What Happened to Zato-Ino?
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Ronin-K
- Shugyosha<Student Warrior>
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What Happened to Zato-Ino?
I just found out that the Blind Swordspig, Ino, has not been seen since Fantagraphics comics. Did he die or something?
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Cosmo
- Shugyosha<Student Warrior>
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Re: What Happened to Zato-Ino?
Why always imagine the most lurid scenarios ? I think that Ino simply found what he wanted : a peaceful life in a little village, with the woman he loves and their child. No one will ever disturb them, hopefully.Ronin-K wrote:I just found out that the Blind Swordspig, Ino, has not been seen since Fantagraphics comics. Did he die or something?
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven : A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace." (Ecclesiastes 3).
As an atheist, I rarely quote the Bible, but these verses were quite appropriate.
There's a reason why Ino's final appearence in the comic was called THE LAST INO STORY. Sakai-san resolved Zato-Ino's tale a long time ago, and it's best left that way. In a world where happy endings are few and far between, I'd hate to see Ino dragged kicking and screaming back into UY; ultimately, it just isn't neccessary.
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Thomas Froehling
- Shugyosha<Student Warrior>
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To answer the question more directly:
Zato-Ino helped Usagi, Shingen and Gen in their attack of Lord Tamakuro's fortress, but was seriously wounded there (these adventures are collected in TPB #4 "The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy"). A couple of peasants found him later, staggering around and nursed him back to health in their remote farming village. After a little trouble with brigands, which Ino managed to drive off, the peasants (and more specifically, one young girl) offered him to stay with them.
In the "Last Ino Story", we find Usagi and Gen trapped by brigands on a narrow mountain path; they manage to surprise and slay them, but later find out that these brigands had seriously wounded another passer-by: Zato-Ino, who traveled with his wife to sell surplus crops.
Usagi and Gen do their best to heal him, and when they are convinced he'll get well again, both of them leave before Ino regains consciousness.
Ino, on waking up, knows someone has been in that little hut, but his wife calms him and tells him about those two samurai who saved him from death.
And, yes, in that story we learn that Ino's wife is expecting a child; On the cover of Dark Horse UY #47 (actually, on the back cover) we see Zato-Ino, his wife and a little child in his arm, so it seems the delivery went well enough...
And if they didn't die, they lived happily ever after....
Zato-Ino helped Usagi, Shingen and Gen in their attack of Lord Tamakuro's fortress, but was seriously wounded there (these adventures are collected in TPB #4 "The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy"). A couple of peasants found him later, staggering around and nursed him back to health in their remote farming village. After a little trouble with brigands, which Ino managed to drive off, the peasants (and more specifically, one young girl) offered him to stay with them.
In the "Last Ino Story", we find Usagi and Gen trapped by brigands on a narrow mountain path; they manage to surprise and slay them, but later find out that these brigands had seriously wounded another passer-by: Zato-Ino, who traveled with his wife to sell surplus crops.
Usagi and Gen do their best to heal him, and when they are convinced he'll get well again, both of them leave before Ino regains consciousness.
Ino, on waking up, knows someone has been in that little hut, but his wife calms him and tells him about those two samurai who saved him from death.
And, yes, in that story we learn that Ino's wife is expecting a child; On the cover of Dark Horse UY #47 (actually, on the back cover) we see Zato-Ino, his wife and a little child in his arm, so it seems the delivery went well enough...
And if they didn't die, they lived happily ever after....
Last edited by Thomas Froehling on Mon May 21, 2007 14:07 -0700, edited 1 time in total.
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shaxper
- Daimyo <High-Ranking Lord>
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Yes. After a lifetime of pain, Stan mercifully granted Zato the peace he so richly deserved. It was a beautiful ending. I remember reading it for the first time and thinking, "Nice, but there's no way Stan will resist bringing back such a wonderful character." I'm amazed by the fact that Stan did.
Zato deserves his peace. Leave him be.
Zato deserves his peace. Leave him be.