A Theoretical Usagi Yojimbo Ultimates figure: a Rant

 

I mentioned that there's a possibility that a Miyamoto Usagi figure might not be possible in the TMNT Ultimates line. An alternative would be working with Stan Sakai about making a Miyamoto Usagi figure to test the waters for a line of Ultimates based on Usagi Yojimbo. The idea is to release an Usagi figure to gauge the waters before releasing an actual wave if the solo Usagi sells well. 

For the Solo Usagi figure I suggest the Ronin look. It's the main look for the character and is NOT RELATED to TMNT Ultimates. That way if he sells well, it's because of Usagi Yojimbo fans and not TMNT fans. If one were to be made, here's what I'd suggest:

-Extra Straw hat wearing head. Can't  have a ronin without those. See pic above.

-Cloak... see pic above.

-Katana, Wakizashi, Tanto. Samurai needs samurai weapons.

-Flute. No, it's not a Ghost of Tsushima thing. It's a Samurai thing, and there's art of Usagi playing the flute.

-Sake gourd. Again, Samurai thing.

Extra hands including one to hold the scabbard for sword drawing poses, flute playing hands

If Usagi does well, then we could get a wave or two of characters.

I won't go into detail for accessories and stuff, because I'm not well versed in Usagi Yojimbo. I have read a couple of stories, but not enough to say I'm super hardcore fan. But if a wave or two were to be made, here's who I'd add:

Wave 1:

Lord Hikiji:

Every hero needs a villain. Usagi is no exception.

Tomoe Ame:

Female samurai and ally. A favorite of Sakai, so she has a guaranteed spot.

Gen:

He's one of the few characters that has appeared in other media and could have some appeal to TMNT Fans.

Kagemaru:

Evil Cat Ninja, we need one of those.

Wave 2:

Jei: 

The dark warrior who keeps coming back from the dead and the closest thing to an Anti-Usagi.

Chizu:

A grey area character who has been both an ally and an enemy to Usagi. Also, female cat ninja. IIRC She has issues with Kagemaru.

Zato-Ino:

A pig version of Zatoichi, count me in!! He also has issies with Usagi and Gen.

Lord Noriyuki:

Given his smaller size he could be a two-pack with another small character, like say, Jotaro.

Those two waves can deliver a somewhat rounded roster to an Usagi line. I couldnt figure how to make an actual figure of Lord Hebi, so that's why he's absent. 

Extra figure not attached to a wave:

Armored Samurai Usagi:

This would be the closest to the TMNT Usagi. The look would be based from the comics.

And last but not least, *IF* S7 managed to iron things out between Nickelodeon, Playmates and Sakai a TMNT/Usagi Yojimbo crossover wave of 5 figures:

Playmates Usagi:

Based on the vintage toy.

The four TMNT wearing Edo period clothing.

SUPER7 HAS WAVE1 OF TMNT on BBTS...

 They are calling it a variant reissue wave. It's kinda a"BBTS Exclusive"  and it's basically a repaint wave.  The repaint are very subtle. Like having the unpainted weapon was being molded in a different color. I think the Mouser that comes with Baxter will be repainted as well. Unfortunately these are going to be slightly more expensive than the normal ultimates figures going for 50 instead of the normal 45.

But on the other hand it's a great chance of getting the first wave without paying the insane secondary market prices. That lead this was dropped in as a surprise without any preparation and people couldn't Army build food soldiers since they are already sold out... and there was a limit of 2 per customer...

And the pre-order for the entire wave and individual figures are sold out... well, shit! I was able to preorder a single foot soldier to have an amazing army of 3... yay. 

Yes, clean shaven Mando, it COULD BE BETTER... like a $1000 Technodrome...

Also, there are a couple of rumors going on:

Since these are rumors take them with a grain of salt!!

-Bucket of Mousers is being considered... well, not exactly a bucket of them, but a way to have a release of Many Mousers, not to be confused with Mary Mouser, who plays Samantha LaRusso in Cobra Kai... No, let's not go down the Nefty wants some Cobra Kai toys route...

-April is getting tweaked. Don't know if it's just the face or if her body is being fixed as well. If it's the face, then V3 head is the way to go for her. If they are looking into the body, then the area near her waist needs some love... it looks close to vintage, but proportionally looks weird. Can't quite put my finger on it, but something looks off.

-Supposedly, the goal is to have these around Late-March, early April... which means that if April was being revised, these rumors leaked after said revising was done... but getting My Favorite Turtle and my favorite Banana reporter sooner rather than later is a good thing.

-Miyamoto Usagi MIGHT NOT MAKE IT TO THE LINE. Since he's part of a somewhat active IP that is not TMNT, it makes the deal a bit harder, since S7 has to deal with Nickelodeon, Playmates, and now Dark Horse, just to get Usagi... Personally, s7 should forget about Usagi in TMNT and work with Dark Horse for a single release of Ultimates Usagi that "displays well" with other Ultimates.

Again, these are rumors, so take them with a grain of salt.