| “ | Long ago in a distant land, I, Aku, the shapeshifting Master of Darkness, unleashed an unspeakable evil! But a foolish samurai warrior, wielding a magic sword, stepped forth to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time and flung him into the future, where my evil is law! Now the fool seeks to return to the past, and undo the future that is Aku! | „ |
| ~ Aku's narration in the show's opening sequence and Episode CI. |
Aku is the main antagonist of the 2001 Cartoon Network animated show Samurai Jack.
In the first four seasons, he was voiced by the late Makoto "Mako" Iwamatsu. In the fifth and final season, he was voiced by Greg Baldwin.
What Makes Him a Shonen Villain?[]
- Villainous: Even by CN standards, Aku is a pretty evil dude, as he destroyed a kingdom the minute he was born, threw Jack into a portal that sent him to the future, killed the Scotsman right in front of his daughters and tricked Jack into killing his love interest and best friend Ashi in the series finale moments before his death.
- Powerful/Skillful: He is an immensely powerful entity who uses his supernatural abilities to devise great plans and strategic schemes.
- Power-Hungry: He craves power regularly.
- Pursues a Big-End Goal: His main goal is to stop Jack from returning to the past to end him.
- Arrogant: He brags about his skills quite a lot.
- Intelligent: He's an extensively smart and manipulative villain.
- Cold-Hearted/Ruthless: He is devoid of compassion and does whatever the heck he wants.
- Is a Game Changer: Despite having comedic moments, he's one of Cartoon Network darkest villains up to date.
- Short-Tempered: He gets mad on a consistent basis.
- Psychopathic: He has no remorse or empathy and relishes in the thought of villainy.
- Sadistic: One of his most sadistic moments is mocking Ashi's death in Jack's face to break him.
- Serves as a Foil to the Hero/Protagonist: He's basically the PE counterpart of the PG hero Samurai Jack, as the latter is very selfless and has a heart of gold while Aku is pretty much selfish and heartless.
- Bloodthirsty: He adores violence and never hesitates to harm innocents.
- Laughably Evil: He has numerous funny moments such as telling children stories that paint him in a positive light and Jack in a negative one, ordering a henchman in the same way a pizza would generally be ordered, struggling to find Jack's real sword among several fake ones, forfeiting a fight with Jack due to somehow contracting a cold, and speaking to his "psychiatrist" (who is actually himself divided) about his frustration over not killing Jack in fifty years.
- Is a Secondary-Color Nemesis: Aku has a green face and a black body.
- Is a Dark Lord: He turned a Viking into the Lava Monster and enabled the High Priestess to become the purely evil monster she is.
External Links[]
- Aku on the Villains Wiki
- Aku on the Pure Evil Wiki
- Aku on the Ultimate Evil Wiki
- Aku on the Samurai Jack Wiki
- Aku on the VS Battles Wiki
- Aku on the Cartoon Network Wiki
- Aku on the Incredibly Cruel Wiki
- Aku on the Entertainingly Detestable Wiki
[]
 Shonen Villains
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