If you read the summary, you already know what this manga is about. However, even if you don't like tales of pacifism, this may still be worth your time, as even the main themes removed, this is simply one of the best battle shounen ever.

The main character Kenshin is somewhat typical, but nonetheless a good character with depth. All the side characters are similar, and most importantly, every character continues to have purpose in the story, up to the final chapter. My favorite is Yahiko, a young child who barely knows the back of a sword at the beginning, but is a trusted ally of Kenshin by the end, and seeing him grow is very satisfying. The villains are pretty good, but not the best. My favorite is the villain of the final arc, as his conflict feels much more personal to kenshin than any others'.

The battles of Rurouni Kenshin are also great. Understand, this is supposed to be a historical fiction, and there are no battle systems; Just swords, guns, and whatever else was in Meiji Japan. However, these battles push REALLY hard against the walls of reality. I don't think many of these battles could happen in real life. Nonetheless, there is no revivals or 'power of friendship' (Which honestly is a bit of a cliched critique, but still).

The story begins with shorter arcs with no overarching villain, until Shishio appears and kicks off a decently long arc, with one final arc following afterwards. The ending does feel a little rushed, and it could've gone on longer, but it ended on an extremely high note so I don't mind.

The art of this series is really, really good. Great action, emotion, and backgrounds. My only complaint is the fact that some character designs seem a bit too basic, but this is top-tier weekly art.

This is one of the finest battle shounen I've read. Only watched a few episodes of the anime, but I've heard it's not entirely faithful. It's probably not as good.