Something called the Genocider is searching for Rick by eliminating every non-Rick entity in Tokyo. Morty, left behind at the Citadel of Ricks, searches for his grandfather before it’s too late.
Tropes:
- Adaptational Nice Guy: Rick is a lot less acerbic in this short, with his only insult towards Morty being a flippant comment to a mutant clone about how his head is only filled with "juvenile fantasies".
- Animesque: Played with. Despite being a genuine anime from Japan the character designs are unchanged from the main series. However, the art style is noticeably different, with softer colours and lighter lines.
- Censored for Comedy: Combined with Symbol Swearing in the subtitles, the specifics of Rick and Morty's adventures that are discussed during their
brief reminiscence just before the climax involves this, contrasted against Morty's innocently smiling face. - Gainax Ending: Rick destroys the Genocider ship, apparently dying in the process, but when Evil Morty is alone, he appears behind him to tell him how much his timeline sucks, before abruptly disappearing. The room that Morty was last seen in floats above the wreckage in a red bubble. Inside the room, a call from Jerry arrives, telling Rick that Morty had just been born. Rick picks up his flask from the table with the phone on it, and replaces it with the empty bottle of ‘medicine’ that Rick had given Morty earlier in the short. Finally, it ends with Morty sitting in the same chair at the Council of Ricks as he did at the start, giving a similar speech.
- Red Light District: Shinjuku is depicted as a mostly-liberal version of this trope, but with aspects of hostility.
- Rip Van Winkle: All Rick tells Morty about the 'medicine' is that it will do this to him.
- Shout-Out: Ricks in all kinds of different clothes can be seen in the Citadel, including one dressed as Waldo
- Someone on the plane when Morty flies to Japan is wearing a Friemds hoodie.
- Solemn Ending Theme: The Ending Song from Rick and Morty vs. Genocider
, by Ayuko Saito, performed here as an extended Lonely Piano Piece rather than the more dream pop-esque version in the credits. - Translation Convention: Like the other anime shorts, the dialogue is in Japanese via the show's official Japanese dub cast (with English subtitles), despite some scenes taking place in America or the Citadel of Ricks.
- The Rip Van Winkle reference, in the original Japanese, actually talks about Urashima Tarou, a Japanese folk tale about a man who, after spending several days in an underwater palace, asks the princess to allow him to return home. She gives him a box that she tells him not to open. When he returns, a hundred years have passed. He opens the box, and turns into an old man.
