From the powerhouse collaboration of Skydance, Production I.G, Masashi Kud?, and Mattson Tomlin comes one of the most eagerly awaited anime series of the year, Terminator Zero. This star-studded production, featuring the voices of Timothy Olyphant, Rosario Dawson, Sonoya Mizuno, André Holland, and Ann Dowd.
The series introduces us to scientist Malcolm Lee (played by André Holland), who at 32 years old, looks like he’s been through a few lifetimes of stress. Malcolm has developed an advanced AI, Kokoro, intended to compete with the infamous Skynet. In true Terminator fashion, this breakthrough puts him and his three children in the crosshairs of a relentless robot assassin. Fortunately, a mysterious soldier from 2022 is sent back in time to protect them.
The teaser trailer offers glimpses of the chaos to come—androids with missing faces, nuclear devastation, and a resilient heroine. Among the standout images is a T-800 donning a parka and a cave search-and-rescue robot in a yellow rain slicker, highlighting the meticulous attention to detail in the anime’s design.
As the trailer cryptically states, “This isn’t what you think it is,” fans can expect a fresh and subversive take on the familiar Terminator lore. Yet, the line “there’s no going back—not really” leaves us pondering the twists and turns that lie ahead.
The story follows Eiko, a resistance fighter voiced by Sonoya Mizuno, who travels back to 1997 to protect Malcolm Lee. With intense action, explosions, and robotic skulls, Terminator Zero promises to be a gripping addition to the franchise. The series also boasts a stellar voice cast, including Timothy Olyphant as the Terminator, Rosario Dawson as Kokoro, and Ann Dowd as The Prophet, a guiding light for the human resistance.
Terminator Zero is part of Netflix’s expanding animation portfolio, which includes upcoming series based on Tomb Raider, Devil May Cry, and Minecraft, along with a Norse mythology-inspired series from Zack Snyder. This summer, sci-fi fans are in for a treat with a plethora of new series across various streaming platforms, from Star Wars spinoff The Acolyte on Disney Plus to the new series Sunny on Apple TV Plus. The new series is set to premiere exclusively on Netflix on August 29th—Judgment Day, according to the Terminator mythos.
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