Hinjo
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| Hinjo | |
 Hinjo, drawn by Rich Burlew. |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Giant In The Playground |
| First appearance | The Order of the Stick #265 |
| Created by | Rich Burlew |
| In story information | |
| Team affiliations | Sapphire Guard and Azure City |
| Abilities | Skilled warrior, rides a dire wolf as a war steed, Paladin abilities |
Lord Hinjo is a fictional Paladin in the webcomic The Order of the Stick and the currently exiled ruler of Azure City.
[edit] History
Hinjo first appeared when the Order of the Stick arrived at Azure City, helping Miko escort them to their trial. He was much more easy going than fellow paladin Miko Miyazaki, telling the Order jokes and generally getting on well with them. Miko's disapproval of this caused him to mock her to the Order, observing that her attitude is the reason she is generally sent on the long missions. During the trial, it is revealed that Hinjo is the nephew of Lord Shojo and heir to the throne. After the trial, he showed the enthusiastic Elan around the city.
Once the Order returned to Azure City after their conflict with the Linear Guild, Roy Greenhilt discussed the on-going situation with Shojo, unaware that Hinjo and Miko were outside the door and could hear every word. Realising that Shojo has been working behind their backs and was ignoring the sacred oath sworn by the Sapphire Guard, the paladins confronted their master. While Hinjo advocated putting Shojo on trial, Miko took over the accusations, claiming, implausibly, that Shojo was in league with Xykon and that he had betrayed the entire city to their enemies. Despite Hinjo's attempts to reason with her, Miko summarily executed Shojo for treason, an act that cost her her paladin abilities. Hinjo then confronted Miko, attempting to get her to surrender, but she ultimately attacked him. Hinjo defended himself, but was being gradually beaten until Roy intervened.
With Shojo refusing resurrection, Hinjo was crowned as the new ruler of Azure City, appointing Roy to be his bodyguard. With Xykon's army almost at the walls, he had to swiftly prepare the city for the siege, rallying the troops and letting several prisoners, including Belkar Bitterleaf, out of prison in order to fight. When the attack came, Hinjo fought on the walls, riding Argent, his powerful dire wolf, into combat until it became necessary to return the wolf to the Celestial Realms for healing after it was poisoned.
With the outer wall breached and hobgoblins pouring into the city, Hinjo tried to get to the site but was intercepted by one of the Xykon decoys. Caught between the decoy and an attack by ninjas working for one of his more opportunistic political opponents, Hinjo nearly fell, but was saved at the last minute by Durkon Thundershield. Linking up with Haley Starshine and Elan just as the hobgoblins broke into the palace, the group took refuge in a tower, planning to use a hidden tunnel to get them closer to the palace. However, the destruction of the Gate and most of the palace occurred before Hinjo and the Order could form an appropriate plan. Although Hinjo was reluctant to leave the city, with Xykon and his army in control and the palace destroyed, the Order along with the Azure City soldier Daigo convinced Hinjo that there was nothing that they could do and retreat was the only sensible plan. Hinjo and the Order fell back to the Lord of the city's personal junk and were awaiting Haley and Belkar's return to sail. During the battle between the Hobgoblins and the last of the cities survivors, he leapt at Redcloak as he departed, only to be struck by a surprise Disintegrate spell, he fell back onto the boat and was severely injured, though he landed close to Durkon, who then healed him. However this prompted the boat captain to immediately set sail and abandon Haley and Belkar for everyone else's (particularly Hinjo's) safety.
Hinjo was seen again, four months later, attending the wedding of Kazumi Kato and Daigo aboard his junk. When Durkon asked the couple why they did not want Hinjo to preside over the ceremony, Daigo replied that the paladin might have been disappointed in them due to the fact that the bride was already eight weeks pregnant. In a plot exposition masquerading as a congratulatory speech, Hinjo revealed that none of the other southern nations were willing to aid him in retaking Azure City in fear of being Xykon's next target, though they are willing to take refugees and provide supplies. At the end of the speech, he granted titles of nobility to the newlyweds.
[edit] Personality, Traits and Abilities
Hinjo is a considerably more positive portrayal of a paladin than Miko Miyazaki, lacking her holier-than-thou attitude. As a paladin, however, like her, he does take his honor extremely seriously, refusing to break the oath he made, even if it might be a better long-term move. Knowing the tenuous nature of his position as ruler, he is also very politically savvy, and is careful to always have on the right air and manner when others are watching him. Nevertheless he is also attempts to project a firm stance against the nobles, and refuses to budge to their demands. Also, Hinjo has shown a very Lawful preference that people follow the orders given, conceding that the ship captain who disobeyed orders and sailed away too early may have indeed saved his life, and that of everyone aboard, but still taking the moment to reinforce that he expects people to obey orders.
He is a highly competent fighter, fighting with a single cold iron katana and shows great skill fighting from his mount. Miko described him as the "second most powerful paladin" in the Sapphire Guard, with her as the most powerful; though this may have been her own arrogance, it may well be that she was right. He was beaten even though Miko had lost her Paladin powers, suggesting that she is a number of levels above him, although his initial reluctance to kill her may have given her something of an edge. As heir and subsequently leader of the Sapphire Guard, he has considerable knowledge of their lore; he knows about the Snarl and had foreknowledge of the Guard's ability to rise as ghosts when slain by Xykon in the throne room.
[edit] Relationships with other characters
As a fellow officer of the Sapphire Guard, Hinjo got along better with Miko than did the Order of the Stick, though even he expressed disdain for her uptight humorless obedience to protocol. Despite her slaying of his uncle, Hinjo has not allowed any anger he might feel against Miko to show, with him able to soothingly tell her they'd get this straightened out and then she would be able to seek redemption for her crimes through prayer to their gods. Only when she rejects this advice and attacks him does he drop his courtesy and mercy and shows annoyance at her irrationality.
Hinjo and Roy have a good working relationship as two leaders, though Hinjo was not happy to learn of Roy's complicitness with his uncle's deceit. He has also on occasion questioned Roy's decisions, usually when his paladin code diverges from Roy's own interpretation of Lawful Good. Like Roy, he is sometimes exasperated by Elan's antics, though he has not yet developed the cynicism toward the bard that Roy has, even allowing him to address the troops before the battle of Azure City (over Roy's justified objections). Hinjo views Belkar for what he is, a criminal, though he tries to give him some benefit of the doubt to account for Roy's relationship with him and perhaps in the hope that he may be reformed. So far, Hinjo has not spent any particular amount of time interacting with the other members of the Order of the Stick.
Hinjo's rule is opposed by Azure City's noble class, which has tried three times to assassinate him in his short time on the throne (twice with ninjas and once with a hired mercenary). Hinjo is particularly loyal and protective of his dire wolf mount, Argent.
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