Ryoma ga Yuku is a five-hour epic which chronicles the life of Sakamoto Ryoma, a pre-revolutionary who helped shape the face of modern Japan. In order to study swordsmanship, Ryoma heads for Edo where he meets many people who influence his thinking. He becomes close friends with men like Katsu Kaishu and Saigo Takamori and later establishes a naval training school in Kobe. Ryoma's controversial political views make him a target for shogunate assassins but his fervent belief in a classless society helps forge the Choshu-Satsuma alliance which ultimately brings about the Meiji Restoration.

幕末の土佐藩——。 この地に生まれ落ちた少年坂本竜馬は、気弱で泣き虫、さらには学問の出来もイマイチな落ちこぼれ男児であった。 しかし、彼は剣術修行のため江戸に旅立つと、北辰一刀流の道場で学びを深め一流の剣士に成長していた。