Samurai Jack (character)

"Fifty years have passed, but I do not age. Time has lost its effect on me. Yet the suffering continues. Aku's grasp chokes the past, present and the future. Hope is lost. Got to get back --back to the past. Samurai Jack."

- Jack

"I am the lost son of the land that you have pillaged! I am here to reclaim it, for my people, for my father, for my birthright!"

- Jack to Aku, during their first confrontation.

"Jack" (also known as Samurai Jack or simply the Samurai) is the alias taken by a Japanese warrior (with an unknown birth name) who acts as the titular protagonist of the cartoon Samurai Jack. Throughout the series, he is voiced by Phil LaMarr. Since youth, Jack trained in many different areas under numerous teachers in a variety of skills to defeat the demon Aku. However, Aku's time travel spell sent Jack eons into the future, where he ruled all of Earth unopposed. Jack made it his mission to find a way back to his time and prevent Aku's dystopia. Throughout his travels, Jack became an infamous freedom fighter, protecting and aiding numerous civilizations and innocents terrorized by Aku's forces and other malevolent foes. Due to his many revolts against Aku's rule and being the only person capable of killing him (because of his divinely crafted sword) he was the most wanted man in the world. After more than 50 years, Jack finally returned to the past and defeated Aku, creating a beautiful and a brighter future.

Personality
Jack strongly exhibits the characteristics of a stoic hero. He is unfailingly kind and generous, and will always attempt to help those in need, as well as dispatching sage-like wisdom to those he believes are in need of guidance. He often ends up sacrificing a chance to return to his own time in order to help someone else. He has had considerable development during his time in the future. Initially, though polite and refined, he was very quick to anger and even more quick to being frustrated or irritated.

His quest to return to his own time, having been thwarted again and again, even convinced him for a short time that returning to the past was impossible. However, over time, he has become much more patient and calm. He is also clever and rational, able to pose a plan or a strategy necessary to defeat the enemy, and also knowing his limits (such as when he is surrounded by too many enemies to defeat them by pure force). He is also extremely good at thinking on his feet, often improvising his way out of lethal, or impossibly bizarre, situations. He is also a very solitary man, tending not to socialize due to his focus on his quest. He is also a very noble man, showing to be honest to others he encountered.

In Season 5, his lack of social skills is highlighted in his interactions with Ashi, first when he tries to convince her of Aku's true colors and later when he tries to bond with her. He once jokes in XCV about the raining needles stuck in their bodies, claiming people pay for it and that it is called acupuncture, then later shyly compliments her new dress and hair in XCVII. Though not expanded upon, his lack of socializing makes him more shy and awkward around women, exemplified through his interactions with Ikra, Josephine, and in particular Ashi, whom he becomes infatuated with. While he is fine working with and befriending several people (regardless of gender) throughout his journey both during his training in the past and current quest in the future, he becomes shy during more intimate moments.

However a running gag in the show (During Seasons 1-4) is his inability or reluctance to understand the technology of the future, such as in one episode where Jack had attempted to escape Aku's fortress after rescuing two fairy-like creatures by driving a hovercar, but he fails to operate it competently, claiming he prefers to walk. He is also quite good at keeping his wits about him when confronted with the outlandishly strange circumstances that he often finds himself in, simply rolling with the proverbial punches rather than becoming upset or baffled.

After 50 years in the future, between losing his father's sword (the only means of killing Aku) and all known means of return to the past being destroyed, Jack has become disillusioned with the idea of ever completing his quest. He is emotionally vulnerable, showing signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as he is often haunted by hallucinations of his family and the people of the past, constantly asking him why he didn't return to save them. Also, in Episode XCIII, his mind manifests a hallucination of Mad Jack, demanding that Jack give up and end his constant suffering, which means that Jack is contemplating seppuku (traditional Japanese suicide) in this episode. Despite his weariness and seeming lack of hope, Jack refuses to surrender, continuing his quest to save people from Aku's tyranny wherever possible.

At the same time, he also becomes open-minded with technology in which he begins to utilize high-tech weaponry, explosive, and riding a motorbike. Despite his decades of training and fighting as the ultimate warrior, and his seemingly endless journey hardening his overall outlook, Jack's general nature is still rather inexperienced, having never directly taken the life of a human-being or sentient alien. He is able to distance himself from the knowledge of all the robots and androids he has destroyed by nothing that they are just "nuts and bolts". However, upon actually killing such a being, one Daughter of Aku, he was left horrified at the sight. However, he later comes to terms with his first kill after memory of remembering his father's word of wisdom and is able to handle killing the remaining Daughters of Aku. Despite this, he still dislikes the notion of having to kill unless absolutely necessary, and will never harm an innocent. Jack at the same time has become more easily angered due to Mad Jack's influence after Aku destroyed the last time portal. This causes him to become easily more annoyed, aggressive and angered. He eventually let go of his greed and anger as a test of the gods Odin, Ra and Rama in order to become worthy of using his katana again.

Appearance
Early in the series, Jack's face was depicted as long and rectangular. However, later in the show, it became more like a square with a distinct eastern look. As an adult (while appearing to be a young man in his mid-twenties), he's fairly tall and lean with a fit build and has long jet black hair that he keeps tied in a Japanese chonmage. Jack's clothing consists of a simple white and gray gi in the style of a kimono, a white obi around his waist, and a pair of wooden geta. His geta were once destroyed in Episode XXVI, but were eventually replaced by a jet repairman named Tengu, who crafted similar geta for himself and his family. Throughout the show, whenever Jack's kimono is severely damaged in battle, he simply tears off the top half to continue fighting unhindered. Because he starts each new episode with his kimono fully intact, it can be assumed that Jack repairs his clothing in-between episodes. In the image shown by the time portal guarded by the Guardian depicting an older version of himself, Jack is shown to have waist-long beard and hair. He is also shown to be wearing a golden crown and a red cape with scars all over his body. As of Season 5, it's revealed that Jack cannot age as a side-effect of Aku's time travel curse. He has grown a large beard while wearing full Samurai armor with a mask resembling a Japanese Oni and a holster across his torso. In Episode XCII, his mask was destroyed by a horde of Beetle Drones and he discarded his helmet and shoulder pads while fighting Scaramouch. He appeared with his full armor again in Episode XCIII, only for it to be completely destroyed by the Daughters of Aku, shortening his beard and leaving him wearing only tattered rags.

In Episode XCV, Jack created some makeshift armor from the discarded exoskeleton of a centipede-like creature while trapped inside a larger monster, though it too was lost following his escape. In Episode XCVI, Jack steals a gray wide brimmed hat, lavender tailcoat, dark blue slacks, and black cowboy boots from local vendors while visiting a city, giving him the appearance of an Old Western outlaw. Unfortunately, this disguise was ripped to pieces while Jack was rescuing mind-controlled children from one of Aku's factories.

By Episode XCVIII, Odin, Ra, and Vishnu return Jack to his classic look, restoring his kimono, removing his beard, and styling his hair back up in a topknot. In Episode CI, he wore a set of traditional Japanese wedding garments which consisted of a black crested haori jacket and a loose hakama.

Early Life
Jack was born as a prince to his father's land, in an era greatly resembling Japan's Edo Period in appearance, albeit with culture closer to the Nara and Heian periods. His story first began when he was born shortly after Aku was sealed away by Jack's father, The Emperor. About eight years later, when Jack was 8 years old, the seal was broken with the help of a solar eclipse and Aku was freed. Jack's mother went into hiding and sent Jack to train around the world, as was planned by his parents should Aku ever escape his prison, and Jack's father failed to stop him.

Training with his Teachers
His mother took Jack to a Japanese ship whose Captain took him from his homeland. On the journey, he is taught astronomy and how to navigate via the stars. The ship takes Jack to Arabia where a sheikh teaches him to ride horses. From there, he is taken to Africa where he was left with a tribe of bushmen who taught the art of fighting with a staff. After reaching proficiency, he traveled to Egypt where he was educated by their best scholars. Jack eventually moves to Greece and learned the art of wrestling, followed by a trip to England where he met Robin Hood who trained him on how to use a bow and arrow (as well as helped him hone his senses). He then traveled on a Viking longboat working as a member of the crew. In Russia, he was trained in the art of ax-throwing and later went to Mongolia where he was taught combat on horseback. His final training took him to a Shaolin temple where he learned their discipline and martial arts.

Confronting Aku
After years of training with some of the greatest warriors of the time and by the age of 25, Jack returned to the temple his mother was hiding in and was given the sword his father the Emperor used to seal Aku along with his signature robe. Jack traveled to the castle of Aku, finding his father, The Emperor, enslaved and very weak. He warned Jack that it was too early for him to fight Aku, but he didn't listen and continued on. Jack then confronted the demon and the battle began. Jack managed to severely wound Aku, but before he could deal the final blow, Aku opened a time portal and threw Jack into it, sending him millennia into the future.

The Future
When Jack finally escaped the portal, he found himself in a dystopian future. After Jack escaped being crushed, he met three alien teens who called him "Jack".

He asked them where he was and what was going on around him, and learned that Aku had conquered the world and spread his influence across the galaxy, enslaving many planets while using Earth as his base of operations. The teens then showed him a bar where he could get a drink but angered some crooks by accident. However, he quickly disposed of them.

This caught the attention of a group of dog archaeologists, who discovered the truth about Jack's origins and asked for his help in saving their group from Aku's oppression. Jack consented, and left with them, but not before giving them his new name Jack. Though they did not know it, the group was being watched by one of Aku's spies, who hastily informed him of Jack's actions at the bar. Jack and his companions, later on, arrived at the mines the dogs were excavating before witnessing the gate in which befell those incapable of fulfilling Aku's bidding.

He and the dogs then came up with a strategy to defeat Aku's army of mechanical beetles. On the day of the attack, Jack faced the army and managed to drastically reduce their numbers using the very crystals the dogs were forced to dig for, but not before running out of artillery and being forced to fight the remaining ones on foot. Despite suffering several injuries, Jack managed to beat them after going into berserk-like yelling, No. There is no escape! when the drones attempted to retreat. With the army defeated, the dogs thanked the Samurai and went their separate ways. Jack would then go on many adventures, make friends, and help many people as he searched for a way back in time or an opportunity to destroy Aku.

50 Years in the Future
During his fifty years in Aku's time, Jack spent much of his time helping people, garnering the respect of everyone he had helped along the way. However, Jack himself slowly fell into depression and madness due to his constant or seemingly irreversible failure to return home. Aku's time travel spell had also rendered Jack ageless.

During this time, Aku had destroyed nearly every method of returning to the past. In Episode XCVIII, it's revealed that at some point, Jack lost his sword after Aku prevented him from using the final time portal, destroying the way home and mutating a trio of rams that had been following the Samurai before escaping. Jack fought and killed the corrupted rams, only to have his sword fall into the pit where the time portal once stood, forcing him from then on to use futuristic technology such as firearms, explosives, and a heavily-armed motorbike.

Despite becoming disillusioned and haunted by the past, Jack still continued his journey, with his tortured consciousness as his only constant companion. During the course of 50 years, all the people or species saved by him, as well as other oppressed people on the Earth and the galaxy by Aku, had been inspired by his nobility and braveness in which they openly rebel against Aku and his minions.

In Episode XCII, he rescues a family from the Beetle Drones. While riding on his motorbike, he sees a plume of smoke in the distance but chooses to ignore it. When stopping for water, he sees extremely disturbing visions of his parents and his people asking why has he forsaken them, followed by a mysterious and ominous armored figure on horseback staring at him. This last apparition frightened Jack so much that he hastily departs on his bike. This happens again in the night in which his father, in a hellish vision surrounded by flames, expressed his displeasure of Jack having forgotten his purpose, and Jack sees the rider once more. He then leaves the spot in fear. Jack finally arrives at the source of the smoke in a ruined city, and only sees death when he arrives.

He then runs into Scaramouche, who mocks him for his late appearance and loss of his sword before attempting to tell Aku the news. Jack destroys his phone mid-call and proceeds to fight him. During the fight, he suffers another hallucination, this time with children and the armored rider. Eventually, he succeeds in defeating Scaramouch, claims the assassin's tuning sword, and proceeds to leave the area. In Episode XCIII, he travels to a fork in the road and turns left. He stops to deal with a large Large Beetle Drone which he easily destroys with his trident.

After a while, the Daughters of Aku ambush Jack, destroy his equipment and damage his armor. He uses explosives to escape and then hides within the now destroyed Beetle Drone. He has a hallucination of himself saying he should give up and join their ancestors since Jack lost his sword. The hallucination urges Jack to honorably end his own life as there is no more honor in fighting and nothing can stop Aku now that his sword is gone. However, Jack refuses as he believes he can still find a way and his foes are always just "nuts and bolts". He then proceeds to hide in a nearby temple where the Daughters of Aku eventually find him. When one of the sisters manages to stab him in the stomach, Jack kills her.

Jack is then horrified at the revelation he killed a human being and not a machine. After recovering his stolen tuning fork knife, he proceeds to destroy the temple as he plunges into the river below to escape, passing out from the blood loss. His unconscious body floats downstream, bleeding out in the river. In Episode XCIV, a barely alive Jack continues to float downriver. After Jack manages to grab hold of a floating log, a frog hops on, warning him the Daughters are not far behind. Eventually, Jack reaches the shore and makes his way to a cave, all the while being stalked by the mysterious samurai. Inside the cave, Jack pulls the knife from his side with great discomfort before passing out. Upon waking up, his hallucination of himself appears again and taunts him over his first human kill, coming to the conclusion that Jack wanted the Daughters to kill him, though Jack himself denies this.

The next morning, a blood-soaked Jack prepares to defend himself. Instead, an equally blood-soaked wolf enters the cave (the same wolf from the previous episode) and Jack passes out again. While unconscious, Jack remembers the time his father defended their family from a band of outlaws who had ambushed their carriage. Waking up again, Jack bonds with the wolf and nurses himself back to health. Remembering his father's lesson, Jack and the wolf part ways and Jack prepares himself for another confrontation with the Daughters of Aku.

Soon enough, the Daughters track Jack back to his location. Echoing his father's words, a hidden Jack offers the Daughters an ultimatum: Leave, or face their destiny. The Daughters refuse and Jack, using the terrain and weather to his advantage, kills three of them, luring the final three to a fallen tree hanging over a cliff. Discarding his weapon, Jack sends two of the Daughters falling to their deaths before confronting the last one (revealed to be Ashi). Ignoring her threats, Jack simply unwraps her chain from his wrist to her apparent death. Unfortunately, the tree finally collapses from the struggle, sending Jack falling into the valley below. In Episode XCV, following a nightmare about the Daughters of Aku, Jack wakes up in the snow, having survived the fall into the valley. Soon enough, he finds Ashi's body, seemingly dead on impact. Jack hallucinates that a murder of crows is taunting him for killing real people, though he quickly defends his actions, claiming the Daughters already chose their path.

Unfortunately, Ashi also survived the fall, and Jack is forced to fight and tie her up once again. As a restrained Ashi continues to badmouth him while swinging from a tree, Jack ponders her way of thinking and decides to convince her he is not the enemy. Before he can do so, however, a giant monster emerges from the ground and swallows them both whole. Against repeated attacks from Ashi, Jack manages to save her and break their fall, landing in the bowels of the beast. When they stop to rest, Ashi praises Aku and revels in her "victory", gloating that they are both trapped inside the monster and Jack will soon die as a result. Jack is more positive, however, having experience exploring the innards of large creatures, and determines there must be another way out.

As Jack tries to explain that Aku is the true enemy, multiple blue-green creatures arrive and attempt to eat them, with Ashi kicking Jack towards the horde in another attempt to kill him. Using one of their severed appendages as a makeshift sword, Jack kills several of the creatures before rescuing an unhelpful Ashi, strapping her to his back and retreating deeper into the monster. While stopping to rest again, a small puff-ball creature appears before Jack and tries to convince him to escape without Ashi, believing she is only evil. Jack refuses to listen, but the creature's opinion is shared by Jack's self-hallucination. When Jack himself argues they are all in this predicament because of him, his hallucination reveals that Ashi has disappeared. Ignoring his past self and snapping off a makeshift mace from the monster's body, Jack kills the crab-like creature that abducted Ashi and brings her back. Unsurprisingly, she isn't grateful for the rescue. As Jack presses onward, Ashi continues to rant about his inevitable demise while singing praise for Aku.

Finally fed up, Jack once again tries and fails to reason with her before being forced to take shelter from a hail of needles. Eventually, after hiding from a centipede-like creature, Jack takes the pieces of its discarded exoskeleton as makeshift armor, taking Ashi's disgust as a compliment. While climbing to a higher area, Jack determines a way out is close, causing Ashi to send them both falling. Fortunately, Jack manages to grab a makeshift vine and save them both, keeping Ashi on a longer leash for the rest of the climb. Finally, after reaching the top, Jack and Ashi spot an exit to the outside over a large pool of acid. As they hitch a ride on one of the flying creatures, a large, transparent fish-like predator spots them and gives chase. Using the other flyers to evade and hide, Jack and Ashi manage to reach the exit before it closes and escape from both monsters, landing in a surrounding ocean. Once outside, Jack rescues Ashi, then swims to a nearby desert island. As Jack harmlessly interacts with a ladybug native to the island, Ashi is finally convinced that Jack is not her real enemy and gradually starts warming up to him.

In Episode XCVI, Jack enlists the help of a sea serpent so he and Ashi can return to the mainland. Once ashore, Jack thanks the serpent for its assistance, then parts ways with Ashi. That night, however, following a brief hallucination from Jack's campfire, Ashi appears before him, demanding the truth about Aku. Jack tells her she already knows the truth but ultimately relents due to her persistence, agreeing to show her more in the morning. Before they sleep, Ashi asks if Aku created the stars, and Jack responds by telling her his mother's story of how the Sun and Moon formed the heavens. The next morning, Jack shows Ashi solid evidence of Aku's atrocities, starting with the destroyed remnants of an entire forest, with only a single tree remaining as a reminder of the demon's might. After stealing fresh clothes from local vendors in a nearby city, Jack shows Ashi how Aku's regime provides asylum to intergalactic criminals, allowing them to ravage peaceful communities at their leisure. In another ruined city, finally seeing the truth, Ashi resolves to help end Aku's tyranny.

Without his sword, however, Jack disagrees, claiming there is no way of stopping Aku, and thus, no hope. Suddenly, they find an injured blue humanoid in the rubble, who explains that all their children were captured and taken to a nearby factory. Jack and Ashi agree to help and infiltrate the facility. Discovering that the children are being mind-controlled by a high-pitched frequency, Jack keeps them occupied while Ashi searches for the source of the noise. Despite having his clothing torn to pieces and nearly being overwhelmed, Jack buys Ashi enough time to kill the factory's owner and destroy the control panel, freeing the children.

Unfortunately, as the children's mind-controlling implants short-circuit and they fall unconscious, Jack cries out in pain, believing them to be dead. At that moment, the mysterious rider appears before Jack, telling him it is time. Depressed from his perceived failure, Jack agrees and accompanies him out of the factory. By the time Ashi finds Jack in Episode XCVII, he is meditating in the middle of a cemetery, surrounded by the ghosts of other samurais and about to commit seppuku with help from the mysterious horseman. After Ashi reminds him there is always hope and informs him that the children they saved are alive, Jack finally overcomes his depression and intervenes before the Omen can finish Ashi, killing the apparition with the sword meant for his own disembowelment. Afterwards, Jack thanks Ashi for her help, complimenting her hair and new dress, and resolves to find his father's sword.

In Episode XCVIII, Jack and Ashi return to the mountain where Jack lost his sword on the back of a large bird. After exploring the pit, but finding no trace of his sword, Jack comes to the conclusion that after spilling innocent blood, the sword abandoned him, not the other way around. While Ashi stays behind to protect him, Jack meditates onto another plane of existence to find his sword, eventually reaching a house in the middle of a vast ocean, where a monk invites him inside for tea. Jack prepares a cup of tea as best he can, but after tasting it, the monk informs him that the tea (and Jack) is missing something: Balance. As a consequence, Jack's path to finding the sword remains blocked. Confused by the revelation, Jack begs the monk to show him the way, but the monk simply tells Jack he must do so on his own.

Unhappy with the result, Jack's self-hallucination appears one more time, angrily claiming the monk knows the location of the sword and is hiding it from them. Instead, Jack states he already knows where the sword is, opening his eyes to the truth and dispelling his past self forever. The monk declares that Jack has found balance, and soon enough, Jack finds himself facing the deities Odin, Ra and Vishnu. Like his father before him, they deem Jack worthy of the sword, returning the weapon and restoring Jack to his original appearance. Once back on Earth, Jack finds Ashi after her fight, remarking that she's been busy. With his confidence, gi and katana back at his side, Jack states Aku is their next target. In Episode XCIX, Jack and Ashi stop to rest in a city in the desert. Jack offers her some food from a local vendor, but she politely declines after it temporarily turns his head into a tropical fish.

Soon, they board a large camel-like creature for transport across the desert, surrounded by several green anthropomorphic tigers, with Jack and Ashi acting awkward towards each other for most of the trip. Unfortunately, Jack quickly discovers a trap has been set, forcing Ashi and himself to fight the tiger-men, albeit somewhat awkwardly. After much fighting, the duo agree it's time to leave, escape off the creature and continue their journey on foot. Eventually stopping at an oasis for water, Jack makes new straw hats for himself and Ashi while strengthening their relationship. Continuing on, Jack and Ashi take refuge from a sandstorm inside a strange, towering structure, discovering it is actually a prison ship, though the prisoners themselves are nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, Ashi is bitten and poisoned by a strange leech-like creature, but jack manages to kill it and remove the poison from her leg before it can spread further. A loud, animal-like cry is then heard, forcing Jack and Ashi to retreat. Failing to find the way they came in, the two head deeper into the prison, ending up lost after finding it much bigger than imagined. Arriving at a larger prison cell, Jack and Ashi confront their pursuer: A massive alien monster made of the same leech-like creatures from before. Fighting off the creature's attacks, but realizing they're vastly outnumbered, Jack cuts part of the ship with his sword, breaking a steam vent and buying them time to escape.

Soon, Jack and Ashi are directed to the ship's armory, where Jack receives a device that can kill the monster (dubbed Lazarus 92) that is hunting them. Unfortunately, he fails to learn the device's activation sequence due to a misfired laser gun from Ashi. In the ensuing battle, Jack and Ashi take turns trying to activate the device while fending off the monster. Ashi loses her clothing in the process, forcing Jack to lend her his gi in embarrassment, claiming she needs "protection". As they are overwhelmed, Jack finally manages to activate the device, killing Lazarus 92 with a massive electric charge. With the threat over, Jack and Ashi finally realize their feelings for each other and kiss.

Immediately after, in Episode C, Jack and Ashi quickly realize they are kissing and stop, nervous and mildly disgusted from the venom. Ashi offers Jack his gi, but he insists she keep it until she finds new clothes, claiming the ship is drafty. Soon, they spot a hole in the ceiling leading outside. Ashi searches for something to wear while Jack heads back outside, finding a broken water pipe. After Ashi finds a sweater and boots in a locker room, she comes across Jack showering outside and kindly leaves him his gi. In private, however, Jack sees a bearded reflection of himself, warning him to be careful. Jack himself agrees, since this has never happened to him before and wonders what to do. That evening, after hunting some worms for dinner, the two awkwardly try to make small talk. Ashi asks Jack if he ever thinks about his home, and Jack answers that he does so all the time, opening up to her with the memories of his home throughout the seasons.

When Ashi asks if there was a girl in his life, Jack explains there wasn't time, since he was only 8 when Aku attacked his village. While Jack admits the time before Aku was nice, the memories of his home are the only way he will see it again. Before dawn, Jack leaves without Ashi and returns to the robot graveyard, only to find that the Guardian and his time portal have both been destroyed. Ashi soon confronts him, demanding to know why he left. Jack explains that, in addition to witnessing the suffering of many innocent people, Aku has taken everything from him, leaving him with nothing but memories, and doesn't want the same to happen to Ashi. Instead, Ashi assures him they will defeat Aku together.

Sure enough, Aku himself appears before them, accompanied by Scaramouche. Aku claims he is aware that Jack lost his sword, having learned the information from Scaramouche. When Jack reveals the opposite, Aku telekinetically destroys Scaramouche's head in frustration. He casually prepares to leave as Jack attacks him, but smells something familiar nearby: himself. Jack is confused by this until Aku approaches Ashi. Smelling part of himself inside her, Aku remembers when he personally visited the members of the Cult of Aku, providing them with some of his essence.

He then deduces that the High Priestess drank his essence shortly after and gave birth to the Daughters of Aku, making Ashi his biological daughter. When Jack attacks him once again, Aku simply uses his essence inside Ashi to control her body like a puppet, forcing her to fight against Jack. Jack pleads with her to resist, but she is unable to do so, assuring her she is nothing like her father or mother. Unhappy with this, Aku throws a giant robot on top of them and tells Ashi she needs to "bring out her best" (i.e., himself), corrupting her with an upgraded version of her old outfit. Initially outclassed by her new agility and reflexes, Jack manages to break Ashi's sword and cut her arm, briefly getting through to her. Ashi begs Jack to kill her and stop Aku, but he can't bring himself to do so and stands down. Before Ashi can finish Jack, Aku orders his daughter to stop, joyfully claiming the Samurai's sword as Jack kneels in defeat.

Final Battle and Return to the Past
As Jack awaits his fate in Aku's Lair, he pleads with Ashi to resist her father's influence, though (on the surface) his cries fall on deaf ears. Fortunately, before she can kill him, Jack's allies arrive to save him, having watched his planned execution on TV. Seizing the opportunity, Jack breaks free and makes a run for his sword, only to be stopped by Ashi. Jack then meets up with the Scotsman, who tells him about his many daughters. Jack politely declines the offer to choose one of them as his spouse, explaining that he already met Ashi.

Jack then attempts to free Ashi after being swallowed by her, finally doing so after confessing that he loves her. Aku then confronts Ashi, who declares that Aku isn't her father. Ashi and Jack realize that she still has Aku's powers, and after a brief battle, she fetches his sword and uses her power to create a time portal to return to the point where Aku sent Jack to the future. Jack and Ashi then arrive out of the time portal, a few seconds after, to Aku's surprise. Jack then starts slashing Aku with his sword, trapping the demon around its blade. Jack then thrusts his sword into the ground and destroys Aku and his tower, escaping with Ashi. Sometime later, Jack and Ashi are about to be wed, but Ashi collapses at the altar, explaining that due to Aku's death in the past, she will have never have come into existence in the first place, before passing away. A depressed Jack mourns in the forest over Ashi's passing. He then sees a ladybug and is reminded that the future will be bright now that Aku has been destroyed. His hope renewed, Jack watches the sunshine over the forest, revealing its beauty.

His story is given an alternative ending in Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time: instead of Ashi fading away, both Jack and Ashi continue their wedding and are finally together in the final scene enjoying a future without Aku.

Abilities
After his home was taken over by Aku, Jack was sent by the plan of his parents to undergo various forms of intensive training by the greatest and most renowned warriors and scholars of the world at his time and became an incredibly skilled and powerful warrior as a result.


 * Agelessness/Enhanced Longevity: Due to an unintended side effect of Aku's time-traveling spell, Jack can no longer physically age, potentially able to live indefinitely. Also, as a result, he has retained his youthful appearance along with his prime health and vitality, despite being in his seventies or eighties, chronologically. However, he's not immortal and is still susceptible to death via starvation, cold, or physical injury. Also, Jack still vulnerable to pain or injuries, and can be killed in the same manner as any normal human would. This longevity doesn't apply to his metabolism thus he still requires food, water, and rest. It also did not prevent him from growing out more hair, as his black hair grew out into an unkempt mane and his facial hair developed into a thick beard. It's unknown whether or not Jack retained this ability after changing time by finally destroying Aku in the past.
 * Animal Empathy: Jack's pure nature has commonly shown a strong connection to animals of various shapes and sizes. Often, they grow attached to and in essence become his allies. To which, he is able to keep them tame enough as a means of transportation. His connection with animals even at times allows him to in a manner of speaking communicate with them, able to understand their intentions.
 * Cunning: Jack is very cunning, being able to demonstrated a high level of understanding and intelligence. He proved to be 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. This cunning allows him to easily plan against his opponents and make strategies, both ahead of time or in the heat of the moment.
 * Hunting/Survival Skills: Living in Aku's world greatly limits the number of places that Jack can visit for a meal, even when he has money. So, Jack tends to live in the wilderness where he must obtain his own food and water. As such, he is highly skilled at hunting, tracking, fishing, trapping, foraging, cooking, swimming, and climbing. He also has basic medical skills, and he tends to patch up injuries after his battles. On one occasion, Jack created a rope trap out of vines for catching a wild boar, and would have succeeded if not for the unexpected arrival of the Woolies. Despite mostly living out in the wild, he still tried to maintain an impeccable level of personal hygiene. One of the lesser shown survival skills that he learned from his mother, is how to repair his own clothing and even fashion hats out of reeds or vines. Though he has proven incapable of fixing his own footwear, as he never learned that skill from any of his teachers or mother. 50 years later, he is shown nursing himself while stitching his critical wound by using a bone needle and some bark fibers.
 * Master Archer: Jack has shown to have excellent skills in archery since he was trained by Robin Hood. His skill as an archer was put to the test in Episode 3, when Jack used this skill to set off traps against the beetle drones and later used his last arrows on the beetle drones which they hit dead on.
 * Master Marksman: Jack has high levels of precision and accuracy with firearms even at a great distance, rarely missing his target. Jack is shown proficiency in modern weaponry; shown using a handgun after spending 50 years in the future. While he never trained in the use of firearms during his training regimen, he presumably mastered its use in the absence of his sword. He is also skilled in using heavy firearms such as a machine gun with a rocket launcher.
 * Master Martial Artist: Jack has shown impressive mastery in martial arts. He has been trained in many different forms of combat by many teachers (including Jack's Teachers) from all over the world. Some of the styles include the Shaolin Praying Mantis, Tiger and Eagle Claw styles, Greek Wrestling, Southern Fist, Sun Fist, Wushu, Wing Chun, and African Stick Fighting. In his youth, Jack also learned how to use unfamiliar weapons by observing others, and adapting their style into his own skills to use them more effectively as necessary. After 50 years, he is shown to be skilled enough to defeat three of the highly skilled Daughters of Aku with only his bare hands by turning their inner strength and weapon against them.
 * Weapon Master: Jack is well versed in a number of weapons that range from spears and staffs to nunchakus and shurikens, as shown in his fights at the Dome of Doom. After 50 years, he begins to adapt to modern technology, where he relies on firearms, his motorcycle, and a retractable polearm. Also, he is also shown to use combat knifes to fight against Scaramouche during their first encounter.
 * Master Swordsmanship: Jack's signature and arguably greatest skill is his performance with a sword. Jack's style relies primarily on swiftness and precision in his strikes, balancing with strong defensive stances that parry his opponent's strikes until finding an opening for a decisive blow. Very few opponents have been demonstrated to be a match for his swordsmanship, among them are The Scotsman, The Ninja, and the sword-wielding Ultra-Robot, and even fewer can outright defeat him, such as The Guardian. His trademark technique is the Tremendous Horse Cut, which he jumps into the air and slashes the opponent with tremendous force during his fall to break their defense or destroy their armor. After 50 years, Jack is shown to use one of the alien creatures' severed appendage as a makeshift sword to kill a number of creatures.
 * Vehicle Intuition: Originally, Jack possessed no familiarization with transportation vehicles. Later, he is shown to know how to ride a motorcycle after 50 years in the future.
 * Multilingual: Due to his travels around the world in his native era, Jack was taught by many different cultures, including African, Greek, Russian, Mongolian, English, and more. Presumably, he learned the local languages and dialects of his teachers during this time period, as international tongues were rare in his period of history. He even learned the Egyptian language during his training with the Egyptian priests.
 * Ninjutsu: Jack has had training in ninjutsu, having been trained to stealthily blend in with his surroundings. His preferred style is to blend in with the light. He does this by simply reversing his kimono so that he is dressed in white, and tying white bandages around his face, hands, and feet, after which he employs his training. 50 years later, he is even able to blend even with little clothing to disguise himself with, as well as being able to blend in with the snow as his advantage to outmatch his opponents in combat, as demonstrated with the six Daughters of Aku in a snowy forest.
 * "Jump Good"/ Incredible Leaping: In exchange for teaching a tribe of primate men how to defend themselves against bandit's, Jack was physically conditioned and taught how to leap at impeccable high distances and heights.
 * Peak Human Conditioning: From spending the majority of his life preparing to face Aku and constantly facing adversity in his quest to return home, Jack has honed his body to the absolute limit of human potential. Given the fact he no longer ages and maintains a healthy lifestyle, he probably will remain that way for the foreseeable future.
 * Peak Human Agility: Jack is extremely agile and he often uses this agility to his advantage against any opponent. He can easily do back-flips to avoid danger and land on his feet with ease.
 * Peak Human Endurance: Jack has shown many times to be resistant to harm. He withstood powerful blows from inhumanly strong opponents relatively unfazed and being slammed through rocks only to quickly brush it off. Even with injures he does sustain, he has a high threshold for pain, able to continue fighting with no hindrance to his performance. He has even survived falls from great heights that would kill a normal person. Jack also has an unfathomable reserve of stamina. In addition to rarely tiring, even after such, he is shown able to fight off hundreds of opponents for days and still able to move and survive despite losing a lot of blood as seen in Episode XCIV.
 * Peak Human Senses: Jack's years of training have honed his senses to surreal levels. Due to fully mastered his senses, he has the ability to fight on any level. With them, he is highly alert to any approaching threat and likewise is able to quickly react to even the fastest of opponents. With his sense of hearing alone, he was able to defeat the Blind Archers, taking in the whole environment to consistently steps ahead of the three archers.
 * Peak Human Speed: Jack is shown to be extremely swift. With his natural reflexes and sheer footwork, he is able to avoid gunfire, carve through entire armies within seconds, and even defeat a team composed entirely of highly skilled bounty hunters from all directions in the time it takes for a drop of water to hit the ground. He has also demonstrated the ability to use his sword to deflect bullets from a gatling gun with little effort.
 * Peak Human Strength: Jack has deceptive raw strength for his lean frame, able to cleanly cut through most machines with little effort and can easily throw opponents much larger than himself. Also, following his training with the blue monkeys, his strength increased immensely, able to jump about while weighed down all over by large rocks and boulders. In building up his muscles for this improved physical prowess, he also gained the ability to jump about hundreds of feet into the air, even from a stationary position. However, in comparison to characters such as The Scotsman, he is shown to have difficulties lifting heavy loads.
 * Willpower: Jack seems to possess a nearly indomitable force of will, able to push himself through virtually any hardship in order to vanquish Aku. This ability is not absolute, however, and he is capable of becoming disheartened and, at one point, he nearly gave up his quest (though on that occasion he got over himself in rather short order after being reminded of what it was that he fought for). In spite of that, his willpower enable him to overcome The Demonic Spirit's possessions who attempted on devouring Jack's soul as shown in Episode XXXV.

Main Weapon

 * Jack's Katana: A mystical katana forged by Ra, Odin, and Vishnu to vanquish Aku. This was Jack's only primary weapon until it was lost in battle sometime prior to Season 5, which forced him to resort to using other high-tech weaponry instead. In Episode XCVIII, Jack is reunited with his magic sword by overcoming a gauntlet of dangerous physical and spiritual tests. In Episode CI, after Jack successfully killed Aku, the katana is probably in the restored castle seen in the first episode.

Extended Weaponry
While his katana was his principal weapon, the duration he spent without it forced Jack to adopt an arsenal of weapons in order to survive and fend off the contemporary enemies of the future.
 * Electric Trident: Jack is shown using a retractable trident with a dragon-shaped head sharp enough to penetrate and pull out the electrical components of Beetle Drones, while the reverse end emits an electric charge strong enough to cut through anything. It's revealed that the dragon-shaped head can spin like a drill to penetrate the biggest Beetle Drone easily. Lost during Jack's battle with the Daughters of Aku.
 * Tuning Knife: A knife taken from Scaramouch after defeating him, which can transform into a tuning fork shape. Any weapon it touches while in its tuning fork form rings loudly before exploding. The knife can transform into a tuning fork shape and emits an ultra high-frequency oscillation that shatters objects on contact. Stolen by one of the Daughters of Aku, but later recovered. Jack used the knife to destroy the temple's hallway during his escape, preventing the Daughters from following him. Lost in the river.
 * Laser Pistol: Jack's personal sidearm. The rounds are powerful enough to penetrate multiple targets at once and destroy a golem's head with one shot. Destroyed during Jack's first encounter with the Daughters of Aku.
 * Mini-gun: This weapon is more advanced than the real-life equivalent since it can be wielded like an assault rifle and has a built-in rocket launcher at the center. Jack keeps this stowed in his motorcycle. Smashed with a kanabō by one of the Daughters of Aku.
 * Kunai: Jack threw a kunai at Scaramouche's cellphone to prevent him from talking further with Aku. Presumably lost during Jack's first encounter with the Daughters of Aku.
 * Samurai Armor: This armor provides additional protection for Jack with high durability and built-in retractable shields that can be thrown as projectiles. The armor originally had a demon mask until it was destroyed during a confrontation with the Beetle Drones. The rest of the armor was destroyed during Jack's first encounter with the Daughters of Aku.
 * Motorcycle: Jack's own ride which is also a rideable weapon. The wheels can sprout spikes, which are used for destroying multiple enemies. It was quickly destroyed with a tripwire by the Daughters of Aku.
 * Explosives: Jack carries a whole belt of explosive devices, but mainly use them to escape from desperate situations. All were used during his escape from the Daughters of Aku.
 * Combat knives: Jack wields two long Bowie knives with brass-knuckle hilts when fighting against Scaramouche. Both of these are shattered during the battle by the tuning knife, though Jack is able to throw the second at Scaramouch before it explodes, damaging him with its fragments in the process.
 * Other Weapons: Jack occasionally and briefly uses other weapons he finds but does not keep (and even did this while he still had his sword). In Season 5, he uses Scaramouche's own scimitar to destroy him but discards it due to its weight. He later uses an ancient sword and battle-ax while fighting the Daughters of Aku in a temple, but both are destroyed. In his rematch against the remaining Daughters, Jack killed two of them with spears he had created and fought the rest with their own weapons. While trapped inside a large monster, Jack's resourcefulness and improvisation came into play, using a creature's severed limb as a makeshift sword to fight them, then later grabbing part of the monster's innards as a makeshift mace to rescue Ashi. He also uses the ritual Seppuku dagger meant for him against the Omen to save Ashi's life.

Family and Relatives

 * Emperor and Empress - Jack's bond with his parents was never explored much, but it's evident that he had love them very much during his childhood as the young prince of Japan. As his father was captured by Aku himself, Jack continued to live with his aging mother until she sent him away to complete his training as a full-fledged samurai warrior. In flashbacks, it's revealed that he feared for their empire being crushed by enemies.

Enemies and Adversaries
"Aku! Aku is the one who has laid waste to the beauty of this world! He has destroyed mother nature! Where do you think we are?! Aku has unleashed these monstrosities upon our world, and they feed off his carnage!!"


 * Aku - As the murderer of his father and conqueror of Earth, Jack makes it his life's mission to put an end to the shape-shifting demon in his father's name. He was trained since birth to fight against Aku and was nearly successful until Aku managed to send Jack to the future. This did not stop Jack against his quest to fight Aku, though he also made it his mission to return to the past so Aku's evil would never spread to the future. A running gag that Aku himself points out is that every time Jack comes close to killing him, Aku shape-shifts and flies away while yelling he'll be back. The two see each other as enemies though there is a certain level of begrudging respect on both sides, as Jack understands Aku is a powerful enemy while Aku also recognizes Jack as a serious threat. The two are even able to hold small conversations (even at times comical interactions) with each other, like when Aku challenges Jack to a fight and the two try to one each other up. However, Jack views Aku with contempt and anger, frustrated at the numerous amount of bounty hunters he sends to face Jack and his cowardice at using shape-shifting to trick him or to run away when he loses. In turn, Aku is not above emotionally harming Jack such as when he pretends to be a woman named Ikra to fool Jack into helping him find a time portal so he can destroy it and also harms Jack emotionally. After 50 years, there is still animosity between the two with part of Jack losing his sanity and wondering if he can beat Aku, though he continues with his journey, while Aku is truly frightened by the fact Jack can no longer age but has also become more mellow and apathetic towards Jack.
 * The Omen - In the first episode of season 5, one of Jack's hallucinations is a mysterious samurai on horseback surrounded by a green mist. Jack is overcome by severe fright every time he sees him. He has appeared in episode XCII, XCIV, and XCVI. In episode XCVI, the samurai tells Jack "it is time", to which Jack replies "yes" and follows him to an unknown destination. In episode XCVII, it's revealed that the samurai took Jack to a cemetery where he has him prepared to commit the Japanese ritual of suicide, seppuku. However, Ashi manages to find him and talked some sense into Jack. After being reminded of the people he has saved, the hope he has regained in them, and that the blue-furred children from the factory are still alive, Jack finally regained his fighting spirit and destroyed the samurai once and for all.
 * Demongo - Demongo is one of the most powerful enemies Jack has ever faced. While Demongo almost killed him, Jack eventually defeated Demongo and set his army of enslaved souls free.

Allies and Friends

 * The Scotsman - While he has made many allies, only the Scotsman has been a recurring ally. The Scotsman serves as a foil to Jack since unlike Jack who is quiet and humble, the Scotsman is loud and boisterous and foul-mouthed. The two first met on a bridge and their stubbornness and Scotsman's refusal to move aside led to the two fighting, where they proved to be equally matched. The two were soon chased by bounty hunters and while fighting together, developed a good friendship as fellow warriors against the hateful Aku. Jack would later be sought out by Scotsman to help save his wife, with the Scotsman soon repaying his kind act by saving Jack when he was delusional and lost his memories after fighting some sirens. Overall, the two are great friends and warriors who respect each other's skills or balance off of each other very well due to their differing personalities and are willing to risk the life for the other.
 * The White Wolf - Jack meets the white wolf while he is recuperating from his injuries. The white wolf recognizes Jack as a fellow warrior and helps him heal by gifting him half of the chicken he hunted for food, licking his wounds, and snuggling near Jack at night while they sleep so Jack doesn't freeze. Though the two-part ways shortly thereafter, it's evident that the two developed a deep respect for each other along with a strong friendship. Interestingly enough, the Wolf is implied to be a metaphor for Jack, both being lone warriors fighting against tougher opponents in a harsh land.

"Believe what you will, but if you open your eyes and let go of the hate, you will see the truth..."


 * Ashi - She was trained by her mother to believe Aku was the creator of nature and beauty while Jack was pure evil and tainted Aku's world and should be destroyed. She and her six sisters attempted-but-failed to kill him and one by one were killed or defeated until only Ashi was left alive. When the two are swallowed by a beast, he tries to reason with her that he is not evil but Aku is and that everything she has said was a lie. While she refuses to at first and even still tries to kill him, he still saves her life various times. Eventually, upon seeing Jack's kind and humble appreciation of even the simplest forms of life, she begins to question herself if Jack is truly evil. She demands he show her the truth and he eventually reveals to her examples of Aku's true evil. Disgusted, she slowly accepts this and even helps Jack liberate a group of child aliens from being used as weapons by Aku. When Jack believes he has failed to save them, he leaves with the green warrior while Ashi goes on a journey to find Jack, no longer desiring to kill him. On her journey, she meets many people including (but possibly not limited to) the Woolies, the Three Blind Archers, the Rave, and Da Samurai, each of whom tell her their stories of how Jack has rescued them she finally manages to let go of her past and of her indoctrinated belief that she must kill Jack. She even manages to save him from the Omen by reminding him that people still need them and what a profound effect he has had on the lives of the people whose lives he saved, including hers. When he goes off to meditate, she reluctantly stays behind. She also manages to kill off an entire orc army who attempted to murder him and even killed her own mother who attempted to kill Jack in his moment of vulnerability. Overall, the two currently have a strong friendship based on mutual respect, trust, affection, and loyalty. Ashi and Jack have saved each other physically (one saving the other in numerous occasions) and emotionally; Jack's attempts to help her see the truth enlightened her and allowed her to move beyond her warped upbringing while Ashi managed to help Jack overcome his guilt and anger to become the man he once was. Jack cares greatly about Ashi as shown when he gets his sword back and sees Ashi laying on the ground surrounded by arrows he rushes over to her with a worried look on his face. At the end of "XCIX" Jack and Ashi kiss after many tender and cute moments throughout the episode, revealing they have both found true love. Jack later talks to her about his past which fascinates her in "C". Tragically, towards the end of the episode, Ashi is revealed to be Aku's biological daughter of sorts and is manipulated into attempting to kill Jack by her father. Jack slices a part of her suit and she then begs him to kill her. Jack holds his katana ready to put Ashi down and kill Aku. However, he realizes he loves Ashi too much and can't bring himself to kill Ashi, after all, they been through, he surrenders and drops his weapon with Aku taking it; showing that Jack is willing to sacrifice himself and die for Ashi to be alive. After Ashi regains control of herself and escorts Jack back to his original time, Jack finally defeats Aku once and for all, restoring peace to the land alongside his newfound love. Although Jack and Ashi attempt to wed years after Aku's death, the latter suddenly falls ill during the ceremony, revealing that without Aku's presence, her existence cannot maintain itself before disappearing shortly afterward and leaving Jack in anguish. However, Ashi's fate is changed in Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time where they continue their wedding and Ashi doesn't fade away, and they enjoy a world without Aku together.

Others
"I don't want to talk to you anymore."


 * Inner Jack - After 50 years, Jack's inner conscience, and alter ego, has taken on at least four appearances (not counting The Omen). While they all have mildly modified appearances, they all seem to represent Jack's declining sanity and the negative or "dark" side within Jack, filled with regret at not being able to save anyone or stop Aku and is more dismissive of life especially the lives of his enemy. They often tell Jack that it would be better if they were dead and how the fight against Aku is hopeless. They even belittle Jack about his desire not to kill and also tries to persuade Jack to leave Ashi rather than save her. Jack's conscience of his prime seems to take on 4 forms/personalities. After Jack regains hope and confidence and is reunited with his katana, it's likely that all of them are forever sealed alongside Mad Jack.
 * Anguish - This was the first hallucination of his prime self. He appears as Jack is hiding inside a destroyed Beetlebot. This hallucination belittles Jack constantly. His anger manifests throughout by finding a counter-argument to Jack's excuses and responding aggressively to Jack simply because he doesn't want to "spend eternity in this forsaken time," as well as panting really aggressively after asking Jack: "How long can [he] keep this up?". His hopelessness manifests as he constantly tells Jack to give up and that there is no way home and no way to defeat Aku. For him, the only honorable thing to do is Seppuku.
 * Bloodlust - This second hallucination appears when Jack is weakened and desperately trying to survive in a cave from his stab wound. Unlike the previous form, he is more deformed and demented, possesses the magic sword, and has sharp teeth (uncannily similar to "bad Jack" in Aku's Fairy Tales). While relentlessly reminding Jack that this was their first human kill, he smiles creepily as he describes Jack going from fighting "mountains of robot corpses" to "real human flesh". He also accuses Jack of wanting the Daughters to kill him.
 * Apathy - This third hallucination appears while Jack is inside the giant creatures stomach. As Jack refuses to talk to the small white fluff ball, The Apathetic Jack hopes that he can get through instead. Unlike the others, this one is calmer, but still against the idea of saving Ashi and, on noticing her disappearance, smiles before nonchalantly telling Jack "she's gone". As Jack looks for her, this form coldly tries to convince Jack that Ashi is dead and that they can be on their way now. However, he is annoyed with the notion Jack is going to save her anyway.
 * Rage/Mad Jack - This fourth and final hallucination appears in the episode XCVIII. He is a red, distorted version of Jack, appearing like a larger, more demonic version of Bloodlust. The red form suggests that this is Mad Jack who, when sealed by Jack many years ago, returned when Jack witnessed the last time portal destroyed thus breaking the seal. He is angry, short-tempered, and represents all the anguish or anger Jack has felt over the lives lost and his repeated failures. When Jack meditates and arrives at a temple, a monk informs Jack he has lost his path, but the monk himself cannot tell Jack where to find it. Mad Jack claims the monk is hiding something from them. Jack realizes that his anger and frustration has held him back over the years, preventing him from finding both the right path and the sword. Mad Jack asserts he is the reason they are alive and even physically beats Jack. Despite the assault, Jack wins out in the end, finally letting go of his anger and hatred while allowing himself to permanently seal Mad Jack.

Killed Victims

 * Countless robots
 * Numerous Minions of Aku
 * Numerous Dust Zombies
 * Numerous counts of aliens
 * Numerous counts of animals (hunting)
 * Lava Monster
 * The Gargoyle
 * The Demonic Spirit
 * Shinobi
 * Mondo Bot
 * The Sirens
 * Short Mischievous Scientist
 * X-49
 * Three Rams
 * Six members of the Daughters of Aku (excluding Ashi)
 * The Omen
 * Mad Jack (Sealed before reclaiming his sword)
 * Lazarus-92
 * Aku
 * Ashi (Indirectly caused by Aku's death in Episode CI, but not in Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time)

Appearances

 * Episode I: The Beginning
 * Episode II: The Samurai Called Jack
 * Episode III: The First Fight
 * Episode IV: Jack, the Woolies, and the Chritchellites
 * Episode V: Jack in Space
 * Episode VI: Jack and the Warrior Woman
 * Episode VII: Jack and the Three Blind Archers
 * Episode VIII: Jack vs. Mad Jack
 * Episode IX: Jack Under the Sea
 * Episode X: Jack and the Lava Monster
 * Episode XI: Jack and the Scotsman
 * Episode XII: Jack and the Gangsters
 * Episode XIV: Jack Learns to Jump Good
 * Episode XV: Jack Tales
 * Episode XVI: Jack and the Smackback
 * Episode XVII: Jack and the Scotsman II
 * Episode XVIII: Jack and the Ultra-robots
 * Episode XIX: Jack Remembers the Past
 * Episode XX: Jack and the Monks
 * Episode XXI: Jack and the Dragon
 * Episode XXII: Jack vs. the Five Hunters
 * Episode XXIII: Jack vs. Demongo, The Soul Collector
 * Episode XXIV: Jack Is Naked
 * Episode XXV: Jack and the Spartans
 * Episode XXVI: Jack's Shoes
 * Episode XXVII: Chicken Jack
 * Episode XXVIII: Jack and the Rave
 * Episode XXIX: Couple on a Train
 * Episode XXX: Jack and the Zombies
 * Episode XXXI: Jack and the Scarab
 * Episode XXXII: Jack and the Traveling Creatures
 * Episode XXXIII: Jack and the Annoying Creature
 * Episode XXXIV: Jack and the Swamp Wizard
 * Episode XXXV: Jack and the Haunted House
 * Episode XXXVI: Jack, the Monks, and the Ancient Master's Son
 * Episode XXXVIII: The Birth of Evil, Part 2 (baby Jack)
 * Episode XXXIX: Jack and the Labyrinth
 * Episode XL: Jack vs. the Ninja
 * Episode XLI: Robo-Samurai vs. Mondo-Bot
 * Episode XLII: Samurai vs. Samurai
 * Episode XLIII: The Aku Infection
 * Episode XLIV: The Princess and the Bounty Hunters
 * Episode XLV: The Scotsman Saves Jack, Part 1
 * Episode XLVI: The Scotsman Saves Jack, Part 2
 * Episode XLVII: Jack and the Flying Prince and Princess
 * Episode XLVIII: Jack vs. Aku
 * Episode XLIX: The Four Seasons of Death
 * Episode L: Tale of X-49
 * Episode LI: Young Jack in Africa (Young Jack)
 * Episode LII: Jack and the Baby
 * The Shadow of Aku
 * Episode XCII
 * Episode XCIII
 * Episode XCIV
 * Episode XCV
 * Episode XCVI
 * Episode XCVII
 * Episode XCVIII
 * Episode XCIX
 * Episode C
 * Episode CI
 * Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time

Quotes
Seasons 1-4 Season 5 The Shadow of Aku Battle Through Time
 * "What has happened to our land, father?"
 * "Aku!"
 * "I am the lost son of the land that you have pillaged! I am here to reclaim it, for my people, for my father, for my birthright!"
 * "No matter what form you take, Aku, you will never defeat the side of righteousness!"
 * "Now, demon, with the blessing of righteousness and the power of the sacred blade, I cast thee back to the vile pit from which you came."
 * "There is no future for you, Aku!"
 * "What trickery is this!?"
 * "Talking demon dogs!"
 * "I'm sorry. I'm very confused. Your world is new to me. What has happened?"
 * "There are other worlds across the stars?"
 * "But I am from Earth. Yet this world is nothing like the world I remember."
 * "Even the grandest city were never as overwhelming as this one. Chariots did not fly and dogs did not speak in human tongue."
 * "Well, I mean no insult. They were wonderful companions but, the dogs I knew merely barked."
 * "So the question is not 'Where I am?' but 'When I am?'."
 * "The spell Aku cast must have ripped me from my own time and flung me into the distant future."
 * "Allowing his evil time to fester and infect the entire world."
 * "No! I must return to my own time so that I might undo Aku's evil reign before it envelops the Earth. This ageless demon must be stopped."
 * "They call me... Jack."
 * "I'm fine. I just prefer walking."
 * "No. There is no escape."
 * "Thanks are not necessary. It is my duty to oppose the minions of Aku and my mission to vanquish the very demon himself. Aku's wrongs must be righted. Surely there is a way to reverse his spell. I will find a way back to my own time. There, I will finish what I started centuries ago, and defeat Aku's evil before it was ever truly unleashed!"
 * (improvising) "Halt, beast. There is no escape. For I have captured you once and will now see that you will never escape again."
 * "I, too, desire to find my home. You see in days long past, where rockets and robots were nowhere near creation, a young warrior forged into battle with Aku. At the point where victory was imminent, Aku tricked the warrior, and flung him from his own time to a distant time in the future. To reclaim his homeland and undo the evil of Aku, the warrior has to find some sort of time passage home. Such a magic is difficult to find."
 * "I will destroy you, Aku. I swear it."
 * "I must fight on their level."
 * "Looks like there'll be no money for you, crazy round man."
 * "WHO ELSE WANTS SOME!?"
 * "You are my inner demon. You have been born from the hatred within me. But now, that hatred is no more. Thus, you do not exist."
 * "Sushi."
 * "Yes, Aku is powerful. But with my father's sword and the might of righteousness I can end Aku's tyranny forever, freeing all he has enslaved... I beg you to trust me!... As I once trusted you."
 * "The voice beckons me further in... Surely he takes me for a fool to follow deeper into his trap."
 * "A fool I be!"
 * "I fear no man."
 * "The arrow relies on the bow, the bow relies on the arrow, but they are not tied together."
 * "Actually, it's Jack."
 * "No. Jump good!"
 * "When does the magic begin?"
 * "Hungry? Come get some."
 * "Enough! Is this what you call entertainment -- the senseless slaughter of innocents? No more! Set the slaves free. Set. Them. Free."
 * (whilst surrounded at the Castle of Boon) "Resign ourselves to becoming soup."
 * "Friends carry no debt."
 * (on high-fives) "What?...What?...I do not understand."
 * "Wrong. This sword carries the history and strength of my people. Its power is immeasurable."
 * "Great ancestors, hear my plea. If I am worthy, grant me the strength to vanquish this evil abomination, and send it back to..."
 * "I honor all who trust me. My cause is worthy, great ancestors. Let my sword be your instrument of justice."
 * (crying) "My home."
 * (From the mountaintop) "Akuuuu! I will never give up! I will return to the past and destroy you!"
 * "Yes. I will help you, dragon. I will put you out of your misery."
 * (correcting himself) "Those poor, uh.... those unfortunate people."
 * "No! I will not be delivered to Aku like some animal!"
 * "And I free your essence!"
 * "A stranger world than this I fear I have yet to visit."
 * "I saw this warrior outnumbered. I meant no disrespect. I apologize."
 * "You have insulted my footwear!"
 * "My sandals don't like to be laughed at."
 * "Your home is wonderful. Perhaps this is the time machine I have been seeking."
 * "NO!! No chicken!"
 * "You have been pawns of Aku's evil, but now you are free. Return to your homes, and never dance to this evil beat again."
 * (regarding Zeke's unpaid bills) "I hope you have yet to stamp the postage on your parcels, or you..." (cutoff)
 * "Even I had forgotten that the sword was forged in purity and strength. It can only be used for good. In the hand of evil, it can never harm an innocent. And so Aku, it cannot harm me. But it can harm you!"
 * "Um, excuse me. Thank you for destroying the Minions of Set, but, do you happen to know... where there is a... time portal?"
 * "Guess not."
 * "I have never faced a foe with such strength and skill."
 * "You have deceived me many times, Aku, but you have become careless. Your lust to destroy me left you the blinded one. And now, my trap is sprung!"
 * "Run, you cowardly shadow. For you know your destruction is at hand. It is just a matter of time."
 * "You were prepared to sacrifice. I was not."
 * (on failing to return to the past) "I am getting used to that."
 * "They call me Jack, Samurai Jack."
 * "Shinobi, warrior of the night. Trained to use the darkness of the shadow. I know your arts as well. But I have been trained to use the light!"
 * "He who runs with aggression, walks without dignity."
 * "You can never defeat another if you know not how to defeat yourself."
 * "He who wears a mask, cannot see what lies within himself."
 * "The shell of an oyster only hides the pearl inside."
 * (weakly) "Cannot fight it. Not alone. Cannot do it alone."
 * (ala Brent) "Like, totally cool."
 * "I am called Jack, and I am here to rescue you."
 * "Uhh... I like to walk."
 * "We are not such strangers, I think. Our stories are much alike. For I too was a prince, given charge to save my land, but I... I could not let your story end like mine... with Aku."
 * "That's right, Aku. You see, I'm smart, and you are pure evil."
 * "Because I knew that you knew that I knew that you knew that I knew you would cheat."
 * "And I will be waiting, Aku. For no matter how long it may take, I will destroy you."
 * "I am afraid your son has seen many things on our travels, and has now achieved 'Sakai', the spirit of the samurai."
 * "Fifty years have passed, but I do not age. Time has lost its effect on me. Yet the suffering continues. Aku's grasp chokes the past, present, and future. Hope is lost. Gotta get back, back to the past. Samurai Jack."
 * "No, father. Aku destroyed the way home!"
 * "It always seems bad at first, but then I find a way. They are just nuts and bolts. Just nuts and bolts."
 * "What do you want from me?"
 * "You have chosen this path. Life works in strange ways. Your choices have clearly led you here, as have mine. I will give you a new choice. Leave here now and live, or stay and face your destiny."
 * "Very well. The decisions you make and the actions that follow are a reflection of... of who you really are."
 * "No! They chose the path! They chose!"
 * "You are very troubled and very confused. Aku is the evil one, not me."
 * "Are you kidding me?!"
 * "You know, many people pay money for this. It's called acupuncture."
 * "...never mind."
 * "She's another innocent... she's lost her way."
 * "You'll never understand that it's all my fault! She's here because of me!"
 * "I like the back fur."
 * "One of many. The trees stretched as far as the eye can see. It was a testament to nature's wonder until Aku destroyed everything. He left but one -- a reminder of his power and oppression."
 * "Aku is evil personified -- the darkest soul from The Pit of Hate. To him, all that is good and innocent must be decimated. That is his will, his desire. Here is your truth."
 * "(Nervously) I... uh... like your hair. And dress."
 * "It's time to find my sword."
 * "Enough! We have lost the sword because of you."
 * "No. I've let you consume me for far too long!"
 * "You. You are the one who has kept the past hidden. Your anger. Your frustration."
 * "You have blinded us, but now I can see."
 * "And you, you have been very busy. Thank you."
 * "Aku."
 * "Ashi, you're naked!"
 * "Well, I mean, you know, men and women are different and... private things are personal."
 * "Uh, you need protection from the creature."
 * "Actually it's a gi. And yes!!"
 * "Me? Weird? Me?! Ha ha! ha!"
 * "No, I know, not from the thing that.. we did."
 * "All these years, I have seen so many innocents fall victim to Aku. Kind and decent people. My friends, my family, every one of them. His evil has taken everything I've ever... loved. All I have left... are memories. I do not want you to become just a memory."
 * "Ashi! You are not your father! You are not your mother! You are your own person! You are good! You can defeat him from inside!"
 * "Ashi, you must! Ashi, Ashi! Ashi!! I love you!"
 * "NO MORE!!!!!"
 * "It... is done."
 * "Finally. Aku's gone. My quest has ended. Back in the past. At long last. Samurai Jack."
 * "I am no leader. I am merely a humble samurai."
 * "Video... games?"
 * "Honor and justice will always triumph over power."
 * "NO! I will not give you time to betray me again!"
 * "Thank you, old friend."
 * "This place... Aku's mines. I'm back in the past. But... not where I should be."
 * "Ashi. ASHI?!"
 * "Rothchild? But I saved you in the future..."
 * "Aku. I must put an end to this madness!"
 * "Old friend?! What are you doing here?"
 * "Wait, my friend..."
 * "It is... good... to see you, too... my friend."
 * "But I am not sure what YOU are doing here? This can not be the past?"
 * "Something does not feel right..."
 * "I do not understand this... where am I?"
 * "Aku!"
 * "Between time?!"
 * "Aku! Aku!!!!"
 * "AKU! I will escape from this place and return to the past to destroy you once and for all!
 * "Where have you brought me, Aku?"
 * "(recognizes the voice) I know that voice. But, I freed you? You ascended to Valhalla."
 * "Show Yourself!"
 * "Noble King, I once saved you from Aku's curse. I will not let you be tormented by him any longer."
 * "Where..."
 * (hearing Ashi's call) "Ashi?! WHERE ARE YOU?!! Ashi!! I am here!! Ashi!!!
 * "I must be getting closer"
 * "Ashi..."
 * "I will. I can feel it."
 * "You will not stop me, Aku."
 * "I have a bad feeling about this."
 * (sees the portal) A portal?
 * (trying to reach for Ashi) "Wait!"
 * "The Imakandi?"
 * "I cannot face them here. There are too many."
 * "I will not be your prey again."
 * "Um...."
 * "What?"
 * "Ashi!!!"
 * "(gasps) Ashi... ASHI?! Where am I?"
 * "Ashi. I was so close."
 * "Wait, AKU!"
 * "(startled gasp of air) What...Ho-How can this be?"
 * (sees Scaramouche) You!
 * "I will waste no more time. Where is Aku?!
 * "I am ready, Aku."
 * "Too bad for you, I do not dance."
 * "No!! AKU!! NO!!"
 * "Ashi?! Aku... you foul demon. I have been here before. This is where I faced Ashi...and her sisters."
 * "Ashi..."
 * "My father once told me the decisions you make are a reflection of who you are. You can not hide from yourself."
 * "Ashi?!"
 * "I will not fail you, Ashi!"
 * "Please, you do not have to do this!"
 * "Please, you do not have to make the same choice as your sister."
 * "Let me give you a new choice...leave here now and live. YOU can make your own destiny. One without Aku."
 * "Please! You do not have to fight for Aku. Your lives do not have to end this way!"
 * "Please, you are not this person. I know the real YOU even if you do not...Ashi."
 * "The same way that I know you have good heart. A pure one"
 * "Do you remember the ladybug?"
 * (Fake Ashi dies) NO!!
 * (sobs) No! No!! ASHI!!
 * "Ashi....I-I did not mean to do it. (starts crying) Is there no end to this madness?! AKU!!!"
 * (His conscious) "You must not stray from your path."
 * "But I-I killed Ashi. I killed ALL of them. I tried to help them."
 * (his conscious) "This place is merely a Shadow of things that have gone before. You must leave what you see behind if you are ever to find the way forward."
 * "But how?! There are no more pendants. No other ways to escape. Aku's power between time is too great."
 * (His conscious) "Power over others is weakness disguised as strength. Aku knows you have true power within you. It is your destiny. That is why he must break your spirit. It is the only way he can keep you trapped."
 * "I will not let him succeed."
 * "Nothing you do will stop me, Aku."
 * (hears about Lazarus 92) "Not that."
 * "Lazarus 92. It has to be in here somewhere."
 * (sees the undead Ashi) "Ashi?!"
 * "There was nothing I could do. It was Aku..."
 * "Ashi, wait... I did not mean to harm you."
 * (sees Aku controlling Ashi) (GASP!)
 * (weakly) "Ashi..."
 * "The time has come, Aku."
 * "Aku, your games end here."
 * "I will."
 * "I am not alone."
 * "Are you sure?"
 * "Aku! There is no stopping your fate. I will make my way back to the portal. And return to the past to undo the evil that is YOU."
 * "The pocket you created between time is collapsing. You have lost, Aku."
 * "Ashi!"
 * "It is over."
 * "Even across time, I will find my way back to you."

Trivia

 * By the end of the series, Jack is the only character who remembers the future ruled by Aku.
 * Though is it likely that Odin, Ra, and Rama also remember the future due to being divine beings existing outside of time.
 * Samurai Jack is a playable character in Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion.
 * Jack's design is very similar to Professor Utonium from The Powerpuff Girls.
 * Mad Jack's appearance and mannerisms are even similar to those of the corrupted Professor Utonium in "Tough Love".
 * Jack is similar to Phillip J. Fry from Futurama, in that the main character ends up in the far future. Phil Lamarr also voices Hermes and John Dimaggio plays Bender, both voice actors have also worked on Samurai Jack. Despite this coincidence, it's unlikely that Samurai Jack takes any cues from Futurama, though this is an interesting revelation nonetheless.
 * Jack's true age (prior to Season 5) is unspecified. While in the first episode, in the montage of his training, under a few of his teachers at age 8, he appeared older than he was in the last scene, from child to adulthood. According to Rothchild's age-o-meter, Jack's particles/cells date back to 25 B.A - 25 years before Aku took over Earth completely. This suggests that Jack was at least 25 years old at the time Aku sent him to the future.
 * Even though he's called Jack, this is not his real name. The name his parents gave him is never revealed. In flashbacks and the first episodes, his parents did not call him by name. It can be reasonably assumed that his name is of Japanese origin, judging by his background.
 * In "Jack Under the Sea", Jack is about to reveal his real name when introducing himself to the Triseraquins, then hastily changes it to Jack. Whatever his real name, it starts with Gi.
 * Jack's standard design received a minor redesign for Season 5, resulting in a more pronounced and angular chin.
 * By Season 5, Jack is showing numerous symptoms of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) because of the prolonged period of failure to return to his own time in the past.
 * It was further revealed that Jack is contemplating suicide from his subconscious past-self saying "The only honorable thing to do is... " alluding to Seppuku.
 * His conversation with his personalities (Mad Jack) is possibly a symptom of Schizophrenia.
 * Furthermore, it appears as though Jack has developed a death wish due to years of never ending quests of both to vanquish Aku once and for all and return to the past, as his past self hallucination alludes to the fact that Jack "wanted" the Daughters of Aku to kill him. Thus throughout Season 5, Jack is portrayed as a shell-shocked veteran struggling with his physique.
 * A common theme in Season 5 is for Jack to keep getting new clothes and have them destroyed very quickly.
 * He loses his armor against the Daughters of Aku by being completely smashed.
 * Jack also loses the makeshift armor he made in the monster by it being crushed when he and Ashi jumped out
 * He loses his hat and full suit by it being torn apart by the alien children in the factory due to his reluctance to fight back.
 * Jack losing all his clothes very quickly is symbolic of his diminishing hope, as he acquires hope but it's destroyed with the knowledge that he can't beat Aku. It could also be symbolic of how vulnerable he feels, since clothes and armor help people avoid damage.
 * However, he had managed to keep the torn up pants over his loin cloth in "XCVI" subtly foreshadowing that he would regain his hope.
 * Despite being referred to and called "samurai", Jack's status is more of a rōnin than a true samurai. While samurai usually serve daimyō, ronins serve no master or lord.
 * Furthermore, rōnin (浪人) means "drifter/wanderer" or "he who drifts/wanders", which suits Jack's wandering about in the future he was sent to.
 * Jack has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Disney+ film Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers.