The Journey of Samurai Jack

The television series “Samurai Jack” was animated in result of the creator, being inspired by shows that he had watched as a child. The series not only provides entertainment but also promotes the elements of the hero’s journey through Samurai Jacks series of adventures.
In the first episode of the series Samurai Jack, the arch nemesis of Jacks father the emperor, Aku makes an unexpected appearance to the village. Aku is shown as red and black, these colours represent chaos, mystery, evil,violence, and darkness. In result of his arrival, Jack is forced to escape destruction and leave his village along with leaving his father behind to begin his journey. The departure begins when Jack was taken away in a boat which can be classified as an archetype, because the boat symbolizes safe passage. Being taken away from home, Jack is now the responsibility of his mentors for many years so they can protect him from Aku. As Jacks journey begins, Jack is trained by many mentors to become a legendary samurai which is the initiation. These mentors are willing to teach him all he needs to know by developing his mind and body until he is old enough to defeat the evil demon Aku, that has imprisoned his father and taken over his village. Jacks environment while being trained is surrounded by trees in many scenes, trees symbolize knowledge, and where we learn. Jack hopes to return back to his land and bring peace to his fellow villagers and to overpower and destroy the evil Aku. Gaining the right skills and techniques over time, Jack was finally ready to take on the challenge of demolishing the antagonist Aku. The road of trials begins when Jack is reunited with his mother and he received his fathers sword that will help him during the battle. when he returns he challenges Aku to a duel, when he is faced with the innermost cave. Jack is not successful in his attempt to defeat the demon, resulting from Aku sending Jack the protagonist to the future. When Jack is sent to the future he travels through a black and white tunnel which symbolizes mystery and the unknown.

The Lightning Thief, a film based on the novel Percy Jackson &the Olympians: The Lightning Thief has a similar plot to samurai jack. This film has many elements that are also in Samurai Jack. Percy finding out he is the son of the greek god Poseidon, he travels to Camp Half-Blood since he was wanted killed by the Furriers. Camp Half-Blood was a camp for demigods so that they could be trained, this is similar to Jack leaving his village to train to battle Aku. Both protagonists, Jack and Percy are needed to train in order to pursue their challenge or mission.

The Hero’s Journey is usually the foundation in many stories and movies. Many people find interest in things that are beyond the normal range of accomplishment and experience. This type of plot is appealing to a variety of people. Though it is easy to predict what may happen in these films, shows or stories, the hero's journey still continues to attract viewers. People are interested in these type of plots because they want too watch the hero go through difficult tasks, and end up succeeding in the end.