Samurai Jack season 5 wrapped up the series with an action-packed, emotional finale, but how does Jack finally overcome Aku? Samurai Jack follows the title character, a samurai warrior banished into the future by a powerful demon. Outside of the show’s opening episodes, Cartoon Network’s Samurai Jack didn’t really follow a continuous storyline, with episodes often standing alone. The show abruptly came to an end after four seasons in 2004, with creator Genndy Tartakovsky becoming busy on animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Fans were disappointed the cult series, with its unique, futuristic world, beautiful artwork and cool hero didn’t receive any kind of proper finale. Over the years there was talk of a live-action movie that never happened until it was suddenly revealed Tartakovsky was reviving the show for a fifth and final season. Samurai Jack season 5 jumps fifty years on from the previous season and finds an ageless Jack still wandering the dystopian future trying to defeat Aku. Season 5 featured a darker, more mature tone than the original series and ended on a bittersweet note.

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When Samurai Jack season 5 opens, Jack is still battling the forces of Aku but has lost his sword. Jack’s katana is the only weapon capable of killing Aku, but the demon himself isn’t aware Jack has lost it. Aku has also destroyed all the time portals, meaning Jack is permanently trapped in the future. Jack himself is literally haunted by the ghosts of his past too, having become lost and overcome with despair over his never-ending quest. Adding to his troubles are the “Daughters of Aku”, a cult of Aku worshipers intent on tracking down and killing Jack.

In an epic, bloody brawl, Jack manages to kill them all but one; a warrior named Ashi. The two are soon swallowed by a monster, and after some understandable mistrust, they end up working together. Ashi almost kills Jack once they escape, but is convinced to stay her hand when a ladybug flies around her. Jack and Ashi have numerous adventures together, like fighting a giant leech monster and killing Ashi’s evil mother and fall in love. Aku eventually tracks Jack down, not realizing he’s since reclaimed his sword but gains the upper hand when he possesses Ashi. Jack isn’t able to kill her, so Aku captures Jack.

The Samurai Jack season 5 finale finds Aku preparing to execute Jack – only for all the people Jack has helped on his fifty-year quest, including The Scotsman and his daughters, to rise up and fight Aku. Ashi fights back against Aku thanks to the power of love and she and Jack travel back in time to finally slay the demon, who is much weaker in his past form. The series ends with Jack and Ashi preparing to marry, only for Ashi to faint. She sadly reveals that since she would never have existed without Aku, his defeat means she must vanish too. The show ends with a heartbroken Jack alone in a field when a ladybug lands on his arm, making him think of Ashi.

While Samurai Jack season 5 ends with Jack still alive, there likely won’t be another season. Genndy Tartakovsky made the final series to wrap up Jack’s quest, and while he has said another series could maybe cover the fifty year period between season 4 and 5, he won’t be involved. While the show ends on a very bittersweet note, it also feels like the appropriate way to round off Jack’s story too.

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Padraig Cotter
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It’s pronounced Paw-rick, not Pad-raig. Now that’s out of the way, a brief introduction. Padraig has been writing about film online since 2012, when a friend asked if he’d like to contribute the occasional review or feature to their site.

A part-time hobby soon blossomed into a career when he discovered he really loved writing about movies, TV and video games – he even (arguably) had a little bit of talent for it. He has written words for Den of Geek, Collider, The Irish Times and Screen Rant over the years, and can discuss anything from the MCU – where Hawkeye is clearly the best character – to the most obscure cult b-movie gem, and his hot takes often require heat resistant gloves to handle.

He’s super modern too, so his favorite movies include Jaws, Die Hard, The Thing, Ghostbusters and Batman. He can be found as i_Padds on Twitter making bad puns.

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