Back to trending
Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins

Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins

Adventure · Action · Fantasy · 2012

In 1868, after the Bakumatsu war ends, the ex-assassin Kenshin Himura traverses Japan with an inverted sword, to defend the needy without killing.

Movie details

Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins

“The journey begins.”

2012 Adventure · Action · Fantasy 2h 14m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.5 / 10

Community rating

In 1868, after the Bakumatsu war ends, the ex-assassin Kenshin Himura traverses Japan with an inverted sword, to defend the needy without killing.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Kingdom

Kingdom

Action · 2019

Set in Qin Dynasty during the warring states period in ancient China. Shin was a war orphan. He has a dream of becoming a great general Shin has a fateful encounter with young King Eisei. King Eisei aims to unify all of China.

Kubi

Kubi

History · 2023

Lord Oda Nobunaga plans to control Japan where rival warlords battle by waging war against several clans. His vassal Araki Murashige stages a rebellion and promptly disappears.

Rurouni Kenshin: The Final

Rurouni Kenshin: The Final

Action · 2021

In 1879, Kenshin and his allies face their strongest enemy yet: his former brother-in-law Enishi Yukishiro and his minions, who've vowed their revenge.

ICHI

ICHI

Action · 2008

Ichi is a blind entertainer that travels the countryside with her traditional Japanese guitar and walking stick. She’s in search for the kind man that brought her up as a child, but because of her beauty she encounters problems every step of the way. Fortunately for Ichi, she is also a gifted swordswoman and carries a lethal blade within her walking stick.

Rurouni Kenshin Part II: Kyoto Inferno

Rurouni Kenshin Part II: Kyoto Inferno

Action · 2014

Kenshin has settled into his new life with Kaoru and his other friends when he is approached with a request from the Meiji government. Makoto Shishio, a former assassin like Kenshin, was betrayed, set on fire and left for dead. He survived, and is now in Kyoto, plotting with his gathered warriors to overthrow the new government. Against Kaoru's wishes, Kenshin reluctantly agrees to go to Kyoto and help keep his country from falling back into civil war.

Samurai Marathon

Samurai Marathon

Action · 2019

When feudal lord Itakura Katsuakira decides to prepare his samurai troops for the onslaught of modernization by having them compete in a marathon, his independent-minded daughter Yuki secretly joins the race.

Berserk: The Golden Age Arc III - The Advent

Berserk: The Golden Age Arc III - The Advent

Animation · 2013

One year has passed since Guts left the Band of the Hawk and Griffith was imprisoned by the Kingdom of Midland for treason. In the dead of night, at a camping site where they hide, the Band of the Hawk is attacked by Bakiraka assassins led by Silat. When all seems lost, Guts returns from his journey. "You destroyed everything." Crying that Griffith is nothing without Guts, Casca and Guts are joined together body and soul. Griffith is imprisoned in the oldest building in Wyndham Catle, the Tower of Rebirth.

The Tale of Zatoichi

The Tale of Zatoichi

Adventure · 1962

The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur and master swordsman. Zatoichi targets a yakuza-controlled village, because war with a neighbouring town's smaller gang is brewing.

Berserk: The Golden Age Arc II - The Battle for Doldrey

Berserk: The Golden Age Arc II - The Battle for Doldrey

Animation · 2012

The Band of the Hawk and their enigmatic leader Griffith continue winning battle after battle as their prestige throughout the kingdom of Midland grows. But their latest task is one that has seen failure from everyone who has attempted it: the subjugation of the impenetrable fortress of Doldrey.

13 Assassins

13 Assassins

Adventure · 2010

A bravado period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a war-torn future.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Keishi Otomo

Written by

Kiyomi Fujii · Keishi Otomo

Takeru Satoh

Takeru Satoh

Kenshin Himura

Emi Takei

Emi Takei

Kaoru Kamiya

Koji Kikkawa

Koji Kikkawa

Udo Jine

Yu Aoi

Yu Aoi

Megumi Takani

Munetaka Aoki

Munetaka Aoki

Sanosuke Sagara

Go Ayano

Go Ayano

Gein

Genki Sudo

Genki Sudo

Banjin Inui

Court is in session

Put Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.