Watsuki and his wife Kaoru Kurosaki published a two-chapter prequel manga to the new arc, titled “Rurouni Kenshin Side Story: The Ex-Con AshitarÅ” (Rurouni Kenshin Ibun: AshitarÅ Zenka Ari).
Watsuki previously published a Rurouni Kenshin spinoff manga in 2014 titled “HonÅ wo Suberu -Rurouni Kenshin: Uramaku-” (Controlling Flame -Rurouni Kenshin: Hidden Chapter-) that focused on how Shishio Makoto and Yumi Komagata met.
Bandai Namco Entertainment began streaming a promotional video on Monday for Rurouni Kenshin, Meiji Kenkaku Romantan: Kengeki Kenran, the smartphone game based on Nobuhiro Watsuki’s Rurouni Kenshin manga.
The manga’s second chapter revealed that the manga’s true name is “Rurouni Kenshin Hokkaido-hen Jomaku: AshitarÅ Zenka Ari” (Rurouni Kenshin Hokkaido Arc Prologue: The Criminal Ashitaro).