Completed
“Sword warriors from future defend Bakumatsu history against Retrograde Army amid blood, betrayal, and heart-wrenching choices.”
Katsugeki Touken Ranbu
活撃／刀剣乱舞
6.74
6,120 rank · 130,810 viewers · 472 favorites
Action
Fantasy
Anthropomorphic
Historical
Samurai
Watch on
Crunchyroll
Would You Love or Hate This?
AI-powered analysis tailored to your taste
Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...
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Synopsis
Sword warriors from future defend Bakumatsu history against Retrograde Army amid blood, betrayal, and heart-wrenching choices.
In 1863, Izuminokami Kanesada and his partner, Horikawa Kunihiro, arrive in the streets of Edo from the future to investigate their master's reports of an upcoming enemy invasion. As humanoid manifestations of the famous Toshizou Hijikata's swords, they have been tasked with protecting history from the Retrograde Army that seeks to alter it. Soon enlisting the help of other sword warriors, they continuously battle the mysterious army throughout the Bakumatsu period. However, their journey will not be an easy one. Fraught with blood and betrayal in the chaotic era closest to their hearts, the duo will be forced to make difficult decisions with everything they care about on the line.
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 23 sampled reviews
6.3
/10
What 23 viewers settled on.
76%
recommend
Score distribution
median 7
mode 7
σ 1.68
Agreement
Mostly aligned
σ 1.68 · some divergence
The polarity gap
3.8 pts
Recommenders 7.5 · others 3.8
Yes
No
Score over time
↓ 0.70
Running avg · Jul 2017 → Mar 2026
Snap verdicts
· shortest highly-rated reviews
- 7 “This anime I thought was very amazing, in fact, the only thing I didn't like about, was the fact the way the enemies were slaughtered. I thought it was going to be gory and limbs and heads were...”
- 10 “When I saw this anime at first, I didn't really think that I'm gonna like it, since it seems that my fav characters from Touranbu won't be there, but after I watched some episodes, it felt like, I...”
- 7 “Katsugeki/Touken Ranbu is an action anime set in 19th century Japan for the most part. I thought the show was alright but it definitely could have been better. The story was mediocre in my opinion....”
Verbosity
Short · 26%
Medium · 48%
Long · 26%
Watch Order & Related
Explore the Katsugeki Touken Ranbu universe
Cast
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See all credits →Production slate
- Format 13 × 23′ eps × min
- Total runtime 4h 59m all episodes
- Aired Jul 2017 – Sep 2017 Summer 2017
- Source Tv media type
- Rated PG 13 - Teens 13 or older
- Ref. BS-11288 catalog
Produced by
- Aniplex Producer
- Nitroplus Producer
- Good Smile Company Producer
- DMM.com Producer
Licensed by
- Aniplex of America Licensor