>>99382111>"second to last episode"it was in season 3.
>>99383312>>99383351>>99383392Genndy says he had a "vague idea" of how he wanted the story to end while he was making it, but it was only around a year or two after the show ended that he really got a solid idea of what he wanted to do and ended up doing.
Jack was always supposed to go back, but in a tragic/bittersweet way. The entire show builds up to a conclusion like this.
Jack sacrifices his goals to help others.
Aku sacrifices his goals to hurt others.
Ashi, being Aku with the influence of Jack, sacrifices herself to do what Jack will not do to reach his goals. To help those in Jack's timeline, and (unintentionally) hurt those in Aku's.
As for Ashi disappearing: Jack being in the wrong timeline but unable to get back on his own stopped him from aging until he was placed into the correct one (presumably).
Ashi would have been in the wrong timeline had she stayed, but was actually physically capable of going back by herself and, regardless of what she wanted, couldn't stay in Jack's timeline. She most likely went back to her original timeline.
