Dark Horse Comics and Dogu Publishing have announced brand-new, full-color story arcs for Stan Sakai’s upcoming five-issue Usagi Yojimbo comic book series. Usagi Yojimbo: Ten Thousand Plums #1, now available for pre-order, will arrive in comic shops in March 2025.

Per Dark Horse, the upcoming comic will showcase Sakai’s unmatched storytelling abilities, complete with his unique artwork and lettering. The upcoming Usagi Yojimbo series will tell two complete stories across five issues, which promise an emotional return to the continuing tales of legendary rabbit ronin Miyamoto Usagi. The series will feature variant cover artwork by acclaimed artists such as Mitsuhiro Arita, Eric Talbot, Hitoshi Ariga, and Jennifer Meyer. Usagi Yojimbo will also feature the Escorza brothers’ special three-part interlocking variant covers.

Usagi Yojimbo #1 (of 5)

• Written by STAN SAKAI
• Art by STAN SAKAI
• Letters by STAN SAKAI
• Variant cover by MITSUHIRO ARITA

The first arc in the Usagi Yojimbo five-issue series is “Ten Thousand Plums.” Dark Horse’s description reads, “When Usagi, Yukichi, and Gen are found wandering in a huge field of the Shogun’s prized plum trees, one of the Shogun’s samurai strongmen becomes immediately suspicious. With a series of strange events gripping the local village with fear, can their appearance be a mere coincidence? Or maybe they will stop the cycle of tragedy. Find out with another gut-punch ending from Stan Sakai!”

In Usagi Yojimbo‘s second arc, “Tabo,” “Usagi and Yukichi find themselves among a band of pilgrims in search of the miraculous goddess known as ‘The Mother.’ The skeptical Ronin’s doubts recede as the desperate plight of their new friends unfolds, revealing the obstacles that stand between them and salvation. Will the goddess Kannon come to Tabo’s rescue? Discover the answers in this captivating and highly personal two-part tale!”

The newly installed first Editor-in-Chief of Sakai’s Dogu Publishing imprint, Justin Eisinger, expressed his excitement about Usagi Yojimbo and the collaboration with Sakai. “Working closely with Stan Sakai is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said. “After a career working with so many different licensed properties and an assortment of creator-owned stories, it’s an absolute pleasure to spend every day focused solely on Usagi—which I tell the team every chance I get,” Eisinger added.

What Usagi Yojimbo’s “Tabo” Arc Means To Stan Sakai

Sakai intimated that Usagi Yojimbo‘s second story arc meant a lot to him personally. “Tabo is very personal to me. It was written as a tribute to my younger brother, Kenneth, a month after he passed away and was inspired by his struggles during his last days,” he explained. “I cherish the time growing up with him in Hawaii. When she saw how deeply I felt about this story, Emi (Fujii) volunteered to color it as she knew Kenneth and his gentle spirit.”

Usagi Yojimbo #1 will arrive in comic book shops on March 5, 2025.

Source: Dark Horse