Blade Runner: Black Lotus

Blade Runner: Black Lotus is an animated television series based on the Blade Runner franchise, which itself is based on the 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. The series aired from November 2021 to February 2022. It was a co-production between Crunchyroll and Adult Swim, in addition to being created in partnership with Alcon Television Group.

Plot
Black Lotus takes place in Los Angeles in 2032, ten years into the aftermath of Blade Runner: Black Out 2022, but before 2036: Nexus Dawn, and centers on a female replicant protagonist. It also includes "familiar" characters from the Blade Runner universe.

Characters

 * Elle
 * A female replicant created for a secret and unknown purpose.
 * A female replicant created for a secret and unknown purpose.


 * Joseph
 * A mysterious figure who owns a spare parts junkyard in Los Angeles.
 * A mysterious figure who owns a spare parts junkyard in Los Angeles.


 * Alani Davis
 * A fresh LAPD recruit.
 * A fresh LAPD recruit.


 * Niander Wallace Jr.
 * Brilliant scientist working for his father.
 * Brilliant scientist working for his father.


 * Niander Wallace Sr.
 * Founder and CEO of the Wallace Corporation.
 * Founder and CEO of the Wallace Corporation.


 * Marlowe
 * A deadly Blade Runner.
 * A deadly Blade Runner.


 * Josephine Grant
 * The wife of the police chief.
 * The wife of the police chief.


 * Earl Grant
 * Police Chief of the LAPD.
 * Police Chief of the LAPD.


 * Doc Badger
 * A black market dealer.
 * A black market dealer.


 * Senator Bannister
 * A politician with strong feelings on replicant production.
 * A politician with strong feelings on replicant production.


 * Doctor M
 * A brilliant doctor and professor of medicine.
 * A brilliant doctor and professor of medicine.


 * Hooper
 * A journalist in the pocket of the Wallace Corporation.
 * A journalist in the pocket of the Wallace Corporation.


 * Selene
 * A replicant nightclub singer
 * A replicant nightclub singer

Production and release
The anime was announced back in November 2018. The series was animated by Sola Digital Arts with Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama serving as co-directors. Shinichirō Watanabe, director of Blade Runner Black Out 2022, served as a creative producer. It aired on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block in the United States from November 14, 2021 to February 6, 2022. Crunchyroll also streamed the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

Canada's Corus Entertainment announced at their June 2021 upfronts that the series would air in the Fall on Adult Swim Canada. It would later be confirmed that the series would air in simulcast with the U.S.

In July 2021, both Japanese and English casts were revealed along with the announcement of a planned panel for the virtual 2021 San Diego Comic-Con. The opening theme is "Feel You Now" by Alessia Cara.

On September 28, 2022, Jason DeMarco, the senior vice president of action and anime programming for Warner Bros. Discovery, confirmed that the series was written off by Warner Bros. Discovery after it had been removed from Adult Swim's website.

Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has a rating of 71% based on 7 reviews.

Comic sequel
A four issue comic, serving as a sequel to the anime, was released in 2022. The collected version is titled Blade Runner: Black Lotus - Leaving L.A. The first volume ran from August 10, 2022 to November 2, 2022. In February 2024, the editor, David Leach, confirmed on Twitter that a second volume would be released in 2025.