'Golden Axe' Animated Series Hits Paramount+ September 16, Trailer Leans Hard Into Its Own Game Jokes

In the trailer, Tyris shouts "Sega!" right before charging into battle, and the camera cuts to a meta jab about a "mini boss"—the Golden Axe animated series clearly knows exactly where it came from, a 1989 side-scrolling beat-'em-up, and it's not shy about writing that self-awareness right into the script.

The adaptation was announced back in 2024, and the story sticks close to the source material's bones: three heroes rise up to save the kingdom of Yuria from the villain Death Adder, who's holding the golden battle axe hostage. The trailer even throws in a nod to the game's character select screen, with Tyris delivering a line that practically mirrors the game's pacing, describing how the crew has to "fight through a string of increasingly tough enemies before the final showdown with Death Adder."

The voice cast includes Liam McIntyre (Marvel's Wolverine) as Ax Battler, Lisa Gilroy (Dropout) as Tyris, and Matthew Rhys (Widow's Bay, The Americans) as Gilius. Beyond the original trio, Danny Pudi joins as Hampton Squib, a new character eager to make it as an adventurer.

Behind the scenes, Mike McMahan (Star Trek: Lower Decks) is running the show alongside Joe Chandler, a writer from American Dad. The series was originally slated for Comedy Central before moving over to Paramount+.

Season one will run 10 episodes, with runtimes yet to be announced. The show premieres September 16 on Paramount+.