In feudal Japan (1185–1868), a rōnin was a type of samurai who had no lord or master and in some cases, had also severed all links with his family or clan. A samurai becomes a rōnin upon the death of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or legal privilege.
Usagi Yojimbo 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, occasionally selling his services as a bodyguard.
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon, comic book shops known as Pegasus Books and founded in 1980.
Stan Sakai is a Japanese-born American cartoonist and comic book creator. He is best known as the creator of the comic series Usagi Yojimbo.
Heikegani is a species of crab native to Japan, with a shell that bears a pattern resembling a human face - an example of the phenomenon of pareidolia - which is interpreted to be the face of an angry samurai, hence the nickname samurai crab. The crabs are named after the once powerful Taira clan which dominated medieval Japan, commonly known as the Heike. It is believed that these crabs are reincarnations of the Heike warriors defeated at the naval Battle of Dan-no-ura as told in The Tale of the Heike. While the crabs are edible, they are not eaten by most Japanese.
Jeffrey Reddick is an American screenwriter and film director, best known for creating the Final Destination franchise.
Dark Horse Entertainment is a motion picture and television production arm of American comic book publishing company Dark Horse Comics, founded in 1992. They also have a sub-label, Dark Horse Indie. They have their headquarters in Milwaukie, Oregon.
The Usagi Yojimbo Role-Playing Game is the second role-playing game to be published based on Stan Sakai's Eisner-award-winning comic-book series Usagi Yojimbo. The 2005 game is written by Jason Holmgren and Pieter van Hiel, published by Sanguine Productions in 2005.
Yuki Matsuzaki is a Japanese actor who has appeared in movies and on television.
Gaumont Animation is a French animation studio. It was acquired by Gaumont Film Company in 2008 as a return to television production, and an entry into English-language productions, after Gaumont Television was sold in 1999. It was rebranded as Gaumont Animation in 2013. The company's animated catalog comprises over 800 half-hours, broadcast in over 130 countries.
Miyamoto Usagi is a fictional character, who appears in the American comic book Usagi Yojimbo, a Dark Horse Comics book created by Stan Sakai. Usagi is an anthropomorphic rabbit and a rōnin now walking the musha shugyō.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, known as Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for its 2017 fifth and final season, is an American animated television series developed by Ciro Nieli, Joshua Sternin, and Jennifer Ventimilia. It is the third animated series in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. The series aired on Nickelodeon in the United States from September 28, 2012, to November 12, 2017. It was produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio and LowBar Productions. Bardel Entertainment handled layout and CG animation services. The series begins with the Turtles emerging from their sewer home for the first time, using their ninjutsu training to fight enemies in present-day New York City.
Chad David Frye is an American cartoonist and illustrator. He often works as a character designer and storyboard artist in animation.
Darren Charles Barnet is an American actor. He is known for playing Paxton Hall-Yoshida in the Netflix series Never Have I Ever.
The Comic Art Professional Society (CAPS) is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. The organization's stated primary purposes are "to advance the ideals and standards of professional cartooning in its many forms", "to promote and foster a social, cultural and intellectual interchange among professional cartoonists of all types" and "to stimulate and encourage interest in and acceptance of the art of cartooning by aspiring cartoonists, students and the general public."
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo is a one-shot crossover story re-uniting the Turtles franchise with Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo, which also references Usagi's earlier encounters with the Mirage Turtles. Here, the Turtles must join forces with Miyamoto Usagi and the mystic Kakera against Usagi's sinister enemy Jei und Namazu. The issue was published in July 2017. It was followed by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen in 2023.
