Jack Under the Sea
Episode numeral: IX
Original air date: 9/3/01
Jack is informed by a fisherman about the underwater city of Oceanus, which has a time machine, so Jack dives into the dark depths of the ocean, where he encounters the Triceraquins, the amphibious denizens of Oceanus whose city was sunken by Aku. There, the Triceraquins agree to let Jack use the time machine, but their real plans are far more sinister.
Tropes:
- And Your Reward Is Edible: To make up for their treachery and thank him for saving their lives, the Triseraquins give Jack some of their sushi, which he happily eats later on as he's traveling.
- Awesome Underwater World: Played with; the Triseraquins complain that they haven't received any visitors since their city was sunk, as they seem to be the only people under the sea. However, the underwater realm itself is lushly portrayed as beautiful and full of strange life (there's a rather nice sequence during Jack’s trip devoted to showing just how much weird stuff there is down there), and there's certainly plenty going on to keep Jack busy in Oceanus itself.
- Easily Forgiven: Jack easily forgives the Triseraquins for selling him out to Aku and nearly getting him killed. After all, few can resist Aku's wiles and trickery.
- Eaten Alive:
- After being shipwrecked, Jack is swallowed whole by a huge fish. He still gets a good view of the outside world thanks to the fish's back being a transparent dome, and he manages to manipulate its nerve ganglia to get it where he wants it to go.
- Aku attempts doing this to Jack when the Triceraquins sends him back to defeat Aku. However, Jack merely comes out through the back of his head, piercing it with his sword.
- Foreshadowing:
- The fisherman telling the story of the Triceraquins is dismissed by the other patrons of the restaurant, especially after he says their treasure is a time machine. Jack is the only one who believes it, for obvious reasons. The fact that only he believes the man suggests the story was made specifically for him.
- The Triceraquins already know Jack is about to ask for the time machine at dinner before he gets the chance to, almost like they knew he would. After they tell him he can use it, Guinness tells Jack the time machine needs adjustments before it's ready. He has a very notable pause prior to saying the world "details", hinting he's not being honest about it.
- Fish People: The Triceraquins.
- Giant Squid: Aku becomes a massive octopus during the final fight, before he's finally defeated by Jack.
- I Did What I Had to Do: The Triseraquins didn't like tricking Jack and making him a sacrificial offering to Aku, even hesitating going through with the trap. They thought it was the only way to get Aku to raise their city back to the surface and return their livelihoods.
- I Lied: The Triseraquins capture Jack for Aku after he promises to raise their city from underwater. Quite predictably, after they capture Jack he gloats he has "changed his mind", giving them reason to free Jack as revenge.
- The Needs of the Many: Quoted word for word by Guinness when it is revealed he and his kind tricked Jack.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: One of the Triceraquins has a voice similar to Ringo Starr and is even named "Ringo" in the credits. It helps that he's voiced by Jess Harnell, who used the same Ringo impression for Wakko Warner. Guinness and Connery likewise sound like and are named in reference to Alec Guinness and Sean Connery.
- Organic Technology: The Triseraquins make heavy use of this — their vehicles all appear to be highly modified fish, and even the fake time machine and a good portion of their city are organic in nature.
- Rage Breaking Point: After having sunk their world, the Triseraquins clearly fear Aku and attempt to appease him by finding Jack. When he gloats that he has no intent of reversing the damage on them however, and that they sold out Jack for nothing, they are furious enough to attack Aku with all their artillery, despite clearly being no match for the Shogun of Sorrow.
- Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: The Triseraquins capture Jack in return for him restoring their world to the surface. Like every bargain Aku makes, Aku breaks it and gloats that their world stays sunk for as long as he wants it to.
- Sinister Stingrays: Aku briefly takes the form of a giant monstrous manta ray to fight off the Triseraquins.
- Time Machine: Rumors of one such machine are the reason why Jack seeks out Oceanus in the first place, so that he can return to the past and prevent Aku from taking over the world. Sadly, it doesn't exist — it was all just a trick to lure Jack into a trap.
- Trademark Favorite Food: This episode establishes Jack's love of sushi, as shown by his delighted reaction when the Triseraquins invite him to dinner and he sees their huge spread of fish. The Triseraquins even give him a whole bag of the stuff to make up for tricking him.
- Underwater City: Oceanus, the city of the Triceraquins, built as a system of waterproof domes on top of high-tech towers. It used to be a City on the Water instead, but Aku banished them beneath the ocean to where their city is now. It returns to the surface by the end of the episode.
- Villain Ball: After capturing Jack in a bubble, Aku decides to leave a teeny crack in his bubble so he can watch Jack slowly drown, rather than just crushing him instantly. Aku also decides to double cross the Tricerquins before Jack is dead, leading them to rescue Jack and set up his downfall.
- Worf Barrage: The Triseraquins throw everything but the kitchen sink to fight Aku, who either easily thwarts their attempts or just shrugs them off. This goes to prove that even in the future, Jack's sword is the only thing that can harm the evil shapeshifter.
