New Rurouni Kenshin movies to air in 2021


Since its release back in 1994, Rurouni Kenshin has captured the hearts of fans worldwide with its historical action themes and samurai characters. Its immense popularity has led to the franchise’s expansion into anime and live-action adaptations, as well as video games. Soon, the Rurouni Kenshin franchise will be welcoming 2 more new movies in 2021. 

Rurouni Kenshin Saishusho The Final and Rurouni Kenshin Saishusho The Beginning will be premiering on 23rd April 2021 and 4th June 2021 respectively.  


2 New Rurouni Kenshin live-action movies


Rurouni Kenshin Movies 2021 1 - new movie poster
New movie poster for Rurouni Kenshin Saishusho The Final/The Beginning

Image credit: @ruroken_movie

Initially slated to be released in the latter half of this year, the 2 new live-action movies for the Rurouni Kenshin series will be out in mid-2021 instead. The 1st film will premiere on 23rd April 2021, and the 2nd will follow on 4th June 2021.  

Rurouni Kenshin Movies 2021 2 - the final and the beginning
Image credit: Rurouni Kenshin Movie Official Website

The 2 films will reveal more of Kenshin Himura’s – the protagonist – past and his complicated history with his wife, Tomoe Yukishiro. The films will also touch upon the interactions between Kenshin and Enishi, who’s the younger brother of Tomoe and the main antagonist for the series’ concluding arc. Enishi blames Kenshin for Tomoe’s death, and is determined to do whatever it takes to avenge her. 

Rurouni Kenshin Movies 2021 3 - poster
Image credit: Rurouni Kenshin Movie Official Website

映画『るろうに剣心 最終章 The Final/The Beginning』特報2 2021年4月23日(金)/6月4日(金)2部作連続公開
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映画『るろうに剣心 最終章 The Final/The Beginning』特報2 2021年4月23日(金)/6月4日(金)2部作連続公開

Reveal trailer for new Rurouni Kenshin movies in 2021


Netizen comments after teaser trailer was released


Rurouni Kenshin Movies 2021 4 - actors
Image credit: IMDb

Yesterday, Warner Bros. Japan released the new trailer for Rurouni Kenshin Saishusho The Final/The Beginning on their official Twitter account, @warnerjp. In 1 day, the tweet garnered more than 72k views and close to 6.6k likes. 

Similarly, the Twitter account for Rurouni Kenshin movies, @rurouken_movie, also tweeted the movie update. As of 9.04AM (GMT +9) today, this tweet has received about 443.5k views, 42.6k likes, and 15.2k retweets. Just by looking at these statistics alone, we can tell how popular the series is, and how excited the fans are for the upcoming 2 films.   

Rurouni Kenshin Movies 2021 5 - twitter comments
Comments under Ruroken_Movie’s tweet on the upcoming films
Image adapted from: @ruroken_movie

@M8PB1g65dXUQnn8 said that they are looking forward to the new films, and as a major fan of Kenshin, they’ve followed the series from the very beginning.  

@Nkotyohakkai tweeted, “It’s been a few months since I saw the poster on the train. I’m excited and I’m looking forward to seeing Takuma Otoo act as the villain.”


Previous Rurouni Kenshin anime & live-action adaptations


Rurouni Kenshin Movies 2021 6 - anime
Rurouni Kenshin: Wandering Samurai (1996-1999)
Image adapted from: IMDb, IMDb

The 1st chapter of Rurouni Kenshin was published on 25 April 1994. It was later adapted into an anime series in 1996. To date, there are 3 anime seasons, 1 anime film, 3 OVAs, and 255 manga chapters in total. You can watch the anime adaptation on Crunchyroll and Netflix.   

Rurouni Kenshin Movies 2021 7 - live action movies
Rurouni Kenshin: Origins (Left); Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno (Middle); Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends (Right)
Image adapted from: IMDb, IMDb, IMDb

There are also 3 other live-action Rurouni Kenshin movies, released in 2012 and 2014 respectively. You can catch all 3 films on Netflix. 


Rurouni Kenshin live-action movies releasing in mid-2021


Rurouni Kenshin fans should look forward to 2021 because Warner Bros. Japan will be dropping not 1, but 2 new live-action movies. They will be released on 23rd April 2021 and 4th June 2021 respectively, so do keep a lookout. 

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Cover image adapted from: @ruroken_movie, IMDb

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