Usagi Yojimbo DojoBoard

Only 7 more days until Nov 22...and the Return of Jei in UY #98!!!! Let the countdown begin!!!

*Terry marks his calender!

Im excited about this too.
I hope by the end of the story Jei is back in his original body.

MikeM

That'll be a stretch Mike....

More than any other plot thread in USAGI YOJIMBO's history, the Inazuma/Jei storyline has kept fans squirming in their seats ever since the last six panels of GRASSCUTTER. Stan has been working on the buildup for years, and we've waited as long as we possibly could. The pay-off finally begins in #98.

Personally, I'm inclined to believe the panel showing Gen's expression upon confronting the possessed Inazuma will be the highlight of this issue...

Todd Shogun wrote:That'll be a stretch Mike....

Not necessarily. Jei was vaporized when he got struck by lightning and returned again looking the same. Don't see why it can't happen again.

MikeM

I'd like to submit that Jei wasn't vaporized in "Blade of the Gods", but severely injured. We know now that after the Grasscutter battle, if his body were to be destroyed, he'd have to take on a new host body. More than likely he was severely electrocuted and wandered off in a half-dead state. We obviously don't know what happened between "Blade" and "Circles" (something to tie it all together like "Nature of the Viper" would have been nice), except that according to Jei he "died" after the lightening strike (Circles).

True.
I just think Inazuma is such a cool character I would like to see her more without being possessed by Jei. Plus Jei's original body just looked so damn cool!

MikeM

It feels like its been a billion years since the last issue.

I needs me Usagi fix.

I think Inazuma is strong enough to expel the Jei Demon...we've already seen hints of this. Maybe we need to bring Sanshobo back to perform an exorcism. Perhaps Jei will end up possessing someone else...

So if you think that....teehee...set up the guessing game on who Jei possesses next!

Todd Shogun wrote:Maybe we need to bring Sanshobo back to perform an exorcism.

Sanshobo vowed to Usagi towards the end of GRASSCUTTER that he'd find the person who slaughtered his fellow priests - although he doesn't know Inazuma/Jei was the one responsible.

Yet.

Good point, Ben. It would make for an interesting confrontation.

When he (she?) and Usagi meet up again, I wonder if Jei will be smart enough to pretend he's actually Inazuma, hoping to trick Usagi. Of course, it may be hard to play off those evil eyes and that voice from the dead...

I can't imagine anyone worse than Inazuma to become a host for Jei. She is so far the most skilled warrior in the UY universe. About the only other serious threat would be if he possessed the chief of one of the ninja clans in UY...imagine a whole army of ninjas going after Usagi.

What I want to know still, and it's been bugging me since day one...why is Jei so intent on killing Usagi???

Hello,

Todd Shogun wrote: When he (she?) and Usagi meet up again, I wonder if Jei will be smart enough to pretend he's actually Inazuma, hoping to trick Usagi. Of course, it may be hard to play off those evil eyes and that voice from the dead...

I doubt that Usagi would be tricked; he was kind of uncertain about Inazuma when they first met. ("Meeting of strangers")

Come to think of it, I even doubt Jei would pull off that trick; from the few panels we've seen, we know that he does not deny who he really is, and, although he is definitely evil, he is honorable in a way: he wants Usagi to know to personally take credit for killing Usagi. I think any other way would be sanctioned as betrayal against the gods Jei claims to serve.

Todd Shogun wrote:I can't imagine anyone worse than Inazuma to become a host for Jei. She is so far the most skilled warrior in the UY universe.

True, only Zato-Ino could possibly match her skill, but "The last Ino story" confirmes my suspicion, that we have really seen the last of him; Ok, "Never say never again".....

Todd Shogun wrote:About the only other serious threat would be if he possessed the chief of one of the ninja clans in UY...imagine a whole army of ninjas going after Usagi.

Would that be any different than Usagis situation now? Remember, the Guild of Assassins is out to get him already, and Usagi's been a thorn in the Neko Ninjas heels more than once, so they certainly bear a grudge against him. A Jei-possessed ninja chief would only shift "Capture and killing of Usagi" to top priority on their respective (not respectable! ) agenda, but I think that item is on many people's agenda somewhere...

Todd Shogun wrote:What I want to know still, and it's been bugging me since day one...why is Jei so intent on killing Usagi???

Jei's reason for wanting to kill Usagi... Hm,Usagi was the first to survive a confrontation with him, maybe even the first to wound him as well; this may be a reason for a notedly rabbit-fixation..
But why does he (Jei) claim to see evil in others, and very arbitrarily, I have to say: he associated with brigands with no problems, but later sensed evil in brigands as well. He protected peasants from inappropriate retribution by a samurai, only to wipe them out completely just a few minutes later. Even if there is some kind of systematic behavior in these actions, I can't recognise it. But maybe my ethical values aren't quite as twisted as Jei's...

Well, maybe Stan will tell us all in the promised story about Jei's origin; ehm, he did promise this, didn't he?? I thought I have read it somewhere, in an interview, I think....
So, we only have to be patient (like the spider, I guess).....

AAAAAHHHHRRRRGGGGGHHHH!! THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING MEEEEEE!!!!


Ehm, eh, yes, patience...

Ben wrote:Sanshobo vowed to Usagi towards the end of GRASSCUTTER that he'd find the person who slaughtered his fellow priests - although he doesn't know Inazuma/Jei was the one responsible.

I agree with Ben and Todd, Sanshobo would be very useful to have, to exorcise Jei from Inazuma;
He does not know Inazuma was responsible for the bloodbath at his monastery, but I think he has good reason to suspect Inazuma: she was the only other person inside and she was gone after the carnage. Even if he does not suspect her, he will want to question her at least.

Did I say I can't wait to see the next issue of UY? Make that ISSUES !!

Thomas

Thomas Froehling wrote:
Jei's reason for wanting to kill Usagi... Hm,Usagi was the first to survive a confrontation with him, maybe even the first to wound him as well; this may be a reason for a notedly rabbit-fixation..

But when they first met in 'Blade', Usagi didn't even touch Jei yet before he woke up from his sleep and said that the gods had shown him that he's "evil"... and it's still not certain whether his claim is true or not (the fact that he sensed the Grasscutter sword without even knowing its name seems to be a hint that Jei has some connection to the gods, or perhaps some other divine being)

But why does he (Jei) claim to see evil in others, and very arbitrarily, I have to say: he associated with brigands with no problems, but later sensed evil in brigands as well. He protected peasants from inappropriate retribution by a samurai, only to wipe them out completely just a few minutes later. Even if there is some kind of systematic behavior in these actions, I can't recognise it. But maybe my ethical values aren't quite as twisted as Jei's...

Hmmm...he was able to see that Keiko (and only Keiko?) wasn't evil, which makes this even more interesting >:3 but I do agree; that is kind of jarring...maybe it's because when he associated himself with them, he had some kind of 'reasoning' (i.e. if I associate with them for the time being, I'll get close to the child Jotaro whom the gods tell me has a connection with Usagi)?

just my two cents, there, Thomas. If I've gotten any points wrong or am far off the mark, feel free to point it out ^^;