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Usagi Yojimbo [兎用心棒] #OGN
Chibi Usagi: Attack of the Heebie Chibis
The rich world of Usagi Yojimbo, now more accessible to readers of all ages in this chibi-style original graphic novel.
Stan Sakai's beloved rabbit samurai has won countless fans over his 35-year history, thanks to a clever blend of thrilling action, heartwarming characters, and a realistic portrayal of Japanese culture. Chibi-Usagi brings these fun and thoughtful stories to middle-grade readers as an original graphic novel packed with adorable art and captivating energy.
While fishing for freshwater eels, Chibi-Usagi, Tomoe, and Gen rescue a Dogu, a clay creature from Japan's prehistory. The Dogu's village has been enslaved by the Salamander King and his Heebie-Chibi minions and are forced to work in their mines. Chibi-Usagi and his friends must rescue the Dogu people and eliminate the threat of the Salamander King forever in this feature-length story of adventure, humor, and slippery eels.
Stan Sakai's beloved rabbit samurai has won countless fans over his 35-year history, thanks to a clever blend of thrilling action, heartwarming characters, and a realistic portrayal of Japanese culture. Chibi-Usagi brings these fun and thoughtful stories to middle-grade readers as an original graphic novel packed with adorable art and captivating energy.
While fishing for freshwater eels, Chibi-Usagi, Tomoe, and Gen rescue a Dogu, a clay creature from Japan's prehistory. The Dogu's village has been enslaved by the Salamander King and his Heebie-Chibi minions and are forced to work in their mines. Chibi-Usagi and his friends must rescue the Dogu people and eliminate the threat of the Salamander King forever in this feature-length story of adventure, humor, and slippery eels.
144 pages, Paperback
First published June 29, 2021
8 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Stan Sakai
928 books374 followersStan Sakai (Japanese: 坂井 スタンSakai Sutan; born May 25, 1953) is an artist who became known as an Eisner Award-winning comic book originator.
Born in Kyoto, Sakai grew up in Hawaii and studied fine arts at the University of Hawaii. He later attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He and his wife, Sharon, presently reside and work in Pasadena.
He began his career by lettering comic books (notably Groo the Wanderer by Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier) and became famous with the production of Usagi Yojimbo, the epic saga of Miyamoto Usagi, a samurai rabbit living in late-sixteenth and early-seventeenth-century Japan. First published in 1984, the comic continues to this day, with Sakai as the lone author and nearly-sole artist (Tom Luth serves as the main colorist on the series, and Sergio Aragonés has made two small contributions to the series: the story "Broken Ritual" is based on an idea by Aragonés, and he served as a guest inker for the black and white version of the story "Return to Adachi Plain" that is featured in the Volume 11 trade paper-back edition of Usagi Yojimbo). He also made a futuristic spin-off series Space Usagi. His favorite movie is Satomi Hakkenden (1959).
Born in Kyoto, Sakai grew up in Hawaii and studied fine arts at the University of Hawaii. He later attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He and his wife, Sharon, presently reside and work in Pasadena.
He began his career by lettering comic books (notably Groo the Wanderer by Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier) and became famous with the production of Usagi Yojimbo, the epic saga of Miyamoto Usagi, a samurai rabbit living in late-sixteenth and early-seventeenth-century Japan. First published in 1984, the comic continues to this day, with Sakai as the lone author and nearly-sole artist (Tom Luth serves as the main colorist on the series, and Sergio Aragonés has made two small contributions to the series: the story "Broken Ritual" is based on an idea by Aragonés, and he served as a guest inker for the black and white version of the story "Return to Adachi Plain" that is featured in the Volume 11 trade paper-back edition of Usagi Yojimbo). He also made a futuristic spin-off series Space Usagi. His favorite movie is Satomi Hakkenden (1959).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
July 25, 2021
Usagi Yojimbo is rebooted in a cutesy children's version that pleases with its simple charms. Chibi Usagi and his little friends are recruited to help save a village overrun with yokai under the command of a giant salamander. Amidst the action and adventure, friendships are made or deepened and lessons are learned. It's all perfectly nice.
February 14, 2023
Versiones infantiles de los personajes de Sakai: Buen dibujo y una trama entretenida.
September 18, 2023
I feel like this book is basically an excuse for the Sakai family to work together on a project. And I'm glad they had the opportunity, although it seems like they just tossed together a few ideas for their own amusement rather than really working through a compelling story. Chibi-Usagi is probably the most forgettable and throwaway tale in nearly 40 years of Usagi stories, but I'm glad the Sakais had the chance to work on it together.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
I reread this, and I have to say, I enjoyed it more the second time around. It's fluff, but it's fun and sweet fluff.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
I reread this, and I have to say, I enjoyed it more the second time around. It's fluff, but it's fun and sweet fluff.
July 25, 2022
Pretty stinkin' cute y'all
October 15, 2021
This is a cute story, with a cute title, but it's just not quite Usagi enough for my tastes. Granted, I'm not the target audience, but that hasn't stopped me from reading and enjoying other comics for younger readers....
May 25, 2024
The original books pop up from time to time and I always wondered if I should read it, then my wife found this and thought this might ease me into it. I'm not sure it will but this is adorable and such a sweet story. There are some really funny moments as well as some character building ones as well.
March 16, 2022
This chibi reimagining of Usagi Yojimbo is super sweet and fun! It would be an excellent read for a wee gremlin looking for fun adventure graphic novels, but doesn't have much for older readers.
August 22, 2021
Oh my squee, this was so cute! Stan Sakai and his wife Julie team up to bring us a kid friendly alternate universe of chibi versions of Usagi, Gen, and Tomoe, who are out fishing for unagi (freshwater eels). They find an injured Dogu (an ancient clay figurine that modern scientists aren't sure of the purpose of) and nurse him back to health, and Dogu asks them to save his village from the evil Salamander King that has enslaved the Dogu village with help from his band of Heebie Chibis. The team follow Dogu (all the Dogu are named Dogu) back to his village, and fight the Salamander King, only to be defeated when the Heebie Chibis threaten to throw some of the Dogu into the river, which would cause them to dissolve. The Salamander King, thinking the friends are Dogu from a different clan, puts them on the island where they keep the Dogu prisoner at night, not realizing Usagi et al won't be trapped by the water surrounding the island. The trio come up with a plan for escape, and to drive away the bad guys- will they be victorious?
This story takes up most of the book, and has lots of fun in it, with jokes, action, and themes of friendship and working together. After the main story, we get a short story involving the Usagi we're used to fighting a Tengu, getting knocked out, and coming to in the chibi universe, where he gets a lesson in swordplay from Chibi Usagi, before returning to his own universe. In the after notes, kids get a maze, an explanation of the Japanese terms used, and a bio of Stan and Julie Sakai, with a mention of the upcoming Netflix series that I personally can't wait for! If you're an Usagi fan and want to share the love with any kiddos in your life, this book is a great introduction.
#ChibiUsagi #NetGalley
This story takes up most of the book, and has lots of fun in it, with jokes, action, and themes of friendship and working together. After the main story, we get a short story involving the Usagi we're used to fighting a Tengu, getting knocked out, and coming to in the chibi universe, where he gets a lesson in swordplay from Chibi Usagi, before returning to his own universe. In the after notes, kids get a maze, an explanation of the Japanese terms used, and a bio of Stan and Julie Sakai, with a mention of the upcoming Netflix series that I personally can't wait for! If you're an Usagi fan and want to share the love with any kiddos in your life, this book is a great introduction.
#ChibiUsagi #NetGalley
August 22, 2024
A silly all-ages* offshoot/reimagining of Usagi Yojimbo, but everybody is "chibi" (small)! It's sort of weird having everyone call each other Chibi So-and-So, though. Imagine visiting Japan and having everyone call themselves Japanese Akira or Japanese Megumi, or visiting America and calling people American Bob or American Alice!
The story is very wholesome, about friendship more than anything, and it's lovely that even most of the "bad" guys end up being friends with them in the end! There are even a few infographics and activity pages included, before a bonus chapter with "Regular" Usagi! About all I don't like are the notes in the centerfolds—it's harder to see those, vs. the normal Usagi stories put the notes at the bottom of the panel/page. If this gets a reprint, I would definitely like to see the notes moved to where they're visible!
*I say all-ages, but the bonus chapter might be a little harder to follow for younger readers, especially non-Asian readers, as it's a little more rooted in Japanese culture than the main story. I don't have a young reader to gauge how the bonus chapter lands, though. Probably the book was written so the whole family could make the book together, though!
The story is very wholesome, about friendship more than anything, and it's lovely that even most of the "bad" guys end up being friends with them in the end! There are even a few infographics and activity pages included, before a bonus chapter with "Regular" Usagi! About all I don't like are the notes in the centerfolds—it's harder to see those, vs. the normal Usagi stories put the notes at the bottom of the panel/page. If this gets a reprint, I would definitely like to see the notes moved to where they're visible!
*I say all-ages, but the bonus chapter might be a little harder to follow for younger readers, especially non-Asian readers, as it's a little more rooted in Japanese culture than the main story. I don't have a young reader to gauge how the bonus chapter lands, though. Probably the book was written so the whole family could make the book together, though!
March 3, 2022
Usagi Yojimbo now available in chibi proportions
Designed for younger viewers if you are expecting a book of samurai action cutting down swarms of baddies and/or dangerous monsters then I fear you will be horribly disappointed. Instead we see a story about three friends (Chibi-Usagi, Chibi-Tomoe, and Chibi-Gen) who are looking forward to some eel in their trap for good eats when a even smaller than them man made of clay is discovered by them and saved. Soon knowing his plight the trio and their new friend are on a quest to defeat a fire breathing monster and a swarm of wildly different shaped creatures under it's control.
With bright and curvy art this book does a great job of not only capturing a more kid friendly version of Usagi Yojimbo but also shows important messages such as the importance of not taking from others without permission and how even great riches are not worth the lives of friends all while still having plenty of action. Not enough for you? How about a maze and how to draw tutorials for the younger readers and a crossover with the original Miyamoto Usagi so the differences between the chibi world and his own are shown even more clearly. I personally was sold on the thought of a kid friendly rabbit samurai as my curiosity pushed me forward. :)
Designed for younger viewers if you are expecting a book of samurai action cutting down swarms of baddies and/or dangerous monsters then I fear you will be horribly disappointed. Instead we see a story about three friends (Chibi-Usagi, Chibi-Tomoe, and Chibi-Gen) who are looking forward to some eel in their trap for good eats when a even smaller than them man made of clay is discovered by them and saved. Soon knowing his plight the trio and their new friend are on a quest to defeat a fire breathing monster and a swarm of wildly different shaped creatures under it's control.
With bright and curvy art this book does a great job of not only capturing a more kid friendly version of Usagi Yojimbo but also shows important messages such as the importance of not taking from others without permission and how even great riches are not worth the lives of friends all while still having plenty of action. Not enough for you? How about a maze and how to draw tutorials for the younger readers and a crossover with the original Miyamoto Usagi so the differences between the chibi world and his own are shown even more clearly. I personally was sold on the thought of a kid friendly rabbit samurai as my curiosity pushed me forward. :)
May 24, 2023
This wonderfully made book by Julie and Stan Sakai truly pops with lush colors and chibi art. While not required, I think the interactions between Usagi, Tomoe and Gen are greater appreciated if you have read Usagi Yojimbo. This story revolves around rescuing a Dogu tribe. Dogu are clay creatures from the history of Japan. The art is fun and the story goes at a great pace. I think this book makes the amazing adventures I referred to above more accessible for children of all ages. At the end of this book there is a special bonus story “Attack of the Teenie Titans” which I absolutely loved as well. I highly recommend reading Usagi Yojimbo if you enjoyed this book and hope that Julie and Stan collaborate for future volumes of this series.
October 20, 2022
For more of my bookish thoughts, see my blog: Craft-Cycle
A cute rendition of Usagi Yojimbo complete with Miyamoto Usagi in chibi form along with Chibi Tomoe and Chibi Gen. The three friends meet a dogu and help save the dogu village from the evil Salamander King. Nice story of friendship and helping others.
Also includes some interactive and educational materials at the end, such as a maze and additional information about dogu, unagi, and chibi, as well as a bonus comic featuring Miyamoto Usagi meeting his chibi form.
Loved the art style and character design, but wasn't very engaged in the story itself. Overall, a nice simple read.
A cute rendition of Usagi Yojimbo complete with Miyamoto Usagi in chibi form along with Chibi Tomoe and Chibi Gen. The three friends meet a dogu and help save the dogu village from the evil Salamander King. Nice story of friendship and helping others.
Also includes some interactive and educational materials at the end, such as a maze and additional information about dogu, unagi, and chibi, as well as a bonus comic featuring Miyamoto Usagi meeting his chibi form.
Loved the art style and character design, but wasn't very engaged in the story itself. Overall, a nice simple read.
October 31, 2022
The art is super cute, and the story is fun enough. I don't have a real connection to Usagi Yojimbo though, and I'm not sure how that affected my enjoyment. I assume Tomoe and Gen are characters in the regular version of the comics, so I can't say if they were represented well. Maybe I would like it more if I knew who they were. Or maybe I would like it less because I had something to compare it to. But it is squarely aimed at kids who probably won't know anything at all about them, either, and I think those kids will enjoy the action and colorful characters.
July 11, 2021
Just insanely cute and very fun. We have the regular Usagi crowd, but in juvenile and chibi form (they even refer to each other as "Chibi [insert name here]" when talking). There's a main story in the chibi style (by Julie Sakai) about Usagi, Gen, and Tomoe helping a village of very small clay people besieged by a salamander monster and another shorter story where "regular" Usagi (drawn by Stan) encounters the chibi Usagi world. Highly recommended if you have ever enjoyed Usagi.
March 6, 2022
Very cute, very smart story about a young Usagi Yojimbo and his friends rescuing a group of Dogs, clay-creatures, from an evil dragon and his cute minions, the heebie-chibis. This is very much a kids' book, and you don't have to be familiar with Sakai's adult Usagi Yojimbo books to enjoy it at all (although the bonus story at the end features the adult Usagi encountering his chibi self, it's still pretty clear what's going on). Highly recommend!
April 19, 2022
Chibi Usagi: Attack of the Heebi Chibis
By Stan and Julie Sakai
2021
This cute graphic novel takes the characters of Usagi Yojimbo and turns them into chibi versions of themselves for a child friendly take on the concept. The plot was simple and fun, and the ways the writers incorporated the Japanese language was great for young readers. The mini adventure at the end where Chibi Usagi and actual Usagi Yojimbo encounter each other was a lovely bonus.
3 1/2 stars
By Stan and Julie Sakai
2021
This cute graphic novel takes the characters of Usagi Yojimbo and turns them into chibi versions of themselves for a child friendly take on the concept. The plot was simple and fun, and the ways the writers incorporated the Japanese language was great for young readers. The mini adventure at the end where Chibi Usagi and actual Usagi Yojimbo encounter each other was a lovely bonus.
3 1/2 stars
July 1, 2021
Usually, I hate this kind of cuteness (Baby Muppets, Baby Mighty Avengers, Baby Horrificly Dead Swamp Zombie Nazis), but the Sakais somehow make it look like "just a very early chapter in Usagi's life". Everything just works, and even the title made me snicker. Fun for all ages, apart or together!
July 1, 2021
I'm typically not a fan of this type of art style, however I feel this carried out rather well. This is a nice little addition to Usagi Yojimbo's collection and is good to introduce an even younger audience to the characters if you want to avoid the typical deaths and violence that pop up here and there in the regular series.
April 7, 2022
My daughter picked this up at the library and so we read it together as a read-aloud. It was a super cute, simple story that had fun action and adventure. It was our first novel we have done as a read-aloud together and seeing her reactions were adorable! She would gasp, laugh, and aw at all the appropriate moments! What a fun first experience into the novel world for her!
April 16, 2021
What a fun introduction to Usagi (if you haven't already met him from previous manga or TMNT). It's such a quick, fun read with art that's a joy to look at. That's all you need to know. Buy it for your kids already.
July 17, 2021
Adventure! Magic! Chibi! What more could you ask for?
July 21, 2021
Chibi Usagi, Tomoe, and Gen find Dogu by the river and put him back together. They help Dogu take his village back from the Salamander king.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2022
Colorful and cute! Perfect for the 5-9 year old range.
August 2, 2022
Not a big fan of Chibi style but this works. It's a great adventure to a mysterious place to free slaves from a jerk.
August 6, 2022
Three Chibi friends help a creature who is in distress find its way home, and then they fight the villain to free a whole village (and more).
August 9, 2022
Chibi Usagi and his friends, Chibi Gen and Chibie Tomoe, defend the Dogu from the wicked Salamander King.
October 21, 2022
Rozotmilý Usagi pro děti. I tak si ale zachovává svůj ráz a typově zapadá do klasických příběhů. Kresba je roztomilá tak akorát, není to moc přehnané.
January 22, 2023
I love Usagi in any form.
May 31, 2024
A chibi version of this story.
It gets an extra star for the Kappa and giant salamander.
It gets an extra star for the Kappa and giant salamander.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews