previously: >>152957441
another publisher, another flashback. >>152966038>>152966117storytimeing is hard pls understand...
>Nakamura Kouji: The Soul of Bushidohttps://youtu.be/SRq67UE40WQ
>>152971166FUCKING ENTER
>>152971109That horse looks like it was drawn by Aragonés.
>>152971166Ah yes, one of the main contenders for the title of the owner of the biggest balls in Japan.
>>152971369>a_happy_piece_of_burnt_toast.jpg
>>152971364and that's including the tanukis, too!
>>152971122This reminds me: in the letters last thread, Stan mentioned that this story was originally fully painted and that he had a pencilled version ready to be inked – obviously this one. In the painted version, what does Hikiji's (half) face look like here? Did Stan paint him as a human? There's a hint of fur around his mouth.IDK, seems relevant for the ongoing debate about coloring in the yet again another again recap much later. Will you be posting the color version, Murder? I don't remember ever seeing that, which is why I'm asking.
>>152971403I have not seen it either. if I can find it I'll post it today.
>>152971166Is it just me or is his look based on older Clint Eastwood?
>>152971206>Time is irrelevant, Usagi. It is experience that counts.>Well, I have killed about 400 people.
>>152971166No shade on differing opinions but by my lights, this page is the start of the peak era of Usagi. From here to the end of Duel at Kitanoji Sakai rarely puts a foot wrong.
>>152971573definitely a high point of the series.
>>152971387>she isn't leaving tracks in the snowUh-oh. I have a feeling this will end up being severely infeudated.
>>152971617ENTER Starscream #2
https://youtu.be/ti-OCDtKzxI
>>152971447Thanks, Murder! Your karma has been incremented by one (1) species in the celestial list of possible rebirths. This coupon is valid for one lifetime only.
>>152971715I hope I don't get another beetle species
>>152971491Son of a bitch, I knew it.
>>152971506>as his dying act, the archer kills the horse, on pure principle
man, fuck you jei.
https://youtu.be/KBF0IVYZ3PAthis single page is so good. I wish sakai did a mini series set in the thick of the sengoku period, where there was no lame ass shogun's peace.
>>152971340I think the entire flashback sequence was.
>Swords Into Plowshares: Ikeda the "Peasant" https://youtu.be/Vd5YJb6S1H0
>>152971817MOTHER. FUCKING. ENTER.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3-eX2zrLN8
>Death made Visible: Lord of the Owlshttps://youtu.be/_9Rqtn8WjQQ
>>152971817Ball sizes in this storytime reach values previously unimaginable by science.
this is why you don't mess with the giant snake. Hebi really needs a theme song.
>FLOO!: 2
>>152971602>last panelShowing the Groo influence again. Not that that's a bad thing, mind.>>152971609>I'm melting!kek
>is this nigga serious?
https://youtu.be/szrVo9VRge4
>>152971391Smiley face tee shirt
>>152972123Thank you Exposition-san.
https://youtu.be/eMmGL2C52QQ
>>152972156IS DAT SUM CERAMICS!?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhmdxgxsrL4
>>152971866they don't
>>152971182>Surudoi>"Sharp">>152971789>Mutekiryu>"No-Target Style"Come to think of it, the only previous school we've seen named is the Dogora, right? Does that mean something silly too?
>>152971251Reminder that this guy didn't even get permission to die. IIRC he fucked it up on even more levels than that, meaning he botched even his apology.
>>152971810He hasn't been in the mood for jest since that town where the vendor got crucified .
if only usagi had some sort of magical, wind-directing sword...
>>152972144sadly, Ekusu Poshishon was killed by a Neko Ninja. he was telling someone about the history of a random sakura tree, so he did not see the attack coming
>>152971849No parent should have to bury their child, even by water.
>>152972252When there's no more room in hell, meddlers walk the earth.
I will say I like this color scheme for Tomoe.
>>152972291Don't get attached to it
>>152972291>>152972294I miss her
>>152971208>How did you know so surely how many there were Nakamura-san?>I counted them in the previous page, you need to pay better attention to the story Usagi.
>>152971866Was it ever explained where Sakai was going with this?
>>152971881>it was not a compliment
>>152972334probably something to do with the Koroshi
>>152972291Yes, I also like when HER EYES AREN'T FUCKING GREEN OR BROWN.
only found this letter for today's stories.
>>152971222Grrrr rar I'm gonna cut ya.Also why the fuck are sword schools full of bitches. This is what the second time we have seen someone murdered over proving what a bitch their style is?
this is it for today. tomorrow I want everyone up to date with the obligatory reading, kami offerings and with your textbooks open on chapter 444: PRE-Feudal Japan and How Much It RULED. >>152972366oh how I missed you, eyes anon.
>>152972325It's too bad Tomoe falls into that volcano and dies horribly
>>152971970>unarmedRude
>>152971955This thing with not fitting in the palanquin properly is a particularly funny instance of how he's just a huge fucking snake. It's also kinda weird in this volume though with the clearly supernatural size-changing snake earlier, especially since she could apparently turn into a more humanoid form as well.
>>152972378Because their reputation was literally their lifeline.If everyone knows them as a school of jerks who can't beat a single wandering ronin, nobody will bother sending their kids to their school, meaning no revenue, meaning no more school.So in order to stop the winner from just walking around flaunting his victory around, they'd gang up on him.
>>152971854>Two months later, his crops were destroyed by locusts.What was even the point of adding this line? Things were looking up for the guy, but it’s as if things were going too good so he had to get fucked over to correct the balance
>>152972325Keep training, your aim will improve.
>>152972444deep down Hebi is a rebel, he didn't want to inherit the family's run down murder temple oh no, he wanted to live among the humans! not paying attention to shapeshifting 101 didn't help, either.
>>152971866>we will meet soon>Multiple decades later
A lot of pigs so far, they're not exactly uncommon but they're at least distinct enough so I'm gonna keep counting them>+4 Pigs>+1 Beaver>New Total: 78>>152972334>he isn't being patient
>>152972382Don't believe his lies, Eye Anon. He neither writes nor calls, just keeps sailing on his black ship to spread tuberculosis in East Asian countries by speaking Portuguese at the locals.
>>152971148Hold the fuck up, you're telling me the boar cunt fled when the treason was revealed while Usagi had the time to see Mifune die, cut his head off, have a bout with Hikiji, flee the battle to hide the head, all that while fighting off hundreds of foes, and then if I remember correctly, to come back to the plain ? Fucking stupid cowardly boar, I'm glad Usagi offed him like the little bitch he was.
>>152971866>We will meet soon>Last online 28 years ago
>>152958314>>152958320My first ever exposure to Usagi (aside from hearing he was a background character in TMNT) was when someone posted these 2 panels and it was a very strong first impression>>152958471So is it Jonin or Kashira? This page implies that a Kashira is subordinate or lesser to a Jonin, but the Neko Ninjas only ever have a Kashira, and they seem equal to the Komori.Or is it a case of ninja from different regions/traditions having multiple names for the same office? I know Somalis have like a 100 or so words for 'king' depending on the region and tribe
>>152972004>31Slightly better percentage of survivors than the 92% casualty rate in the previous depiction.
>>152972214Was it really necessary to stab that guy in the head with his own sword?
>>152971565>>152971571>>152971579I love all these black robes against falling snow. Looks so sharp
>>152971251>I hate mondays
>>152971129this is new, thought Usagi and Gunichi just booked it as Hikiji was winning
>>152972544good day to you too, mr funny business.
>>152972554yeah this new flashback puts Gunichi in a new light. All the other flashbacks have him as a bro and his sudden cowardice an intriguing mystery, but now this just makes him look like a pussy desu
>>152972097>casually jumps onto the roofI feel like he isn't able to do this later.
>>152972112>giant splurt of blood>head severed between the jawsOkay, this is pretty gory.
>>152972188Arent there 6 of the big ones? Here >>152971193 Nakamura says theres 8 styles. Maybe one major school for every style? We also know that the falling-rain school or style was created by Tomoe's dad so thats 4 down.
>>152972151>cat mom>dog dad?>bear childNot sure we've seen anything like this before, normally everyone's species match, don't they?
>>152972206That nice quip-age, Usagi. Very Parker of you.
Book 11556 Usagis (4960 total)1018 Panels (9224 total)40 Neko (635 total)No Komori (134 total) (though we did "hear" one)No Mogura (34 total)No Usagi milestones until next thread so here's the 600th Neko group shot
>>152971402For a second I thought it was gonna be actual wolves.
>>152972206
>>152972366Kek. I assume you've been with us the whole time, but Welcome back, bro.
>>152972415Don't worry, they'll suffer for drawing attention to his hissability.
Reading black and white comics or manga makes it look weird when any character is suddenly in color.
>>152972675Kashira just means "boss" essentially, it's not a formal title like jonin or chunin.
>>152971541>>152971545The shogun and the emperor are different people ?
>>152972952It's consistently "the eight traditional styles", yes. It's not clear how some schools fit into this framework though, e.g. the (much later) Cut Pine school. The Ame family style is almost certainly just that, a family style and not anything like a major school or style of swordsmanship.
>>152972374Thanks for today's poasting, Murder!
>>152973197Yes. The Shogun is technically a kind of general or field marshal attached to the imperial administration; the office was called Sei-i-taishogun, Grand Barbarian-Subjugating General. The first shogun of the earlier Kamakura bakufu claimed this title for legitimacy as a proxy of the emperor. "Bakufu" means "tent rule" and is basically the term for a military dictatorship; in this period the emperor was sequestered and performed only ceremonial duties that people never saw, while all worldly power was in the hands of the shogun, the dictator.
>>152959748>Yet another girl who's clearly into him that he blows it with. It's getting a bit...She still wants him lmao >>152971527 Even Sanshobo has had enough with Usagi pussyfooting
>>152973197Yes.Emperor is the guy who is supposed to be a descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu.Shogun is a feudal lord who has taken over the administration of the country.This way of things started in late 12th century after the Genpei war.So since 1185, Japanese have had a god emperor with little to no political power, Meiji restoration was officially supposed to be the restoration of the emperors divine right to rule, but in reality just led to a parliament taking over from shogun and running the shit like nothing changed.
>>152973296>This way of things started in late 12th century after the Genpei war.>Running a country is a lot of work. Shogun, what if I took care of all these boring legislature and I just let you handle EVERYTHING military. >Uhhh you sure. >Of course. I see no flaw in this plan. >Me niether...HAHAHHAHAH
>>152973296>Meiji restoration was officially supposed to be the restoration of the emperors divine right to rule, but in reality just led to a parliament taking over from shogun and running the shit like nothing changed.Where it gets fully Japanese is that this really was a return to the old status quo in a lot of ways; by like 850 the emperor had so many ritual duties that the entire practical administration was devolved onto ministers and the emperor had to abdicate to be able to start telling anyone what to do.
>>152971911>>152971916Goes to Murder Machine to whimsy in 5 seconds flat.
>>152972767Hello, my dude. No surprises from me this year I'm afraid. Too busy. But I'll be lurking, just in case. Love you.
>>152972276has enmmanon been slacking?
>>152973197The Emperor was the original secular ruler and high priest of the shinto religion, and power was held by the Kuge (aristocracy) who are not the same as the Daimyo (samurai nobility) that we keep seeing in Usagi Yojimbo like Hikiji and Mifune.The Shogun was originally just the head of the army, tasked with conquering the non-Yamato (Japanese) Emishi tribes in the north who rejected Imperial power. By the 12th century two clans of aristocrats are feuding so much leading to the Genpei war and Imperial power collapses. The leader of the winning clan takes the job of Shogun and makes himself military dictator and the emperor is reduced to a figurehead though he keeps his religious authority, becoming more like the pope (or more accurately like the abbasid caliphs)
>>152972467you new here?Feudal japan. The answer's always feudal japan.
>>152973430He was distracted by his hobby of pottery making.
>>152972467Feudal Japan always stacks the decks.
>>152971931How did he open and manipulate that with no hands...Lord Hebi is always a source of mystery. >>152971966>>152971970>>152971961Who the fuck needs martial arts or swordsmanship when you can just be a big fucking snake who can just beat people to death or fucking eat them. >Hebi needs a theme song Honestly yes I agree. He deserves it
>>152973550I'm sick and fucking tired of these mother fucking snakes on this mother fucking feudal japan
>>152973574lol, lmao.
>>152973148Oh, I'm here since day 1, there's just no need to use the name tag. I vented HARD last year. Sadly, barely anything Usagi related got released since, so this year I rest.
>>152971970>>152971966>>152971961Why doesn't Hebi, the largest noble, just eat the Shogun and Hijiki?
>>152973589You might call it snaké
>>152971100I'd say this should count as definitely "high" Usagi. One thing this story firmly established is that the line above Usagi's eye is a scar, one dealt by Hikiji no less. And the art style has definitely matured, but has not yet become the loose, sketchy style of late Usagi.
>>152971104Weird how this version cuts out Gunichi
>>152971269Koji has the greater eyebrows, making him the victor
>>152971269That can't be real panel, his brows are too thick. Despite it being my fourth ride on the Usagi train, I almost never see this stretch due to work/how fast the threads chug through.
>>152971491Fuckin yurei
>>152971545>Turn the document to NoriyukiFat lot of good that did last time. You could probably hand it to Kitsune and ask her to reverse pickpocket the Shogun and it will have a higher chance of working.
>>152971077>Someone will die. >Of fun!
>>152971116>Hikiji?!
>>152971116https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8EOAEYgsE0REENTER! Hikiji!
This feels like cheating
>>152971148Huh, that's a scar? I always thought that was an eyebrow or something.
>>152971834Farming is absolutely based.
>>152971970Hebi is a lot larger here then previous appearances
>>152971979>directly hire mooks instead of using an intermediary>inevitably get recognised by your own goonsKagemaru's gettin sloppy
>>152971160Neat, wasn't expecting a "For Better or for Worse" cameo.
>>152971916>bunny hopping
>>152971810I guess a few jumped overboard, though who knows how many knew how to swim?
>>152971193HIKIJI?
>>152971966Holy shit
>>152972366excellent use of the name field, perhaps the greatest namefag in all of /co/
>>152971258Jitte status: not respected
>>152967035If only that would be part of the story.
>>152971649>Oh, Usagi, I pray you do not get involved in all thisI'm sure it's fine, meddling is not in his nature
>>152972340Who the hell are these guys?
>>152974528All the lizards who died in the off screen lizard genocide.
>>152973640Not yet, we've got a ways to go before the bottle of habushu gets opened.
>>152974528What? Don't you know Glorm, Gob, Zot, Gab and Zeth?Those guys have been with Usagi since the first issue, great guys, especially Zot, the lovable rascal.Dunno why they are fighting eachother in this image.
>>152971129>the villian is a better fighter than the heroAnd it's not like Usagi has been implied to be growing in skill.This could be meant as a sop to the fact that Usagi doesn't seem to be headed to a revenge-fight with Hikiji.
>>152972123Gen is not payed enough for this bullshit
>>152974528Hebi's goon squad.
>>152972123Trying to hide a bomb like "people can own cats in this setting" in a wall of text.
>>152974528Mongols? Koreans? Ainu? Jurchen? Wokou pirates?
>>152971316The sandal breaking is a good fake-out.And once again Usagi is not the best.
>>152972263I think Usagi gets stronger when he's angry.
>>152974628Worse, The Dutch
>>152971491>>152971849>Dead Children: 5 + (Ninja Village)Also missed this last thread but in lead up we discussed whether or not to count Sanshobos kid or not. Upon reflection I think it best not to count those who are not visibly prepubescent or heavily implied to have died so, as I want to keep focused and avoid too much speculation.
>>152971817ENTER
>>152972131I'll just drop this here.
>>152971966You see, its shit like this that makes me think Hebi is legit supernatural.
>>152972327Foreshadowing that he's better than Usagi.
>>152972772>his sudden cowardice an intriguing mysteryI think it's just that when defeat and death were CERTAIN he wasn't willing to go all the way for nothing in return. He needed hope to survive.
>>152974776>>152972772He didn't want to get everyone killed because Mifune was driving a revenge boner so hard he ignored the obvious trap.
>>152971193>an unconventional swordsman who rejected the traditional schoolsSurprise Sensei backstory?
>>152971215>though I had hoped yourbschool would have more integrity Hey, at least they aren't Dogara.
>>152974911soon enough
>>152972725
>>152972123>Evil spirits that murder travelers are absolutely real in this world>but we're pretty sure this one's not real, that's why we didn't just burn the wrecked mansion down after those people diedReal geniuses in those parts
>>152971251...was this really necessary?
>>152971269LMAO.
>>152972112>>152972106>>152972112>>152972116>BUSTIN' MAKES ME FEEL GOOD
>>152971289I knew it, it was sensei! Though what the hell was Katsuichi doing working for Hikiji?
>>152971298Foiled by crummy sandals, pottery.
>>152972025Yokai sexo
>>152971316Thanks a lot Usagi, now you've put your own teacher into jeopardy.
>>152971327That should be a sign to go in the complete OPPOSITE direction. But I know Usagi; he just can't resist meddling.
>>152975090Probably trained him.Just so Hikiji could be used as a secret final boss if Sakai ever felt like wrapping the story up.
>>152975033You bet your ass it was. Why?Because FEUUUUUUDAAAAL JAPAAAAAAAAN
>>152971545>>152971541Another rare instance where Hikiji is technically the good guy
>>152974776I think the removal of Gunichi from the flashback was very intentional and not just for the sake of pacing. He serves as a sort of mirror for Usagi. The Noble retainer who stays in the face of uncertain odds and the realist who values their life enough to not throw in with a dead man. Gunichi was a great shadow of everything Usagi was and still is, but that being the most emotionally significant confrontation of that is shelved to make room for this new confrontation with Hikiji to somehow make Usagis enmity towards him even more personal though I bet the shadow lord has no clue Usagi is who he met that day.
>>152975033Arguably yes, but he was tardy.To show his regrets and willingness to take responsibility for his failure he should have slit his belly while sensei was still there.Now nobody will know why he slit his belly, was it because he was mortified by his own actions or was he criticizing his master?There were multiple reasons to perform seppuku and leaving it ambiguous like this is just going to mar his honor instead.
>>152975208>Now nobody will know why he slit his belly,You see he slipped. They had just waxed the floor after the last couple of matches and he wasn't paying attention because he had air pods inDamnedest thing.
>>152973197while we're at it, let's have a japanese political systems 101, shall we? as early as the 6th century western japan was controlled by a confederation of various polities where the Yamato clan had a first-among-equals type of deal. a process of consolidation culminated in a coup and a series of political and administrative reforms, modeled after china's own imperial system, to create a japanese imperial state with the Yamato house as the emperor; it defined the aristocracy, court rankings, governmentships and other public service roles, a military, etc. This was known as the Ritsuryō system, and it's bones lasted for a surprisingly long time, but we'll get to that. speaking of the military, the main objective of the imperial state was 1. conquer the territories to the east that had not been so welcoming to a unified japan and 2. prepare for a potential chinese invasion, as the Tang dynasty was making waves on korea. to these ends the military was a levy system where each governor and his assistants had to keep track of each village, list of available recruits, training and supply an essentially infantry-eccentric force. to lead an army the emperor would appoint a general, a Shogun. Note here that this was not a feudal but a civilian system! there was not supposed to be many hereditary posts, land ownership was not permanent but exchanged through governmentships, and the main political scene was the capital- it sure was good to be a governor and mmake use of that post to make money, but it also meant you were away from the political center of the court. more coveted positions were inside Heian-kyo, which we now call Kyoto. think less "holy roman empire" and more "eastern roman empire".
this proved pretty good for the time, but as time went on the chinese threat never materialized and the eastern territories were subjugated, and this levy system was proving costly and complicated, especially now that the major threats were brigands and revolts. the court looked at solutions to these problems, what they hit on was "outsourcing" their military, issuing warrants to whoever could capture a bandit or lay waste to a revolting village. who would be the men to volunteer? let's look at some candidates: Anon A is a provincial elite, the second son of a wealthy family that traces their lineage and their plots of land back to pre-emperor times. they already have some political clout and many families in their village depend on them for economic support, working in their rice paddies in exchange. Anon B is the second son a lower-rank aristocratic family, he couldn't find a position within the capital bureaucracy so instead he spent his time and money learning martial arts and focusing on the premier military technology of the age, mounted archery. Anon C's family had, like Anon B, bad luck in getting a post in the capital so they opted instead to move to the country side, where they opened new paddies or raised horses to sell. They set up a manor that also serves as a market place for the nearby villages, becoming something like Anon A's provincial elite family. Anon D is descendant of the imperial line! but since the ever expanding family occurred much cost to the court's treasury, lower-hanging branches are pruned- they are not longer of divine lineage but instead gain a surname like the other aristocratic families, likely Taira, Tachibana or Minamoto. Anon D's family peruses the same things as the others above.
what do these anons all have in common? wealth, time, men, and the drive to attain clout within the capital. oh governor, there's a criminal on the loose? here, pick me! I'll deal with him, you don't even need to pay me, just give a good recommendation so I can get that post in the capital! thus the Bushi, the warrior class, starts to form and slowly gain their own class identity. Another factor helped this, the class system was very rigid, so a provincial elite couldn't dream of becoming even a lower-rank aristocrat, just as the later would never be high-ranking. this led to hierarchically vertical alliances, as the parties helped each other attain posts they themselves couldn't legally hold. intra-class disputes became even more strong, as they competed for a finite amount of positions in the bureaucracy. So, let's say you're Noble A and just attained a governmentship, but that fucker Noble B taxed some of your villages! even as you run to the court to petition a warrant against him or his underling who did the job (of course, being nobles, you never step out of your comfy manors in the capital. who wants to get his robes dirty?), you also talk to a lower-rank noble who has useful contacts in the province, who in turn goes aft the contact's contacts and just like that raises a highly trained, if somewhat small, band of private warriors. Noble B does the same and soon enough your warriors are raiding his province and his forces desperately try to defend. this is all, of course, illegal, but then bingo! the court rules in your favor and issues a warrant against Noble B's underling, making all of your military actions legal and empowered by the divine emperor himself, while Noble B's forces are labeled as rebels. of course, had the court ruled against you, other warrior networks would be happy to take the warrant against you.
so this was the landscape during the heian period. you're already thinking of all the problems a warrior class might bring and you're right, but this change to privatization of the military did indeed work at the time, and part of the reason was the civil government and the emperor. now, was the emperor so bogged down in ceremony as to be practically powerless? yes. but he still was the Center of all the state, everything had to pass through him to be legal. even if you had a network of bushi and had the capability to plunder and conquer, none of that would be legal if you didn't have a warrant, and there were plenty of your peers, even family, who would love to hunt you down and earn some clout in the capital. this balance would be upset one day, but it took surprisingly longer than you might think. one factor that definitely was getting worse was private estates, given as rewards or taken from their time as governors, they provided an independent base of support exempt from taxation or warrants. soon there were many powerful families outside the capital with their own tax base and military networks. one fascinating point here though, familial ties were relatively weak outside the immediate family, and weaker still with cousins and uncles. so the famous miliatry clans like the Minamoto or the Taira were never a single unified entity at all! military alliances were built on individuals, such as Kiyomori or Yoritomo (don't worry about these names, you'll learn more about them tomorrow), and didn't last much time.
so where is the shogun after all? In the 1150s a complex set of rivalries emerged over the issue of succession to the imperial throne that led to a civil war and later the Heiji incident, where for the first time warriors acted under their own authority rather than the imperial court's through a warrant. from this conflict part of a Taira Clan (there were multiples) skyrocketed in power over the court led by one Taira no Kiyomori (you can see him here >>152972382 burning in the fires of jogoku for his sins) and that led to many grievances and then a coup where Kiyomori took control of the court. in 1180 an imperial prince sent a call for aid against the Taira and was mostly ignored, except in the case of Minamoto no Yoritomo, whose family was disgraced in the previous upheavals. he used the call as pretext to raise a a rebellion against the court, promising an independent government geared for and by warriors. he managed to gain momentum and utterly smash the Taira (well, his younger, cooler brother did, but you'll see it tomorrow) the court basically couldn't do anything about it. this war broke with many conventions of the time as warriors all across japan used the pretext to attack their neighbors or rebel against their lords. Yoritomo emerged as military hegemon and approached the court with an idea: they would give him the title of General and make it so all military action was dealt by him. basically, he unionized the warrior class. if you took Noble A and B's spat I explained earlier they would appeal to the court as normal but it would be the shogun who decided which warriors would get a warrant or could be employed by Noble A.
so did imperial rule completely break down after the shogunate appeared? if what I read is true, NO! the shogun dealt with military stuff but the administration, the appointment of governors and bureaucrats, taxation, and everything else was still handled by the court! the source of legality was still in the figure of the emperor! only now there was a second parallel government in the east, which would play a game of tug of war in regards to control over japan, and that's a whole other story. the kamakura and muromachi shoguns were never fully in control as the tokugawa shoguns would eventually be and of course, in between them, there was a massive century of total war and complete breakdown of the old administrative system. I hope I didn't bore you to death. also I'm not a expert so take everything with a grain of salt. sources, all of them by the GOAT Karl Friday: -Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan.-The First Samurai: The Life and Legend of the Warrior Rebel, Taira Masakado.-Japan Emerging: Pre Modern History to 1850.
>>152975090>>152975151I remember we talked about this theory last year and its not the most implausible thing. Given that Usagi directly states that Katsuichi had a couple of students before him when he was talking with Shubo, and it seems there must have been some greater incident to spark him going to live as a hermit given he had been content to travel the world beforehand in spite of tragedy he suffered. You could even take his initial attitude towards little Usagi, with his extreme harshness, in contrast to his later students and general personality as evidence. If he trained Hikiji and something about it caused his cynicism then his reluctance for a new student makes sense. Usagi turning out so well then would explain him warming up to being much more willing with taking in other students. The only last bit to the theory is Usagi's scar, which he received from Hikiji in the only example we currently have of the dark lord's swordsmanship. It can be argued the odd angle of the scar along with the fact of Usagi being helmed at the time could be evidence of Hikiji having an unorthodox sword style, and the one we know who teaches that is Katsuichi. Still all this feels like a bit of a stretch, we don't really get enough on Hikiji to get a good idea. It might of been an origional plan by Stan that got scrapped when he moved to the idea of Hikiji being a more background figure villain. Additionally it seems odd that Usagi know Katsuichi had other students but not who those students are and given Katsuichi's personality it seems like he would have told Usagi the truth given his general honor.
>>152971351Usagi you had ONE JOB!
>>152973398I'm always so happy to see anons return from previous years, have a good one. j>>152974113lmao
>>152975309That's some solid work my guy.
>>152971104This retcons the last last retell of the story were Lord Mifune charged despite being at a disadvantage.
>>152972554This feels like a retcon or more like Stan forgot.
>>152971166great choice of song.
>>152971178Wait, sword duels follow Pokemon rules were you have to fight all the scrubs before the Gym leader? Wouldn't this mean that if the old man wins he technically does it when he is super exhausted while the head of the dojo is at his 100%
>>152975668Yes, and?It's feudal Japan, of course it's going to be bullshit.
>>152971234Imagine being the local magistrate having to suddenly deal with sixteen dead students on a random Tuesday.
>>152975090>>152975315I like the storytime's fanon about Katsuichi being Hikiji's personal instructor, it add (another) dash of fated Greek tragedy to the whole thing. However, in the page where Koji is narrating the flashback, the only thing he said was he was defeated three times by some literal who hobo. This would mean Katsuichi was not working for Lord Hikiji during the matches, he only entered as another contestant, and we can only guess at his motives for doing so. Perhaps he wanted nothing more than to test himself against the famous Nakamura Koji. That seems very in character for Katsuichi.>>152971889Lord Of Owls was inspired by Sword Of Doom, right? The face-obscuring hat, the ol' Crazy Eyes. That aside, here's my hot take for the thread: I never liked Lord of Owls as a character. He's to me what Stray Dog is to other anons.>>152975668>Wouldn't this mean that if the old man wins he technically does it when he is super exhausted while the head of the dojo is at his 100%That's a very astute observation and it is explicitly addressed in an upcoming story, actually
>>152971208>>152971215>>152971222Is there any fencing school in this damn country that doesn't try to kill you for beating them fair and square?
>>152975715>sword of doomTook me 2 watching to really like it, now its one of my favorite samurai movies
>>152972189considering a different guy looking the same shows up later maybe he even botched his sepuku.
>>152971393Dang, that girl is strong.
>>152975710>Ok Yoriki, what have you got for me today?>Well sir, we got 16 students of Surudoi school dead on the main street, their head instructor had disemboweled himself in the main training hall and we found sword master Ueno dead on a nearby field>... do we have any idea why and how any of this happened?>Not a slightest, sir>Right, then to settle all of this neatly without any need for any further investigations by shogunate officials, we'll just say that the sword master went mad, slayed his students, was dueled to death by his head instructor and then the head instructor committed seppuku to atone for the slaying of his master>Sir, are you sure that's what happened?>Well it sure as hell DID happen, unless you want us to be swarmed by metsuke for the foreseeable future, possibly even blaming us for this mess!>Understood sir, I shall have the full report ready within the hour
>>152971541>>152971712>>152971716The giant snake just raises more questions
>>152971396When even Usagi's scared shitless, it's time to get the hell out of there.
>>152971077Welcome back to the death rattle tally! Here are the new screams found in today's storytime:>Eyark!: 1>Egak!: 1>Gyark!: 1>Hyarg!: 1>Unk!: 1See attachment for total cry so far. As always, if you have any questions about the count, feel free to ask.
>>152971412[Jurassic Park noises]
>>152971417It's so weird to see the Togaki being an independent threat to Usagi. Outside that one pied piper guy these things have been nothing but benevolent towards him up to this point.
Thanks to all the anons who shined a light on shogun/emperor/japanese history. My lack of knowledge puts me to shame.
>>152975825He was worried when they all snuck up around his campfire while he was asleep and chased him into town bAs far as I can tell these things are probably a bit bigger than a raccoon but we saw one kill at last two men. I wouldn't want to piss off a group of I could help it.
>>152975796Do not ask questions, just follow orders and bow your head before lord Hebi.
>>152975798>if you have any questions about the count, feel free to ask.what would be your death rattle? I can't decide between Floo-! or Trout trout!
>>152971360Oh no, she's cute.
>>152971491Man, ghosts really like to use this poor rabbit as a vessel to carry out their unfinished business. This is like, what, the third time this happened?
>>152975737Have you seen the Samurai Trilogy? No. The answer is no.
>>152971516RIP horse.
>>152971269>>152973766>>152975053
>>152975853What do you think his supper is like. Do they give him actual food and he eats it with little utensils he uses with his tail or do they just likeServe an entire deer he eats whole and he's good for a month.
>>152971527Oh hey, its Son Killer again.
>>152975033yes however it was a terrible seppuku, a very low rating
>>152973837lmao get a load of this eyebrowslet. Everyone, point and laugh at Thinny Thin Thinbrows over here.>>152971817>this single page is so good. I wish sakai did a mini series set in the thick of the sengoku periodAgreed! Stan's artwork in this period is really good at capturing that feeling of sweeping historical epic that the KOEI games illustrated by Noriyoshi Ohrai did as well.
>>152971534Hikiji?!
>>152971339I like to image half of the time we see Usagi rushing to save some merchant from a group of dirty scoundrel, the Merchant is actually evil and the mob has a very good reason to kill him.
>>152971178
>>152975945I would play a strategy game in Usagi's Japan.
>>152971479I like this little conversations, make the world feel real.
>>152972188The only thing that comes up looking for "dogora" is an obscure as hell Godzilla monster, so couldn't even begin to tell you.
>>152975668
>>152971817EL HOMBRE ARANA
>>152971834You know I just realized, Ikeda's speech combined with his look makes me think of Kraven the Hunter
>>152971860Holy shit, HOLY SHIT someone resisted a Feudal Moment
>>152975916Let's. Let's not explore this topic too deeply.
>>152971403>There's a hint of fur around his mouth.That's just how Stan quickly scribbles shading and features in a face, often to showcase the folds around the mouth. I know some anons really obsessively focused on Tom Luth's colouring but we know the man made weird choices and mistakes in the IDW run otherwise. It really seems absurd to me to take Sakai as somehow secretly retconning Hikiji but also subtly enough that we have to argue about it- surely if he DID retcon Hikiji as no longer human (something I'm always surprised he never did), it would be shown very openly and clearly, and he wouldn't spend all of Senso hiding Hikiji's face
>>152971916Yuki Matsuzaki, Usagi's VA in TMNT and the Netflix show, actually did a recording of this little song once but I couldn't find it.
>>152971148>>152971541Hey wait a sec, Sanshobo has that same weird scar/eyebrow thing. Now I'm even more confused here, I doubt they both somehow managed to get the same scar in the same place.
>>152976110dude, hot. shame she eats him though
>>152971545Usagi just wanted to take the opportunity to take out Hikiji, he didn't give a damn if he was innocent in all this.
>>152975868My death rattle? Probably, Hauk like Noodles.
>>152975032But what if the Obakeneko haunts YOUR house after you burnt down it's mansion?
>>152975945>Noriyoshi Ohraihow come I've never heard of this guy, holy shit!
>>152972252>>152972263Christ this is like the second most pissed he's been so far
>>152976095Now you see why we like Ike.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDBYuAxyT4E
>>152972172He must have practiced after last time he was given pottery to protect.
>>152974113I really like this Inazuma's eyes. You can absolutely see why on meeting her, Usagi's first instinct was to touch his sword.
>>152971602Turns out good ol cartoon slapstick is a surprisingly effective war tactic.
>>152971894>>152971900I dunno why the lack of a death cry unsettles me, but it does.
>>152976095Your reaction and that page really encapsulates what makes Usagi Yojimbo and storytiming it so special. More than any epic clash of warlord armies, or generational blood vendetta fulfilled, or 1v1 duel between sword-saint katana masters, or the quelling of some monstrous world-ending yokai, it's THIS small moment when a man steps up and says '無理!' to Feudal Japan that goes the hardest.
>>152976287my first instinct was to touch my sword too, if you know what I mean
>>152971637Fucking hell, all that work for NOTHING.
>>152976236I welcome the challenge
>>152975710Hell, imagine being one of the students and coming to learn your sword master is dead and the head instructor committed seppuku
>>152972378
>>152976360No refunds.
>>152973637Too high arsenic contnet.
>>152971916damn this guy can even hide his power level
>>152972263it's been mentioned before but top right panel goes super fucking hard
>>152976386Ahem: my death haikuTo study the bladeHonor will demand a priceno refunds given
>>152971966There is an enormous white snake in Nioh 2, can't recall if it has a Boss theme.
>>152971673>>152971683Wait what? Normal snakes exist in this world too? Then what the hell is Hebi?!Is this like some kind of Pluto/Goofy situation?
>>152971104>>152974718Lmao>>152975007This is one of my favorites too.
>>152976436That was his nephew. Dudes gonna be pissed when he found out Gen cut his head off.
>>152975715I like LoO but fair enoughHe shows up like what, twice? Seems like he should be really important but just fucks off from the narrative
>>152971707I guess we found Hebi's wife?
>>152972021Is "beware" being counted as a death cry?
>>152976453Forgot to add the comment that I maintain the hypothesis that it's less that Hikiji is a master in bribery and more that Mifune just snapped and antagonized all of his retainers into betraying him.>>152976485Might have been his mother.A snake and the yokai/sorceress that took him as husband?
>>152971731>Katsuichi:"Fuckin smartass."
>>152976515>Might have been his mother.>A snake and the yokai/sorceress that took him as husband?Lmao it would be funny if they accidentally killed Hebi's mom and dad by raw happenstance>Oh look Ka-san, Samurai. I wonder if they're under little Hebi-chan's command? I will go say "hello" and see if they know how the boy is doing.
>>152971752Poor Usagi got brain damage from too many whacks to the noggin. Explains a lot of his dumb decisions later in life.
>>152976360>>152976386>put all of your savings into attending the finest fencing school>halfway through your teacher’s get killed>can’t continue lessons since your instructors are dead>can’t seek any meaningful employment since you never finished your lessons>too broke to enroll in another fencing schoolNo wonder they got so many 3rd rate ronins running around robbing people and resorting to criminality>>152976436Hebi’s just built different
>>152976591No, that dumb bunny has such a thick skull it's the only way any lessons are gonna get into that long eared menace
>>152971783Sheesh, who invited Captain Buzzkill over here?
>>152971797FAFO.
>>152972021ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE?I don't know anything about wrestling, so I don't even know if this is what they said in WWE.
>>152971804Aw fuck, he slaughtered the whole boat, didn't he?>>152971810Goddammit. He just wanted an excuse to kill at this point.
>>152976095
>>152971955literally me
>>152976777Giant snake, or poor guy shot with arrow?
>>152976827
>>152971534That Samurai must be a tank if these wounds aren't even mortal
>>152975792Such is life in Moscow. I mean, Feudal Japan.
>>152975151Well met, sword bros! Here's a bounty list:Meddlesome Samurai(& Other) Bounties>Katana: 10 ryo>Usagi: 15 ryo>Leonardo 15 ryo>Samonosuke: 30 ryo>Mitsurugi: 30 ryo>Haohmaru: 50 ryo>Jetstream Sam: 50 ryo>Kenshin: 75 ryo>Jack: 100 ryo>Snake Eyes: Whatever COBRA is paying>Scooby-Doo & The Gang: 150 ryo
>>152975668S'why you bring underlings to fight his underlings. Or pose as your school's top dog then tag the real one in after beating all the trash.War is the art of deception. If you're fighting fair, you've already fucked up.
>>152975888Spirits are drawn to meddlesome souls.
>>152976110
>>152976976>"This guy would surely get involved in stuff he shouldn't!"Whereas other samurai are all "no, fuck you, peasant ghost!"
>>152976697Then he and Keiko spent upwards of an hour, figuring out how to sail it.
>>152971817One of my favourites of the short stories.
>>152975993Whimpsuke is to powerful, he bleed at the first strike.
>>152977041>Implying the tides and wind didn't carry the gods chosen soldier of their own volition. Oh you're not going to be spared the black blade, anon.
>>152972374I have letters, although I don't know if this thread will survive long enough for me to process them.
>>152975162Hikiji is just the badguy because Usagi has beef with him, but in general he isn't better or worse that your average high caste japanese noble.
>>152975868AUGH!I also imagine that most of the death rattles sound like the ones from AOE2.
>>152977102
>>152977293
>>152977302
>>152977313
>>152977322Murderanon's letter page is from issue 12>>152972374
>>152977041I could see it, would’ve made for a cute and/or funny sequence watching them fumble around lol
Alright, today's drawings! Added Nakamura Koji, Swordsmaster Ueno, and Instructor Ishii. Also the gentleman who Usagi will meet soon enough, the Lord of Owls, the former General Ikeda, and Kagemaru. Also touched up Hebi to bring him closer to how he's looking in these stories, and tried to make sense of Chizu's hairdo.>>152965902 Yesterday's bunch for comparison, and otherwise, resized everything down a bit more for space again.>>152976190Stan genuinely draws that line as a general eyebrow or indicator of the forehead wrinkling because of the eyebrow, but ALSO as Usagi's scar. It's often confusing and sometimes he slips and forgets to draw Usagi's scar because he gets it mixed up too.
>>152972139Every fucking time Usagi enters the Geishu territory he is welcome by a dead samurai in a horse.
>>152971602This is some home alone shit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa-ZIXJdDW4
>>152971649Even Chizu schemes.
>>152971707Reminds me of the snake Lady from the movie Ninja Scroll... although less sexy.
>>152971752Remember the tengu, it will be important later
>>152971804>>152976697Jei's trigger seems to be people agreeing with him out of fear, later in the story when certain someone once met him and admitted his ignorance about what Jei was rambling about he didn't kill him.
>>152971817Peak story.
>>152971590>2 bottom-left panelsPlease tell me one of you guys turned them into a reaction image, it’s too perfect
>>152971834RIP soldier.
>>152971849FEUDAL JAPAN!!!!
>>152971849This story is ruthless, fuck.
>>152971860Fucking Royalty.
>>152972361>>152972334Wait is he The poison tea guy
>>152971877how much is a zeni?
>>152971860What an amazing payoff, this might actually be my favorite story in the series so far.
>>152976331He killed them so fast they died before they could register it.
>>152971911Yarg! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZkB8g0JuOM
>>152971860>>152971866In a sillier story, this would end with a few thousand followers moving in, either to support the Generals new direction, the ones who don't believe it's a long con. Heck. It sounds like the premise of an SoL manga.
>>152971866When will he LEARN.
>>152971834General, let the spider bite you. You'll get cool super powers, fight a guy in a Rhino suit, but also suffer from melodrama
>>152971931>He doesn't know I'm here>I know you are thereThat makes me smile
>>152976495No, he was dead already and it's spoken, not cried or uttered.
>>152977907No joke, it was made into one over twelve years ago.
>>152977907They absolutely have, but I don't have it saved myself.
>>152971881>trying to threaten a wondering ronin by telling him he can probably get paid by killing youSurprised he managed this long without getting Gen'd.
>>152971955"I'll have your HEADS for this!"Uh, they might be a bit occupied for that, Hebi.
>>152971961>>152971966>>152971970This dude is legit terrifying.
>>152972000>No mention of ZatoCome on, man. He saved Gen life!
>>152978320Many thanks, I fully intend to abuse the hell out of this
>>152972004Man, it's so good to see Tomoe again. Feels like it's been ages since she last showed up.
>>152971961Kill the giant snake>>152971966Oh fuck! a giant snake!
>>152971991Guys, I don't think Kagemaru is fooling Hebi here.
>>152972049Its so funny seeing animal people being shocked that slightly different animal people exist.
>>152972123I like to think Exposition-San spoke like this guy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzd11GMBONg
>>152978603>slightly different animal peopleThat's a devil ghost. Might as well say people get freaked out by seeing "slightly transparent people"
>>152977572Fuck, these continue to be great. I especially like that you managed to distinguish Kagemaru and Gunji, not an easy feat.
>>152971966>Hebi really needs a theme song.He wears a disguiseto look like animal guysBut you're not a mammalYou're a snake, Hebi.HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!>>152978577>Sorry, Lord Hebi, we don't know how these people keep getting in here.>HISSSSSSSSSSSSS!
>>152971320One of my favorites>>152975668It's more like Pokemon rules follow sword rules
>>152977987It's one-tenth of a bu.Alright, alright. The bu in turn is worth one-fifth of a ryo, the big flat gold coins worth one koku apiece. The bu is a silver coin and worth two Japanese scoops of rice which is bizarrely close to one imperial bushel. The zeni is copper and worth two sho of rice, which are called "Japanese liters" but which are actually closer to two liters apiece (1.8 to be exact). So Usagi's cup of tea here costs him about three and a half liters of rice, which will keep you going for a good few days at least.
>>152972200I like this yellow samurai.
>>152972382Thank Murder
>>152972033>Tomoe is both a fast and hearty eaterDamn, didn't think she'd get any more perfect.
>>152978656had to actually export as png to get the transparency. ah well>>152978624Thank you! I remember last year I started doodling these either because of all the chuunin, all the catgirls, or all the Jeis, so trying to make them distinguishable has been my priority
>>152978772>>152978779What a goofy lil rabbit
>>152971966>>152978658I think Hebi showed up one day looking for a job, nobody was brave enough to point out he was a big snake and he did his job so well everyone got used to him.
>>152972060>>152972065Usagi's always getting dragged into these Scooby-Doo ass plotlines.
>>152977572this has been a highlight this year.
>>152972073Lmao, she just scratched Gen as a sort of "fuck you" to getting found out.
>>152978036https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txWWi2n76FI
>>152972106It took him a concerning amount of time to realize he had a second blade.
>>152972112Yeesh, that is unusually grisly for this series.
>>152972116Stan really feeding the shippers with pages like this.
>>152972139I'm so used to black and white that seeing colored pages all of a sudden is like a flashbang.
>>152972186You know, it never occurred to me that the Tokage can come in different colors. I always thought they were green by default.
>>152972206Usagi's feeling rather quippy today.
>>152972233>>152972236Okay, that's really clever.
>>152972252>>152972263Now is the time to RUN.
>>152972282You know the fact that Usagi says "such as karma" even in the face of his own death is so much more badass than it has any right to be.
>>152972291Yay, more Tomoe! You know, I always thought she'd be orange or brown instead of cream colored.
>>152972294Man, Panda Boy's growing up.
>>152979133>I always thought she'd be orange or brown instead of cream colored.Tanned tomboy vs pale princess
>>152979133That is how she is normally coloured, in covers etc, yes.
>>152975911I've seen this shitpost so many times over the years I genuinely read this page >>152971269 with Usagi saying eyebrows.
>>152974168Still pretty great, though.
>>152975275>>152975279>>152975286>>152975297>>152975303>>152975309Thanks anon, this is a fascinating history lesson.
>>152976055Kek, saved.
>>152979133>>152979157>>152979229I wouldn't mind if she was lighter since she often gets confused for Chizu since both are similar shades of brown. I wonder if Stan was considering retconning her color scheme in this story for that reason but decided not too since there was already years of covers with her canon color scheme. Alternatively it was just a colorist fuck up since Tomoe's nose isn't colored in >>152972303
>>152979229Isn't she that sort color on the cover with the entire cast flying kites? Those came well after those other issues.
>>152978593He absolutely wasn't fooled by any of that, but unlike Hikiji, Hebi is fair. Strict and merciless, but fair. He can see the intent of this stunt. He's willing to give a proactive, clever guy (who's also a suck-up) a chance. Or two. Or three. But for Hebi, he's just another useful tool to discard if it stops working as intended.
>>152976215That's the hottest part, though.
>>152979625Maybe if you're into that. I'm not.
>>152978779Thanks for the png, I found immediate use for it!
