Samurai Jack is an American action-adventure chanbara animated series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network. The series follows Jack, a time-displaced samurai, in his singular quest to travel back in time and defeat the tyrannical demon Aku. The series is known for its cinematic atmosphere, masking-based animation style, and battle scenes which pay homage to samurai films. Tartakovsky drew from a number of influences when creating the series, including the 1970s series Kung Fu, classic anime, and the works of directors Akira Kurosawa and David Lean. The series premiered on August 10, 2001, with a TV movie called The Premiere Movie. The series ended on September 25, 2004, after airing 52 episodes. Samurai Jack has since garnered high critical acclaim. It won 4 Primetime Emmy Awards, 6 Annie Awards and 1 OIAF Award, as well as eight additional nominations. All four seasons have been released on DVD by Warner Home Video.
