Inazuma
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Inazuma is a character in the comic book Usagi Yojimbo, and is an anthropomorphic cat. She is the widow of a samurai, and is one of the fiercest swordswomen in the series, easily matching or besting many of the other characters in fighting skill; unlike other characters, Inazuma's skill with a sword is almost all natural talent, as opposed to years of training. Her name (稲妻 in kanji) means "lightning."
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[edit] History
Inazuma was the daughter of a samurai; as she came of age, she caught the eye of a high ranking councillor in her lord's court. Her ambitious father was quite willing to marry her off to the older man in order to gain the extra prestige; Inazuma wanted no part of it, her eye was for a younger more handsome samurai, Hisashi. Her father was not about to let his daughter marry a low-level samurai, and was going to force her to marry the older councillor, so she and Hisashi eloped and moved to Edo. In the time of the Shogun's peace, Hisashi found it hard to find work; unable to find service under a lord, he tried entertaining passers-by with his swordsmanship, but he didn't put on much of a show. He became despondent, and even blamed Inazuma for their bad fortune.
Inazuma wanted to try to make some money the same way, thinking a swordswoman would be more novel, and asked Hisashi to teach her how to use a sword; with little else to do, he agreed. When Inazuma took his swords for the first time, she felt a sudden urge flow through her, as if the swords were meant for her. She learned very quickly, and soon her skill surpassed Hisashi's; she took the name "Inazuma"—meaning "Lightning Flash"—as her stage name, bleached a lightning bolt into her hair, and was a hit with the town. Hisashi grew even more bitter that it was his wife who was supporting them, and turned to drinking and gambling, favoring the game cho-han bakuchi. Inazuma didn't like the way Hisashi was destroying himself and confronted him about it, but she lacked the strength to do it, she loved him too much to stand in his way.
After one very bad night at the local gambling hut, Hisashi grew furious over his bad luck and threw the dice at the wall, breaking them open. The dice were loaded, so he took his grievance to the leader of the gamblers, Masakazu. Hisashi wanted to blackmail Masakazu and he was foolish enough to make his threats in the gambler's own home, but the gambler would have none of it. He had his men capture Hisashi and Hisashi's fate was sealed by one roll of the dice.
Several days later, Hisashi's body was found, and Inazuma felt her heart sink. After a few days to collect herself, she sought out the ones who killed him. On New Year's Eve, she walked into the gambler's hut with her swords and hunted down Masakazu; all who stood in her way, fell like dominoes. When Inazuma cornered the boss, his fate was sealed with another roll of the dice, and she presented Masakazu's head to her husband's grave. Masakazu's father, Bakuchi was the leader of the gambler's association, and was enraged that his son was killed, least of all by a woman. He put a hefty price on her head, and Inazuma has been on the run ever since.
[edit] Grasscutter, and the Blade of the Gods
One night while taking a bath, Inazuma was confronted by Gen, who failed to sneak up on her because of his own lack of hygiene; they fought, and Inzauma clearly had the advantage, until she slipped in the mud and hit her head against a rock. Inazuma was knocked out cold. Before Gen could claim his bounty, a band of thugs tried to steal his reward; during the fight, Inazuma woke up and stumbled away, eventually collapsing on the road where she was found by Jei and Keiko. They bring her to a nearby house and contemplate what to do with her; Keiko says that she's not evil, and that they should help her. In a surprising act of charity, Jei agrees, but they are unable to take care of her, so they deliver her to a nearby temple. When Inazuma awakes, she is in the care of Sanshobo; the priest tries to help her, but her mind is now clouded by visions of a dark man with horrible empty eyes.
After the battle between Usagi and Jei over the Kusanagi, a brilliant light is seen in the sky, so Sanshobo takes a few priests out to investigate. But the strange light has a vile effect on Inazuma; when she wakes up, she goes on a rampage. Later, Inazuma is found stumbling through the woods wearing only a robe and her swords, by some thugs looking to collect the bounty. When they call her out, she looks back with empty eyes, a twisted smile, and answers in a deathly voice.
Keiko finds her shortly after, and starts calling her "Auntie". The pair head out to continue Jei's journey to smite evil, and ultimately kill Usagi; her quest is helped by the price on her head that lures bounty hunters, including Gen and Inukai, and thugs to her, but she also gained the attention of Sasuké, the demon queller and Sanshobo who are determined to find her. At this time, Gen and Inukai now definitely know of Inazuma's condition and have decided to call for help to bring her down. This likely means that Usagi and his other friends will soon learn the full situation themselves.
Jei has not completely consumed her. Inazuma's mind tries to fight back, and occasionally regains control of her body, though it's usually at certain weak points like when going to sleep or just waking up; but Jei's soul is too strong, and he eventually resumes his control over her.
A preliminary drawing for issue 102 shows Usagi possessed by Jei. While this suggests that Inazuma will be free of Jei herself, what she will do upon that release is unknown for now.
[edit] Stories where she has appeared
- A Meeting of Strangers
- Lightning Strikes Twice
- Grasscutter
- Three Seasons
- Dreams and Nightmares
[edit] Trivia
- Inazuma's real name is never given.
- Inazuma is the last original character introduced in the 2nd volume of Usagi Yojimbo, published by Mirage Comics.
- In the notes at the end of Grasscutter, Stan Sakai revealed that Inazuma was created specifically to be the new Blade of the Gods, instead of corrupting an existing character like Tomoe Ame.
- Many fans have suggested that a romantic subplot involving Inazuma and Gen, and Stan Sakai has admitted that the idea sounds interesting.
- According to Stan Sakai, Inazuma is the most powerful swordsman/woman introduced in the series. [1]
