit of a genre mixup and try something new. For the book as a whole, sometimes the action scenes were a bit hard to follow. I loved the outfits, especially Jin-e’s.
I hated whenever Kenshin would say “oro.” It was super annoying, and Kaoru was right. What does it even mean? Also, why does he always refer to himself as “this one”? I agree with Jin-e, he should use first person pronouns more. In the fights there wasn’t a lot of tension because it was obvious that he would win the fight. The only tension was if someone else was in danger (usually Kaoru).
Speaking of Kaoru, the author’s notes presented her as a strong fighter and if she seemed weak, it was just in comparison to Kenshin and co. But she literally sits out all of the fights to basically be a housewife or she’s kidnapped and used as leverage. Because of that, she seems pretty weak to me. Also she’s a tsundere since she obviously has a crush on Kenshin and I don’t like tsunderes, so….
Sanosuke’s backstory was interesting. I’m sure his leader’s severed head wouldn’t look that pristine but oh well. There’s a difference between being tough and being invincible. When his friend died from an opium overdose I didn’t feel that much since I’d literally never seen the friend before. I love how he and Yahiko bicker like siblings; it’s always fun to read.
Yahiko was a little twerp at first but he kind of grew on me. I wish I got to see some training montage or something with Kaoru, but maybe that’ll come later. Their bickering scenes were more annoying than funny, unlike his back-and-forth with Sanosuke.
Onto the background characters… the villains look like stereotypical bad guys. The main bad guy designs were cool. Hyottoko was strange and I agree with the creator that his character was out of place. I loved how absurd it was when Kihei had so many guns to pull out. I know Megumi won’t stick around with the gang because of Kaoru. I predict that she’ll have to leave after she inevitably gets saved to find and be with her family.
I hated whenever Kenshin would say “oro.” It was super annoying, and Kaoru was right. What does it even mean? Also, why does he always refer to himself as “this one”? I agree with Jin-e, he should use first person pronouns more. In the fights there wasn’t a lot of tension because it was obvious that he would win the fight. The only tension was if someone else was in danger (usually Kaoru).
Speaking of Kaoru, the author’s notes presented her as a strong fighter and if she seemed weak, it was just in comparison to Kenshin and co. But she literally sits out all of the fights to basically be a housewife or she’s kidnapped and used as leverage. Because of that, she seems pretty weak to me. Also she’s a tsundere since she obviously has a crush on Kenshin and I don’t like tsunderes, so….
Sanosuke’s backstory was interesting. I’m sure his leader’s severed head wouldn’t look that pristine but oh well. There’s a difference between being tough and being invincible. When his friend died from an opium overdose I didn’t feel that much since I’d literally never seen the friend before. I love how he and Yahiko bicker like siblings; it’s always fun to read.
Yahiko was a little twerp at first but he kind of grew on me. I wish I got to see some training montage or something with Kaoru, but maybe that’ll come later. Their bickering scenes were more annoying than funny, unlike his back-and-forth with Sanosuke.
Onto the background characters… the villains look like stereotypical bad guys. The main bad guy designs were cool. Hyottoko was strange and I agree with the creator that his character was out of place. I loved how absurd it was when Kihei had so many guns to pull out. I know Megumi won’t stick around with the gang because of Kaoru. I predict that she’ll have to leave after she inevitably gets saved to find and be with her family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2018
I used to love Rurouni Kenshin back when I was a teenager, and I remember watching the anime, learning all the songs, and pretending I could wield a sword too. I had never read the manga though, it never occurred to me to buy it, until now. Problem is that, this series is rather old, so now I'm having troubles getting stuff, mangas included.
Thank goodness, I found the first 4 3-in-1 volumes at a comic store so I get to finally read about it. And I gotta say, I love the drawings, they're so amazing. Kenshin looks so much more handsome. It is very similar to the anime as well. There are a few variations here and there, like how Kenshin helps Kaoru keep the dojo. The doctor and his nieces aren't in the manga, they are apparently something from the anime alone. And a few details with Yahiko also vary. Nevertheless, you can still appreciate the same story, the ideals of doing what is right, of fighting for what you believe in and for your friends and loved ones. This is a very uplifting series for me, and I do love it very much.
Thank goodness, I found the first 4 3-in-1 volumes at a comic store so I get to finally read about it. And I gotta say, I love the drawings, they're so amazing. Kenshin looks so much more handsome. It is very similar to the anime as well. There are a few variations here and there, like how Kenshin helps Kaoru keep the dojo. The doctor and his nieces aren't in the manga, they are apparently something from the anime alone. And a few details with Yahiko also vary. Nevertheless, you can still appreciate the same story, the ideals of doing what is right, of fighting for what you believe in and for your friends and loved ones. This is a very uplifting series for me, and I do love it very much.
September 14, 2020
Given I am now willing to read more manga, I had to pick up Rurouni Kenshin. Suffice to say, I wasn't disappointed! I read through the 1st 3-in-1 volume easily, credit to the quality of the stories in it. Sometimes I get the feeling that Kenshin is waaaaaaaaaay too goofy for a former Hitokiri Batousai, but perhaps there's a reasoning for it. The thing I love the most about is the sword techniques we get to see/learn, especially Kenshin's Hiten Mitsuguri. Can't wait to read Volume 2!
April 21, 2022
Kenshin is a great story with a great main character but I feel like where it hasn’t aged well is it’s slow start. It takes a long time to get to the good stuff and everything in the first 1-3 volumes is the same. Some boring villain hurts one of Kenshin’s friends, he gets the murderous eyes, is about to kill, then stops. I know it gets a lot better when Shishio comes in but it honestly is a slug fest to get there.
January 9, 2024
This is a classic series that holds up extremely well. Kenshin is a very likable character, and the historical setting really is fun to explore. Some of the sword techniques are ridiculous, but it's still a lot of fun.
The 3-1 edition is an easy and much more cost-efficient way to collect them too. The binding and paper quality is decent. And size is readable.
The 3-1 edition is an easy and much more cost-efficient way to collect them too. The binding and paper quality is decent. And size is readable.
June 3, 2020
I only really watched a couple of episodes of the anime and the ova before reading this. Exceptional historical fiction. I love that the author takes historical figures and fits them, just so, into the premise. Very interested to continue the series!
March 21, 2020
more like 3.5 stars, enjoyed all the historical notations throughout the book as well
January 2, 2021
I loved this series in high school but never got the chance to finish the manga, happy to see the big editions it gives me the chance to finally complete it before re-watching the anime.
September 9, 2023
Now that the anime is rebooted, it’s time for me to reread my beloved Rurouni Kenshin. So much nostalgia whenever I read it. Love everything about it, despite how annoying Kaoru is.
August 2, 2024
Ugh, so good! I have to buy the next one ASAP
August 24, 2025
I really enjoyed this but I still haven't figured out how to rate/review mangas
Content:
There is violence
Content:
There is violence
March 9, 2017
Nothing beats a classic series coming back into print, and I assure you, Rurouni Kenshin is a classic. This volume collects volumes 1 to 3 and includes the author's notes and quips about how the series and characters were developed. I enjoyed reading these little tidbits along with a manga, and I am pleased they were included in the reprints.
Rurouni Kenshin is pretty much a staple in any manga fan's reading list so it's very exciting to see it rereleased. A must for any collection.
Rurouni Kenshin is pretty much a staple in any manga fan's reading list so it's very exciting to see it rereleased. A must for any collection.
April 23, 2024
I refuse to believe a man wrote this Kenshin is too cunty
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews