A one-armed samurai tells Usagi of his losing duel with an invincible warrior who severs the sword arm of his victims and wears their finger bones on a necklace. When the skilled, sadistic samurai comes to town, can the rabbit ronin defeat an unbeatable swordsman?
As I've been reviewing the latest Groo series, I've been instructing readers to pick up Usagi Yojimbo. I'm now heeding my own advice: after picking up this issue I'm having it added to my monthly pull list. Why did I ever stop reading this? The story and artwork are incredibly strong. Reading this book is like a trip in time. Absolutely recommended. Read Full Review
Overall, this is another phenomenalissuethat deserves to be grouped with anyof the other great issues in the Usagi Yojimbo saga. This is a must read for any comic book fan. Read Full Review
The One-Armed Swordsman is a bit of a melancholy tale, punctuated with action that our hero is witness to but not often involved in, but the single issue and the pair of unexpected encounters not only allow Usagi to meet a fellow honor-bound ronin but also witness a measure of justice exacted in Takashi's revenge over Te. Stan Sakai is quick to point out it wasn't solely revenge that drove the ronin into seeking out and challenging Te once more but also a driving need to prevent the villain from continuing his evil work any longer. Worth a look. Read Full Review
Seeing the One-Armed Swordsman hold his own in battle, you can see Usagi learning the lesson of underestimating people. But as he is told about Te (the Hand), you get the sense that there is a vengeance mission being plotted. Eventually, the story progresses some time as Usagi runs into The Hand. The samurai tries to get Usagi to challenge him, however, as routine readers of Usagi would know, the rabbit has no need to prove himself to anyone, and ignores the comments. But there is a challenger in the crowd, and he does challenge Te. When Usagi confronts the One-Armed ronin in the end, he imparts a wisdom to Usagi and the readers. It was never about vengeance or any other kind of payback. The reason he fought Te was simple, “There are some people in this world who are just too evil to exist.” It seems another wayward ronin has found a moral code to follow even though he is dishonored and lord-less. Read Full Review
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