Who Is Miyamoto Usagi In The TMNT Universe?

The adventures of Miyamoto Usagi started back in 1984. Stan Sakai’s comic featured anthropomorphic beings emulating life in an ancient Japanese setting. The books have won several awards for their simple yet impactful storytelling and somewhat Eastern-looking style.

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Usagi is a relatable character who spends most of his time wandering around aimlessly and traveling through the region while making friends. It’s one of the easiest long-running comic book series to jump into at any point since each story works as a stand-alone narrative that covers one single event and introduces a new character.

Who Is Miyamoto Usagi?

If his appearance wasn’t a dead giveaway for you, Miyamoto Usagi is basically an anthropomorphic rabbit who’s been around for as long as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been.

Usagi’s not always the nicest, but his sense of justice makes him rather lovable. Like any well-written character, Usagi has flaws and moments where he falters, but he eventually finds a way to bounce back.

Yojimbo (Bodyguard/Protector) is a Japanese word that defines Miyamoto Usagi’s role as a Ronin.

Usagi Yojimbo is the name of the comic, not the character. When he made his first appearance in the TMNT animated series, they accidentally called him Usagi Yojimbo instead of Miyamoto Usagi.

He’s been a part of Mirage Comics, IDW, and Dark Horse Comics’ lineup over the years, just like the TMNT. Although his comics don’t really focus on an overarching plotline, his standalone adventures are fun on their own too.

Character Inspirations

Based on one of the most prolific dual sword-wielders in Japanese folklore Miyamoto Musashi, and with some homages to themes present in classical Japanese theater, Usagi Yojimbo is a celebration of old tradition despite being an American comic book series.

The main character is a rabbit named Miyamoto Usagi, who’s famous for his impeccable dual-wielding swordsmanship and his love for Japanese culture. He’s suave, compelling, and fairly literate when it comes to the arts since he was a daimyo’s retainer.

Humble Beginnings

Born in a quiet village to the chief responsible for keeping it safe, Usagi spent his childhood refining his skills and abilities to win over his main love interest at the time, Mariko.

Standing in his way was his friend and rival Kenichi. Eventually, the trio split up when both rivals wound up getting accepted to a Bujutsu dojo.

On the way there, Usagi met one of the most important people in his life as he witnessed his future master pummel some arrogant followers of the same school Usagi intended to enroll in.

Impressed by the old man, he parted ways with Kenichi and left him behind to pursue a harder yet much nobler path.

Usagi’s World

The story takes place during the Edo era of Japan and thus everything from the themes to the aesthetics completely mirrors the environment you’d find at the time.

From power structures and political hierarchies that valued shoguns, daimyos, and samurais, to interesting figures like ninjas and geishas, all of these elements come together to further enrich the world Usagi lives in.

Although there are some instances where he does wind up getting thrown into a foreign environment, his adventures primarily take place within the confines of his own region within Japan.

Training Under Katsuichi

Although Katsuichi was a brutal teacher, he was still rather thorough and capable when it came to instilling his ideals into a person as stubborn, mischievous, and steadfast as Usagi.

Ultimately, his methods refined the young aspirant samurai and made Usagi an excellent warrior capable of fending off anyone who came his way.

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Convincing Katsuichi to help him wasn’t easy, and eventually, Usagi also managed to briefly encounter his soon-to-be master Mifune during a particularly gruesome incident that could’ve left him incapacitated for life.

Working Under Daimyo Lord Mifune

After winning a fencing tournament of strength and technique against his old rival Kenichi, Usagi caught the attention of the region’s daimyo Lord Mifune.

Mifune offered to make Usagi one of his personal retainers and thus appointed him as a bannerman for his legion. However, before he could join his lord’s forces, both Usagi and Kenichi dealt with a menace that invaded their hometown.

Kenichi decided to stay behind and tend to the safety of the village in Usagi’s father’s stead and wound up marrying the girl they were both after, thus putting an end to Usagi’s childhood arc.

An End To Peaceful Times

His time working under Lord Mifune was brief and peaceful for Usagi. During his tenure with the force, he spent his free time refining himself and he developed a knack for keeping himself cultured and well-dignified.

Unfortunately, soon enough that peace was disrupted by a ninja sent by a rival lord Hikiji who managed to carry out the mission to execute Mifune’s entire family.

It was an all-out war and, despite having failed his lord, Usagi swore revenge against the perpetrators and set off on his own adventures without owing any allegiance to anyone.

Sweet, Bitter Revenge

Eventually, Usagi got his hands on Toda and Gunishi, who were two of the main culprits behind the raid against Mifune.

Even though Usagi risked his life to save his Lord’s decapitated head and buried it, he swore vengeance against Hikiji who was also responsible for giving Usagi his iconic scar over his eye.

As of yet, Usagi’s still rather disapproving of his mortal enemy’s ways, and even though he’s not actively seeking Hikiji out, he’s still bitter about their interactions in the past.

Life As A Wandering Ronin

Wandering the region his former lord administered and presided over, Usagi spends the majority of his time helping out the locals and friends he makes along the way.

You’ll notice there’s a cast of recurring characters that do wind up occasionally joining him on his journey, but he mostly travels on his own.

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Without any lord to swear allegiance to, a samurai as powerful as Usagi comes face-to-face with all sorts of tribulations. Ronin like him were perceived as a potential threat at the time for their proclivity for mercenary and thieving activities.

Chance Meetings With A Few Key Allies

Even though he met his friend from the Geishu clan Tomoe back during the fencing tournament before he started his service to Lord Mifune, he forgot her and helped her protect her lord against the forces of Hikiji.

He got along well with Inspector Ishida too, especially since they both share a strong sense of justice and worked on a case together.

Unlike Tomoe and Ishida, his relationship with the infamous bounty hunter Gennosuke took its sweet time and his main supposed love interest Chizu wound up defecting from Hikiji’s clan, so that was a can of worms that took quite a while to unpack for him.

Crossovers With The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Included in his short list of allies is a team of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from a separate reality/time.

Usagi deeply respects Leonardo for his personality and swordsmanship; plus, he’s also very respectful of Master Splinter. He has helped the turtles rescue him or thwart Shredder’s plans on several occasions.

TMNT Comics That Feature Usagi

These comics cover the turtles getting teleported or summoned over to Usagi’s world. Since Stan Sakai’s a huge fan of Leonardo, the first few stories revolve around Leonardo and Usagi forming a close bond and deep respect for each other.

Usagi Comics That Feature The TMNT

Although they don’t collaborate much in the comics, Sakai, Eastman, and Laird do showcase some rather stunning artwork when they work together and feature each other’s characters.

Usagi’s TV Crossovers

Usagi’s been featured in three different animated iterations of the TMNT on television, in the TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge game, and in a couple or more issues over several years.

Both of these series share a lot of similarities with each other, especially in terms of inspirations and art styles.

The Link Between Usagi And The Turtles

Series writer Stan Sakai and TMNT creators Eastman and Laird were a few of the only prominent black-and-white comic book creators at the time, thus the series shared a deep connection with each other.

It all started from a random drawing of Leonardo that Mirage eventually published without Sakai knowing, and the rest is history. They wrote fan appreciation letters to each other all the time.

Eventually, Eastman and Laird offered him a chance to produce Usagi merchandise and crossovers with them. Sakai leaped at the chance and went on to write stories that featured several iterations of the Turtles over their years of publication.

Migrating From One Publisher To The Next

Since 1984, Usagi Yojimbo has been published by three different entities. Fantagraphics, Mirage, and Dark Horse all feature their own sets of issues and volumes, with the latter publishing the major bulk of the content.

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IDW is also responsible for republishing some older stories and adding new content to the series that’s colored and vibrant. The series has more than 38 volumes to its name and a long-standing legacy of being one of the most iconic Western comic books.

Usagi’s Legacy

Unbeknownst to him, Usagi’s childhood love interest Mariko bore his child, Jotaro and took care of him with her husband, the long-time rival Kenishi.

Usagi never knew his brief encounter with Mariko before his departure from his home village would lead to him having a son. Usagi and Jotaro shared a healthy relationship before the truth was revealed and still maintain it.

Usagi also has a direct descendant named Yuichi who also devoted his life to becoming a strong samurai despite his ancestor leaving behind a sour legacy behind during his time.

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