Strap in ronin, Emperor Showa's Wild Ride isn't finished yet!Previously: https://desuarchive.org/co/thread/153493478
>>153824887I miss the annual thread, god it goes so fast.
I love Chashida like you wouldn't believe.
>>153825182Holy shit her ass is HUGE
>So that's it? What, you're just going to be some kind of, some kind of USAGI YOJIMBO - Kaito '84 by Dogu Press(tm) (Dark Horse Publishing) All Rights Reserved?
>>153825258Stop saying that!
>genre-savvy Kitsune just nopes the fuck outhttps://youtu.be/NmPhaG1ud38
>>153824973Woodcutters!
>>153824934Kami Sasuke got moves
>the Sakai family as rabbitsThis is too fucking adorable. Zack and Jared could almost be forgiven for being gay shoyuboy furries almost>>153825581Oh shit good eye anon.
Mouse Guard is a very good series as well and if you're a Usagi FREAK you might like MG as well. >Mifune's mon sticker on the air vent
>last page is some millenial whinging on and on about muh youth muh memberberries For what purpose.
And that's Kaito '84, issue #03.
>>153824887Hell yeah!
>>153825985Between this and that F4 one-shot, it's been a very Sakai few days.
>>153824934>Hmm <pauses> Kitsune-san?Oh shit, it seems that Sasuke knows her REAL name, but chooses not to say it out loud.>>153825218Does that official... have 5 fingers, perchance?>>153825296Fuck, 80's Nii is dead.>>153825491Sasuke loves fucking with people. I don't think he gets to have any other entertainment than that.
>>153825004>Long ago in a distant land, I, Jei, the Blade of the Gods unleashed an unspeakable evil but a meddling Ronin Warrior wielding a magic sword stepped forth to oppose me.
The pronounced underbites and fangs are fucking with me. They look good, but they're fucking with me a lot after human-ish teeth on everyone barring weirdos like the Komori after all these years.
>>153826335>Oh shit, it seems that Sasuke knows her REAL nameI interpreted those panels as Sasuke not seeing who was speaking but agreeing with them with his back turned, then he turns around and oh, it's Kitsune, another memberberries. Which is bad writing because Sasuke knows everybody in his vicinity, supernaturally.
>>153825985Damn, I just started reading it and it's already over.Definitely has that Stan energy behind it!
>>153824951Every few hundred years you saySo the next time could be... in space
LOCG AMA with Stan for those curious about his responseshttps://leagueofcomicgeeks.com/community/thread/56335214
>>153825142>>153825182The cutest kitty on the force with the fattest ass.>>153825218I miss Ishida.
>>153826519>I have long wanted to do a loose series called Usagi Yojimbo: Kagemusha (Shadow Warriors) which are Usagi stories by myself or other creators using characters or plots from Usagi and can take place in any time or location.Wait a second, why does this remind me of Kage kashira?Are you reading these threads, Stan?
>>153826519>the ROCKaaaaaAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!
>>153826601>Rock>Sword school>Its a kitsune storyOh, dear
>>153826601>Yagyu villageThere are some powerful samurai spirits at work here!
>>153826578If Colonel Olrik or Venom Mayumi shows we'll know.
>>153826519/ourguy/ got his question (and ours by extension) answered! Terry-chan is back on the menu, lads!!!!
>>153826646But I think Kitsune is cute.
>>153826423Jei fights evil though, but Usagi is a FOOLISH SAMURAI.
>>153825106Cute cat with messy hair
>>153825823Damn are all the Miyamoto children bastards fathered upon childhood friends
>>153826748>I would like to bring her back but haven't decided if she really had a brother or not.Nobody asked him about that... But we talked about it a lot in this years storytime...I'm starting to feel like I'm taking crazy pills here!Stan, if you are reading this, then thank you for this great comic, hope you can keep on making more awesome stories for years to come!
>>153826456I really hope we get to see Lord Hebi in this art style
>>153826748Huh, he made an account just for this
>>153826924Jotaro would never leave his auntie Tomoe like that.
>>153825415Kek
>>153825036Yukichi is young and callow enough to obey a cop.
>>153825296>It’s 1980s Japan Tomo, you never had a choice when your superior decides to stick you out in the firing line.
>>153826601The Rock!
>>153824916Once again Sasuke, where were you between the years of 1933 and 1945?
>>153827105A Yakuza boss with a massive mural tattooed down his back.
>>153827415Hebi is an upstanding politician
>>153826748>havent decided if she really had a brother or not.Hmmm
>>153824951...every few hundred years huh? So where did the cycle start. Who is the demise of usagi yojimbo?
>>153825707>>153825778>>153825847The masculine urge to scream at the top of your lungs until your voice goes hoarse and you start spitting up blood because you don't live in a highly nostalgic and curated city-pop Japan from the 1980s
>>153827454Hebi shed his skin but vainly keeps his Yakuza tattoo in a glass case in his vault.
>>153828554No Kaito, it goes back further.Your inability to marry Mariko or Tomoe caused the Gempai War!
PencilAnon also got his questions answered. Also interesting response to the question of Usagi's descendants, in that it both soft de-canonizes the events of Senso as literal (since how could history proceed as normal in the aftermath of a Martian invasion), and soft-canonizes a couple of storytime fan-theories about Usagi's descendants, specifically that one branch of the Miyamoto's did stay in Japan and another immigrated to the United States.Also that last response is a flat out lie and everyone should know it.
>>153829017>kamikaze pilot UsagiThat's pretty dark
>>153826578It's interesting how long he's had this idea but it "never really got off the ground." I can't imagine it'd be any easier now.
>>153828554>Who is the demise of usagi yojimbo?Hikiji and Hijiki
>>153829082Bushido: not even once!https://youtu.be/B8bBmjheERI
>>153825939I'll gladly call someone slurs for having the wrong opinion on Star Wars. What did he want to assert?
>>153829169why are their mouths blacked out?
>>153829458Censored to protect the identity of the POW being photographed. Or, my much funnier interpretation, they're both cussing and their lips are easily read so the Navy had their picture barred to keep their anti-seppuku propaganda safe for all audiences.
>>153829513I figured their eyes would be blacked out.
>>153825374>she peeled me like a banana>Tomoe will never peel you like a banana
>>153826471Are you serious?
>>153825564Usagi and his wife (endgame) on their merry way.
>>153825004This heavy load of exposition that everyone just accepts is not very good.
>>153825415Had "ronin" already emerged as a humorous term for failed university entrance-exam takers by this point?
>>153825491Has Sasuke gotten tired of lying to people about how they totally just mentioned their names to him?
>>153831317He lost the joy in that 100 years ago
>>153824887I don’t understand the point of a usagi comic not written or drawn by Sakai.
>>153831744Sakai literally explains it himself if you care to read his posts/AMA answers.
>>153825142>>153825182That ass has game
>>153825218This artist really likes drawing the bottom fangs as visible for some reason. Not that I hate it, but it's a very consistent thing.
>>153827390Indiana Jones adventure
>>153825443>Jizo statues +1
>>153831599After the second nuke it kinda lost the charm.
>>153826748Terry, my beloved.
https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/usagi-yojimbo-tales-of-rabbit-ronin-bundleIn case you feel like owning usagi digitally
FEUDERU JAPANERU RETURNU TO-O /CO/RU DESU
>>153831952If only she was wearing something that would accentuate it.
80s japan had arrest quotas?
>>153830871Yeah? You wanna make something of it? You wanna go??? I am trained in bullshido warfare let's fucking go MENDICANT say that to my face not on Usenet I'll smack you in da fangs.Actually re-reading that page again I now interpret this exchange as Sasuke flexing his "I know everyone's name telepathically, like you for example, Kitsune" ability. I don't think Kitsune has any other name besides Kitsune in the Kaitoverse
>>153831953Feels like a visual reference to the prominence of snaggleteeth in anime.>>153833966The exchange between Kaito and Tomoe in the interrogation room feels very American cop drama. As I understand it, and I'm not an expert but we did talk a little about it during this year's storytime, the Japanese way is just to hold you until you confess to whatever they want you to.
>>153834027I that case, I'll be sure to bring a backpack.>>153834062Japanese justice system is bonkers and often has little to do with actual justice.
The first issue was an introduction, the second had all the insane reveals and the third one is mostly a set up for the last two. I am, however, a bit worried that the main reason for this whole commotion (Jei) is still unaccounted for.
>>153834062Tomoe doesn't have time for Japanese justice. She needs to be eating riceballs now and not later.
>>153829092>Stray Dog spinoffReal shit?
>>153829092On the other hand, the fact you're reading the miniseries you are right now might be the sign this IS the getting off the ground. He already considers Space Usagi retroactively part of Kagemusha, and now seems to consider Kaito part of that label too. Maybe it's something he'll retroactively apply in future reprints.
>>153827152Stan? Yeah, I'd imagine this is his first AMA
>>153835099(on this site, I mean)
>>153834596>I need to eat Tomoe's riceballs RIGHT NOWSame brother, same.
>>153834146>Japanese justice system is bonkers and often has little to do with actual justice.I mean do any justice systems? Japs basing it all off "we need a confession" isn't that much worse than the plea deal revolving door we have
>>153835080Who knows.While us Usagi freaks are reading and enjoying Kaito, what is ultimately gonna decide the thing is how it sells.Hopefully well enough so that Stan can start doing consult work with new artists, rather than being stuck with his own creative output speed.
>>153829554>>153829513Maybe the angle of the photo does enough to obstruct the eyes enough?
>>153829082But perhaps befitting of Usagi. Loyal to his lord and bushido, until experience teaches him everything is not black and white. Not every kamikaze pilot was able to sacrifice themselves. Another, perhaps more grim subject, that I theorized could work is the Second Sino-Japanese war.
>>153829082it gets darker when godzilla returns
>>153826748It's interesting he calls her "21st century descendant". In another answer >>153829092 he mentions "a modern day crime writer". Makes me wonder if he's revamped Terry to be that, and if so, if he's moved Terry's present to be now but having her still be like she was in Ten Little Critters, or if he's imagining her appearing as a 50 or 60 year old woman.
>>153826578>>153826683We can only hope
>>153826978Sakura's possibly-real, possibly-nonexistant brother is her major plot hook, so it would be the natural thing to have to decide if he wants to bring her back
>>153825182Dat booty tho
>>153825182If Tomoe is packing this kind of wagon, I can only imagine what dump truck Mayumi has got
I saw the floppies of this series in my LCS and was thinking about picking them up, what do you guys think of the series so far?
>>153837626I think how much you will enjoy Kaito '84 will depend on how much of a Usagi FREAK you are to begin with. The criticism one anon brought up during the annual storytime of how nostalgiabait-y it is has some merit, and the limited 5 issues start to finish cripples how much the plot and setting can do, but it feels more true to Usagi Yojimbo than say, the Samurai Rabbit Netflix show or the Power Rangers x Usagi crossover comic. The more feral character designs are different from Usagi Yojimbo and that could either be a plus or minus to you, personally I think Jared's take on Usagi is one of the better non-Stan interpretations out there.
>>153837626I like it.Pros:>art and art style are fantastic>issue 2 was pure hype>Yukichi is adorable>fun new takes on old characters>one of the oldest jokes from the annual storytime became 100% canonCons:>breakneck pacing and quite a bit of expository dialogue>(to some) art style is much more furry than the regular seriesSo far it's an 8,5/10, the last two issues will be the key. Either they will hit the right spot and make Kaito truly great and memorable, or misfire/rush the ending and bring the series down to just a bit above average.
>>153825182Now I know why they call it the paddy wagon>>153837899>>153838077I kinda wish it was more than five issues, I have a feeling the last couple will rush things to wrap everything up
>>153831981Indiana Jones and the Blade of the Gods
>>153838156>I kinda wish it was more than five issues,Same but it is what it is. Also hand-painting each page with good old ink on paper the way Jared does it instead of digitally must be extremely time-intensive so there's that consideration as well. But all that said, the way this particular word balloon is phrased makes me hold out hope that Kaito '84 might go on beyond this mini-series.
>>153838156At least half of the next issue will be Tomoe and Usagi trying to get the sword, while shit hits the fan for the rest of the cast. The final issue should be a rush to save/defend whoever gets in trouble and the final confrontation with Jei. Old Man Sasuke has a 75% chance to die, perhaps even in issue 4. I'm willing to bet Tomoe will not get back to being a cop yet and the dirty politician behind all the troubles will be our group's next target while Ishida keeps their cover.Also old witch Keiko keeping Jei alive somehow - he'll be back.It was revealed to me in a dream.
>>153838480>northOf course, Hikiji 84' comes from Mutsu.
>>153838602Stan....
>>153837899I honestly would have liked a period piece of Japan in the 80s. You knows modern suffering instead of feudal suffering.
Aww yeah, new Usagi storytime AND a new Tex talks battletech, my weekend is going great!
>>153839844Hopefully if there are more adventures with Kaito in the Showa era that is the direction they will take.
>>153838480It would be totally in the spirit of the original series to have the arc conclude in a self-contained way but with the possibility for more future adventures.
>>153838602Sasuke isn't dying. He needs to be around for Space Usagi fighting Warhammer 40K daemons
>>153825258>Sasuke frowns
>>153839844A "how it's made" episode but it's about salarymen and Japanese office culture.
>>153839844>Hoodlum student gangs wandering the streets and getting in fights with salaryman Usagi, just like bandits of old>Honorable salaryman gets scapegoated by his company, to retain the honor of the company he jumps off the building, without contradicting companys statement>Usagi takes up a task from a honorable company worker to bring a very valuable chia pet to a company boss who doesn't appreciate the sacrifices of his workers
>>153831899I dont
>>153844070A FUCKING CH-CH-CH-CHIA
>>153844070Too bad it’s not a decade later, imagine dying for a Beanie Baby or a couple of Youngblood #1
>>153833966All police have arrest quotas
>>153844070>>Hoodlum student gangs wandering the streets and getting in fights with salaryman Usagi, just like bandits of oldhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9V-KF3kd_o&list=RDk9V-KF3kd_o&start_radio=1Time to bust out the Hare of Miyamoto style
>>153847308I thought they had traffic ticket quotas.
>>153847515They have those too. Gotta justify the insane budgets and military hardware
>>153825106Anyone else see the water on the desk as cocaine lines in the last panel?
>>153848459Now I do.
>>153825778>high hitched pantsCrimes come back to haunt us all!
>>153826748>haven't gone into the gambling world of feudal JapanI mean, sort of. Lots of Usagi plots prior to that have involved gambling fen debts or gang bosses running dens, at least as I recall.
>>153825778The grumpiest kitty on the force.
>>153835099I meant Fonseca
>>153826519Someone should mirror all these.>>153826601Interestingly in previous times he said the next story is called Honor of the Arrow. I'm assuming it's a Ten Thousand Plums deal where it'll be two stories in one mini.>>153825415really good backgrounds, man
>>153827390exorcising the entirety of Manchuria
>>153849257I imagine anyone from here who asked questions made new accounts just for it
>>153825823adorable kid designs.
I don't like it. I feel like we're barely getting started and we're more than half away through. Characters just shout their personalities.
What's a good place to look at popular swimsuit designs in Japan in the 1980s? Asking for reasons.
>>153825745Can confirm, Mouse Guard is kino
>>153835320You don't normally get plea deals unless they're either after somebody bigger, or they're afraid they don't have enough evidence to convict you of anything, and hope you're dumb enough to take a deal and serve some time anyway for shit they can't reliably prove.
>>153848459You spread your cocaine very sloppy, anon. Get a razor blade and a mirror already
>>153849274>Someone should mirror all these.archived it on wayback machinehttps://web.archive.org/web/20260524060717/https://leagueofcomicgeeks.com/community/thread/56335214
>>153846032Muh chia pet!Said the CEO, with profligate disregard to the well being of his company workers.
>>153851737I dunno. Best guess I can take is to take a look at 1980s anime, find the beach episodes and work from there.Here's a list of beach episodes in anime, now you just gotta check out the ones from 80s and see for yourself what was popular at the time.https://myanimelist.net/stacks/40409
>>153851737Pinterest is unironically a really good platform for this kind of visual research. Don't sleep on Pinterest just because it has a (deserved) reputation for a mom website.
>>153824887next issues: (also softcover and hardcover in november)>RELEASES JUN 24, 2026Usagi Yojimbo: Kaitō '84 #4Forced into an impossible alliance, Kaitō and Tomoe now face the ultimate test. To escape a sacred shrine, they must overcome three ancient trials designed to push their courage, intellect, and compassion to the absolute limit. With monstrous guardians and spectral demons at every turn, their only hope for survival is each other. But is a partnership between a thief and a cop strong enough to endure a final test designed to break them apart?Comic · 32 pages · $4.99>RELEASES JUL 22, 2026Usagi Yojimbo: Kaitō '84 #5The final showdown is here! It’s Kaitō’s crew versus the reborn demon Jei in a climactic battle across the rooftops of Osaka Castle. But even if they win, can an ancient evil be truly defeated? In the thrilling conclusion to Kaitō's first adventure, victory leads to an impossible choice, and a horrifying twist reveals that evil isn't gone... it's just getting started.Comic · 32 pages · $4.99
>>153855204Wait a second...>32 pages>the actual comic is only 19, from page 3 to 22, the rest being fluffThis should be illegal, it's 2 pages less than an average UY issue. No wonder the pacing is crazy fast, we are missing half an issue in total.
>>153855204>evil isn't gone... it's just getting started.
>>153855561>>153855204Wait a minute. It's 1984 and evil emerges. Sweet Emna! HIKIJI 84 IS COBRA!!
>>153824916Shortstack Kitsune is still a weird choice for me.
>>153855814She looks like she's got a fat ass too though I can't tell if it's the baggy tracksuit doing most of the work.
>>153851737https://www.tumblr.com/lovejapanese80s
>>153825004I fucking love sasukestill, I'm starting to side with anon on how making this series too much of a member berries thing isn't really good.
>>153825066holy shit tomoe
>>153825182ass aside, this is a great re-characterization of usagi not believing the same world tomoe does.
>>153825296oh shit Nii is fucking dead
>>15383129590% yes
>>153855973MODERN JAPAAAAAAAN!!!
>>153825778it may have taken 400 years, but Tomoe has game
>>153856030Don't mistake attractiveness for game.
>>153826578yet again asking if anon finished his fanfic thing
>>153855204>RELEASES JUN 24, 2026>RELEASES JUL 22, 2026OP here. I'll try to storytime these issues the following Friday so more people have time to read along during the weekend. I know for a lot of us the Usagi annual is the only reason we even come to /co/ any more, so don't forget to check in that week. Remember to save the date, FREAKS.
>>153856030She was always cute, Tomoe and Usagi kept fumbling the ball.
>>153825374Last panel.Yukichi is so twink that he seems from that webcomic about the wop-dog and the twink-bunny.>>153825066Tons of no game generation for Tomoe had made her soul full of rage.>>153825823Kenichi was so cucked that he had been erased by the Wheel of Reincarnation.(Never ever Usa-Ken bunnies like the Oni-Baku)However waiting for 84-Chizu and probably 84-StrayDog
>>153856218>84 ChizuOh please yes.>>153856108Yojimbro or FREAK? Choose your side!
>>153856218>Kenichi was so cucked that he had been erased by the Wheel of Reincarnation.Or he ascended past it. His PR team was top tier this year.
>>153856063I just want a link to his writings.Anyone got it?
>>153856677Neko Ninja Mayumi Chapter 1 and Prologue are saved as text files in the 2025 folder of the archives.https://mega.nz/folder/Dsd31LiR#grnO0n2INCHplEWo4nOCYQ
>>153827390He got lost pursing a bunch of little yellow demons into an icy cave
>>153856030>>153856218
>>153825374>It's time to UNSHEATHE my sword!!
>>153826519He answered the guy who had the Usagi Floppies
>>153837899That art makes me want to see some Jei stories smiting EVIL
>>153826519Did anybody ask about making a fighting game? I missed this.
Thank you very much OP>>153851785>>153825745Was it ever storytimed on /co/?
>>153856529Kenichi has attained buddha-ness and become a bodisatva or one with the force or whatever the fuck its called
