Rurouni Kenshin: Kanzenban, Volume 4

Rurouni Kenshin: Kanzenban is a revised, expanded edition of Nobuhiro Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin, re-edited from the original tankobon volumes and supplemented with color manuscripts, added revisions, and author commentary. Set in the early Meiji era, it tells the story of Hitokiri Battosai—the once-feared assassin now known as Kenshin Himura—who vows never to kill again and, alongside Kaoru Kamiya, Yahiko Myojin, Sanosuke Sagara, and others, uses a reversed-blade sword to protect those around him. This volume, the fourth in the series, continues the Tokyo arc. Its main plot concerns Jurota Isurugi, a disciple of the Shinko-ryu, who uses his student Yutaro to further his ambition of reviving lethal swordsmanship and in the process injures Yutaro's right hand, leaving him unable to wield a sword again. Kenshin confronts Jurota's side directly in a head-on contest over the question of why swordsmanship exists at all. The opposition to Jurota's path further deepens the work's recurring inquiry into the "sword that kills" versus the "sword that gives life." In this volume, shonen-style passionate battles run parallel to the atmosphere of a society in transition in the early Meiji era, with the daily lives of Kenshin, Kaoru, and their companions interspersed among the conflicts—lighthearted domestic horseplay alongside a serious gaze at revenge, atonement, and ideals. For readers of the series, this volume marks an important stage in the Tokyo arc's shift from introducing the ensemble cast toward the main conflict; read on its own, it reveals how the author handles historical and ethical questions within the framework of shonen manga. This is Volume 4 of the series; bindings, page counts, and supplementary materials vary by edition.