Aku, the shape-shifting master of evil, devastates a young boy's land, forcing him to travel around the world to train as a samurai. When Samurai Jack returns to free his people, he is instead flung into the far future, where he must quest to undo the future that is Aku.
Jack befriends some talking archeologist dogs and learns of his location: In the future shaped by years of Aku's evil reign. He vows to help the dogs gain their freedom from a life of enslaved jewel mining.
Aku learns of Jack's arrival in the future, and of the help he is giving the dogs. He sends a huge army of insect drones to destroy Jack and the dogs alike. Jack has been busy preparing many traps for them however, and when they arrive the battle begins in earnest.
Jack comes into contact with a tribe of creatures who utilize their technology to subdue a group of supposedly savage beasts called "Woolies." Little does Jack know, there is more to the situation than meets the eye.
Samurai Jack befriends a future community building a spaceship to escape Aku's tyrannic rule. Jack agrees to assist in their escape by fighting off the blockade orbiting the planet in return for a trip through time back home.
Jack searches for the the magical jewel the Woolies told him would be able to send him back in time. Locating the last survivor of the race who can reveal its location, Jack learns of how to find the jewel, and meets up with a woman questing for the same jewel. They journey through the desert together, but will they be able to share the jewel if they find it?
Samurai Jack hears of a mysterious island which possesses a well that can grant any wish. He arrives at the island and discovers the well is not alone.
Aku places a bounty on Jack's head, but is disappointed by the failure of some inept hunters, so he creates an evil spirit-clone version of Jack to finish our hero off for good.
Jack hears tales about a race of amphibians living in an underwater city who have a time machine. He searches them out, and they agree to let him use the machine, but the creatures have not been entirely truthful.
Called on by a mysterious voice, Jack overcomes many obstacles and booby traps to find who is calling him. Deep in the earth he finds it is a creature made from rock and lava, who immediately challenges Jack to a fight, but why did it call for Jack?
When Jack and a Scotsman meet on a seemingly never-ending bridge, they end up shackled together and on the run from bounty hunters.
Jack joins a group of gangsters who work for Aku. He also agrees to help steal the heavily protected crystal that can give Aku power over the whole planet. Fortunately Jack has not become a traitor, but has his own plans of how to hand over the swag.
The tales of Jack's adventures have spread far and wide, and children are having fun acting out the stories. Aku, in an attempt to keep the children in line, decides to spread a few stories of his own.
Jack tries to save a peaceful tribe that move constantly due to an opposing food-stealing tribe of monkey/lions: Jack meets up with the Monkey Boy who can "jump good" almost to the point of flying. Jack is taken to his village and agrees to teach a group of furry creatures to fend for themselves in return for "jumping good" lessons. Jack teaches the creatures to use bamboo to fight and together they set up an array of traps for the monkey/lions. In return Jack has a challenging time trying to "jump good", a process involving climbing hills and vines ... with boulders attached to his body.
Three short stories: 1) Jack confronts a two-headed riddling serpent who will grant him his wish if he can answer their questions. 2) Jack confronts a family that feed on metal, only for him and they to find out that they are robots. 3) Jack tries to rescue a wish-granting fairy from a gargoyle.
Jack is kidnapped and placed in a chain gang of warriors chosen to battle in the Dome of Doom, against the Smackback Ultimate Champions. Even without his sword, Jack defeats Gordo and the Aqualizer, and then must defeat the massive but ticklish Sumoto with the aid of his top knot. In desperation the Ringleader sends his remaining gladiators after Jack, who defeats them handily and forces the Ringleader to release the gladiator-slaves.
The Scotsman needs Jack's help to save his kidnapped wife. But this woman is hardly the distressed damsel the Scotsman makes her out to be.
Jack goes from destroyed village to destroyed village looking for the ultra-robots responsible for the destruction only to find that they were created by a troll commissioned by Aku.
After defeating a band of robotic cat-demons Jack travels the land and finds himself in the area where he grew up. As he tours the ruins he has flashbacks to a day spent pursuing a locust in the company of a young girl, witnessing a wandering warrior defeat four men on a bridge, having his parents greet him, and tricking three bullies.
After Aku's beetle drones destroy yet another gateway to the past, only moments before he's is able to reach it, Jack is overcome with frustration and is about ready to give up the quest. Then, by chance, he meets three monks about to climb the Mountain of Fatoom. Where, legend has it, truth can be found at the top.
Jack discovers a village of panicky medieval serfs, overwhelmed and unable to earn their livelihood because of a horrible stench coming from a nearby mountain. After getting some more information from a demented scissorsmith, Jack heads to "The Spire" to deal with the source of this stink: a fire-breathing dragon who needs Jack's help in dealing with some serious indigestion!
On an alien planet, Aku contacts four Emikandi hunters and offers them the chance to hunt Jack. They capture Jack with incredible ease but Jack just as easily frees himself after he hears they're working for Aku and the real hunt begins! After an extended chase the two sides battle atop a skyscraper and Jack falls to his death...but the hunters rescue him out of respect for their greatest prey. Then the Emikandi refuse to give him to Aku out of respect for Jack's skill and depart.
Aku has his most powerful minion, Demongo, find jack and capture his essence.
Jack's clothes are stolen and he must get them back while being chased by an angry mob who thinks he's indecent.
As jack climbs up to the top of a mountain he meets up with an army of great warriors and gets asked to help them in the last chapter of a 300 year battle.
Jack's enjoying a nice, quiet day by the riverside... until a band of transforming biker-bots nearly runs him down, wrecking his precious sandals in the process!
Jack bumps into an old wizard who transforms him into a chicken - a rather goofy-looking master of the martial arts that nobody can understand. He gets captured and taken to a animal fight where he must defeat a robot beetle and snake. Jack wins but must then fight a spider-like creature, a giant worm, and the ratlike mechanical "Finisher". Jack's series of wins make his new owner a wealthy man but when he goes out to buy some decent clothing he bumps into the same wizard who hits them both with a spell - causing Jack to become human and the owner to become a chicken. Jack departs with a new found appreciation for the virtues of not eating chicken.
In his travels Jack comes to a tavern and a crying tavern owner. Then shadowy figures attack but Jack discovers they are teenagers, the "Children of Aku", under a magical musical spell. Knocking one out and following them in disguise, jack finds their rave and a sinister DJ playing the music. The DJ spots Jack and a fight ensues. Jack takes the fight directly to the DJ who is his near-equal. When Jack gets the upper hand the DJ dons a speaker-battlesuit but Jack regains his lost sword at the last minute and triumphs, freeing the children.
While taking a trip on a Old West-style train, Jack is stalked by a bounty hunter, Ezekial Clench. He manages to defeat him but unwittingly falls prey to Ezekial's ex-wife Josephine.
Aku resolves to do something about The Samurai once and for all and lures him into a cemetery.
As Jack travels towards Egypt, Aku unearths three ancient Minions and tasks them to kill Jack in return for freeing them.
To get to a time passage, Jack must pass a lake which sucks down any who try to cross it without touching its bottom.
Whilst crossing a desert to seek the Crystal of Cagliostoro, Jack comes across a oasis. He unwittingly disturbs an overly friendly creature, who begins following Jack, messing up Jack's every move along his quest.
Jack finds a swamp where a foul-tempered hermit answers his call. The wizard tells Jack of the titan Chronos and his powers over space and time, now locked within three pieces of armor set with gems.
Jack travels through a swampland, when he comes across a small shadow crying in the distance. After approaching the being, it drops a small toy doll and Jack follows it back to a small house in hopes of giving the item back to the creature.
Jack meets two Shaolin monks and after a brief fight he convinces them of his credentials and they take him to see their Grand Master at their hidden temple.
The gods Odin, Ra, and Rama battle a great dark evil. One shard escapes and falls to primitive Earth, creating a vast black forest. Down through the millennia it spreads and kills until the period of feudal Japan.
The gods send the Emperor a mystical horse to free him and deliver him to a castle in the sky. The three gods give him powers and forge a mystic sword for him to wield before sending him forth to fight Aku.
Jack is directed to a deathtrap-filled labyrinth which holds a diamond that can restore him to his time. Unfortunately a master thief also enters the labyrinth going for the item.
Aku sends forth the robotic ninja Shinobi, Warrior of the Dark, to kill the Samurai. Jack responds to the cries of a young boy from a village beset by robot lobsters. Jack defeats them all while Shinobi watches - then the ninja takes the boy to a nearby ruined tower where he strikes from the darkness at Jack as he follows. Jack knows of the ninja's technique and reveals that he is trained to blend with the light just as Shinobi can blend with the dark. The warriors of light and dark fight from shadow to light and back again - with the sun going down, Jack quickly runs out of concealment and in a last desperate measure reflects the waning light onto Shinobi and destroys him with a well-tossed sword.
Jack enters the abandoned city of Andromeda and finds himself under attack by a monstrous giant robot, the Mondo-Bot. Jack is initially defeated and rescued by local robots who believe he is the Chosen One. The city is built on a magical city of giants and Jack goes underwater to seek them out and finds a giant samurai robot which pulls Jack into it. Jack's bot is resistant to everything the Mondo-Bot shoots at it so the two engage in an enormous close combat battle and Jack proves triumphant.
While traveling through the rain, Jack takes refuge in an inn and meets Da Samurai, a hip-hop singer/fighter. His performance is interrupted by a new version of Aku's bounty hunters. Jack defeats them handily, much to Da Samurai's amazement. Da Samurai challenges him to battle and Jack eventually agrees. Jack requires him to first fight with sticks and Jack is clearly the superior warrior. Their fight is interrupted by the arrival of many more of Aku's hunters. Da Samurai is captured and Jack defeats the 100+ robots...but they assemble into one gigantic multi-headed robot. Da Samurai saves Jack by taking an energy blast, giving Jack time to defeat the robot and acknowledge Da Samurai has taken the first step on the path of a true warrior.
Jack is infected with a bit of Aku and the piece infects him with Aku, trying to take him over and drive him to evil.
Bounty hunters come together and vie among themselves to determine who will go first. Each hunter outlines his plan while another, armored hunter points out the flaws in each plan. The armored hunter is a woman, Princess Mira and she proposes they fight together, but she claim the bounty so that Aku will free her people.. The bounty hunters prepare their trap, digging pits to ambush Jack. But Jack defeats them all in the span of a second and even the princess yields before his superior ability.
While traveling the Scotsman finds Samurai Jack working as a waiter named Brent Worthington. The Scotsman rescues the amnesiac Jack from bounty hunters and realizes that Jack was injured by the tango beast. He follows the trail from the tango beast to a bar of bounty hunters to a sea captain to a chart that directs them to The Great Unknown. The Scotsman hires a ship to take them there.
The ship sails into the Great Unknown and encounters sirens who hypnotize everyone except the Scotsman who is conveniently immune thanks to his musical taste for Scottish music and his wife's singing. The entranced crew bring the ship to ground and give the sirens all their treasure as the Scotsman confronts the Sirens. They send the crew against him but he uses his bagpipes to snap them out of it. While the Sirens attack the defenseless Scotsman, Jack grabs his sword and kills the beasts. When the other ships leave without them and they have to have a series of contests to determine who will row the boat. Jack wins them all, including an epic thumb-wrestling battle.
A prince and princess flee invaders of their planet and go for help, but ended up stranded on Earth and captured by Aku's forces - only Jack can rescue them.
Tiring of the failure of his minions, Aku decides to engage Jack in one-on-one combat to settle matters between them once and for all.
Four separate stories following Jack through the four seasons: Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring. In Summer, Jack is traveling through the desert and is set upon by strange creatures formed of sandstorms. In Fall, a creepy little scientist attempts to make a poison to kill Jack. In Winter, a warrior race forge a mighty sword with which to slay Jack. In Spring, Jack finds rest in a mysterious garden paradise.
The first three-fourths of the story is a monologue: a Terminator-like killer robot with human emotions tells us the story of his life. He formerly worked for Aku, but stopped because of his emotions and because he felt in love with a little dog. But Aku kidnapped his dog and forces him to fight against Jack if he wants to see it again. He is tracking Jack and he is finally destroyed by the samurai His last words are for his puppy and Jack looks sadly at him. Then there is a close-up of his car and the last image of the episode is a photo of the dog.
This episode takes place during Jack's childhood. After Aku's first attack, Jack is brought to a tribe in Africa where he is admitted into the adult community after a small ritual and the chief of the village teaches him the art of fighting with a stick. But an enemy tribe attacks the village in order to get a reward promised by Aku for Jack's capture and everyone is captured except for Jack. So he follows them, mastering the captors' weapon, using qualities of the animals he has observed to do so. After a difficult series of fights, Jack releases all the prisoners and with their help, the enemy tribe is defeated. At the end, Jack leaves the tribe because he is now considered to have learned all he can from them.
While peacefully enjoying a snack of peaches, Jack hears a baby cry and races to find out what's the matter. He rescues Baby from a crew of hungry (baby-eating) monsters. The two then set off to find the baby's mother. Jack makes a great temporary parent, finding food, shelter, dealing with diapers. He tells Baby a bedtime story of Momotaro (Peach-boy, an archetypal Japanese folk-tale). When sick, Baby wants peaches; when they return to the peach orchard, the monsters find them again. After the final defeat of the monsters, Baby's mother is found. When she notices a surprising change in her child, Jack explains the baby has achieved sakai, the spirit of the samurai.
It's been 50 years since we last saw Samurai Jack and time has not been kind to him. Aku has destroyed every time portal and Jack has stopped aging, a side effect of time travel. It seems he is cursed to just roam the land for all eternity. His past haunts him as well as a cult of assasins dedicated to killing him for Aku's glory.
Jack's will to survive is pushed to its absolute limits after a deadly, unseen foe launches a relentless surprise attack.
Samurai Jack is gravely injured, but still decides to face one of the deadliest foes he's ever faced, Assassins from the Cult of Aku.
Jack partners with a deadly assassin in order to escape a gargantuan creature that has swallowed them whole.
Samurai Jack fights to save a group of enslaved people from being harvested as the power source for a monstrous Mega-Robot.
Ashi's search for Samurai Jack helps her to see his effect on the world after encountering numerous people and places where he has changed things for the better.
Jack and Ashi overcome a series of dangerous physical and spiritual tests in order to recover Jack's sword.
The burgeoning relationship between Jack and Ashi takes a turn after they are hunted by one of the galaxy's deadliest creatures.
Samurai Jack's worst fear is realized when he faces off against Aku; the demon makes a shocking discovery about Ashi that puts her in grave danger.
The fate of the entire universe hangs in the balance as Samurai Jack finally faces Aku.
