Character: Tsukayama Yutarou

Tsukayama Yutarou is a young boy who wishes to become a better swordsman. Yutaro's father, a well-known swordsman, is dead. Yutarou, who had inherited a lot of money after his parents died, wishes to learn swordsmanship to become as skilled as his father. When he sees Kenshin, he demands lessons on how to use a sword, but Kenshin refuses. Yutarou finds Raijuuta, who plans to overthrow the Meiji government, instead. During a scuffle one of Raijuuta's men accidentally hits Yutarou, causing him to fall into the ocean. After Kenshin rescues him Yutarou gets to know Kenshin's group. In a similar manner Raijuuta injures Yutarou's right arm, and Yutarou goes to Germany for medical treatment. Yutarou appears in the Black Knights arc.

Watsuki developed Yutarou as Yahiko's rival; Watsuki said there was no "real model" for Yutarou's character. Watsuki gave Yutarou the traits of admiring Kaoru, an older woman, and admiring Kenshin's strength while Yutarou could not "be honest" about this as Kenshin and Kaoru were Raijuuta's enemies. Watsuki felt that Yutarou was a "good guy" who was "brought down a bit" by the "most disgraceful" Raijuuta and that Yutarou may not have been developed "to his full extent." Watsuki drew Yutarou to be the opposite of Yahiko. Watsuki initially found difficulty in drawing Yutarou's hair but it became easy to him once he adjusted to it, and Watsuki enjoyed drawing Yutarou's hair. Watsuki found difficulty in compensating for the all-white Yutarou in the page design, which would need more black.