Blade Runner: Black Lotus
Series, 2021, Los Angeles, Set in 2032
Blade Runner: Black Lotus is #3 of 3 in release order and #2 of 3 in chronological order in the Blade Runner.
The story
Los Angeles 2032. A young woman wakes up with no memories, and possessing deadly skills. The only clues to her mystery are a locked data device and a tattoo of a black lotus. Putting together the pieces, she must hunt down the people responsible for her brutal and bloody past to find the truth of her lost identity.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus recap
In 2032, Elle, a young replicant woman with no memory and a black lotus tattoo, wakes up in Los Angeles carrying a data device. She is taken in by Joseph, a former blade runner, and Doc Badger, a black market dealer. The device holds footage of the Doll Hunt, an event where powerful men hunted replicants for sport, and Elle sets out to kill those involved, including Senator Bannister, Hooper, Police Chief Earl Grant and Doctor M, as her memories return. LAPD officer Alani Davis investigates the killings. Elle kills the head of the Wallace Corporation, Niander Wallace Sr., and learns that his son, Niander Wallace Jr., built her to kill his father. Joseph admits he once worked with the dangerous blade runner Marlowe, and kills Marlowe. Wallace Jr. sends the replicant assassin Water Lily after Elle.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus ending explained
Elle infiltrates the old Tyrell building and faces Wallace Jr., who kills Water Lily himself. Elle blinds him with her sword. Joseph blows up the replicant factory, sacrificing himself to save her. A month later, Wallace Jr. continues his plans, and Elle rides Joseph's motorbike into the desert.
Where to watch Blade Runner: Black Lotus
Blade Runner: Black Lotus is streaming on Crunchyroll in the US.
Ratings
IMDb 6.3/10, Rotten Tomatoes 71%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Blade Runner 2049, the latest.
- Chronological order: after Blade Runner, before Blade Runner 2049.
What to watch before Blade Runner: Black Lotus
In release order, the essentials before Blade Runner: Black Lotus (2021) are Blade Runner (1982) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). Blade Runner: Black Lotus itself is optional in the Blade Runner order.
Cast
- Jessica Henwick as Elle (voice)
- Will Yun Lee as Joseph (voice)
- Wes Bentley as Niander Wallace Jr. (voice)
- Samira Wiley as Officer Alani Davis (voice)
- Josh Duhamel as Marlowe (voice)
- Zehra Fazal as Female Police Dispatcher (voice)
- Stephen Root as Police Chief Earl Grant (voice)
- Barkhad Abdi as Doc Badger (voice)
- Elias Toufexis as Drove (voice)
- Peyton List as Josephine Grant (voice)
- Brian Cox as Niander Wallace Sr. (voice)
- Sunil Malhotra as Police Officer (voice)
Created by Shinji Aramaki, Kenji Kamiyama.