DC Confirms New Joker Anime Series with First Official Details of Joker: Laugh Riot

DC animation has been going from strength to strength over the last few years, with thrilling shows such as My Adventures With Superman, creative remakes like Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires, and the promising first trailer for Batman: Knightfall. But now, it seems DC is officially branching out into another, incredibly popular medium.

DC announced multiple new projects at the Annecy Animation Festival, including Joker: Laugh Riot – only the studio’s second anime after Suicide Squad Isekai. Warner Bros. Animation is teaming up with Sola Entertainment, with the show helmed by “ChaO” award-winning director Yasuhiro Aoki (The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim). The story will see the Joker launch a ruthless crusade through Gotham’s underworld to find Batman’s killer, who took away his greatest adversary (and, of course, his own kill). But as his violent quest for answers turns him into more of a vigilante than a villain, Joker is forced to confront the truth that without Batman, he doesn’t know who he is.

Joker: Laugh Riot Promises to Make Batman History

Joker: Laugh Riot promises to be one of the most creative Batman stories ever told. It comes as part of a major anime push over at Warner Bros., under the influence of Jason DeMarco, senior VP, action and anime development at Warner Bros. Animation. The concept is remarkable, though, promising an in-depth character study on the Joker and his relationship with Batman. Comics have often stressed the odd dynamic between them, with the Joker reluctant to go too far and kill his nemesis, because he senses he would feel incomplete without Batman.

I absolutely love the idea of a Joker story in which the Clown Prince of Crime mourns Batman’s death, furious someone else has taken his kill. It’s a genius concept, diving straight into the heart of the Joker’s broken mind, and it almost certainly sets up collisions between the Joker and other members of Batman’s rogues’ gallery. That means we can expect to see other characters, such as the Penguin and Two-Face, reinvented in anime style as well. Meanwhile, we’ll get to see how the Bat-Family react to Batman’s death, albeit through the Joker’s eyes. At the same time, the idea of the Joker gradually transitioning into a vigilante-type figure himself is absolutely inspired, a twist we’ve never really seen before.

DC’s first ever animated series, Joker: Laugh Riot sounds like it will use the medium’s exaggerated format in the best possible way – giving insight into what Gotham looks like through the Joker’s eyes. There’s always been something larger than life about Gotham (or, rather, there has been since the classic Tim Burton films, at least). The city as a whole should look fantastic in the anime format, and Yasuhiro Aoki’s involvement is incredibly exciting. We can only hope this is just the start of DC’s expansion into anime, because the medium really does have so much potential – especially for Batman.

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