The Many Faces in Usagi Yojimbo

Don't forget to pick up Stan Sakai's 200th issue of Usagi Yojimbo in Dark Horse's Usagi Yojimbo #141.

Miyamoto Usagi

After learning swordsmanship under the tutelage of the hermit sensei Katsuichi, Miyamoto Usagi left his village and his love Mariko to join the personal guard of Lord Mifune. In the battle of Adachi Plain, Mifune was betrayed and killed by the evil Lord Hikiji, leaving Usagi without a master. Returning to his village to find Mariko married to his childhood rival, Usagi chose the warrior’s pilgrimage, becoming a wandering ronin in search of peace, but occasionally selling his skills as a bodyguard and battling injustice wherever he encounters it on his travels. Practicing the warrior code of bushido, Usagi avoids conflict whenever possible, but when called upon, his bravery and fighting prowess are unsurpassed.

Species: rabbit

Likes: tea, flute music, really long walks

Dislikes: ninja, injustice, tentacles

Learn More: Usagi Yojimbo Book 2: Samurai

Tomoe Ame

Trained in her father’s Falling Rain school of swordsmanship, Tomoe Ame left to serve the Geishu lord when her father declared a woman could not succeed him as school head. Initially made a lady in waiting, she became protector of the Geishu heir Noriyuki after saving him and his mother from a plot by Lord Hikiji. Tomoe currently serves as personal bodyguard and chief advisor to now-Lord Noriyuki, having successfully thwarted numerous other plots against the clan, sometimes with Usagi’s help. Tomoe is perhaps Usagi’s equal as a fighter, with their duels to date ending in ties, and over the years the two have developed a romantic interest. However, Tomoe has recently been revealed to be betrothed to Lord Ito of the Kojima clan.

Species: cat

Likes: duels, horseback riding, Usagi

Dislikes: being underestimated, “ladies’ work”

Learn More: Usagi Yojimbo Book 22: Tomoe’s Story

Murakami “Gen” Gennosuke

A decedent of samurai nobility, Murakami Gennosuke fell into poverty while his family pursued a vendetta on behalf of Lady Asano, the betrayed widow of their lord. The vendetta claimed his parents, and Gen turned to bounty hunting, vowing never to be poor again. An occasional traveling companion, Gen never fails to stick Usagi with the check for a meal or an inn. On one such journey, Gen and Usagi encountered Lady Asano, who mistook Gen for his father and begged him to complete her revenge. Once Asano’s betrayers were dead, Gen returned to bounty hunting, swearing that he remains concerned only for himself, but his soft side is sometimes briefly glimpsed. 

Species: rhinoceros

Likes: saké, money

Dislikes: do-gooders, busybodies

Learn More: Usagi Yojimbo Book 7: Gen’s Story

Sasuké the Demon Queller 

Little is known about this strangest of Usagi’s allies, save for the few details he has revealed during their handful of encounters. Whenever they meet, Sasuké’s coldness creeps out Usagi as much as the mystical creatures that they face. Seemingly tireless, Sasuké is constantly on the move, sent by a spirit to wherever he is needed to prevent an outbreak of the supernatural, which he battles using both martial skills and magical powers. In their last encounter, Usagi learned that Sasuké is hundreds of years old, and his mission shows no sign of ending soon.

Species: fox

Likes: ??

Dislikes: ghosts, monsters, ghouls, haunts, wizards, demons

Learn More: Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai

JEI “The Black Soul”

If a samurai’s weapon is his soul, all one needs to know about Jei is that his blade is solid black. Despite claiming to be an emissary of the gods sent to wipe out evil on earth, Jei appears indiscriminate in his killing and has specifically targeted Usagi for death. Jei could be dismissed as merely insane if it were not for the fact that he has been resurrected from death several times, and after his body was completely destroyed he exhibited the ability to move his spirit to another. His one companion is a young girl whom he protects, calling her “my innocent.”

Species: wolf

Likes: mass carnage

Dislikes: Usagi

Learn More: Usagi Yojimbo Book 24: Return of the Black Soul

Bonus Profile: MIYAMOTO “Space” USAGI

A spacefaring descendent of the familiar rabbit ronin, this Usagi is the greatest warrior of the Shirohoshi clan. Proving himself worthy while defending against an attack by the rival Kajitori clan, Usagi was made trainer and protector of the Shirohoshi heir, Kiyoshi. In a subsequent attack, Usagi was forced to spirit Kiyoshi away to safety in a neighboring planet system, where they encountered the princess that Kiyoshi was betrothed to and her bodyguard, Tomoeh. With their help, as well as that of a familiar-looking rhino named Rhogen, Usagi uses the bravery and sense of honor inherited from his ancestor to take the fight back to the Kajitori.

Species: rabbit

Likes: space battle, futuristic Lady Tomoeh

Dislikes: dinosaurs