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Probably the best volume yet, as this highlighted several important themes throughout the series. Kenshin, still in shock over the "death" of Kaoru, is forced to question his beliefs and whether his way is the right way. Watsuki could have taken the easy way out and had Kenshin discover that Kaoru is alive, but instead he forced his protagonist to decide on his own, with a bit of help from Tsubame and a Geezer who seems to Tomoe and Enishi's father, and ultimately return in a very satisfying scene.
Yahiko, the kid I initially thought of as annoying, really came into his own in this volume as he fought a battle he had no chance of winning but came off as a bad ass in his own right despite that. It takes BALLS to fight a losing battle people.