When you are on issue number 258 of a nearly perfect series, how do you keep readers surprised? Stan Sakai has tried numerous approaches since relaunching Usagi Yojimbo at IDW. For some tales, like āHomecomingā he tried to tap into emotional beats that had long been left dormant, reminding readers of some of the earliest stories of the rabbit. In others like āTengu Warā, Sakai advanced stories and added to the mythology of Usagi. In āYukichiā, Usagi Yojimbo #20, he provides a new foil for Miyamoto Usagi, a young gun that lets readers recognize how far our Ronin, and themselves, have traveled to get here.
The titular Yukichi is a rabbit, a rarity in this version of feudal Japan. Partly to make sure our protagonist stands out, and partly because he loves those weird, indistinct domestic beast people, Sakai has not added many rabbits to this tapestry. Nearly everyone we have met has a deep connection to Usagi. But Yukich is different. He has his ears in a top knot, his daishÅ looped on his belt and an ear of wheat hanging from his lips as he walks his pilgrimage. Sakai wants the readers to understand, this is but a younger version of our protagonist. His legacy given form.
Itās hard to believe that Sakai isnāt thinking about his legacy. The man is 68 years old and has been drawing this strip since 1984. In the halls of the great cartoonists, he is impeccable. As much as Miyamoto Usagi is a master with the Katana and Wakizashi, Stan Sakai is a master with pencil and pen. His is not a question of the legacy he leaves, but who will inherit his role?
In that sense, āYukichiā makes a lot of sense. It opens, like so many of these stories have, with a wandering rabbit in feudal Japan. He sees villagers fishing, woodcutters returning with their spoils, monks walking their pilgrimages and at a fork in the road, he sees a ghost from his past. As a young, hotshot, Yukichi disrespected a ronin who wanted to meet his teacher, Master Itsuki. In a show of worth, the ronin fell a small twig, but Yukichi rebuffed him. You see, the boy didnāt understand the grace, precision, and control it took to make such a delicate cut. Rebuked by his master for the foolishness, Yukichi carried the token to remind him of his shortcomings. Even after rising to the head instructor of his school, a place of high honor among swordsmen, the regret of youth hung over Yukichi.
I think of myself and the excuses I gave to put off this book. Itās a silly story about funny animals, itās not for sophisticated readers like me. I imagine Stan got many readers, especially early in the bookās life, high on cross-hatching and in love with chains, who didnāt understand or appreciate the work. Perhaps, as they got older, some of them became artists themselves, worked their paces, hustled their hearts out, and ended up at a convention right next to Stan. The wry smile that must have arisen from the older manās face as he listened to others laud his work while acknowledging their mistakes in youth.
While he might not show it, Usagi carries the weight of his experiences over the decades. He is the seasoned warrior with the scars to prove it. Heās been involved in more bar fights and bandit brawls than he can remember. He has saved the empire, saved Japan, and continued down the wanderer’s road. Heās the veteran, not grizzled so much, but instead seasoned to perfection. When cocky rivals challenge him and Yukichi, he keeps his blade sheathed. Thereās no need to escalate things, heās been here before.
Through the new eyes of Yukichi, we see the adventure continue. We can appreciate the simple beauty in Sakaiās lines, how he panels for clarity, how he paces action. In many ways, this is nothing surprising. If you have been paying attention to this journey, youāll know exactly what to expect. But every day, there is another new reader who finally understands the perfection in this title. āYukichiā is both for them and a celebration of the long and winding road it took them to join us here.
Zachary Jenkins co-hosts the podcast Battle of the Atom and is the former editor-in-chief of ComicsXF. Shocking everyone, he has a full and vibrant life outside all this.
