Creator Genndy Tartakovsky’s masterpiece (not that he hasn’t produced other very great work!) was Samurai Jack. One man, thrown into the future, with a magic sword, to beat the evil Aku. The show premiered in 2001 and ran for 5 seasons and was influenced by the films of Kurosawa and the Lone Wolf and Cub novels. Lots of laughs as well as action – Jack visist a rave in one episode – and lots of varying cultiral references: 300 Spartans, the Scotsman, to mention a couple. Lots of snippets to watch on YouTube but full episodes would really be the way forward if you like the look of it.

Genius.