JEI'S BACK.
I can't begin to tell you how long I've been waiting to say that. Oh, he might still be locked within Inazuma's body, but there's no mistaking those white eyes and damnable evil grin. Ever since the events of GRASSCUTTER, Jei has become an elusive shadow, drifting in and out of USAGI YOJIMBO at seemingly random intervals, with little explanation as to who (or what) he really is.
But that ends here.
No more cameos. No more vague, cryptic appearences. Jei makes his first,
full comeback in #98, and things have never been more suspenseful for the series. By the way...
arigatou gozaimasu, Sakai-san, for making the issue every bit as exciting as the cover. I've been burned so many times by comics in the past (usually from DC or Marvel) that promised all sorts of thrills on the front cover, but failed to deliver. In a way, USAGI YOJIMBO harkens back to the days of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, when a story was every bit as dramatic as its cover. You've no idea how long I've been waiting to see that expression on Gen's face (panel 3, page 12). How else could he have possibly reacted?!
It took two additional weeks for the issue to finally arrive (let me reiterate the fact that Bermuda is NOT the best place to be an Usagi fan), and now I can unload my thoughts. I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but darn it, I've been waiting since early September for this, and nothing's gonna stop me!
"What is Jei?" is probably the one question that's been at the forefront of Usagi's fans for ages. Theories have covered the entire map, from
yokai to
obakemono. Personally, I feel Jei might be something else altogether; his origin might not even lie in Japan, considering how so much of his behavior goes completely against that of the many other supernatural creatures found in the country. Sure, Jei
appears to be a monster, and his avoidance of holy temples seems to prove this...but there's an interesting little moment during Jei's very first appearence waaaaaay back in Book 3, (yes, I did some research
). When one of the lord's retainers calls Jei a demon, Jei responds with
"Demon?",as if the word was somehow ironic. And then there's this passage:
"Once, like you, I was cursed. The Gods struck me with a fever but when I recovered, I was blessed. They began speaking to me in my sleep. They tell me of the evil ones of the world and now they use me as their weapon of retribution. If I continue their work, I'll become one of them."
Fevers, fever dreams, and near-death experiences are emerging patterns among Jei and his victims. More on that in a moment.
Once again, Sakai-san deliberately keeps Jei/Inazuma's dialogue slightly ambiguous in order to retain some mystery as to his/her nature, but there are a few clues dropped in the issue. In the story DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES, it seemed pretty clear Jei was the dominant personality in his "relationship" with Inazuma. But in #98, Jei/Inazuma states:
"The Blade of the Gods goes where she is directed."
Why would Jei have no problem referring to himself as 'she', while he appears to be confused when others call him 'Inazuma'?
("Who is this Inazuma that everyone speaks of?") Is Jei simply a sexless creature, whose identity is determined with each body he/she/it takes over? Or is there something else at work here? This is why I'm inclined to believe that the Jei demon fuses with the persona of each new host as oppsoed to simply absorbing it entirely, resulting in a slightly different manifestation of Jei. Of course, Jei would remain the dominant personality:
"Ah, yes. I do recognize you. I speared you in the shoulder. Remember, bounty hunter?"
If Inazuma had only inherited Jei's powers instead of actually being taken over by his spirit (as some readers thought a while ago), she would have mentioned the confrontation between herself and Gen back at the hot springs in GRASSCUTTER instead of the spearing. If there was any doubt that the "real" Jei perished after being stabbed by Grasscutter, this line and the story DREAMS & NIGHTMARES dispels it. If Inazuma IS anywhere in there, it's clear that Jei's suppressing her...but for how much longer?
Thomas made an interesting point about Jei/Inazuma's expression in the sixth panel on page 9. Jei's grin appears to be a little more...I don't know...
forced. To kill a gang of mercenaries who go out of their
way to attack you is one thing, but slaughtering a pair of defenseless peasants is quite another, and very much out of line with what we knew of Inazuma prior to her possession. In any case, there are definitely hints in this issue that Jei's beginning to lose his grip on Inazuma.
Speaking of which, we finally get to see Jei in action again! Stan has often "cut away" from a fight scene involving Jei/Inazuma (I'm thinking of the beginning of this issue as an example), making this the first time we've seen Jei in full combat mode since his last battle with Usagi. And man oh man, can Jei use a katana just as good as any old spear, or what?
As for the theory of Jei/Inazuma "toying" with Gen and Stray Dog during their big duel...I kinda doubt it. Take a peek at the first panel on page 8; Jei/Inazuma looks genuinely surprised when Gen knocks the long sword out of her hand. I'm inclined to think Jei was fighting Gen and Stray Dog
for real, and it was only because of their combined effort that the two bounty hunters were able to gain the upper hand, however momentarily. (Why else do you think Jei/Inazuma left the hut and waited for Gen and Stray Dog to follow her? Because outside,
the advantage goes to the spearman. Jei might not have a spear anymore, but old habits are tough to break.) Don't get me wrong; taking on Jei still isn't a walk in the park. Gen and Stray Dog were completely exhausted and ready to collapse by the end of the story.
Which brings us to another interesting development: Why didn't Jei kill Gen and Stray Dog when she had the chance? Could it be that Inazuma really
is regaining control over Jei? Or is it like shaxper suggested...that Jei wants Gen to bring Usagi to him?
I'm leaning towards the latter, frankly. I've suspected for a while that much of the plot in the story arc beginning in #103 will be whether or not Usagi will become the next incarnation of Jei. This is backed up by the events hinted at in #101, wen Usagi experiences a fever dream where he presumably faces his greatest fear...becoming Jei's host. This could explain why Jei didn't finish off the two bounty hunters when he had every intention of killing them beforehand. After duelling with Gen and Stray Dog to the brink of defeat, Jei must have suddenly realized that Gen was the best method of getting back at Usagi. (This probably happened while Stray Dog was still lying unconscious at the bottom of the hill.)
Come to think of it,
where the heck are Jei and Keiko going? Jei constantly talks about having "a long way to travel," but to
where? Is he still hunting Usagi, or have his priorities changed? So many questions, not enough answers. Not yet, anyway.
As a final note: I love Gen and Stray Dog's relationship. They obviously hate each other's guts, but are willing to lend each other a hand when a crisis emerges. I also enjoyed Gen's angry line, "I hate the rain!" After his experience hunting down Ino in Book 4, I'm not the slightest bit surprised.
Spoiler alarm! 
