Nobuhiro Watsuki, creator of "Rurouni Kenshin", says that he used no particular logic when drawing Yahiko except for the "defiant" eyes and "mussed" hair. (Watsuki describes these traits as "a must" in a "shōnen" comic.) Watsuki enjoyed practicing kendo "almost as much as drawing manga". To create Yahiko, Watsuki drew on his emotions from junior high school. He has described himself then as "weak" and "an embarrassment to my 183 centimeters of height" (183 centimeters is equivalent to 6 feet). He says he was a member of the kendo starting squad only because the school suspended another student originally intended to be a starter. However, he failed to win in a league tournament, experienced frustration and felt he was "awful" despite his desire to succeed; he yearned to improve his kendo skills. As an "outlet" for Watsuki's kendo emotions, Yahiko "knows a pain that hero-types like Himura Kenshin and Sagara Sanosuke can never know". As Watsuki further developed the story, Yahiko becomes a comedic character. Watsuki wanted to draw Yahiko in a way that readers could envision him as being a "great" swordsman five to ten years later.