Kindle Price: $6.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

Stan Sakai
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai Kindle & comiXology

by Stan Sakai (Author), Various (Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 174 ratings
See all formats and editions
Yokai are the monsters, demons, and spirits of Japanese folklore, such as the shape-changing kitsune, the obakeneko demon cats, and the evil oni ogres. Usagi faces all these and more when a desperate woman begs for his help in finding her kidnapped daughter. Tracing the abducted girl deep into the forest, Usagi finds it haunted by creatures of Japanese legend and discovers that they are amassing for a great raid on the countryside! Fortunately, Usagi is joined by Sasuke the Demon Queller, who is also fighting to prevent the invasion, but things aren't always as they seem — especially when dealing with the supernatural!

* The rabbit ronin turned twenty-five, and Dark Horse celebrated with the first-ever Usagi Yojimbo original graphic novel, fully hand-painted, written, and lettered by creator Stan Sakai!

* Completely self-contained story.

* Usagi Yojimbo is a 2009 Eisner Award nominee for Best Continuing Series.

First ever, full color, original story!
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    10 years and up
  2. Part of series
    Usagi Yojimbo
  3. Print length
    64 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Grade level
    5 - 6
  6. Publisher
    Dark Horse Books
  7. Publication date
    November 17, 2009
  8. Page Flip
    Not Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Not Enabled
  11. Sticky notes
    Not Enabled
  12. ISBN-13
    978-1595823625
  13. See all details
Next page
Read this book on comiXology. Learn more
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Simplicity has long been the hallmark of Sakai’s stories of a wandering rabbit samurai and his various trials throughout a flawlessly researched historical Japan. To help celebrate the comic-book series’ twenty-fifth year comes its first original graphic novel (and, unusually, in full color, too). The tale is a simple one: Usagi follows a tricky fox spirit into a demon-infested wood at the behest of a mother who has lost her child therein. Whereas Sakai’s narrative minimalism is deceptive over the course of the series—small events and intrigues form a much larger tapestry that produces an epic sweep—in this stand-alone tale, the simplicity makes for a story that is essentially one large fight scene. It’s a cool fight scene, to be sure, with the dogged samurai taking on a phantasmagoria of weird spirits and demons lifted from Japanese folklore and meeting up with an ancient demon hunter who holds the key to the story’s somewhat predictable twist. A light read elevated by Sakai’s gorgeous images and masterfully unfussy composition. Grades 4-7. --Jesse Karp

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00A820XHA
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dark Horse Books (November 17, 2009)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 17, 2009
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 196852 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 64 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 174 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Stan Sakai

Stan Sakai

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Sakai began his career by simply lettering comic books as he perfected his art and began working in the industry.

He also wrote and illustrated The Adventures of Nilson Groundthumper and Hermy; a comic series with a medieval setting, influenced by Sergio Aragones's Groo the Wanderer. The characters first appeared in Albedo #1 in 1984, and were subsequently featured in issues of Critters, GrimJack, Amazing Heroes and Furrlough. Stan Sakai became famous with the creation of Usagi Yojimbo, the epic saga of Miyamoto Usagi, a samurai rabbit living in late-sixteenth and early-seventeenth-century Japan.

Usagi Yojimbo, first published in 1984, continues to this day.

It progresses with Stan Sakai as the lone author and nearly sole artist (Tom Luth serves as the main colorist on the series, and Sergio Aragonés has made two small contributions to the series: the story "Broken Ritual" is based on an idea by Aragonés, and he served as a guest inker for the black-and-white version of the story "Return to Adachi Plain" that is featured in the Volume 11 trade paperback edition of Usagi Yojimbo). He also created a futuristic spinoff series Space Usagi.[10] His favorite movie is Satomi Hakkenden (1959). The Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles's Little Tokyo presented an exhibit entitled "Year of the Rabbit: Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo" from July 9 through October 30, 2011.

Sakai wrote and illustrated the story "I'm Not in Springfield Anymore!" for Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #7 and illustrated the back cover of Treehouse of Horror #6. Sakai was the artist for Riblet, the back-up feature in the trade paperback of Stupid, Stupid Rat Tails.In 2013, Sakai illustrated the limited comic book series 47 Ronin, an adaptation of the famed story of the 47 Ronin written by Dark Horse Comics Publisher Mike Richardson and with Lone Wolf and Cub writer Kazuo Koikeas an editorial consultant. He resides in Pasadena, California.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
174 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reinold F.
5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly quite good.
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2020
Verified Purchase
Or not that surprisingly if you already know the author, Stan Sakai, whom I didn't. This is a book meant for children and young teens so I thought it was going to be fun and simple but if you are an adult you will be rewarded with nice art and a smart plot, so it doesn't matter your age is a great story. A magical and unique night is the setting of this adventure, a warrior and a wizard have to stop the world from being invaded but, and this but seems from a detective story, there is a mystery to solve. I liked it very much : )
Helpful
 Report
Chuck Minsker
5.0 out of 5 stars A Celebration!
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2020
Verified Purchase
Funny story. I bought a copy of this graphic novel via eBay, but apparently I didn’t read the fine print carefully enough. The book was printed in a foreign language (one I couldn't understand, sadly). So I was happy to pick up a Kindle copy recently - and now I understand the whole story. It’s wonderful, of course - I’m a big fan of the series, though I was a late convert. I now have a nearly complete collection. This book is loaded with amazing visuals as Usagi helps fight an army of demons, all to save a missing child. Wonderful visuals and terrific story. Highly recommended!
Helpful
 Report
Spidey
4.0 out of 5 stars Usagi Yojimbo in full color
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2021
Verified Purchase
Stan Sakai’s watercolors are gorgeous. The story isn’t much more than Miyamoto Usagi fighting monsters. That art though! Absolutely breathtaking.
Helpful
 Report
K.A.
5.0 out of 5 stars Samurai Adventure; Full color painted fun!
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2012
Verified Purchase
Sakai has achieved near perfection with this fully painted tale of Usagi Yojimbo. This story revolves around many of the ancient japanese spirits, demons, and myths. The full color paintings are amazing and the story is a lot of fun. I had planned to take this one slow but found myself plowing through the whole book rather quickly. I then went back and just looked at the art in detail. I could not be happier with this hard cover tale of Feudal Japan, as told by Stan Sakai. I have always loved his characters, and this story was great! I would highly recommend this book to anybody that is interested in classic comics, samurai stories, japanese folk myths, or is just a fan of Usago Yojimbo. This is a must have to add to my ever growing library of amazing hard cover graphic novels. The price was right and I will read this one again and again.
Helpful
 Report
Hale Han
5.0 out of 5 stars The Stories are masterful!
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2013
Verified Purchase
From Groo to Usagi I've seen something special. A master craftman Stan Sakai lettering Sergio Aragonos stories...then slowly creating a samarai ronin rabbit comic book while still being a lowly letterer for Groo (of course a letterer is not lowly). He writes, letters, and draws each Usagi story. All of the characters are life like and full of Japanese atmosphere. I have come to see Usagi Yojimbo as an epic story of ancient Japan and more... There is a Zen stillness somehow penned into a comic format. Enjoyment and expectation in every panel. All his books are worth every penny. Remember pictures can be worth a thousand words. I think his capture all of the glory of the Islands of Japan.
Helpful
 Report
S Y
5.0 out of 5 stars Great series by Stan Sakai
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2020
Verified Purchase
I love Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo series of comic books. They are great to read and see. I've been a fan since the beginning and always look forward to the next issues. If you like all age appropriate anthropomorphic feudal Japan samurai stories or just great stories on general... Check out his works.
Helpful
 Report
Ollie Ray
3.0 out of 5 stars It was what it was
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2020
Verified Purchase
I have been mildly aware of this series for a while now. I had an opportunity to download it for free to see what it was like. I was not impressed. It's a bit too childlike for my taste. I also don't understand the use of animals as people in the story. It doesn't advance or add to the story in any way so it seems silly to me.
Helpful
 Report
Patrick Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice, by brief!
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2014
Verified Purchase
Really dug this story, but it's not very long at all. Sakai's wonderful brand of cartooning certain helps make up for the brevity and his colors add so much. Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed at all.
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Lunastorta
5.0 out of 5 stars Still a good read, wonderful
Reviewed in Italy on November 13, 2020
Verified Purchase
Still a good read, wonderful
Report
Amazon カスタマー
5.0 out of 5 stars 絵が魅力的
Reviewed in Japan on June 14, 2020
Verified Purchase
宮本ウサギがかっこよくて可愛い
線も色もとても魅力的で一気に読みました
この作家さんの別の本がもっと読みたいです
Report
Jean-loup Sabatier
4.0 out of 5 stars Usagi Yojimbo tout en couleur en édition luxe
Reviewed in France on January 28, 2011
Verified Purchase
Yokai est le livre spécial du 25ème anniversaire de Usagi, tout en "water colours" par Stan Sakai. Cette histoire voit notre Ronin favori s'associer à une sorte de sorcier Taoiste pour s'attaquer à une sorte de festival de fantômes et de démons qui se rassemble, on ne sait pas trop pourquoi (du moins au début) au milieu d'une sombre forêt isolée et inhabitée. (Yokai veut dire quelque chose comme esprit/démon/apparition en japonais.)

Ce volume là n'est pas une partie de la série à part entière, il ne s'insère pas dans la tapisserie tissée par les nombreux tomes de Usagi Yojimbo. Il est fait pour être indépendant (un peu comme l'était Space Usagi), il est fait pour être lu par quelqu'un qui n'est pas familier avec la série. En conséquence il n'est pas indispensable. L'histoire est moins bonne que les histoires "normales" de Usagi. Mais l'édition est superbe: cartonné, avec de nombreuses illustrations "pleine page" de Stan Sakai en pleine couleurs. C'est le seul exemple que j'ai eu de la technique de peinture à l'eau de Stan Sakai et il montre toute l'excellence de l'auteur dans cette technique également. Bref, c'est bien, et c'est super-joli même si ça ne vaut pas un volume de "l'édition normale". Pour collectionneurs; ou pour quelqu'un qui veut avoir un très joli livre, complet en un seul volume, et qui donne un aperçu de la série Usagi Yojimbo.
One person found this helpful
 Report
Miss Samantha Capes
5.0 out of 5 stars Usagi Yojimbo Yokai
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2010
Verified Purchase
This is a well made beautiful book. It is hardback and the lettering and image of Usagi on the front are embossed. It feels really glossy and high quality. Inside all of the comics' pages are in glorious colour. There are 2 double page illustrations and 1 single page illustration (part of the story, not stand alone illustrations). They look magnificent. The artwork is as dynamic as always- the expressions of the characters are lifelike, funny and moving. The story flows nicely from panel to panel and the lettering is clear and bold. The story is easy to understand and a delight to read. Unlike other Usagi Yojimbo tomes, this comic is only just over 60 pages. When I read that on the item description, I wondered if I should buy this at all. But I'm glad I did. It is certainly worth more than a flimsy 40 page comic book that you buy from a local newsagents. The story comes full circle, so there are no annoying cliff hangers, and the uniqueness of Usagi alone is worth the money. He is truly a classic comic book character.
In summary you get full colour images, a hardback embossed cover, 4 pages of interview with Stan Sakai- and mini panels showing the progress of his work under the interviews- which are interesting. The photo of him on his author biography page is the 25th anniversary one with the Usagi Yojimbo cake. On the back page there is a funny sketch of Usagi looking boggle eyed. The inside cover has a quality Usagi lineart over it. In my mind, well worth the money.

The story centers around an 'Alice in Wonderland' like forest, where Usagi once again finds himself right in the midst of trouble. Initially on the lookout for a lost daughter, he finds instead the meeting ground for the 100 yokai- demons who gather every year intent on taking over the world. Sasuke- his demon slaying friend- also makes an appearance. Outnumbered by vengeful demons, Usagi and Sasuke face the dangerous task of defeating the spirits before they can use the lost daughter as a sacrifice. It is a thrilling story. I wouldn't call the story short, because that tends to be the case with Usagi stories. The volumes of Usagi books do have many story arcs, but they are only collections of the comics released seperately. You get many short stories included in the Usagi Yojimbo volumes- usually 5-6 per book. Sometimes a few short stories will make one larger story, but each one usually has a conclusion. So this release is a special edition hardback of a small comic really. It is not intended to be a whole volume of Usagi stories- just one stand alone story.

Fans of comics with anthropomorphic characters (human-animals like- for example- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) will love Usagi. Even though one of the side characters appears (Sasuke) first timers could easily read this without any spoilers ruining the rest of the Usagi Yojimbo series.
One person found this helpful
 Report
C-Love
3.0 out of 5 stars Great read. Nice little hardcover book
Reviewed in Canada on November 2, 2016
Verified Purchase
Great read. Nice little hardcover book.
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report