'Samurai Jack' season 5: Theories on who could possibly be the green warrior

“Samurai Jack” season 5 has transcended from the child-friendly Cartoon Network to the more mature viewers of Adult Swim with its first episode on March 11. With the reveal of the “Green Warrior” during the pilot episode entitled “XCII,” fans are already speculating as to who this mysterious character is.

There have been several noticeable changes spotted on the first episode. One is the fact that Jack has not aged after 50 years, except for his beard and long hair. Another is that he has lost his prized weapon. Finally, his loss of motivation which made Jack forget his purpose.

Before season 5

Backtracking 50 years from the current time in the fifth season, Jack’s way of living and what he was doing during those times is a total mystery to everyone. It could be possible that he was looking for any portal that would bring him back to the past in order to finally kill Aku. But, as the current season implies, that did not turn out quite well since Aku had been spying on Jack and his every move.

In addition, during those times, Jack has realised that defeating Aku on his own seemed like an impossible task. So he concocted a plan to unite the different sectors of resistances all around the world in order to be at the same level with Aku.

The success of Jack’s plan to unify the resistance group can be a possible pre-episode 1 situation, where Jack continues in liberating and encouraging others to join his cause. Of course, this is also the time when Aku realised that he can be in big trouble if Jack’s plan would continue to progress.

Aku would eventually have less influence and power to the point where he would be forced into a corner with no minions by his side if Jack would succeed. This is where the possible theory of Reddit user SosiSuka would transpire.

The green warrior theory

The theory starts with Aku deciding to travel back in time in the episode titled "Birth of Evil" (episode XXXVII) to help his past self defeat Jack's father, the Emperor. The two Akus will then steal Jack while he is still just an infant and take away his sword as well. This can lead to the possible explanation why Jack does not have his sword in season 5.

There is a possibility that Aku has raised and trained Jack during his early years until he has matured. Jack’s maturity is the perfect time for Aku to possess Jack’s body, corrupt the sword and finally, travel back to the timeline of season 5, still maybe a few years before the events of episode 1.

Using Jack’s possessed body, Aku starts to wreak havoc and cause a bad name for the once hero of the world. This act has caused confusion and doubt to many especially to the people with whom Jack has helped and led throughout the years.

After being defeated by the Green Warrior, Jack has finally lost all hope and just disappeared, leaving his allies behind. This plot will also coincide with the fact that the season 5 Jack always hides his identity or would prefer to steer away from any confrontation as opposed to his usual heroic act of helping others in need.

The next episode of the fifth season of “Samurai Jack” will air on Wednesday at 10:00 p.m. on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. Season 5 will be the conclusion of Jack’s mission on defeating the evil, shapeshifting villain Aku.