The upcoming anime collaboration between Warner Bros. Japan and Wit Studio, Suicide Squad Isekai, finds fan favorite Harley Quinn leading a team including Peacemaker, Clayface, Deadshot and King Shark through an interdimensional portal into a fantasy world of swords and sorcery.
The hype for the anime just got turned up to 11 with the release of the anime’s wild first trailer this week, confirming a 2024 release date. Along with the glimpse of Harley Quinn and company wreaking havoc across fantasy realms, Warner Bros. Japan also dropped an official synopsis for their ambitious DC/Wit Studio crossover project:
In the crime-ridden city of Gotham, Amanda Waller, the head of A.R.G.U.S., has assembled a group of notorious criminals for a mission: Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Peacemaker, Clayface, and King Shark. These Super-Villains are sent into an otherworldly realm that’s connected to this world through a gate. It’s a world of swords and magic where orcs rampage and dragons rule the skies—an “ISEKAI”!
With lethal explosives planted in their necks, there’s no running or hiding, and failing the mission means a one-way ticket to the afterlife! Can Harley Quinn and her crew conquer this perilous ISEKAI realm?! Brace yourselves for the pulse-pounding saga of the elite task force known as the “Suicide Squad” as they embark on a jaw-dropping adventure!
This bizarre crossover premise has sparked much curiosity about what exactly director Amanda Waller’s motives could be for flinging Task Force X into the unknown perils of an Isekai realm. And as a seasoned Suicide Squad watcher, a few speculative theories come to my mind.
Why Amanda Walker sent Harley Quinn to another world in Suicide Squad Isekai
- The first potential rationale plays off the classic Squadron strategy – sending disposable villains on deadly missions allows Waller to maintain deniability for the government. Perhaps she intends to utilize the portal to access valuable resources in the new world, but needs the expendable Squad to scope out any threats first. After all, we know from the synopsis that lethal explosives have been implanted in their necks to ensure compliance.
However, Harley Quinn’s involvement adds an unpredictable variable. Based on her body language towards Waller in the trailer, Harley doesn’t seem overly enthusiastic about this assignment. Will she switch sides and throw a Hammer-shaped wrench into Waller’s plans? It wouldn’t be the first time Quinn’s unpredictability has thwarted Amanda.
The Suicide Squad might be tasked with colonizing the Isekai realm:
There is also the question of how the fantastical Isekai realm itself fits into Waller’s scheming. Here, my mind turns to the anime “Gate” for a potential clue.
- In that show, the discovery of a portal to another world allows the Japanese government to access invaluable resources and political alliances through trade and cultural exchange. Perhaps Waller has struck a similar arrangement here – she gains access to Isekai resources or allies in exchange for infiltrating the realm with her team of antiheroes.
Of course, Clayface’s terrified reaction in the trailer hints that Waller severely downplayed the dangers involved. Rampaging orcs and fire-breathing dragons pose lethal threats even to enhanced individuals like Deadshot or King Shark. Does Waller expect the Squad to conquer territory themselves before the real allies show up? That seems quite likely given her ruthlessness.
She may also intend to eventually expand the operation for colonization if Quinn’s crew can eliminate the biggest threats. The chaos of the portal provides useful cover for stations in the new world free of oversight. And who better to unleash into a lawless realm than morally uninhibited killers like the Squad? Amanda Waller does love a good deniable black ops base.
Conclusion:
Whatever the specific motivations, the choice of Harley Quinn to lead this ragtag team into the unknown hints that subterfuge is inevitable. Between Harley’s unpredictability, the Squad’s homicidal tendencies and Waller’s ruthless scheming, odds seem high that allegiance in this dimension-hopping adventure will prove quite fluid. Rival factions in both realms likely vie for dominance. Where Quinn’s loyalties ultimately land could determine success, failure…or an even more chaotic outcome.
Of course, speculation will continue until Amanda Waller finally shows her whole hand. But knowing her devious history, Harley Quinn suddenly becoming an Isekai protagonist seems unlikely to go smoothly, for anyone involved. The explosives implanted for compliance may instead spark explosive betrayals. Chaos awaits when the Suicide Squad clashes with fantasy!
