History SamuraiJack / TropesSeason1ToSeason4

* ComicBookAdaptation: Creator/DCComics published a one-shot adapting the show's three-part premiere episode in addition to featuring stories based on the series in ''Cartoon Network Action Pack''. Creator/IDWPublishing subsequently published a comic continuation of the original show that lasted 20 issues.

--> '''The Guardian:''' You can't use this portal [[spoiler:''yet'' Samurai Jack. ''(Epic music begins, the vision showing'' ''[[FutureBadass a much-older Jack as a leader in the fight against Aku)]]'' Not yet... not yet.]]

-->'''Aku:''' ''(Transforms into a bat, floating away)'' I'll be back again, Samurai! You'll see! [[EvilLaugh MWAHAHAHAHA!]] ''(Reappears)'' See what I mean?

** However, some episodes blur the lines a bit by featuring some {{Tragic| Villain}} {{Anti-Villain}}s. For example, the Lava Monster (a FallenHero who was [[TragicMonster forcibly turned into a rock creature]]), Princess Mira and X9 (who only fight Jack out of misguided attempts to [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes save their respective loved ones]]), and the Daughters of Aku (who were brainwashed by an AbusiveMom to serve Aku).

** However, some episodes blur the lines a bit by featuring some {{Tragic| Villain}} {{AntiVillain}}s. For example, the Lava Monster (a FallenHero who was [[TragicMonster forcibly turned into a rock creature]]), Princess Mira and X9 (who only fight Jack out of misguided attempts to [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes save their respective loved ones]]), and the Daughters of Aku (who were brainwashed by an AbusiveMom to serve Aku).

** However, some episodes blur the lines a bit by featuring some {{Tragic| Villain}} AntiVillains. For example, the Lava Monster (a FallenHero who was [[TragicMonster forcibly turned into a rock creature]]), Princess Mira and X9 (who only fight Jack out of misguided attempts to [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes save their respective loved ones]]), and the Daughters of Aku (who were brainwashed by an AbusiveMom to serve Aku).

* CrazyPrepared: Jack in "Jack vs. Aku."

* BadFuture: The setting of the series. Jack was trained to kill. But before he could finish him off, Aku spirits him into a far off furute. With no one left to oppose him Aku has ruled the world for thousands of years.

* SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness: All over the place, some episodes don't have a single joke to them while others have almost everything PlayedForLaughs. Sometimes they'll meet in the middle by adding the occasional Creator/HannaBarbera [[WackySoundEffect stock sound effect]] to an intense action sequence. This is [[DependingOnTheWriter often reflected in whoever has written the episode]]: episodes boarded by Bryan and Mark Andrews are usually the most more serious and action-based, whereas episodes by Creator/AaronSpringer or Chris Reccardi tend to be the most comedic. The other artists tend to fall squarely down the middle.

* WesternSamurai: Invoked with the eponymous protagonist. A Japanese born boy that escaped from Aku's destruction of his homeland thanks to the help of his mother, that trained under the Bushido Code around the world and came back as an adult to fight Aku, but renamed himself with the foreign name of "[[OnlyOneName Jack]]."
** There's also Da' Samurai, a black dude who [[EverythingsBetterWithSamurai dresses the part just to look cool]], but behaves obnoxiously. Jack, finding his act disgraceful, engages him in battle and takes him down a peg or two, while at the same time teaching him about true samurai values.

* MuggingTheMonster: In the episode "Jack's Sandals", the shoe store owner does this to the bikers. He verbally berates them for riding their bikes recklessly, and destroying property in the process. When he sees the bikers transform into cyborgs a-la "{{Transformers}}" style, you can see the store owner obviously feeling scared.

* Really700YearsOld: Jack and Aku have been going at it since the days of medieval Japan, after all. Meanwhile, Aku is a tiny piece of a larger EldritchAbomination killed by the gods Odin, Ra, and Vishnu before human history began.

** Then again, when the Sirens wipe out his memories, normal personality, and all combat-related muscle memory and reflexes, Jack can still understand what fish-people are saying, though the native-to-the-time Scotsman doesn't even understand that they're talking. Perhaps going through the time portal made him an {{Omniglot}} as well as immortal.

** She is also one of few people to make Jack [[spoiler: ''run away from a fight''.]] And this was after the Scotsman gave him some friendly advice, warning him it was a battle he would never win.

** A similar thing happens in "The Princess and the Bounty Hunters". The titular princess and bounty hunters are hunting for Jack (each for their own reasons, mostly money) and they form a complex plan on how to take him down. Each one is also given a brief intro of how badass they are and their prior contracts. [[spoiler: Like the above, when they actually meet Jack, the Samurai defeats each one without breaking a sweat, and all before a single drop of water fell from a melting icicle.]]

* CatsAreMean: The Imikandi definitely count [[spoiler: before they decide to let Jack go]]. So do the tiger-like monsters representing the Daughters of Aku in Season 5, which are defeated in an epic battle with a [[NobleWolf wolf]] representing Jack. The otherwise friendly titular Creature from "Jack and the Creature" also has shades of this, as it takes on a [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/samuraijack/images/0/05/CeatureSJ2.png/revision/latest?cb=20151204222946 more feline appearance]] when it gets angry.

* FairyInABottle: In one episode we hear a legend of a fairy can grant ''any'' wish, but only ''one'' in her entire life. When Jack tries to acquire her so he can go back to the past, his hand ends up trapped in the magic sphere where she was captured and the key to open it was destroyed in the fight with the fairy's captor. [[spoiler: Jack uses the wish to set them both free.]]

* ForgedByTheGods: Jack's sword was forged by the chief deities of multiple religions using [[spoiler: the pure spirit of his father]], making it the only weapon able to kill Aku.

* GateGuardian: One episode has Jack discovering a working time portal, and a guardian who is sworn to not allow '''''anyone''''' other than the one prophesied to defeat him to use it. Jack's repeated pleas that he needs to use the time portal to defeat [[BigBad Aku]] are met with indifference. Jack finally decides to take the portal by force, and battles it out with the guardian. Jack is completely outclassed in every way, and after being given several chances to leave unharmed, the guardian loses his patience and Jack is '''''brutally''''' beaten unconscious and almost killed before the portal sends a vision to the guardian. The guardian looks into the portal and [[spoiler:sees an older Jack leading an army against Aku. He]] then loads Jack onto a bird creature to be carried off, muttering: [[spoiler: "Not yet, Samurai Jack... Just not yet..."]]

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* MoreHeroThanThou: A variation demonstrating heroic courtesy. The last ten minutes of "Scotsman Saves Jack Part II" is devoted to Jack and the Scotsman going through a bunch of contests to see who rows off the island in a two-man rowboat. But it isn't the ''loser'' who rows. [[spoiler: Probably not a big surprise, but Jack wins.]]

* ForcefulTransformation: One episode saw Jack transformed into a chicken after accidentally bumping into a foul-tempered wizard on the street. He was then swept up and placed into a cockfighting match, but proceeded to kick all kinds of (chicken-sized) robot butt nonetheless.

* BeastlyBloodsports: In "Chicken Jack" the eponymous samurai is [[ForcefulTransformation polymorphed into]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a chicken]], and then forced to fight robot animals.

** The wizard from "Chicken Jack" does not like being jostled in a crowd, and will respond with a ForcefulTransformation.

* BalefulPolymorph: One episode saw Jack transformed into a chicken after accidentally bumping into a foul-tempered wizard on the street. He was then swept up and placed into a cockfighting match, but proceeded to kick all kinds of (chicken-sized) robot butt nonetheless.

* BeastlyBloodsports: In "Chicken Jack" the eponymous samurai is [[BalefulPolymorph polymorphed into]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a chicken]], and then forced to fight robot animals.

** The wizard from "Chicken Jack" does not like being jostled in a crowd, and will respond with a BalefulPolymorph.

* ImposedHandicapTraining: In [[Recap/SamuraiJackS2E1JackLearnsToJumpGood "Jack Learns to Jump Good"]] a monkey tribe teach Jack to [[HulkSpeak "jump good"]] by tying heavy rocks to his wrists and ankles, and a [[UpToEleven boulder]] to his back.

* ArrogantKungFuGuy: There are lots of them. Da Samurai is the only one who gets some CharacterDevelopment.

* BattleInTheRain: The episode ''Samurai vs. Samurai'' features Jack facing off against Da Samurai in a comical fashion, then the former duels against an army of assassin droids.

* BoisterousBruiser: The Scotsman. Da Samurai to a lesser extent, [[SmallNameBigEgo though he isnt nearly as skilled as he thinks]].

** Da Samurai from "Samurai Vs Samurai" is worthy of special mention. He knows Jack's story and watches him easily dispatch three robotic assassins sent by Aku in a matter of moments, and '''still''' decides to antagonize Jack into giving him a fight.

** In "Samurai vs. Samurai", Jack completely ignores Da Samurai's bragging.
--->'''Da Samurai''': Didn't you hear who I am?\\

* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: In "Jack and the Farting Dragon", the villager Jack encounters at the start takes offense to being called poor. Jack makes sure not to use that descriptor again.

* JackassGenie: The spirit of the magic well in "Jack and the Blind Archers". The three archers told Jack that when they wished to be the "greatest of warriors", it did fulfill that part, but also blinded and enslaved them. Jack promptly destroy it in response rather than use it return to the past.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: The Scotsman is hilariously unpleasant, but a steadfast friend, and is also extremly nice and helpful to Jack. Da Samurai, who is largely a {{Jerkass}}, shows at least a trace of a better nature.

* JiveTurkey: 'Da Samurai' is an unabashed parody of this trope. There's also the three bystanders in the pilot who gave "Jack" his name, and are Jack's first taste of the future's culture.

* NiceToTheWaiter: Jack is respectful toward all. (In the episode with Da Samurai, he's ''literally'' nice to the waiter.)

* SmallNameBigEgo: Da Samurai. His brief encounter with Jack sets him down the right path though.

** There's also Da Samurai, a black dude who [[EverythingsBetterWithSamurai dresses the part just to look cool]], but behaves obnoxiously. Jack, finding his act disgraceful, engages him in battle and takes him down a peg or two, while at the same time teaching him about true samurai values.

* OurDragonsAreDifferent: "Jack and the Dragon", which features a well-meaning dragon who suffers from heavy indigestion that plagues a small village due to having an excessively fire-breathing baby in a partially-hatched egg in its belly.