Jei Chronology Project

[Ben]

Jei Chronology Project

Much of the information recorded here is based on guesswork, since there's so much about Jei that still remains a mystery. Data which has been confirmed within the comic itself is colored in automatic. Data formed mostly out of speculation from available facts is outlined in red. Fans are welcome to point out any mistakes or introduce new information to the chronology. This project is meant to arrange the demon spearman's life in cohesive order, in addition to hopefully cracking the mystery behind his character.

The rough date of Jizonobu's transformation into Jei is culled from Jubei's approximate age in the origin story (about six years old) and in SPARROWS (a young adult).

1586 - Volume unpublished
Priest Jizonobu strikes a bargain with the hermit Ibaraki to save Lord Goyo's daughter, Keifume. Jizonobu is transformed into a demon by the Dark Gods and slaughters almost everyone within the temple, leaving only Hama and Keifume alive. Jizonobu intentionally wounds Hama, turning him into a potential “back-up” host in case Jei would ever need it.

Being cut/impaled by Jei's weapon appears to “contaminate” the victim - marking him, in a sense - thus becoming a more ideal receptacle for Jei. None of this bodes well for Usagi or Gen, who were both wounded by Jei's spear at GRASSCUTTER's climax. Another possible reason why Jei could never fully absorb Inazuma's identity; she wasn't a suitable host, and the result was like shoving a square peg into a round hole. This is clarified by some of Jei's dialogue in #106 as he's being guided to the peasant's hovel by Keiko.

Another interesting detail are the different styles of word balloons between Jei and his hosts. When in his original form, Jei's dialogue didn't have a skull below it; but while occupying Inazuma, the skull is always present.

1602 - Book 3
In a large field, Jei is surrounded by six samurai warriors seeking to avenge their murdered lord. Jei kills the samurai, and moves on. That evening, Usagi flees to an old hut to escape the rain, and encounters Jei for the first time. Jei accuses Usagi of his “evil nature” and attacks him. The two men fight to the death. Jei is shocked when he's actually wounded by Usagi's sword, and decides that Usagi is meant to be a “test” devised by his Gods. Jei's original body is vaporized by a bolt of lightning, but his soul possesses someone else nearby.

For all intents and purposes, Jei appeared to be destroyed after his first duel with Usagi, but there's no reason not to believe Jei simply took over another one of his former victims. It's possible Jei could have left a large number of other “survivors” besides Hama in his wake, in the scenario that his body would be damaged to a catastrophic extent. In Book Six, when Usagi believes Jei must have escaped the lightning, Jei corrects him: “No, I died...but my work on earth was unfinished, so I came back!”, thus supporting the theory that Jizonobu's original form had indeed been annihilated.

This story also introduces Jei's bizarre fixation with Usagi, which to date hasn't been fully explained.

1603 - Book 6
Jei, along with a gang of bandits, terrorizes Usagi's home village. Usagi defeats Jei once again, and the demon is sent screaming over a cliff into the river below.

There's an interesting moment just before the battle at the cliff, where Usagi appears to find Jei's one weak spot. Furious at Jei's abduction of his son Jotaro, Usagi dryly comments, "You call yourself an emissary of the Gods and hide behind a child?", to which Jei snaps, "You would mock the Gods?!" It's clear Usagi hit some sort of nerve.

1603 (possibly the next day) - Book 9
A fisherman discovers Jei's body on the bank of the river and brings him to his hut. Jei kills the fisherman and departs.

1604 (March-April): - Book 10
A group of marauders murder an old peasant and are about to do the same to his granddaughter, when Jei arrives. He kills the marauders, but mysteriously spares Keiko.

Keiko's physical resemblance to Keifume might have caused a fragment of Jei's original personality to re-emerge, justifying his strange obsession with Keiko's so-called “innocence”.

1604 (May-June) - Book 10
Jei and Keiko are briefly seen traveling through the town where Usagi and Kitsune are trying to rescue Noodles from being executed.

1604 (July-August) - Book 11
Jei and Keiko travel across a large channel on a ship. Jei murders a samurai and several sailors on board before the ship docks.

We learn a little more about Jei's "quest" to eradicate evil through his speech to the sailors, but his parameters of what constitutes "good" and "evil" are suspiciously vague. One could argue the samurai deserved death for his cruelty and arrogance, but the hapless sailors are another matter entirely. Again, Jei mentions Usagi as his primary target.

1605 (February) - Book 11
Usagi meets Oyama Tadanori, aka "the Lord of Owls". Tadanori is afflicted with a mysterious curse which causes him to see death in a person's eyes. After defeating a band of robbers, Tadanori takes Usagi completely by surprise on the road, having concealed his wa from the ronin's sixth sense. Tadanori warns Usagi that he saw death in his face as well; ultimately, at some point in the future, he will kill Usagi or Usagi will kill him.

As Usagi said in the story, the owl is meant to be a sign of death. Does the Lord of Owls' vision have any connection with Usagi's own premonition of doom in #101? Could this mean Usagi will eventually confront the Lord of Owls in his Jei-possessed state? Even if Usagi were to win, he would "lose".

Judging from his conversation with Usagi, Tadanori despises his "talent" to predict death. Could Tadanori have made a similar bargain with Ibaraki and the Dark Gods in the past?

1605 - Book 12
The Grasscutter saga. Jei rescues an injured Inazuma and delivers her to Sanshobo's temple, possibly recognizing her potential as a future host. Inazuma begins to suffer from nightmares involving Jei. Both Usagi and Gen are wounded by Jei's spear during the last battle. Usagi slays Jei with Grasscutter. Jei's body is destroyed a second time, leaving only a pile of ash. Sanshobo and two junior priests, Senzo and Jubei, arrive on the scene. Senzo touches Jei's ashes and becomes partially infected with Jei's curse. Meanwhile, his spirit relocates itself into Inazuma. “Jeizuma” meets up with Keiko in the forest. Together, they begin their journey to “Hell”.

Jubei is seen again in the story SPARROWS. Since there's no dialog to indicate this isn't the same Jubei who appeared in GRASSCUTTER, it's safe to assume Jubei was transferred to Hama's temple following his traumatic experience.

1605 (one month later): - Book 14
Usagi visits an old woman (a witch?) seeking knowledge about any dangers on the path from Sanshobo's temple to Atsuta Shrine. The woman summons an evil spectre that may or may not be Jei.

It's possible the vision was supposed to represent Usagi's encounter with Inspector Kojo, aka "Demon Mask" - but it's also possible the vision was a precursor to Usagi's fever dream in #101, implying his final conflict with Jei has yet to happen.

1605 (probably three or four weeks after the Demon Mask incident): - Book 14
Usagi encounters Sasuke, the Demon-Queller. Together, they rescue a village from an attack by monstrous spiders. Usagi is later told Sasuke's next quarry is a "demon swordswoman".

1605 (late in the year) - Book 16
Jeizuma has a quick cameo at an inn after Keiko has questioned several men about Usagi's whereabouts.

It remains unclear as to what Jei and Keiko's final destination really is. Are they still trying to hunt down Usagi? In Book 18, 'Travels with Jotaro', Sasuke states Jeizuma appears to be “looking for something...or someone.” Could Jei be after Ibaraki this time, either to kill the hermit or find a cure for his condition?

1606 (March): - Book 18
While traveling with his son Jotaro, Usagi comes across Sasuke again. The Demon-Queller was still tracking the unnamed swordswoman when his attention was distracted by Kyogoku, an evil painter.

After defeating Kyogoku, Sasuke supposedly resumed his search for Jeizuma. The question if Sasuke knows Jei has since moved to another body remains unanswered for now.

1606 (May) - Book 20
Inside an abandoned hut, Inazuma confronts the soul of Jei in her dreams. Jei eventually emerges victorious, and he leaves with Keiko.

There's strong evidence to suggest a possessed victim is capable of fighting off Jei's evil spirit during slumber, i.e. the strangely peaceful expression on Jei's face while asleep in previous stories.

1606 (August) - Book 20
The angry spirit of Haruko attacks Sanshobo's temple. During the scuffle, Senzo is scratched by Haruko, and a strange look comes over his face. Haruko's body is soon found and cremated.

There's a chance Senzo's prior infection was briefly "brought out" by Haruko's assault, much like an old wound being re-opened. Note how Hama had a similar expression on his face just before his possession in #109.

1607 - Volume unpublished
Gen and Stray Dog track Inazuma down to the woodcutters' hut. Another battle ensues, and again Jeizuma emerges triumphant. Curiously, she leaves both Gen and Stray Dog alive.

Stray Dog's reason for surviving is unknown, but it's possible Jeizuma left Gen alone because she recognized Gen's potential as another host down the line.

This issue also provides strong evidence that Jei is in fact Jizonobu – what's left of him, at any rate – as opposed to Jizonobu merely being the first host for a pre-existing demon. Check out the weird expression on Jeizuma's face when she's outside the temple.

We also discover a previously unseen power of Jei's in this issue: He can cause excruciating pain in old wounds he inflicted earlier without even touching them, such as Gen's speared shoulder. It goes without saying Jei will probably exploit this power on Usagi's injury the next time they battle.

1607 (probably concurrent with the events in #98 ) - Volume unpublished
Usagi is poisoned by a ninja dart and suffers a horrific nightmare wherein he becomes possessed by Jei's spirit and goes on a bloody rampage, only to be finally killed by Tomoe.

People who have encountered Jei and survived often suffer from bad dreams, as proven by Inazuma, Senzo, and Hama. Gen has either avoided any Jei-themed nightmares, or simply refused to mention them. Sanshobo briefly saw Jei before he seized control of Inazuma's form, but he never appeared to be affected; physical contact might be necessary. The nightmares could be a kind of pre-possession symptom; if that's the case, Usagi's future isn't looking too bright right now.

Interestingly, like Jeizuma, Jeisagi's word balloons in #101 have the skull situated beneath them.

1607 (May-June): - Volume unpublished
Jeizuma is badly wounded by a group of bounty hunters and seeks refuge in another hut. Keiko suddenly vanishes during a fight with another gang, and Jeizuma leaves the hut to find her. Jeizuma's wound gradually worsens, until she collapses in a small temple.

When Toady and his assistant come across Jeizuma, she appears to be in some sort of deep trance, as if Jei was trying to repair the damage to Inazuma's body from within.

Usagi, Sanshobo, Gen, Stray Dog, and Isamu finally corner Jeizuma. Sanshobo exorcises the demon, who flees into Hama's body. The newly-reborn Jei kills Senzo, and continues on his journey to Hell with Keiko.

Jei might have considered Senzo as a host for a little while, seeing how Senzo had already been exposed to his ashes, but decided the priest would work better as a decoy while he occupied another, more willing body...Hama's. The fact that Hama recognizes Keiko prior to his possession indicates he was already “in touch” with Jei's spirit, more so than Inazuma or Senzo.

[Steve Hubbell]

Nice work!

I think there have been a few other cameo appearences of Jei and Keiko and/or Inazuma and Keiko in various issues over the years, but I couldn't egin to say where.

[Todd Shogun]

Excellent! This is exactly what we need! I would add the Lord of Owls to your chronology (in red of course). It has long been speculated that he could be tied to the Black Soul. In fact, it could very well be him who holds the key to Jei's destruction.

Perhaps even adding Sasuke the Demon Queller to it as well. It would be quite the confrontation, Jei vs. Sasuke. I have no doubt their destinies are somehow intertwined.

[Ben]

I've added the Lord of Owls and Sasuke to the Chronology, along with an incident on a sailing boat in Book Eleven I'd forgotten about.

EDIT: Just put in Usagi's meeting with the old hag from DEMON MASK, Senzo's run-in with Haruko, and book numbering.

[Todd Shogun]

Cool. When this is finished, let's get it blessed by Stan and featured on the Dojo.

[morna-san]

wow awesome work Ben. I've just started reading through the trades again so I'll let you know if I spot anything. Looks pretty darm thorough though.

[Mauser-KAR98K]

Now I know all about this possessed being. My first Usagi Book was number 3 and loved the Jei fighting sequence. Now I will be hunting for more to fill the gap.

[Ben]

Added some speculation to the "Book Six" section, and corrected a few grammatical errors.

[Todd Shogun]

Thanks again for doing this, Ben.

I keep thinking about Keiko. She's such a mystery it's crazy. I'd like to think that Jei is just imagining her, but based on her first appearance in Black Soul along with other stories, we know that can't be true. So what is Keiko's story??

[Kenshiroh]

You left out the "i" in "distracted". (dstracted ) This is in the "Book 18" section.

[Mayhem]

I keep thinking about Keiko. She's such a mystery it's crazy. I'd like to think that Jei is just imagining her, but based on her first appearance in Black Soul along with other stories, we know that can't be true. So what is Keiko's story??

Well you never know, Stan could go all Fight Club on us in the end

[ardashir]

I love this list! Jei is one of my favorite characters in the whole UY saga, and I've heard that his origin story was finally done in (I think) volume 24?

Aside from the books listed (3, 6, 9-12, 14, 16, 18, 20), has Jei/'Jeizuma' shown up anywhere else of late? And what's become of Inazuma and Keiko?

[Mayhem]

Well you're going to have to read to find out, as I won't be spoiling it here...