I think *not* seeing that version of Jack in the finale leaves open the possibility he does return to that future in some way, or that there's multilple alternate realities where he is still there. The ending is both closure and ambiguity if you watch closely. Genndy's mentioned he's following the tropes of heroic…

Indeed. It's one of the reasons why I've sought out artwork from the show, in particular VII: Jack And The Three Blind Archers for it's stark winter backgrounds, minimalist trees, and lone tower sticking out like a sore thumb in that wilderness..

Samurai Jack has always worked on multple levels with multiple meanings. The new season is no exception.

Just another reason why I love Genndy and this show — layers within layers.

I kept having to tell myself that they were mud creatures and not erm… something else.

So many Leone/Morricone homages fall short and flat and come off as parodies. Not this. It was nail-bitingly tense yet mesmerising and beautiful at the same time. About as close to animated Leone as we are ever going to see. Unbelievable

One interesting implication of the 50+-years-old-Jack-Aku-stalemate is they are both really two sides of the same coin. One can't exist without the other. Jack is a child soldier trained to only do one thing. Aku is a consciousness almost as old as the universe.

Deliberately left vague, perhaps so the viewer can decide for themselves which is more horrifying: If they age to adulthood fast then they are mentally and emotionally children in adult bodies being sent into battle. If they are children forced to endure decades of nothing else but training then it affects their…