Miyamoto Usagi is a character created by Stan Sakai. He first appeared in Albedo magazine, but was popular enough to start his own series, Usagi Yojimbo. On occasion, Usagi has appeared in cross-overs with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Mirage Comics
One or more of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have appeared in the Usagi Yojimbo stories listed below. All stories were written by Stan Sakai unless otherwise noted.
1987 Series
In the 1987 series, Usagi was mistakenly called Usagi Yojimbo, which is the title of the comic rather than the name of the character.
Usagi first appeared when Donatello's interdimensional device malfunctioned due to interference from The Shredder's device. Upon entering the Turtle's dimension, Usagi assumed that the Turtles were Turtle Guards sent to attack him. Luckily, Michelangelo was able to subdue him. They decide that Usagi should be returned to his home and that he should stay with the Turtles until they can transport him back.
Usagi helped the Turtles find the source of the disruption. After fighting some Foot Ninja, Usagi wandered into a rabbit-themed restaurant where he was mistaken for a waiter. Shortly after, he decided to "liberate" his "enslaved brothers."
After his rebellion, Michelangelo found him and took him to the rest of the group. When Baby-San was hatched, Usagi was part of the group that found Obento. Usagi was the one to place the Blue Flame of Osaka in the dragon's mouth, causing him to return to his egg. Afterwards, Obento agreed to care for Usagi until he could return home.
Movies
There was a banner with an image of Usagi on the set of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.[1]
Usagi saving Leo from being killed
2003 Series
In the 2003 series, The Turtles meet Usagi in the Battle Nexus and soon became their ally. Later, he visited the Turtles in New York. Leonardo was transported to Usagi's world by the Ultimate Ninja/Drako and asked Usagi for help.
Usagi and Leo are both good friends
Usagi in the 2003 cartoon.
Usagi as he appeared in BTTS
Back to the Sewer
Usagi, along with Gennosuke, attended April and Casey's wedding.
Appearances
- "Big Brawl, Part 1"
- "Big Brawl, Part 2"
- "Big Brawl, Part 3"
- "Big Brawl, Part 4"
- "The Christmas Aliens"
- "The Real World, Part 1"
- "The Real World, Part 2"
- "Samurai Tourist"
- "Wedding Bells and Bytes"
Action figures
Two action figures of Usagi were released under the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy line. Both bare the misnaming of "Usagi Yojimbo" as the character's name.
The first one was released in 1989. Unlike his animated counterpart, this Usagi was wearing samurai armor similar to one of the many suits of armor he had worn at times during his own comic, only it was blue. The figure's accessories included a naginata, a katana, a wakizashi, a tanto, a fist dagger, removable armor plates for his shoulders and thighs.
The second figure, released in 2004, was closer to his animated counterpart and standard outfit seen in the comics, only his top was a darker blue. He came with two katana and two wakizashi, and had an action feature that allowed his top torso to spin as if he were slashing with his weapons. This required that the figure was constantly locked in an awkward position.
Two other figures of characters from Usagi's universe were released in the TMNT line: Space Usagi in 1991, and Gennosuke in 2005.
Video Games
Usagi's first appearance in a video game was not in one with the Turtles, but instead, one of his own. Samurai Warrior: The Battles of Usagi Yojimbo was released by the software company Firebird in 1988, for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and Spectrum ZX.
Usagi's first appearance in a TMNT game was in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus. He was a combatant in the game's Battle Nexus mode, but was not a playable character. Usagi is only in two episodes in the 1987s series but is seen in nine episodes in the 2003 series. Usagi is not in any live action movie or the 2007 CG version but he has his own comic books.
References
External Links
- Miyamoto Usagi at Wikipedia
- Miyamoto Usagi at Usagi Yojimbo Dojo
- Miyamoto Usagi at Usagi Yojimbo Wiki
- TMNT at Usagi Yojimbo Wiki