The new Rurouni Kenshin anime has revealed character visuals for Sagara Sanosuke and Myojin Yahiko, ahead of tomorrow’s Jump Festa panel dedicated to the series. The anime is set to premiere in 2023. Soma Saito and Rie Takahashi voice the main duo, Kenshin Himura and Kaoru Kamiya, with more cast members to be revealed tomorrow. In the original version, Yahiko was voiced by Mina Tominaga, while Sanosuke was voiced by Yuji Ueda.
LIDENFILMS is animating the anime reboot, which will be directed by Hideo Yamamoto. Terumi Niishi is doing the character designs, while Hideyuki Karuta is in charge of series composition. Yu Takami composed the music. The anime’s first trailer was revealed in September.
The series is based on a manga by Nobuhiro Watsuki that ran from 1994 to 1999 in Weekly Shonen Jump. A direct sequel to the series, Rurouni Kenshin: The Rainbow of Hokkaido, began serialization in 2017. Watsuki’s wife, Kaworu Kurosaki, also starred in the project. The sequel was briefly put on hold (February–June 2018) after Watsuki was accused of possessing explicit material focused on children.
Gallop and Studio DEEN animated the adaptation, which aired from 1996 to 1999. There are also numerous manga side stories and OVAs, as well as a film. The franchise also has a live-action adaptation that spans 5 films. The former came out in 2012, while the latter premiered in 2021.
Viz Media licensed the manga in English and described the plot as:
A hundred and forty years ago in Kyoto, with the coming of the American “Black Ships,” a warrior appeared who, cutting down men with his bloody blade, received the name of Hitokiri, the killer! His murderous blade helped close the tumultuous Bakumatsu era and cut through the progressive era known as the Meiji. Then it disappeared and over the years it became a legend.
source: Official site
© Nobuhiro Watsuki/Shueisha, “Rurouni Kenshin -Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story-” Production Committee
