Editing Samurai Jack (section)

{{short description|American action-adventure animated television series}}
{{about|the television series|the title character|Samurai Jack (character)}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Samurai Jack logo.png
| image_size           = 280
| genre                = {{Plainlist|
* [[Action-adventure fiction|Action-adventure]]<ref name="Jubera">{{Cite news |last=Jubera |first=Drew |date=August 12, 2001 |title=Watching TV: Is 'Samurai' One for the Ages? |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-journal-is-samurai-one-for/161511715/ |work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |department=Arts |location=[[Burbank, California]] |page=L12 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref name="TVGuide">{{Cite web |title=Samurai Jack |url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/samurai-jack/1000101950/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321103506/https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/samurai-jack/1000101950/ |archive-date=March 21, 2021 |access-date=March 21, 2021 |website=[[TV Guide]]}}</ref>
* [[Comedy-drama]]<ref name="IAFF">{{Cite press release |title=Samurai Jack Wins the Award for World's Best Anime at International Animated Film Festival |date=June 12, 2002 |publisher=[[Time Warner]] |url=http://www.timewarner.com/newsroom/press-releases/2002/06/12/samurai-jack-wins-the-award-for-world-s-best-tv-series-at |last1=Hart |first1=Nick |access-date=August 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802171004/http://www.timewarner.com/newsroom/press-releases/2002/06/12/samurai-jack-wins-the-award-for-world-s-best-tv-series-at |archive-date=August 2, 2017}}</ref><ref name="action">{{Cite news |last=Kohn |first=Eric |date=March 1, 2017 |title='Samurai Jack' Review: Adult Swim Resurrects the Best Samurai of the 21st Century, and It's Already an Action-Packed Masterpiece |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2017/03/samurai-jack-review-adult-swim-new-season-1201788530/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331210753/http://www.indiewire.com/2017/03/samurai-jack-review-adult-swim-new-season-1201788530/ |archive-date=March 31, 2017 |access-date=March 31, 2017 |work=[[IndieWire]]}}</ref>
* [[Utopian and dystopian fiction|Dystopian]] [[science fantasy]]<ref name="dystopian">{{Cite web |last=Bastien |first=Jade Bastien |date=May 26, 2017 |title=Samurai Jack Was the Most Poignant Depiction of Loneliness on TV |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/05/samurai-jack-was-tvs-most-poignant-depiction-of-loneliness.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502190454/https://www.vulture.com/2017/05/samurai-jack-was-tvs-most-poignant-depiction-of-loneliness.html |archive-date=May 2, 2022 |access-date=July 2, 2023 |website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Tasha |date=March 10, 2017 |title=Genndy Tartakovsky on Reviving Samurai Jack: 'I Was out of Shape for Working This Hard Again' |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/10/14881920/samurai-jack-season-five-genndy-tartakovsky-cartoon-network-adult-swim |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170402142918/http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/10/14881920/samurai-jack-season-five-genndy-tartakovsky-cartoon-network-adult-swim |archive-date=April 2, 2017 |access-date=March 31, 2017 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>
}}
| creator              = [[Genndy Tartakovsky]]
| writer               = 
| director             = {{Plainlist|
* Genndy Tartakovsky
* [[Randy Myers (animator)|Randy Myers]]
* [[Robert Alvarez]]
* [[Rob Renzetti]]
* [[Chris Savino]]
}}
| voices               = {{Plainlist|
* [[Phil LaMarr]]
* [[Mako (actor)|Mako]] (S1-4)
* [[Greg Baldwin]] (S5)
* [[Tara Strong]]
}}
| theme_music_composer = {{Plainlist|
* [[will.i.am]]
* [[George Pajon|George Pajon Jr.]]
* [[Tyler Bates]] (S5)
}}
| open_theme           = "Samurai Jack"
| end_theme            = "Samurai Jack"
| composer             = {{Plainlist|
* [[James L. Venable]] (S1-4)
* [[Tyler Bates]] (S5)
* Joanne Higginbottom (S5)
* Dieter Hartmann (S5)
* [[Audiomachine|Paul Dinletir]] (S1-4)
}}
| country              = United States
| language             = English
| num_seasons          = 5
| num_episodes         = 62
| list_episodes        = List of Samurai Jack episodes
| executive_producer   = {{Plainlist|
* Genndy Tartakovsky
* [[Mike Lazzo]]
* [[Linda Simensky]]
* [[Brian A. Miller]]
* Jennifer Pelphrey
* [[Rob Sorcher]]
* [[Keith Crofford]]
}}
| producer             = Genndy Tartakovsky
| runtime              = 22 minutes<ref name="Runtime">{{Cite web |last=Polo |first=Susana |date=March 2, 2017 |title=Samurai Jack: The Essential Episodes |url=https://www.polygon.com/tv/2017/3/2/14536782/samurai-jack-best-episodes |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321102258/https://www.polygon.com/tv/2017/3/2/14536782/samurai-jack-best-episodes |archive-date=March 21, 2021 |access-date=March 21, 2021 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]}}</ref>
| company              = {{Plainlist|
* [[Cartoon Network Studios]]{{efn|Animation outsourced to [[Rough Draft Studios|Rough Draft Korea]] and [[Digital eMation]].}}
* [[Williams Street]] (season 5)
}}
| channel              = [[Cartoon Network]]
| first_aired          = {{Start date|2001|8|10}}
| last_aired           = {{End date|2004|9|25}}
| channel2             = [[Adult Swim]]
| first_aired2         = {{Start date|2017|3|11}}
| last_aired2          = {{End date|2017|5|20}}
}}

'''''Samurai Jack''''' is an American [[science fantasy]] [[Action-adventure fiction|action-adventure]] [[animated television series]] created by [[Genndy Tartakovsky]] for [[Cartoon Network]] and [[Adult Swim]]. The show is produced by [[Cartoon Network Studios]]. Tartakovsky conceived ''Samurai Jack'' after finishing his work on his first Cartoon Network original series, ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]'', which premiered in 1996. ''Samurai Jack'' took inspiration from [[Kung Fu (1972 TV series)|''Kung Fu'']], the 1972 televised drama starring [[David Carradine]], as well as Tartakovsky's fascination with samurai culture and the [[Frank Miller]] comic series ''[[Ronin (DC Comics)|Ronin]]''.

[[Samurai Jack (character)|The titular character]] is an unnamed Japanese [[samurai]] prince who wields a mystic [[katana]] 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 [[Utopian and dystopian fiction|dystopian future]] ruled by the tyrannical demon. Adopting the name "Jack" 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.

''Samurai Jack'', originally airing for four seasons comprising thirteen episodes each, was broadcast from August 10, 2001, to September 25, 2004, without concluding the overarching story. The show was [[Revival (television)|revived]] thirteen years later for a darker, more mature [[Samurai Jack season 5|fifth season]] that provides a conclusion to Jack's story, with [[Williams Street]] assisting in production; it premiered on Cartoon Network's [[Adult Swim]] as part of its [[Toonami]] programming block on March 11, 2017, and concluded with its final episode 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 [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program|Outstanding Animated Program]], as well as six [[Annie Awards]] and an [[Ottawa International Animation Festival|OIAF Award]]. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest animated shows of all time.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pagano |first=Elizabeth |date=September 13, 2022 |title=The 30 Best Cartoons and Animated Series of All Time, Ranked |url=https://www.one37pm.com/popular-culture/best-cartoons-of-all-time |access-date=2023-09-05 |website=One37pm.com |language=en |archive-date=September 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230905061611/https://www.one37pm.com/popular-culture/best-cartoons-of-all-time |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Osiyemi |first=Shola |date=2023-06-22 |title=Why Samurai Jack Is The Greatest Cartoon Network Show Ever |url=https://medium.com/@sholaosiyemi/why-samurai-jack-is-the-greatest-cartoon-network-show-ever-67502e933ca |access-date=2023-09-05 |website=[[Medium (website)|Medium]] |language=en |archive-date=September 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230905061611/https://medium.com/@sholaosiyemi/why-samurai-jack-is-the-greatest-cartoon-network-show-ever-67502e933ca |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Marlborough |first=Patrick |date=2017-05-26 |title='Samurai Jack' Is Probably the Most Beautiful, Inventive Cartoon Ever |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/samurai-jack-is-probably-the-most-beautiful-inventive-cartoon-ever/ |access-date=2023-09-05 |website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |language=en |archive-date=September 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230905061610/https://www.vice.com/en/article/59mvka/samurai-jack-is-probably-the-most-beautiful-inventive-cartoon-ever |url-status=live }}</ref>