One hundred and forty years ago in Kyoto, with he coming of the American "Black Ships," there arose a warrior who, felling men with his bloodstained blade, gained the name Hitokiri, manslayer! His killer blade helped close the turbulent Bakumatsu era and slashed open the progressive age known as Meiji. Then he vanished, and with the flow of years, became legend. -- VIZ Media

During the violent upheaval of the Bakumatsu era, Hitokiri Battosai was a feared and ruthless assassin. But now that the Meiji Restoration has begun to heal the wounds of civil war, Battosai has taken up a new name...and a new calling! He is now Himura Kenshin , a rurouni wanderer who has vowed to only draw his sword to protect those in need. But not everyone is pleased with Kenshin’s new direction, and enemies from his dark past have vowed to bring him down! -- VIZ Media

Using a question-and-answer format, presents information about the anime series featuring the former assassin Kenshin Himura.

The battle to decide the fate of Meiji-era swordsmanship has begun! Action, romance, and historical intrigue help make Nobuhiro Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin, the tale of a wandering swordsman set against the backdrop of the Meiji Restoration, one of the most popular Shonen Jump titles among fans to date. Himura Kenshin, once an assassin (or hitokiri ) of ferocious power, now fights to protect the honor of those in need. When the chief of the Police Sword Corps himself comes asking for favors, things must be bad. Hitokiri Udô Jin-e--a black-hatted, crazy-eyed slayer who fells both targets and innocent bystanders alike--is steadily working his way through a list of former Ishin Shishi patriots now ensconced within position of power in the Meiji government. Can Kenshin withstand the hypnotic, paralyzing effect of Jin-e...?

The Shinsengumi--fearsome and formidable protectors of the Shôgunate. Kenshin knows them well, having done battle with them during the final days of the Meiji Restoration. One man in particular--Saitô Hajime, captain of the third unit--lingers in Kenshin's mind. Now an officer of the law and known as "Fujita Gorô," Saitô arrives on the steps of the Kamiya Dojo, challenging Kenshin to a duel that will force a reawakening of Kenshin's own past. But the confrontation with Saitô is just the beginning of something much larger, something that will involve the future of the new Japan... -- VIZ Media

"Spider's Web"...like ordinary opium, but better processed. Half the cost to produce, but twice the profits! To the people of Aizu, Takani Megumi was a daughter in a famous family of doctors, in which everyone--women and children alike--studied medicine. But to grasping industrialist Takeda Kanryû, she is the hen who lays the golden egg--the only one who knows the Spider's Web formula! To stay with Kanryû is to send even more to their deaths. But to stay with Kenshin and the others is to invite theirs... -- VIZ Media