Never before has there been such a wicked, cynical, conspiring Daimyo as the power-hungry Lord Hikiji. Stan Sakai based him on the notorious Daimyo Date Masamune, who lived from 1566-1636 A.D., and aspired to become Shogun, the military ruler of Feudal Japan. Hikiji is the lord of the Mutsu Province, which takes up the entire northeast portion of the main island of Honshu, and includes Adachigahara Plain, the city of Sendai (mentioned in "Lone Rabbit and Child"), and Usagi's village. Like the original Date Masamune, Lord Hikiji seeks the Shogun's position. The Shogun reigning at that time was Tokugawa Ieyasu, under whom unification of Feudal Japan was beginning. In order to complete this unification, the Tokugawa Shogunate isolated Japan from all other influences, which is why there have been no stories with foreigners in Usagi Yojimbo. Tokugawa, though ambitious in his goal of unification, rose to power after a bloody civil war which left Japan's societal structure highly unstable, and those who yearned for power reached for it. An assassination attempt on Usagi's Lord Mifune by Hikiji's agents proved the bloodlust of the tirant. The attempt to murder Mifune in his sleep failed. However, not before it claimed the lives of Mifune's beloved wife and son.

The grief of Lord Mifune as he discovers the bodies of Lady Kazumi and Prince Tsuruichi is sure to instigate war with Hikiji.

Perhaps the worst crime one can commit is murder. Hikiji is no exception to this, as his thirst for power insured the deaths of those who opposed him. Men, women, children... no one was safe from the wrath of the infamous Hikiji. But perhaps the most shocking of Hikiji's crimes is that of the murder of Usagi's father, the village head-man Miyamoto.

Just before the famous war between Mifune and Hikiji, Hikiji and his men looted villages on the way to Adachi plain. Usagi's village was no exception. Fear-stricken villagers, including Usagi's former lover, Mariko, and his childhood friend, Kenichi, watch as Hikiji's Katana ends the life of an honorable man. Only in Feudal Japan could such a cold-blooded murder go unpunished.

Hikiji's lust for power is malignant, and caused the downfall of Usagi's Lord Mifune in the great battle of Adachi Plain, leaving Usagi a Ronin. It was actually a high-ranking officer under Mifune's command, General Buichi Toda, who turned traitor in the heat of battle and used his samurai to help Hikiji. It's a safe bet to say that if it wasn't for Toda, Mifune would have crushed Hikiji's forces. Following the battle, General Toda got his reward from Hikiji, in the form of severe torture and banishment, without being allowed to commit seppuku, or ritualized suicide, to regain his lost honor. Yes, even though he had helped insure victory for Hikiji, he was denied any rewards for it, as turning against one's lord is an unspeakable crime, and Hikiji recognizes no exceptions to this. Is Hikiji then an honorable man? Yes, but a ruthless one at that.

It was in the Battle of Adachigahara Plain that General Buichi Toda broke the code of Bushido and betrayed Lord Mifune, enabling Hikiji to obtain victory.

The atrocities of Lord Hikiji are many, ranging from conspiracies, to assassinations, to outright murder. Lord Noriyuki, Daimyo of the Geishu Clan, knows this more than anyone, but Hikiji is so powerful that Noriyuki can never seem to prove to the Shogun of Hikiji's plots. Attempts at usurping the Geishu Clan have occured many times, usually from the shadows in the form of the notorious Neko Ninja Clan, who were once Lord Hikiji's top agents. Hikiji doesn't stop at just conspiracies and political upheavals, though. Usagi's most painful reminder of his status as a Ronin was personally given to him by Hikiji himself. In his final dash to break through the ranks of Hikiji's forces during the battle at Adachi Plain, Usagi confronted the Dark Lord face-to-face for the first and only time in UY history.

The scar Usagi received during this fateful confrontation between good and evil will forever symbolize the mark of the Ronin.