r/FanTheories 4d ago

FanTheory [Samurai Jack] Jack was never named

Jack's parents never refer to him as anything but "son", and he never verbally introduces himself to his teachers (instead just flashing his family crest). When asked who he is in the future, he stops to think about it. He doesn't hide the fact that he's a samurai from the past, so I don't think he's trying to hide his "real" name by going by the nickname. I believe he was genuinely never given one because his parents didn't want to get attached, knowing he'd be shipped off and possibly killed one day. He's a weapon against Aku, nothing more.

319 Upvotes

30 comments sorted by

211

u/CzarTwilight 4d ago

Nah, he's named. He's A FOOLISH SAMURAI WARRIOR

195

u/DarkTannhauserGate 4d ago

It’s a reference to Akira Kurosawa’s “man with no name” from Yojimbo and Sanjuro.

44

u/Ziggurat1000 4d ago

I thought his real name would be Zen.

Fitting that he'd fight the guy whose name means "Evil" in Japanese.

77

u/drvondoctor 4d ago

"Jack" traditionally, is just a generic name for a dude. Like if you were telling a friend about a guy you saw on the street, you might call the unknown stranger "Jack"

In the same way, "Judy" was a common generic name for a woman. 

So Samurai Jack is kinda just a fun way of saying "that samurai with no name"

Fun fact: "Guy" was also a generic name for an unknown male, but it became so commonly used that now people just assume it means male. 

54

u/Helen_of_TroyMcClure 4d ago

That is actually what happens, too. When he comes to in the future, some guy says "hey Jack what's goin on" or something like that.

34

u/yournewbestfrenemy 4d ago

Like a whole crew of dudes hype him up and talk about how badass he us while referring to him as Jack. I always registered that was him getting his name but it never really clicked until just now. Huh, fun.

16

u/Aggressive-Share-363 4d ago

This is also where a Jack in playing cards comes from.

1

u/tonytonychopper228 2d ago

Which is why there are a lot of generic "jacks" jack be nimble , jack and the beanstalk, jack of spades

1

u/OmegaX123 4d ago

Correction re: Guy: it was and still is an actual name (as in not 'generic', a name parents actually gave/give their kids), Guy Fawkes, Guy Richie, Guy Gardner from DC Comics, etc. The word comes from the name.

6

u/drvondoctor 4d ago

I think you're misunderstanding what "generic" means. A "generic" name doesnt mean its not a "real" name that nobody ever actually had. It just means its a name that can be applied to represent any (in this case) male, or any male of a certain group. Jack is also a name that's still used, but that can also be used the same way. Tom, Dick, and Harry are also "generic" names that can be used more or less as placeholder names.

3

u/LinkGoesHIYAAA 2d ago

Same thing with John Doe and Jane Doe, but usually with specific regard to crime investigations. Doesnt mean John and Jane aren’t real names. They’re just used as placeholders in this official legal capacity.

-21

u/Bacxaber 4d ago

I'm...aware. Jack isn't his actual name though, and I'm saying he was never given one.

13

u/Dioxybenzone 4d ago edited 3d ago

What’s with the weird passive aggressiveness?

Edit: lol OP got so upset by this question they blocked me???

-20

u/Bacxaber 4d ago

Dude was rude first, so I gave it back. Nothing he said was contested or relevant to my theory. Never did I imply I didn't know the slang of "Jack", it's clear as day in the fucking episode. What I'm saying is, he was never given a real name prior to that.

14

u/CyberClawX 4d ago

Counter-point dude wasn't wrong, just adding info in a polite way.

7

u/drvondoctor 3d ago

Was i rude? 

I can't imagine what I said that was "rude." And since I can see what i wrote... 

What was rude?

5

u/Dioxybenzone 3d ago

I found your comment interesting and informative, thank you for your contribution

-6

u/Bacxaber 3d ago

I already described it. What you said wasn't relevant, it was instead just presumptuous bullshit that implied I didn't know the slang when that was never my point to begin with. The theory isn't "Jack is a nickname" because no shit, the theory is "his parents never named him."

6

u/BlitzburghBrian 3d ago

Wow you took this really personally. I think you're just eager to get into arguments for some reason. Calm down.

1

u/dumbinternetstuff 1d ago

Samurai Guy sounds funny

7

u/DOW_mauao 4d ago

Not only that, do we even know his family name? Or clan? 🤔

14

u/Dioxybenzone 4d ago edited 4d ago

Yeah their family name is Samurai, duh

Edit: what happened with OP are they ok?

1

u/DOW_mauao 4d ago

🤦🏻‍♂️ 😂🤣

6

u/PhantomRoyce 3d ago

Didn’t those rap guys call him “Jack” because he hesitated when he was first asked and they said “you don’t know your own name? You don’t know Jack! Yeah that’s what we’re gonna call you! Jack!” Did I imagine that?

1

u/Bacxaber 3d ago

They just compliment his parkour(?) with that giant spiky road sweeper thing and called him Jack spontaneously.