What's Samurai Jack's Real Name?

[JohnCrichton]

And why'd he call himself, "Jack" in the first place when he could've just answered what his name actually is?

[CookieS]

It could be for a number of reasons...

1. He didn't know what to say when they asked him for his name.

2. He didn't want to correct them becuase it the name was symbollic of his hate for Aku.

3. Perhaps by being sent back into the past, he lost his honor and thus his name. He can only reclaim it when he stops Aku?

4. Jack is easier to pronounce (and thus advertise) than many Japanese names.

5. Because its fun to have the contrast of the old (Samurai) with the modern (Jack) to show the bi-polarity of Jack's life.

6. Any reason you can think of.....because there is no real reason.

[JohnCrichton]

Bummer. Was hoping for an interview with Gennedy that someone's read that I haven't that would've explained this.

Like the loss of honor reason tho... but he doesn't seem like a man who feels he has no honor.

Hopefully by the end of the series we'll get an official answer.

[Numbuh 4]

he might not even have a name.........
or because he was training for years he just forgot it
he also didn't say his name to aku in the past
he called himself the "lost son of this land" or something

[Pilmedium]

My comments are in italics:


1. He didn't know what to say when they asked him for his name.
That would show either tight security or stupidity.

2. He didn't want to correct them becuase it the name was symbollic of his hate for Aku.
That would be a really strong hatred.

3. Perhaps by being sent back into the past, he lost his honor and thus his name. He can only reclaim it when he stops Aku?
Honor and name should not go together.

4. Jack is easier to pronounce (and thus advertise) than many Japanese names.
That would show laziness of people these days.

5. Because its fun to have the contrast of the old (Samurai) with the modern (Jack) to show the bi-polarity of Jack's life.
That sounds like a reason that only fans would think of.

[Jyose]

Maybe Jack's real name is Jackson :p

[wrenchien]

i guess he's forgotten it.

he was a little kid when aku stole his family.

he's been so many places in training, and noone's been there to tell him what was his name..

[Nik Jam]

Or his culture never had names :O

[Nin-Nin69]

I bet he has a name, its just that Gennedy T. hasn't told the fans yet in the series. ;)

[Rune]

I don't think its come to light yet what Jack's true name is.

On the other hand (straining to recall) in the opening trilogy movie where he's flung through the time portal and lands, much disorientated in Central Hub he's addressed by a bunch of 'hip n happenin' streetwise kids who seeing his acrobatics amongst the flying cars start talking to him and referring to him as 'Jack' which he finds confusing but useful as a little later when asked who he is he thinks for a moment and then slowly says 'Jack'.

(someone correct me if I've got that wrong)

As to whether or not Aku knows his real name, that's anybody's guess (but I like to think he does)

[Sharklady]

One possibility: Jack's Japanese name is difficult to pronounce, so rather than have to go through the "No, you say it *this* way" routine every time he meets someone, Jack elected to adopt an alias which
a) the locals are obviously able to pronounce, and
b) which apparently conveys admiration (the street kids were enthusiastically recounting his display of athletic prowess when they first called him 'Jack.')

Does Genndy have a 'real' name for Jack, which he's planning to someday reveal?
I guess time will tell!

[Donna lady]

Or his culture never had names :O
Hmm, we never do find out Jack's parent's names. Even the Emperor calls the Empress "Mother."
*imagines the scene around the palace - "Uh, hey, you, uh, my wife, yeah, where's my sword?"*

And what about the Scotsman and his wife? We never find out their names either. When he introduces his wife and Jack to each other, he says, "This is me wife. Wife, this is me friend."

Drives me up the wall, actually. But once the show's makers decide to do that, they're stuck with it.

[samurai_miaka]

Perhaps it's just something we'll never find out, like what Ms. Bellum's face looks like in PPG. We also don't know what the Scotsman's name is as well as his wife. Nor do we learn the Scientists' names in episode V, the rest of the Imakandi's names, and the main Triceraquin's names in ep IX. However, we do know the Gangsters' names, Igra, and the Clenches.

Also, Jack is an American cartoon, so maybe the SJ staff didn't feel they were obligated to give Jack a Japanese name. If SJ was originally a Japanese cartoon, and they dubbed it (scary!), then it would be different.

[WingZombie38]

I always thought jac's real name was the name of his sword. I believe his dad said the name of the word was "Tashi" or something like that. I felt that naming the boy after the sword gave the Emperor a sense of "He [Jack] will continue the Legacy." Plus, I think it'd be cool if the Emperoro named his son after the sword in honor of the swords power and his hopes for his son.

My relatives in Europe and a friend from Japan [who han't written to me in ages :dad: ] tell me that Jack is Jack and Aku is Aku. The only difference for Aku in Japan is that Aku is written in Katakana/Hiragana [I forgot which] instead of the Kanji for Aku. I always found that part interesting.

[Cyber E.]

Okay, I promised I would never tell, but after watching you people guess like this I have to spill the beans. Jack's real name is Sam R. Eye. This information was revealed in a dream after some Dexter's Lab marathon.


What?! It could really be his name....
-aJb

[DanniB]

I'm going with the theory that Jack's culture had no names, like the gargoyles from disney's Gargoyles.

As for hearing his name in a dream, I recently saw in a dream the street address for the Kids Next Door treehouse. 15 Living Hill Lane.

[shogunthethird]

I always thought it was one of those "I'll tell you my name so you can can scream it with your dying breath" sort of things, you know he reveals his true name right when he finally kills Aku

[Atoon]

Maybe Jack's real name is Utonium

[Zapages]

Rournin Jack...

Jack the Wandering Saumari :p

[MJC]

*replies to fairly old thread*

IMO, the most likely reason Jack goes by the name "Jack" is that it's easy to pronounce. For all we know Jack's real name is 20 letters long, and people would look at him funny everytime he said it. Or maybe Jack is his real name. Whatever it is, I doubt Aku would know it, he always refers to him as "Jack". I think we'll find out in the last episode, like somebody else said.

[SSJ_Gogeta]

Don't you guys remember the first 3 episodes? He called himself Jack because everyone was calling him "Jack" (like Wolverine says "Bub"). He probably forgot his name over the many years of travel & training, and that time portal he was thrown into probably didn't help matters.

[Cyber E.]

Ah, it returns...

I don't think anyone could forget their own name, even through all of the training that "Jack" went through. The most reasonable reason I've seen in this thread is that his people don't have names. It's not like it's impossible...

-aJb

[The Detective]

No I don't think it's possible to forget your name. I say he never kne whis name. I mean look, he was a little kid ( I'd say around five) when Aku took over the land and Jack got shipped off by his mother. And unless his Mom told the people he got shipped off with his name he'd wouldn't have a reason to be called by his name. Now the question is: Is around five old enough to comprehend your name? (probably in which case my ramblings have been for nothing)

Anyway the only reason he said his name was Jack was becuase those kids called him Jack mutliple times.

So what is Jack's real name? The World may never know.

[Samurai Kat]

Well there is alot of people includeing me have written fanfiction thinking what Jack's real name is. Mine in my fanfic I named him Seiryu, because I wanted Jack to be born in the year of the dragon.

[j32885]

I like Savy7's "Sword Theory", it would make the most sense. Plus that Tashi, sounds very traditional Japanese for samurai’s first name. One of these days, it will reveal or remain mystery.

[Infinity Blade]

The most reasonable reason I've seen in this thread is that his people don't have names.

And when exactly in Japan's civilized history did they not have any kind of names? :p

[Donna lady]

And when exactly in Japan's civilized history did they not have any kind of names? :p
Let's see, I believe that was about 25 years before Aku. :lol:

[Sharklady]

I've never heard of any human culture anytime in history, where individuals didn't have names. And I doubt there's ever been one. It's just too impractical, having no way to refer to individual people.

[Wanted]

And why'd he call himself, "Jack" in the first place when he could've just answered what his name actually is?
He doesn't have a name.

"In the distant past, an evil shape-shifter named Aku has brought destruction upon the land. As the citizens' last hope, a youngster is sent away to train as a samurai warrior."

[DianaGohan]

That dosen't neccasirly prove he dosen't have a name. It's probably a way of getting around giving him a name until the producers themself give him one. Which I'm guessing will be in a while (there are after all, 104 episodes at least of the series. That's a long time to wait for a name to come up).

[Anyone00]

Well here's my theory: While the stories of Jack we're seeing are lacking any type of narration or the like, what we are intended by the creators to be seeing are the legends that surround a man that have been passed down for a time and not the actual events.
So the mass public that tells and hears the stories does not know the man's name, so we do not know his name.

[wrenchien]

Well, more than likely, he can't remember his name even though he remembers his childhood, due to all the years of his traveling in many countries and being led to new tutors in martial arts over the years.... i wonder, though, in the 1st episode they showed him going about with robin hood.. maybe during that time he stayed the longest and people called him 'jack' then since english names were mostly used... And perhaps it was familar to him when the teens called him that in the 1st episode more than his own name, so he decided to go by that until he could remember his real name..

that's one theory.