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色違い髪

黒い色

食べ物

he appreciates the gesture

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aa

:3 my favorite pkmn evah!!!

ひげを剃ると、髪は太く生え変わる。

The Aku Infection is based on mental illness

Aku; the term came from the Japanese term 'akuma' and correlated with the earlier Chinese word 'ku'.

WORD ORIGINS

CHINESE: ku means "black magic". Magic meant to hurt someone. Ku is also used to mean revenge. ... Pre-Han, it was used to mean 1. disease, 2. evil spirits 3. to cause doubt [mental illness], and 4. divination symbol. "Many early peoples have regarded disease as due to the possession of the body by an alien spirit" (The Book of Changes/I Ching). In Ku Yeh-Wang's Yu ti chih, "In several provinces[...] there are people who keep ku [worship]. The host uses it to kill people. Anyone who encounters it is killed." The practice of ku would span generations. When not talking about magic, poison is often referred to as a method of killing by ku. Ku often took the form of the various things we see Aku prefer: insects, frogs.

There is someone who believes that people wouldn't worship someone like Aku, not even the black mass. But there are cults in China that worshipped and practiced Black Magic. In Malaysia, a local cult called Mao Saan practiced it, evil. Black magic involves a human agent who voluntarily/deliberately instigates activities to harm others,. "The raising and use of demons...in a social history of demonic medicine in Chinese antiquity are rumored to be evident among [ku] adepts in Malaysia" (Black magic and illness in a Malaysian Chinese community). This is more than just poisoning. This is the worship of demons specifically to do evil, to make people sick mentally [when not using poison to make them sick physically]. There are many spirit mediums that are used by Chinese today to cure the mental illnesses that ku has caused.

JAPANESE: Akuma came from Buddhism, not Christianity, during Japan's Heian period, to refer to Mara [Mara was an evil presence that tried to stop Siddhartha from enlightenment. Mara had daughters as well who willingly tried to stop the Buddhist.]. They merged Buddhist and Shintoist beliefs. Japan used Akuma to refer to evil spirits with flaming eyes who cause misfortune and mental illness to those in its presence. (真昼の悪魔 上―うつの解剖学). It is a word that describes spirits that are intrinsically evil. That is, naturally born evil. "This is not necessarily the devil, as in Lucifer or Satan, but it is a term used for demons that are intrinsically evil. They are usually seen as inhabiting their own world or dimension. They enjoy pain and suffering and are typically motivated by the desire to create hell on earth." (Amparo Bertram, a fellow Japanese speaker).

In Buddhism, there is a lot of importance placed on the mental suffering of life (more so than physical). And how we seek to liberate ourselves from suffering. Considering that Buddhism started earliy Heian period, it was widespread by the Edo era that Jack came from. It is likely he was a Buddhist (one can see some of those practices throughout the show).

THE LOGIC BEHIND THE INFECTION BEING MENTAL ILLNESS

When the creators were drafting ideas for 'The Aku Infection', they specifically took the idea that the battle between Aku and Jack here was a mental battle, not a physical one.

"The more evil he becomes" [which is a mental process] and "The more I think about it, the body of the show is him fighting himself." This is 100% mental when you combine that he could only defeat Aku through mental means. The monastery that Jack visited is also synonymous with monk monasteries that heal mental injuries [NOT physical ones].

Aku's essence did not devour Jack physically. If Aku’s essence actually physically harmed Jack, Jack would have been dead within ten minutes of either inhaling or ingesting it [based on the corrosive nature of the black goo on the Emperor’s sword]. His lungs would have been melted away or his stomach would have ruptured. Both are not survivable in Jack’s situation.

Let’s assume that the amount of black on him represents how much of his body would have been destroyed: Jack would have already been dead by the time the blackness spread to his hand. The black mass has spread enough that it permeated the skin, meaning it had to get through his blood lines, through his muscles, through his fat layers, through his bones [since blood does permeate the bones]… such a thick and corrosive material would clog your arteries and give you a heart attack, stroke, thrombosis, etc. There’s literally no way he could have survived beyond ten minutes or the first time we see his black hand, given the delicacy of the closed human system if Aku’s essence was trying to kill him physically. The tiniest blood clot can kill you.

Samurai Jack has shown men with wounds in the past as well. If Jack were being harmed physically, we would have seen something.

If it were really killing Jack’s body, we wouldn’t see much of it left by the time Aku was purified from Jack. And, remember, the healing springs did nothing to Aku physically; it was only through mental fortitude [aka Jack defeating the mental illness that Aku incurred, as Akuma does] that caused Aku to leave. Not through any medicine given to him. Aku’s essence was not trying to hurt Jack physically, but mentally. There is more than enough evidence from the creators, the show itself, and my explanation of how susceptible the human body is to the smallest error to justify that conclusion. 

Aku can only be harmed by living magic. The Shen Gong Wu are magical items, but the power they produce is not inherently ‘magical’. The Orb of Tornami is magical, but the water it produces is not. This is not the same as the elemental spirits/gods seen in Samurai Jack, whose water is imbued with living magic. Shen Gong Wu giving them greater strength, such as Mikado Arms, are giving the USER extra strength, but the Shen Gong Wu is not alive. The Ants in the Pants spawn ants are magically controlled to do certain things but are not magical themselves.

Of 96 Shen Gong Wu, the only Shen Gong Wu that could potentially affect him is 16 (17%, though this number might be lower due to Aku being able to deflect or it not actually being applicable).

➼Changing Chopsticks (though it is possible he could shapeshift back) ➼Glove of Jisaku [though that’s questionable; Aku may have greater magical power than this can draw him in at his full physical height ➼Golden Finger [again, possible it may not affect him since he has mastered time manipulation] ➼Indigo Pyramid ➼Kuzusu Atom [can kill Aku] ➼Moonstone Locust [could kill Aku, this depends on if Aku is truly considered a plant; Aku might be able to kill them anyway]. ➼The Preying Monster [similar to the ancient semi-magical Samurai mecha; wouldn’t be able to kill Aku] ➼Rio Reverso [could reverse Aku back into the black goo, effectively trapping him] ➼Sapphire Dragon [Could be parried by Aku’s fire] ➼Shadow of Fear [bringing forth another Samurai Jack and/or another magic sword, thus could kill Aku] ➼Sphere of Yun ➼Sun Chi Lantern ➼Sweet Baby Among Us [similar to the ancient semi-magical Samurai mecha; wouldn’t be able to kill Aku] ➼Wushan Geyser ➼Ying/Yang Yo-Yo

However, considering that Wuya was apparently immune to the effects of Shen Gong Wu, it is likely that Aku is, too. Since she and Aku share the same powers. He might only be able to be affected by living magic and the sword [which is imbued with the living magic of the Emperor's soul]. So the Xiaolin monks could only harm with their own elements without Wu. It is unlikely they'd be able to whittle him down in pieces like the blade does in order to destroy him. Chase Young could harm Aku with his powers. But unlikely able to destroy him.

If the Wu affect Aku, Aku would likely have had someone steal most if not all of these Shen Gong Wu. He doesn't care because nothing can harm him and he's already ruling the world with his own power. It is probable that he is able to sense new Shen Gong Wu activating.

Side tangent on Chinese term: Wu means "white magic", ku means "black magic".

coloured couple doodles from my sketchbook. of crossover of Samurai Jack and Xiaolin Showdown

AKU hair day

aku appreciates anything that loves him

fu aku fanart for @cobalt-draws

Fu Dog Aku.