Usagi Yojimbo

Fandom
Name:	Usagi Yojimbo
Abbreviation(s):
Creator:	Stan Sakai
Date(s):	1984–present
Medium:	Comics, video games, animation
Country of Origin:	U.S.A.
External Links:
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Usagi Yojimbo (兎用心棒, Usagi Yōjinbō, "rabbit bodyguard") is a comic book series created by Stan Sakai. It is set primarily at the beginning of the Edo period of Japanese history and features anthropomorphic animals replacing humans. The main character is a rabbit rōnin, Miyamoto Usagi, whom Sakai based partially on the famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. Usagi wanders the land on a musha shugyō (warrior's pilgrimage), occasionally selling his services as a bodyguard.

Usagi Yojimbo is one of the longest-running creator-owned comic series.

Fan Community

Reception and impact

Sakai has noted that the series is particularly popular in France, Spain, and Poland, as well as America.

The general public recognizes Usagi Yojimbo characters best for their appearances in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles media.

Usagi Yojimbo won the Ursa Major Award for Best Anthropomorphic Comic Book five times running from 2001 to 2005, and was again nominated in 2006. The Art of Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai won the category of Best Anthropomorphic Other Literary Work in 2004.

Creative and transformative Works

The official site features a section for the submission of fan fiction and fan art.

Fan Works

Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples.

External Links

Fan Communities and Archives

• FanFiction.Net (FFN): Usagi Yojimbo stories and crossovers
• DeviantArt (DA): longearedronin
• Archive of Our Own (AO3): Usagi Yojimbo - Works
• Reddit: r/UsagiYojimbo, r/UsagiYojimboDojoSub

Resources

• Official site
• Wikipedia
• TV Tropes
• WikiFur
• Los Angeles Times: "Warrior Rabbit : Take one part Toshiro Mifune. Then add adventure and humor to get artist Stan Sakai’s ‘Usagi Yojimbo.’"