Samurai Jack (TV Series) Episode CI (2017) User Reviews

A Beautiful Ending To An Amazing Series

[talha746 · 10/10 · 20 May 2017]

It was the perfect way to end Jack's story. I would not have expected it to go as well as it did, based on the way the season was going up till this point but was not disappointed. It was a true fan service and a great way to end the journey in my opinion. It did however feel a bit rushed and would have been more satisfying if it was an hour long.

Overall, I loved the entire season and think it was very well done!

A well deserved ending

[Sammiboy94 · 10/10 · 21 May 2017]

Ever since Samurai Jack ended in 2004, i've had a huge hole in my body, something missing, a true ending, Samurai Jack is a series i grew up with, i was 8 years old when the series started, 11 years old when it ended in 2004, and ever since that day it ended, there haven't been single day where i haven't thought about Samurai Jack, there haven't been a single day where i haven't been angry and sad..

Now all of that is finally gone, i got the true and deserved ending i have wanted for the past 10 years. I'm now 23 years old, who can say, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. Thank you for making this last season. This has been an amazing journey. Samurai Jack will always have a huge place in my heart.

A great ending for an epic tale

[regmegazz · 10/10 · 21 May 2017]

I started watching Samurai Jack more than 10 years ago. For me it's crazy to even think about that. Now after long long years, it came to the final conclusion and it's better than ever. A great display of quality in every aspect: the animation, the story telling, the sound acting, the music are all exceptionally good. A big thanks for everyone involved!

Beautiful

[umlaziking · 10/10 · 26 January 2020]

What a great way to end jacks story, yes it feels rushed, yes its not as interesting as the first 3 episodes but it was still amazing, cartoon network thank you for this masterpiece of a season, u brought back one of yur greatest cartoons and ended it so masterfully, thank you

The Best Cartoon Ever !!!

[smilin_dominator · 9/10 · 27 September 2017]

WARNING : A BIT OF SPOILERS

This is the best cartoon i have ever watched.Im still kind of sad that the series had to end right here. The episodes are so good, They are much better and more violent than the other seasons. And i liked jack's new look. It was awesome how he meditated and got the sword. The ending made my cry so much. Ashi was strong and cool. I thought (everyone did) that this was supposed to have a happy ending for jack but instead ashi never existed.

Thanks for reading

Live on forever, Jack

[ericstevenson · 10/10 · 21 May 2017]

Well, here it is, another finale to one of the greatest animated shows of all time. What makes this truly amazing is how they managed to put so much in in only a half hour. I admit that I wish it was an hour long like the finale to "Gravity Falls". While not as good, this is still incredible. I will complain about why Aku had Jack's sword right there when he could have just gotten rid of it. With finales, we're used to seeing appearances from all the characters from the past and that certainly happened. As this show had few recurring characters, that's quite impressive.

I really wasn't expecting Jack to actually be able to go back to the past and kill Aku. I mean, all the time portals had been destroyed, right? It turns out Ashi breaks free of Aku's control and manages to get his powers. She then realizes that Aku has the ability to travel in time so she simply does it herself for Jack to accomplish his mission. Thus, the series goal is finally achieved. I do however have to regret that what follows is probably the saddest thing the show has ever depicted. Jack has fallen in love with Ashi and is ready to marry her.

Unfortunately, since Aku was destroyed, the timeline where she comes from no longer exists and she merely fades away. Jack did not get the girl. There's at least one more hopeful spot as he notices a ladybug which was what inspired Ashi to help him in the first place. This is what I get for being a hopeless romantic. While I'm not a fan, I know the exact same thing happened at the end of "Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann". Some girls just fade away. While bittersweet, Jack still accomplished his mission and we got the finale we've all been waiting for. I guess I can't complain about Dipper and Pacifica not getting together in the last "Gravity Falls" episode, can I? Glad they used that last picture with Jack and his awesome beard. Bye bye, samurai. ****

Good, but I know how to make it better.

[jacksonmillan · 8/10 · 21 May 2017]

I give this episode a 8 out of ten, because while I found it great and bittersweet, there is a lost opportunity that they could have done here is it . . .

. What if there was one more episode after this, and in that episode you can address the guardian and Ashi in one fell swoop? You see, I always wondered why the guardian's time portal looked different. Then it hit me a few minutes ago, it doesn't just travel through time, it travels through alternate timelines. So in the last episode, we see that aku is dead, but does that mean the guardian is back? He would still be waiting in that one spot in that universe, and since Jack will be emperor after his dad dies, he can have a crown. Then he can face the guardian one last time, beat him, and save Ashi. That's what I would do. Since this is the final episode and they will end on time travel doesn't make sense unless it's tragic, that's my final rating.

A Bit Satisfying, But Sad Ending

[james_karahalios · 8/10 · 24 May 2017]

Personally, I'm glad Jack went to the past, defeated Aku, and saved the world. But what I'm not so glad about is the loss of Jack's lover, Ashi. I understand that since Ashi was the daughter of Aku and Jack defeated Aku in the past, causing Ashi to cease to exist in the future, but I personally don't think Jack deserves to lose somebody he was in love with. Jack never had true love in 50 years since Aku sent him in the future and destroyed all the time portals. Jack deserves to be happy. It's understandable that when he loses someone and he became depressed, something cheers him up by a ladybug which means the memory of Ashi still lives on and that she's the one that sent Jack back in the past. She has played an important role in Season 5, becoming an enemy at first, then became his friend and developed a relationship, then helped Jack return to his home and defeat Aku. The message of the ending I believe is that when there's happiness, there is sadness also. But when there's sadness, there's always a way to cheer ourselves up. Despite that I personally think Jack doesn't deserve to lose someone, Ashi didn't disappear in vain as she is responsible for helping Jack change the future and so that the future can be changed peacefully into a better future than Aku's future. May not be glad that Jack lost someone, but I'm glad Jack returned home and saved the future, so he can somehow rest peacefully now with a memory of Ashi.

Dont watch after 18 min.

[ahmetesen · 10/10 · 30 September 2021]

Check the Samurai Jack Battle Through Time - True ENDING you will be much more happier.

Awesome finale and a return to form!

[adampkalb · 10/10 · 10 June 2017]

It actually felt like the old Samurai Jack again once Jack got his robe and sword back at the end of XCVIII. The new season was as terrifying and awful as I expected it to be, but it wasn't as bad as Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon and had more chance of turning back. I'm glad that the last 3 episodes didn't contain any blood or graphic violence in them so kids in the show's original audience, including new people in that age group when this new Adult Party Cartoon season aired in 2017, can at least get to see how the series ends even though they won't be old enough to see the other 7 Adult Party Cartoon episodes. I think Cartoon Network might be allowed to air these last 3 episodes specifically for new kids getting into the show who saw the previous 4 seasons to see the 3-part finale if they edit them a little and remove Keith Crofford, Mike Lazzo, and the Williams Street logo from the credits and keep the original Cartoon Network Studios logo the previous 4 seasons had since Jack doesn't have a beard and his new "Adult Party Cartoon" look in these last 3 episodes.

What made it more like the original show was various characters like the Scotsman, Rothchild, and Monkey Boy came to the finale to help Jack fight Aku. I don't need to spoil this because you can already think of at least 2 different possible conclusions to draw from this. It's too bad Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon never got the chance to have 8th, 9th and 10th episodes to turn back into how the original kid show used to be.

Anyhow, what better way to end a show with a spectacular 3-part premiere with an even more spectacular 3-part finale? The only possible differences I can think there would be if this finale came out in 2005 would be animation technology a decade older, Mako would still be voicing Aku instead of Greg Baldwin, and we wouldn't have the emotional arc with Ashi. But if the rest of Season 5 is too terrifying for little youngsters, at least they can see all their most or least favorite recurring or 1-time characters Jack previously met return in these last 3 episodes! However, I still think we didn't need to have this whole other arc with Ashi mess this up and I didn't like Adult Swim Samurai Jack in the first place because...it got rid of this program's original identity and I hated how serious and violent this was.

A very flawed but fond farewell to Samurai Jack and a serviceable enough ending to a truly special and fantastic series.

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 8/10 · 19 August 2017]

So was this really the ending the one that big fans like me had been waiting so long to see? Well I'd say yes and no but sadly mostly no, because even though Jack does actually destroy Aku and gets to return to his own time...it's just..not completely how I or I suspect a lot of the show's long standing fans would have wanted it to happen, it has a definite nagging feeling of there being something missing or lacking somewhere, it feels slightly empty at its heart... That said I'm sure I'd probably feel about the same no matter what sort of ending they'd have opted to go with, as series finales always leave you feeling a bit sad and disappointed in one way or another because a part of you is aware that it's well and truly over and there's so much left that's untold. I've never seen the final episode of a beloved show yet that pleased everyone and completely lived up to fan expectations. This show was done for thirteen long years and that's a hell of a long time for its fans to imagine perfect endings for it and it must not have been easy for even Gendy T. to figure out just how to proceed and think of something that could possibly satisfy everyone after that amount of time. I'm sure if the series had continued and ended back in its heyday it would've had an ending that was truly brilliant, but as it is this is what we have and it will have to do. Some people really hate this episode, I just have mixed feelings about it. I'm glad there was an ending at all and I wouldn't say it's a bad one exactly, I'm glad that it didn't conclude with a damn cliffhanger or one of those vague up to your own interpretation type deals, but it feels rushed and muddled, this last series should have been just a few episodes longer or at the very least combined the last episode and this one into one forty minute story to make it feel like more of a bigger event. To me it feels like it would have been entirely more fitting if Jack had stayed in the future after vanquishing Aku and realised that he had a family in all of his old allies who came to aid him in the battle. Plus by this point Jack's home is more in the future than in the distant past, at least then he would've been allowed to stay with his new love. That's something that seriously bothered me, I didn't like at all how Jack's happiness at returning home at last was marred by the sadness of Ashe suddenly vanishing from existence on their wedding day - They may have worked well together and helped each other out of their personal darkness, but I wasn't all that big on Jack having a partner, he works as a character far better as a noble lone wolf.. It isn't about Ashe! I did like the final scene with Jack enjoying a moment of peace under a beautiful cherry blossom tree and smiling as he saw a ladybird and was reminded that she was still with him in some form. Alone this last episode felt a bit crowded and rushed, but in a way this entire unexpected fifth season served as the finale because one episode followed another and it did away with the (superior) episodic nature of the preceding seasons.. About what the Guardian once said to Jack long ago, who's to say that Aku wasn't the "One man" he was talking about, and the image of Jack as an old king may yet still come to pass, so in a way they didn't really discard the prophecy of that amazing episode. I liked the way that Aku was a buffoon to the end as he unknowingly orchestrated his own demise by helping to create Ashe in the first place, as well as technically getting the last laugh on Jack after all... It's certainly not a great or ideal ending for the saga of Jack but it's better than nothing, and it had its good points and gives him a strong note to go out on. So much of this could have been downright brilliant but because of a few plot choices and because it never quite stops to be fun and take a breath and let you enjoy the moment it's merely fine.. And disregarding how much this episode may lack, as a whole the show will always be magnificent and classic. Thanks for all the fun and epic adventure Jack, truly one of the best ever, it was a blast and a pleasure. Welcome home x

The Samurai's Journey Ends

[shivaniscool · 21 May 2017]

16 years since the beginning 13 years since it unofficially ended 2 years since the announcement of the revival 2 months since the return 5 Seasons 62 Episodes Samurai Jack is now officially ended, with his story completed. Season Five was meant to happen, to conclude Samurai Jack's story on getting back to the past and destroying the demon, Aku.

Samurai Jack has spent seventeen years training to destroy Aku and spent fifty years in the future without aging biologically. Jack has been helping a lot of people to give them hope and to stand against Aku. From the beginning of Season Five, Jack has been on the verge of despair and hopelessness and with Ashi around, he managed to regain hope. All the allies who Jack has met and befriended with came to help Jack to stop Aku. Jack admits that he does love Ashi which allowed her to break from her father's (Aku) control and has the same power as him. She was able to open a time portal and she and Jack managed to go back to the past where Aku would teleport him (from the first episode overall) and seconds later, Jack and Ashi are back to the past and finally destroys Aku, putting the end of the villain's tyrant. Jack and Ashi would have got married, but because Aku has died, Ashi and her sisters would no longer exist, that was the saddest moment I have ever seen. Seeing the lady bug would be a reminder of Ashi and for Jack to never give up. Jack smiles and that the mission is finally over. I'm sure Jack would find a new girlfriend to be with and start a family. With Aku now dead, all the suffering that happened in the future and his laws will never happen. Some allies who Jack met would exist and some won't exist, but Jack would always remember them as memories.

What is unknown right now are: What are the real names for Jack, Jack's parents, The Scotsman, The Scotsman's wife, and the High Priestess? What happened to the Cult of Aku when the High Priestess died? How would the future look like now that Aku is dead? How Jack grew his beard and mustache? How Jack overcame his reluctance of using technology? What happened to the wolf who helped Jack.

I wish these questions would be answered.

The armor that Jack wore in the first two episodes of Season Five, I wished he wore it and used the magic sword, but I'm alright with Jack wearing his original outfit. Also, he looks better being clean shaven.

The hope that he has brought to people, the allies he befriended with, the wisdom his parents and mentors have told him, the training he has done, and meeting with Ashi has motivated Jack to become strong and to work hard to fight Aku. All of the inner versions of Jack has doubts and negativity telling Jack to give up but he didn't. All four inner versions are gone now, the fifth and final inner version was the caring and positive.

Surprising like episode sixty, there was no original ending song for episode sixty-two (the series finale). I thought there would be an end credit hat shows all the past episodes that were aired. I wish that there would be flashbacks to how Jack's Journey has led him to succeed. Also, the ending credit theme showing the flashbacks would be the opening theme from Season One to Season Four.

From The Dark Knight Rises teaser trailer back in 2011, there was a quote or tagline: Every Hero Has A Journey. Every Journey Has An Ending.

Samurai Jack has been on a journey to help save people and stop Aku both past, present, and future and to find a way to return to the past to undo everything that Aku has ever done. His journey has come to an end by going back to the past and destroy Aku once and for all.

A decent, albeit rushed, finale.

[Rectangular_businessman · 7/10 · 21 October 2022]

I must confess I have some mixed feelings about this last episode; on one side, I'm glad Samurai Jack finally got his long-awaited conclusion; on the other side, I think the ending could have been less rushed, and the final battle that takes place during its climax could had at least some previous build-up.

Also, it was kinda disappointing the reunion between Jack and the Scotsman was so short, and so close to the conclusion of the series (Better late than never, I guess)

The very final fight against Aku felt a bit anti-climatic, and also the fate of all the friends and allies Jack made in the future remain uncertain, but the final scene of the series was genuinelly moving and beautifully done, serving as a perfect epilogue for the story.

A decent closure, but it could have been better, in my opinion.

Worst episode of the series. (Slightly outdated, edited in 2021).

[chidinxhit · 4/10 · 4 September 2017]

First of all, I would like to say I'm sorry. I disliked this episode. I liked almost all episodes of samurai jack, but the ending was the one I really couldn't like. This review is clearly going to be unpopular, but I decided to give my opinion anyway, because a lot of people have misconceptions about why people disliked the ending of Samurai Jack, and I want to explain it here.

First, IMO the initial 5 minutes were just filler. It felt like the story was going really lackluster. And once a fifth of the episode is over the story becomes rushed and there's no time to establish a battle between Jack and Aku. They don't really fight that much and it's just interactions between them the way I see it.

When they brought back the characters I rejoiced. The last time I saw Samurai Jack was in 2010, and back then, my favourite characters were the Spartans and the Woolies. The only part of the episode I enjoyed was when all the characters that Jack had helped came to his aid. This shows they still cared for him nonetheless and haven't forgotten the noble samurai who helped them. Jack then uses that frustrating cliché of love to save Ashi. This is very uncreative in my opinion and only added to the feeling of the episode being rushed. She then fights back and fights Aku by finding out she inherits his powers. Okay, cliché but not uncreative.

Then for some reason, she can make a time portal. I felt that this part was absolutely illogical and unimpressive. She just found out she inherited powers, and like 16 seconds later she can make a time portal? Again, adds to the rushed feeling of the episode.

She then goes through the time portal with jack and then the duo encounter past Aku. I didn't acknowledge this at first, but why did Future Aku not follow Jack and Ashi into the past? To me, that was a missed opportunity to create some awesome action scenes.

They kill past Aku and then Jack and Ashi hug. Some time later they're getting married. The scene would've been okay IF Ashi had not died. I think that Ashi was being used as a plot device for some cheap emotional grab... I felt bad for Jack, but not in the way of like 'You have to pay the price for everything, jack'. Instead I felt bad in the sense of 'He needs a break, he's been there for 50 years come on man'. Uggh, it felt invalidated. Basically, I felt that he suffered too much and he needs some reward . Just being there in spirit to me, isn't enough. I personally think the gods didn't get too involved with this season and the episodes could have been made better if the gods brought back Ashi as a reward for Jack killing Aku.

I know there are a lot of people who like the ending and although I can get where they're coming from, I really cannot see more brilliance than bile in this ending. Please don't hate because it's just an opinion. Just to make it clear, I still do respect the creator, Genndy Tartakovsky and I look forward to what he's doing in the future.

2021 Edit: Well, it seems a lot of things have changed with time and with the new Battle Through Time ending released, I would like to update this review a little bit. This was written 4 years ago, and my views on the ending have changed slightly since then. I have rewatched the episode a week ago, after not watching it since May 2017, and looking back, some parts (like Ashi fighting Aku with her demon powers) weren't as bad as I expected them to be, but other parts (like Ashi vanishing like just before the wedding) were still as unbearable as I remembered them to be.

As much as I would like to say the Battle Through Time ending solved everything, to me, it only leaves more questions about the lore of the ending, and how Jack got Ashi back, but I don't feel like I would be able to convey my thoughts about it well over text.

Overall, I still think this is a mediocre and underwhelming finale, but I wouldn't say it is the "worst episode of the series" anymore. There are a few other episodes of Samurai Jack which I would consider worse, now that I've rewatched the series.

Thank you for reading this far into my review, and more thanks if you've read the edit and my updated thoughts on it.

bittersweet

[eddtoro · 4/10 · 17 November 2017]

The final chapter seemed a bit hasty, could have added more history and intrigue. the end left me bittersweet, Jack did his duty and ended up with nothing :(. I still think that a happy ending, although very typical, but with a good story will always show epicity and great emotion, and the epic and super emotive results in something worth remembering more time.

Unbelievably bad ending to an unbelievably bad last half of the season

[gtw-168-105516 · 1/10 · 22 May 2017]

I'm looking at these reviews in absolute disbelief. Nostalgia is a very very powerful thing. I just can't think of any other reason. Bringing back old characters for an entire episode does not make it more powerful. Having an ending does not make it inherently good. There's so much wrong with the direction of this and the entire last half of the season. It's beautiful yes, but god, that is not enough. I'm a huge fan. This was the epitome of disappointment. I sat through this with six other people (2 of which had never seen Jack before) and we collectively cringed the entire way through. As for the entirety of season 5, I'm all for character development and right turns in the story but the last half of the season was haphazard, jarring, unsubtle, and shallow.

IF I CAN I WILL PAY FOR ANOUTHER ENDING OR ADD ASHI BACK !!!!

[dragosvaly · 4/10 · 25 May 2020]

MY ENGLISH ARE BAD But bro seriosly SAMURAI JACK was my favorite but why you pute so more suffering in Jack after 12 YEARS you know couse you can make a better ending with ASHI in life after that BEUTYFULL STORY If you didn't continue with SAMURAI JACK add pleaso 1 MORE EPISODE OR CHANGE IT, I CRY AFTER THAT EPISODE and make my day so sad IN LAST PLEASE CHANGE IT OR ADD 1 MORE EPISODE AND ADD ASHI BACK!!!! THAT BEAUTIFUL SERIES NEED A BETTER ENDING !!! IF I CAN I PAY FOR IT !!!