| Rick and Morty: The Anime | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Format | Animated series |
| Production | |
| Director | Takashi Sano |
| Broadcast | |
| Original Network | Adult Swim Max |
| Original Airing | August 15, 2024 |
Rick and Morty: The Anime is a Japanese anime spin-off television series based on Rick and Morty. The series was created by Takashi Sano and is produced by Sola Entertainment and animated by Telecom Animation. [1] The English dub version of the series premiered on Adult Swim on August 15, 2024 along with the Japanese sub version on Toonami as well as Max on the next day.[2][3]
Synopsis[]
Set in between the fifth and sixth seasons of the show, while portal travel was shut down, the series revolves around the adventures of members of alternate universe members of the Smith Family, particularly mad scientist and samurai Rick Sanchez and his grandchildren, Morty Smith, 14 and Summer Smith, 17, whose parents, Jerry Smith and Beth Smith, disapprove of his adventures. Different versions of the characters inhabit other dimensions throughout the series' multiverse, with their personal characteristics varying from one reality to another.
In the series, Morty meets a girl that can travel through time and the Galactic Federation comes after Rick and his mysterious device. The series also features parallel storylines featuring different versions of the Smith family such as the lives of heroic space warrior Space Morty and Morty's original father Jerry Prime in the Prime Dimension.
Premise[]
Based on the Emmy-award-winning adult animated series, Rick and Morty: The Anime is a 10-episode adventure debuting on Adult Swim and Max. Director Takashi Sano (Tower of God) previously directed two anime shorts, “Rick and Morty vs. Genocider” and “Summer Meets God (Rick Meets Evil)”, which received widespread fan and critical acclaim upon release, generating over 10 million combined views on Adult Swim's digital platforms. While Sano will adapt themes and events of the main series, Rick and Morty: The Anime will stand on its own as an original work.
Development[]
On March 29, 2020, the Rick and Morty short "Samurai & Shogun" premiered unannounced on Toonami and released on Adult Swim's YouTube channel the day after.
On July 26, 2020, the Rick and Morty short "Rick and Morty vs. Genocider" premiered unannounced on Toonami and released on YouTube the day after. The short was directed and written by Takashi Sano.
On August 2, 2021, the Rick and Morty short "Summer Meets God (Rick Meets Evil)" was released on Adult Swim's YouTube channel and aired on Adult Swim the day after. The short was directed and written by Takashi Sano.
On October 10, 2021, the Rick and Morty short "The Great Yokai Battle of Akihabara" was released on Adult Swim's YouTube channel and aired on Adult Swim the day after.
On November 12, 2021, the Rick and Morty short "Samurai and Shogun Part 2" was released on Adult Swim's YouTube channel and aired on Adult Swim the day after. It was also screened at the 2021 Adult Swim Festival.
On May 18, 2022, it was announced that Adult Swim had commissioned a spin-off anime series based on Rick and Morty. It is expected to span for ten episodes. It will be directed by Takashi Sano and produced by Telecom Animation Film. The series will premiere on Adult Swim and Max, then known as HBO Max. While the themes and events of the main series will be adapted, Rick and Morty: The Anime will stand on its own as an original work. [4]
On July 21, 2023, the intro of the series and its theme song "Love Is Entropy" was shown at San Diego Comic Con. It was revealed that Sola Entertainment will produce the series along with the series' staff including producers Maki Nagano, Max Nishi, and Takenari Maeda, animation producer Yu Kiyozono, assistant producer Yuuki Kakizoe, executive producers Jason DeMarco and Joseph Chou, art director Arisa Matsuzawa, color designer Makiko Kojima, CGI director Sou Ki, special effects supervisor Kaori Kobayashi, composite director Tatsuo Noguchi, editor Yoshihiro Kasahara, sound director Koichi Iizuka, and music composer Tetsuya Takahashi.[5][6]
On December 17, 2023, Adult Swim released a sneak peek teaser for the episode "Girl Who Manipulates Time" on their YouTube channel. It also aired on Adult Swim during the premiere of the Rick and Morty episode "Fear No Mort" the same day.
On January 23, 2024, Adult Swim released another sneak peek teaser for the episode "Girl Who Manipulates Time" on their YouTube channel.
On March 10, 2024, Adult Swim released a sneak peek teaser for the episode "Fighting Mother" on their YouTube channel. It also originally aired on Toonami on February 11, 2024.
On May 2, 2024, Adult Swim released a third sneak peek teaser for the episode "Girl Who Manipulates Time" on their YouTube channel. It also aired on Adult Swim during the premiere of the Royal Crackers episode "Dog" and on Toonami on May 4, 2024.
On May 11, 2024, Adult Swim released a sneak peek teaser for the episode "Alien Elle" on their YouTube channel. It also aired on Adult Swim during a re-run of the Rick and Morty episode "Promortyus" the same day and on Toonami on May 26, 2024.
On June 23, 2024, Adult Swim released a sneak peek teaser for the episode "Family" on their YouTube channel. It also aired on Adult Swim during the premiere of the Smiling Friends episode "Pim Finally Turns Green" the same day.
On July 11, 2024, Adult Swim announced that the English dub will premiere on August 15, 2024 and the Japanese dub on August 17, 2024 on the Toonami block. The Japanese and English casts were revealed and Takashi Sano was announced to write and direct all episodes of the series. The first trailer of the series was released on Adult Swim's YouTube channel. [7] The first season consisted of 10 episodes.[8]
On July 27, 2024, Adult Swim previewed the first episode of the series "Girl Who Manipulates Time" early at San Diego Comic Con during their “Night of New” screening event. The event and episode were also live-streamed on the network’s YouTube channel.[9]
On July 30, 2024, Adult Swim promoted the series through the Rickmobile and Mortymobile ANIME-rican Tour event as both vehicles traveled to various cities in the United States to screen the first episode of the series "Girl Who Manipulates Time" along with exclusive merchandise, custom giveaways, and photo-ops. The event began at San Diego Comic Con and ended in Adult Swim's hometown in Atlanta, Georgia.[10]
On August 15, 2024, the English dub of the first episode of the series "Girl Who Manipulates Time" premiered on Adult Swim.[11]
On August 18, 2024, the Japanese dub of the first episode of the series, "Girl Who Manipulated Time" premiered with English subtitles premiere on Toonami.[12]
On March 4, 2025, it was announced that Season 1 would release on Blu-Ray and DVD on April 29th.[13]
Characters[]
Note: The cast from the Japanese dub of the original series reprise their roles for this series. None of the cast from the English version of the original series reprise their roles for the English dub.
Main[]
- Rick Sanchez (Voiced by Yōhei Tadano (Japanese)/Joe Daniels (English))
- Morty Smith (Voiced by Keisuke Chiba (Japanese)/Gabriel Regojo (English))
- Elle (Voiced by Hitomi Sasaki (Japanese)/Luci Christian (English))
- Jerry Smith (Voiced by Manabu Muraji (Japanese)/Joe Daniels (English))
- Summer Smith (Voiced by Akiha Matsui (Japanese)/Donna Bella Litton (English))
- Beth Smith (Voiced by Takako Fuji (Japanese)/Patricia Duran (English))
- Space Beth (Voiced by Takako Fuji (Japanese)/Patricia Duran (English))
Recurring[]
- Frank (Voiced by Toshinari Fukamachi (Japanese)/Ty Mahany (English))
- Jerry Smith Prime (Voiced by Manabu Muraji (Japanese)/Joe Daniels (English))
- Space Morty (Voiced by Keisuke Chiba (Japanese)/Gabriel Regojo (English))
- Mullet Rick (Voiced by Yōhei Tadano (Japanese)/Joe Daniels (English))
- Alien Elle (Voiced by Hitomi Sasaki (Japanese)/Luci Christian (English))
- Tammy Guterman (Voiced by Arisa Sakuraba (Japanese))
- Birdperson (Voiced by Masashi Hashimoto (Japanese)/Andrew Love (English))
- Birddaughter (Voiced by Natsumi Wakasa (Japanese))
Single Appearances[]
- Mr. Nimbus (Voiced by Fuminori Komastu (Japanese)/Brandon Hearnberger (English))
- The President (Voiced by Fuminori Komastu (Japanese)/ Shawn Hamilton (English))
- Mr. Goldenfold (Voiced by Takeshi Kayakawa (Japanese)/ Shawn Hamilton (English))
- Dr. Wong (Voiced by Kaori Nakamura (Japanese)/Annie Mai (English))
- Story Lord (Voiced by Takeshi Kayakawa (Japanese)/Andrew Love (English))
- Toby Matthews (Voiced by Hiroki Ichinomiya (Japanese))
- Maria Smith (Voiced by Saki Kobari (Japanese)/Brittney Karbowski (English))
Episodes[]
Season 1[]
| No. | # | Title | Airdate | US Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Girl Who Manipulates Time | August 15, 2024 (Adult Swim; English Language Version) August 16, 2024 (Max) August 17, 2024 (Toonami; Japanese Language Version) |
N/A |
| In this new universe, Morty falls in love with a new girl. And the Galactic Federation goes after Rick and his mysterious device. | ||||
| 2 | 2 | Fighting Mother | August 22, 2024 (Adult Swim; English Language Version) August 23, 2024 (Max) August 24, 2024 (Toonami; Japanese Language Version) |
N/A |
| Rick is captured by the Federation. Space Beth is on the case. And so is Rick. And Rick. | ||||
| 3 | 3 | Alien Elle | August 29, 2024 (Adult Swim; English Language Version) August 30, 2024 (Max) August 31, 2024 (Toonami; Japanese Language Version) |
N/A |
| Morty takes the fight to the Federation. And Morty looks for love in all the wrong places. | ||||
| 4 | 4 | Memories | September 5, 2024 (Adult Swim; English Language Version) September 6, 2024 (Max) September 7, 2024 (Toonami; Japanese Language Version) |
N/A |
| Summer and Morty search for Rick while he's trapped in a multiverse. Also, Jerry goes missing. | ||||
| 5 | 5 | Family | September 12, 2024 (Adult Swim; English Language Version) September 13, 2024 (Max) September 14, 2024 (Toonami; Japanese Language Version) |
N/A |
| Jerry does something bad, or maybe it's good? So now the Yakuza are after the Smiths. | ||||
| 6 | 6 | Free Will | September 19, 2024 (Adult Swim; English Language Version) September 20, 2024 (Max) September 21, 2024 (Toonami; Japanese Language Version) |
N/A |
| Morty and Elle are reunited. But what are Space Beth and Rick hiding... | ||||
| 7 | 7 | When We Meet in Our Dreams | September 26, 2024 (Adult Swim; English Language Version) September 27, 2024 (Max) September 28, 2024 (Toonami; Japanese Language Version) |
N/A |
| When a Morty goes down, a Rick takes action. Nothing bad could happen to the universe, right? | ||||
| 8 | 8 | Feel, Don't Think | October 3, 2024 (Adult Swim; English Language Version) October 4, 2024 (Max) October 5, 2024 (Toonami; Japanese Language Version) |
N/A |
| As the Smith family prepares for a fight, Rick reveals a hidden truth to Morty. | ||||
| 9 | 9 | Her Innermost Wish | October 10, 2024 (Adult Swim; English Language Version) October 11, 2024 (Max) October 12, 2024 (Toonami; Japanese Language Version) |
N/A |
| The Smith family battles the Federation. Elle vows to protect Morty, but what about Rick? | ||||
| 10 | 10 | A Pain in the Back | October 17, 2024 (Adult Swim; English Language Version) October 18, 2024 (Max) October 19, 2024 (Toonami; Japanese Language Version) |
N/A |
| Morty might finally be at peace. But Space Morty might be in real trouble. | ||||
Posters[]
Trailers[]
Clips[]
Trivia[]
- The original title of the series was Rick and Morty: Take Me to the Other Side, in which the subtitle was later reused for the show's ending credits theme.[14]
- Both the Japanese sub and English dub of the series were produced by Sentai Studios.[15]
- Despite the description of the series stating that its events take place between Season 5 and Season 6 of the original series, series creator Takashi Sano and executive producers Jason DeMarco, Takenari Maeda, and Joseph Chou stated the events of the series takes place in another universe and focuses on a different Rick and Morty despite Rick being named as Rick C-137 and this series' universe having similar events as the original series. It is stated to be the reason why the series has a different cast for the English dub than the original series.[16][17]
- It has also been stated that the series' universe can be considered as taking place in a "multiverse within a multiverse" where the series' universe is similar to the original series' events, but exists within a different multiverse from the one in the original series.[18]
- This is the second Rick and Morty spin-off series after Vindicators 2.
References[]
- ↑ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-12-18/adult-swim-streams-sneak-peek-for-rick-and-morty-the-anime/.205668
- ↑ https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/cartoon-network-warner-bros-discovery-animation-batwheels-1235453151/
- ↑ https://press.wbd.com/us/media-release/adult-swim-0/rick-and-morty-anime/all-new-series-rick-and-morty-anime-premieres-august-15-adult-swim
- ↑ https://wbd.com/adult-swim-delves-into-the-anime-multiverse-with-new-series-orders-for-rick-and-morty-the-anime-and-ninja-kamui/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93hLB6VpQZc
- ↑ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-07-21/rick-and-morty-the-anime-opening-credits-sequence-reveals-more-staff/.200550
- ↑ https://youtu.be/ASis6aJCnM8
- ↑ https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/rick-morty-anime-season-1-045623557.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANv02J09ppJeDuhPlRLVEepvKluDEED9kjjGLIntJe_2vWP4omSytiIJ6ARUlWwsMP32SPRDcpGdBFrPDqaUx7Da-TfVi3M75Cxbw27HB8p8Mj6PZ38cuSBta3LcaEzJhl2cQFu5_9cRuNVXVsnDFyuIYpV-5pxHOmF02h5WS8vc
- ↑ https://www.adultswim.com/sdcc2024
- ↑ https://www.adultswim.com/rickmobile
- ↑ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-07-11/rick-and-morty-the-anime-trailer-confirms-august-15-debut-bilingual-casts/.213131
- ↑ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-07-11/rick-and-morty-the-anime-trailer-confirms-august-15-debut-bilingual-casts/.213131
- ↑ https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=36074
- ↑ https://www.animationmagazine.net/2024/09/writer-director-takashi-sano-offers-insights-about-his-anime-take-on-rick-and-morty/
- ↑ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2024-08-12/rick-and-morty-the-anime-explores-new-dimensions/.214236
- ↑ https://screenrant.com/rick-and-morty-hints-anime-canon-main-show-could-still-be-separate/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc8aSZXUz-0
- ↑ https://comicbook.com/anime/news/rick-and-morty-the-anime-takashi-sano-joseph-chou-interview/