The action takes place in the Land of the Rising Sun during the Meiji dynasty. Ten years have passed since the Bakumatsu and the uprising against the Tokugawa shogunate. Now, people are not allowed to carry weapons, yet the killings on the streets continue. A young wandering samurai, Kenshin Himura, formerly known as the heartless and elusive criminal Hitokiri Battosai, wants to confront his bloody past and his actions. Kenshin has promised to no longer take lives and lead a virtuous life.