Episode III: The First Fight

"Episode III: The First Fight" is the third episode in the first season of Samurai Jack. In this episode, Jack must battle Aku's army of Beetle Drones to save a group of canine archaeologists.

Plot
Continuing from Episode II, Jack and the archaeologists begin to plan for the invasion coming the next day. Jack comes up with a plan to use the digging and transportation equipment to set up a layer or traps to thin out the army of Beetle Drones. While the archaeologists set up the traps, Jack looks for items that can be used as weapons. He finds out that the very jewels Aku has been forcing the archaeologists to dig can be used as weapons and makes them into spears and arrows for a bow he makes. With the traps set, the archaeologists create an armor for Jack as he tames one of the animals to use as a steed. Soon, everything is set up and Jack waits for the morning.

As the sun rose, the beetle drones have entered the valley and Jack heads out to face them. When Jack catches sight of the coming hordes, he activates the first trap, catapults made from digging machines. He fires his arrows at each of the start buttons of the machines, causing them to fire the stones into the middle of the army, destroying several Beetle Drones. Jack then activates the second trap, exploding barrels by firing arrows at flint on top of the barrels, creating several explosions and destroying more drones.

Jack and his steed then rush towards the Drones to engage in combat. Jack fires the last few arrows as his steed rams through the drones. Jack begins using the spears he made and manages to destroy a few more drones before being knocked off his steed. Left alone on the battlefield, Jack draws his sword and begins fighting, but is overwhelmed and stripped of his armor. Jack manages to get away from the Drones and lead them to the third trap, loose rock pillars. Jack quickly knocks them over, causing a rock slide that destroyed more drones as well as creating a walkway to the fourth trap, spaceships made into flamethrowers. Jack ignites them and destroyed several more drones before they ran out of fuel. Jack leads the Drones to their last trap, a spike pit made using the jewels, and jumps over the pit, leading the Drones into falling into the pit, drastically cutting their numbers. Unfortunately, it doesn't get enough of them as Jack iss still immensely outnumbered and all out of traps.

Left without any other strategy at his disposal, Jack decides to fight with only his sword. The drones keep coming, injuring Jack with their blades while he destroys as many as he could. Scarred from the Drones' attack Jack rips off the top part of his gif and continues to fight. Eventually, Jack flies into a rage and begins to savagely cut down any Beetle Drone in his way, get covered in their oil as a result (while in slow motion). Covered from head to toe in the black oil, Jack stares at the remaining drones, who have become terrified at the sight of the samurai covered in the oil of their fallen brethren and slowly start to step away. Jack say "No. There is no escape" and begins to destroy the last few drones until there were no more. With the drones destroyed, the archaeologists are freed and could continue their studies of their past. They offer Jack a chance to travel with them, but he declines and decides to embark on a journey to find a way back in time to right Aku's wrongs.

Aku, who has been watching the battle the whole time, promises Jack (and refer him by name for the first time) that he will destroy him and that the time and place will be his choosing.

Credits

 * Written by
 * Paul Rudish
 * Genndy Tartakovsky


 * Directed by
 * Genndy Tartakovsky


 * Storyboards by
 * Paul Rudish
 * Genndy Tartakovsky
 * Chris Reccardi


 * Voices
 * Phil LaMarr as Samurai Jack
 * Makoto Iwamatsu as Aku
 * Rob Paulsen as Sir Rothchild


 * Casting by
 * Collette Sunderman

Trivia
The ending of this episode contains the first instance of Aku referring to Jack by his adopted name "Samurai Jack."
 * Despite this, Aku (in the form of Ikra) will seemingly be surprised upon hearing Jack's new name three episodes later.