This episode is mostly concerned with Jack befriending a caveman-type individual who is a part of a too-cute tribe of gorillas that can “jump good.” Jump really good. And no episode of Samurai Jack conjures up such feelings of joy as its second season premiere, “Jack Learns to Jump Good.” Taking a bit of a break from the more action-heavy installments, this episode wisely tries to build up the show’s other strengths while it simultaneously does the same thing with Jack. Furthermore, “Jack and the Gangsters” even has Jack actually fighting Aku in it! What’s not to love here? The entry leans into the mobster conventions heavily, with sometimes beautiful set pieces playing out as a result, like Jack mowing down robot thugs, set to dazzling lounge singing.
That concept alone is enough, yet this episode also has Jack fighting the spiritual embodiments of Earth, Wind, and Fire in order to acquire the legendary Neptune Jewel that allows its owner control of all of the planet’s water. The episode sees Jack temporarily donning a fedora and pinstripe suit under the alias of Jackie the Blade as he finds himself working undercover for the mob in order to ultimately get close to Aku. “Jack and the Gangsters” is one of the earliest examples of the show mixing things up, with the first season entry delivering an affectionate homage to the noire genre.
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That being said, this is also a series that is never satisfied standing still and is constantly striving to push the medium further and take on more stylistic complexity. Jack’s battle with the Beetle Drones is 15 minutes of non-stop sword swinging action, which is something that almost seems impossible for a cartoon - but Samurai Jack makes the impossible possible.Īt its core, Samurai Jack is already a warm love letter to samurai and Kung Fu storytelling staples. The beginning of all of this does a good job at introducing viewers to the subtle, patient beauty of this series, but “The First Fight” is especially powerful for marking the first occasion this show gets to really dig into a massive fight scene. This introductory tale might be heavy on the exposition, but it still consistently slashes expectations to ribbons, like pairing Jack with a collection of talking archaeologist dogs. Made up of the episodes “The Beginning,” “The Samurai Called Jack,” and “The First Fight,” Jack’s main beef with Aku is detailed to a compelling degree here, with his ensuing banishment to the future also getting healthy focus (not to mention learning how he gets his modern name). Here Are 15 Must-See Episodes of Samurai Jack.Ī series of this magnitude needs to kick things off on the right sandal-clad foot, with Samurai Jack essentially presenting a movie-or three connected episodes-that tell Jack’s origin story. With Tartakovsky’s classic show set to return in a limited series on Adult Swim that finally concludes the Jack versus Aku tale, it feels only appropriate to re-visit Jack’s most impressive, stand-out installments. It may have been 11 years since Samurai Jack prematurely went off the air, but in a lot of ways the show has never felt more relevant and mainstream. Samurai Jack masterfully weaves storytelling, animation, and action in revolutionary ways to result in a quest series like no other. Coming from animation genius Genndy Tartakovsky, the series pushes forward a simple narrative of archetypal good versus evil, yet every episode manages to throw you into a whole new world or stylistic homage. Samurai Jackhacked and slashed its way onto Cartoon Network all the way back in 2001 - a month before the Adult Swim programming block even appeared - and instantly defined itself as a very different sort of show. It’s very rare that a television show-let alone a cartoon-can take the audience’s breath away by sheer creative force.
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