The Internet Reacts To Samurai Jack Series Finale

In 2001, Cartoon Network first introduced the world of a little-known series called Samurai Jack. The cartoon quickly gripped audiences of all ages, leaving fans and critics enamored with the fluid style and philosophical stories. Samurai Jack blended the action-adventure genre with something more introspective, so fans were naturally upset when the cartoon abruptly ended back in 2004. This year, the series finally got a chance to give a proper farewell to fans thanks to a revival by Adult Swim. And, now, the show has officially bowed out with its series finale.

This weekend, Samurai Jack aired the last episode of its fifth season, marking the end of the cartoon's beloved run. In the finale, fans watched as Jack finally faced Aku face-to-face after years of training to defeat the demon. After being caught by the beast, Aku took his time deciding how to rid the world of Jack, but the demon made a grave miscalculation with his plan. Aku pit his half-daughter Ashi against the hero, controlling her as she fought the samurai whom she loved. However, the girl broke out of the demon's control when Jack confessed his love for her.

In order to defeat the demon, Ashi found a way to tap into the powers she inherited from Aku to time travel with Jack. The duo went back to the past right at the moment Aku sent Jack to the future. It was there Jack had a chance to cut down Aku, ridding the world of his tyranny and rewriting the world's timeline in one go. However, the death did have one unintentional side effect. With Aku having never existed in the future now, Ashi was also wiped from the timeline as she never had the chance to be born. The heroine died as she walked down the aisle to marry Jack, leaving the samurai alone as he later reminisced about his journey under a blooming cherry blossom tree.

Naturally, the Internet had all sorts of emotions about the series finale of Samurai Jack. The satisfying yet heart-wrenching episode left thousands of fans in tears, and they weren't shy about sharing their grief. You can check out some of the most poignant (and somewhat hilarious) reactions to the finale below!

The synopsis for Samurai Jack's fifth season can be read below:

"It's been 50 years since we saw Samurai Jack and time has not been kind to him. Aku has destroyed every time portal and Jack has stopped aging, a side effect of time travel. It seems he is cursed to just roam the land for all eternity."

Samurai Jack originally ran for four seasons from 2001 until 2004. The show featured a time-traveling samurai prince who fought against a shape-shifting demon named Aku. Following the demon through time, the character assumed the name Jack after he reached a future, dystopian version of Earth. Now stuck, Jack attempted to kill Aku and get back to the past to prevent the future from ever becoming a reality.

UP NEXT: Adult Swim Adds Samurai Jack Back To Its Lineup / 5 Things We Want From The New Samurai Jack Season

Several cast members will be returning to the 10-episode season such as Phil LaMarr who originally voiced the show's titular character. While LaMarr was initially unable to comment on his involvement with Samurai Jack's fifth season, the actor was later able to do so following an appearance at AwesomeCon 2016.

Samurai Jack will return to Cartoon Network on March 11th.