portrayed by Taketo Tanaka and in the sequels Kyoto Inferno and The Legend Ends portrayed by Kaito Ōyagi. In Saishūshō: The Final he was portrayed by Riku Ohnishi. He appears as the only student in Kaoru's dojo, instead of starting as a thief from the streets in the original series. Also, in the film, he doesn't join Kenshin and Sanosuke in rescuing Megumi from Kanryuu's mansion as he does in the manga. In the manga sequel Rurouni Kenshin: The Hokkaido Arc, Yahiko confronts Kenshin to make sure he has the same strength he is known for after being told by Kaoru that he became weaker. As Yahiko loses, he returns Kenshin his sakabato to help him in his new journey to find Kaoru's father. Shortly after Kenshin's family leaves, Yahiko remains in charge of the dojo and proposes to Tsubame when she realizes he feels lonely now. Reception The character from Yahiko has been well received by manga readers, having consistently placed highly in the Weekly Shōnen Jump popularity polls of the series, usually in the top ten characters and once taking third place. A plethora of merchandise have been released in Yahiko's image, including key-chains wall scrolls, and action figures in both his child and teenager appearances. In an interview with Miina Tominaga, the voice actress for the character, has said that she was a bit afraid when performing the voice of Yahiko in the OVAs since the character was now an adult, but she ended up happy with her performance. Watsuki described Minami Takayama, the CD voice actor, as having "a lot of energy" and as being a "great fit" for Yahiko. Various publications for manga, anime and other media have provided acclaim and criticism of Yahiko's character. While reviewing the volume 8 from the manga, Mania Entertainment writer Megan Lavey applauded the way Yahiko starts acting much stronger after Kenshin's departure to Kyoto and noted that, along with the other characters starring in the volume, he is seen more in-depth. While reviewing volume 15, Lavey praised Yahiko's development during the series as he becomes a good fighter and his courage shows a remarkable potential to become a powerful swordsman. However, Carlos Ross from T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews criticized Yahiko for being "a bit annoying" during the start of the series but noted that he has his enjoyable moments. Matthew Warner from the Fandom Post stated that the reboot