Episode XXXIX: Jack and the Labyrinth

"Episode XXXIX: Jack and the Labyrinth" is the thirty-ninth episode in the third season of Samurai Jack. This episode features Jack competing against a thief for an enchanted diamond in a booby trapped labyrinth.

Plot
After having just saved a tribe from extinction at the hands of Aku, Jack is given a map to a mystical artifact that could send him back to his time. Aku keeps this powerful relic locked away in a vast labyrinth filled with guards and deadly traps.

Jack arrives at the pyramid-shaped fortress dressed in black ninja garb and armed with several traditional weapons. After avoiding the perimeter guard drones, he makes his way inside. Meanwhile, another man enters the labyrinth armed with several hi-tech gadgets in a briefcase. Both make their way through the gauntlet of traps and robots, with Jack using his martial arts skills and traditional equipment while the other man uses his gadgetry. Eventually, Jack arrives at the center of the maze and finds a large, glowing jewel. Before Jack can touch it, he's interrupted by the thief with the briefcase. The thief explains that the jewel is alarmed and uses another of his technological toys to retrieve it. Jack and the thief begin arguing (somewhat childishly) over who may keep the jewel but are interrupted when several robotic statues activate and attack. The thief is able to activate a trap door in the floor and both he and Jack use it to escape.

They run through the corridors, still chased by more robots, and hide in a janitor's closet. Once the coast is clear, Jack takes the jewel and runs for it. After snatching the jewel back and forth between them a few times, the two are cornered by a large group of robots. The fight starts to go badly and Jack manages to shine a light on a door which activates it and keeps it opened. The thief goes through the door but, with a quick apology, blows up the light and seals the door behind him. Jack is left to fight on alone but, just before he is overrun, a rope appears from above and Jack is hoisted to the roof of the fortress by the thief.

Jack once again demands the jewel but the thief still refuses. A jet of flame from the roof knocks the jewel from the thief's grasp and it tumbles down the side of the pyramid. The two slide down after it and land in a heap at the bottom with the jewel landing between them...and shattering to pieces. The thief weeps over his lost money while Jack stoically moves on to find another way home... again, while the thief teleports away from the scene empty-handed.

Credits

 * Written by
 * Don Shank
 * Erik Weise
 * Directed by
 * Robert Alvarez
 * Genndy Tartakovsky


 * Storyboards by
 * Don Shank
 * Erik Weise


 * Voices
 * Phil LaMarr as Samurai Jack / Tribe Leader
 * Rino Romano as The Thief / Robot


 * Casting by
 * Collette Sunderman

Trivia

 * The thief character is an homage to Lupin the Third by Monkey Punch. His physical appearance resembles Daisuke Jigen while his behavior is more akin to the eponymous Lupin. Additionally, the plot is similar to a classic episode of the Japanese anime. Furthermore, the Thief is voiced in Japanese by Jigen's voice actor, Kiyoshi Kobayashi. Kobayashi was cast by Samurai Jack 's dubbing director, Satoshi Kato, who had directed the voices in many Lupin the Third animations.