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An American naval captain named Perry arrived in Japan in a fleet of ominous black ships almost 140 years ago asking for trade and friendly relations between Japan and America. This incident was called the Kurofuneraikoku.
This heralded the end of the Edo Bakufu - Bakumatsu no Douran. Many were against meeting with Perry's requests and were not willing to open up Japan to any foreign countries. Their unhappiness was evident when a province called Choushuuhan fired at the ships in an effort to chase them away. Unhappy with this independent action from Choushuuhan, the Edo Bakufu sent armies to Kyoto, the heart of Choushuuhan. A battle for control was fought. It cost thousands of Kyoto residents losing their homes and lives.
The Choushuuhan subsequently joined other provinces opposed to the Edo Bakufu and formed the Meiji Ishin. To counter the Meiji Ishin, the Edo Bakufu formed the Shinsengumi - to police Kyoto. Bloody battles were fought between the Shinsengumi and Ishinshishi.
One among the Ishinshishi was a red haired swordsman. He was called "Hitokiri Battousai - The Sword Wielding Assassin" - for his legendary skill with the sword and the countless men he had killed. Hitokiri Battousai paved the way for the new Meiji era. When the Bakumatsu no Douran ended, he disappeared.
The story begins in the eleventh year of the Meiji era and revolves around Hitokiri Battousai. He is now a wanderer or "rurouni" who calls himself Himura Kenshin. He has made an oath never to kill again to atone for the countless lives he had taken and therefore carries a "sakabatou" - a sword with its blade reversed. The series is about Kenshin and his friends; His battles with his enemies, his past, and his own dual personality.
The beginning of our story occurs in 1878, 11 years after the demise of the Tokugawa Dynasty and the establishment of the peaceful Meiji Era. One night, Kenshin happens to be wandering through downtownTokyo. However he is surprisingly pursued by a girl called "Kamiya Kaoru" who accuses him of being the "Hitokiri Battousai" who had defamed her school's reputation by rampaging throughout the town and taking countless innocent lives, using her school's name.
Kenshin is puzzled, of course. Attempting to make things clear, he shows Kaoru his reverse blade and explains that it cannot be used to kill people. Kaoru, after judging from Kenshin's clumsy behavior, decides that Kenshin is not the cold-blooded killer "Battousai" afterall.
Suddenly a big masked man is running through an alley and is pursued by multiple police officers. But the police are defenseless against the skilled masked swordsman. Having caught sight of the escaping culprit, Kaoru immediately confronts the masked man who, surprisingly, claims himself as the "Battousai". However, Kaoru is no match against him.
When the masked man is ready to make his last strike to finish off Kaoru, a shadow appears quickly and saves her from the fatal attack. The rescuer turns out to be "the vagabond," Kenshin, whom she met a second ago.
To show her appreciation of his heroic act, Kaoru offers Kenshin to stay in her dojo for the night. The bewildered Kenshin, who is concerned about Miss Kaoru's wound, reluctantly accepts. And thus Rurouni Kenshin -- Meiji Kenkaku Romantan begins...