Rurouni Kenshin: Kanzenban, Volume 2

Rurouni Kenshin: Complete Edition is the definitive edition of Nobuhiro Watsuki's acclaimed series Rurouni Kenshin, reissued by Shueisha with restored bonus material and color pages from the original serialization, rearranged in the original publication order. Each volume carries its own subtitle; Volume 2 is titled Udō Jin'ei, referring to the character known as the Black Hat. This volume picks up directly where the previous one left off: Himura Kenshin, once feared in the twilight of the Tokugawa era as the assassin Hitokiri Battōsai, now wanders the Meiji era bound by a vow never to kill, carrying a reversed-blade sword. In this volume, the Black Hat—convinced that an assassin remains an assassin to the end—confronts Kenshin and forces him into a duel to the death, holding Kaoru Kamiya's life hostage, leaving Kenshin torn between honoring his vow and saving her. Meanwhile, the young swordsman Yahiko Myōjin, the brawler Sanosuke Sagara, and other familiar faces return as the daily life of the Kamiya Dōjō intertwines with the atmosphere of the early Meiji period. This is Volume 2 of the series and contains only the contents of this single volume, not the complete set.