Production
On December 19, 2021, at the Jump Festa '22 event, Liden Films was announced to be producing a new television series adaptation of the Rurouni Kenshin manga. A promotional video was presented at the Aniplex Online Fest 2022 on September 24, 2022. The series is a re-adaptation of the original manga. Hideyo Yamamoto served as director, with scripts by Hideyuki Kurata, character designs by Terumi Nishii, and music composed by Yū Takami. Original manga author Nobuhiro Watsuki supervised the character designs and scenario.
Yamamoto stated he was a longtime fan of the franchise, particularly impressed by the distinct artwork of the original video animations. He identified the series' appeal as its depiction of life in the Meiji era and Kenshin's role in aiding his adversaries' redemption. To differentiate this adaptation, Yamamoto sought a more serious tone, minimizing slapstick and super-deformed elements to achieve greater realism. The production incorporated 3DCG for environments and CGI for period elements like horse carriages. Fight scenes were given a distinct visual style. Character designs by Terumi Nishii, supervised by Yamamoto and Watsuki, emphasized detailed period-accurate clothing.
Supervisors Kaoru Kurosaki and Watsuki aimed to make the series accessible for a Reiwa era audience, both new and returning. Narrative revisions were made, including to the Raijuta story arc, with Kurosaki directly revising those scripts. Screenwriter Hideyuki Kurata introduced new elements to expand Sanosuke's backstory. Character artwork was updated from the manga and 1990s anime to reflect modern aesthetics, though costumes remained faithful. Casting sought to capture the dual nature of Kenshin's character, leading to the selection of Soma Saito. The adaptation intentionally reduced the protagonist's comedic interjection "Oro?" to maintain a more serious tone, though some comedic elements were retained.
Kenshin's voice actor, Soma Saito, a longtime series fan, expressed his aim to create a distinct portrayal. Kaoru's voice actress, Rie Takahashi, similarly aimed to present an appealing version of the character. Other main cast members include Makoto Koichi as Yahiko, aiming to capture his passionate spirit, and Taku Yashiro as Sanosuke, seeking to portray the character's multifaceted personality.
A second season, subtitled Kyoto Disturbance (京都動乱, Kyōto Dōran), was announced at Jump Festa '24 on December 16, 2023. Yuki Komada replaced Yamamoto as director for the second season, with Kazuo Watanabe (first season's sub-character designer and chief animation director) joining Nishii on character designs.
On March 22, 2025, Aniplex announced a third season renewal at AnimeJapan 2025.
Aniplex producer Masami Niwa expressed interest in a future adaptation of the Rurouni Kenshin: The Hokkaido Arc manga.
