Usagi Yojimbo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Usagi Yojimbo |
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Usagi Yojimbo, Book 1: The Ronin
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Dark Horse Comics Thoughts and Images Fantagraphics Books Mirage Studios Radio Comix IDW Publishing |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | Historical Action Fantasy |
| Publication date | 1984–present |
| Number of issues | 165 (219 overall as of December 2016) |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Stan Sakai |
| Artist(s) | Stan Sakai |
| Collected editions | |
| The Ronin | ISBN 0-930193-35-0 |
Usagi Yojimbo (which means "rabbit bodyguard" in Japanese) is a popular comic book series. It was created by Stan Sakai. The stories take place mostly in Japan, during the early Edo period. This was a time when samurai warriors were very important.
What makes this comic special is that all the characters are animals who act like humans! The main character is a rabbit named Miyamoto Usagi. He is a rōnin, which means a samurai warrior without a master. Stan Sakai based Usagi partly on a real, famous Japanese swordsman named Miyamoto Musashi. Usagi travels around Japan on a musha shugyō, which is a warrior's journey to improve his skills. Sometimes, he works as a bodyguard to help people.
The Usagi Yojimbo comics are greatly inspired by Japanese movies. For example, the title of the series comes from a famous movie called Yojimbo. The comics also include nods to other popular Japanese stories like Lone Wolf and Cub and Zatoichi. Even though the artist, Stan Sakai, also works on a funny comic called Groo the Wanderer, Usagi Yojimbo is usually more serious and thoughtful. In the comics, all characters have their family name first, just like in traditional Japanese naming.
The stories in Usagi Yojimbo are often like separate episodes. However, there are also bigger plots that connect many stories together. These longer stories can even become like full novels. The comics teach readers a lot about Japanese history and Japanese folklore. Sometimes, they even feature mythical creatures! The drawings of buildings, clothes, weapons, and other items are very accurate to the time period. Many stories also show how different Japanese arts and crafts are made, like kites, swords, and pottery. Because of how well Stan Sakai mixes facts and legends into his work, the series won a Parents' Choice Award in 1990 for its educational value.
Usagi Yojimbo first appeared in a comic called Albedo Anthropomorphics in November 1984. Stan Sakai then moved his warrior rabbit to Fantagraphics Books. Usagi appeared in several issues of their new animal-themed comic series, Critters. People loved Usagi so much that Fantagraphics decided to give him his own comic series. The first issue of Usagi Yojimbo came out in July 1987. Empire magazine called Usagi the 31st-greatest comic book character. He was also ranked 92nd on IGN's list of the top 100 comic book heroes. Rolling Stone magazine even named Usagi Yojimbo as number 43 in their list of '50 Best Non-Superhero Graphic Novels'.
Contents
Usagi's Adventures on TV
Usagi has appeared in several TV shows! His first TV appearance was in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. He showed up in two episodes of the third season.
Later, Usagi appeared in the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series. He was in the second season for a big interdimensional tournament against the Turtles. He also came back for a Christmas party and more adventures in the third season. Usagi even had a special meeting with Leonardo in the fourth season. He and his friend Gen also attended the wedding of April O'Neil and Casey Jones in the seventh season. Usagi became one of the Turtles' best friends from other dimensions, especially close to Leonardo.
In 2016, it was announced that Usagi would also appear in the 2012 CGI series of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He appeared in the fifth season, where the Turtles were sent to his world. They teamed up to protect a child from an ancient evil.
In 2018, news came out that a new CGI animated series based on the comics was being made. This show, called Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles, was released on Netflix. It takes place far in the future and follows a rabbit teenager named Yuichi. Yuichi is a descendant of the original Miyamoto Usagi!
Usagi Yojimbo Books and Collections
There are many different books that collect the Usagi Yojimbo comic stories. These include:
- Numbered volumes: These are the main series of collected comics, starting with Book 1: The Ronin. There are over 30 of these books, gathering many years of Usagi's adventures.
- Omnibus collections: These are bigger books that combine several of the numbered volumes into one large book. For example, The Usagi Yojimbo Saga series collects many stories together.
- Other collections and graphic novels: These include special stories like Space Usagi, which imagines Usagi's descendants in space, and Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai, which features Japanese spirits. There are also collections that bring together all of Usagi's crossovers with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
- Art books: These books show off the amazing artwork of Stan Sakai and other artists who have been inspired by Usagi Yojimbo.
Other Cool Usagi Works
A plan for an animated TV show called Space Usagi was cancelled a while ago. However, Space Usagi action figures were made as part of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy line.
You can also play as Usagi! Two different role-playing games based on the comic have been created. The first was in 1998, and a newer version came out in 2005. A second edition of the 2005 game was funded by fans in 2019. Characters like Miyamoto Usagi, Gennosuke, and Kitsune have also been added to the Arcadia Quest game.
The comic has also inspired two video games:
- The 1988 game Samurai Warrior: The Battles of Usagi Yojimbo
- The 2013 game Usagi Yojimbo: Way of the Ronin
Both of these are action games where you fight enemies as Usagi.
Awards and Recognition
The Usagi Yojimbo series has won many awards! It has received 5 Eisner Awards, which are like the "Oscars" for comic books. It has also been nominated for over 20 other awards.
Some of the Eisner Awards it won include:
- 1996: "Best Letterer" (for Stan Sakai's work on Groo and Usagi Yojimbo)
- 1996: "Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition" (for Usagi Yojimbo)
- 1999: "Best Serialized Story" (for the Usagi Yojimbo story "Grasscutter")
- 2012: "Best Lettering" (for Usagi Yojimbo)
- 2015: "Best Lettering" (for Usagi Yojimbo)
- 2018: "Best Lettering" (for Usagi Yojimbo and Groo: Slay of the Gods)
The Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles even had a special exhibit about Usagi Yojimbo in 2011. It was called "Year of the Rabbit: Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo."
See also
In Spanish: Usagi Yojimbo para niños
