you never truly grasp just how skilled jack is until you watch this fight. most of the show hes in a defensive standpoint, hes slow and methodical. Here, he's offensive and forced to act with what he has in his area. Hes good at using anything he gets his hands on, and then you see how strong The Gaurdian is. This samurai whose kicked everyones ass so far is getting beat at his own game. Good shit mate.
Jack beat three elemental spirits that not even Aku could beat and still this guy beat him. If Aku beat him single-handedly, that must've been the toughest fight of Aku's life.
The Guardian himself says he's guarded the portal "for countless eons" and even the strongest of giants couldn't beat him until Aku and Jack of the future
@@Jujubeans665 They sorta did? In the final episode of season 5 before Jack was confronted by Aku, Jack could be seen walking around the Time Guardian's broken glasses. Aku also mentioned that he had destroyed all time portals, meaning Aku had likely killed the Time Guardian.
@@edl4114 This would require more episodes, but I wished Jack was really stranded in the future until scientists of the time were able to repair the Guardian's time portal using tech / magic found in the alien ship that crash landed in S5E8. Then the Guardian episode's ending premonition would have come true. (Jack would have needed to keep his beard.). For added drama, would there be enough energy to transport Ashi?
@@edykrb1533 So? Jack has been hurt plenty of times. He get's visibly hurt in this video dummy. Edit: Okay so Jack only has scratches on him at the end of the fight but yeah, case and point.
Such a wasted opportunity to show the dedicated audience just how far he'd progressed 😑 Was really annoyed that he was just written dead offscreen, not even a flash back of him trying to stop Aku
Agreed. Thought a rematch would have happened in the finale and then nothing but a quick shot out that Aku got him. Better than nothing but lacking a lot.
I know right. I kept waiting and waiting for him to face off again. Post-Future Aku's death actually. I was hoping he would kill Aku in the future, spend a few years training and researching, finally making his way to the Guardian and his time portal (who SHOULD have been able to hide from Aku), they have the rematch and Jack wins, then he goes back in time and annihilates Aku in the past too. Despite past Aku attempting to use time portals again, Jack would skill beat him.
@@dantheplanner That's kind of what I mean. They had a chance to make things right with him fighting Thanos in Endgame. But then they ruined him and Thor.
I love how he isn't condescending or arrogant. The Guardian shows both an immense respect for Jack, and a brutal enjoyment of the battle. He's a true warrior. Edit: damn didn't realize it was such a hot debate. I was thinking about the way he trades and swaps weapons to keep up with Jack or match his challenges. And the fact he doesn't start being truly brutal and ruthless until Jack ruins his suit. He actively holds back and uses weapons specifically to make the fight seem more fun and fair than it is.
"I told you man you ain't the one." "Get back before you get hurt." "Fool! You will never get entry to..!" All signs of condescending arrogance the fact he is arrogantly thinking he can hurt someone and talks like that is pure arrogance. He speaks with assumptive sureness.
@@junejuly6060 he's basing his Assurance off of a premonition from those who instructed him to guard the time portal. He knows only one man can beat him at a certain time and if you don't match either of those there's no way you could possibly win. Which is why he says "you're not the one." Like if Rock told scissors you can't win. Not arrogance, just facts.
If Samurai Jack ever gets another game, The Guardian should be a boss fight where you realize that the healthbar of his first phase was just the healthbar of his suit.
Considering all the stuff Jack had to go through to get as good as he is, it makes you wonder what kind of hell the Guardian had to go through if he's able to one-up Jack so completely.
He probably was just born like that, maybe the Guardian's species are naturally strong, Jack is human but as good as he is, he has limits. The Guardian is not human, and based on his skills, he most likely did train to be a great warrior, being naturally strong is one thing, but he does know basic combat training.
I mean the experience gap is there plus natural stat gap is there as well, but Jack has actually gotten passed the stat gap before so that means The Guardian is just the that experienced.
To this day, i wonder if the Guardian knew he and the portal he was guarding would be destroyed by Aku. If the portal spoke to him and told him Jack's fate, does that not mean he was told his own?
I don't think so. Someone pointed this out to me that Aku literally has the ability to change fate if he acts on it, like with the Jewel episode. Jack would have been sent back home according to Aku's premonition, unless he stopped it. The same thing probably happened here, Aku saw Jack would one day use this particular portal. Also I think noting is that Jack's timeline actually splits off at a point as this ending is canon to the comics.
@@williambrown4138 but if that were the case, then wouldn't he have seen ashi creating the time portal that sends Jack back through time? Or his bumbling means of saving himself in the past creating a near immortal enemy with the means and motivation to kill hm? I always thought that aku was partially responsible for the destruction of the time portals. The other portion was by Jack for leading him to them. Think about it; almost every instance where Jack nears a time portal, either aku or his minions are already there. Either about to destroy it, or take it away. Either part of your theory definitely holds true, or he's just being followed.
@@jackknight298 True, I'm not saying the premonition thing happens all the time. There are instances where Aku straight up lucked out by following Jack, other times its just his minion's intel. It would just explain why there exists a version of Jack that defeats Aku in the future (comic) and one that defeats him in the past (show).
At the beginning, the guardian humors Jack by matching his weapon, and then defeats him with it. Jack's attacks are repetitive while the guardian uses more variety to catch Jack by surprise. When Jack comes at him with a better weapon, (because spears are more effective than swords) he offers a counter that Jack can still possibly overcome. Jack defeats the Sai with his spear so the guardian takes it and makes it his own weapon. At this point, the guardian is having fun, so he brings out what I assume is his favorite weapon, a submachine gun with grenade attachment. Jack is forced to take an evasive approach. He uses shuriken that can attack from an angle while he continues to evade, similar to the projectile approach of the gun, but bullets are a far superior projectile, so that fails. Jack is forced into a defensive position with the shields, and he attempts a counterattack that would defeat any other enemy based on what he's dealt with so far, but the guardian is leagues above anything he's encountered till then. His superior foe attacks, and Jack knows he can still only defend against this overwhelming offensive onslaught. The shields hold up well enough so Jack attempts to attack with his defense, and the guardian responds by literally eating it. His last shields is shattered and Jack is in every sense, defeated. The guardian gives him an opportunity to retreat and recover, maybe so he can try again later, possibly out of respect, but Jack is too determined, and that leads to a reckless decision. Jack continues to attack, even though nothing has worked and he has nothing left to try but his bare hands. Obviously, the guardian has to put him down. He stops his attacks, batters and breaks his body beyond its operational capacity, and then prepares to deal the final, crushing blow. Before he does he shots something at the unconscious Jack. A sign of frustration? Is he angry that Jack forced him to do this? Did the guardian WANT a rematch? Anyway, the portal itself intervenes, ordering the guardian to spare Jack because it says Jack's destiny is to become the champion of the people or something, and only after will he be worthy of using the portal. Makes me imagine a rematch where they fight, the guardian still wins, and then the guardian bows to Jack, allowing him passage. Would be SO cool.
Unfortunately the Guardian got killed by Aku off screen. However, I do like to imagine that in their confrontation, just after Aku beat the Guardian to the edge of death and proclaimed that it was over, the Guardian laughed and told him something along the lines of “It’s been over for you since it all began…” (hinting at how Jack literally comes back and kills Aku five seconds after Aku initially sent him forward in time)
The one quibble I have is that I'm pretty sure the reason Guardian pulled guns on Jack is because Jack had lost his weapon (the spear) and had gone into Dodge mode. Jack dodges Guardian's attacks with the broken spear for an extended period and isn't even trying to hit back, and its at that point Guardian figures "okay - you wanna dodge? LET'S DODGE" and pulls a weapon to give him a real dodging workout. Great writeup, though.
Not meaning to poke a hole either but he wasn't offering a rematch. The Guardian was telling Jack that the result would never change, and to leave before he gets killed. He was offering mercy out of respect for Jack's versatile skill set, battle IQ, and mental endurance.
I love how at the end the guardian just straight up goes all Hulk-like and beats the daylights out of Jack. He goes from cool mysterious like warrior to just a savage brute the moment Jack got a few clean hits on him
I think it kind of goes to show that the Guardian never really NEEDED all of that fancy weaponry or anything. He could have beat Jack silly at any point, but he was trying to give him a chance to leave once it was clear he couldn't win. Besides, by that point Jack is trying to beat his face in with a shield, so the entire fight has devolved to pretty much tooth and nail at that point.
My head cannon is that's how the guardian started off. He was a savage brute with abnormal strength and endurance. And everything he has from his weapons to his clothes are all things he collected from enemies he's defeated. All his techniques were learned in combat. He was never taught. Just an anomaly the portal called on to protect it. And damn if he didn't stack bodies protecting it
Indeed. He has been outmatched by the imakandis and minions of set but even at that, he was at a disadvantage from the get go on both fights. This was a fair 1v1 beatdown.
The one piece in the puzzle with so much fan love. They could've done it like jack was fighting him once more, getting close to beating him before Aku swiped in for the finishing blow on the guardian, and the gate. Or have a flashback of the guardian fighting Aku! Or even better, Have the guardian recognize him as ''the one'' and in the last huge battle with everyone, Everything seeming lost to Aku, The guardian grabs Jack and throws him into the portal right before Aku destroy it, Giving him some one liner like ''Remember! You STILL owe me a suit!'' as he's flung back to the past along with the simp girl etc etc
@@MGrey-qb5xz I dont mind her at all. Just an extremely underwhelming climax that she pukes them back to the past rather then LITERALLY ANYTHING JACK HAS STRUGGLED TO DO FOR SO LONG
@Egg T Yeah they really didn't explain much, did they? My best guess: Aku didn't necessarily need to fight the guardian, he just needed to destroy the portal. Maybe after the portal was destroyed the guardian's purpose no longer existed and was never fulfilled. The resulting paradox of needing to fulfill his purpose, but unable to fulfill it caused him to explode, maybe? Wish they would've touched on this more in season 5 and not just had his glasses on the ground.
@@therealwillsmith considering it was the original people, I imagine they definitely did have a hint of talent and understanding. But it got rushed to high hell. You seem still bitter about it.
This was low key the one thing that disappointed me the most about Season 5. How could they drop such a seemingly climactic character near the conclusion with so little regard?
That's easy.. They had to go woke and destroy everything Jack was about in the original. That's the communists way of taking over. Destroy the past, create confusion.
I always appreciate that from time to time Jack came across individuals that were simply more skilled than he was. It really left room for him to develop and grow. A rematch would have been epic, but I'm just thankful we got closure.
You read my mind dude. And that’s because the same guy who produced Samurai Jack produced PowerPuff Girls and Dexter’s Laboratory. So, if the sound design sounds similar, then there’s a reason. But you’re absolutely right about it being satisfying to hear, because it carries both a realistic and almost cartoonish style to it. Therefore, it’s designed to sound real, but also fun at the same time, meaning the audience can be entertained by it, as well as feel an overwhelming sense of tension at what could happen. I for one almost feel like I’m watching an anime when I hear the sound effects, because it’s been so long since I’ve seen Samurai Jack and being reintroduced to an almost childish cartoon series that is rooted in such a simplistic design and story, and yet so beautifully rendered when my mind has encountered more complex and interwoven stories and character development from anime, it’s really hard to get back into something so simple like Samurai Jack. Not to badmouth it in any way. I’ve just been exposed to more detailed stories, and have a hard time getting back into these nostalgic tales from my childhood, and honestly, the more simplistic the story and characters, the easier it is to follow everything, but it’s within those simple stories that such intensely detailed ideological codes can be implanted and described in just spectacular fashion. Agree or disagree?
Oh, I miss those days when CN had executives who knew that a "Child Entry Point" meaning a child as protagonist was not needed to tell a good story to young people.
What I've always loved about this fight is while the Guardian is the antagonist, he's not a villain. He's not working for Aku and he's not fighting Jack to kill him (at first). He even gives Jack the option to walk away twice! He's just doing his job: stop anyone and everyone from using the portal, no matter how noble their goal in using it might be. I always imagined a scene of a fly getting closer and closer and just as it's about to touch the portal, BAM! He hits it will a rocket!
He is an antagonist, an antagonist simply means someone tries to who oppose the main character. Doesn’t mean that the protagonist is a hero or the antagonist is the villain
@eds10blue79 Well usually the word antagonist denotes someone who is acts against the protagonist, hence the name. And in many cases, they tend to be villains. But the Guardian is no villain. He makes no plans against Jack himself nor does he act against Jack. In fact, it would be fair to say Jack acted more against the Guardian than the opposite.
When I first saw this as a kid, my mind was blown and jaw dropped. There was actually somewhere better than Jack in combat. When I saw him catching them hands at the end, damn. Kid me still feels the shock.
0:13 "Ahh, you going out old school on me, huh?" Idk why, but that line made me laugh 😂 But joking aside, the fight sequence is very superb. And even though Jack lost, he did his best, even if it wasn't enough, plus The Guardian respects Jack for his bravery, skill, and honor
The reason he toys with his opponent so much is probably because the times someone comes to fight him are the only times where he can do anything that isn't literally just STANDING there,so he has to savor it
Its a shame genndy killed off the gaurdian before jack could meet him again. The gaurdian was the only opponent in the series that jack couldnt overcome and lost to in a fair fight.
@@DraknalHitdan to be balanced on this a battle isn't supposed to be fair for either side. It's just whoever can adapt and come out on top. Even when they were on equal terms Jack was still outclassed.
Honestly, I wish when Jack got his sword back in season 5, he looked more like his future self shown, and after defeating Aku with Ashi, he tracked down The Guardian to a new time portal and had one final rematch to get home.
That would've been sick I could imagine aku destroying a portal to the past with his dying breath and Ashi just looks at Jack and just goes "is that it? That was the last one right?" And then Jack just goes "no, there is one other I know of" and then he heads off to fight the guardian for the last time.
@@triplecrosscounter that would’ve been one hell of a fight to watch. Now only left to the unknown of what it could’ve been like to witness such a badass rematch.
2:19 *Plot armor that the Guardian brings the guns here. He knows to stay in close quarters combat to keep Jack at a disadvantage. Using guns here would let Jack find new ways to hurt the Guardian. The writers were just looking to hurt the Guardian here tbh*
I love how it seems like The Guardian always plays defensive first, learning his opponents attack patterns before he launches his powerful counter attacks.
Gotta love how the Guardian kind of resembles an Oni with his blue skin, inhuman strength, and red glasses acting as the classic metallic eyes. What's interesting is that just like the Japanese Oni, the Guardian's actions can't be described as evil, though he is the antagonist in this situation.
I like to think that even so he ultimately dies, it took Aku himself showing up to pose a challenge to the Guardian and that they fought for several days before his defeat.
Got to give props to the Guardian. I mean this guy just ate a shield and didn’t care! Well this put a serious meaning on “you need your iron in your diet”.
What’s scary is that Time Guardian spends half the fight warming up. He doesn’t even bother attacking until his first bout of laughter. Even then, he’s all smiley and playing around up until he pulls out the machine gun. After Jack pisses him off with the rocket deflections, he becomes an unstoppable force that Jack has to go full tilt just to stay alive against.
You just have to admire how strong Jack's fighting spirit is!!! Each time he lands a hit on the guardian thinking "yea I've got him now" only for the guardian to eat up or shrug off the attack leaves Jack looking shocked and questioning himself but he still right away shakes it and thinks "nah, I can still take him on" if that isn't a testament on how strong jacks will power to return to the past is then I don't know what is. He was literally willing to die in this fight rather than leave to find another way home. HUGE respect to Jack on this fight
one of my favorite fights of the whole show. i hated the guardian as a kid for not letting jack through, but now i just wish they had a rematch lol. such a cool non-villain
I remember this was when the "secret codes" for the flash game "Samurai Jack: Code of the Samurai" were being shown on screen, and you would unlock the ability pertaining to what was on screen, this one being the dual shields, which in the (extremely aged and glitchy) game give you invulnerability while active. However, I can only imagine how strong those shields really are when the Guardian literally EATS ONE LIKE A BIG MAC IN 3 SECONDS.
I wish Jack did return later in his life to get a chance to fight the Guardian again, or at least ally with him in his war against Aku. I feel that viewers were robbed of golden opportunities there...
I was so disappointed they killed the Guardian off screen after the season 5 time skip... The least they could have done was like give us a 5 min flashback of their fight... Something like Aku reminiscing about his only other tough battle besides Jack.... That would have been enough...
I still think that Guardian is actually a chill guy who will have a little chat outside his responsibility. Just make sure you don't want to return to the past or bring weapons
4:00 I replay this single line every time I face some challenge from life/my inner critic. "You can't do your job, quit!" - NEVER. "You are unworthy, quit fighting" - NEVER. "You are not good enough, not skilled enough, not smart enough, not strong enough! QUIT!!!!!" - N E V E R !!!!!!!!!!!
I for one almost feel like I’m watching an anime when I watch this show, because it’s been so long since I’ve seen Samurai Jack and being reintroduced to an almost childish cartoon series that is rooted in such a simplistic design and story, and yet so beautifully rendered when my mind has encountered more complex and interwoven stories and character development from anime, it’s really hard to get back into something so simple like Samurai Jack. Not to badmouth it in any way. I’ve just been exposed to more detailed stories, and have a hard time getting back into these nostalgic tales from my childhood, and honestly, the more simplistic the story and characters, the easier it is to follow everything, but it’s within those simple stories that such intensely detailed ideological codes can be implanted and described in just spectacular fashion. And when I see fights like this, one where there isn’t an overwhelming amount of internal monologging and explanation of how characters got the upper hand over an enemy, it’s almost like an alien experience to me, but it offers a more intense experience, because you can just watch and enjoy the artistry in action. And I like seeing an enemy that can actually match Jack blow for blow. Agree or disagree?
I still can't believe the Guardian is the only foe that Jack lost to, while he faced against other foes that were tough but he beat them with flying colors.
Technically, Jack also lost to the Imakandi in season 2. People always forget about that one but he would’ve been done for if it wasn’t for their honor code at the end. Still, this episode is S-tier in my book! Easily top 5 in the whole show👌
The Guardian was the best Not-Morpheus that ever was.
He's blue just to not be black
@@jacobtworks Nah man, that wasn't an issue back then. Da Samurai is proof of that or the Zulu-type dude that was one of Jack's Masters.
Principal Lewis.
He’s more like a parody of Morpheus
@@jacobtworks Blue is the new black
you never truly grasp just how skilled jack is until you watch this fight. most of the show hes in a defensive standpoint, hes slow and methodical. Here, he's offensive and forced to act with what he has in his area. Hes good at using anything he gets his hands on, and then you see how strong The Gaurdian is. This samurai whose kicked everyones ass so far is getting beat at his own game. Good shit mate.
Jack beat three elemental spirits that not even Aku could beat and still this guy beat him. If Aku beat him single-handedly, that must've been the toughest fight of Aku's life.
@@realJoeMavro
that is the exact reason he sent him back in time, yes.
Rewatch time bois
The Guardian himself says he's guarded the portal "for countless eons" and even the strongest of giants couldn't beat him until Aku and Jack of the future
It also has him doing what he does in the last season. Using random weapons as much as possible from his enemies when he loses the sword.
funny how watching Jack get his ass beat really puts in to perspective just how good he is
Time Guardian, the only guy to beat Jack fair in one on one combat.
You are everywhere
I’m kinda salty they didn’t bring him back in the last season
Actually Jack could’ve beaten when he actually “Became The One”☝️🥋
@@Jujubeans665 They sorta did? In the final episode of season 5 before Jack was confronted by Aku, Jack could be seen walking around the Time Guardian's broken glasses. Aku also mentioned that he had destroyed all time portals, meaning Aku had likely killed the Time Guardian.
@@edl4114 This would require more episodes, but I wished Jack was really stranded in the future until scientists of the time were able to repair the Guardian's time portal using tech / magic found in the alien ship that crash landed in S5E8. Then the Guardian episode's ending premonition would have come true. (Jack would have needed to keep his beard.). For added drama, would there be enough energy to transport Ashi?
Guardian: *eats a whole shield*
Restores 300 HP
But sadly not his suit.
He never lost 300 HP his suit got destroyed and he didn't have a scratch on him. That's how you know he has a high power level.
Overhealed
@@megamax898 kids show bro
@@edykrb1533 So? Jack has been hurt plenty of times. He get's visibly hurt in this video dummy. Edit: Okay so Jack only has scratches on him at the end of the fight but yeah, case and point.
The look on poor Jack's face when the Guardian busts out the second gun and shoots down all the throwing stars.
He gave The Guardian that look like 4xs during that fight lol
Sekiro be like
"But, that's not fair!"
"Are you shitting me?!"
yep it just SAYS "Oh god!!!"
Local foolish samurai warrior wielding a magic sword gets beat up by time's greatest blue bouncer
Samurai was not the ONE
You're not getting in the club with those feudal era kicks.
@@SageofCancer Nice
Lmao best comment
HAAAAAHAAAAHAAAAA!!!!
Was really disappointed we didn't get a rematch with the guardian but at least they didn't forget him
Such a wasted opportunity to show the dedicated audience just how far he'd progressed 😑
Was really annoyed that he was just written dead offscreen, not even a flash back of him trying to stop Aku
Agreed. Thought a rematch would have happened in the finale and then nothing but a quick shot out that Aku got him. Better than nothing but lacking a lot.
I know right. I kept waiting and waiting for him to face off again. Post-Future Aku's death actually. I was hoping he would kill Aku in the future, spend a few years training and researching, finally making his way to the Guardian and his time portal (who SHOULD have been able to hide from Aku), they have the rematch and Jack wins, then he goes back in time and annihilates Aku in the past too. Despite past Aku attempting to use time portals again, Jack would skill beat him.
Welp maybe this video is making me rage
@@Kamina.D.Fierce Could of made a alt ending with the rematch just on the Bluray for the fans
The closest we’ll ever get to a rematch between Jack and the Guardian is when Wilt rematched Foul Larry.
Top tier reference right here
Bruh!!!
🤯
Holy sheez you right😱
Wait they had the same va's?
*Top 10 rematches people want but will never get.*
Hulk vs Thanos....
@@byronsenior6499 Not even close.
@@dantheplanner I think quite a few people wanted this rematch in Endgame actually.
@@byronsenior6499 That was before Endgame happened.
(It ruined everything.)
@@dantheplanner That's kind of what I mean. They had a chance to make things right with him fighting Thanos in Endgame. But then they ruined him and Thor.
I love how he isn't condescending or arrogant. The Guardian shows both an immense respect for Jack, and a brutal enjoyment of the battle. He's a true warrior.
Edit: damn didn't realize it was such a hot debate. I was thinking about the way he trades and swaps weapons to keep up with Jack or match his challenges. And the fact he doesn't start being truly brutal and ruthless until Jack ruins his suit. He actively holds back and uses weapons specifically to make the fight seem more fun and fair than it is.
&& his own suit
💯💯
And he's just a guardian. Just some guy.
"I told you man you ain't the one."
"Get back before you get hurt."
"Fool! You will never get entry to..!"
All signs of condescending arrogance the fact he is arrogantly thinking he can hurt someone and talks like that is pure arrogance. He speaks with assumptive sureness.
@@junejuly6060 he's basing his Assurance off of a premonition from those who instructed him to guard the time portal. He knows only one man can beat him at a certain time and if you don't match either of those there's no way you could possibly win. Which is why he says "you're not the one." Like if Rock told scissors you can't win. Not arrogance, just facts.
God I love how he goes pure brute strength after losing his suit and guns, as if reverting back to primate.
He was just toying with Jack before his suit got ruined.
Pretty fast for his size too.
Reject humanity, return to monke
That's what happens when you mess with someone's drip
Pure Oonga Boonga
If Samurai Jack ever gets another game, The Guardian should be a boss fight where you realize that the healthbar of his first phase was just the healthbar of his suit.
metal gear reference lol
200% *MAD*
It would be on Dark Souls' difficulty levels
@@il-ma.le.yeah.😂
Considering all the stuff Jack had to go through to get as good as he is, it makes you wonder what kind of hell the Guardian had to go through if he's able to one-up Jack so completely.
He probably was just born like that, maybe the Guardian's species are naturally strong, Jack is human but as good as he is, he has limits. The Guardian is not human, and based on his skills, he most likely did train to be a great warrior, being naturally strong is one thing, but he does know basic combat training.
He's had EONS time of practise and experience.
@@ashlirabid9614 I'm just saying that maybe the Guardian is just naturally strong, he's not human, remember
I mean the experience gap is there plus natural stat gap is there as well, but Jack has actually gotten passed the stat gap before so that means The Guardian is just the that experienced.
@@thequestion174 You did hear what the Guardian had said. He's been there for EONS. That's a lot of experience in battle.
To this day, i wonder if the Guardian knew he and the portal he was guarding would be destroyed by Aku. If the portal spoke to him and told him Jack's fate, does that not mean he was told his own?
I don't think so. Someone pointed this out to me that Aku literally has the ability to change fate if he acts on it, like with the Jewel episode. Jack would have been sent back home according to Aku's premonition, unless he stopped it. The same thing probably happened here, Aku saw Jack would one day use this particular portal. Also I think noting is that Jack's timeline actually splits off at a point as this ending is canon to the comics.
@@williambrown4138 but if that were the case, then wouldn't he have seen ashi creating the time portal that sends Jack back through time? Or his bumbling means of saving himself in the past creating a near immortal enemy with the means and motivation to kill hm? I always thought that aku was partially responsible for the destruction of the time portals. The other portion was by Jack for leading him to them. Think about it; almost every instance where Jack nears a time portal, either aku or his minions are already there. Either about to destroy it, or take it away.
Either part of your theory definitely holds true, or he's just being followed.
@@jackknight298 True, I'm not saying the premonition thing happens all the time. There are instances where Aku straight up lucked out by following Jack, other times its just his minion's intel. It would just explain why there exists a version of Jack that defeats Aku in the future (comic) and one that defeats him in the past (show).
@@williambrown4138 Wait there was a comic that ended differently?
@@AxisChurchDevotee Yup. Season 5 takes some inspiration from it too.
Always likes how the Guardian fought honorably and gave Jack multiple times to leave before getting to the point of finishing him.
I like it more when he just whips out a machine gun lmao
At the beginning, the guardian humors Jack by matching his weapon, and then defeats him with it. Jack's attacks are repetitive while the guardian uses more variety to catch Jack by surprise. When Jack comes at him with a better weapon, (because spears are more effective than swords) he offers a counter that Jack can still possibly overcome. Jack defeats the Sai with his spear so the guardian takes it and makes it his own weapon. At this point, the guardian is having fun, so he brings out what I assume is his favorite weapon, a submachine gun with grenade attachment. Jack is forced to take an evasive approach. He uses shuriken that can attack from an angle while he continues to evade, similar to the projectile approach of the gun, but bullets are a far superior projectile, so that fails. Jack is forced into a defensive position with the shields, and he attempts a counterattack that would defeat any other enemy based on what he's dealt with so far, but the guardian is leagues above anything he's encountered till then. His superior foe attacks, and Jack knows he can still only defend against this overwhelming offensive onslaught. The shields hold up well enough so Jack attempts to attack with his defense, and the guardian responds by literally eating it. His last shields is shattered and Jack is in every sense, defeated. The guardian gives him an opportunity to retreat and recover, maybe so he can try again later, possibly out of respect, but Jack is too determined, and that leads to a reckless decision. Jack continues to attack, even though nothing has worked and he has nothing left to try but his bare hands. Obviously, the guardian has to put him down. He stops his attacks, batters and breaks his body beyond its operational capacity, and then prepares to deal the final, crushing blow. Before he does he shots something at the unconscious Jack. A sign of frustration? Is he angry that Jack forced him to do this? Did the guardian WANT a rematch? Anyway, the portal itself intervenes, ordering the guardian to spare Jack because it says Jack's destiny is to become the champion of the people or something, and only after will he be worthy of using the portal.
Makes me imagine a rematch where they fight, the guardian still wins, and then the guardian bows to Jack, allowing him passage.
Would be SO cool.
Unfortunately the Guardian got killed by Aku off screen.
However, I do like to imagine that in their confrontation, just after Aku beat the Guardian to the edge of death and proclaimed that it was over, the Guardian laughed and told him something along the lines of “It’s been over for you since it all began…” (hinting at how Jack literally comes back and kills Aku five seconds after Aku initially sent him forward in time)
Great interpretation!
I would watch any fight if you'd narate it
The one quibble I have is that I'm pretty sure the reason Guardian pulled guns on Jack is because Jack had lost his weapon (the spear) and had gone into Dodge mode. Jack dodges Guardian's attacks with the broken spear for an extended period and isn't even trying to hit back, and its at that point Guardian figures "okay - you wanna dodge? LET'S DODGE" and pulls a weapon to give him a real dodging workout. Great writeup, though.
Not meaning to poke a hole either but he wasn't offering a rematch. The Guardian was telling Jack that the result would never change, and to leave before he gets killed. He was offering mercy out of respect for Jack's versatile skill set, battle IQ, and mental endurance.
A timeless classic. Still one of the best fights in this show!
Yep. Got to love Samurai Jack, one of the best Cartoon Network shows ever made.😊
@@nas0518 If it's not the best then what is Ed,Edd n Eddy
He's so mad now 3:12
the best Samurai Jack fight period.
I love how at the end the guardian just straight up goes all Hulk-like and beats the daylights out of Jack. He goes from cool mysterious like warrior to just a savage brute the moment Jack got a few clean hits on him
He got his favorite suit ruined bro
@@okoder 😂😂😂
I think it kind of goes to show that the Guardian never really NEEDED all of that fancy weaponry or anything. He could have beat Jack silly at any point, but he was trying to give him a chance to leave once it was clear he couldn't win. Besides, by that point Jack is trying to beat his face in with a shield, so the entire fight has devolved to pretty much tooth and nail at that point.
My head cannon is that's how the guardian started off. He was a savage brute with abnormal strength and endurance. And everything he has from his weapons to his clothes are all things he collected from enemies he's defeated.
All his techniques were learned in combat.
He was never taught. Just an anomaly the portal called on to protect it. And damn if he didn't stack bodies protecting it
He gave Jack multiple warnings and chances to just leave. So by the end he probably thought "alright. You asked for it"
3:16 guy going monke because his favorite suit got ruined.
Relatable.
He went hulk smash mode
Jack learned a painful lesson from this fight: NEVER ruin The Guardian's suit
- casually eats a metal shield -
The Guardian is the very personification of “You got blood on my suit!”
As a kid I remember being thoroughly stunned by this...seeing Jack literally get brutalised and then losing...it was a great twist
Indeed. He has been outmatched by the imakandis and minions of set but even at that, he was at a disadvantage from the get go on both fights. This was a fair 1v1 beatdown.
The one piece in the puzzle with so much fan love. They could've done it like jack was fighting him once more, getting close to beating him before Aku swiped in for the finishing blow on the guardian, and the gate. Or have a flashback of the guardian fighting Aku! Or even better, Have the guardian recognize him as ''the one'' and in the last huge battle with everyone, Everything seeming lost to Aku, The guardian grabs Jack and throws him into the portal right before Aku destroy it, Giving him some one liner like ''Remember! You STILL owe me a suit!'' as he's flung back to the past along with the simp girl etc etc
That line about owning a suit is golden though XD
lol simp girl,you know the writer of samurai Jack actually had a dream about and that's why he keeps including her in his other works too.
@@MGrey-qb5xz I dont mind her at all. Just an extremely underwhelming climax that she pukes them back to the past rather then LITERALLY ANYTHING JACK HAS STRUGGLED TO DO FOR SO LONG
The guardian already knew Jack was the one he just said he wasn't ready to go into the portal yet.
If only they had you on the season 5 writing team
Season 5 would have been better if Guardian fought along side Jack in the finale instead of being killed by Aku off-screen.
FR. They did this man so dirty!
They really just killed this man too easily.
@Egg T Yeah they really didn't explain much, did they? My best guess: Aku didn't necessarily need to fight the guardian, he just needed to destroy the portal. Maybe after the portal was destroyed the guardian's purpose no longer existed and was never fulfilled. The resulting paradox of needing to fulfill his purpose, but unable to fulfill it caused him to explode, maybe? Wish they would've touched on this more in season 5 and not just had his glasses on the ground.
Season 5 would have been better if anybody involved had a hint of talent for writing and a basic understanding of what the samurai jack cartoon was.
@@therealwillsmith considering it was the original people, I imagine they definitely did have a hint of talent and understanding. But it got rushed to high hell.
You seem still bitter about it.
This was low key the one thing that disappointed me the most about Season 5. How could they drop such a seemingly climactic character near the conclusion with so little regard?
Season 5 har great scenes and acting, but tbh I think the plot really sucked
Genndy forgot about this episode and by the time they remembered it, it was too late. That brief shot of the glasses was the best they could do.
It’s because they didn’t offer him more episodes.
Racism? Lol
Because Aku has little regard
It bites that they never had a rematch in the final season, with us not even getting the chance to fight The Guardian in Battle Through Time as well.
That's easy.. They had to go woke and destroy everything Jack was about in the original. That's the communists way of taking over. Destroy the past, create confusion.
I always appreciate that from time to time Jack came across individuals that were simply more skilled than he was. It really left room for him to develop and grow. A rematch would have been epic, but I'm just thankful we got closure.
How many of them were though?
The sound design from this show and powerpuff girls were so pleasing on the ears.
I was just about to note how the choreography reminded me of PPG audiovisuals during fight scenes
@@thijsbergman2424 I think both cartoons had the same producer team. That's why.
You look like a guy who would watch power puff every day
You read my mind dude. And that’s because the same guy who produced Samurai Jack produced PowerPuff Girls and Dexter’s Laboratory. So, if the sound design sounds similar, then there’s a reason. But you’re absolutely right about it being satisfying to hear, because it carries both a realistic and almost cartoonish style to it. Therefore, it’s designed to sound real, but also fun at the same time, meaning the audience can be entertained by it, as well as feel an overwhelming sense of tension at what could happen. I for one almost feel like I’m watching an anime when I hear the sound effects, because it’s been so long since I’ve seen Samurai Jack and being reintroduced to an almost childish cartoon series that is rooted in such a simplistic design and story, and yet so beautifully rendered when my mind has encountered more complex and interwoven stories and character development from anime, it’s really hard to get back into something so simple like Samurai Jack. Not to badmouth it in any way. I’ve just been exposed to more detailed stories, and have a hard time getting back into these nostalgic tales from my childhood, and honestly, the more simplistic the story and characters, the easier it is to follow everything, but it’s within those simple stories that such intensely detailed ideological codes can be implanted and described in just spectacular fashion. Agree or disagree?
@@nateborie6329 couldn't have said it any better, dude.
Oh, I miss those days when CN had executives who knew that a "Child Entry Point" meaning a child as protagonist was not needed to tell a good story to young people.
What I've always loved about this fight is while the Guardian is the antagonist, he's not a villain. He's not working for Aku and he's not fighting Jack to kill him (at first). He even gives Jack the option to walk away twice! He's just doing his job: stop anyone and everyone from using the portal, no matter how noble their goal in using it might be. I always imagined a scene of a fly getting closer and closer and just as it's about to touch the portal, BAM! He hits it will a rocket!
Lawful Neutral is the Guardian's alignment. He has no particular like/dislike for Jack or Aku. And he sticks to his job of guarding the portal.
He is an antagonist, an antagonist simply means someone tries to who oppose the main character. Doesn’t mean that the protagonist is a hero or the antagonist is the villain
@eds10blue79 Well usually the word antagonist denotes someone who is acts against the protagonist, hence the name. And in many cases, they tend to be villains. But the Guardian is no villain. He makes no plans against Jack himself nor does he act against Jack. In fact, it would be fair to say Jack acted more against the Guardian than the opposite.
When I first saw this as a kid, my mind was blown and jaw dropped. There was actually somewhere better than Jack in combat. When I saw him catching them hands at the end, damn. Kid me still feels the shock.
If there was ever a person I’d want to teach me how to fight, I’d want it to be the Guardian. The dude is fierce and skilled but also very disciplined
Ain't gonna happen. Basically perfect woman situation, - while you would love, (s)he wouldn't.
0:13 "Ahh, you going out old school on me, huh?" Idk why, but that line made me laugh 😂
But joking aside, the fight sequence is very superb. And even though Jack lost, he did his best, even if it wasn't enough, plus The Guardian respects Jack for his bravery, skill, and honor
2:24 *2002 general grevious flashbacks*
They were both made by Genndy Tartakovsky , so it checks out on that front
“I have never faced foe with such strength and skill!”, I’m guessing that’s what the Jedi were thinking when they fought 2002 Grevious the first time.
Thank you 2 year old UA-cam comment
My dude literally ate a entire shield dang
Colgate son
No calcium shortages here.
@@geekhammergamer1438 NANOMACHINES SON
RICH IRON DIET
The reason he toys with his opponent so much is probably because the times someone comes to fight him are the only times where he can do anything that isn't literally just STANDING there,so he has to savor it
I'm not the only one upset that these two didn't get a rematch right?
I just thought about this scene and clicked on it, only to realize it was uploaded 48 minutes ago.
Hahaha you're right, 48 minutes ago! 😂
Its a shame genndy killed off the gaurdian before jack could meet him again. The gaurdian was the only opponent in the series that jack couldnt overcome and lost to in a fair fight.
One of my favorite battles of Samurai Jack. No condescension, or dirty tricks. Just 2 guys fighting to see who's better.
I would agree with you up until the guardian pulled out firearms. Granted, Jack managed just fine. But still, not quite "fair" there. 🤣
@@DraknalHitdan to be balanced on this a battle isn't supposed to be fair for either side. It's just whoever can adapt and come out on top. Even when they were on equal terms Jack was still outclassed.
2:18 parry this, you filthy casual!
3:03 *Ok*
@@triplecrosscounter 3:37 no u
Honestly, I wish when Jack got his sword back in season 5, he looked more like his future self shown, and after defeating Aku with Ashi, he tracked down The Guardian to a new time portal and had one final rematch to get home.
That would've been sick I could imagine aku destroying a portal to the past with his dying breath and Ashi just looks at Jack and just goes "is that it? That was the last one right?" And then Jack just goes "no, there is one other I know of" and then he heads off to fight the guardian for the last time.
@@triplecrosscounter that would’ve been one hell of a fight to watch. Now only left to the unknown of what it could’ve been like to witness such a badass rematch.
0:13 I find this to be one of the most iconic lines of the series.
Probably because it was in that Toonami promo that aired pretty much CONSTANTLY on early-00's Cartoon Network.
3:17 getting hulk vs captain America vibes lol
Oh yea lol
This would have been the result of a fight between Rogers and Hulk during World War Hulk if Captain America had not just been assassinated.
2:19 *Plot armor that the Guardian brings the guns here. He knows to stay in close quarters combat to keep Jack at a disadvantage. Using guns here would let Jack find new ways to hurt the Guardian. The writers were just looking to hurt the Guardian here tbh*
Tbf, I felt he was playing with Jack up until his suit getting ruined
@@pysky4uhe is
1:30 The Guardian would teach Raphael from TMNT a thing or two about his weapons and humility.
I love how it seems like The Guardian always plays defensive first, learning his opponents attack patterns before he launches his powerful counter attacks.
Imagine if he had trained with the guardian during his time
Gotta love how the Guardian kind of resembles an Oni with his blue skin, inhuman strength, and red glasses acting as the classic metallic eyes. What's interesting is that just like the Japanese Oni, the Guardian's actions can't be described as evil, though he is the antagonist in this situation.
I like to think that even so he ultimately dies, it took Aku himself showing up to pose a challenge to the Guardian and that they fought for several days before his defeat.
Look how he holds that weapon at 1:57 a legit fighting syle
3:13 Guardian: You Are So Dead
Got to give props to the Guardian. I mean this guy just ate a shield and didn’t care! Well this put a serious meaning on “you need your iron in your diet”.
What’s scary is that Time Guardian spends half the fight warming up. He doesn’t even bother attacking until his first bout of laughter. Even then, he’s all smiley and playing around up until he pulls out the machine gun. After Jack pisses him off with the rocket deflections, he becomes an unstoppable force that Jack has to go full tilt just to stay alive against.
My boy really pulled out the chopper and said parry this you filthy casual
... *AND THEN JACK REALLY DID IT*
Nobody:
Little mac when he counter attacks 4:09
I love that smile he made when he ate an entire shield
You know, if he had let Jack go through the portal, prophecy or no prophecy, the Earth wouldn’t have been doomed to 50 more years of enslavement.
Jack wasn't capable of defeat Aku yet, Aku would have just spat him back into the future.
You just have to admire how strong Jack's fighting spirit is!!! Each time he lands a hit on the guardian thinking "yea I've got him now" only for the guardian to eat up or shrug off the attack leaves Jack looking shocked and questioning himself but he still right away shakes it and thinks "nah, I can still take him on" if that isn't a testament on how strong jacks will power to return to the past is then I don't know what is. He was literally willing to die in this fight rather than leave to find another way home. HUGE respect to Jack on this fight
3:37 guess he needed more Iron in his diet
Gotta need that blood flow for them muscles working hard asf
This was honestly one of the coolest episodes. I wish they came back to this in the final season of the show.
one of my favorite fights of the whole show. i hated the guardian as a kid for not letting jack through, but now i just wish they had a rematch lol. such a cool non-villain
I remember this was when the "secret codes" for the flash game "Samurai Jack: Code of the Samurai" were being shown on screen, and you would unlock the ability pertaining to what was on screen, this one being the dual shields, which in the (extremely aged and glitchy) game give you invulnerability while active. However, I can only imagine how strong those shields really are when the Guardian literally EATS ONE LIKE A BIG MAC IN 3 SECONDS.
Speaking of burgers.
The voice of the Time Guardian is also the voice of Coach from Left 4 Dead 2.
@@dracmeister WTF REALLY?
Only guy I know that can match jack in a fair fight
02:15 I know that laugh anywhere, its the Joker!
Ik that laugh too
I'm thinking of principal Lewis from American dad
"I told you man you ain't da one," the guardian talking gangsta
Jack: “I will defeat you.”
Guardian: “Nah fam.”
4:26
When he beat POWERPUFF SFX OUT MY BOY
I wish Jack did return later in his life to get a chance to fight the Guardian again, or at least ally with him in his war against Aku. I feel that viewers were robbed of golden opportunities there...
Yeah plus considering this was the last episode I watched before it got cancelled was really depressing
“Oooh , you goin' all old school on me, huh? Well, I got me one o' those.”
I remember that being in the trailer on toonami 😂
1:20 "You're not that guy, pal. You're not that guy."
Jack got his shit rocked by Mr. Gus lmao
Man I feel like he the strongest opponent that jack has ever faced.
I was so disappointed they killed the Guardian off screen after the season 5 time skip... The least they could have done was like give us a 5 min flashback of their fight... Something like Aku reminiscing about his only other tough battle besides Jack....
That would have been enough...
Man this fight was always one of my favorites. Definitely getting me in the mood to watch this series again
I still feel sad because the rematch has never been
Even with the events of season 5 locked in my mind, this to me was to be the best fight in the entire show!
me when someone destroy my house in minecraft 3:12 :
"That was my favorite suit you just ruined. BRYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" 😂
That always cracks me up
I still think that Guardian is actually a chill guy who will have a little chat outside his responsibility. Just make sure you don't want to return to the past or bring weapons
I just realized this dude never hit below the belt through the whole fight. True respect.
3:24 captain America vs Thanos
He could do this all day
3:14 the legendary line
2:47 aimbot report him
3:09. Jackin yüzündeki o şaşkınlık, gardiyan ın ne kadar dayanıklı ve güçlü olduğunu kanıtlıyor
The only opponent that can not only make jack bleed and push him to his limit and best him in single combat a worthy battle to remember in my book.
Gotta give them credit, the Guardian clearly loves their job.
its sad that they never even tried to bring back this great character in the last season. this was the deus ex power that was more canon than "love"
4:00 I replay this single line every time I face some challenge from life/my inner critic.
"You can't do your job, quit!" - NEVER.
"You are unworthy, quit fighting" - NEVER.
"You are not good enough, not skilled enough, not smart enough, not strong enough! QUIT!!!!!" - N E V E R !!!!!!!!!!!
Aku must destroy him with his magic, no way he could beat him 1 on 1 and closed the portal.
I for one almost feel like I’m watching an anime when I watch this show, because it’s been so long since I’ve seen Samurai Jack and being reintroduced to an almost childish cartoon series that is rooted in such a simplistic design and story, and yet so beautifully rendered when my mind has encountered more complex and interwoven stories and character development from anime, it’s really hard to get back into something so simple like Samurai Jack. Not to badmouth it in any way. I’ve just been exposed to more detailed stories, and have a hard time getting back into these nostalgic tales from my childhood, and honestly, the more simplistic the story and characters, the easier it is to follow everything, but it’s within those simple stories that such intensely detailed ideological codes can be implanted and described in just spectacular fashion. And when I see fights like this, one where there isn’t an overwhelming amount of internal monologging and explanation of how characters got the upper hand over an enemy, it’s almost like an alien experience to me, but it offers a more intense experience, because you can just watch and enjoy the artistry in action. And I like seeing an enemy that can actually match Jack blow for blow. Agree or disagree?
3:30 did he just tank a shield to the jugular
The Guardian is Voiced By: Kevin Michael Richardson.
He voices a lot of characters and I love it.
Really wished we saw more of the guardian because I love his character as he was really dope and his attitude during the fight was awesome
1:47 Damn he did that Byleth forward air
Jack: The strongest warrior to have ever lived.
The Guardian: "Hold my beer."
By the time jack got his sword back in s5, he would've defeated the guardian.
The look on the gaurdians face when he's about to get hit at 3:05 is pretty hilarious 😂😂😂🤣
I still can't believe the Guardian is the only foe that Jack lost to, while he faced against other foes that were tough but he beat them with flying colors.
Technically, Jack also lost to the Imakandi in season 2. People always forget about that one but he would’ve been done for if it wasn’t for their honor code at the end. Still, this episode is S-tier in my book! Easily top 5 in the whole show👌
I can honestly say this was one of many SJ episodes, where Genndy and his writers made the show so great... man I miss this show.
Jack: I need this use this portal to return to the past to defeat Aku!
Guardian: no
End episode
How to tell this fight was gonna go badly.
*He beat Jack in a sword fight almost instantly.*