Rurouni Kenshin Stars Are Combating the Anime's Controversy With Charity

Rurouni Kenshin's new voice actors are combating the franchise's controversial reputation with a charity crusade.

By Megan Peters

There are plenty of beloved anime series in the world, and Rurouni Kenshin is at the top of that list. Created in 1994, the historical adventure has gone on to become one of the industry's best titles. From its manga to its anime, Rurouni Kenshin could do little wrong in its heyday. Now, the franchise's reputation has taken a hit due to its creator's rap sheet, and the new stars of Rurouni Kenshin are pushing back.

The whole thing came to light this month as Rurouni Kenshin made its return to television. Liden Films is in the midst of rebooting the anime from scratch, and of course, it did not take long for Rurouni Kenshin to head overseas. Not long ago, we learned who will be doing voices for the English dub, and those stars are now combating Rurouni Kenshin's reputation with charity.

So far, two voice actors from the new series has stepped forward: Howard Wang and Bill Butts. The actors are helping lead the show's English dub as Kenshin and Hajime respectively. Wang and Butts confirmed their involvement with Rurouni Kenshin on social media, and it was there the pair revealed they were donating part of their pay to charities fighting against the exploitation of minors.

"To address the elephant in the room: Yes, I'm fully aware of the crimes of the author, and I do not condone or support those action in any way," Wang shared with followers online. "As such, a portion of all my earnings for Kenshin are being donated to charity."

As for Butts, the actor shared a similar sentiment. "It's an honor to announce that I am Hajime Saito in Rurouni Kenshin! As an actor & martial artist, I love Saito... I'm aware of the crimes of the author and do not condone or support his actions at all. Which is why a lot of us are donating portions of our sessions to charity."

If you are not familiar with the recent mark against Rurouni Kenshin's creator, the situation came to light in November 2017. Police in Japan discovered child pornography in Nobuhiro Watsuki's Tokyo office during a raid, and more content was found in his homes. After being charged, Watsuki was slapped with a $1,500 USD fine in February 2018. Since then, Watsuki has returned to work on Rurouni Kenshin with its Hokkaido arc. And while the creator's reputation has hardly budged in Japan, Rurouni Kenshin has taken a major hit with international fans after learning about its creator's crimes.

What do you think about Rurouni Kenshin's reputation these days? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

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