Adult Swim has greenlit a new 10-episode Rick and Morty anime series that will continue the duo's interdimensional misadventures on Adult Swim and HBO Max. Rick and Morty: The Anime will serve as a standalone series, but will adapt themes and events from the main series.
And at the helm is none other than director Takashi Sano (Tower of God), who should be quite familiar to fans. Sano previously directed Rick and Morty vs Genocider and Summer Meets God (Rick Meets Evil), two anime shorts that received widespread fan and critical acclaim while racking up a combined 10 million views on Adult Swim digital platforms.
“The multiverse-straddling exploits of Rick and the gang pose challenges to the family bond, but they always rise to the occasion,” Sano said in a statement alongside the announcement. “It’s such a life affirming sight, and Jerry is no exception.” He adds, “I am honored to have been given an opportunity to tell a new story about this amazing family. I hope you enjoy their adventures!”
Rick and Morty: The Anime was actually one of two anime series greenlit by Adult Swim. The other was Ninja Kamui, a futuristic action-adventure from Sunghoo Park, director of Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (the seventh biggest anime film of all time). Here's a quick synopsis of Ninja Kamui:
Ninja Kamui follows Joe Higan who is a Nukenin - a former ninja who escaped his clan and is hiding from his violent past in rural America with his family. One night, he is ambushed by a team of assassins from his former organization who exact a bloody retribution on Joe and his family for betraying their ancient code. Rising from his seeming “death,” Joe will re-emerge as his former self - Ninja Kamui - to avenge his family and friends. Kamui is a 21st century ninja, a shadowy anachronism who pits his ancient skills against high-tech weaponry with brutal finesse. He must face off against trained assassins, combat cyborgs, and rival ninjas to bring down the very clan that made him
The characters in Ninja Kamui have been designed by Takeshi Okazaki (Afro Samurai, Star Wars Visions). The series is produced by E&H Production and Sola Entertainment (Blade Runner: Black Lotus, Ultraman).