Rurouni Kenshin
From Animepedia
Rurouni Kenshin first appeared in Shounen Jump magazine in Japan in 1994. By 1996, it had become one of the most popular anime in Japan. The anime series spanned three seasons, totaling ninety-five episodes, each approximately 25 minutes long. In addition to the anime there are two OAVs that follow the manga storyline, and a movie (titled Samurai X in America) with an original plot.
Rurouni Kenshin follows the life of a Rounin swordsman, Himura Kenshin, ten years after the end of the Japanese Civil War (Bakumatsu). During the Bakumatsu Kenshin was an assassin (hitokiri) who became so famous for his skill he earned the title of Hitokiri Battousai. After the war however, he has taken a vow never to kill again, and carries around a sword with the blade facing towards himself. After ten years of wandering, Kenshin rescues Kamiya Kaoru, the assistant master of her father’s dojo. He decides to stay and live with her at her invitation. Together they save a young boy, Myojin Yahiko, and meet other comrades, such as Sagara Sanosuke and Takani Megumi. Many of the first season’s arcs involve trying to reconcile the new Meji era with the dissatisfied remnants of the old, and dealing with the new era’s criminals. Eventually The Meji government solicits Kenshin into helping them rid Japan of one Shishio Makoto, who was the replacement assassin for Kenshin, and who is now trying to take over Japan entirely. Rurouni Kenshin is a combination of the classic Romantic Samurai tale and a fantastical action-adventure shounen anime.
