Rurouni Kenshin has to be one of the more beloved samurai manga out there, with a sizable fandom spanning the classic manga to the anime which ran on Toonami. The franchise also grew exponentially beyond the main series, spawning the lauded Trust and Betrayal OVA, and several live-action films, yet the actions of the franchise's creator sometimes give fans pause.
In 2017, Nobuhiro Watsuki, 47 at the time, was charged with possession of child pornography and was ordered to pay a fine of just 200,000 yen, which equates to a little under $2000 USD. The continuation of Rurouni Kenshin's manga that started just months beforehand - "The Hokkaido Arc" - was put on hiatus, yet actually resumed just half a year later in 2018. Fast-forward to September 23, 2022. During the Aniplex Online Fest, a reboot of the Rurouni Kenshin anime, produced by Liden Films, was shown off in a new trailer. The video was dazzling and would have been the source of much excitement if it didn't also reignite a discussion of Watsuki's deeds and the morality of supporting the series despite them.
Discomfort, Disdain, and Discourse
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No one enjoys watching a creator responsible for something beloved be in the news for doing something bad, but there are different ways people react to and interpret that information. Some find it difficult to love the art the same, finding it tainted by the deeds of the creator, while others try to dissociate the art from the creator to preserve what is arguably (or demonstrably) worthwhile.
Neither is necessarily easy, especially when there is some emotional connection to the art in question and Kenshin hit quite a chord with many fans, regardless of the medium it was consumed. The discourse surrounding the franchise since Watsuki was outed as a pedophile has been anything but cut and dry.
Obviously, as stated above, many believe that supporting the series is questionable and others continue to support the franchise but dissociate the story and its message. However, there are also those who might downplay or disregard the charges, considering the crime not substantial enough to worry about. It's worth addressing that contingent head-on before continuing.
Make no mistake, the man was guilty of possession of morally reprehensible material. It was wrong, and he admitted to it. Yet, in the eyes of publisher Shueisha, the demand for a continuation of Rurouni Kenshin seemed to outweigh the moral quandary of the creator's actions and the actions that could have been taken to punish the act.
At the time of the manga's hiatus, Shueisha commented that it is taking this news seriously, and that Watsuki expresses deep regret. When it announced the manga's return, the magazine noted that Watsuki is living a life of reflection and atonement, but that Shueisha and Watsuki decided that continuing the manga to answer the desires of fans was a matter of duty.
-Anime News Network, June 4, 2018
"A Matter of Duty"
Do the demands of the fandom to continue the series outweigh the morality of letting Nobuhiro Watsuki continue being its author? That is more or less the question central to the debate on Kenshin's continued existence, popularity, and support. After all, it's a grand story and has a great many fans who can find love for it despite the creator's actions. Could there have been a better solution than letting Watsuki continue to work on the manga not even a year after the hiatus? Absolutely. As many would likely point out, it could have just as easily not continued. It wasn't as if the "Hokkaido Arc" had gone on long before the police discovered the child porn (oddly enough, while investigating something else that wasn't disclosed).
But if the fans' demands truly did supersede the necessity for a more thorough and lasting punishment, then consider if Watsuki was simply replaced with another mangaka. An opportunity to treat the continuation as a new perspective on Kenshin while saving the franchise's face. Ultimately, it doesn't seem as if Watsuki truly got fair punishment.
Punishment is a key factor in what makes the situation so frustrating to fans. Watsuki wasn't convicted but merely fined an amount that seemed too little, and what followed the hiatus was a collection of kind words, congratulations, and successes far outweighing the fine. While it is difficult to say for certain how much he has made off of the series, it's overly optimistic to say that they aren't making anything.
It's still the series that they started and assuming their contract doesn't specify otherwise, works bearing the name Rurouni Kenshin are likely making Watsuki money. The live-action films by Warner Bros. Japan saw reportedly little involvement by Watsuki in their production, but so long as the probability of him making money remains, the waters are murky.
To draw from another example, when creators like J.K. Rowling openly support dangerous politics that endanger the lives of the Transgender community, fans become wary of supporting Harry Potter-related projects. Even if Hogwarts Legacy's developers have specified that she has no involvement, the royalties are enough to dissuade many, to say nothing of the antisemitic readings.
A More Fitting Resolution
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Some will claim that there are cultural nuances and differences that have to be considered when discussing legal ramifications, but that can too often be a catch-all to excuse too many problematic elements of popular media. When a creator is revealed to have done something morally wrong - and criminal at that - it should be responded to in kind with proper punishment.
A larger fine, a longer hiatus, the cancelation of the series entirely, or some jail time might have felt more fitting. Failing these, perhaps if Watsuki had penned a more thorough apology to audiences, there might have been some slim chance for forgiveness. Not a guarantee, mind you, but a chance greater than naught. As it is, the following was Watsuki's apology in the first issue returning from hiatus:
I deeply apologize for causing trouble and worrying everyone. I will do my sincere best.
Nobuhiro Watsuki, June 4, 2018
It is far too short of a message regarding so serious an issue in question. Obviously forgiveness wouldn't have come easily and many might never have forgiven them. However, it isn't impossible to imagine the reception to the reboot being even marginally more well received if the fans were given more than a 15-word apology.
The Unfortunate Truth
There would not be quite this many conflicted emotions regarding this franchise were it not for how resonant its story has been with audiences. Rurouni Kenshin is a period piece with larger-than-life elements, but one that tells its story of justice and redemption with an earnestness that is constantly touching.
Whether one has read the manga, watched it on Toonami, or seen any of the beautifully directed and composed live-action films, it is an often brutal and emotional story about changing times. The characters are often echoes of a bygone era marching uncertainly into a modern world that brings changes good and bad, all built on the blood of the last regime.
The story is a critique of governments, a condemnation of the bloodshed that serves as the foundation of progress, and a hopeful message that fighting can mean salvation far more than condemnation. It is a lot, and at a more basic level, it's a really fun story with some great sword fights.
And that is why it can suck being a fan of Rurouni Kenshin. Constantly the beauty of that story is measured against the uncomfortable truth that the creator is a pedophile. The question of "what now?" has no easy answers, at least none that could be explored in a timely fashion.
Fans can choose to discard the story altogether or separate it from its creator. Neither is perfect, but it's the casualty of such an imperfect circumstance. What is universal is that no one, no matter their love for this franchise, should ever deny what Nobuhiro Watsuki did and how quickly it was forgiven by the publisher and the industry.