Samurai Jack is one of my favorite series. I loved it as a kid, I was thrilled sitting in my computer-science class in 2016 reading that a new season was in the works to finish Jack’s story, and 10 years after that, I’m sitting here writing about the show next to Jack’s sword on my shelf.
Creator Genndy Tartakovsky did something amazing with the series, and he did it again with the three aggressive, yet gorgeous, seasons of Primal. They are two of my favorite series of all time, but are they anime? The aesthetics and influence seem close, but if I’m talking to someone about my favorite anime, I’m not going to bring either up.
It seems that anime has an incredibly harsh delineation that purists use, isolating themselves and their interests to only pure Japanese anime series. While I could potentially agree that something like Samurai Jack might not meet the strict definition of “anime,” I wonder if putting up these medium-specific walls accomplishes anything positive in the long run.
What Is Anime?
Anime as a designation is purely an invention of the Western world. The word ‘anime’ is specifically for animated works that people produce in Japan, while in Japan, that word encompasses every kind of animated work, regardless of where someone made it or the style/genre.
That’s the truest interpretation of the word, and while dictionary definitions often diverge from what people colloquially use it as, the definition mostly holds true in today’s internet age where everyone can talk about anything. If you use the word ‘anime,’ people are going to know you’re talking about something produced in Japan instead of a ‘cartoon’ made in the West, or even something like the animated Minions movies.
I want to note here that even the use of the word ‘anime’ in the West is still kind of new. In the 1970s and 80s, Astro Boy, Speed Racer, and other shows would occasionally play on TV, some films would get dubs and Americanized titles (Panda and the Magic Serpent instead of The White Snake Enchantress), and VHS copies of works like Akira or Studio Ghibli films would get traded around. In this era, many called the style ‘Japanimation.’ It wasn’t until the 1990s when these animations had a greater presence in the West that fans moved onto using the word ‘anime.’
Anime Beyond Geography
Even while the true understanding of the word comes down to geography, people will create additional distinctions between anime and cartoons (though many have blurred as both have significantly influenced each other in the last few decades).
For the longest time, people would point to anime as being something more mature, whereas cartoons were typically for children. The legitimacy of this claim is hearsay because there were also adult cartoons like The Simpsons and South Park, and there were anime directed toward children like Doraemon, but this was just the tip of the iceberg of differences in many peoples’ eyes.
Outside of the target audience difference, audiences have historically pointed out the distinction in visual aesthetics, style, tone, and the topics explored. If you pick and choose which series to compare against each other, this can be true. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is not the same as Cowboy Bebop, but what about the other side of that equation? Do the lines blur when a Western animation replicates the same style that makes anime unique?
What Is Samurai Jack?
Yes, if your only basis for what qualifies as ‘anime’ is that it is produced in Japan, then the answer is no, Samurai Jack is not an anime. However, when you actually watch the series, something about it definitely feels different.
Samurai Jack (2001-2004, 2017) from Genndy Tartakovsky is the story of a Japanese samurai prince trying to free his kingdom from the shapeshifting demon lord, Aku. Jack wields a mystical sword that can cut through anything, but before he can strike Aku down, Aku sends him into a future where he reigns supreme.
In the dystopian future, locals give the samurai the name ‘Jack.’ Now, Jack must find a way to go back in time and end Aku’s tyrannical reign. The world of Samurai Jack is vast, and the first four seasons are largely disconnected, with Jack adventuring and fighting desert robots in one episode to working with the mafia in others. It isn’t until the last season, released in 2017, that viewers finally got to see a connected story where Jack does make his way back with the help of Ashi, a former member of an Aku-worshipping cult.
Genndy took great inspiration from the live-action series Kung Fu (1972-1975), Frank Miller’s comic series Ronin (1983-1984), as well as general samurai culture in Japan. From the characters and settings to the overall style and theme, I think a great way to boil Samurai Jack down into one tagline is to say: Samurai Jack is structured like Cowboy Bebop (1998), takes the intensity and direction of Akira Kurosawa films like Seven Samurai (1954), and puts it into increasingly fantastical and alien locales.
No, Samurai Jack is not an anime, but if Genndy and his team were based in Japan, then it would certainly be a favorite for anime fans around the world.
Samurai Jack Is Not an ‘Anime,’ What About XXXX Series?
Samurai Jack is the series I know the most that fits into this gray area, but there are multiple others I could use in its place:
- Teen Titans (2003-2006)
- Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008)
- Castlevania (2017-2021)
- Primal (2019-present)
- Arcane (2021-2024)
All of these series are not anime, but almost everyone describes them in the same way: “BLANK is a Western cartoon rather than an anime, though it does take heavy stylistic and narrative inspiration from Japanese anime.”
Something like RWBY was even simulcast on Crunchyroll, and the CEO of Rooster Teeth, the studio behind the series, said that:
As huge fans of anime, we are honored that RWBY is the first American anime production to be exported to audiences in Japan.
Matt Hullum
Whether or not you agree with Hullum’s statement, you cannot deny that the creators themselves were heavily inspired by anime during development. Anime fans and industry figures also liked it enough to create an anime spinoff. In 2022, RWBY: Ice Queendom (2022) was released, headed by Shaft Animation Studio and directed by Toshimasa Suzuki of Bakemonogatari (2009-2012) fame.
Are Iron Man and Wolverine anime? Marvel produces superhero comics and cartoons for a primarily Western audience, but in 2010, they began collaborating with MADHOUSE, producing an anthology series titled Marvel Anime where iconic Marvel characters went to Japan. Two other anime series would be released later, as well as two animated films.
Afro Samurai (2007) is another interesting edge case. It has a MAL page; it’s based on a manga of the same name from Takashi Okazaki; it was animated by Japanese studio GONZO, but it was made in English and for American audiences. When it premiered in Japan, it was even in English with Japanese subtitles.
Series creator Okazaki was heavily inspired by Black culture and hip-hop music when writing the story, and after a few years and a trailer, Samuel L. Jackson reached out, wanting to collaborate. He ended up voicing the main character, Afro, and Wu-Tang Clan member RZA composed the music for the series.
Neo Yokio (2017-2018) is another interesting example as it's entirely English, created by Americans, but the actual animation was handled by Japanese studios like Production I.G and Studio Deen. Jaden Smith is the voice of main character Kaz Kaan, and has a song titled: "Goku." Does this make a difference?
Are any of these anime? Do some count and others don’t?
Does It Matter?
Essentially, there is an argument to be made about what qualifies as ‘anime,’ and in an age where borders mean less and less when it comes to producing art, geography should not be the primary decision maker. If anything, you don’t have to make a decision.
Unless you are the governing body of something like Crunchyroll’s Anime Awards, if you are just a consumer like me, it doesn’t matter whether something is or isn’t anime. You should try to read, watch, play, and listen to everything, not turning your head away from a piece of art just because of where it is produced.
If I were so laser-focused on only watching anime, I would never go back into my past and care that Samurai Jack was getting another season, or that Genndy Tartakovsky was creating a new series called Primal. Now I can confidently say that both are some of my favorite series of all time.
Similarly, if I cut myself off from anime because I didn’t want to feel like a weeb, I wouldn’t have fallen in love with One Piece, Berserk, Samurai Champloo, Slam Dunk, and many more. Yeah, maybe I’m a little bit more weeby than some people, but you shouldn’t let public perception stop you from engaging with beautiful and compelling art and stories.
Yes, there can sometimes be distinctions between what is and isn’t anime, but also, who cares! It doesn’t matter where something was produced, when it was released, what medium it’s in, or what genre and tropes it explores, comments on, or deconstructs. Art should entertain, comfort, and challenge. Going into something closed-off about what is or isn’t, with your opinions already formed, is not the right way to engage with anything.
