
Kenshin Himura
main character



In the days before the Japanese Revolution, Hiko Seiijuro, a wandering master swordsman and hermit, encounters a bandit raid on a slave wagon. Hiko kills the raiding bandits in hopes of saving as many lives as possible, but only manages to spare one life from the massacre. Hiko leaves the child, advising him to go to the nearby village and have them take care of him. A few days later, as Hiko comes back to check upon the child he saved, he is shocked to see the child had created graves, both for the slaves he befriended and the bandits who killed them. Seeing potential in the young one, Hiko takes the child under his wing, names him Kenshin, meaning "heart of sword," and teaches him about the art of swordsmanship under the Hiten Mitsuruugi Ryu. Struggling in a constant challenge with his ideal beliefs reflecting against the harshness of reality, Tsuiokuhen tells the melancholic and dark story of Himura Kenshin as one of the most feared assassins of the Japanese Revolution: the Hitokiri Battousai. (Source: MAL Rewrite)
Rurouni Kenshin OVA: Trust & Betrayal (Tsuioku-hen) has been exceptionally well received, with an average AniList score of 85/100 — 83% of 18,851 ratings are 8/10 or higher.
It ranks #2 highest-rated anime of all time, and #62 most popular anime of all time, and #1 highest-rated anime of 1999 on AniList.
Of the 28.7K AniList users who started it, 1.2% dropped it, so it is very rarely abandoned; 26.9K have finished it.
At about 2 hours in total, it is a short commitment — a weekend binge.
Best for viewers who enjoy Action, Drama, Romance — especially samurai, tragedy, historical, philosophy.
Availability, audio and subtitles vary by region and service.
4 episodes are listed.
Theme data from AnimeThemes.moe.
Rurouni Kenshin OVA: Trust & Betrayal (Tsuioku-hen) has 4 episodes of about 30 minutes each, roughly 2 hours in total.
About 2 hours back to back. At two episodes a day it takes 2 days; at one hour a day, about 2 days.
Yes. Rurouni Kenshin OVA: Trust & Betrayal (Tsuioku-hen) has finished airing — the final episode aired September 22, 1999.
Yes — the story continues in Rurouni Kenshin (1996).
Start here: Rurouni Kenshin OVA: Trust & Betrayal (Tsuioku-hen) is the first entry, followed by Rurouni Kenshin.
Yes. Rurouni Kenshin OVA: Trust & Betrayal (Tsuioku-hen) adapts the manga by Nobuhiro Watsuki.
Rurouni Kenshin OVA: Trust & Betrayal (Tsuioku-hen) was animated by Studio DEEN and directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi.
The opening, "In Dreams", is performed by an uncredited artist.
Rurouni Kenshin OVA: Trust & Betrayal (Tsuioku-hen) is listed on Bilibili TV. Availability varies by region — check the streaming links on this page.