A ’Rick and Morty’ Anime Is Coming to Adult Swim
Rick and Morty are finally getting their own anime. We knew it was inevitable but now it's officially in the works.
Attached to direct is Takashi Sano, who's probably best known for Tower Of God. He also worked on shows like Lupin III: Burning Memory-Tokyo Crisis in the animation department. While he's achieved a good degree of mainstream success, he's also had some pet projects.
Some of those projects were as you may have guessed, Rick And Morty-related. First up, we had Rick And Morty vs. Genocider, which was released on the official Adult Swim Youtube channel back in 2020. As of now, it’s got over 9 million views. Then, there was Summer Meets God (Rick Meets Evil) which premiered on Youtube over the summer of 2021 and is at about 1.6 million views.
After the success of the shorts on their Youtube channel, it’s likely that Adult Swim figured they really had something with Sano. Of course, Adult Swim has had a longstanding relationship with anime. Toonami, the anime block featured on Adult Swim, has had no small part in helping with the import of anime to the western world. They also have a sizable amount of manga adaptations under their belt. Recent shows like Blade Runner: Black Lotus and Uzumaki both are part of this lineage.
Sano is planning on making a 10 episode adaptation using the Rick and Morty characters and universe, but with his own plot and style. When explaining his intentions for the series, he said: “The multiverse-straddling exploits of Rick and the gang pose challenges to the family bond, but they always rise to the occasion, It’s such a life-affirming sight, and Jerry is no exception. I am honored to have been given an opportunity to tell a new story about this amazing family. I hope you enjoy their adventures!”
There's no official release date for Rick and Morty: The Anime as of yet, but for now, you can easily find Sano’s previous forays into the multiverse on Adult Swim’s YouTube channel.