Whether you know his name or not, there’s a decent chance that Genndy Tartakovsky played a role in your childhood. For ’90s kids, he’s best known as the creator of Dexter’s Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, and Samurai Jack. Current teenagers are probably more familiar with the Hotel Transylvania movies, three of which he directed. But regardless of your familiarity with this icon, you need to check out his new show — Unicorn: Warriors Eternal.
Watch the first episode of Unicorn: Warriors Eternal
Unicorn: Warriors Eternal, which debuted on Adult Swim last week, follows three superpowered warriors who are repeatedly reawakened throughout time within new hosts to fend off the forces of evil. Unfortunately, their latest resurrection didn’t go so smoothly, and now the fate of the world is at risk. If that sounds like a show you’d be interested in watching, the first episode is streaming on YouTube for free, and we have embedded it below:
Like Primal, Tartakovsky’s last Adult Swim show, the first season of Unicorn: Warriors Eternal will only have ten episodes. There’s also no guarantee Adult Swim will order a second season of the series. As such, Unicorn doesn’t waste any time getting to the point, blasting through the lore of this world with a single expository scene at the beginning, followed by a thrilling montage of the warriors being reborn and battling new foes in a few different eras.
We don’t have time to form much of a connection to the sorceress Melinda, Eldred the elf, or the cosmic monk Seng, but we learn all that we need to know, including that they have some sort of relationship with Merlin, who has acquired a steam-powered robot named Copernicus from the future to bring them back to life whenever their services are needed.
Cut to the 1890s: Copernicus is hibernating in an unmarked grave when he is suddenly attacked by a group of evil automatons. He’s able to dispatch them relatively easily, but since he has been reactivated, he has no choice but to begin his search for the new hosts. The only problem is that Copernicus wasn’t supposed to start looking for them this soon.
After watching the first two episodes, I was hooked. Unicorn: Warriors Eternal has the same sensibility as all of Tartakovsky’s shows, refusing to talk down to its audience while maintaining a childlike sense of wonder and a mischievous sense of humor.
I’m not familiar with any of the lead voice actors — Hazel Doupe as Emma, Tom Milligan as Dimitri, and Demari Hunte as Alfie — but that’s part of the appeal. It’s a thrill to hear new voices inhabit interesting characters rather than massive celebrities.
I’m also not entirely sure where the story is going after a tragic and frightening end to episode 2, which is always exciting. That said, I’ll be tuning in every week to find out what Tartakovsky has cooked up for this dangerous steampunk world he’s built.
You can stream new episodes of Unicorn: Warriors Eternal on HBO Max after they air.
