Suicide Squad Isekai anime premiere: Harley Quinn and co find new world allies immediately as Amanda Waller's true intentions teased

The Suicide Squad Isekai anime premiere has finally arrived in select regions and territories around the world, getting essentially all of the series’ setup out of the way in the process. Bringing with it the first three episodes of the series on Thursday, June 27, 2024, those lucky enough to see the series premiere early are now poised to see the plot thicken in the next release.

One of the biggest ways in which the Suicide Squad Isekai anime premiere sets up major plot developments is the litany of political motivations seemingly at hand. While these primarily focus on the political landscape of the new world the titular group is sent to, there are also subtle teases regarding Amanda Waller’s true intentions throughout the episodes.

Suicide Squad Isekai anime premiere sets up betrayals and revelations galore for subsequent installments

Episode 1 recap

The Joker seemingly bows out of the Suicide Squad Isekai anime premiere after a short episode 1 appearance (Image via Wit Studios)

The first episode of the Suicide Squad Isekai anime premiere opened with a focus on the Joker and Harley Quinn. The pair discussed desiring to escape to another world as they ran from the cops following their latest heist. Harley then asked Joker to stop by a bar so she could get a drink, but the patrons inside were apparently enemies to the pair. Harley fought four men inside while Joker handled a fifth on the outside before making his escape as deadlier forces arrived.

As this happened, Amanda Waller was seen conducting an experiment to open a portal to another world in an undisclosed location. It was revealed that the power source for creating the portal was a living being of sorts, as Amanda reprimanded her subordinates for calling it “her” out of concern for her safety. Nevertheless, Amanda ordered that the intensity be brought up to 90%, which did eventually open the portal to another world.

The first episode of the Suicide Squad Isekai anime premiere then shifted focus back to Harley Quinn, who was fighting Katana on a nearby rooftop while trying to escape the bar. Katana eventually won the fight, leading to Harley’s imprisonment. Six months later, at the A.R.G.U.S. facility where Harley was imprisoned, Waller came to free Harley from her cell on the condition of doing a job for her.

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Harley met four other prisoners in Clayface, Deadshot, King Shark, and Peacekeeper. They were all told their mission was essentially staging the conquering of a certain area. Suddenly, the helicopter they were on crashed, with the pilots and other members of Amanda’s group onboard all perishing.

The four then opened the helicopter doors to a fantasy world, immediately battling some pig-adjacent, orc-like creatures upon escaping the crash site. There were other humanoids there, but it quickly became apparent that they spoke a different language, resulting in the group’s imprisonment. The first episode of the Suicide Squad Isekai anime premiere ended with Katana also seemingly being in the new world and subservient to whoever rules it.

Episode 2 recap

Fione sees Harley and co as more than just prisoners in episode 2 of the Suicide Squad Isekai anime premiere (Image via Wit Studios)

The second episode of the Suicide Squad Isekai anime premiere began with a focus on the country/world’s Queen, seen walking through impoverished areas on the outskirts of her castle. The focus then shifted to a war council in the castle, recapping the battle and exploring the arrival of the titular group. Cecil, the pink-haired knight seen in the previous episode, and Fione, the princess, tried to tell the Queen that Harley and co could prove useful.

However, she immediately rejected this idea, instead demanding her advisors to come to the next day’s meeting with battle plans in hand. Fione then called Cecil to her room, saying she had a favor to ask. The focus then shifted to the prison, where Harley awoke to find herself and the others in an inescapable cell. They discussed the bombs in the necks and their need to get back to the helicopter, prompting Clayface to use his powers to slip through the cell door.

However, the second episode of the Suicide Squad Isekai anime premiere saw him get cocky and tease abandoning the others. This prompted them to call for guards and rat on him, which led to Clayface getting cuffed by something that nullified his powers. The focus then shifted to the prison cafeteria, where a group of ogres approached Clayface. However, because of the language barrier, a fight eventually broke out between the titular group and these ogres.

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This began a massive brawl, which ended in the guards getting something called “Wands,” which generated bunny-like magical creatures that used magic to restrain Harley and co on the ground. She and her allies were then thrown into a disciplinary cell, where they met Rick Flag, an A.R.G.U.S. agent. It was then revealed that a preliminary scouting group had been sent six months before, with their fates left ambiguous but presumably now dead aside from Rick.

However, Rick did seem confused about the talk of signals and the bombs in their necks but did agree to help them if they all escaped together. They then got King Shark, whose real name Rick revealed as Nanaue, to open the door. This allowed Clayface to get the key to his cuffs, in turn letting him use his power to start a massive prison break.

The second episode of the Suicide Squad Isekai anime premiere then revealed that Fione asked Cecil if he could speak with Harley and her group. She cited her desire to stop the war and belief that Harley and co could help do so. The episode ended with Cecil arriving at the prison, now run by the prisoners, while Rick complained about the others not taking this seriously and wasting time.

Episode 3 recap

Harley and co are given their freedom in the third episode of the Suicide Squad Isekai anime premiere (Image via Wit Studios)

The third episode of the Suicide Squad Isekai anime premiere began with the titular group watching a battlefield from afar, as it was revealed that the Queen’s Kingdom was fighting an enemy Empire. The Imperial forces were trouncing Cecil and his knights, but the titular group was ordered not to get involved. Peacekeeper then revealed that they had 30 hours left from that moment, prompting a flashback to explain how they got there from the prison.

After Cecil’s arrival, Rick Flag took point on conversations with the limited knowledge of their language he picked up from his half-year in prison. His crass language likewise almost ruined it, but eventually, he persuaded Cecil to take them to meet with the Queen. She then cast a spell on them, which allowed them to understand her world’s language.

Rick then revealed that the Queen’s army was losing because the Empire’s officers had been replaced by the group he came to this world with. Likewise, this led Harley and co to realize they were actually the second suicide squad sent to this world, with the first having defected. As the talks devolved, Peacemaker took point and promised the group’s assistance in whatever the Queen needed to win her war.

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She agreed to this on the grounds that Rick would remain imprisoned, and be killed if they failed or defected. After a brief suiting-up montage, the focus returned to the battlefield, where Harley confirmed that the beastmen the Empire was using had been brainwashed. With the new info learned about the Empire’s commanding officers, Deadshot realized he knew exactly who was leading this section of the Empire’s army, calling him a friend.

The third episode of the Suicide Squad Isekai anime premiere then saw the group search for a way inside the castle, eventually using Clayface’s new powers to break down a wall. He then explained how he normally can’t do things like that, but has felt new power flowing into him since entering the world. Harley recognized her newfound strength as this, seemingly setting up the others for eventual power-ups as well.

They then made their way to the commander, revealed to be Ratcatcher, an old “friend” of Deadshot’s. However, a flashback revealed that Deadshot was quite cruel to Ratcatcher, prompting a massive battle. Just as they were about to kill Ratcatcher, Katana appeared and saved him. The episode ended with the Queen and Princess watching the titular group’s victory, while Katana warned Ratcatcher about failing again, given the Emperor’s ideals.