I'm So Angry at Rurouni Kenshin's Creator for Ruining One of the Best Anime in History

One of the biggest injustices in the anime medium is how a grave fault from its author completely ruined the legacy of Rurouni Kenshin for many fans. Released almost twenty years ago, Rurouni Kenshin quickly rose to become one of the most beloved samurai anime that influenced the childhood of many, making it deserving of a place as one of the best animes of all time. Yet, it's now hard to look back fondly on Rurouni Kenshin’s impact and how important it was to the shōnen genre without remembering the controversy surrounding its infamous creator, Nobuhiro Watsuki.

In 2017, it was revealed that Nobuhiro Watsuki was accused of possession of child pornography after about a hundred DVDs with homemade recordings of minors were found in his office. This derailed the entire franchise, as now with the Rurouni Kenshin animeremake airing, where the enthusiasm about the series should be at its peak, a dark shadow is covering the adaptation and sparking the debate again if it’s possible to separate the author from its creation.

Rurouni Kenshin's Creator's Lack of Proper Consequences Tainted the Anime

Nobuhiro Watsuki Didn’t Face Prison Time

rurouni kenshin manga author nobuhiro watsuki

There is so much to love about Rurouni Kenshin, which follows the story of a samurai on the path to redemption with some of the best-written characters and action in anime and shows the culture of 19th-century Japanese society during the period of transition in the Meiji Restoration from a feudal society to an industrialized one. But while many viewers will agree that separating the art from the artist is the wiser decision, some actions are difficult to overlook, and it becomes increasingly difficult to do when people don’t face the proper consequences of their actions.

No matter their talent and influence, people should properly pay for their crimes, and although Japanese laws against possession of child pornography were only instated three years before Watsuki’s arrest, his charges still risked prison sentences of up to one year and a fine of up to one million yen. However, not only did Watsuki not go to jail even after confessing his crime and attraction towards young girls, but he also only had to pay a fine of 200,000 yen (around 1,900 dollars at the time).

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This ridiculous amount was uncomfortable to many fans, as it didn’t seem like a serious, commensurate punishment for the charges, even more so since, except for public backlash, the author didn’t receive any real consequences and maintained his status as a high figure in the medium. Watsuki was even defended at the time by popular manga artists like the creators of One Piece and Shaman King, who were his apprentices. Because of this, many previous fans of Rurouni Kenshin don’t consider it appropriate to keep supporting the series after the industry condoned the author’s actions.

Despite Moral Apprehension from Fans, Rurouni Kenshin’s Franchise Wasn’t as Affected

Nobuhiro Watsuki Isn't the Only Manga Artist Surrounded by Scandal

Despite his lenient sentence, given the gravity of the charges, the most fitting course of action following the arrest of Nobuhiro Watsuki should have been if Shueisha had terminated its contract and canceled the publication of the currently ongoing sequel manga Rurouni Kenshin: The Hokkaido Arc, which was the case with the most recent controversy of a Shōnen Jump manga, Act-Age, after the author was arrested for sexual harassment. Yet, Rurouni Kenshin: The Hokkaido Arc was only suspended and returned to the magazine with just a simple statement from Shueisha half a year after Watsuki’s arrest.

"The author spends his days reflecting and with remorse and thinks as though it’s our obligation as a publisher as well as his as an author to make a way for us to reply through the work to the various opinions we’ve been getting."

Despite the moral apprehension of international fans who see this decision as questionable, this was due to Rurouni Kenshin being one of the best-selling mangas of Shōnen Jump, and even now the series continues to be successful and merchandise in Japan. Although Viz Media decided to keep commercializing the original manga, they ceased the translation of the sequel Rurouni Kenshin: The Hokkaido Arc. In Japan, the manga continued until last year, when it entered a hiatus due to Watsuki’s health. This denotes a cultural difference between Japanese and international viewers but also that the country is more lenient in overlooking the awful actions of prestigious people.

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Nevertheless, the fact that the franchise remained strong in Japan as if nothing happened showcases that Rurouni Kenshin’s author evaded accountability, similar to another manga author, Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro, the creator of Toriko. Shimabukuro was arrested for violating child prostitution laws after paying a 16-year-old prostitute in 2002 and was convicted to a two-year sentence suspended by four years. Even though his series was canceled, he returned to the industry just two years later and even released Toriko, his more successful work, in 2008, which proves the lack of lasting repercussions for important manga authors.

Rurouni Kenshin’s Author Went Against Everything That the Anime Represented

Kenshin Himura’s Story Is One of the Best Depictions of Taking Accountability for One’s Actions

Rurouni Kenshin's story has nothing to do with the scandal surrounding its author, as it doesn't have fanservice or ethically questionable scenes, but is quite the opposite, being a plea for peace and redemption where Kenshin's character shows that people must pay for their mistakes. The series shows that even those who have committed the worst of sins may have humanity in them and help others, and it may be that Watsuki unconsciously created the figure of Kenshin due to his guilt for not being able to control his reprehensible preferences.

However, Watsuki’s lack of repercussions and the fact that he didn’t express more regret or try to atone for his actions deeply contrast with Hitokiri Battosai’s righteousness and effort to live a morally correct life, making it ironic that Rurouni Kenshin's author could create such noble characters. Rurouni Kenshin's main point is its life lessons and philosophical exploration, as it constantly invites viewers to reflect on their own existence, with a compelling showcase of applying justice without violent means while studying the corruption of nations and society. This makes it even more frustrating that Rurouni Kenshin’s beautiful story will always be measured against the actions of its author.

Rurouni Kenshin Continues to Be One of the Best Animes Ever

The Anime Counts With One of the Best Villains in History

There is no doubt that Rurouni Kenshin is one of the most influential shōnen anime due to its narrative focused more on the emotional development of the characters and how their environments and the consequences of a violent past affect them, which made it a standout series within the Shōnen Jump, inspiring many later series such as Demon Slayerand Gintama, which develop protagonists with greater emotional complexity, as well as Naruto and One Piece, who went on to create a main character who doesn’t kill its opponents like Kenshin.

Moreover, beyond its incredible soundtrack and exciting fights, Rurouni Kenshin perfectly blends many themes like revenge, pacifism, responsibility, sacrifice, loyalty, and political ethics, and has one of the best villains in anime, Shishio Makoto, a relentless character incredibly consistent and full of contrasts who seeks power and revenge. Because of this, even though it is necessary to be critical of the problematics and context of the series, it’s natural that many fans still share a special bond with Rurouni Kenshin, either due to its story, memories that evoke, or the implications that it had at some point in their lives.

Also, it is important to note that each fan is free to choose to see—or not—Rurouni Kenshin, since that will depend on the viewer’s ideology and sensitivity. Moreover, many can appreciate Rurouni Kenshin while also defending the cancelation of its author, appealing to the option of enjoying and loving what you like while condemning what is not acceptable. Nevertheless, it is still a shame that Rurouni Kenshin can't be completely remembered with the same admiration and respect and will continue to be forever marked by the actions of its creator.