post #811974

"Long ago in a distant land, I, Aku, the shape-shifting 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, Master of Masters, the Deliverer of Darkness, the Shogun of Sorrow, is the Main Antagonist of Samurai Jack.

Following the Big Bang, a black mass of ultimate evil materialized within the universe. Odin, Ra, and Vishnu soon arrived to destroy it. However, a small portion of the mass tore off during their annihilation of it and landed on the planet earth before life could form on it. This mass would siphon life and energy from its surrounding rendering the land a barren and infertile wasteland. Fast forward 65 million years later the blight was becoming a major problem for the Empire of Feudal Japan, devouring peasants and livestock that would come near it. Samurai Jack's Father, the Emperor attempted to use an arrow soaked in alchemical juices to purge the source of the blight, but instead it became Aku. Aku then proceeded to lay waste to Japan, necessitating the intervention of the gods. The Gods forged a magic sword designed specifically to harm, seal, and kill Aku. Aku was imprisoned but later escaped and exacted vengeance on Jack's Father, kidnapping him before he could reach the sword. Jack's Father told his wife to activate a contingency plan in which Jack would be trained around the world for 20 years until he was ready to become the new hero to face Aku. This leads to the events of the main series.

Though Aku was capable of shifting his form into virtually anything that he wished due to his metamorphic body, his standard form after he self-upgraded and adapted to the Earth was roughly a humanoid being with a black body, a green mouth, and a red beard which extended from the bottom of his chin. Aku had six horns, four long and two short, that extended from his head, and his eyebrows were made of red, flickering flame. Aku typically assumes a humanoid form, concealing his entire lower body in a massive, thick robe that sometimes manifested as flames. Aku can stand several stories tall and a deep droning noise was often heard around him when he appeared.

In addition to his shapeshifting powers, Aku is impervious to any and all weaponry and attacks and is nigh-immortal, capable of regenerating from most attacks that inflict any kind of lasting damage and unable to age. He also possesses a wide array of dark magical abilities including:

• Eye Beams
• Scrying
• Teleportation
• Telekinesis
• Necromancy
• Precognition
• Possession
• Object Materialization
• Time Travel
• Cloning

Aku is the husband of High Priestess of the Daughters of Aku, and the actual father of Septuplet Daughter of Aku, including Ashi who inherited her father's powers.