| “Entrance Qualifications” | |||||||
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| Order of the Stick comic | |||||||
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| Comic no. | 589 | ||||||
| Date published | 4 September 2008 | ||||||
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| Comic list | |||||||
| View the comic | |||||||
| View discussion | |||||||
Elan and Therkla arrive in the nick of time to save Daigo and Kazumi.
Cast 
Edit
- Elan ◀ ▶
- Daigo Da- ◀ ▶
- Kazumi Kato (pregnant) ◀ ▶
- Therkla ◀ ▶
- Daimyo Kubota ◀ ▶
- Kubota's Samurai ▶
- A Ninja
Transcript Edit
- Panel 1
Ninja: Please, don't hurt me! I have children, too!
Kazumi: Yeah? Did you go through half a year of hemmorrhoids[sic] to get them?
Kazumi: Turn around and I'll show you exactly what that feels like.
Daigo: Unnnh... Kazumi! I'm coming, my love! I'll save you from—
- Panel 2
Kubota and two samurai storm through the door, causing the door to hit Daigo, who was standing by it, "WHACK!"
Kazumi: Kubota?!? What the hell are YOU doing here?
Kubota: Why, I come to render assistance, naturally.
- Panel 3
Kubota: I heard the sounds of battle from my ship and have come to aid two of my fellow nobles in defending themselves from this mysterious and untraceable ninja attack.
Kubota: Sadly, it is well-known among the general public that I am not much of a swordsman, so no one will be surprised that my efforts were in vain.
- Panel 4
Kubota: Naturally, I intend to sustain a serious (but not life-threatening) injury in my heroic—if ultimately futile—effort to defend you.
Kubota: Make sure it's not on my face incidentally.
Samurai #1: You got it boss.
- Panel 5
Kazumi: Unnnh!
Samurai #1: Drop the swords, Fatty.
Samurai #2: Heh heh, "Fatty".
Kubota: My samurai will "drive away" the ninja, but not before the Kato bloodline is excised.
- Panel 6
Daigo: First of all, my wife is a delicate flower who just happens to be with child.
Daigo: Second of all, stay the hell away from my family, Kubota, or you'll have to answer to me, Daigo Da—
Daigo closes the door, "SLAM!"
- Panel 7
Therkla storms through the door into the room, causing the door to hit Daigo hard, "WHACK!"
Therkla: Daimyo Kubota, please, stop!
- Panel 8
Samurai #2: Oh, hey, Therkla.
Kubota: Therkla, my dear. How deeply disappointing. I see that Qarr's assessment of your loyalty has sadly proven accurate.
Therkla: No, you don't understand, I just want—
- Panel 9
Elan jumps through a Window, "KEEYSH!"
Elan: The jig is up, Kubota! Surrender now!
- Panel 10
Therkla: Elan, I left the door open for you, you know.
Elan: Right, that's why I had to go around and find another way to crash dramatically into the scene.
Elan: Don't worry, you're new to this, it's an easy mistake to make.
Daigo: Why do I have glass in my face?
D&D Context Edit
- Elan's Dashing Swordsman prestige class includes an immunity to broken glass in order to facilitate dramatic entrances.
Trivia Edit
- Daigo reveals the second letter of his last name in this strip. Hinjo previously let slip the first letter in #501, after Daigo had decided to keep his surname a secret in #472.
- This is the first appearance of Kubota's Samurai.
