He discovers that the beast is actually a shape shifter and he confronts the villain in hopes of freeing the village from fear. Chapter Six: Village of Fear Usagi meets a monstrous beast that has been haunting a town. He is accused by the villagers as being a horse thief and chased out of town. After slaying one he takes the bandits horse into town hoping to sell it. Chapter Five: Horse Thief Miyamoto Usagi runs into some bandits. This is also the beginning of a long running love/hate relationship between Gen and Usagi. He is a bounty hunter who hires Usagi to be his body guard for a dangerous mission. Usagi delivers the letter to Tomoe Ame Chapter Four: Bounty Hunter In this chapter we are introduced to one of my favorite characters Gennosuke (simply called Gen by most). Chapter Three: The Confession Usagi runs into a dieing Samurai who was carrying a letter that proved Lord Hikiji to be responsible for the attacks on Lord Noriyuki. They meet Usagi and he accompanies them to their castle fighting threw bounty hunters all the way. They are traveling on their way to Edo so that the young Noriyuki can take his place as the leader but a rival lord placed a bounty on their head and they had to endure several ambushes. Chapter Two: Lone Rabbit and Child In this chapter we are introduced to Tomoe Ame and Lord Noriyuki. We are also told a little of Usagi's back story which will be told in greater detail in the next novel. Chapter One: The Goblin of Adachigahara Our first story pits Miyamoto Usagi against a man eating troll. Here is a summary of the chapters with as little spoilers as possible. In this collection we are introduced to our hero Miyamoto Usagi as well as other notable figures in the Usagi Yojimbo universe. Though "Usagi Yojimbo" may have particular cachet for readers interested in Japanese history (especially given Sakai's attentive depictions of scenery and costumes), it will no doubt appeal to anyone who likes a good adventure, or who wants to see graphic storytelling at its best. If the Usagi of these early days is a bit stockier than the lithe hero he would eventually become, his gentle but resolute spirit is evident from the first story. At first, the idea of a samurai rabbit in a feudal Japan populated by anthropomorphic animals may seem odd, but it doesn't take long to realize that Sakai is telling a meaningful story about a compelling character. Beyond being impressive as an object, the story of "Usagi" always was and still is immensely entertaining. Think of it as a "remastered edition." If for a movie that means a brighter picture and better sound, for Usagi it means thick, sturdy pages, terrific printing, and an overall quality clearly aimed at being a keepsake. For Usagi's twentieth anniversary, Fantagraphics-the series' first publisher-has done rabbit fans a service with The Ronin, the first in a series of reissues of the early Usagi collections. Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo ("Rabbit Bodyguard") is the story of Miyamoto Usagi, a masterless rabbit-samurai in 1600s Japan who wanders through life, getting by on his good heart and incredible sword skills.
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