Samurai Jack holds a special place in the hearts of many who grew up watching the glory days of Cartoon Network, as it told the story of the titular samurai destined to eternally battle with the evil demon known as Aku. Between the years 2001 and 2004, the series aired 52 episodes across 4 seasons before eventually being canceled.
Show creator Genndy Tartakovsky, also known for his work as a producer for Dexter’s Laboratory and Powerpuff Girls, refused to cave to Cartoon Network’s demands to make the show more light-hearted and comedic with less action. It wasn’t until 2017 that Adult Swim picked the show back up and finished the series with what most consider the best season in the show’s history, giving the beloved series the proper send-off it deserved.
Episode XCVII (Season 5, Episode 6) - 9.3
At last, Jack gets the opportunity to confront the haunting specter that has followed in his wake for so long. This ghastly apparition is known as The Omen and wishes for Jack to be punished for his failures.
Meanwhile, Ashi trails off on her own and learns of the good deeds Jack has done in the past and all of the people he has saved. Discarding her soot-stained apparel, Ashi sets off to reunite with Jack and ultimately helps him defeat The Omen by inspiring him to overcome his troubled past.
Episode XXXVIII - The Birth of Evil: Part II (Season 3, Episode 12) - 9.3
The latter half of the hour-long penultimate episode in season 3 is considered one of the best in Samurai Jack history and for good reason. “The Birth of Evil” tells the story of how Aku came to exist at the hands of Jack’s father.
These decisions would ultimately come to have enormous repercussions for Jack and would serve as the crux for Aku’s motivations moving forward. The ensuing clash between Aku and Jack’s father was an unforgettable highlight of the series, which helps to explain why the episode even won an Emmy Award.
Episode XCV (Season 5, Episode 4) - 9.3
Trained from birth to be avowed enemies of the Samurai, kindness and tenderness were one of the last things any of the Daughters of Aku expected to see upon meeting Jack. That’s exactly what happens, however, when Jack and the Daughter known as Ashi are forced to co-exist after being swallowed by an enormous creature.
In spite of Ashi’s repeated attempts to kill him, Jack is given a chance to redeem himself and find purpose with another human in a desolate world. Ashi finally relents when she witnesses Jack spare a ladybug—the same creature in which the High Priestess had cruelly squished—thus sewing the seeds of their eventual relationship.
Episode CI (Season 5, Episode 10) - 9.3
In the finale, Samurai Jack is set off in a fitting end as the forces of good and evil do battle for the last time. As friends from the past join the fray, Jack admits his love for Ashi and finally breaks her free from Aku’s possession.
Upon breaking from Aku’s control, Ashi soon realizes she also has her father’s powers, giving Jack a path back to the past. The pair return to the moment where Aku first sent Jack into the future, and they destroy him for good. Unfortunately, the death of her father makes Ashi’s existence a paradox, and fans are left with a bittersweet ending as Ashi perishes in the series’ final moments.
Episode VII - Jack and the Three Blind Archers (Season 1, Episode 7) - 9.3
In his search for a way back to the past, Jack hears of a magical wishing well that could be just what he’s looking for. However, Jack soon learns that this well is guarded fiercely by three blind archers. To overcome the hound-like archers, Jack trains with a blindfold on to hone his senses and defeat them.
The use of a black screen to simulate Jack’s lack of sight as he listens to changes in the nearby environment is one of the most creative animation styles Tartakovsky ever employs. Even with long scenes of no dialogue, this episode was a storytelling masterpiece and forces the audience to invest their other senses alongside Jack.
Episode C (Season 5, Episode 9) - 9.4
Just when things seemed to finally be going right for Jack and Ashi, it all came crashing down. Aku reappears with Scaramouche in tow, assuming Jack was still without his sword. When Aku finds that Jack has in fact regained control of his fabled weapon, he immediately destroys Scaramouche for wasting his time.
Aku does end up finding something of note, however, when he realizes Ashi is one of his seven daughters. Possessing his own daughter, Aku forces Jack to battle it out with the one he has come to love. Having lost so many people in the past, Jack refuses to kill Ashi and surrenders, leaving the lord of darkness victorious at last.
Episode XCII (Season 5, Episode 1) - 9.4
The season 5 premiere kicks off with a bang as an ageless Jack is seen making a return and protecting the innocent after a 13-year hiatus from season 4. Cast 50 years into the future by Aku, Jack is seen living a nomadic lifestyle, and although he remains a protector of the people, he is still very isolated and without his sword.
This episode introduces the villain Scaramouche as well as the Daughters of Aku, who would go on to be primary antagonists for the first half of the season. While they would prove to be formidable adversaries, it soon becomes obvious that Jack’s greatest enemy is himself as he struggles to move on from the past and the thoughts of his deceased family.
Episode XCVIII (Season 5, Episode 7) - 9.5
When Jack falls into a state of unconscious astral projection in search of his famous sword, he’s left completely defenseless with only Ashi around to protect him. Unfortunately for Jack, an entire army of Aku’s minions and the High Priestess herself would show up just in time to take his life.
Fans get to see Ashi unleash her full power as she decimates an entire army and prevents Jack’s assassination. While previous episodes focused on Jack overcoming his past, here Ashi gets the chance to address hers. Locked in a showdown that seemed destined from birth, Ashi defies her upbringing and saves Jack’s life at the expense of her own mother’s.
Episode XCIII (Season 5, Episode 2) - 9.7
While episode 1 of the final season established how powerful Jack still was, the second episode quickly proved that the Daughters of Aku were more than his match. Disarmed and on the run, the audience was treated to one of the best fight sequences in Samurai Jack as the beloved hero barely manages to escape with his life.
When he corners one of the daughters and kills in her a close-range exchange, Jack is horrified upon learning the Daughters of Aku are humans. This episode grants viewers a look at Jack’s descent, as well as one of the series’ greatest musical numbers in a tribute to the classic “The Ecstasy of Gold” during his desperate search for safety.
Episode XCIV (Season 5, Episode 3) - 9.7
Severely injured from his battle with the Daughters of Aku, Jack floats downriver in hopes of escape. He discovers a cave in which to seek shelter and recounts a time where his family was encountered by assassins. Back then, Jack’s father left the assassins a simple choice, to either leave or face their destiny.
With his back to the wall, Jack gives the Daughters of Aku this very same choice. When they refuse to leave, Jack appears to accept this with a pang of regret, before overwhelming the sisters and killing three of the remaining six in a heated battle. Forced to continue drawing human blood or die, these fights held more gravity than ever before and had the audience glued to the edge of their seats.