Adult Swim’s popular duo, Rick and Morty, got the anime treatment in “Rick and Morty: The Anime,” a 10-episode miniseries that premiered in August 2024.
The original “Rick and Morty” debuted in late 2013 as a trippy Adult Swim cartoon. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, it follows Rick Sanchez — a cynical, alcoholic, genius scientist — and his anxious 14-year-old grandson Morty as they embark on chaotic adventures through time and space. “Rick and Morty” has racked up critical acclaim and awards, including two Emmy wins in 2018 and 2020. “Rick and Morty: The Anime” builds on that legacy while introducing a new vibe.
“Rick and Morty: The Anime” is a sci-fi spinoff.
In the anime, Rick, Morty and Summer dive into a samurai sci-fi adventure. Rick takes on a samurai alter ego, Summer teams up with Space Beth to battle the evil Galactic Federation, and Morty falls for a time-bending new girl.
According to IMDb, Takashi Sano directs and writes every episode. Behind the scenes, three Japanese studios — Studio Deen, Sola Entertainment, and Telecom Animation Film — joined forces to create the series. The voice cast is stacked with talent on both sides of the Pacific. In Japanese, anime veterans Yohei Tadano (Rick), Keisuke Chiba (Morty), Akiha Matsui (Summer), Jun Irie (Beth) and Manabu Maraji (Jerry) lead the lineup. Meanwhile, the English-language dub introduces new voices. Joe Daniels plays both Rick and Jerry, Gabriel Regojo voices Morty, Donna Bella Litton is Summer, and Patricia Duran is Beth.
Adult Swim pushed for a global release, complete with full dubbing. Jason DeMarco, Adult Swim’s head of action and Anime, explained why the decision mattered. “Originally, much like the shorts, we were just producing this in Japanese,” DeMarco told Inverse. “However, pretty early on it became clear that this is going to roll out internationally, wherever there is Adult Swim. And there are other countries where actually having an English dub actually helps the show get seen way more than just if you were releasing it in Japanese.”
There are major differences from the original “Rick and Morty.”
Producer Takashi Sano says he wanted to merge Western and Japanese styles. “I think the real charm of Rick and Morty lies in its blend of humor and science fiction,” he told Animation Magazine. “The sense of humor in particular is something not often seen in Japanese animation. So I saw it as a unique opportunity to create a story within this world. I was drawn to the idea of producing a story full of American sensibilities from a Japanese perspective, which is another reason I decided to join the project.”
However, the anime stands apart from the original in major ways. Rick’s slurred belches and witty punchlines are gone. The art style also got a glow up. The characters now have larger, more expressive eyes and dynamic designs, with softer brown linework replacing the original’s bold black outline. Even the opening theme got an anime makeover — a two-minute song called “Love Is Entropy” that shifts from J-pop to hard rock.
Do you think “Rick and Morty: The Anime” lives up to the original series? Comment below!
