Rick and Morty: The Anime’s Multiverse Twist Explained By Director

The creatives behind the new Rick & Morty: The Anime series confirmed the status of the show’s Multiverse and its location compared to the original series.

While the anime is based on the original show, its new influences immediately create a vastly different series. This new story follows the misadventures of Rick, Morty, and Summers and takes on a little more serious vibe.

Its art style is also wildly different, influenced by anime and Japanese culture.

The concept of Rick & Morty in animated form was first explored in 2020 with five shorts. One of their directors and writers, Takashi Sano, went on to work on this new series full-time.

Where in the Multiverse is Rick & Morty: The Anime?

In an exclusive interview with The Direct’s Russ Milheim, Rick & Morty: The Anime director Takashi Sano and executive producer Joseph Chou revealed where their new show exists in the Multiverse.

Translating Takashi Sano’s words, Chou noted how the filmmaker approached creating this spinoff “as a big fan of the series” while also confirming that the show takes place in “a multiverse within a multiverse:”

“He approached it as a big fan of the series and [adapted] from his perspective [which] was a very exciting challenge. And that’s how he took on the first couple of shorts, the independent shorts he did, aside from the series. But the way he approached the series itself was that the original Rick & Morty show itself had a multiverse aspect to it. You know, it already deals with a multiverse aspect. So he was thinking, if we’re doing anime, maybe we can do a multiverse within Multiverse to confuse things even further.”

Introducing that concept allowed them to “bring a lot of new perspectives to the table:”

“There’s an original multiverse, and some people live… out their own stories…. There exists a multiverse where the anime Rick and Morty lives, and they all have their own Multiverse, but they have their own lives. And how they connect and interact with the original show was actually a theme that was in his mind. By trying to do that, he could bring a lot of new perspectives to the table without being too afraid of trying to match up to the original show’s greatness so that he could do his own new only thing. Also at the same time that it’s relatable…”

Joseph Chou then chimed in for himself, offering how “exciting” it was to play in a genre “that [they] don’t get to really take on as Japanese anime:”

“And for me… What was exciting was the medium, [and] genre that we don’t get to really take on as Japanese anime, and to be presented with that playground. We get offered a lot of cool action stuff, but not this type of fun, humorous, cynical, or nihilistic [show]. I think what the Japanese anime creator can bring to the table using the using the template of this wonderful show, I think was very exciting, and so that it could exist [is] great. And like you said, look, it’s Multiverse. Anything is possible, so why don’t we try it and give it our spin? And we were very happy that they allowed us the freedom to do so.”

When asked if there had been any word on a Season 2 renewal, Sano confirmed that “Nothing official yet.”

Chou was excited about the prospect of more episodes, saying he’s “sure there’ll be another opportunity for us to pick it up.”

“Well, let’s do it. It is always what we say. This is where we can get in trouble, like saying, Oh, yes, of course! But he would love it. It really all depends on the audience, and they love it. And I’m sure there’ll be another opportunity for us to pick it up.”

Of course, with a Multiverse aspect, one can’t help but imagine if one day the characters of this new anime show will ever cross paths with those from the original Rick & Morty series.

“I haven’t had the word on that,” Chou admitted while elaborating on how the two teams did have to make sure they weren’t ever working on the same ideas or themes:

“I haven’t had the word on that. What we heard initially when we started was, ‘Look, you guys can do your own thing.’ And then as long as we don’t touch on, because, we could be working on the same theme, and that could be weird. So we were given the milestones to avoid those. For now, I think it exists [in a] separate universe… That would be an interesting idea.”

In explaining what makes this anime’s take so unique, in an infusion of both his and Sano’s words, Chou pointed to how “there’s a unique Japanese anime perspective:”

“In terms of the expression of animation and how the characters move and react to situations, I think there’s a unique Japanese anime perspective, kind of approach that’s been taken with that because that’s what he’s used to. That’s what he’s been making for decades. So, I definitely wanted to infuse that, like the uniqueness of the movements and how they move and act in the world. I mean, even action, for example.”

“You will see the influence of anime,” the producer continued to explain:

“And also just how they react to each other and behave in them, in this own Multiverse, I mean naturally or organically or not. I mean intentionally. It’s been infused in there, and you will see the influence of anime. And that’s not just because we were trying to create an influence of anime into the show, but it’s something that naturally flows while trying to make this from Japan. So why not also bring that to the table so that it’ll stand on its own for that reason, because it’s got to have the merit of why it’s being made as an anime, as a sort of a spinoff. And that’s what he’s done.”

Rick & Morty: The Anime is now streaming on Max.