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Miyamoto Usagi is the fictional titular character in the comic Usagi Yojimbo; inspired by Miyamoto Musashi. He is an anthropomorphic rabbit ('Usagi' is Japanese for rabbit) and a ronin that walks the path of 'musha shugyo', 'the warrior's journey'. He is a highly skilled swordsman and one of the best in the lands.
Fighting Style
Usagi was trained in the art of bujutsu (the art of war) by the nonconformist martial artist Master Katsuichi and uses an unorthodox style of swordsmanship that defies the conventional techniques of the more mainstream kenjutsu dojos. Shortly before he entered his Lord Mifune's service, Usagi was also trained in the ways of the Tengu ('yokai' or 'goblins'), who are legendary for their sword skills, by Sojobo the Dai-Tengu. Usagi is also a veteran of the Age of Wars and has actual battle experience outside of fighting in formal duels. Because of his training and unconventional sword style, Usagi often staggers his opponents with his techniques that they've never encountered in their dojos. Usagi's style exploits the rigidity of the traditional schools by being unpredictable and attacking with whatever technique will work in a fight rather than what's restricted by a certain style with certain methods.
Usagi's skill is so great that on many occasions, because of his non-aggressive nature, he has often defeated many opponents without even drawing his sword from its scabbard, even when his enemies had. On the rare occasion where Usagi found himself without his swords, he's been able to defeat his enemies using unconventional weapons, such as a seaweed pole, a stick, or even fish.
The techniques that Usagi uses in his fighting style include:
Battojutsu: The art of attacking from the draw. A skill that has been the deciding factor in many of Usagi's duels.
Nitojutsu: The art of using both the long and short swords. This was an uncommon technique in most schools that Usagi often uses against multiple opponents.
Nage Ken: The art of blade-throwing. On many occasions, Usagi's has had to dexterously throw his katana or wakizashi to slay an enemy.
Dairokkan: The Sixth Sense. Usagi's awareness is so sharp that he can acutely sense danger, even when an assassin once tried to kill him in his sleep.
Despite the intensity of Usagi's training and his high level of skill, like many sword styles, he is at a disadvantage when it comes to fighting spears. This weakness has often put him on the defensive against his mortal enemy Jei, and it's probably thanks to Usagi's unorthodox style that he's managed to adapt to fighting against Jei and survive where other sword experts have perished.
Additional Skills
Throughout the entire series, and even as the focus of certain chapters, Usagi has been shown to be well-learned in the arts of calligraphy, haiku poetry, flower arranging and the tea ceremony. As a Samurai, Usagi was not only expected to be highly skilled in martial arts but to be deeply cultured in the refined arts of Japanese society. During his journeys, Usagi has also learned other art forms and cultural aspects of his homeland, such a pottery, drum making, sushi crafting, soy sauce brewing, music and painting.
