A Childhood Dream Fulfilled: Usagi Yojimbo in TMNT: Shredder's Revenge

In just a little over a week, there's going to be a major DLC update for last year's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge game. In addition to a new mode, costume options and stages, a new character will be playable, Miyamoto Usagi from Usagi Yojimbo. With this addition, something that started as a playground rumor when I was just ten years old, and something I wanted to badly to be real, will finally happen.

First, for those that don't know, Miyamoto Usagi is from his own very long-running comic series, Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai. The turtles and Usagi have had a lot of crossovers over the years, going back to the original 80s TMNT series, in which Donatello opens a dimensional portal, and Usagi steps out confused and scared of our strange world (he comes from an alternate reality Edo period Japan in which all people are anthropomorphic animals). Rapheal had the great insightful line here "So he's from another dimension, and ancient Japan. So it makes perfect sense that he speaks English." This introduction to "Usagi Yojimbo", as that's what his name was in the episode for some weird reason instead of his real name, was how I and many others found out about this other comic series, and I became hooked on it since then. There were many more crossover appearances, including a toy in the TMNT toy line, the turtles showing up in Usagi Yojimbo comics, and Usagi continuing to show up in later versions of the turtles cartoons, including the 2003 series and the CG 2013 series.

So back in 1990, I was super into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (during that time in fifth grade people would refer to me as that guy that draws ninja turtles), and I was also really into Usagi Yojimbo. And for anyone that remembers those pre-internet days of their childhood, playground talk about video games was a big deal. That's where you would brag about the games you'd beaten, and it was also the time to show off your gaming knowledge by sharing secret tips and codes you might know for other games. And also back in the pre-internet days, it was a lot harder to prove or disprove a rumor, except to just try it for yourself. Well I remember this one kid told me it was possible to unlock Usagi Yojimbo in the first TMNT game for NES (which at the time I believe was still the only TMNT game on NES). In order to unlock him, he said, you had to get to level 3, then drive the turtle van over to one of the bridges on the overworld map and get out and do the Konami code (up up down down left right left right b a b a). Then when you paused the game to switch turtles, Usagi would be there too!

Naturally I couldn't wait to run home and try it. As soon as I got home from school that day, I worked my way to level 3, then hopped in the van and made my way to the bridge on the right. I had my turtle park on the bridge and hop out, then performed the Konami code. Nothing happened. I tried again, and still nothing. So I did it on the pause screen, then in the van. No Usagi. I gave up, bummed out that it didn't work. I don't think I ever confronted the other kid about it, I just never brought it up again. I always thought it would be so cool to play as Usagi in TMNT.

This DLC for Shredder's Revenge makes that dream from over 30 years ago finally come true for me. We'll have an actual playable Usagi in a TMNT game, and it's one of if not the best TMNT game out there! I personally can not wait to finally play as Miyamoto Usagi and take on the Foot Clan!