Sasuké

**Sasuké, the Demon Queller**, is an anthropomorphic fox and an enigmatic ronin on a never-ending quest to hunt down Yokai (monsters) that threaten mortals. Sasuke is guided by a mysterious spirit entity called Lord Shoki, who tells him where he must go and what evils he must slay.

## History

Much of the Demon Queller's past and history is deeply shrouded in mystery, but amongst the Yokai of the land, his name is greatly feared. Usagi noted that his clothing is not of this era, but more like that of the Heian Period from six hundred years ago. On one occasion, Sasuke admitted that he was much older than Usagi guessed.

Usagi first met Sasuke when he stopped at a tavern in a village that was being plagued by an infestation of spiders. The webs were so thick in the forest that Usagi had to use his sword to cut through them and found the desiccated body of an unfortunate villager in the webs. Sasuke was amongst the patrons at the inn and greeted Usagi by name, though Usagi was pretty sure that he never introduced himself, but Sasuke insisted that he did and just didn't remember. Later that night, the innkeeper's daughter, Shizuko, was taken, but nobody saw by who or what, only the giant hole in the wall that was left behind. Sasuke told Usagi that Shizuko was taken by Spider-Goblins. At first, Usagi and the villagers didn't believe what Sasuke told them, but as they followed the strange tracks back to their lair, a giant spider goblin attacked. Sasuke and Usagi managed to slay the creature, but the villagers fled, and the two ronin continued into the cave.

As they went further into the lair, a monstrous spider-goblin called Kumo-Onna (Spider Woman) addressed Sasuke as the Demon Queller and attacked the two warriors with her massive spider minions. While Usagi tried to fend off the giant spiders, Sasuke summoned a giant toad to fight the Kumo-Onna, and that was when Usagi realized that Sasuke was a mahoutsukai (wizard). As the two of them killed the other spider goblins, the Kumo-Onna breathed a poisonous smog at Usagi that instantly started draining the life out of him, but Sasuke used his sword to cut a fatal blow to the spider woman, and his giant toad devoured her, and Usagi blacked out. When he woke up three days later, he was back at the inn and Shizuko was safe. She told Usagi that they rode back to town with Sasuke on the back of his giant toad and that Sasuke helped nurse Usagi back to health before he left, and the spiders that plagued the village were now all gone. Usagi then hoped he'd never meet Sasuke again.

Unfortunately, ever since then, Usagi has encountered Sasuke on numerous occasions, and while their meetings always seemed like mere chance to Usagi, Sasuke has always told him that Usagi was right where he needed to be. Every time the two of them have met, they've dealt with one form of supernatural evil after another, including monsters, evil sorcerers and even zombies. Every hunt Sasuke takes is guided by the mysterious spirit he calls Lord Shoki, he tells him what evil he must fight and where.

In the 2009 stand-alone special, "Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai", more of Sasuke's mysterious past was revealed. As Usagi was traveling one night during a "Oborozuki-Yo" (Haunted Moon) he was lured into the forest and became lost because of fox fire from a kitsune yokai and he came upon a strangely dressed but beautiful noblewoman who was weeping in the middle of the forest. She introduced herself as Harumi Fujimoto, and told Usagi that she lost her daughter, Haruko, when they were lured into the forest by the same fox fire that brought Usagi here and begged the ronin to help her find her daughter. At first, Usagi was hesitant, but decided to help Lady Harumi.

As Usagi went into the forest, he encountered more and more yokai, each on more dangerous than the last, who forced him deeper and deeper into the forest. That was when he once again encountered Sasuke the Demon Queller. Sasuke told Usagi that once every hundred years the yokai of the land gather to try and subjugate the world, and all they need is a mortal soul to accomplish it. Usagi then told Sasuke that the yokai had already captured a mortal, and Sasuke knew they had to hurry. They fought their way to the gathering where the yokai were trying to summon a demon called the Witch Queen, who would lead them to conquer the world, and a little girl was among them. She told them it was too late, and the spirit of the Witch Queen was summoned.

The ronin and the exorcist fought viciously against the horde of Yokai and the Witch Queen. Sasuke was able to eventually vanquish the spirit of the Witch Queen with his sword, but the ordeal left his very weak. Usagi said they still had to find the little girl called Haruko Fujimoto who was taken by the yokai, but Sasuke angrily said that they child was a hoax, and to forget about her. He then cursed the demon woman that dare to use that name against him and to lure Usagi here. Harumi then appeared and greeted Sasuke, lamenting how he thwarted them yet again, to which Sasuke promised he always would. Harumi then crumbled to dust. When Usagi asked who that woman was, Sasuke told him that in his previous life, Harumi was his wife but the death of their daughter, Hanako, drove her to become a demon, and him to becoming the Demon Queller. Usagi noted that Harumi was dressed in the style of the Heian Period from six hundred years ago, but Sasuke told him that he was actually much older than Usagi suspected. Usagi then asked that if Hanako was a hoax, how were the yokai going to sacrifice a mortal soul to lead them into this world. Sasuke answered that Usagi was meant to be their sacrifice. The two then once again parted ways.

## Skills and Abilities

As a ronin, Sasuké has shown that he's skilled swordsman and archer, but his true power lies in the magic he wields. The magic Sasuke commands is not only powerful, but he has many spells to counter the threats he faces. He can launch fireballs, set his sword aflame, throw blasts of ice, create shields of energy, create light in darkness, and knows how mix various potions. He's also skilled in summoning, being able to conjure a giant frog and a giant multi-headed dragon. He's also been shown to have the ability to hypnotize people, and in one extreme case, he stole the life force from an enemy he was fighting to restore his own. The downside to Sasuke's power is that the more he uses, the more it drains his life force, reducing him to a husk of a man, and using his powers too much will probably kill him.

Another power he possesses is the apparent ability to read minds; although it is unknown if he does it intentionally or if it's an ability that is always on. Whenever he and Usagi meet, he clearly knows things about them that haven't been mentioned. For example, he knew Usagi's name when they first met, and not only did he know that Jotaro's name without ever meeting him, but he also knew he was Usagi's son. In every such encounter, Sasuke usually shrugs it off saying that Usagi must have merely "mentioned" it earlier.

## Lord Shoki

The strange spirit that commands Sasuke where to go and what he must face. As of yet, Sasuke's connection to Shoki, or what Shoki actually is has yet to be revealed. The way he's dressed and the ancient, double-edged sword he carried are reminiscent of the earlier eras of Japanese history, long before the age of the samurai.

## Stories in which Sasuké has appeared

* "Kumo"
* "Sumi-E"
* "Traitors of the Earth"
* Yokai
* Bunraku