Return of the Blind Swordspig

First Published: July 1988 by Fantagraphics Books

• Miyamoto Usagi
• Spot
• Zato Ino

Everyone's favourite blind, wandering, paranoid cynic; Zato-Ino is back, wandering aimlessly, trying to convince himself that he is better off alone and making the bounty on his head a difficult one to collect.

With the smell of fertiliser in the air Zato's sense of smell is ineffective and it takes a spooked tokage to warn him of an imminent ambush. The ambushers' technique turns out to be inferior, much to their detriment and Zato continues on his way - minus the tokage. Meanwhile, nearby Spot returns to Usagi and they prepare to leave the inn they are patronising and travel onward. Spot seems reluctant to leave, which Usagi makes note of, but they press onward nonetheless.

Zato-Ino arrives not long after and is soon on the trail of his nemesis and eager for revenge. He finally catches Usagi at an abandoned temple after nightfall and when a brief exchange of words proves useless, they cross blades. Things begin to go badly for Usagi and spot takes this opportunity to intervene. As it turns out, it was Spot that warned Zato of the ambush earlier and owing him a life, gives him Usagi's. Zato then leaves, convinced that he is to be alone eternally, while back at the temple, Spot struggles with his conflict of loyalties. Usagi, realising that the two of them would be good for each other, says farewell to Spot and sends him after Zato-Ino and we see a small chink appear in Ino's armour of cynicism.

Last change: 19. May 2003

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Usagi Yojimbo, including all prominent characters featured in the stories and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Stan Sakai and Usagi Studios. Usagi Yojimbo is a registered trademark of Stan Sakai. Names, characters, places, and incidents featured in this publication either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events, institutions, or locales, without satiric content, is coincidental.