Rurouni Kenshin, Vol. 12

The battle to decide the fate of Meiji-era swordsmanship has begun!

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 Shonen Jump titles among fans to date. Himura Kenshin, once an assassin (or hitokiri ) of ferocious power, now fights to protect the honor of those in need.

As Kenshin continues his re-education at the hand of his master in Hiten Mitsurugi, Hiko Seijûrô, he looks back also to the first, early years of that training...including the moment in his life in which he changed his name to "Kenshin." Meanwhile, the remaining members of the Juppongatana , or "Ten Swords," arrive in Kyoto, while the first phase of Shishio Makoto's plan for Japan finally gets underway. While Misao and the Oniwabanshu plan how best to pool their resources to stop Shishio from setting Kyoto ablaze, Kenshin, Sano, and Saitô--now reunited--must consider their own next course of action.

Rurouni Kenshin, which has found fans not only in Japan but around the world, first made its appearance in 1992 as an original short story in Weekly Shonen Jump Special. Later rewritten and published as a regular, continuing Jump series in 1994, Rurouni Kenshin ended serialization in 1999 but continued in popularity, as evidenced by the 2000 publication of Yahiko no Sakabatô (Yahiko’s Reversed-Edge Sword) and the 2015 publication of Rurouni Kenshin: Restoration in Weekly Shonen Jump. The series has also inspired novels, anime and films. Watsuki is also the author of the popular series Buso Renkin, published by VIZ Media.