There is meaning in the meaningless. Even in making an anime adaptation of one of Adult Swim’s most popular series of all time. Rick and Morty: The Anime is a surprisingly thoughtful and existential take on the series that tells a self-contained story that is both very personal and on a massive scale of space and time. It’s a huge departure in tone from the original series, taking itself more seriously and sensitively, and focused more on developing its story than its humor. It is arguably more similar in tone to philosophical avant-garde anime like Kaiba and Mind Game than regular Rick and Morty, and since the multiverse allows for all sorts of different takes on and versions of these characters and world, it was interesting to see a major franchise take a chance on an interpretation so experimental.
With it cutting between so many concurrent different and interconnected stories between its timelines and universes, Rick and Morty: The Anime is a series that benefits from being able to rewatch it and connect the pieces of the story all together. Like Elle, the viewer knows both the past, present, and future of the events unfolding on a rewatch. Being able to experience the show with her perspective and mindset is interesting as a reflection of the relationship and connection viewers make with characters and stories and their compulsion to reexperience the same story again despite already knowing the outcome because they love spending time with their favorite characters just that much. The full-circle nature of the show’s beginning and ending bookends add onto that effect; this is a series that genuinely would be perfect for one of those 24/7 tv show streams like what Adult Swim does for regular Rick and Morty on their website, where after the last episode the show immediately goes back to the beginning and keeps looping like that over and over again. It’s kind of a missed opportunity that they haven’t done that. Maybe in a different universe.
But in all the different universes and timelines out there, one thing never changes; physical media is the best way to ensure you’ll always be able to watch something. Now, you can make sure you will be able to revisit Rick and Morty: The Anime anytime and every time at home. The complete series set will be released on Blu-Ray and DVD on April 29th 2025. This is the one of the few Adult Swim/Toonami original anime series to actually get released on home video besides FLCL Progressive/Alternative, so it’s nice to see that this series will escape the confines and limitations of the streaming-verse, as befitting of Rick and Morty.
You can read and learn more details about this release from the official press release provided by Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment below. For more thoughts on Rick & Morty: The Anime, check out the interview we did with the show’s director and producers at San Diego Comic Con and my appearances discussing the series on the Toonami Faithful Podcast.
Rick and Morty: The Anime
All 10 Episodes From The Out-of-this-World Series Will Be Available on Blu-ray & DVD April 29
BURBANK, CA (March 4, 2025) – Are you ready for a brand-new adventure across the multi-verse? Rick and Morty: The Anime will be available to own on Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment on April 29, 2025. The Rick and Morty universe is expanded with the all-new Japanese adult anime sci-fi television series from visionary director Takashi Sano. The 10-episode series follows Rick, Morty, and the rest of the Smith family in a new intergalactic adventure. Pre-order your copy today.
ABOUT RICK AND MORTY: THE ANIME:
From the world of “Rick and Morty,” Rick relaxes in a pseudo-world between multiverses, Summer helps Space Beth fight the evil Galactic Federation, and Morty falls in love with a mysterious girl who happens to be an atemporal being.
The Japanese and English voice actors, respectively, for “Rick and Morty: The Anime” include:
Rick – Youhei Tadano / Joe Daniels
Morty – Keisuke Chiba / Gabriel Regojo
Summer – Akiha Matsui / Donna Bella Litton
Jerry – Manabu Muraji / Joe Daniels
Beth – Takako Fuji / Patricia Duran
Rick and Morty: The Anime information:
Includes all 10 episodes from the epic anime television series.
PRODUCT
Blu-ray & DVD
Original Language: Japanese
Audio: English and Japanese
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 207 minutes
Rated: TV-14
About Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment (WBDHE) distributes the award-winning movies, television, animation, and digital content produced by Warner Bros. Discovery to the homes and screens of millions through physical Blu-ray Disc™ and DVD retail sales and digital transactions on major streaming, video-on-demand cable, satellite, digital, and mobile channels. WBDHE is part of Warner Bros. Discovery Content Sales, one of the world’s largest distributors of entertainment programming.
About Adult Swim
Adult Swim is the leader in adult animation and #1 destination for young adults for over fifteen years, offering critically acclaimed, award-winning series such as “Rick and Morty,” “Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal,” “The Eric Andre Show,” “SMILING FRIENDS,” “My Adventures with Superman,” “Common Side Effects,” and the upcoming series “Women Wearing Shoulder Pads” and “Oh My God…Yes! A Series of Extremely Relatable Circumstances.” Fan favorite anime block, Toonami, airs on Saturday nights and has expanded beyond acquisitions, producing original series including “Ninja Kamui,” “FLCL,” “Uzumaki,” and the upcoming series “Lazarus.” Adult Swim airs nightly from 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. (ET/PT) on its linear channel and reaches fans via Max. Connect with Adult Swim on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. Subscribe to Adult Swim on YouTube.
