Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning

Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning takes place before the main events of the series, when Kenshin Himura is still known as Battosai, a feared assassin whose sword has taken many lives. His meeting with Tomoe Yukishiro, a quiet young woman carrying a heavy burden of her own, gradually changes the course of his life. The film follows their relationship as Kenshin moves from killer toward the wandering protector he later becomes, while the political turmoil of the era presses in around them. It is the fifth entry in Keishi Otomo's adaptations of Nobuhiro Watsuki's manga, arriving just after Rurouni Kenshin: The Final in 2021, and Otomo directed as well as wrote the screenplay.

Takeru Satoh plays Kenshin, with Kasumi Arimura as Tomoe. The supporting cast includes Issey Takahashi, Nijiro Murakami, Masanobu Ando and Kazuki Kitamura. Produced in Japan by Shueisha, Warner Bros. Japan, AMUSE and KDDI, the film runs 138 minutes.

Reception has been favorable on both platforms where audiences rate it: 7.4 out of 10 on IMDb from over ten thousand votes, and 7.7 out of 10 on TMDB. Otomo went on to direct THE LEGEND & BUTTERFLY, 10DANCE and Hero's Island after this film.