Ask John: What’s the difference between Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai X?

Question:
What’s the difference between Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai X? I’ve seen different releases under different names that all seem to be the same show.

Answer:
The most simple and direct answer is that, regarding the US releases, Rurouni Kenshin refers to the television series and subtitled OAV series, and Samurai X is the name for the dubbed OAV series.

Media Blasters and AD Vision are both currently distributing different Rurouni Kenshin series. Media Blasters is distributing the television series, and AD Vision owns the distribution rights to the OAV series and theatrical movie. Rurouni Kenshin had 94 broadcast television episodes in Japan, and a single never-broadcast concluding episode, known to fans as the “lost episode 95.” Rurouni Kenshin also had a theatrical film and a 4 episode OAV series, which was later re-released in Japan as a single 2 hour long “director’s cut” OAV movie. Kenshin also had several compilation OAVs released, including the “fighting collection” and a collection of the series’ opening and ending animation clips.

Before Rurouni Kenshin ever came to the US, Sony dubbed the series into English under the title Samurai X, and broadcast it on television in the Philippines. Sony hoped to bring this version of Rurouni Kenshin to American television, but widespread, vocal disapproval of the shoddy translation and dubbing of Samurai X along with marketing and licensing difficulties shelved the plan. Media Blasters then obtained the rights to translate and distribute the television series in the US, and announced their plans to use the original Japanese title, Rurouni Kenshin. AD Vision, obtained the movie and OAV translation and distribution rights, and had several choices to make. They did not want their own releases to be confused with those of Media Blasters, and they also likely had some concerns about their ability to market an anime program with such a distinctively Japanese titles as Rurouni Kenshin to mainstream consumers. Furthermore, Sony Entertainment still wanted to get the series broadcast on American television under the Sony moniker Samurai X. To make their release distinct from that of Media Blasters, to make their release more consumer friendly to new viewers, and to ride the coat-tails of Sony’s anticipated but so far non-existent “Samurai X” marketing, AD Vision chose to re-name their dubbed version of the Rurouni Kenshin OAVs “Samurai X.” To maintain a positive report with die-hard anime fans that were familiar with the series through fansubs, AD Vision left their Japanese language version of Rurouni Kenshin with its original Japanese name.