Rick and Morty Fans Geek Out Over Surprise Anime Short

Adult Swim surprised fans watching its Toonami anime block yesterday by releasing a five-minute Rick and Morty anime short. Starved for new Rick and Morty episodes, fans are eating up the five-minute short for all its worth. The short is titled "Samurai & Shogun" and its plot is an homage to famous samurai fiction, most notably Lone Wolf & Cub. The short sees a Rick from a parallel dimension trying to escape with a Morty. The shogun sends his ninja assassins after Rick. A bloody confrontation follows. The intense fight does not end well at all for the Shogun's ninja assassins.

The CG-animated short comes from producer Maki Terashima -; who is known for working with Production I.G. on projects including FLCL: Progressive, FLCL Alternative, and the upcoming Uzumaki anime -- working with director Kaichi Sato.

Toonami co-creator Jason DeMarco teased the surprise short ahead of its debut. "#Toonami fans, I feel really good about tonight's little goodie. Something special just for you. I hope you enjoy it! Keep your eyes peeled!" he tweeted. He followed that up after its debut by tweeted, "Yeah so we spent a year putting together a five minute Rick and Morty Lone Wolf & Cub anime short for you guys. Here it is, hope you dig it! Don't tell me we don't have the most fun!"

The wait for the second half of Rick and Morty Season Four continues, but fans at least got a five minute Rick and Morty respite thanks to this anime short. Keep reading to see how they responded.