Status Updates From Usagi Yojimbo, Vol. 9: Dais...

I have mixed feelings about ‘Runaways’ storyline – while princess Kuniko started as a spoiled brat, she went through significant character development, and I loved seeing the festival of Tanabata Matsuri, all the wonderful details of Japanese celebrations and the symbolism of the legend behind it mirroring Usagi and Kuniko. However, I didn’t like their romance – it felt too forced and plot-convenient, and too early.

A new character is introduced, a bounty hunter known as Stray Dog. On the surface, he’s a gruff loner who only cares about the money and isn’t above double-crossing his own allies to get them, claiming that ‘in our profession, we are all mongrel dogs’ and ‘a mongrel only looks out for himself’, but there’s more than meets the eye beneath the surface – and there’s a reason why money keeps slipping through his fingers.

I can’t help but admire the attention to detail that Stan Sakai puts into his art – like how Usagi ties up his sleeves before he goes into battle, or how Gen is the only one who carries his sword over his shoulder because it allows him to draw it quickly. And the battle scenes still keep me glued to the page - even though we’ve seen dozens of them already, they are still tense and engaging.

Usagi is undoubtedly the hero, but after he loses his swords and goes on to hunt Fujii to get them back, literally not stopping in his pursuit, be it one of the bandits standing in his way or peaceful villagers asking for help… Yeah, he’s scaring me there. No, Usagi is no villain no matter the circumstances, but I realize that he could’ve become one if he put his honor above needs of common people.

There are a lot of memorable villains in this series, some of them more devilish than self-proclaimed General Fujii, but he still stands out. Fujii is cunning and careful, almost paranoid, and so cruel that his own men are afraid of him. It’s not enough for him to just defeat Usagi – he strives to break his spirit, so he tortures him and takes away his swords just out of spite, even though Fujii had already won.

‘What fools we have in this world, to have mistaken honor as weakness.’

What I love about Usagi’s character is that he’s one of the most deadly swordsmen in Japan, but all he wants is peace, he considers every life to be precious and would rather avoid fighting unless he absolutely should. A hero who can win any fight but who would rather not fight at all is a hero that we all desperately need.

While the titular story, ‘Daisho’, is undoubtedly the star of this volume, the shorter stories were very enjoyable as well. ‘The Music of Heaven’ showed me the culture of komuso monks that I knew nothing about and that broke my heart in the end, and ‘The Gambler, the Widow, and the Ronin’ gave a wonderful message that just because someone is humble and polite doesn’t mean that they are not dangerous.

Happiness, and faith.