[The Ultimate Rurouni Kenshin FAQ] [The Viz Mistake] [The Lost Specials]


What are these "Lost Specials"?
The Review Episode/Special
The Techniques Episode/Special
YOU'RE LYING! Where's your proof?
Why should we care?
Where can I see these specials?
How do we get the specials brought to America?



What are these "Lost specials" that I keep hearing about?
The specials are episodes that are not part of the series. They were generally aired as a review of certain things to prepare the viewer for upcoming episodes/story arcs. There are two serious specials: an episode review starring Yahiko and Kaoru as Plushies, and a Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu Technique episode.

REVIEW EPISODE:
This episode aired right before episode 45. It was a common mistake that people used to make that episode 45 WAS the special and not a seperate thing. But that's been taken care of in recent years because of the home releases. This episode was very funny because Kaoru and Yahiko were plushies. In this episode they had a very basic summery of Kenshin (who he was and how he came to be in Tokyo with Kaoru & the gang); "Himura Kenshin's Greatest Hits" (basically him using his Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu moves on various opponents, though it doesn't go into detail of how they work like the special techniques episode); a feature showing Kaoru getting angry over and over with Kaoru commenting "Hey, Yahiko! Are you implying that Kenshin is more afraid of me than of them [the villains]?" and her plushie crying in a corner; finishing with more summary talking about the Kyoto saga and how they lead up to episode 46. At the very end of the episode the two plushies say that there's more to come in the series and that they hope you watch.

TECHNIQUES EPISODE:
Similar to the "Himura Kenshin's Greatest Hits" from the first special, this episode goes through every technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu and explains how it works. First they show a clip of the anime (for example: Kenshin facing Senkaku) leading up to where Kenshin uses a technique (in this example he used Ryuu Shou Sen). Next they would cut away to a black screen with the technique name written out and begin analyzing it piece by piece. In the example with Ryuu Shou Sen here is what it had to say:

HITEN MITSURUGI RYUU

RYUU SHOU SEN

"As the name implies*, the technique rises towards the enemy's throat. This is a very lethal attack. The enemy's falling weight combines with Kenshin's upper-thrust and delivers more damage than a regular attack would."

The special would then resume with another clip of another villain and another technique. At the end there's a preview for the Shimbara Arc and it tells you that the first ep of that arc will air a week from the day the special aired (and that they hope you watch it).

* Ryuu Shou Sen literally means "Rising Dragon Flash"

YOU'RE LYING! I OWN ALL THE DVDS AND THERE ARE NO SPECIALS! WHERE'S YOUR PROOF?!
The specials were never translated and brought over to America. In fact, because of how old they are and how obsecure they are, I was one of the few people in America who actually knew of them (of course that changed when I put up this page). As for some proof..well, I do have two pictures that I captured from the first special that I'll post. And you can now watch both specials online. Scroll down a little bit for more info on that.



I have to appologize for the low quality but I don't have a very good copy of the specials. Anyway, yes, they do exist.

THEY'RE JUST REVIEW EPISODES. WHO CARES?
I do! I'm an avid Kenshin fan and I want to own the entire series, including the two specials, on DVD. Also, they're not just "review" episodes. The first special, in particular, was done a very unique way and was quite hilarious to watch. The second, the "technique special" was quite informative and a great review for those who were about to embark on the Shimbara Arc. They may not be vital to the RK story but they are a part of the series regardless.

WHERE CAN I SEE THESE SPECIALS?
As of April 24, 2020, the specials are back online thanks to the help of aimglitchz on Reddit. They can be downloaded via a bit torrent link by visiting: https://nyaa.si/view/1241194

I used to have them on Youtube until they received copyright strikes and the channel removed. I never bothered to put them back up (since it would just end the same anyway) so it's really awesome of aimglitchz to help get them into a bittorrent so that others can finally see them.

Just remember that these episodes were really before the digital anime age. Most of the fansubs were on VHS tapes back then and while yes, the episodes were eventually put onto a computer, the quality was really bad. Finding them in any higher quality seems to basically be impossible at this point if they aren't ever put onto DVD or better formats.

HOW DO WE GET THE SPECIALS BROUGHT OVER?!
That's a VERY good question. I think it'll take many, many Rurouni Kenshin fans to write several companies and complain about them not bringing over the whole series in order for them to do anything about it. For starters I would recommend e-mailing, writing or otherwise contacting the following:

Dubbing & Editing:
Animax South Asia

Producer:
Media Blasters

Broadcaster:
Cartoon Network's Toonami block

Inform them that there are still two remaining Rurouni Kenshin specials that you would love to see brought over here to America. Remember to be nice.


Tell your friends and let's try to get these two specials brought over so that we can have a complete collection.





Created on: February 8, 2005
Last Updated: April 24, 2020