Blade Runner: Black Lotus

In Los Angeles, 2032, a young woman wakes up with no memories and surprisingly lethal skills, clutching only a locked data device and a black lotus tattoo. She pieces together scattered clues about who she is, tracing violent events and shadowy figures through the city’s neon streets. As she follows leads, she gets pulled into conflicts between law enforcement, corporate interests, and other modified humans. The series stays focused on her immediate quest for identity and truth, revealing layers of the world around her while keeping major surprises intact.

Created by Shinji Aramaki, Kenji Kamiyama, and Takehiko Minato, the 2021 animated series brings Blade Runner into serialized animation, with Jessica Henwick voicing Elle, Will Yun Lee as Joseph, Wes Bentley as Niander Wallace Jr., and Samira Wiley as Officer Alani Davis.

The show extends the Blade Runner universe in a distinctly anime visual idiom, mixing gritty noir with kinetic fight choreography. It sparked conversation among fans for how it translates the franchise’s aesthetic into animation and for foregrounding a new, younger protagonist within the familiar setting of corporate domination and urban decay.

Critics and viewers gave mixed to positive responses, reflected in a 7.054/10 vote average from 224 votes. Reviews often praised the animation and action sequences, while commentary highlighted the series’ emphasis on memory, identity, the ethics of synthetic life, and the corrosive reach of tech corporations. Tone ranges from tense and violent to reflective, with recurring questions about who counts as human.

The series didn’t collect major industry awards or high-profile nominations, though it found a niche audience among fans of the franchise and anime viewers interested in darker, mature science fiction. Its ties to the Blade Runner legacy and its visual approach secured it ongoing attention in genre discussions.