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Released on Friday, August 25, 2023, Rurouni Kenshin episode 8 continued with Kenshin Himura’s struggle to break free from his past. However, with the arrival of the Oniwabanshu, Kenshin found even more skeletons coming out from the closet of his previous life.
Rurouni Kenshin episode 8 also sets up the lasting effect Kenshin’s battle with Udo had on him, with the opening moments of the episode revisiting the final moments of Udo’s life. As many fans suspected, it seems the series is finally gaining momentum and focusing on Kenshin’s past life, with his core group of allies now fully introduced.
Rurouni Kenshin episode 8 sees Kenshin and his allies prepare for their biggest challenge yet
Episode recap
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Rurouni Kenshin episode 8 began by revisiting the final moments of Udo’s life. Kenshin speaks with him as he bled, with Udo saying he’s still a hitokiri until the day he dies. The scene then changes to the next day, showing the deceased Udo as Kaoru and Kenshin reunite with Yahiko Myojin and Sanosuke Sagara.
The episode then cuts to a woman running away from a street thug chasing her before shifting back to Kaoru’s dojo. She’s looking for Kenshin, and Yahiko reveals that he has gone somewhere with Sanosuke. Yahiko further says that they went to a restaurant to gamble, where Kenshin has been reluctantly helping to keep track of the dice so Sanosuke can win big.
Rurouni Kenshin episode 8 then sees the woman from earlier being chased into the restaurant where Sanosuke and Kenshin are. Sanosuke then asks about a fellow patron, and it’s revealed they died earlier this month from an opium overdose. Kenshin then points out how an “ordinary man” shouldn’t be able to buy a hoard of such an expensive drug, when the woman from earlier enters and begs Kenshin for help.
The men chasing her reveal her name to be Megumi, prompting Sanosuke to interfere and punch one of the men. They reveal they’re a part of Kanryu Takeda’s private army, revealing Kanryu to be a young entrepreneur with a giant private army. Sanosuke implies that he’s up to shady activities behind the scenes, further adding that even local politicians leave him as he is without interfering in his business.
Rurouni Kenshin episode 8 then sees Sanosuke ask Megumi if she’s Kanryu’s girl, but she says she doesn’t know anything about Kanryu or the situation. An unknown person, who seemingly entered from the building’s ceiling, accuses Megumi of lying. He then promises that one of his leader’s men is always watching her, but she puts on a brave face and reasserts that she’s not Kanryu’s girl.
The unknown individual is then approached by two men, but he uses a technique called Sengeki Rasenbyo to incapacitate them. He also promises to shatter Megumi’s feet next time they meet, which will double as her punishment. However, Kenshin flips a tatami mat to block his attacks, as he adds that he can’t quietly watch people get hurt or killed.
Next, Rurouni Kenshin episode 8 sees Kenshin and Sanosuke rush at and incapacitate the unknown individual. Megumi then tries to hire them to protect her, but Sanosuke wants an explanation from her since two of his friends are now hurt. Several packets of opium then fall out of her clothes that one of the other patrons reveal are the same one’s found at the house of their friend who died from an overdose.
Kenshin asks if this is what she meant by a reward, to which she says nothing. The episode then sees Yahiko and Kaoru wondering the whereabouts of Sanosuke and Kenshin when the two finally return with Megumi Takani. Kenshin begins telling Kaoru what happened, but Sanosuke stops him from telling the full truth, while Kaoru is too shocked to speak.
Rurouni Kenshin episode 8 sees Kaoru asking Kenshin if this is the truth, to which he says it is. She then says she can’t believe he’d do something so low, even if he believes Sanosuke would. She then apologizes to Megumi and says he’ll give him a lecture, telling her to go home, but Megumi responds that she’s grown fond of Kenshin and won’t be leaving his side.
Sanosuke tells Megumi not to tease Kaoru too much since she’s so simple-minded, prompting Kaoru to throw Sanosuke, Megumi, and Kenshin out of the dojo. Megumi calls Kenshin perfect as a bodyguard and demands to know about her circumstances. Sanosuke says he wants to stick around her since he can find the source of the opium and avenge his friend.
Rurouni Kenshin episode 8 then sees one of Sanosuke’s friends arrive, asking him to come with them. It seems that the two private army members Sanosuke and Kenshin fought earlier have been killed, which Megumi alleges is Kanryu’s work. Kenshin then notices the unknown individual they fought earlier across the way with someone behind him, who calls himself Beshimi.
The latter confirms Kenshin’s identity to this other person, noticing him across the way himself. A third individual tells Beshimi not to try anything here, most likely being Kanryu himself. The second individual then asks someone named Han’nya if they’re here, which the unseen Han’nya confirms. He reports that he did follow Kenshin and Sanosuke to discover their whereabouts.
Following this, Rurouni Kenshin episode 8 sees this second individual, presumably the group’s leader, order Han’nya, Beshimi, and someone named Hyottoko to help get Megumi back. The leader tells Beshimi that he won’t accept any more failure. Kanryu comments on how sympathetic the leader is, adding that he’s an entrepreneur at his roots and doesn’t feel at ease unless he eliminates dead weight.
He shares that Megumi deeply troubles him, calling her his hen that lays golden eggs. She then notices Kanryu and the others, alerting Sanosuke and Kenshin to their presence. The latter is more concerned with the group’s leader, prompting Megumi to explain that he leads Kanryu’s own group of private Oniwabanshu.
Rurouni Kenshin episode 8 then reveals his name to be Aoshi Shinomori, calling him a genius and a prodigy. Kenshin concludes that they can’t leave Megumi on her own now, while Aoshi seemingly recognizes Kenshin for who he truly is. Kenshin and Megumi then go over all of Kanryu’s forces later that night, but she refuses to answer questions about the opium.
She then says to herself that Kenshin and Sanosuke don’t stand a chance against the Oniwabanshu, while Kaoru is shown to be eavesdropping outside the room. Sanosuke tells her that it’s fine and not to worry since Kenshin is just doing what comes naturally to him. He then comes outside, asking if everything is normal, which Sanosuke confirms.
Rurouni Kenshin episode 8 next sees Kenshin give Sanosuke the breakdown of Kanryu’s armed forces, adding that the Oniwabanshu likely already know about Kaoru’s dojo. Kenshin warns her of coming trouble, adding that he won’t fail to protect her again. Yahiko then appears from under the floorboards, asking why he’s the only member of Team Kenshin being left out of the situation.
Megumi observes the group and remembers her family and old friends, when the dojo is suddenly attacked by a giant red beast of a man. He demands Megumi be handed over quietly in exchange for going easy on them.
In review
While certainly a dense episode, Rurouni Kenshin episode 8 is still engaging in the incredible density of material and setup it presented. The episode is interesting throughout, adding just enough reveals or sudden appearances at the right time to never make any long-winded explanation feel boring.
It’s also exciting to see that Team Kenshin has officially been formed, which Yahiko points out in the episode’s final moments. Likewise, with Yahiko also getting involved, there seems to be a way for everyone to contribute to this coming fight against the Oniwabanshu. This is a significant step forward for the series, which truly “begins” from here on out.
In summation
Rurouni Kenshin episode 8 primarily focuses on introducing Megumi, Kanryu, Aoshi, and the Oniwabanshu members, who all make up Team Kenshin’s enemies for the foreseeable future. While not much is known about the enemies yet, fans can expect to receive their backstories, which was similar to what Jine Udo received in recent episodes.
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.
