Lava Monster

The Lava Monster was a monster made out of lava and stone, which made its first appearance in Episode X: Jack and the Lava Monster.

Appearance
The Lava Monster is a giant made up of the stone and magma he was imprisoned in. He had crystal spikes that protruded from his shoulders and was easily three times Jack's height. When he was human, he was blonde, tall, and had a muscular build.

Personality
The Lava Monster is similar in personality to Jack. He is a strong warrior who fights for the ones he loves, but takes more pride in his actions. He nonetheless possesses a great sense of honor, refusing to strike an unarmed Jack down when he refused to fight back.

After centuries of torment, he has become extremely suicidal. Once liberated, he couldn't help but express joy as his body started to rapidly age and he passed on peacefully, though not before thanking Jack for his actions.

Origin
Centuries ago, possibly even around Jack's time, the Lava Monster was a human Viking warrior of a Norwegian kingdom. He lived a peaceful life with his loved ones until one day when the shapeshifting demon Aku attacked. Try as they might, the warrior and his forces were crushed almost instantly by Aku with only the warrior left to fight the demon. However; he soon found out that his weapons, which were ordinary, did not even harm Aku who merely laughed at the Warrior's attempt to destroy him before instantly defeating him. Even so; the Warrior unsheathed his sword, his only weapon left, ready to battle for the last time, but Aku had different plans for him. To punish the warrior and make him an example of the price of defying him, Aku imprisoned the Warrior within a unbreakable crystal, which not only forced him to watch helplessly as the demon gleefully destroyed what was left of his beloved kingdom, but also making him immortal, thus denying him a warrior's death. He was then sealed in the core of a mountain, making him unable to pass on and join his people in Valhalla, the afterlife all great heroes. After countless years of being stuck in the mountain, through sheer willpower, the warrior eventually learned how to manipulate and mold the earth around him to create a molten rock body-like shell he could use to move and escape his tomb. He then created a perilous cavern and drew heroes to him, hoping that one would be mighty enough to pass through the cavern safely and free him from Aku's curse.

Synopsis
While traveling through a field one day, Samurai Jack began to hear a voice calling out to him. The voice soon led him into a treacherous cavern full of booby traps and the bones of many before him. After successfully reaching the end, the Lava Monster revealed himself and battled Jack. However, seeing the monster's eagerness to fight after managing to injure him, Jack refused and sheathed his sword. The monster begged Jack to continue fighting, then told Jack of his past and his desire to pass on to Valhalla with the only way to reach is to fall in true combat with another warrior. Jack decided to resume fighting the Lava Monster to try and free him. After a fierce battle, Jack defeated him and freed the warrior of his shell and the crystal within it. But as soon as he was freed from the curse, the warrior began to rapidly age then soon after he drops his sword and falls back-down on the floor. Jack hurries to the now aged warrior and attempts to apologize but the warrior tells him to not to worry and asked Jack to give him his sword which he does. The warrior thanked Jack and when he passed on a pair of Valkyries descended in a beam of light to carry the Warrior to Valhalla. Then just as the Valkyries start to disappear with the warrior in the beam of light, Jack looks to see the warrior turning his head towards him and smiling in gratitude with Jack soon giving a little smile back. Before he left the cavern, Jack drew on the warrior's obelisk a picture of the Warrior and the word FREE in stylized runic Norse. When Jack resumed his journey, the warrior could be seen looking down at him from the heavens in the company of the deities of Asgard, with Odin among them.

After Jack destroyed the past Aku for good, all the evils Aku has inflicted on him, his kingdom, people and family were undone. So, in the new timeline he continues to live in peace in his kingdom with his people and family. However, this may means that he never pass on to Valhalla, and his comrades that perished heroically fighting Aku never went there as well. However, they may still pass on to Valhalla under a different circumstance.

Due to the fact that Valhalla is a divine realm and Jack has been shown to be physically incapable of effecting the gods and their artifacts, the Viking Warrior's death may be one of the only ones that hasn't been changed by Aku's demise.

Powers and Abilities

 * Master Swordsman: Although not in the same caliber as Jack, the Lava Monster was proficient in the use of swords. His skills were great enough that he could last against Jack for a long period of time.
 * Master Combatant: While the sword was obviously his weapon of choice, the Lava Monster still demonstrated the ability to use other weapons, as he had formed a mace from his arm. In his recital of the story of his past, he was also shown to wield weapons such as a spear and a bow. This could possibly mean he has, at the very least, a good understanding of other weapons and tactics.


 * Earth Manipulation: Due to his imprisonment in the mountain core, the Lava Monster gained a link to his prison, letting him control it and mold it to his liking. He used this power to create a body rock and the cavern in which he lived and waited for a hero to come and best him. He could also mold his arms into weapons and form a crystal sword out of stone.
 * Magma Manipulation: Should the Lava Monster become enraged enough, he is able to create powerful magma eruptions.

Appearances

 * Episode X: Jack and the Lava Monster
 * Episode XLIII: The Aku Infection

Trivia

 * Despite the creators claim that the Daughters of Aku were the first flesh and blood people Jack ever killed, canonically speaking the Lava Monster is actually the first human Jack killed by breaking the curse Aku placed on him.