Embrace the Past and the Present in Rurouni Kenshin 2023 Episode 15: ‘That Man – Raijuta’! Review *SPOILERS AHEAD*

Hey there, TOTTers and fellow fans of the legendary wandering swordsman, Kenshin Himura! In the latest installment that is, Rurouni Kenshin 2023 Episode 15, titled ‘That Man – Raijuta,’ we embarked on another thrilling journey filled with sword fights, hopes and anticipation, and a blast from the past.

So, without any further ado, get your Sakabatou ready and join me as I dive, taking you all along with me, into the action-packed world of Rurouni Kenshin once again!

Rurouni Kenshin 2023 Episode 15- The Narrative

Kenshin joins Kaoru and Yahiko on a visit to the Maekawa Dojo, where they honor swordsmanship training. Their peaceful visit takes an unexpected turn when a burly man named Raijuta arrives with the intent to challenge and disassemble the dojo.

In a shocking duel with the Maekawa Dojo master, Raijuta nearly delivers a fatal blow using a wooden sword, leaving everyone in disbelief. This forces Kenshin to step in as a replacement.

As Kenshin faces off against Raijuta, he quickly discerns that Raijuta has mastered a technique that can turn any sword into a lethal weapon.

With his lightning-fast reflexes, Kenshin manages to evade Raijuta’s deadly strikes. Raijuta eventually departs but not before instructing his student, Yutaro, to extend an invitation to Kenshin.

In their subsequent meeting, Raijuta reveals his desire to resurrect the lethal aspect of swordsmanship from the past, believing that it has grown stale due to the Western influence of the Meiji era. While Kenshin deeply respects the art of the sword, he vehemently opposes Raijuta’s stance, as it conflicts with his values of “katsujinken” – the belief in using the sword to protect life rather than take it.

This fundamental disagreement sets the stage for a clash of ideologies between Kenshin and Raijuta in Rurouni Kenshin 2023 Episode 15.

Things I Might Have Liked From Rurouni Kenshin 2023 Episode 15

So the day starts here at Kamiya Kassin Rue smashing Yahiko’s head. Well, he should have knocked it was his fault in the first place. I loved how the day was picturized on a serene and cordial note though. However, Kouru’s violent side is never waning.

Now, we find out that Kouru goes to Maekawa Dojo for the training session. She suddenly considers taking Kenshin with her, which the man politely rejects. But her meaner side forces Kenshin ultimately to accompany her in the end.

On the other side of the town, there rests a mysterious man. Well, the audience can presume that he is none other than the man called Raijuta. His student comes with 2 significant pieces of intel and gives us the audience what is about to come, consequently on the narrative.

Now as soon as Kaouru steps inside Maekawa Dojo, the entire ambiance changes. She is liked by every young man there. They wait for her arrival every single day.

I thought I might have finally come to an episode where Kenshin might show some form of jealousy. However, nothing was there.

Nonetheless, I liked how sincerely she was greeted and appreciated in that Dojo. I hope Kouru’s position in that Dojo might have impacted the way Yahiko looked at her all this time.

So it happens that in the absence of Kouru, Maekawa Sir wished to challenge Kenshin Himura one time. He was scared that if Kouru came to know about his intention, she might never bring Kenshin to that Dojo. What made the context surprising was that no one believed that Kenshin was strong, judging the young men from his skinny physics, as they were confirmed by the rumor.

Also, Kenshin and Maekawa sir shared a cold eye which appeared genuinely intense. However, Kenshin’s sweet smile changed the atmosphere and added positivity to the space. Further, his wish to fight Kenshin also vanishes once he understands the pure personality of the Rurouni just by looking at his good intended eyes.

I was genuinely impressed looking at how sincerely Kouru was performing and training the participants. She is more than she actually appears. The soft smile on Kenshin’s face was enough to make us understand how much he appreciates the strong, brave, and responsible girl.

Now the secret behind the crowd of students revealed, that it was Kouru’s presence that made the youngster join the Dojo in the first place.

Here, at this juncture, an essential topic gets highlighted which is the value of swordsmanship, where very less people take the idea seriously unlike before. Whatever the teacher shared with Kenshin about swordsmanship was a genuine perspective that even Kenshin pondered.

But suddenly both of the experts understood that they had an intruder at the door which was noticed by me when I was rewatching the same. It was Raijuta who came to challenge Maekawa. He makes an aggressive and dramatic entrance. He was also followed by his student, Yutaro who is his fan by the way.

The old teacher tries to read Raijuta’s eyes and he concludes that the individual is indeed powerful. Nonetheless, he accepted the challenge which was a very bad idea.

I knew the result before the match even started. The old man looked very sophisticated and he was a man with moral values. Raijuta on the other hand appeared very ghastly, more like a bandit. Appearance does talk louder than you think right???

Talking about Yutaro, he is a cheeky and mean brat who, like I said is a fan of Raijuta. His sassy remark on using a bamboo sword was aptly countered by Yahiko. These two actually took the spotlight every time and made the corners light-hearted. Their every conversation was funny and entertaining.

So, Kouru takes the role of referee, and the predictable sword fight begins. The first blow was enough to give a fracture to the old bones. However, the teacher was not up for quitting. So, the second match began, and it was predictable as well.

The killer intent suddenly sparked in Raijuta which did not stop him from going violent and trying to kill the old teacher. In fact, he admits his intention clearly when asked by Kenshin.

Thank goodness, Kenshin was present there at the Dojo, otherwise Raijuta would have given the man a very brutal death for sure.

Now what Raijuta keeps on the table is his conventional perspective which belongs to the old traditional era. He was very clear about his concern on the topic of swordsmanship, whose other side of the bargain was highlighted by Teacher Maekawa.

So, Raijuta challenges Kenshin to fight with a real steel sword otherwise he would burn down the Dojo sign of the Maekawa Dojo. Surprisingly none of the young men had the guts to take the challenge at hand. It was definitely shameful. I was once again impressed and I knew somehow that Kouru would take the responsibility.

Let us now talk about Yutaru for some second here. He was excited to burn the sign board. So he was sharing his ideas on the matter. I wondered why was he so villainous to begin with, right??? Yahiko was holding himself back a lot, and I totally get him.

Lastly, Kenshin being an honorable swordsman decides to take the situation into hand, but not with a real sword. Raijuta decides to challenge Kenshin with a wooden one and they begin.

Once again a match began, however, I could not predict the result this time, since both of them were powerful. Moreover, Kenshin was not defending at all. His pure heart was aiming for something nice for the Dojo.

However, this forces Raijuta to use his mysterious secret sword ‘Izuna’ which only people who know ancient sword art can perceive. Similarly, our Kenshin very clearly finds out the mystery.

Now they tell every little thing that happened that day with Sanosuke. He was sad that he missed the opportunity. But luck was in his favor thus, the butler comes just then and hands Kenshin an Invite to Raijuta’s current shelter, which is an estate. It was the estate of Yutaro’s father.

As soon they reach their destination, the host, Yutaro’s father welcomes them with an open and warm heart. He was very unlike Yutaro. I wonder if his teacher might be a bad influence on the brat.

So, Kenshin goes to talk with Raijuta, and his gang is left to be entertained by Yutaro. On his way, Yutaro’s father explains how they met Raijuta in the first place. Honestly speaking, I found the story quiet hard to believe. The way Raijuta looks along with his policies, are very dangerous. So, he might be the real plotter behind the bandits. Well, this is what I feel at this point of the show.

Now I really did not expect Kouru to be doing such a thing. The moment Sanosuke unwraps his bandana from his fist, I really couldn’t care less. But later we all understood what was his real motive, and it was unintentionally funny.

So, here comes another significant portion of the episode which talks about where the swordsmanship is trasceding to. The intentions and values shared by Kenshin and Raijuta openly clashed, which gave us the audience an idea of what we are about to witness in the next consecutive episode.

If you ask me, we might watch a promising epic match between Kenshin and Raijuta in the very next episode ‘The Ideal Man’, so fingers crossed.

TOTT’s Take On Rurouni Kenshin 2023 Episode 15

As we close on the review of Episode 15 of Rurouni Kenshin 2023, ‘That Man – Raijuta,’ I can’t help but revel in the excitement, that the episode has brought us. With every new episode, this beloved series continues to enchant me with its timeless tales of honor and swordsmanship.

Now, let’s eagerly anticipate what the future holds for Kenshin and the gang, and in the meantime, keep that samurai spirit alive! Until next time, my fellow TOTTErs and my Rurouni Kenshin enthusiasts!

So, this is it for today, hope to meet you all very soon for my next publication.

Till then, go through Dive into Darkness Of Jujutsu Kaisen S2 Ep 36 ‘Dull Knife’ Unveil The Shocking Twists! Review *Spoilers Ahead*

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