WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Robin #6, on sale now from DC Comics.

The erstwhile Robin, Damian Wayne, isn't the only hero connected to Batman participating in the Lazarus Tournament. One of the international Batmen of Batman Inc. was also a part of the secret elite martial arts competition. While Jiro. the Batman of Japan, seemed positioned to go far in the tournament, his time there was tragically cut short, along with one of his limbs.

In Robin #6, Joshua Williamson, Gleb Melkinov, Luis Guerrero and Troy Peteri hand  Jiro a devastating defeat to the young killer Respawn that highlights the skill that separates Batman from the rest of Batman Inc.

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Damian was taking a break after having gotten through his first two fights with haste. As the young Robin rested up, Flatline joined him and began pointing out particular fights and who the likely winner would be. When she singled out Respawn and Jiro's fight, she knew right away that Respawn was going to kill Jiro. And her prediction came true, Jiro was quickly outmatched by Respawn's fighting style and had his arm severed, the sudden blood loss undoubtedly killing him. But Flatline's estimation of his skills might not just come from her knowledge as a fighter, but also because her partner, Lord Death Man killed Jiro's first partner and former boss, Mister Unknown.

Jiro first debuted in Batman Incorporated #1 by Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette. He was the body double of Mister Unknown, a Japanese costumed superhero. Unfortunately, Lord Death Man managed to capture Mister Unknown, disfiguring him with acid before killing him. This left Jiro without a teacher or a job until Batman showed up. He originally wanted to bring Mister Unknown into Batman Inc. as the Batman of Japan, but Batman saw no other viable candidates after his death.

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Batman of Japan Jiro Batman Inc

Jiro volunteered immediately and was immediately shut down. At the time, Jiro used a gun as part of his arsenal, something Batman could not tolerate. Undeterred, Jiro suited up as Mister Unknown one last time to help Batman defeat and capture Lord Death Man. Having proved himself, Jiro faked his death and assumed his new position as the Batman of Japan on a trial basis, Batman not ready to fully trust Jiro with such an important task. And in the aftermath of Batman Inc. being disbanded it would seem that hesitance was well-founded.

For Jiro to be a part of this tournament means he has killed already, breaking a rule Batman holds even more sacred than not using guns. But based on his fight with Respawn, it's clear that Jiro wasn't Mister Unknown's partner so much as his employee. Batman didn't just reject Jiro at first because of the gun. Jiro is still very much an inexperienced superhero. He's skilled enough to get into the Lazarus Tournament, but clearly not skilled enough to keep up with the elite fighters present.

And this demonstrates how few members outside of the core Bat-Family can actually keep pace with the day-to-day danger that its main members usually deal with. Damian and Jiro are both a part of the Bat-Family, but only Damian can really stand toe to toe with Respawn. Jiro, unfortunately, has become just another notch under Respawn's belt as he works his way up to fighting Damian.

Luckily, Jiro will most likely be resurrected due to the rules of the Lazarus Tournament. And this ordeal might finally convince him to commit to being worthy of the title "Batman of Japan" Participating in a death tournament won't make him a better hero, but this humbling defeat may put him on that path..

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