Review: Samurai Jack “Episode XCVIII”

This week’s episode of Samurai Jack is one of the most important episodes to date, so let’s get to it.

Spoilers ahead

There are quite a few important things that happen in Samurai Jack this episode. So far, episodes focused mainly upon Jack himself. In more recent episodes, Jack has shared the spotlight with Ashi as well. In this episode, however, not only does the plot revolve around Jack and Ashi, but Jack’s sword as well.

Throughout history, samurai swords have always been seen as nearly mythical items. The entire metallurgical event in which they are made, from the forging to the folding of the hot metal upon itself, to hammering out the impurities of the blade is almost a sacred process in Japanese culture. It is even said that a katana has a soul of its own. Jack’s blade is unique in the fact that it was forged by Odin of Norse mythology, Ra of Egyptian mythology, and Vishnu of Hindu mythology. It was created with the sole purpose to destroy Aku. For those who are unaware, Odin, Ra, and Vishnu are considered to be the highest ranking deities of their respective belief systems. In Samurai Jack, Odin, Ra, and Vishnu were the first beings to fight against the darkness that Aku was born from.

One of the most easily noticeable thing that we have observed about Jack so far in these new episodes is that he does not have trademark his sword. After a scene detailing the events that led up to Jack losing his sword, Jack comes back to the very place where these events took place in order to reclaim his most prized possession. But it’s not there. Jack comes to the very important realization that it was not he who lost the sword, but rather the sword that left him. Jack quickly realizes that he has not been living right, and decides to meditate in order to some serious soul searching.

During this intense meditative journey, he meets what I can only assume is a divine being. This divine being invites Jack to make some tea. “What the hell does tea have to do with a katana?” you may ask. It is worthy to note that the Japanese have tea ceremonies that are taken very seriously in their society and play an important role in their culture. To the untrained eye, Jack is merely making tea, but this entire scene holds more importance than the average viewer may realize. It is during this tea ceremony that the divine being tells Jack that he will never find his sword as long as Jack does not have internal balance. Jack’s demonic-looking subconscious comes into play once more. Jack realizes that he has been carrying this negativity with him and it has been influencing him to make bad decisions and keep him off balance. Jack is able to finally quell the negativity that plagues his being, and his reward is that he deemed worthy of wielding the magical blade once again. Jack re-obtains his mythical katana directly from Odin, Ra, and Vishnu. Upon receiving his sword Jack transforms from the unkempt mongrel who wears nothing but a loincloth to his true self. Finally, Jack has donned the white kimono once again and is ready to face Aku. I’ve said it before and I will say it again. Jack is back baby!

But that’s not all.

While Jack was busy meditating, Ashi had plenty to deal with on her own. An army of thousands of ogres is headed towards the mountain top where Jack and Ashi are located. Ashi is determined to not let any harm come to Jack and takes on the entire army by herself. I knew that Ashi was a great fighter but I never imagined that she would be able to take out a massive army by herself. As the last of the troops fall, Ashi notices alone, malevolent figure making their way towards the defenseless meditating Jack. To Ashi’s surprise as well as mine, this figure is revealed to be Ashi’s mother. Now Ashi must face her destiny as her mother tries to convince her to kill Jack or perish. Mother and daughter have become enemies and engage in a fight to the death.

This episode is one of the most powerful episodes of Samurai Jack to exist. Not only are we treated to two very important pieces of Japanese culture but we also see that your own greatest enemy can be yourself. I’m very glad to see that the creators of Samurai Jack were able to capture the elegance and grace of a Japanese tea ceremony, as well as portray the importance of a katana to a samurai in this episode. This episode gives us a lot to think about as well as a lot to learn and does so in such a fashion that we are not overwhelmed. Once again Ashi continues to amaze and proves to be a dynamic character of her own. This episode has it all. We have given a near perfect mix great action scenes that flow beautifully into other more tranquil scenes that hold deeper meanings that lie below the surface of the show. Jack get his sword back but we are treated to much more than just kicking ass and taking names. This episode instantly became one of my favorites of the entire series and reminded me of why I loved Samurai Jack as a kid and continue to do so to this day. Do yourself a favor and watch this amazing episode while enjoying a hot cup of tea. It’s worth it.