DC’s squadron of supervillains hasn’t gone down too well when it comes to film adaptations. Suicide Squad from 2016 (made by David Ayer) was a massive disappointment, especially compared to its flamboyant, Bohemian Rhapsody-fueled trailer.
Birds of Prey had some charm but it was a box office flop. In 2021, James Gunn created The Suicide Squad, which was supposed to be a reboot of the story. However, despite its campy vibe, it wasn’t the hit Warner Bros hoped for.
Peacemaker and the animated Harley Quinn show have seen more success. Both series perfectly balanced rude jokes, pungent satire, and gory violence. Maybe that’s why Warner Bros. decided that the next Suicide Squad adaptation would be an animated series.
Suicide Squad Isekai is the result of a collaboration between Warner Bros. Japan and Wit Studios, a Japanese company behind such series as Attack on Titan and Vinland Saga. The new anime is directed by Eri Osada and written by Tappei Nagatsuki and Eiji Umehara. On character’s design work manga artist Akira Amano and Naoto Hosoda.
Here’s everything we know about this unusual project from the DC world.
Warner Bros.
Suicide Squad Isekai release date
The new DC series will be released in July 2024. It is unclear which streaming platform the Suicide Squad Isekai will hit, but both Peacemaker and Harley Quinn are on Max, Warner’s exclusive streaming service.
Is Suicide Squad Isekai part of the new DC Universe?
It’s not. The animated Suicide Squad belongs to the so-called DC Elseworlds, a group of films and series unrelated to the main DC Universe.
The new anime will be a standalone story, which is emphasised by the term Isekai. In Japanese culture, this is a subgenre of fantasy in which characters move to, are trapped in, or are reborn in a parallel world. Stories in the genre include the cult Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away.
Warner Bros.
Suicide Squad Isekai cast and characters
The series will feature DC’s fan favourite villains, who appeared in the animated Harley Quinn series or The Suicide Squad, directed by James Gunn.
- Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Quinzel), voiced by Anna Nagase
- Joker, voiced by Yūichirō Umehara
- Peacemaker (Christopher Smith), voiced by Takehito Koyasu
- Clayface (Basil Karlo), voiced by Jun Fukuyama
- Deadshot (Floyd Lawton), voiced by Reigo Yamaguchi
- King Shark (Nanaue), voiced by Subaru Kimura
- Katana (Tatsu Yamashiro), voiced by Chika Anzai
- Rick Flag, voiced by Taku Yashiro
- Amanda Waller, voiced by Kujira
- Fine, voiced by Reina Ueda
- Aldora, voiced by Mamiko Noto
- Cecil, voiced by Jun Fukushima
Suicide Squad Isekai plot
Following the rules of the Isekai genre, DC’s well-known villains will end up in an alternate reality.
As the official synopsis goes:
In the crime-ridden city of Gotham, Amanda Waller, the head of A.R.G.U.S., has assembled a group of notorious criminals for a mission: Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Peacemaker, Clayface, and King Shark. These Super-Villains are sent into an otherworldly realm that’s connected to this world through a gate. It’s a world of swords and magic where orcs rampage and dragons rule the skies—an “ISEKAI”!
With lethal explosives planted in their necks, there’s no running or hiding, and failing the mission means a one-way ticket to the afterlife! Can Harley Quinn and her crew conquer this perilous ISEKAI realm?! Brace yourselves for the pulse-pounding saga of the elite task force known as the “Suicide Squad” as they embark on a jaw-dropping adventure!
Suicide Squad Isekai trailer
The official trailer for the series promises pure fun:
