Rurouni Kenshin Announces Indefinite Hiatus Over Creator’s Health

Rurouni Kenshin is preparing to bring its revival anime back to the public eye this month, as the former Battosai takes on Shishio as a part of the Kyoto Disturbance Arc. While the anime adaptation plans for its return, the manga has announced that it will be taking a break for an indefinite amount of time. Shueisha announced that Rurouni Kenshin’s latest storyline, The Hokkaido Arc, will be going on break due to the health issues of Nobuhiro Watsuki, leaving the status of Kenshin’s future in the manga world up in the air.

Rurouni Kenshin’s creator Nobuhiro Watsuki has been quite controversial due to the Japanese government charging him with possession of child pornography in 2018. Despite this fact, the manga series has continued but the voice actor of Kenshin in the latest reboot, Howard Wand, previously addressed the ‘elephant in the room’ as he looked to undo some of the damage caused by the manga creator, “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. As such, a portion of all my earnings for Kenshin are being donated to charity.”

Shueisha’s Statement

The company responsible for Rurouni Kenshin’s manga and Weekly Shonen Jump, Shueisha, released a new statement announcing the hiatus and creator Nobuhiro Watsuki’s health issues, “To our readers, Thank you for reading Rurouni Kenshin: The Hokkaido Arc. Due to Nobuhiro Watsuki’s poor physical health condition, Rurouni Kenshin: The Hokkaido Arc will be going on hiatus for a while. The series has been on hiatus since Jump Square’s June 2024 issue, and every month we have been searching for ways to produce the next chapter, but after discussion between the editing department and Watsuki, we have come to the decision that a period of rest will be the best way by which to prepare for the stable and continuous resumption of its serialization.

When the end of the hiatus has been determined, we will announce it within Jump Square, and through the Jump Square official X account. We sincerely apologize to all readers who have been looking forward to the next chapter. We hope that you will continue to support Rurouni Kenshin: The Hokkaido Arc.”

The Kyoto Disturbance Release Date

Rurouni Kenshin’s second season of its revival is only a few days from landing on the small screen. The Kyoto Disturbance will begin on October 4th and considering the subject matter and fights of the source material, this arc is sure to be the biggest of the rebooted series so far. While Kenshin will be fighting Shishio, the man who held the title of the Battosai as well, the villain has assembled a band of warriors that will aid him in his quest to overtake Japan. Luckily for the anime protagonist, his allies are ready and willing to help fight back against Shishio’s forces.

On top of the anime adaptation, Rurouni Kenshin was able to adapt the Kyoto Disturbance to live-action as well. Specifically, Rurouni Kenshin Part 2: Kyoto Inferno and Rurouni Kenshin Part 3: The Legend Ends adapted the arrival, and ending, of Shishio in the shonen series. All five of Kenshin’s live-action films are available to stream on Netflix but it has yet to be seen if more of these movies will be created to adapt the manga’s storylines. 

Want to see what the future holds for the Rurouni Kenshin franchise? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the Battosai and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.