Highlights
- The character of The Ronin from Star Wars: Visions will be getting a new story centered around him in an upcoming comic book, expanding upon his popularity among fans.
- The comic book, titled Star Wars: Visions - Takashi Okazaki #1, is part of a line of comics that will add to The Ronin's growing story, which has already been expanded through a novel and a comic prequel.
- The announcement of The Ronin's new story is great news for fans who enjoyed the character and wanted to see more of him, and it highlights the staying power and popularity of the Star Wars: Visions series.
One Star Wars: Visions character will get more attention. New material has been announced that will focus on continuing his story.
Initially billed as a creative project that would bring anime to Star Wars, the first season of Star Wars: Visions gave Western fans a novel experience in terms of stylistic approach and creative direction. Star Wars: Visions season 1 featured nine Star Wars-inspired stories, each created by a different studio and visionary team.
Unsurprisingly, while Star Wars: Visions was renewed for a second season that would remove the anime-themed prerequisite, one character from the first season is still the talk of the town amongst fans and casual viewers alike. As a result of this popularity, the official Star Wars website put out an announcement revealing that The Ronin, the central character of the first season’s premiere episode, The Duel, will get a new story centered around him in the upcoming Marvel comic book Star Wars: Visions – Takashi Okazaki #1. The eponymous creator, Takashi Okazaki, was also the writer at the Japanese studio Kamikaze Douga, responsible for The Duel.
The comic book is part of a line of comics that will kick off with Star Wars: Visions – Peach Momoko #1 and will add to the character’s growing story, which has already been expanded by a novel titled Star Wars: Ronin and a comic prequel written and illustrated by Okazashi. “The Ronin is such a unique character, but one that still feels at home in the Star Wars galaxy," Danny Khazem, an editor for Marvel, told StarWars.com. "He was one of the most fan-favorite introductions from the Disney+ series, and now, Takashi gets the chance to expand upon the history of the Ronin here. We're all blown away with the work he has been doing, and this issue is no exception: the action and intrigue all packed into this one-shot is stunning!”
The announcement is great news for many, as while excited about it, some fans were also disappointed when Disney announced the Star Wars: Visions volume 2 slate with no plans to include the creators behind The Duel. The character of The Ronin has become the face of the anthology series, partly due to being the first in line from the first season but also because the character is such a novel and interesting concept that fans enjoy. While not everyone can appreciate the comic book medium (despite a gorgeous cover featuring The Ronin and B5-56 being looked down upon by a masked figure with a red lightsaber) as they would an animated feature, at least some fans will be able to experience adventures with the character again.
The staying power that the character and series have in fans' minds should serve as a lesson to Disney, as many fans now agree that Marvel needs its version of Star Wars: Visions to push the envelope on the massive IP. While Marvel’s What If? series is technically also an anthology, it’s a safe take on already popular characters that still leaned towards an overarching narrative as a safety feature. What makes Star Wars: Visions work is the freedom given to the contributors to bring their visions to the forefront.
Star Wars: Visions is now available for streaming on Disney Plus.
Source: Star Wars