Usagi Yojimbo

[diet_orange]

What's it about? A tale of an anthropomorphic rabbit samurai who fled battle after his lord died and now wanders Japan searching for purpose

Usagi Yojimbo (literally translated to "Rabbit Bodyguard") might have the honor of being the longest running self-published comic (though the publishing houses have varied over the years; Fantagraphics, Dark Horse, and IDW) and it's all done by Stan Sakai, a Japanese-American raised in Hawaii. And while the historical furry stuff certainly sets it apart on it's own, it's also probably one of the most somber, poetic, meditative, and outright beautiful comics I've ever read

Currently there are about 40 graphic novel collections spanning roughly 38 years and they're all worthwhile reads

 

[Isegrim]

It's close ties with TMNT certainly made me aware of it due to the crossovers.

I've been a TMNT fan since it's inception from it's black and white origins and couldn't help notice his presence in the cartoon and comics. I only started reading Usagi Yojimbo when our local comic store was selling random issues for cheap years back. I've read a lot more issues after that and it strikes me as a showcase of medieval(?) japan as well as a comic due to the various aspects of the former that it portrays and woven as part of the story. It meshes well with my usual reading of manga and articles about Japanese society which clarifies what I find in the comic. There are even explanations in some issues tackling the various themes used.

Being Catholic, I especially liked how he handles the tricky issue of Christianity in Edo period Japan.

 

[starseeker300]

what the samurai rabbit from tmnt is its own thing!?

 

[χKai]

I was always interested as a kid and wanted to know more about this character, it seemed like we never got enough content explaining about him. 30 years later, now I can!

 

[Scotty Scotty]

I thought this guy was just a random character in TMNT. You're telling me that he had his own comic?

 

[diet_orange]

It's close ties with TMNT certainly made me aware of it due to the crossovers.

I've been a TMNT fan since it's inception from it's black and white origins and couldn't help notice his presence in the cartoon and comics. I only started reading Usagi Yojimbo when our local comic store was selling random issues for cheap years back. I've read a lot more issues after that and it strikes me as a showcase of medieval(?) japan as well as a comic due to the various aspects of the former that it portrays and woven as part of the story. It meshes well with my usual reading of manga and articles about Japanese society which clarifies what I find in the comic. There are even explanations in some issues tackling the various themes used.

Being Catholic, I especially liked how he handles the tricky issue of Christianity in Edo period Japan.

My first run in with Usagi was a short comic that was done specifically for Wizard in the later 90s/early 00s. It stuck with me until I discovered the comics fully in my 20s

Post automatically merged: Oct 20, 2025

what the samurai rabbit from tmnt is its own thing!?

I thought this guy was just a random character in TMNT. You're telling me that he had his own comic?

Yup~

Post automatically merged: Oct 20, 2025

Post automatically merged: Oct 21, 2025

If you need more convincing of the comic's quality, here's a small vignette from Book 9: Daisho