New Rurouni Kenshin Anime's Promo Video Reveals Cast for Oniwabanshū Members

The staff for the new television anime of Nobuhiro Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin manga started streaming the anime's sixth promotional video on Wednesday, which revealed four new cast members of the Oniwabanshū. They will appear starting in the anime's eighth episode on Friday.

The anime's staff also revealed a story visual:

© 和月伸宏／集英社・「るろうに剣心 －明治剣客浪漫譚－」製作委員会

The additional cast includes:

• Ryotaro Okiayu as Hannya
• Hiroyuki Yoshino as Beshimi
• Fukushi Ochiai as Hyottoko
• Tetsu Inada as Shikijō

©和月伸宏／集英社・「るろうに剣心 －明治剣客浪漫譚－」製作委員会

The anime premiered on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block and other venues on July 6. The anime will run for two consecutive cours (quarter of a year). Crunchyroll is streaming the series as it airs.

The anime re-adapts the main manga series.

Sōma Saitō stars in the series as Kenshin Himura, and Rie Takahashi costars as Kaoru Kamiya. Taku Yashiro plays Sanosuke Sagara, and Makoto Koichi voices Yahiko Myojin. Yūma Uchida voices Shinomori Aoshi, and Saori Ōnishi voices Megumi Takani. Satoshi Hino plays Hajime Saitō.

Hideyo Yamamoto (Strike the Blood, Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka, Cells at Work! Code Black) is directing the anime at LIDEN FILMS. Terumi Nishii is designing the characters, and Hideyuki Kurata is in charge of the series scripts. Yū Takami is composing the music. Artists Ayase and R-Shitei (Ayase✕R-Shitei) perform the opening theme song "Hiten." Singer-songwriter Reol performs the ending theme song "Kissaki" (Sword Tip).

Watsuki and his novelist wife/story collaborator Kaoru Kurosaki launched the Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc (Rurouni Kenshin, Meiji Kenkaku Romantan: Hokkaido-hen) manga in Shueisha's Jump SQ. magazine in September 2017. The manga went on hiatus in December 2017 following Watsuki being charged for possession of child pornography. The series later resumed publication in June 2018.

Viz Media had been simultaneously publishing the manga in English, but stopped after the manga went on hiatus in 2017.

Watsuki first launched his 28-volume Rurouni Kenshin manga in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1994. The manga has more than 72 million copies in circulation worldwide. The manga centers around Kenshin Himura, once a deadly assassin during the Meiji Restoration, who is trying to find a new life beyond violence.

The manga has since been adapted into a 95-episode TV anime series, an anime film, three original video anime projects, five live-action films, and a stage musical by the all-female musical theater troupe Takarazuka Revue.

Sources: Rurouni Kenshin anime's Twitter account, Aniplex's YouTube channel