Rurouni Kenshin

A video game series based on the Rurouni Kenshin manga, featuring fighting and RPG titles released primarily on PlayStation platforms.

Games

1996–2012

Years

Platforms

$18.51

Ø CIB

+5%

24M change

About

The Rurouni Kenshin video game series adapts the popular manga and anime franchise into various genres, beginning with the 1996 PlayStation fighting game Ishin Gekitouhen and the 1997 RPG Juuyuushi Inbou Hen. The series continued on the PlayStation 2 with Enjou, Kyoto Rinne in 2006, and later transitioned to the PlayStation Portable with the fighting games Saisen in 2011 and Kansei in 2012. These titles allow players to experience the story of Kenshin Himura through fighting game mechanics and role-playing elements.

Developed primarily by Bandai (later Bandai Namco Games), these adaptations brought Nobuhiro Watsuki's historical fiction to life with distinct mechanical shifts. The debut title, Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Ishin Gekitouhen, utilized a 3D polygonal fighting engine that mirrored the early era of PlayStation fighters. Its follow-up, Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Juuyuushi Inbou Hen, diverged into a traditional role-playing format with a grid-based combat system and an original narrative featuring a customizable protagonist. This RPG proved popular enough to warrant a budget re-release as Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Juuyuushi Inbou Hen [PlayStation The Best].

Nearly a decade later, Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Enjou, Kyoto Rinne transitioned the franchise to the PlayStation 2, offering a multi-character action-adventure structure that let players control various swordsmen during the Kyoto story arc. The franchise's final dedicated console releases, Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan- Saisen and Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Kansei, shifted to 2D weapon-based fighting on the PlayStation Portable. Developed by Natsume, these portable entries introduced a card-based customization system and expanded the playable roster to include characters from the manga's final Jinchu arc.