The Dragon Bids Thee Welcome...

The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy had to be one my all time favorite UY storylines. The action, the intrigue, the adventure... these qualities are what put The D.B.C. over the top. This page is basically dedicated to that story. Of course, "Samurai!" in UY Vol. I #1-4 is also quite awesome in its own right. The DBC spanded over six issues (Vol. I, #13-18), but if you count the prologue "The Shogun's Gift" in #12, I guess you could say it spanded seven issues. Nothing can touch this this epic [Yeah, nothing could until Grasscutter]. It had Tomoe Ame, Lord Noriyuki, Gennosuke, Zato-Ino, Shingen and the Neko Ninja Clan, the Monkey Woodcutters, Spot, Lord Hebi, Lord Tamakuro, General Torame, and involved the infamous Dark Lord himself (no, you wise guys, not Darth Vader) HIKIJI. Lord Hikiji, as most of you know, is Usagi's arch nemesis. He's responsible for the deaths of Usagi's father, Usagi's Lord Mifune (including Mifune's wife and son), and is also the one who gave Usagi his scar (as detailed in the full-color "Return to Adachigahara Plain"). Usagi Yojimbo, as you all know, is an anthropomorphic comic book, featuring funny animals. However, Lord Hikiji is not an "animal", but a human. Stan Sakai regrets doing this, and that is why we rarely see him. He's appeared physically in Albedo #4, Critters #10, and in the aformentioned "Return to Adachi Plain" which was published only in USAGI YOJIMBO Book Four: The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy, and has never been reprinted. He wasn't even seen in "Samurai!" or the DBC ever, making him the most mysterious character in UY history. Usually if there's a story involving Hikiji, it is Lord Hebi who normally represents Hikiji's Clan. Stan put together a story entitled "Hebi" which is printed only in the USAGI YOJIMBO Book Seven: Gen's Story hardcover edition. [It was reprinted in USAGI YOJIMBO Book Eleven: Seasons]

Story of

This pic is actually the cover of USAGI YOJIMBO Book Four: The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy minus the logo. It features Usagi, Shingen, Gennosuke, Zato-Ino, Spot, and some Neko Ninja Clan shinobi's. The fortress in the background is Lord Tamakuro's, which, in the DBC, is actually the main backdrop for all the action that takes place. Tomoe Ame, on an espionage mission for Lord Noriyuki, discovers that Hikiji-loyalist Tamakuro is secretly stockpiling matchlock guns. Tamakuro's goal is to advance his forces against the Shogun and take over Feudal Japan. His false loyalty to Hikiji is founded by Hikiji's Neko Ninja Clan, led by Kashira Shingen. Tamakuro learns of this and orders the massacre of a small Neko Ninja Clan-operated village. Tomoe Ame, who is found out, is captured, imprisoned, and tortured by Tamakuro. Usagi vows to rescue her, but is sidetracked by Shingen, who believes it was Usagi who slaughtered his people. The rest of the story is told in USAGI YOJIMBO Book Four: The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy from Fantagraphics Books. Buy it!

The DBC began back in 1988, which was, coincidentally, the Japanese Year of the Dragon. The Dragon symbolizes brilliance, power, and boundless energy, and is the most honored of the animal signs. The storyline was conceived in 1984, as was supposed to be a continuation of the story "The Confession", from the UY Summer Special. Notice that in "The Confession", Tomoe Ame refers to a storm while walking outside the Shogun's castle. This was supposed to be the storm that occurred in the DBC. The DBC went through a lot of rewrites and the major villain was changed from Hikiji to Tamakuro, but the main story remained the same: a kick-butt action-adventure with more samurai, ninja, and swordfighting than you can shake a stick at. By the way, The Dragon Bellow Consriracy was dedicated to Stan's father, who was also born in the Year of the Dragon.

SCENES FROM THE DRAGON BELLOW CONSPIRACY

Usagi discovers that Tomoe Ame has been captured by a group of samurai on horseback and vows to rescue her.

Shingen of the Hikiji-controlled Neko Ninja Clan thinks Usagi is the one who slaughtered the people of one of the Neko Clan villages, and seeks his revenge, not knowing that it was Tamakuro who committed the act. Usagi came accross the village, discovering the aftermath, and carried the bodies of Shingen's people indoor as a sign of respect for the dead. Shingen doesn't believe Usagi, though. Why would a samurai show such compassion for ninja?