Episode LI: Young Jack in Africa

"Episode LI: Young Jack in Africa" is the fifty-first episode in the fourth season of Samurai Jack. This is a mid-quel episode that shows young Jack beginning his training in Africa.

Plot
Jack's second teacher takes young Jack to an African village to continue his training to one day battle and defeat Aku. When Jack arrives at the African village, the village chief says Jack is truly the emperor's son because he looks just like him. Hearing that makes Jack lean his head down in sadness.

The chief comments that he knows that Jack's presence at the village means that Aku has returned and that Jack is now the world's only hope against Aku now. During Jack's first night at the African village, the village chief tells Jack about how Jack's father gathered the leaders of all the great tribes of the world and devised a plan to have Aku defeated and destroyed if Aku were to return and The Samurai Lord was unable to stop Aku.

The village chief tells Jack that he is the only one who can wield the samurai lord's magic sword, meaning Jack is the only one who can defeat Aku. During his time training Jack develops a friendship with the village chief's son. One night another village attacks, searching for Jack. Jack manages to hide but the other villagers are captured. Jack follows the attackers back to their own village.

Jack spots the captured villages and smiles at seeing that they haven't been hurt. Jack then notices the attackers sitting around a fire. The attacker's chief creates a fire image of Aku and says "the great evil spirit" has promised them great treasure if they deliver "the little child of light skin" (aka Jack) to him.

Jack notices a guard coming by and hides in one of the houses when he notices one of the weapons that the attackers used. Jack decides to practice using the weapon so he can save his friends from the attackers. After Jack finishes practicing with the weapon, he decides he is ready to save his friends.

After a somewhat tough battle, Jack defeats the attackers and saves his friends. The village chief, impressed by what Jack did, tells him that his training with them is complete.

Credits

 * Written by
 * Jim Smith
 * Erik Wiese
 * Genndy Tartakovsky


 * Directed by
 * Robert Alvarez
 * Genndy Tartakovsky


 * Storyboards by
 * Jim Smith
 * Erik Wiese
 * Genndy Tartakovsky


 * Voices
 * Kevin Michael Richardson as African Chief / Evil Chief
 * Adrian Diamond as African Prince


 * Casting by
 * Collette Sunderman

Trivia

 * The attackers village is based off the city of Djenné, Mali
 * If Aku really did send the attackers after Jack, that means Aku found out that Jack had escaped.
 * It is unknown how Aku found out that Jack had escaped, if Aku ever sent more people to capture Jack, and why Aku did not go after Jack himself.