During an exciting panel at Rose City Comic Con the creator of the acclaimed and beloved Usagi Yojimbo, Stan Sakai, reflected on his decades-long journey with Usagi and what comes next for the impressive rabbit rōnin. First debuting in 1984, Miyamoto Yojimbo – inspired by real-life swordsman Miyamoto Musashi – appeared in the anthology Albedo Anthropomorphics before getting his own series.
Usagi Yojimbo is one of the most famous black-and-white “American” comics of all time and has remained a beloved and iconic series since. Sakai has used his control as the creator and owner of the IP to bring Usagi to multiple publishers, most notably IDW Publishing and Dark Horse Comics, and has famously had Yojimbo crossover with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on multiple occasions.
Sitting on the panel with Stan was his wife Julie Sakai – artist for the Chibi Usagi series which debuted in 2021 – and Julie’s daughter Emi Fujii who is the Creative Director of Usagi Yojimbo’s “Usagi-verse,” and also the colorist for many Usagi Yojimbo covers. Stan Sakai is clearly incredibly proud of Usagi Yojimbo being not only creator-owned, but also family-operated, with Emi’s son Daniel running the new Dogu Publishing, home to Usagi, and collaborating directly with Dark Horse Comics.
Stan Sakai’s “Usagi-verse” continues to expand with Dogu and Dark Horse, with the upcoming releases of Usagi Yojimbo: Ice and Snow, a continuation of the sci-fi series Space Usagi, and another crossover with TMNT titled WhereWhen. Sakai has spoken often about Usagi’s descendants and confirmed on the panel at RCCC that he has “a whole list of Usagi descendants,” with plans to create a story that takes place in a post-apocalyptic universe.
Perhaps most excitingly, Sakai revealed that he has pitched a new anthology to Dark Horse Comics, which they have accepted, tentatively titled Usagi Yojimbo: Shadow Warriors. Sakai said that this collaborative project will “invite people to play in my playground,” collecting various writers’ and artists’ contributions to the ever-expanding “Usagi-verse,” reminiscent of the popular “Star Wars: Visions.” While not an official announcement, Sakai was happy to share the news, and there is no doubt that fans of Usagi Yojimbo will love to see diverse takes on the beloved character.
Stan Sakai also made it clear that the Sakai family and Dogu Publishing would be doing a lot of great stuff for the 40th Anniversary of Usagi Yojimbo, which will come in November 2024, like special variant covers and brand-new merchandise. One of the longest-running creator-owned comics of all time, Usagi Yojimbo has led an exciting life, and Stan Sakai has countless plans for Miyamoto Usagi’s journey to continue on for years to come.
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