hunting demons (hence the title of Demon Queller). Sasuké has no known friends, except for his ghostly mentor, Lord Shoki (see below); he makes allegiances whenever he must, but is quite willing to do things alone if necessary. He is excessively professional, and many consider him cold and heartless as a result; Miyamoto Usagi prefers not to associate with him beyond the occasions when they happen to face a common enemy, partially due to the fact that Usagi often feels outclassed against Sasuké's enemies, who are supernatural in nature. However, Usagi's respect for his dedication has risen upon one of their encounters which ended with the mage temporarily aged and drained after a hard battle, but still determined to continue when ordered by Shoki to confront his next menace. In the graphic novel Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai, Sasuké reveals that he is over six hundred years old, despite looking around the same age as Usagi; it is also revealed that he had a wife named Harumi and a daughter named Hanako, but that his wife turned into a yokai after Hanako died. Shi – A quartet of assassins; the name is fitting because it means "4" or "death", depending on how it is written. Each member specialized in a weapon: the sword, the bow and arrow, the spear, and the kusarigama (sickle and chain). Together they are virtually invincible, but Usagi manages to defeat them by separating them and taking them out one at a time. The spear-wielder survives the fight and seeks revenge, only to be killed by Usagi on their next encounter. Shoki the Demon Queller - The ghost of a legendary demon hunter from the past, and Sasuke's mentor, who appears often to lead his pupil to the next demonic evil to vanquish. Shunji – One of Katsuichi's students; Shunji and his brother Shunichi found Katsuichi after he fell off a cliff after an ambush, and nursed him back to health. As payback, Katsuichi agreed to take the two brothers on as his students. Shunichi was later slain by a wandering ronin who duelled other fighters for a living, and Katsuichi eventually found Shunji's talents to be incompatible with his teaching style and so sent Shunji to train with an old friend of his. Sojobo - A tengu swordsmaster living in the mountains near Katsuichi's abode who lost his left hand to an attack of guhin tengu; this