Suicide Squad ISEKAI Sends DC Characters Into an Anime Fantasy

A cryptic, weirdly fantastic new anime is coming from WB Japan. Harley Quinn and the Joker take on another world, or possibly multiple worlds, in the teaser trailer for Suicide Squad ISEKAI. Do I know what’s going on? No. But does it look exceptionally cool? Absolutely it does. Check out the short teaser below.

So isekai, for folks who don’t know, is a Japanese word that means “another world.” It’s more widely considered a staple genre of anime and east Asian storytelling, with a huge list of tropes and conventions attached. Putting a distinctly American property into this kind of genre, led by a Japanese team that understands these conventions and will likely do their best to subvert them, is actually pretty interesting. And, honestly, look at this teaser poster? They are fully in their bag.

Eri Osada serves as director, and the screenplay is by Tappei Nagatsuki and Eiji Umehara. The character design was done by contemporary mangaka Akira Amano with additional design work by Naoto Hosoda. Kenichiro Suehiro is responsible for the music, and the production comes out of WIT STUDIO.

There is no announced premiere date for Suicide Squad ISEKAI.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

A cryptic, weirdly fantastic new anime is coming from WB Japan. Harley Quinn and the Joker take on another world, or possibly multiple worlds, in the teaser trailer for Suicide Squad ISEKAI. Do I know what’s going on? No. But does it look exceptionally cool? Absolutely it does. Check out the short teaser below.

So isekai, for folks who don’t know, is a Japanese word that means “another world.” It’s more widely considered a staple genre of anime and east Asian storytelling, with a huge list of tropes and conventions attached. Putting a distinctly American property into this kind of genre, led by a Japanese team that understands these conventions and will likely do their best to subvert them, is actually pretty interesting. And, honestly, look at this teaser poster? They are fully in their bag.

Eri Osada serves as director, and the screenplay is by Tappei Nagatsuki and Eiji Umehara. The character design was done by contemporary mangaka Akira Amano with additional design work by Naoto Hosoda. Kenichiro Suehiro is responsible for the music, and the production comes out of WIT STUDIO.

There is no announced premiere date for Suicide Squad ISEKAI.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.