A - This is an art project, developed around the Ragdoll Ronin IP wholly owned and created by artist and designer Travroc.

B - There is no pressure, obligation, or necessity to join the path of the Ronin after the free mint, your journey is up to you.

C - As masterless Samurai, we build and prepare in silence - in the midst of the chaos of crypto farming and posting, we aim to be a sanctuary of peace -
art building, lore and community.

D - If you chose to embark on the path of the Ronin, there will be a wide variety of assets available to level up your Ronin.

E - This initial mint will reveal one of eleven(11) scenes of different rarity, one ronin character with one of twelve(12) base fabrics, one of four(4) layers of boro, (representing their level of experience in battle), one of fifteen(15) weapons(in multiple colorways) of differing rarity, and one basic garment and sash. Metadata at this time will remain locked for the base character for eternity.

F - After the mint as we gather in our Izakaya, the hub of all things Ragdoll Ronin on Discord, we will discuss the mechanics of finalizing our 10K collection together, as a community of Ronins. Hundreds of hand drawn traits will be available to customize the aesthetics and vision of your Battle Ready Ronin, which will be locked upon agreement and finalized as the permanent 10K collection, ready for Phase II of Ragdoll Ronin.

Simply put, Ragdoll Ronin are quite literally ragdolls made of indigo dyed fabrics, set in a world in which these ronin roam against a backdrop of traditional Japanese UKIYO-E woodblock style environments. Being ronin, these wanderers inevitably come into conflict with other warriors along their journeys. In the event of sustaining damage during a battle, these ronin do not die, but are able to use fabrics saved from previous battles or obtained throughout the landscape to patch themselves up and live to fight another day.

Starting off as one single, solid INDIGO fabric(chambray/denim/linen/canvas),our ronin collects and layer these fabric patches over time after every battle. In doing so, these patches add up, continuously changing and evolving the ronin’s body and appearance. Layer upon layer of different fabric patches, ie, the technique of BORO, along with a distinct, heavy, SASHIKO stitch, reinforce the ronin’s original body fabric and gives them a very distinct and individual look and patina.

Most importantly however, these fabrics are not just superficial...each fabric obtained from a previous battle with other ronin holds attributes of that particular ronin...when applied, the new patchwork imbues characteristics of the previous owner to the new owner, granting the new owner more strength, experience attributes and fighting ability. Over a period of time, these ronin become very heavily patched and incredibly powerful.

After a tumultuous upbringing and ascent to samurai master, our protagonist is defeated in battle after receiving a deadly blow from our rival, an incredibly skilled but hated samurai, while seeking to avenge our slain master. Because our ronin was pure of heart, during the transition between life and death our ronin finds himself in the Reikai(spirit world) where the world of the Ragdoll Ronin exists. Informed by the single Ningyo(hero doll) he received as a child from his mother, the world of Ragdoll Ronin exists in our ronin’s psyche, yet becomes real in the Reikai. Throughout our journey through this world, we come across many other inhabitants of this realm, warriors and samurai, as well as beings and spirits both benevolent and malicious, who are trapped in the Reikai, unable to escape. Throughout our journey, we come to discover an evil force, the ruler of the Makai(evil world), who is using his forces to infiltrate and pollute the Reikai, in an attempt to combine both realms and rule over both, unchallenged. Its at this point that our ronin bands together with other warriors of this realm in an attempt to defeat this malevolent being, continue on to avenge our slain master in the afterlife, and ultimately escape the Reikai...

Clothing Assets:

In addition to the BORO patchwork available for your character, each ronin has the ability to obtain various styles of traditional Japanese clothing and accessories... from basic HAKAMA (pants) and HAORI (jackets), to various styles of KIMONO, UWA-OBI (sashes), HACHIMAKI (headwraps), KASA (headwear), HORO (capes), KABUTO (helmets), shawls and footwear among many others, all in various styles and colorways. Along with the clothing assets, many styles of masks are available, from traditional SOMEN (full face masks) and MENPO (samurai half-masks) to KABUKI theatre masks, NOH masks, and various others.

Weapon Assets:

Of course, no ronin is ready for battle without the appropriate weaponry. All manner of traditional Japanese samurai weapons are available to each ronin, along with the ability to show each weapon active(in hand), sheathed or un-sheatherd, or stowed on your ronin’s back or waist. Various swords, such as KATANA, TANTO, NAGAMAKI, SHIRASAYA, various styles of YARI (spear), TETSUBO (heavy club), YUMI (short and long bows), and many others are available.

Art and Creative Process:

While this project is living in a virtual world(for the time being), great attention has been placed on giving the project an actual, real world, tangible and tactile feel. All assets for this project have been hand drawn and shaded in ballpoint pen, scanned, and then “painted” digitally to reach the final image. Along with the fabric assets as described above, an immense amount of time has been spent incorporating actual textures into almost all assets. Wood grains, pitted and stained metals, worn and distressed fabrics and prints, straw headwear, woven rope textures and fabric textures have all been incorporated. Additionally, keeping with the look of traditional UKIYO-E woodblock prints from various periods in Japanese history, a distressed patina has been added to each background, giving each piece the look of a woodblock print worn over time. With all of these characteristics combined, this project presents very distinct and unique visuals, unlike anything else seen in this space to date.