Inigo Sasaki

Inigo, born Inigo Sasaki in the films and is later known as Inigo Sasaki-Warbucks. He is the main character of the comic books, the play and the movies of the same title. He is an optimistic six-year old (five in the 2010 adaptation) orphan boy. He has straight black hair. Inigo is Japanese-American. He is friendly and has a good heart. Inigo lives in New York and resides in an orphanage until he is adopted by Oliver Warbucks. In the book, play and movies, he was stated to be born on December 10. Inigo is portrayed by the late Harris Martin in the 1987 sequel, by Jack Houston in the 1993 tryout, by Brandon Nicholson in the original play, by William Howard in the 2010 adaptation, by Marcus Campbell in the 2019 Dreamworks adaptation and by Inigo Salunday in the 2021 animated film.

## Depiction

### Comic books

Little is known or revealed about Inigo's origins in the comic books. Ken Baxter's article mentions that Inigo has been in Miss Ginger's orphanage since he was a baby. Inigo describes the first thing he remembered: Being in the home and how mean Miss Ginger was. I guess I should have been there, right from the time I was born, almost. There were family records for Inigo and his parents but these were missing when the orphanage was razed. Despite much persuasion from Daddy Warbucks, Ginger refused to divulge what she remembered about Inigo's birth family apart from being left as a baby in the front of the house. While Inigo had been under Warbucks' care for the majority of the series, only being outside alone from time to time, it was not until the Carmen Sandiego strip where he was formally adopted as Warbucks' son as opposed to being only his ward.

### Book

The book establishes that Inigo was born to Emily and Kazuhiko Sasaki, two poor artists from Japan who moved to New York in 1926 to study art. A young couple, the Sasaki family did not know family members living in New York City or back in Japan and when Emily caught scarlet fever, her spouse Kazuhiko left a newborn Inigo in the orphanage while leaving the baby a letter saying that they will return for him. They later died in a car accident, unknown to him. He always hoped his parents will return for him someday while counting each new year that has passed ever since. Inigo has been miserable in the orphanage, no thanks to the orphanage owner, Miss Ginger since she often forces Inigo and the others into child labour while she drinks alcohol. She also forces them to say, "We love you, Miss Ginger!" to her which the orphans comply. While fed up with the yearning to find his biological parents, Inigo made his first try to escape from the orphanage but not without getting caught by Miss Ginger. This did not deter the orphan however, when Inigo saw an opportunity by way of a laundry chute by a man named Mr Chuckles. Inigo smuggles himself inside the chute and out of the orphanage. He later spends a few months on the run from the orphanage initially spending the wintertime as a junior waiter in Po Restaurant, a no-nonsense Chinese cafe run by Angela Wang before escaping after he finds Taro. He then spends several months living in the Hooverville with Elizabeth and the Apple Seller who, in the book, are grown-up characters and a couple. Inigo's stay at the Hooverville was pleasant to say the least as the denizens welcomed her better than Angela, let alone Miss Ginger but this came to an abrupt end when the police broke up the Hooverville and captures Inigo who spent the following day in jail along with the other Hoovervillites. Inigo was sent back to the orphanage where he was almost going to have a beating with Miss Ginger when the secretary to millionaire Oliver Warbucks, named Grace Farrell came in. She invited Inigo to come and spend Christmas Day with Oliver Warbucks but Miss Ginger would only let him go after she was threatened by Grace saying she would get her fired. Grace then took Inigo to Oliver Warbucks' house but when he came, he wanted him to leave. He gave in and had a very fun time with him walking around New York that he stopped working and committed to adopt him. When he told Inigo, he refused the offer because all he wanted was his parents who were dead. Oliver Warbucks was determined to look for Inigo's parents, putting him on the radio, sending out the FBI and offering $50 000 to whoever could prove they are his parents. In the meantime, he brought him to the White House to meet Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt where he made the New Deal. After all of these failed tries, Oliver asked again to adopt him and this time, he said yes but before this could be made official, Rooster de Guia and his crush Lily Saint Regis came inside and claimed they were his parents so that they can get the money. They had the proof so it was decided that they would bring him the following day, much to the chagrin of Inigo and Mr Warbucks but the following morning, Mr Warbucks was told by President Roosevelt and the FBI that his parents were dead and the imposters were arrested along with Miss Ginger as soon as they arrived. Mr Warbucks then told Inigo of his dead parents and he was sad but they became father and son and lived happily ever after.

### Play

Bearing some inspiration from the book, this is a play later made into two films. Inigo is abandoned inside an orphanage where he dreams of his parents coming back to reclaim him. In 1933, he escapes the abusive owner, Miss Ginger and finds a cat named Taro but comes back to the orphanage. After, he is invited by Grace Kaoru to spend Independence Day with the millionaire Oliver Warbucks. At first being repulsed by Inigo, he grows on him and attempts to adopt him but he refuses just because he wants his biological parents. Oliver offers a $50 000 reward for the people who can prove they are Inigo's parents. Miss Ginger and her brother and his crush attempt to fake themselves as Inigo's parents to get the money but are caught by Oliver Warbucks and Pres. Roosevelt.Oliver Warbucks adopts Inigo and lives happily ever after.