''Samurai Jack'' is an American
animated
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...
action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
-
adventure
An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme ...
television series created by
Genndy Tartakovsky
Gennady Borisovich Tartakovsky (russian: Геннадий Борисович Тартаковский, born ), commonly known as Tartakovsky (), is a Russian-American animator, director, producer, screenwriter, voice actor, storyboard artist, ...
for
Cartoon Network and distributed by
Warner Bros. Domestic Television. Tartakovsky conceived ''Samurai Jack'' after finishing his work on his first Cartoon Network original series, ''
Dexter's Laboratory'', which premiered in 1996. ''Samurai Jack'' was inspired by
''Kung Fu'', the 1972 televised drama starring
David Carradine
David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor best known for playing martial arts roles. He is perhaps best known as the star of the 1970s television series '' Kung Fu'', playi ...
, and Tartakovsky's fascination with samurai culture.
The
titular character
The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...
is an unnamed Japanese
samurai
were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...
prince who wields a mystic
katana
A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the '' tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge f ...
capable of cutting through virtually anything. He sets out to free his kingdom after it is taken over by an evil, shapeshifting demon lord known as Aku. The two engage in a fierce battle, but just as the prince is about to deal the final strike, Aku sends him forward in time to a
dystopian future ruled by the tyrannical demon. Adopting the name "
Jack
Jack may refer to:
Places
* Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA
People and fictional characters
* Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
" after being addressed as such by beings in this time period, he quests to travel back to his own time and defeat Aku before he can take over the world. Jack's search for a way back to his own time period transcends Aku's control, but Jack's efforts are largely in vain due to the way back to his home ending up just out of his reach.
Premiering on August 10, 2001, ''Samurai Jack'' originally ran for four seasons comprising thirteen episodes each until September 25, 2004, without concluding the overarching story. The show was
revived twelve years later for a darker, more mature
fifth season that provides a conclusion to Jack's story; it premiered on Cartoon Network's
Adult Swim
Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...
as part of its
Toonami
Toonami ( ) is an American late night television programming block that primarily broadcasts Japanese animation and occasionally American action animation. It was created by Sean Akins and Jason DeMarco and produced by Williams Street, a divis ...
programming block on March 11, 2017, and concluded with its final episode, which serves as the series finale, on May 20, 2017. Episodes were directed by Tartakovsky, often in collaboration with others.
The series has garnered critical acclaim and won eight
Primetime Emmy Awards, including
Outstanding Animated Program, as well as six
Annie Awards
The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in Film, cinema and television. Originally ...
and an
OIAF Award
The Ottawa International Animation Festival is an annual animated film and media festival that takes place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The OIAF was founded in 1975, with the first festival held from August 10 to 15 in 1976. Initially organized by ...
.
Premise
''Samurai Jack'' tells the story of an unnamed young prince (voiced by
Phil LaMarr
Phillip LaMarr (born January 24, 1967) is an American actor, comedian and screenwriter. LaMarr was one of the original featured cast members on the sketch comedy television series '' Mad TV''. His voice acting roles in animated series include J ...
) from a kingdom set in
feudal Japan
The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millennium BC when new inve ...
, whose father (voiced by
Sab Shimono as an elder man and
Keone Young
Keone Joseph Young is an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as Dr. Michael Kwan in '' Kay O'Brien'' (1986), Mr. Wu in '' Deadwood'' (2004–2006) and as the dual roles of Judge Robert Chong and Mr. Wan in ''The Young and t ...
as a young emperor) was given a magical katana from three gods —
Ra,
Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...
, and
Odin — that he could and had used to defeat and imprison the supernatural shapeshifting
demon Aku (
Mako
, better known by the mononym name Mako (sometimes stylised MAKO), is a Japanese voice actress, singer and a member of the band Bon-Bon Blanco, in which her prominent role is as the maraca player. She has also performed in a Japanese television ...
, and later
Greg Baldwin
Greg Baldwin is an American voice actor.
Career
Baldwin has worked in the theater extensively as Sidney Lipton in ''God's Favorite'', Mushnik in ''Little Shop of Horrors'', Dr. Zubritsky in Neil Simon's ''Fools'', Count Otto Von Bruno in ''Bullsh ...
for Season 5). Eight years later Aku escaped, took over the land, and held the Emperor hostage, but not before the prince was sent away by his mother to travel the world and train so he could return and use the magic sword to defeat Aku. On his return, the prince-turned-samurai faced and almost defeated Aku, but before he could land a finishing blow, Aku placed a time travel curse and sent him into the distant future, anticipating that he would be able to deal with the samurai by that time.
The samurai prince arrives on Earth surrounded in
dystopian
retrofuturism
Retrofuturism (adjective ''retrofuturistic'' or ''retrofuture'') is a movement in the creative arts showing the influence of depictions of the future produced in an earlier era. If futurism is sometimes called a "science" bent on anticipatin ...
ruled by Aku. The first people he encounters call him "
Jack
Jack may refer to:
Places
* Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA
People and fictional characters
* Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
" as a form of slang, which he adopts as his name.
His
given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...
is never mentioned. Jack only has his
kimono
The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn left side wrapped over right, unless the wearer is deceased. The kimono ...
,
geta
Geta may refer to:
Places
*Geta (woreda), a woreda in Ethiopia's Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region
*Geta, Åland, a municipality in Finland
*Geta, Nepal, a town in Attariya Municipality, Kailali District, Seti Zone, Nepal
*Get ...
, and sword to his avail in his adventures. Most episodes depict Jack overcoming various obstacles in his quest to travel back to his own time and defeat Aku, and his quest is prolonged occasionally by moments where either he nearly succeeds in returning to his own time,
or conversely, Aku nearly succeeds in defeating Jack,
only to be undermined by the unexpected.
Setting
The retro-futuristic world is inhabited by a variety of denizens such as robots, extraterrestrials, talking animals, monsters, magical beings, and deities. Some areas may have advanced technologies like flying cars, while others resemble ancient times or industrial conditions. Moreover, Aku has brought aliens from other planets to inhabit Earth, after destroying the habitability of their home worlds. Criminals and fugitives of all kinds and/or forms are very common on his Earth. Mythological and supernatural creatures make regular appearances and coexist among the technologically-advanced inhabitants.
However, the planet has hardly been urbanized by a number of episodes that take place in uninhabited areas of the world. Those include forests, jungles, and mountains, which have remained largely untouched even as Aku began his conquest and reign over every sentient being. There are even a few communities that have not been affected by Aku's dominance, such as the
Shaolin monks, who have managed to hide and maintain their numbers in a secret place that is magically shielded from Aku's seemingly omniscient vision.
Episodes
Production
![Genndy Tartakovsky](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Genndy_Tartakovsky.jpg)
''Samurai Jack'' was created by
Genndy Tartakovsky
Gennady Borisovich Tartakovsky (russian: Геннадий Борисович Тартаковский, born ), commonly known as Tartakovsky (), is a Russian-American animator, director, producer, screenwriter, voice actor, storyboard artist, ...
as a follow-up to his successful series ''
Dexter's Laboratory''. Cartoon Network executive
Mike Lazzo
Michael Lazzo (born April 10, 1958) is a retired American television producer and the former executive vice president in charge of the Adult Swim programming block of Cartoon Network, and its production arm, Williams Street.
Life and career
Laz ...
recalled Tartakovsky pitching him the series: "He said, 'Hey, remember
David Carradine
David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor best known for playing martial arts roles. He is perhaps best known as the star of the 1970s television series '' Kung Fu'', playi ...
in ''
Kung Fu
Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to commo ...
''? Wasn't that cool?' and I was like, 'Yeah, that's really cool.' That was literally the pitch."
Cartoon Network billed it as a series "that is cinematic in scope and that incorporates action, humor, and intricate artistry."
The basic premise of ''Samurai Jack'' comes from Tartakovsky's childhood fascination with
samurai
were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...
culture and the
bushido code,
as well as a recurring dream where he wandered a post-apocalyptic Earth with a samurai sword and traveled the world fighting mutants with his
crush.
The show is meant to evoke 1970s cinematography, as well as classic
Hollywood films such as ''
Ben-Hur'', ''
Lawrence of Arabia
Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–191 ...
'',
and ''
Spartacus
Spartacus ( el, Σπάρτακος '; la, Spartacus; c. 103–71 BC) was a Thracian gladiator who, along with Crixus, Gannicus, Castus, and Oenomaus, was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprisin ...
''.
Thematic and visual inspirations come from
Frank Miller
Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'' and subsequen ...
's comic book series ''
Rōnin
A ''rōnin'' ( ; ja, 浪人, , meaning 'drifter' or 'wanderer') was a samurai without a lord or master during the feudal period of Japan (1185–1868). A samurai became masterless upon the death of his master or after the loss of his master ...
'', including the premise of a master-less samurai warrior thrown into a dystopic future in order to battle a shapeshifting demon. Similarly, the episode "Jack and the Spartans" was specifically inspired by Miller's graphic novel ''
300
__NOTOC__
Year 300 ( CCC) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Valerius (or, less frequently, year 1053 ''Ab ...
'' that retold the
Battle of Thermopylae.
The Japanese manga ''
Lone Wolf and Cub
is a Japanese manga series created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. First published in 1970, the story was adapted into six films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, four plays, a television series starring Kinnosuke Yorozuya, and i ...
'' and films by
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...
were also an inspiration.
The network announced the series' launch at a press conference on February 21, 2001. Weeks leading up to the series were accompanied by a sweepstakes giveaway sponsored by
AOL in which the grand prize was a trip for four to Japan. AOL subscribers were also offered sneak peeks of ''Samurai Jack'' as well as a look at samurai traditions, future toys, behind-the-scenes model sheets, and exclusive
Cartoon Orbit
Cartoon Orbit was a children's online gaming network created by Turner Online to promote its shows and partners. Created as an addition to the Cartoon Network website, Cartoon Orbit opened to the public in October 2000. Its main attraction was a ...
cToons. ''Samurai Jack'' debuted on Cartoon Network on August 10, 2001, with the three-part special "The Beginning". The premiere received high praise and four award nominations,
and was released as a standalone VHS and DVD on March 19, 2002.
As production of the fourth season was ending, with four seasons of 13 episodes each or 52 episodes of ''Samurai Jack'' in total, Tartakovsky, and the crew moved on to other projects.
The show ended with the airing of the four final episodes as a
marathon on September 25, 2004.
In
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, ''Samurai Jack'' previously aired on
YTV, and currently airs on the
Canadian version of Adult Swim.
In
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, Samurai Jack previously aired on
Cartoon Network,
and currently airs on streaming service
All 4
All 4 is a video on demand service from the Channel Four Television Corporation, free of charge for most content and funded by advertising. The service is available in the UK and Ireland; viewers are not required to have a TV licence—requir ...
.
Conclusion and revival
Original ending
The original series was left open-ended after the conclusion of the fourth season.
Tartakovsky said, "coming close to
he end ofthe fourth season, we're like, 'are we gonna finish it?' And I didn't know... The network didn't know, they were going through a lot of transitions also. So I decided, you know, I don't want to rush and finish the whole story, and so we just left it like there is no conclusion and then
he final episode isjust like another episode". Art director Scott Wills added, "We didn't have time to think about it, because we went right into ''
Clone Wars Clone Wars may refer to:
Star Wars Film and television
* ''Star Wars: Clone Wars'' (2003 TV series), an American animated television series set in the ''Star Wars'' galaxy
* ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' (2008 TV series), an American 3D CGI anim ...
''. They even overlapped, I think. There was no time to even think about it."
Cancelled film
A film intended to conclude the story of ''Samurai Jack'' had been in development at different times by four different studios.
As early as 2002,
Cartoon Network was producing a ''Samurai Jack''
live-action
Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...
feature film,
in association with
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after ...
.
Brett Ratner
Brett Ratner (born March 28, 1969) is an American film director and producer. He directed the ''Rush Hour'' film series, '' The Family Man'', '' Red Dragon'', '' X-Men: The Last Stand'', and ''Tower Heist''. He is also a producer of several film ...
was hired as a director. Tartakovsky said in a 2006 interview that the live-action version of ''Samurai Jack'' was thankfully abandoned, and that "we will finish the story, and there will be an animated film."
Fred Seibert
Frederick (Fred) Seibert (born September 15, 1951) is an American television producer, co-founder of MTV and the CEO of FredFilms, an animation production company based in Burbank, California. His official biography states he has led five (working ...
announced in 2007 that the newly formed
Frederator Films
Frederator Studios is an American animation television production studio which is a division of Frederator Networks, Inc. It was founded by Fred Seibert in 1997 with its first series launching in 1998. (Seibert resigned from Frederator in Augus ...
was developing a ''Samurai Jack'' movie, which was planned to be in
stereoscopic 2D
with a budget of 20 million dollars.
Seibert said in 2009 the film was being co-produced with
J. J. Abrams
Jeffrey Jacob Abrams (born June 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker and composer. He is best known for his works in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. Abrams wrote and produced such films as '' Regarding Henry'' (1991), '' F ...
'
Bad Robot Productions
Bad Robot is an American film and television production company founded on May 27, 1999 and led by J. J. Abrams and Katie McGrath as Co-CEO. Under its Bad Robot Productions division, the company is responsible for the television series ''Alias' ...
.
Sony Pictures expressed its interest to make the film. Genndy Tartakovsky said in an interview with
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
the ''Samurai Jack'' movie is in pre-production: "I've been trying so hard every year, and the one amazing thing about Jack is that I did it in 2001, you know, and it still survived. There's something about it that's connected with people. And I want it, it's number 1 on my list, and now Bob Osher, the president, is like 'Hey, let's talk about Jack. Let's see what we can do.' And I go, 'You're going to do a 2D feature animated movie?' and he's like, 'Yeah. Maybe. Let's do some research and let's see.' So it's not dead for sure by any means, and it's still on the top of my list, and I'm trying as hard as I can." Tartakovsky said the loss of Mako Iwamatsu (Aku's voice actor) would also need to be addressed. The feature film project never materialized, and eventually, the series concluded with a fifth television season.
2017 revival
''Samurai Jack'' returned to television over twelve years after its fourth season concluded, with the first episode of its fifth season airing on
Adult Swim
Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...
on March 11, 2017. Produced at Cartoon Network Studios and
Williams Street
Williams Street Productions, LLC, d/b/a Williams Street and formerly known as Ghost Planet Industries, is an American animation and live action television production studio owned by the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., ...
with Tartakovsky as executive producer, the fifth and final season features more mature elements and a cohesive narrative that concludes Jack's journey. The story takes place fifty years after Jack was cast into the future. In despair from the years of fighting Aku and from Aku's destruction of the remaining time portals, Jack—who has not aged as a side effect of the time travel—is haunted by warped visions of himself, of his family, and of an enigmatic, deathly warrior on horseback.
Phil LaMarr
Phillip LaMarr (born January 24, 1967) is an American actor, comedian and screenwriter. LaMarr was one of the original featured cast members on the sketch comedy television series '' Mad TV''. His voice acting roles in animated series include J ...
reprises his role as
Jack
Jack may refer to:
Places
* Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA
People and fictional characters
* Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
;
Greg Baldwin
Greg Baldwin is an American voice actor.
Career
Baldwin has worked in the theater extensively as Sidney Lipton in ''God's Favorite'', Mushnik in ''Little Shop of Horrors'', Dr. Zubritsky in Neil Simon's ''Fools'', Count Otto Von Bruno in ''Bullsh ...
provides the voice of Aku.
Mako
, better known by the mononym name Mako (sometimes stylised MAKO), is a Japanese voice actress, singer and a member of the band Bon-Bon Blanco, in which her prominent role is as the maraca player. She has also performed in a Japanese television ...
, who voiced Aku in the show's first four seasons, died ten years before the revival was produced; however, an archive recording of his voice is used for Aku's past self in the series finale.
Reception
Critical reception
''Samurai Jack'' received generally positive reviews from critics following its 2001 Cartoon Network debut. Steven Linan of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' said of the 90-minute premiere movie, "One can quibble with some of the dialogue, which sounds like something you'd hear in ''
Karate Kid 2'' ('Let the sword guide you to your fate, but let your mind set free the path to your destiny'). Nonetheless, there is one highly unconventional aspect of the series which sets it apart from others--its willingness to go for extensive stretches in which there is no dialogue."
In 2004, British broadcaster
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
ran a poll of the 100 greatest cartoons, in which ''Samurai Jack'' achieved the 42nd position. The show was ranked 11th by ''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' for its "Top 25 Primetime Animated Series of All Time" list in 2006.
In its list ranking, ''IGN'' compared the series' writing style to Tartakovsky's ''
Star Wars: Clone Wars'', stating, "episodes have little or no dialogue, relying instead on action and strong visuals to tell the stories. Entertaining for adults, yet not too violent for kids."
The review went on to say that the series' "unique combination of cinematic and comic book styles appeals to all ages." ''IGN'' also ranked the show 43rd in its Top 100 Animated Series list in 2009, saying that its "simple and colorful art style lends itself well to the cinematic scope and frenetic action sequences that fill each episode."
''IGNs review also stated that the series' "unique style and humor make the most out of the animation format, producing elaborate action sequences and bizarre situations that would be impossible to do in a live action film."
On
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
site
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the series as a whole has received an approval rating of 93%.
The first season received an approval rating of 80% while the fourth and fifth seasons received an approval rating of 100%.
[Multiple sources:
*
*
*] The fifth season's critical consensus reads, "An increasing intensity and maturity are evident in Samurai Jack's beautifully animated, action-packed, and overall compelling fifth season."
Matt Zoller Seitz
Matt Zoller Seitz (born December 26, 1968) is an American film and television critic, author and film-maker.
Career
Matt Zoller Seitz is editor-at-large at RogerEbert.com, and the television critic for '' New York'' magazine and Vulture.com, as ...
, a film critic for ''
RogerEbert.com'' and television critic for ''
Vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
'', considers ''Samurai Jack'', along with Tartakovsky's ''
Star Wars: Clone Wars'', to be a masterwork and one of the greatest American animated shows on television, mainly for its visual style.
''Samurai Jack'' would later be included in Seitz and
Alan Sepinwall
Alan Sepinwall (born October 19, 1973) is an American television reviewer and writer. He spent 14 years as a columnist with ''The Star-Ledger'' in Newark until leaving the newspaper in 2010 to work for the entertainment news website HitFix. He ...
's 2016 book ''TV (The Book)'' as an honorable mention following the 100 greatest television series.
Accolades
Other media
Board game
A year after the series was concluded, a
board game
Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well.
Many board games feature a co ...
adaptation covering all five seasons was released, titled ''Samurai Jack: Back to the Past''. Players work together to complete tasks to help
Jack
Jack may refer to:
Places
* Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA
People and fictional characters
* Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
return to the past while competing to earn honor for their actions.
Comics
In February 2013,
IDW Publishing announced a partnership with Cartoon Network to produce comics based on its properties. ''Samurai Jack'' was one of the titles announced to be published. It was further announced at
WonderCon
WonderCon is an annual comic book, science fiction, and film convention held in the San Francisco Bay Area (1987–2011), then—under the name WonderCon Anaheim—in Anaheim, California (2012–2015, 2017–present), and WonderCon Los Angele ...
2013 that the first issue of ''Samurai Jack'' would debut in October 2013. The first comic in the series was released on October 23, 2013. The final issue came out in May 2015. On October 25, 2016, IDW re-released all of the issues in a compilation entitled "Tales of a Wandering Warrior". Tartakovsky does not consider the comics part of the story of Jack.
Jack
Jack may refer to:
Places
* Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA
People and fictional characters
* Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
also appeared in multiple issues of
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
' anthology comic series ''Cartoon Network Action Pack'', which ran from July 2006 to April 2012.
Home media
Like other previous Cartoon Network shows, ''Samurai Jack'' DVDs were released by
Warner Home Video
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros.
It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Vide ...
between 2002 and 2007. The DVDs include episode numbers in Roman numerals as they appear at the end of each episode but remain untitled. Season 1 was released on
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
streaming service in 2013. ''Samurai Jack: The Complete Series'' was released on Blu-ray and Digital HD on October 17, 2017, and contains remastered versions of the first four seasons of the series, courtesy of ACMEworks Digital Film, Inc. The series is also available on
HBO Max
HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...
since May 27, 2020.
Video games
The ''Samurai Jack'' world has been seen in the video games ''
Samurai Jack: The Amulet of Time'' for the
Game Boy Advance
The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, ...
in 2003 and ''
Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku'' for the
GameCube and
PlayStation 2 in 2004. Three years after the series was completed, a third game, ''
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time'', was released on August 21, 2020, for
Microsoft Windows,
PlayStation 4,
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
,
Nintendo Switch, and
Apple Arcade
Apple Arcade is a video game subscription service offered by Apple Inc. It is available through a dedicated tab of the App Store on devices running iOS 13, tvOS 13, iPadOS 13, and macOS Catalina or later. The service launched on September 19 ...
. It is the first ''Samurai Jack'' game to be available on
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washin ...
and
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...
platforms and serves as an alternative extended scenario of the series finale.
Elements of the ''Samurai Jack'' concept were reused in other Cartoon Network video games. The
MMORPG ''
FusionFall
''Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall'' was a massively multiplayer online game developed by Cartoon Network and South Korean studio Grigon Entertainment and released on January 14, 2009. ''FusionFall'' used the Unity engine as its client tech ...
'' features Jack, the Scotsman, and Demongo as non-playable characters, while Aku is a Nano. The brawler game ''
Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion'' for
Nintendo 3DS,
Wii,
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...
, and
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...
features Jack and the Scotsman as playable characters while Aku is an assist character, a boss, and a playable character.
Notes
References
External links
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