Rurouni Kenshin episode 20: Release date and time, countdown, where to watch, and more

Rurouni Kenshin episode 20 is set to release on Friday, November 17, 2023, at 12:55 AM JST. With Tsukioka now reformed thanks to Sanosuke and Kenshin’s efforts, it seems that the upcoming episode for the series is set to start a new arc focused on the latter’s past.

Unsurprisingly, fans are desperate to learn what’s next for Kenshin and Co. in the 2023 readaptation of the world-famous manga series. However, there’s sadly no verifiable spoiler info available for Rurouni Kenshin episode 20 at the time of this article’s writing. Thankfully, fans do at least have a confirmed release date and time for the highly anticipated episode.

Follow along as this article fully breaks down all currently available release information for Rurouni Kenshin episode 20, as well as speculates on what to expect from the episode.

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Rurouni Kenshin episode 20 seemingly ready to introduce an old adversary of Kenshin for next arc

Release date and time, where to watch

Rurouni Kenshin episode 20 is set to begin airing on local Japanese networks at 12:55 AM JST on Friday, November 17, 2023. For a minority of international fans, this translates to a Thursday night or day local release window. A vast majority of international fans, like Japanese viewers, will instead see the episode become available extremely early on Friday morning locally. The exact time of release varies by region and time zone.

International audiences can stream the episode on Crunchyroll roughly one hour after the episode begins airing in Japan. While the delay is unfortunate, Crunchyroll is the best way to watch and support the series legally, even possibly the only way to do so via streaming, depending on specific regions.

Rurouni Kenshin episode 20 is set to become available on Crunchyroll at the following times in the corresponding time zones:

• Pacific Standard Time: 8:55 AM, Thursday, November 16
• Eastern Standard Time: 9:55 AM, Thursday, November 16
• Greenwich Mean Time: 2:55 PM, Thursday, November 16
• Central European Time: 3:55 PM, Thursday, November 16
• Indian Standard Time: 9:25 PM, Thursday, November 16
• Philippine Standard Time: 11:55 PM, Thursday, November 16
• Japanese Standard Time: 12:55 AM, Friday, November 17
• Australia Central Standard Time: 2:25 AM, Friday, November 17.

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Episode 19 recap

Tsukioka's story is seemingly concluded prior to Rurouni Kenshin episode 20's release (Image via LIDEN FILMS)

Rurouni Kenshin episode 19 began with Sanosuke and Tsukioka starting their attack on the Home Ministry building, attempting to sneak in through the back while the explosions went off. However, they found Kenshin there waiting for them, resulting in Tsukioka trying to fight him, to no avail. Eventually, Sanosuke knocked Tsukioka out, thanking Kenshin for being prepared to stop them no matter the cost.

Tsukioka then woke back up in his house, where he found his bombs gone thanks to Sanosuke and Kenshin. Sanosuke then told him to give it up, since his plan was over. However, Tsukioka then decided to commit Seppuku in front of the Home Ministry building to spark the revolution he wanted. He then threw a smoke bomb to temporarily escape Sanosuke, who caught and tackled him to the river bed where he and Kenshin once fought.

The two then fought each other briefly until Sanosuke pointed out that the party they went to earlier that night was symbolic of the equality Sozo Sagara once spoke of to them. Tsukioka then gave up on his plan, returning home and starting a newspaper to honor his captain’s wishes in a non-violent way. The episode ended with the tease of someone named Shishio, likely from Kenshin’s past, seemingly becoming a threat in Tokyo.

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What to expect (speculative)

As the series seemingly builds up Shishio as the next arc’s enemy, Rurouni Kenshin episode 20 will probably give a backstory on who Shishio is via Kenshin’s memories. More likely than not, he’ll be revealed as a former comrade of Kenshin’s, especially when considering that everyone from the titular character’s past seen so far has been an old enemy.

To further switch up the series’ typical cadence, Rurouni Kenshin episode 20 will likely reveal that Kenshin was quite friendly with Shishio, making their apparent coming fight more difficult. However, the two are unlikely to actually engage in combat in the coming episode, with a slow burn approach more likely.

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Be sure to keep up with all Rurouni Kenshin anime and manga news, as well as general anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.