Episode XLII: Samurai vs. Samurai

"Episode XLII: Samurai vs. Samurai" is the forty-second episode in the fourth season of Samurai Jack. This episode features Jack meeting a Samurai wanna-be, who challenges him to a fight, only to be taught a valuable lesson.

Plot
On a rainy day, Jack enters a tavern in the middle of a bamboo forest and has some herbal tea. A robotic radio walks in and begins playing loud hip-hop music for a man dressed in flashy clothes, who enters and introduces himself as Da' Samurai. He's shown to be a mean braggart, mistreating a patron and antagonizing the bartender for serving him "swill" which he himself made by mixing random drinks. He then starts flirting with a woman, who appears to be of high class, only for her to call two robot guards to get rid of him. He easily dispatches the guards with flashy but effective moves with his sword, which he names "Mama". He demands a real drink from the bartender, who becomes frightened when three bounty hunter androids arrive.

The three androids approach Jack, who has remained quiet by the nearby fire. One of them reveals a screen, which transmits a message from Aku, who tells the robots to destroy Jack. Jack easily destroys the robots, surprising Da Samurai and alerting him to Jack's presence and identity. He gives Jack half-hearted compliments, claiming that he is nowhere near his skills, but Jack ignores him. Da Samurai challenges Jack to a battle, claiming there can only be one samurai. Jack accepts only after Da Samurai snatches his tea and rinses his mouth with it. Jack says they must battle outside in the rain.

Jack cuts two bamboo sticks for weapons, which Da Samurai refuses to use until Jack states he hasn't earned the right to face his blade. He relents, carelessly tossing aside his sword and urges Jack to battle. Jack tells him "He who runs with aggression, walks without dignity." Da Samurai is fed up and starts running toward Jack, who remains motionless. He reaches Jack, but Jack strikes him multiple times, sending him to the ground. He prepares to get up, but is stopped by Jack who tells him "You can never defeat another, if you know not how to defeat yourself." Da Samurai gets up and tries to hit him, but Jack dodges and blocks all of his strikes easily. He then lands a few strikes and knocks Da Samurai's sunglasses off, breaking them, enraging Da Samurai. "He who wears a mask cannot see what lies beyond himself." He grabs his stick and tries to hit Jack again, but he blocks each strike again, hits Da Samurai on the head twice, and removes his clothes. "The shell of an oyster only hides the pearl inside." Da Samurai, now in his underwear, jumps and tries to hit Jack on the head, but is blocked again. Jack dodges another strike, and hits Da Samurai in the side, causing cracks to form on his torso. Da Samurai's torso breaks in two, revealing his muscular chest to have been a fake and his gut to be rather large. Da Samurai tosses his stick aside, assuring Jack he'll finish him off with his sword, only for Jack to silence him after hearing a noise. Jack rushes to the bamboo, waiting before leaping away, eluding a strike from a weapon.

An army of Aku's assassin droids appear. Jack prepares to fight, while Da Samurai tries to run back to the tavern. The robots, however, restrain him. Jack destroys all the robots with just his bamboo stick. Unseen to the former opponents, the remains start to rebuild themselves. Jack frees Da Samurai who is humbled by his earlier defeat and humiliation and Jack's clearly superior skills. He sees the robots, now rebuilt into a large conglomeration, try to fire a laser at Jack, but pushes him out of the way and takes the blast. He recovers to see Jack face off and destroy the monstrosity by flinging his sword into it, piercing the body and causing it to explode. Jack walks over and states that he has taken the first step toward the true path, to the way of the samurai, and begins walking away. Da Samurai starts running after him, referring to him as sensei, eagerly asking what the next lesson is, if Jack has an instructional video tape, and if he can be given homework.

Credits

 * Written by
 * Chris Reccardi
 * Aaron Springer


 * Directed by
 * Robert Alvarez
 * Randy Myers
 * Genndy Tartakovsky


 * Storyboard Directed by
 * Jim Smith
 * Chris Reccardi
 * Aaron Springer


 * Voices
 * Phil LaMarr as Samurai Jack / Innkeeper / Robot
 * Makoto Iwamatsu as Aku
 * David Alan Grier as Da' Samurai / Junk Monster


 * Casting by
 * Collette Sunderman

Goofs

 * Da Samurai's mouth is missing in one frame when he prepares to fight the robot guards.
 * When Da Samurai questions why Jack throws down a piece bamboo at his feet, Jack is wielding his sword after he previously sheathed it.

Trivia

 * Comcast mixed up the title and summary of this episode with the one after around the time of its premiere, and still does to this day.
 * When Jack said "taken the first step toward the true path, to the way of the samurai" It's similar  to what Chief Benja said to her daughter Raya in Disney's "Raya and the Last Dragon" "someone has to take the first step".