Rurouni Kenshin , also known as Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins in North America, is a 2012 Japanese jidaigeki action film based on the manga of the same name written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Directed by Keishi Ōtomo, the film stars Takeru Satoh and Emi Takei. It focuses on fictional events that take place during the early Meiji era in Japan, telling the story of a countryside wanderer named Himura Kenshin, a former assassin who now offers aid to those in need as atonement for the murders he once committed, as he helps a dojo owner and protects a woman from a ruthless drug lord.