The BEST episodes of Rurouni Kenshin season 3

Every episode of Rurouni Kenshin season 3, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Rurouni Kenshin season 3!

"140 years ago in Kyoto,with the coming of the 'Black Ships', there arose a warrior called Hitokiri Battousai. Felling men with his blood stained blade, he closed the turbulent Bakumatsu era and slashed open the age known as Meiji. Then he vanished, and with the flow of years, became a legend. In the 11th year of Meiji, in the middle of Tokyo this tale begins..." Rurouni Kenshin (the OAVs and Movie are known as Samurai X) tells the story of a wanderer named Kenshin, who used to be called Hitokiri Battousai (Hitokiri means Assassin) during the Japanese civil war, and is now trying to make up for his past and all his murders by helping those in trouble with his reverse-blade sword and by using his powerful technique called Hiten-Mitsurugi Ryu to battle oppressors of freedom and justice, yet struggling with himself and his own murdering self. During the series Kenshin joins others in his quest: Kaoru Kamiya, a young orphan girl who became tutor of the Kamiya-Kashin Ryu Kendo style; Sanosuke Sagara, a mercenary who used to bear the name Zanza and fights just with his incredibly powerful fists; Yahiko Myojin, a young boy who was rescued by Kenshin from a band of thieves and now a pupil on Kaoru's dojo; and Megumi Takani, a female doctor who was rescued by Kenshin from a band which forced her to make a lethal drug. Together they all fight those who oppress the weak while they seek their destiny as well happiness and redemption. The series is based on a homonymous manga created by Nobuhiro Watsuki, which was first published in 1994.

Last Updated: 11/3/2024Network: Fuji TVStatus: Ended
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There is a Himura Dojo in Shimonoseki? Another Battousai Appears!
star
8.28
129 votes

#1 - There is a Himura Dojo in Shimonoseki? Another Battousai Appears!

Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/10/1998

Kenshin and the rest are in the restaurant eating, suddenly a group called Tengu creates a disturbance, Yahiko and Misao take them outside and fight them. Then a man claiming to be the legendary Battousai arrives and scares them away. Kenshin and the rest are looking for a place to stay but they were all full, they make their way up to the fake Battousai's place and sees he's running a dojo. Kenshin and the others help out and have a place to stay. The Tengu group is getting restless and wants to kill the Battousai, a man named Anzai arrives and says he will kill the Battousai. He arrives at the dojo and wants to fight the Battousai, Kenshin came right on time and defeated him. Kenshin allowed him to keep the name and he and the rest set sail to go back home.

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Shock of the Rai Ryu Sen! Kenshin sent into Darkness
star
8.22
131 votes

#2 - Shock of the Rai Ryu Sen! Kenshin sent into Darkness

Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/9/1997

The round man has Kenshin down and surrounded by the dogs, but then he loses the whistle with which he controls them. Kenshin ends up saving himself and the round man from the dogs. The round man is confused, since Kaioh-sama told him that Kenshin is a demon and has to be killed, but Kenshin saved the round man's life. The round man chains Kenshin to a tree and goes for Magdaria to see what he should do with Kenshin.

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The Legend of the Fireflies: A Girl Who Waits for her Love
star
8.00
165 votes

#3 - The Legend of the Fireflies: A Girl Who Waits for her Love

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/14/1997

Kenshin goes off fishing to bring some food on the table. At the river he meets an old man who tells him the legend of the fireflies. At the end it is revealed the old man was telling Kenshin the tragic story of his dead lover, who died waiting for him to return from his long quest to master the sword. He gives Kenshin the message that once in his life, every man meets a woman he will never forget. After hearing his story, Kenshin brings back an iris flower, which he does not give to Kaoru.

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The Artist's Crush: A Romantic Spree at the Hakone Hot Spring
star
7.97
128 votes

#4 - The Artist's Crush: A Romantic Spree at the Hakone Hot Spring

Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/17/1998

Kenshin and the rest are walking through the forest, they end up going to a restaurant to eat, and when the time came to pay for it, Kenshin had lost Kaoru's money. Kenshin and the rest offered to work off the money. Kaoru and Misao were making trips to send people their meal and accidentally went into the wrong room. Later that night Misao and Kaoru were in the hot springs and they spotted someone. They realized it was an artist seeking inspiration and Kaoru was it. The artist had fallen in love with Kaoru but Kaoru was in love with Kenshin, Misao had an idea and told Sanosuke, Sanosuke told the artist if he can hit Kenshin he will hook him up with Kaoru. No matter how hard the artist tried he couldn't hit Kenshin. Finally he got his inspiration and drew a portrait of Kaoru and gave it her. Kenshin and the rest left and saw Kaoru's picture, it was an abstract drawing and they laughed while running away.

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The Unending Revolution: A Destiny Forced Upon Kaishu
star
7.87
129 votes

#5 - The Unending Revolution: A Destiny Forced Upon Kaishu

Season 3 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/3/1998

A bunch of men are ready to attack Kenshin but Kenshin has no idea who these people are, they tell Kenshin that they are the Beni Aoi, Kenshin still doesn't know who they are, the leader figures out Kenshin wasn't hired as a bodyguard and left. Daigoro continues to train and has a match with Yahiko. Daigoro attacks but pulls his back and is unable to move. Itsuko is cooking and Kaoru shows up, she teachers her to cook but forgot to buy something so she left. Outside the Beni Aoi was waiting for her and kidnapped her. Kaoru screamed and didn't know what to do, the kitchen was on fire, Kenshin sensed something was wrong and asked where Itsuko was, he went out side and found her hair pin on the ground.

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The Conspiracy of Kaiou: Shougo Caught in a Trap!
star
7.86
128 votes

#6 - The Conspiracy of Kaiou: Shougo Caught in a Trap!

Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/16/1997

Sano is unconscious and lying on the floor of a cave. When he wakes up, he finds himself looking into the face of Magdaria. She notices he is hurt and takes him back to her home in the hill. While she patches him up, they have an argument and she locks him in the room. Meanwhile, Kaioh, Santo, and Amakusa Shougo are plotting the demise of the Meiji government through the instigation of a civil war, but they are disagreeing over price and methodology. Carrying a gun, Magdaria returns to the room where she locked Sano, but he has disappeared.

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Conspiracy of the Beni-aoi: The Living Ghost of the Revolution Targets Kaishu!
star
7.85
129 votes

#7 - Conspiracy of the Beni-aoi: The Living Ghost of the Revolution Targets Kaishu!

Season 3 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/10/1998

Itsuko was kidnapped and Katsu had received a letter about it, Kenshin paid a visit to him and found out that Katsu was hiding someone's money and the Beni Aoi wanted it. Katsu was suppose to arrive at 2:00am at a temple, and if he cooperates his daughter would not be harmed. Kenshin was told not to come but he still went as well as everyone else including Daigoro. They arrived at the temple first and Daigoro say Itsuko, she tried to run for it but tripped, Daigoro charged forward and was stabbed.

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Kaishu Katsu and Kenshin: The Destiny of Two Men who Survived the Revolution
star
7.83
131 votes

#8 - Kaishu Katsu and Kenshin: The Destiny of Two Men who Survived the Revolution

Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/24/1998

A man is talking about people being able to go to the moon, but the others laugh at him, he left with his teacher and forgot his books. Yahiko went to return the books but the man (Daigoro) and his teacher was going to be attacked. Yahiko and everyone helped out and were able to protect them, then Tetsuma appeared and scared them away. Daigoro's teacher than kicked him out of his dojo since he wasn't very good with a sword. Kaoru decided to accept him as a student and tried to teach him to be strong. A girl named Itsuko came and tried to bring him back but Daigoro refused and Itsuko stayed behind. Kenshin left and went to tell Daigoro's teacher (Katsu) that his daughter was staying at the dojo, as Kenshin leaves the men earlier is trying to attack Kenshin.

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To My Angel Misao: A Fetching from Kyoto
star
7.65
124 votes

#9 - To My Angel Misao: A Fetching from Kyoto

Season 3 - Episode 27 - Aired 6/16/1998

A day in the dojo where Yahiko is training, Yahiko is training with Misao and she's deciding it's about time she leaves. Omasu, Ochika and Aoshi arrive and are ready to take Misao back to Kyoto. Misao changes her mind and decides she doesn't want to go back, and then the females decide to go shopping. The females leave and Sanosuke and Yahiko are up to something, they believe that they are going to go and eat something without them so they tag along. The girls go shopping and bump into a pick pocket, they beat him up and get back their money. The pick pocket went and got all his men but they were defeated, meanwhile Kenshin and Aoshi talk and drink tea, they decide to take a walk and they see the girls.

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Kaishu Katsu's Determination: The Truth that Lived Through the Times
star
7.64
130 votes

#10 - Kaishu Katsu's Determination: The Truth that Lived Through the Times

Season 3 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/14/1998

Daigoro was just stabbed and Kenshin stepped forward to fight the leader while the others took care of the rest. The leader was defeated and shortly the police arrived and arrested the Beni Aoi. Back at Katsu's home, Tetsuma was caught, Katsu knew it was him looking for the map to the hidden money. Tetsuma try to reason why Katsu but it wasn't enough then he tried to fight him but Kenshin stepped in. Kenshin defeated Tetsuma and he then knew what he did was wrong and turned himself in.

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End of Wanderings: The Bond of Scarlet and Azure is in the Sound of the Sea
star
7.60
86 votes

#11 - End of Wanderings: The Bond of Scarlet and Azure is in the Sound of the Sea

Season 3 - Episode 33 - Aired 9/15/1998

It's peaceful times and everyone is carrying about their life, Kaoru and Kenshin leave to visit a graveyard, Yahiko is helping at the Akabeko and Sanosuke is helping Megumi so she can make something for him to eat. Kenshin and Kaoru visit the graveyard and do what they have to do, suddenly it started to rain so they went to a hotel to spend the night. Meanwhile Sanosuke took a long bath and Megumi washed his clothes and he was forced to wear something else, soon everyone went to sleep. Kaoru had dreams of Kenshin wandering off again, she awoke and it was morning, Kenshin wasn't there, she found him at the beach and they talked for awhile. They got on to the boat and set sail to return back home. The boat arrived back in Tokyo and everyone was waiting for Kenshin and Kaoru to get back.

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The Gleaming Blade of Legends! The Mystic Swordsman Shougo Amakusa
star
7.50
156 votes

#12 - The Gleaming Blade of Legends! The Mystic Swordsman Shougo Amakusa

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/18/1997

The Kenshin-gumi receives a letter from Misao. She reports on a murder mystery in Kyoto and a dead body with strange carvings on the flesh. Aoshi is approached by a man seeking protection from a written death threat. Aoshi refuses, but Misao sees the letter and takes it to Okina. Okina says the writing is either Portuguese or Dutch, and the symbol on the bottom of the letter was the same symbol carved into the body of the murdered man.

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The Last Crusade: Two Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki Crash!
star
7.47
130 votes

#13 - The Last Crusade: Two Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki Crash!

Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/27/1998

Misao was caught by two men and was brought to the leader of the army, she kept on telling them that Kenshin is negotiating with Shougo. Finally Elsten arrived and tried to stop the attack, he was only able to stop it for an hour, after the hour they would attack. Misao went off to tell Kenshin he has an hour and if he was successful she would throw a signal out to let him know. Kenshin had already started to fight Shougo, finally both used the succession technique and Shougo was defeated. Kenshin had gained his sight again and Misao just arrived.

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The Medallion of Destiny: The First Meeting of Sanosuke and Sayo
star
7.46
157 votes

#14 - The Medallion of Destiny: The First Meeting of Sanosuke and Sayo

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/25/1997

Amakusa Shougo appears at the place Cho is protecting. He defeats Cho and then kills the man he came to kill. Cho tells Kenshin that Amakusa is better than Kenshin. Okina finds out that the three men Amakusa has killed were responsible for persecuting Christians during the Edo dynasty.

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Bon Voyage: Hope Overcomes the Melancholy Waves
star
7.44
131 votes

#15 - Bon Voyage: Hope Overcomes the Melancholy Waves

Season 3 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/3/1998

The war was over and Shougo surrendered. Kenshin visited Elsten to find out what will happen to the believers and so on. Elsten is waiting for the government's decision and it should arrive shortly. An official arrives and tells them that the believers can no longer stay in Japan, Elsten is thankful for the decision and decides that the believers can come to his country, Holland. Meanwhile Sanosuke gives Kaoru a letter and she makes a visit to Shougo. Kaoru gives the letter to Shougo and leaves. Shougo makes a last visit to his sister's grave and left to go to Holland.

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The Magic of Feng Shui: Kamiya Dojo is Targeted!
star
7.43
127 votes

#16 - The Magic of Feng Shui: Kamiya Dojo is Targeted!

Season 3 - Episode 29 - Aired 7/21/1998

The Fusui Master Jinpu had just saved Kenshin, they return back to the dojo and he explains everything. He shows Kenshin the map and tells him that his clan had an Eigou formation that would protect the town, the water clan also wanted a formation but the both would conflict, so they tried to destroy the Eigou formation. Now the water clan has come back and is creating their formation. It has already start and the water clan has attacked the dojo now the dojo and the restaurant is no longer needed and the formation has already begun.

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A Straying Journey: The Trap of the Divine Crossing!
star
7.40
128 votes

#17 - A Straying Journey: The Trap of the Divine Crossing!

Season 3 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/19/1998

Kenshin and the rest continue to use their hints and search for the divine medicine, suddenly Yahiko is unable to walk anymore, he had a fever. A hunter appeared and brought Yahiko in and treated him, he gave Kenshin some more clues as to where the divine medicine was, Yahiko got better and they left. After using all the hints Kenshin and the others were able to get into a cave and was on track, finally near the end, the path way was open. Soon the black knights arrive and including the leader of Sanada Ninja's, Misanagi. One thing that Yutaro was unable to read was the last paragraph and the floor collapsed and they fell into the ground.

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A Heatwave from Beneath the Earth: The Three Sanada Demons!
star
7.40
127 votes

#18 - A Heatwave from Beneath the Earth: The Three Sanada Demons!

Season 3 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/26/1998

Kenshin and the rest fell underground and had no idea of what to do. Meanwhile Misanagi and the Black Knights enter the path way and begin to move toward the divine medicine. Later on, gas was leaking in and in less than half an hour Kenshin and the others would be goners. Sanosuke punched the wall and water came rushing out, because of that they were able to escape. Outside Yutaro found someone, it was a ninja named Kaita. He was injured and was going to die if not treated. Yutaro worked hard and treated Kaita's wounds, he woke up and helped them by using a shortcut so they could get caught up. Finally getting inside there were three guards, Zan, Ren and Baku, they attacked everyone and Ren was able to cancel out one of Kenshin's attack.

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Feng Shui, Surprise Attack! The Mystery of the Pentagram Spread!
star
7.40
127 votes

#19 - Feng Shui, Surprise Attack! The Mystery of the Pentagram Spread!

Season 3 - Episode 28 - Aired 6/23/1998

Two competing clans of Feng Shui users create a powerful magic around the land that Tokyo sits in circa 1604. After 275 years, this magic begins to reactivate and cause disasters in Tokyo. After each of these incidents, a man claiming to be a Feng Shui master appears to provide advice to the victims. However, as soon as the man leaves a mysterious entrepreneur turns up to offer his services, such as warding stones inscribed with the power of Feng Shui. When the Akobeko catches fire from one of its stoves, Tae and Tsubame go to live at the Kamiya dojo, where they are attacked by Feng Shui fledglings following a visit from the entrepreneur, whose services Tae refused.

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Yutaro Returns: The Consipiracy of the Shadow Swordsmen
star
7.36
131 votes

#20 - Yutaro Returns: The Consipiracy of the Shadow Swordsmen

Season 3 - Episode 21 - Aired 4/21/1998

Yutaro returns back to the dojo with Professor Hans. Yahiko sees Yutaro and they have a friendly fight. Meanwhile the Black Knights are after professor Hans and want something from him. Since Yutaro is back Kenshin and everyone go to a restaurant and eat to celebrate Yutaro's return. The meal was finished and Professor Hans and Yutaro left, as Kenshin was leaving he noticed someone so he stayed behind. Professor Hans was attacked and a map was taken from him, he was badly injured and Yutaro couldn't do anything, Kenshin stepped in and fought one of the men but they retreated since they heard people calling Kenshin. Professor Hans was brought back to be treated and he told Yutaro that there's a map under the dojo and he must protect the divine medicine. Meanwhile the Black Knights had the map and were celebrating someone caused a ruckus and revealed them self.

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The Elegy of Wind and Water: A Last Desperate Effort!
star
7.32
125 votes

#21 - The Elegy of Wind and Water: A Last Desperate Effort!

Season 3 - Episode 32 - Aired 9/8/1998

Kenshin, Sanosuke and Jinpu went to Senjo Gahara and found the water clan, Jinpu went and attacked Reisui, and Reisui used his formation and proved to be more powerful than Jinpu. Meanwhile the author arrived and told the police and Sanosuke's friend to put the dragon statue in the center it will stop the Ryu Myaku. The Ryu Myaku had arrived and it was destroying the place, it hit the dragon statue but it was only weakened, Jinpu was able to stop it and the water clan was defeated as well as the Ryu Myaku. The police department slowly rebuilt their stations and Kenshin saw Jinpu off.

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The Enemy Awaits in Senjo Gahara:  In Search of the Jade Crest
star
7.32
124 votes

#22 - The Enemy Awaits in Senjo Gahara: In Search of the Jade Crest

Season 3 - Episode 31 - Aired 8/18/1998

Kaoru was given the water and she started to recover, Kenshin and Jinpu left to Nikko to beat the Ryu Myaku before it was too late. Sanosuke and his friend went looking around for clues, finally they got possession of a book that gave many useful clues. It was hard to understand so Sanosuke and his friend went to find the author and he explained everything. Kenshin and Jinpu got to Nikko and the crest was gone, clues and hints were being pieced together and the water clan's plans started to become clearer. Sanosuke found Kenshin and Jinpu and explained everything, the Ryu Myaku would change direction so they went to Senjo Gahara.

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Tokyo Under Martial Law! The Deadly Ryu Myaku
star
7.31
125 votes

#23 - Tokyo Under Martial Law! The Deadly Ryu Myaku

Season 3 - Episode 30 - Aired 8/4/1998

Kaoru was injured and the only way to cure her is to go into the mountains and find the dragon fountain and get the water only then she will be cured. Jinpu creates a plan, he and Kenshin will go and get the water, Sanosuke and his friend will find some sort of statue and will destroy it and Yahiko will stay behind to protect Kaoru. So far everything has been successful Sanosuke is doing fine, and Kenshin and Jinpu are on their way. Meanwhile the water clan is slowly destroying the Eigou formation, Kenshin and Jinpu finally make it into the mountain and Kenshin grabs the water, the caves started to cave in and Kenshin and Jinpu got out. The Ryu Myaku started to move east of Musashino and the battle was not over yet.

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The Birth of Prince Yahiko? An Elegant Debut into Society
star
7.30
161 votes

#24 - The Birth of Prince Yahiko? An Elegant Debut into Society

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/28/1997

A foreign prince is attacked by bandits. As Kenshin and Kaoru are returning from a play, they see this and Kenshin intervenes. During the attack the prince was injured, so Kenshin and Kaoru take them back to the dojo. As it turns out, Prince Shin looks exactly like Yahiko, and so Yahiko is put in his place to attend a banquet. At the banquet the bandits attack yet again, but our favorite samurai is there to protect Yahiko, along with Sanosuke.

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Sanosuke's Tears: An Eternal Farewell Befalls the Two
star
7.22
130 votes

#25 - Sanosuke's Tears: An Eternal Farewell Befalls the Two

Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/20/1998

The army started to prepare themselves to fight Shougo and kill everyone else. Sanosuke continued to try and bring Magdaria to Elsten. After achieving many obstacles Sanosuke finds some luck and sees Elsten. Elsten was interfering too much so Santo tried to kill him but Magdaria jumped in and was shot. Sanosuke beat up Santo and returned Magdaria's medallion back to her, shortly after she died. Elsten left and tried to hurry and get to the holy hill to stop the fight. Meanwhile Kenshin finally arrived and tried to stop the fight, he had found Shougo and would fight him if he would force the children to sacrifice themselves.

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