Rurouni Kenshin：Season 2 "Kyoto Uprising" Hatano Wataru plays Anji, one of the "Ten Swords", Okamoto Nobuhiko plays Zhang, Tomatsu Haruka plays Yumi, and the opening theme is Kitani Tatsuya x Natori

The cast members who will play Shishio Makoto's group in the second season of "Kyoto Disturbance", the new TV anime "Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story", based on Watsuki Nobuhiro's popular manga, have been announced. Hatano Wataru will play Yukyuzan Anji, one of the elite "Ten Swords", Okamoto Nobuhiko will play Sawashita Johari, another Ten Swords member, and Tomatsu Haruka will play Komagata Yumi. It was also announced that singer-songwriter Kitani Tatsuya and music creator Natori will perform the second season's opening theme "Iranai Mono". Hatano commented, "When I was a student, I loved the original manga and collected all the comics, so I couldn't believe it when I heard the results of the audition. Among the Ten Swords, Anji in particular left a strong impression on me. Everyone imitated 'Double Kiwami'. I am honored to be able to voice the character." Regarding Anji, he said, "He has a strong reason for wanting to be strong. I would like to carefully portray his 'inner self' rather than the destructive aspects of his appearance. I hope you will enjoy Yukyuzan Anji, a man with a unique personality among the Ten Swords." Okamoto commented, "I am from the generation that read the series as a child, so I was very happy to be appearing in the role. I was also excited about the title of one of the Ten Swords. He is a character who talks a lot, which combines with his friendly personality, so I hope I can switch between his talkative and serious sides." Regarding his role as Zhang, he said, "He speaks in a Kansai style, not standard Japanese, so I struggled with that when I played him. He is the first of the Ten Swords to seriously fight, so I hope that Zhang's appearance will leave an impression that this organization is an 'incredible group.'" Tomatsu expressed her joy at being cast, saying, "I was so happy because I never thought I would be chosen during the audition! It still feels like a dream to be able to appear in 'Rurouni Kenshin,' which I have known since I was a child." She also added, "My heart feels heavy when I think about her life so far, with her brutal past, but she is a sexy, mature older sister, so I will do my best to portray her, serving Lord Shishio with all my might while also bringing out her sometimes mischievous charm!"

Cast members already announced, Furukawa Makoto as Shishio Makoto, Yamashita Daiki as Seta Sojiro, and Nakamura Yuichi as Hiko Seijuro, have also commented.

Furukawa said, "To be honest, I was surprised rather than happy to be selected for the role of Shishio Makoto at the audition. I'm from the generation that experienced the Kyoto arc when it was serialized, so I'm honored again." He said about Shishio, "He's a charismatic villain, a man with outstanding abilities even in the work. I'm trying my best to express that impression that hasn't faded since then. It's a physical challenge, but I hope you enjoy it." Yamashita commented, "I have an older brother and we were both Jump kids, so we watched the manga and the 1996 anime! I never thought I'd be able to appear in such a work... it's a real honor. It was hard to suppress the extraordinary feelings from the audition!" Regarding playing Sojiro, he said, "I myself am very emotional, so I think it's important to subtract various emotions. Sojiro is particularly focused on stripping away all parts except for one point, and denying what is normal for a person." Nakamura said, "I watched this show when I was in middle school, so it brought back not only the content but also what I was doing at the time. In terms of the story of Rurouni Kenshin, I remember doing fang thrusts on the way home on a rainy day... I'm grateful to be involved in bringing such a historic work back to life in the present day." Regarding his role as Hiko Seijuro, he said, "He is the master of the main character, Kenshin, so I want to convey his dignity. He is quite a quirky character, and I'm really looking forward to playing him."

Kitani, who will be performing the opening theme, commented, "There may not really be anything that you have to do even if it means giving up the happiness you have in your hands and the people you need to protect. However, there are times in life when you are possessed by a self-centered sense of morality and can't stop running down the path you have decided on, and I think there is a certain righteousness in that. I felt that the pathetic confusion of being caught between two choices is also a beautiful human state, so I wrote the song, and I hope you will enjoy it."

Natori said, "Even if love, kindness, and pain all turn into curses, no matter how many seasons pass, it's a beautiful and down-to-earth song that depicts a person who has decided to protect what needs to be protected. Please listen to it."

In addition to the second key visual of Himura Kenshin holding a reverse-blade sword and Shishio's group, and the character visual of Hiko Seijuro, the third PV featuring Kenshin, Shishio, and Hiko Seijuro has been released.

"Rurouni Kenshin" is a popular manga that was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha) from 1994 to 1999. It depicts Himura Kenshin, who was feared as a hitokiri (assassin) at the end of the Edo period, as a wanderer who has sworn not to kill after the Meiji Restoration, searching for a way of life in the new era. The new chapter, "Rurouni Kenshin - Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story Hokkaido Arc -", has been serialized in the monthly manga magazine "Jump SQ." (Shueisha) since 2017.

The new anime will be fully supervised by the original author Watsuki, from character design to the scenario, and will reconstruct the original work from the very first episode. The first season aired from July to December 2023. The second season will air on Fuji TV's late-night anime slot "Noitamina" and other channels from October 3rd. It will be broadcast over two consecutive seasons. A compilation of the first season, "Jomaku Tokyo," will air on Fuji TV. The first part will air on September 24th at 1:25 a.m., and the second part will air on October 1st at 2:05 a.m. ◇Staff (titles omitted)

Director: Komada Yuki▽Series composition and scriptwriting: Kurata Hideyuki▽Series composition and scriptwriting assistance: Kurosaki Kaoru▽Script supervision: Watsuki Nobuhiro▽Character design: Nishii Terumi, Watanabe Kazuo▽Prop design: Kosuge Kazuhisa▽Assistant director: Makino Yoshitaka▽Action director: Kikuchi Katsunori▽Art director: Saito Yukihiro▽Color design: Shinohara Aiko▽3D CGI: Matsunaga Wataru, Nakamori Yasuaki▽Director of photography: Takatsu Junpei▽Editor: Hasegawa Mai▽Music: Takami Yu▽Sound director Director: Naya Ryosuke▽Sound Effects: Koyama Yasumasa▽Animation Production: LIDEN FILMS

◇Cast (titles omitted)

Himura Kenshin: Saito Soma▽Kamiya Kaoru: Takahashi Rie▽Myojin Yahiko: Koichi Makoto▽Sagara Sanosuke: Yashiro Taku▽Takani Megumi: Onishi Saori▽Shinomori Soji: Uchida Yuuma▽Saito Hajime: Hino Satoshi▽Makimachi Misao: Yamane Ki▽Hiko Seijuro: Nakamura Yuichi▽Shishio Mami: Furukawa Shin▽Seta Sojiro: Yamashita Daiki▽Komagata Yumi: Tomatsu Haruka▽Yukyuuzan Anji: Hatano Wataru▽Sawage Jocho: Okamoto Nobuhiko