Samurai Jack

Origin

Jack is from ancient Japan. Before Jack was flung into the future, he was trained by the best warriors of his time. An archer (Robin Hood) who taught him how to use a bow, and how to sneak into enemy territory. An African chief who taught him multiple martial arts like the Cheetah, Antelope, Monkey, Snake, and Scorpion. Greek Olympians who taught him how to wrestle. Buddhist monks taught him to fight hand to hand and with different weapons, and Vikings taught him to sail. He was also trained by Egyptians to read hieroglyphs and other academic things and, at the very beginning of his training, a man told Jack about the constellations and directions. He was also trained how to track by a kindly desert tracker.

All trainers were friends of Jack's father, the Japanese Emperor. Jack's father trusted the trainers to train Jack in the event Aku would return and try to take over the world. When Jack was in his early 20's, he confronted Aku with his father's blade. Wanting revenge, Jack was beaten then thrown into Aku's prison with his father and mother. When Jack's father found out that he was going to get revenge on Aku instead of striking Aku down with honor, Jack's father taught him a lesson in humility. After Jack learned his lesson, he went back and confronted Aku a second time. The battle went bad for Aku, but before Jack struck the final blow, Aku tore open a portal in time, where his evil was law. Now Jack seeks to return to the past and undo the future that is Aku.

In the future, Jack isn't used to the native technology. Since he was born in the time with medieval weapons and the beginning days of martial arts, it was really different for him. Jack has to constantly look for a way to get back to his native time, and he has to protect the innocent and the helpless along the way. The more Jack stays, the more he gets used to the future and it's culture. However, Jack never stops looking for a way home, knowing that Aku is still enslaving the people of his country. Jack has met new and unique people in his time in the future. Jack's friends have lent a helping hand to repay him for the kindness that he showed them.

Time after time, Jack is constantly being hunted by Aku's soldiers. However, every time this happens Jack always emerges victor. In some occasions, Aku will appear, showing off how powerful he thinks he is. Jack will not waste much moments talking to Aku, and will attack him immediately. Since the magic sword is the only weapon that can kill Aku, before the final blow is struck, Aku shape shifts and escape saying, "bye, bye Samurai." Then they don't see each other for about a week. This process is constantly repeated over and over again until the last time portal was destroyed.

For fifty years, Jack became anxious and edgy. He almost wanted to die in Aku's future. He grew a beard and uses a firearm while riding on a bike.

Personality

Jack is in many ways a very righteous person with an undying zeal to do good whenever and wherever he can, and help the innocent who may be under attack or may just need help for problems they can't solve on their own. He is kind and generous to anyone in need that he finds along his way, and will never refuse them aid. This is so much even to the point where he sacrifices a chance to go back to his own time just to help others, like he did with the Shaolin Monks. His distaste for evil and injustice is as strong as his love for justice and righteousness.

He is also very clever and is an exceptional strategist, coming up with plans to fit certain situations, and also knowing when he is outmatched in either numbers or in strength and cannot win with brute force alone.

He is also a very serious man when it counts, always keeping in mind the stakes of the situation at hand and the mission he must complete.

After spending fifty years trying to return home, the years of fighting and failing to achieve his goal have eroded Jack's compassion, drive, and sense of purpose. Having given up on returning home, Jack has also lost his taste for helping others. As such, he helps people less often. These effects are compounded by the loss of his trusted sword. Jack also suffers from vivid hallucinations.

Creation

Samurai Jack was created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network's animated television series of the same name and as a follow-up to his successful series Dexter's Laboratory. Cartoon Network started broadcasting the show in August 2001; see below for more information.

Media

Cartoon Network produced 4 seasons with 52 episodes of Samurai Jack; each season consisted of 13 episodes. The show premiered on August 10th, 2001 and ended on October 29th, 2004. There has also been talks of a Samurai Jack movie that would be produced by J.J. Abrams (Cloverfield). There was originally plans for a film in the early 2000's depending on how well the Powerpuff Girls movie would do. Unfortunately it did not do well and the Samurai Jack movie was dropped.

In late 2015, It was teased that a fifth season would be made as a way to wrap up the series and hopefully conclude Jack's mission. The season started airing in March 2017 and lasted ten episodes.

Season 1:

August 10 - November 2, 2001

1. The Beginning: Aku enslaves the people in Jack's land. Jack then has to train to become a Samurai. When he comes back, he tries to defeat Aku. However, Aku sends him into the future.
2. The Samurai Called Jack: After being sent into the future by Aku, the young Samurai is called Jack, and begins his quest looking for Aku. In this episode he befriends talking dogs.
3. The First Flight: Jack tries to beat Aku's army and save a bunch of archaeologists.
4. Jack, the Woolies, and the Chritchellites: Jack frees a whole bunch of Woolies, and the leader bestows great knowledge over Jack.
5. Jack in Space: Jack is accompanied by a group of scientist that want his help to escape Aku's army.
6. Jack and the Warrior Woman: While escaping from henchman from Aku, Jack is accompanied by a Warrior Woman, but is she a friend or foe?
7. Jack and the Three Blind Archers: Jack must get past three mysterious blind archers, to get to a "so called" wishing well.
8. Jack versus Mad Jack: While fighting against a ton of bad guys, Jack looses his cool and eventually creates a Mad Jack that is the son of Aku, and is fueled by Jack's anger.
9. Jack Under the Sea: Jack has a underwater quest while looking for a ancient time portal.
10. Jack and the Lava Monster: Jack battles a Lava monster, who is actually cursed by Aku and is begging Jack to kill him, so that he can go to Valhalla.
11. Jack and the Scotsman: When Jack and the Scotsman meet up on a bridge, they are chained together and have to defeat/run from robot Bounty hunters.
12. Jack and the Gangsters: When fighting against more robot bounty hunters, Jack is seen by Gangsters who hire Jack to become one of them.
13. Aku's Fairy Tales: Aku tells children three fairy tales about him and Samurai Jack.

Note: Episodes 1-3 were originally aired as The Premiere Movie, Part I-III on August 10, 2001.

Season 2:

August 30 - November 22, 2002

1. Jack Learns to Jump Good: While defending a helpless tribe, they give Jack knowledge on how to 'jump very good'.
2. Jack Tales: Jack tells children three fairy tales, about adventures at finding a family that eats metal, saving a princess, and Jack fighting a two-headed worm.
3. Jack and the Smackback: Jack must fight for his life in a Dome Of Doom!
4. Jack and the Scotsman, Part 2: The Scotsman asks for Jack's help at saving his wife in a castle.
5. Jack and the Ultra-bots: Jack finds multiple destroyed cities, all done by 8 Ultra-bots. Now he must destroy them using technology, but also the powers of his magic sword!
6. Jack Remembers the Past: Jack returns to his birthplace and remembers his great childhood.
7. Jack and the Monks: Jack searches for answers as he climbs the "Mountain of Fathom" and encounters Monks.
8. Jack and the Farting Dragon: Jack finds a small town that is covered with a disgusting stench. He finds out that there is a Dragon that Farts!
9. Jack and the Hunters: Aku hires highly trained and deadly hunters to find and kill Samurai Jack.
10. Jack versus Demongo, the Soul Collector:
11. Jack is Naked: While relaxing in the water, Jack's cloths are taken. He begins his journey looking for his clothes.
12. Jack and the Spartans: As Jack is passing through, he finds that a war is going on between machines and Spartans. He joins the Spartans to defeat the mechanical monsters.
13. Jack's Sandals: While relaxing, Jack's sandals are destroyed by a biker gang. He goes into town to stop them, however he finds out how useful his sandals were in fights.

Season 3:

August 22 - November 7, 2003

1. Chicken Jack: While in town, Jack accidentally bumps into a wizard. The wizard then turns Jack into a chicken. A fight promoter finds out that chicken Jack can fight, so he puts him into a fight with deadly enemies!
2. Jack and the Rave: When Jack passes through a town, he finds out that all of the children are being controlled by music. Jack then goes to find out that Aku is behind it, however Jack breaks down some funky fresh moves of his own to blend in.
3. The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful: While taking a trip to the west on a train, Jack is hunted by a bounty hunter named Ezekiel Clench. While escaping, Jack is then hunted by Ezekiel's ex-wife Josephine.
4. Jack and the Zombies: While passing through, Jack finds himself in a graveyard where he fights the undead!
5. Jack in Egypt: Aku releases the minions of Set. Only memories can save Jack from this ancient evil.
6. Jack and the Traveling Creatures: Jack's path leads him to a mysterious lake. After a series of events, he confronts a guard that keeps the time portal safe from every one.
7. Jack and the Creature: While on his quest, Jack is followed by a extremely friendly creature.
8. Jack and the Swamp Monster: When Jack is passing by a swamp, he is guided by a Swamp hermit who leads him to three gems of the titans.
9. Jack and the Haunted House: Jack finds out that there is a house haunted, and is enslaving the family their. He must free the family, so he can get out and they can be free!
10. Jack, the Monks, and the Ancient Master's Son: Jack confronts Shaolin Monks, who agree to show him a ancient time portal.
11. Birth of Evil, Part 1: Aku's origin is revealed on how he came into existence, and how he became the enemy of Jack's father.
12. Birth of Evil, Part 2: The story of Aku continues, as how young Jack is talked about and how Jack's father beat Aku.
13. Jack and the Labyrinth: Jack finds a booby trapped Labyrinth, where there is a mystical gem of great power. However, he is not the only one who is trying to get the gem. Jack uses stealth and skill to evade the dangers, and also to gain the Gem.

Note: Birth of Evil, Part 1-2 were aired ad double feature on October 31, 2003.

Season 4:

August 6 - October 29, 2004

1. Samurai versus Ninja: Jack battles a Ninja sent by Aku.
2. Robo-Samurai versus Mondo-Bot: Jack uses a huge Samurai Robot that only he can use, to defeat a giant robot that is bent on destroying a small city of robots!
3. Samurai versus Samurai: Jack encounters an annoying and would-be Samurai, who Jack teaches a lesson to.
4. The Aku Infection: While battling a battalion of Aku-bots, Aku (is really sick) and accidentally sneezes a piece of him into Jack. Jack is now slowly turning evil.
5. The Princess and the Bounty Hunters: A Princess teams up with some Bounty hunters to capture Jack. All the princess wants is to free her people in return for jack.
6. The Scotsman Saves Jack, Part 1: While on a adventure, Jack is brainwashed into thinking that he is a British and works on a ship as a cabin boy.
7. The Scotsman Saves Jack, Part 2: The Scotsman finds out that three music beings are making Jack brainwashed. The music doesn't affect Scotsman, because to him it sounds horrible. So he goes in and saves his friend.
8. The Winged Children: Jack saves alien fairy-like children from Aku's clutches.
9. Jack versus Aku: Aku makes an offer to not use his powers, and Jack to not use his sword. Although Jack keeps his word, Aku won't and it turns out into a battle for Jack's life.
10. Seasons of Death: Jack battles four different seasons, which are four seasons of the year.
11. Tale of X-9: A story of a robot with emotions, is now put against Jack. Because Aku is holding his dog hostage, he must bring the Samurai to Aku.
12. Young Jack in Africa: Young Jack is training in Africa on multiple styles of Martial Arts, this is a tale of his childhood.
13. Jack and the Baby: While saving a baby from hungry trolls, Jack finds himself a friend that goes on his many adventures. In the end, Jack eventually finds the mother of the child.

Season 5:

March 11, 2017- May 2017

1. XCII: After spending fifty years stuck in the future and having lost his magic blade, Jack has all but given up on his mission to return to the past. When Scaramouch, Aku's top assassin, comes looking for Jack, he must decide whether to answer the challenge. Meanwhile, an Aku worshiping cult dispatches seven assassin sisters to fulfill the mission they were born and raised for: ending Jack.
2. XCIII: Jack has his first encounter with the Daughters of Aku. After they destroy his equipment and armor, a defenseless Jack struggles to evade a relentless foe. Not knowing they were people instead of machines, Jack kills one of the sisters and barely escapes the others. Meanwhile, Aku agonizes over Jack's continued resistance even though he destroyed every time portal on the planet.
3. XCIV: After barely escaping the Daughters of Aku last episode, an injured, weaponless Jack manages to hide in a cave while his body recovers. With the help of a new friend, he makes a full recovery and comes to terms with killing his first human being. Meanwhile, the Daughters track Jack's escape route, and witness love for the first time. When the Daughters close in, Jack gives them a chance to walk away, but they refuse. In response, he is forced to kill them all, but in the process, plummets off a cliff into parts unknown.
4. XCV: Surviving his fall from the previous episode, Jack finds that Ashi, the last Daughter of Aku, survived too. After he subdues her, the two are swallowed by a giant monster. Despite knowing she will try to kill him, Jack saves her, and resolves to get them both out of the creature's body. While toughing out the dangers inside the creature, he struggles to keep Ashi from killing them both and tell her of the truth about Aku. Eventually, Jack gets them out, but it turns out the creature carried them to the ocean. They manage to make it to a small island, but Ashi's bonds are broken. She attempts to kill Jack while his back is turned, but is moved by his actions to leave him be.
5. XCVI: After escaping the deserted island, Jack takes Ashi on a journey to see the consequences of Aku's reign. When she is finally convinced that Aku is evil, they team up to save a group of brainwashed children from an evil scientist. While Ashi frees them, Jack sees the children die. Having reached the breaking point, Jack walks off with the mysterious warrior that has been haunting him. However, the children actually survived, and Ashi sees that Jack is now missing. Meanwhile, Jack's old friend the Scotsman leads an army to attack Aku's hideout.
6. XCVII: Ashi, concerned about Jack, travels the world to find him. Along the way, she meets several of the people that Jack helped and the hope he gave them. Eventually she finds Jack, just as he is about to commit suicide, with the mystery warrior and the ghosts of other fallen warriors bearing witness. Ashi convinces Jack not to give up, and he beats back his demons and resolves to find his sword. Meanwhile, Scaramouch, having survived his fight with Jack, tries to contact Aku and tell him Jack lost his sword.
7. XCVII: As Jack and Ashi travel to the place where Jack lost his sword. the story of how he lost it is revealed. As Jack meditates to learn how to recover his sword, Ashi defends him from nearby threats, including her mother. Her mother tries to get Ashi to turn on Jackm but she rejects her teachings and kills her in battle. Meanwhile, Jack is able to beat his issues, and the three gods who created his sword return it to him. Once he and Ashi recover, Jack prepares to hunt Aku down.
8. XCIX: While traveling, Jack and Ashi are forced to abandon their ride in the middle of the desert. Seeking shelter from a sandstorm, they get lost inside a crashed prison ship. Along the way, the two grapple with the romantic attraction between them. They soon discover the ship housed one of the deadliest creatures alive, which is now hunting them. Eventually, they find a device that can kill it, but neither knows how to activate it. Jack manages to find the activation sequence just as the creature overwhelms them, killing it. After they recover, the two embrace their feelings and kiss.
9. C: Jack, unwilling to risk her safety, leaves Ashi and tries to track Aku alone, but she follows him anyway. Meanwhile, Scaramouch reaches Aku's lair and tells him about Jack losing his sword. Believing the only threat to him is gone, Aku finds Jack and Ashi first, but sees that he has his sword. However, Aku notices his essence inside Ashi, recognizing her as his actual daughter. Jack tries to finish Aku, but Aku empowers Ashi's dark side and forces her to fight Jack. Unwilling to kill her, Jack instead surrenders and Aku claims his sword.
10. CI: Aku, having finally beaten Jack, broadcasts his execution on television as an example to those who oppose him. He has Ashi prepare to kill him, but before she can, all of the friends and allies that Jack made over the course of the series arrive to help. As the battle rages, Jack manages to get through to Ashi, allowing her to regain control over her body. Realizing she can now use all of Aku's powers, she opens a time portal and takes Jack back in time to a few moments after he was sent away. Jack manages to annihilate Aku and restore peace to the world. However, because Aku is gone in the past, Ashi is never born in the future, and she is erased from existence on their wedding day. Jack takes time to mourn, but manages to make peace with losing her.

Other Appearances (in comics)

• Samurai Jack Special #1 (1st appearance in 2002)
• Cartoon Network: Jam-Packed Action! #1 (2004)
• Wizard: The Comics Magazine #168 (2005)
• Cartoon Network Action Pack (40 appearances between 2006-2011)
• Cartoon Network Fusionfall (2007)
• Samurai Jack (new limited series; 2013-2015)

Powers & Abilities

After his father was captured and enslaved, Samurai Jack was sent on a long journey to reclaim his land and his birthright from Aku. He was trained by the greatest warriors throughout the world, like a Shaolin Monk, Egyptian Pharaoh, Robin Hood, and other (pseudo) Historic figures. While in the future, Jack continued to pick up new skills to aid him in his fights. Through his training, he gained the following abilities:

Master Combatant: Jack has shown impressive mastery in many styles of hand to hand combat, some of which include: Praying Mantis, Tiger, and Eagle, as well as a number of weapons that range from spears and staffs to nunchaku and shuriken, as shown in his fights at the Dome of Doom. He is also proficient in five forms of African stick fighting, namely the Cheetah, Monkey, Snake, Scorpion, and Antelope. After losing his sword, Jack spent a considerable amount of time gathering new weapons to compensate for the loss. In addition to the bladed weapons he possesses, he also takes any useful weapon from the foes he defeats or fashion makeshift weapons out of whatever he can find.

Master Archer: Jack has shown to have excellent skills in the bow and arrow since he was trained by Robin Hood. His Archery skills were shown in Episode 3 when Jack used his archery skills to set off traps against the beetle drones and later used his last arrows on the beetle drones which they hit dead on.

Master Swordsman: Aside from Jack's ability to proficiently wield a vast number of weaponry, he is well known for possessing the greatest amount of skill with his sword. This was most likely due to the fact that the only weapon capable of destroying Aku was Jack's blade, allowing him to combat a number of enemies easily as shown in his battles with the beetle drones as well as the countless bounty hunters and assassins that Aku sends to capture or kill Jack. Jack is shown to rely primarily on swiftness and precision in his strikes in a balanced blend of attack and defense, able to land dozens of blows in seconds, as well as being able to parry machine gun fire. Coupled with the sword's extreme cutting power, Jack can also slice through structures, enemies and machines much larger then he is while also being able to parry most strikes with ease. He is shown to be an equal match to the Scotsman.

Master Marksman: Fifty years after being brought to the future, Jack has mastered the use of the firearms available to compensate for the loss of his sword. His proficiency with guns is sophisticated enough that he can hit multiple targets while riding a motorcycle.

Enhanced Strength: Jack is shown to have remarkable strength for his lean frame, able to cleanly cut through most machines with no effort and can easily throw opponents much larger than himself.

Enhanced Speed: Jack is shown to be extremely swift on his feet and has performed incredible feats of speed and agility, able to avoid gunfire, carve through entire armies within seconds and in one instance, defeat a team composed entirely of highly infamous and skilled bounty hunters in the time it takes for a drop of water to hit the ground.

Enhanced Jumping Capability: Since coming to the future, Jack has learned the ability to leap many times his own height to the point of looking as if he could fly while also being able to fall from great distances with no injury from a jungle man and his adopted tribe of white-furred gorilla's. This is due to the training method of having incredibly heavy boulders tied to his arms, legs and back and being forced to perform strenuous activities such as climbing up a tree via a vine, tight-rope running across a clearing until his body has adjusted to the weight. This has vastly increased his strength granting him new levels of speed and agility.

Enhanced Durability: Throughout his adventures, Jack has been shown to possess a great tolerance for physical pain, having survived powerful blows from various assassins, robots, and monsters, and is still able to stand up and fight.

Intelligence: Jack has demonstrated a high level of understanding and intelligence, being an expert at planning and creating strategies for confrontations, using his surroundings to his advantage, and seeing through Aku's deception on quite a few occasions. Jack also is very adaptive when it comes to problem solving when he was able to figure out the God of Ra's riddle description. He was able to speak other languages.

Extraordinary willpower: Jack is not at all one to give up easily, once he knows what his mission is, he will do whatever it takes to complete it, no matter what odds he faces. For instance, he has climbed the highest mountain in the world without food or water while braving the obstacles in his way, and fought against armies of drones sent by Aku to destroy him. He refuses to abandon his mission to return to the past and undo Aku's evil as it is his number one priority.

Stealth Mastery: Jack is a master of not only invisibility, but also a master of Stealth. He was able to beat and kill 6 Daughters Of Aku while blending into the white snow, being unseen by the Enemy. He was able to adapt to the shadows and light. He was able to face off a shinobi who was blending into the dark while Jack was able to attack him with his white ninja cloak and attacked him while being camouflaged to the light. He also defeated several robots with stealth, especially X9 who Jack sneaked up behind him, destroying him without X9 realizing who attacked him on the back.