Usagi Yojimbo: Senso by Stan Sakai - Book Club Breakdown
Review: Usagi Yojimbo: Senso by Stan Sakai
“When myth meets machine, even the most honourable paths can burn.”
After decades chronicling the journeys of Miyamoto Usagi—a noble ronin in a world of anthropomorphic animals—Stan Sakai throws his long-running epic into an alternate future with Usagi Yojimbo: Senso, a story that’s part War of the Worlds, part historical elegy, and all heart.
Set twenty years after the events of the main series, Senso finds the world of Usagi on the brink. The simmering war between Lord Hikiji and the Geishu Clan is finally reaching its explosive climax—until something stranger, and deadlier, descends from the skies. Martian Tripods crash into feudal Japan, turning age-old rivalries and centuries of tradition into ash. Suddenly, samurai swords must face alien tech, and everything Usagi has stood for is thrown into cosmic question.
A Future Born from the Past
Despite the sci-fi premise, Sakai stays true to what makes Usagi Yojimbo so rich: a deep reverence for Japanese history, culture, and storytelling. The book may feature alien invaders, but its heart lies in the familiar themes of Bushido: duty, sacrifice, honour, and legacy.
There’s something absurd and deeply tragic in watching ancient warriors charge into battle against mechanical giants. Sakai leans into this tension, using the visual contrast of curved katanas and jagged alien limbs to highlight the futility of war. Personal feuds and political manoeuvres are made meaningless in the face of mass destruction. This isn’t just an action story—it’s a meditation on how quickly centuries of civilisation can unravel when faced with the unimaginable.
Echoes of Time, Threads of Legacy
In Senso, time itself has weight. Characters are visibly older—stiffer postures, greyer fur, more contemplative stares. Usagi is still Usagi but worn by years of battle and loss. Tomoe, too, is rendered with a solemn grace, every decision heavy with unspoken history. Sakai’s ability to subtly age his characters—visually and emotionally—makes their choices resonate even more deeply.
Thematically, Senso feels like a final act. Every sacrifice, every act of bravery, carries a sense of permanence. This isn’t just a climactic battle; it’s a reckoning with everything that came before. Sakai explores how time erodes not only bodies, but ideals, friendships, and old loyalties. And yet, even in the shadow of defeat, Usagi remains tethered to his code. His unwavering sense of right and wrong becomes a final, flickering light in the dark.
Myth Meets Machine
Though Senso omits the Yokai and spirits that often populate the Usagi world, the Martian Tripods become their thematic counterpart. These monstrous machines are anti-myths—cold, unfeeling, and utterly alien. But like Oni or dragons, they serve as trials for the hero. They’re the chaos that tests moral fibre, the devastation that forces impossible decisions.
Visual motifs drive this home. Banners and emblems—once symbols of loyalty and honour—are reduced to burning tatters. Watching a clan’s flag fall under the shadow of a tripod is as impactful as watching a beloved character die. Sakai understands the power of symbolism and uses it to show the collapse of cultural memory in real time.
Art in Elegy
As always, Sakai’s art is impeccable. His linework remains crisp and expressive, even as he shifts from tight sword duels to sprawling scenes of chaos. The contrast between the clean elegance of samurai combat and the destructive spectacle of the Tripods couldn’t be starker.
Sakai’s layouts expand during fight scenes—horizontal panels, angled frames, wide shots—to create a sense of movement and disorientation. The Tripod battles are chaotic but never confusing; you feel the weight of each explosion, each sacrifice. And throughout it all, the architecture of feudal Japan—castles, forts, rooftops—is lovingly, accurately rendered. It’s a world worth fighting for, which makes its destruction even more poignant.
The final pages are haunting. Rendered in stark, simple linework with minimal dialogue, they read like a visual elegy. If you’ve journeyed with Usagi from the beginning, these final images may well bring a lump to your throat. They don’t just close a story—they honour a lifetime of storytelling.
Final Thoughts
Usagi Yojimbo: Senso is a bold, unexpected, and deeply moving entry in Stan Sakai’s legendary series. It’s a story about war, yes—but more than that, it’s about what survives war: honour, memory, and the quiet strength of those who refuse to surrender their ideals.
For longtime fans, it’s a powerful coda. For newcomers, it’s a thrilling alternate tale that still captures the spirit of one of comics’ most enduring heroes. Either way, it stands as proof that even in the face of overwhelming odds—of time, of violence, of change—Usagi’s journey still matters.
And always will.