The Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc manga, by Nobuhiro Watsuki and story collaborator Kaworu Kurosaki, will be taking a one-month hiatus and will not feature a new chapter in the September issue of Shueisha’s Jump SQ. magazine, slated for release on August 4. The series is expected to resume serialization in the October issue on September 4.
Recent Publication and Previous Hiatuses
The Hokkaido Arc manga had only recently resumed serialization in the August issue of Jump SQ. on July 4, 2025. This followed a significant hiatus that began with the magazine’s June 2024 issue, released in May 2024. In September 2024, it was officially announced that the manga would continue its hiatus due to Watsuki’s poor health. Prior to this, the series had also experienced a hiatus in June 2021, resuming in August of the same year.
Hiatus History and Controversies
The Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc began its monthly publication in Jump SQ. in September 2017. However, it went on an initial hiatus in December 2017 after Nobuhiro Watsuki was charged with possession of child pornography. The manga later resumed serialization in June 2018. Viz Media had been simultaneously publishing the manga in English but ceased after the 2017 hiatus.
The Hokkaido Arc’s Narrative
The Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc serves as a direct sequel to the original Rurouni Kenshin manga. It follows Himura Kenshin and his companions in 1883 Japan as they journey through Hokkaido in search of Kenshin’s father-in-law. Nobuhiro Watsuki had expressed ideas for a “Hokkaido episode, a sequel” as early as November 1999, in the final tankōbon volume of the original series, though he initially opted to pursue new manga. He later reconsidered drawing the Hokkaido arc before Rurouni Kenshin: Restoration but abandoned the idea as he felt the theme of the original series’ final arc was conclusive and he couldn’t conceive a new one. Watsuki was eventually convinced to begin work on the sequel after seeing the Rurouni Kenshin musical.
The Broader Rurouni Kenshin Franchise
The original Rurouni Kenshin manga, which centers on Kenshin Himura’s quest for a new life beyond violence after being a deadly assassin during the Meiji Restoration, began serialization in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1994. It comprises 28 volumes and boasts over 72 million copies in circulation worldwide. The franchise has seen numerous adaptations, including a 95-episode TV anime series, an anime film, three original video animation (OVA) projects, five live-action films, and a stage musical. A new anime adaptation of the main manga series premiered in July 2023, with its second season, Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Disturbance, premiering in October 2023. Crunchyroll has streamed both seasons, including English dubs.
