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The ghosts of Kenshin's past come to wreak havoc on his future as the fight is literally brought to the doorstep of Kamiya Dojo. Three great battles--three great warriors! Myôjin Yahiko, the student of swords not yet a man, takes on a fighter more than twice his age. Sagara Sanosuke, the free-wheeling street fighter, learns a new humility and becomes stronger for it. And Himura Kenshin, the former slayer of men, begins to see a way to atone for the sins of the hitokiri ...

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 1998

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About the author

Nobuhiro Watsuki

246 books424 followers
Watsuki Nobuhiro (和月伸宏) is a Japanese manga artist, best known for his samurai-themed series Rurouni Kenshin. He once worked as an assistant for his favorite author Takeshi Obata.

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5 stars
1,078 (54%)
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621 (31%)
3 stars
244 (12%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
Profile Image for EvaN.
87 reviews2 followers
November 16, 2025
4,5*
Not my favorite, but I'm still excited for a re-read
Profile Image for Nicolo.
3,521 reviews209 followers
September 26, 2017
All out battle in the dojo! The Kamiya dojo crew gave it all, even Yahiko showed progress in growth as a swordsman. Also, Kenshin went toe-to-toe with a retro style mecha that reminded me of the Invid shocktroops from Robotech. Perhaps, it referenced a different anime property altogether, but a feat of mechanical engineering versus Kenshin's heavenly sword skills and the result isn't obvious.
Profile Image for Iman Danial Hakim.
Author 9 books384 followers
May 23, 2018
Saya sedang dalam marathon menghabiskan siri manga Samurai ini. Dulu pernah disiarkan di tv3 (ke NTV7) sewaktu saya kecil.

Mujurlah bang Perewa membenarkan komik sebagai salah satu bacaan untuk Cabaran Bacaan 32 Buku. Banyak juga, ada dekat 28 naskhah yang menghimpunkan kesemua siri Rurouni Kenshin
5,870 reviews146 followers
April 2, 2021
Rurouni Kenshin, Vol. 22 continues where the previous tankōbon left off and contains the next ten chapters (187–196) of the on-going manga series.

Gein attacks the Kamiya dojo with his most powerful Iwanbō mechanic puppet and Himura Kenshin goes to fight against him, leaving Myōjin Yahiko to fight against Otowa Hyōko in his place. After a prolonged fight, Kenshin destroys Iwanbō, and rests for a while for his next fight. Sagara Sanosuke continues fighting Inui Banjin, and defeats him using his Futae no Kiwami even though his right hand is severely wounded. After evading all of Otowa's weapons Yahiko manages to use the strongest techniques from the Kamiya Kasshin-ryū, and wins the fight.

While Megumi heals Yahiko, the group is then suddenly attacked by Yatsume Mumyōi, who was one of the assassins that sent Yukishiro Tomoe fifteen years ago to investigate Kenshin and was defeated by Kenshin when he went to rescue Tomoe.

This tankōbon is written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. It concludes the attack on the Kamiya dojo in a three part epic battle told over six chapters. Afterwards, while convalescing, Yatsume Mumyōi, who was one of the assassins that sent Yukishiro Tomoe to investigate Himura Kenshin arrives and attacks the wounded party.

All in all, Rurouni Kenshin, Vol. 22 is a wonderful continuation to a series that seems really intriguing and I can't wait to read more.
Profile Image for Omar Villafane.
1,069 reviews2 followers
July 5, 2023
Trust in the people who believe in you they are in your life to help you grow 🤩⚔️
Profile Image for M.D. Williams.
453 reviews5 followers
May 30, 2020
Alright, so given that Manga is more of an ongoing story split into arcs that are in no way split up between volumes. I'm going to be reviewing story arc by story arc. This will then be copy and pasted throughout all of the 28 Volumes of the Manga. Also, let's get this out of the way. This is 1. A Reread and 2. Spoiler Warning I won't be directly recapping, but I will use points to describe my thoughts and feelings.

Tokyo Arc - Acts/Chapters 1-47 - Rating: 8/10
-A great start for a historical fiction. A bit on the nose, but I generally find with historical fictions you have to pretend that no one knows what time period you're talking about so it's nearly unavoidable.
-Great character work. Each Character introduced in Kenshin's gang are examples of how the war has hurt these people. This reflects on Kenshin as he was a key figure in the war that caused all these people that he growing to love, pain. Whether it's Yahiko who lost his parents to draft of war. Or Sanosuke who joined the rebellion and through political means lost his captain and the person he admired most. Or even Kaoru, who attempts to run a dojo in a time when Swords are forbidden by the government. All of these are monumental in Kenshin's redemption from the wrongs he has committed.
-My issue is moreso in how these conflicts come up. They seem very much villain of the week story. And most Shonens are when they initially start and I understand that. Some do it great. (Yu Yu hakusho) some do it terribly (Reborn) I think RuroKen does it OKAY. There are a lot of conveniences and Kenshin is the type of character who can nearly fix everything at any point because he's Kenshin and he outclasses the people they face.
-This arc is really split into 4 mini arcs. Beginning 6/10. Sanosuke Arc 9/10. Jin-E Arc 7/10. Oniwanbanshu arc 10/10

The Kyoto Arc - Acts/Chapters 48-151 - Rating: 9/10
-Phenomenal Arc. Kenshin must tackle with the concept of whether he can keep his oath against a man who is arguably his better. The man who replaced him as Hitokiri. Shishio Makota.
-The jupponganta, the villain group of this ark are all well designed and each one makes perfect sense why they would follow Shisho. Whether they love, respect or just want to kill him. Each one feels like a tough nit group. As for Shishio himself. He's one of those cool villains. I understand why he is and why he's so charismatic. But as far as being an actual villain. He doesn't do much. I think that's to his benefit. His whole concept is realistic in terms of, he has a time limit to how long he can fight. Which is why he created the jupponganta. But that doesn't make him still do so little in the story besides sit and wait for Kenshin to show up. My only real gripe.
-Kenshin conquers all of his fears and redeems himself completely towards the government by stopping the man that replaced him. Mastering Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu and finally allowing his friends to help him. It's a profound and beautiful arc that makes Kenshins character shine.

Jinchu Arc - Acts/Chapters 152-255 - Rating: 7/10
-Where in the last arc we saw Kenshin redeem himself in the eyes of the government. This is the arc where we see Kenshin redeem himself in the eyes of himself. When his Brother in law returns from China and threatens his friends and everyone he's grown to care for over the last 151 chapters Kenshin struggles with the reality of what murdering his late wife has become of Enishi.
-To me, there are three chunks, but they all work towards the same goal. The beginning.(7/10) The Flashback. (9/10) The End (5/10)
-The flashback is the strongest part of this. It was the missing piece in Kenshin's character and it really helps us figure out how and why he became who he became. He smiles constantly because his late wife wanted him to smile more. It's so sweet and tragic.
-However, the actual arc collects a bunch of random riff raffs to challenge Kenshin and his group of friends that also kinda have "beef" with him. But this and the end were pretty much the weak parts of this arc to me. The one dudes whole problem was that he got his hand cut off....and Kenshin DIDN'T kill him so...he decided to lose his whale-like mind and join a terrorist group. Two of the others had people they loved died. Who weren't good dudes btw, they were villains. But still...revenge. The other guy had some kind of clan responsibility but when he was defeated Kenshin just told him to go back to his family so it really wasn't an issue. And the final guy...well he didn't even have a beef. He just wanted to test out his mega unrealistic puppets. I'm talking Naruto unrealistic for a historical fiction.
-But all of those dudes at least had reasons. The villains in the final part were all just throw away villains that even Watsuki reveals himself were just throwaways. They aren't too compelling and giving the characters we have grown to love a final fight may have been appreciated by me the initial go. (because I was 14) I just found myself not caring whatsoever about these fights that lasted a whole volume by themselves upon rereading.

Overall, Rurouni Kenshin is a fantastic historical fiction centered around fantastic real life historical individuals. It's ability to write honest, true characters of the time period makes me remember them and I truly found so much more good in this series with the reread. The biggest issues this series has is staying consistent and opting to expose it's lack of authenticity for grenade launchers. Overall 8/10
Profile Image for Scott Lee.
2,182 reviews8 followers
January 10, 2019
Kenshin's fight against the newest version of Iwanbo was intriguing as seeing Kenshin essentially fight a meijin era mecha was pretty cool. I also loved the growth in both character and ability evinced by Sanosuke and Yahiko in their chapters of this volume was exceptional. But the villains are just so...lame. I have a hard time caring about them at all. They feel like barely-embodied principles of opposition rather than fully manifest characters that are alive as antagonists to Kenshin and crew and it makes it harder to get excited about what's happening.
Profile Image for Timothy Pitkin.
2,000 reviews8 followers
April 21, 2023
It is always good to let some of the side character get a few moments to shine as Yahiko gets a very impressive battle as he fights one of the comrades and even though he is outmatched he is still able to win due to his perseverance and finally mastering Kamiya style by using it's strongest technique. We also get a really cool fight with Sanosuke as he overcomes his limitations and uses his martial arts techniques.
Profile Image for Harumichi Mizuki.
2,486 reviews74 followers
December 5, 2024
Sejujurnya arc ini agak gak seru. Soalnya yang motivasi balas dendamnya kuat cuma Enishi dan Kujiranami. Lainnya sekadar numpang lewat aja.

Terus pertarungan Otowa dengan Yahiko juga gak jelas. Gak jelas gimana Yahiko bisa menang padahal dari gambarnya jelas-jelas dia udah di ujung tanduk kayak gitu, nyaris ketusuk lagi. Aneh. Pokoknya langsung dibuat menang saja. Rule of cool pun gak ada. Gak make sense blas.
Profile Image for Stephen.
1,537 reviews3 followers
February 20, 2025
Team Kenshin is in counterattack mode against Enishi’s gang! The battle rages on and even though I did not comment on this in previous volumes, I will say a particular art technique stood out in this volume for me. The impacts of slashes, or punches with the spray of black ink really is incorporated into the series heavily when action comes into play. I like it, but it can be slightly distracting at times. The story flows at a great clip and this is another page turner.
Profile Image for Cherish.
425 reviews27 followers
May 4, 2018
Sheer genius!

A brilliant volume that I really enjoyed. I have been waiting to read this volume for quite a long time. I love how the plot has unfolded. There were a lot of hidden secrets revealed and It left me wanting more action. I am looking forward to reading the next volume.
Profile Image for James De Leon.
443 reviews8 followers
October 18, 2024
I’m really starting to get tired of the present storyline. The action is good but the story seems to drag and the threat just doesn’t seem as big as Shishio’s was.

I get that there’s an obvious personal component to this story for Kenshin, which makes him second doubt…but this group of bad guys is simply too uninteresting.
Profile Image for Kelly.
251 reviews55 followers
July 14, 2017
This is a guilty pleasure re-read of the series alongside my regular GR challenge. I’ve loved Rurouni Kenshin since I was a kid, and it makes me happy to dive back into this series.
Profile Image for Diana.
126 reviews1 follower
October 10, 2021
I'm so proud of Yahiko.
Though I really would like to see Kaoru in a fight.
Also what has happened to Aoshi and Misao?
Oh yeah and Megumi, my queen? Go for it.
Profile Image for MJ.
129 reviews7 followers
March 23, 2023
Absolutely perfect 💯
Profile Image for Alexis.
2,512 reviews
April 11, 2023
Okay but is letting a 10 year old boy engage in lethal sword combat REALLY the best way to give him an ego boost?
Profile Image for Lynn.
1,673 reviews45 followers
December 20, 2016
Today's post is on Rurouni Kenshin volume 22 by Nobuhiro Watsuki. It is 208 pages long and is published by Shonen Jump. The cover has Kenshin looking at the reader. It is the twenty-second volume in the long running series. You have to have read the first twenty-one in the series to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes historical stories, manga, and interesting characters. There is no foul language, no sex, but some violence in this series. The story is told from third person close following different characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.


From the back of the book- The ghosts of Kenshin's past come to wreak havoc on his future as the fight is literally brought to the doorstep of Kamiya Dojo. Three great battles--three great warriors! Myôjin Yahiko, the student of swords not yet a man, takes on a fighter more than twice his age. Sagara Sanosuke, the free-wheeling street fighter, learns a new humility and becomes stronger for it. And Himura Kenshin, the former slayer of men, begins to see a way to atone for the sins of the hitokiri ...


Review- This volume is all fighting with little in the way of plot or character development. The biggest problem I have is Kaoru is just put in the back. She does nothing for the whole volume but stand there. Yahiko fights but Kaoru just watches. She is the master of Kamiya Kasshin-ryū but Yahiko, who is only ten years old, is the one to fight on of the big bads. How much Kaoru has just been wasted for so much of this series has been annoying me lately. She is good enough a swordsman to teach others how to fight but she cannot fight to protect herself or her home? That really dampened my enjoyment of this volume and it may start to affect the series as a whole. But Saito is back at the end of this volume so I may enjoy the next volume more than this one at the very least.


I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.
Profile Image for Veronica Ika.
1,525 reviews8 followers
May 13, 2024
Kenshin's Confrontation
As Gein launches a relentless assault on the Kamiya dojo with his powerful Iwanbō puppet, Kenshin steps up to face the formidable opponent, leaving Yahiko to confront Otowa in his stead.

Triumph over Adversity
Despite facing formidable foes, Kenshin and Sanosuke demonstrate their unwavering resolve in battle. Kenshin's decisive victory over Iwanbō and Sanosuke's use of Futae no Kiwami despite his severe injuries highlight their strength and determination.

Unexpected Threats
Just when they think the battle is won, the group faces a sudden attack from Yatsume Mumyōi, a formidable adversary from Kenshin's past, adding another layer of danger to their already perilous situation.
26 reviews30 followers
July 14, 2008
Rurouni Kenshin is the second manga that I ever finished reading. I like the drawing style a lot and thought that the plot was pretty good. The thing that I liked about this manga was that there are several people and events in here (such as Saito Hajime, Katsura Kogoro, etc.) that were real/ did happen and I enjoyed looking up said people and events and finding out the historical facts. The manga is also a good read.
Profile Image for Sara.
2,119 reviews14 followers
March 9, 2013
Kenshin battles Gein, Sanosuke battles Inui Banjin and Yahiko battles Otowa Hyōko. Not much else needs to be said about this volume except for the bravery of Yahiko. Kenshin finally gives him a battle to fight and Yahiko makes them proud. At the very end of the volume, we meet the new opponent for Kenshin- Yatsume Mumuōi. Also, Saitō who was thought to be dead in the battle with Shishio, arrives to the shock of Sanosuke.
Profile Image for Nicky.
4,138 reviews1,118 followers
September 9, 2008
I probably picked the wrong time to take a break from reading Kenshin, since this volume starts in the middle of a battle. Oh well, I picked the threads back up again pretty quickly. The action this volume is interesting, particularly Yahiko's fight. It's good to see him growing as a swordsman. And of course, it was good to see Sanosuke fighting, though he is an idiot.
Profile Image for Michelle.
271 reviews24 followers
October 20, 2008
Not only was this an action packed series, but it was also full of great historical information. I learned so much about Japan's history by reading this series. Watsuki managed to throw in a nice amount of romance as well. All in all, it was a great fun read that kept me wanting more.
907 reviews24 followers
September 8, 2009
Maybe I'm being too critical, after all, someone other than Sanosuke actually gets hurt this volume.

But I just can't get that excited about it. I like it, and I'll finish it, but the series isn't worth buying if you can check it out from the library.
Profile Image for Declan.
197 reviews
November 28, 2009
More great fight scenes. He manages to capture my attention with each of them, turning them into something more akin to chess battles.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews

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