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Kenshin diverged from its superior manga at the end of the Kyoto Arc. The show had to invent stories after what was a pretty close following to the manga. The show came out too quickly and they decided to create a light hearted third season, while the manga went dark. The OVAs were attempts to tell the last part of the Manga and merge it into the anime. The first OVA is perhaps the createst OVA ever made. It deals with Kenshin's past that was covered in the later manga chapters These are released as Samurai X in this country due to a licensing deal. The second OVA was very very very loosly based on the manga. It uses elements of the final third of the manga, but does not resemble the story or conclude the same way. The creator of Kenshin was not happy with the OVA and did not want it made, it avoided a key principle established very early in the manga as well as tried to condense a complex 2000 page arc into a single battle. That principle is (can be considered a spoiler but said early in the manga) Kenshin will have a happy ending. Now comes the black out section, all of us good boys and girls need to remember to use the tags. Here is my spiel In the Manga, after Kyoto, Enhasi shows up. He is Kenshin's brother in-law, who has sworn Earthly Vengeance on Kenshin. This entails the destruction of Kenshin's personna as well as his life. To avoid destroying the whole arc, suffice it to say that it takes like 12 graphic novels to tell the story to conclusion. The final chapter is an epilogue. It takes place about 5 years after the manga's end, with Yahiko now a master swordsman. He is summoned to the dojo/home of Kenshin and Kaoru because Kenshin wishes to speak to him. Kenshin, despite his skills, is getting old. He taxed his body too much over the last 15 years. He is no longer able to even hold his sword for long, let alone use it. Yahiko was summoned to receive Kenshin's blade to use it to protect the people. Kenshin has now renounced his arms, and will live out his years at the Dojo with Kaoru and his son Kenji (who is a mama's boy, even at 5).
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