Summary

• The best Pacific Rim sequel, Pacific Rim: The Black, is a character-driven anime-inspired series set in a post-apocalyptic Australia.
• Based on context clues, the show takes place after Pacific Rim: Uprising and expands the franchise's lore with new characters and a fresh setting.
• Although there has been talk of expanding the Pacific Rim cinematic universe, Pacific Rim 3 is not currently in development.

Although it didn't get the attention it deserved, the best Pacific Rim sequel came out in 2021 — and it's much better than Pacific Rim: Uprising, the 2018 sequel to Guillermo del Toro's hit Kaiju-monster film. Penned by del Toro and Travis Beacham, the original Pacific Rim movie, which hit theaters in 2013, garnered a whopping $411 million at the global box office and received solid reviews from critics and audiences alike, despite its style-over-substance approach. In Pacific Rim, humans are at war with Kaiju — enormous monsters that have crawled out of an inter-dimensional portal.

To fight back, humans created Jaegers — giant mechas piloted by two soldiers who share a mental link. While the original movie establishes the universe's lore and world, it also centers on once-retired Jaeger pilot Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam), who mentors rookie Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) in the later days of the Human-Kaiju War. Pacific Rim: Uprising centers on Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), a Jaeger pilot trying to uphold his father's legacy. A popcorn movie to its core, Uprising was much less well-received than its predecessor, making a third Pacific Rim project the better follow-up.

Pacific Rim: The Black Animated Show Was Better Than Pacific Rim: Uprising

The Animated Netflix Series Is A More Character-Driven Pacific Rim Entry

While Pacific Rim: Uprising was criticized for being a derivative, less imaginative romp, Netflix's animated series, Pacific Rim: The Black, is the complete opposite. The third installment in the Pacific Rim franchise, The Black is a two-season anime-influenced series that aired from 2021 to 2022 before being axed. Set in the same universe that del Toro and Beacham created in 2013, Pacific Rim: The Black sees Kaiju emerging from the ocean to overrun Australia. Despite their efforts, Jaeger pilots are unable to successfully beat back the Kaiju with their enormous armored mechs, which reshapes the continent.

With a fresh setting and more character-driven story, Pacific Rim: The Black is the superior sequel.

This post-apocalyptic version of Australia is populated by isolated pockets of survivors, including teenagers Taylor (Calum Worthy) and Hayley Travis (Gideon Adlon), whose parents left to fight the Kaiju. When Pacific Rim: The Black's siblings find an old Jaeger, they realize that the mech can help locate their parents. In true apocalyptic fashion, however, Taylor and Hayley's journey is continuously thwarted by their fellow survivors, all of whom want to get their hands on the Jaeger, as well as the ruthless Kaiju. With a fresh setting and more character-driven story, Pacific Rim: The Black is the superior sequel.

When Pacific Rim: The Black Takes Place In The Pacific Rim Timeline

The Animated Pacific Rim Series Is Set After The Uprising Wars

For viewers looking to watch the Pacific Rim movies in timeline order, Pacific Rim: The Black complicates things a bit. The events of the original Pacific Rim unfolded in 2025, while Uprising jumped forward a decade to focus on an adult version of Marshal Stacker Pentecost's (Idris Elba) son, Jake. A somewhat-standalone show, Pacific Rim: The Black doesn't definitively state when it occurs within the franchise's timeline, but there are some clues that strongly suggest that it unfolds after Uprising. For example, the show repeatedly mentions the Uprising Wars and even spotlights familiar Jaegers from the second movie.

Will There Ever Be Another Pacific Rim Movie?

Pacific Rim 3 Isn't Currently In The Works Despite Previous Cinematic Universe Claims

For now, the ending of Pacific Rim: The Black season 2 is the last entry in the Pacific Rim universe. Ahead of Pacific Rim: Uprising's release, director Steven S. DeKnight claimed a third movie had been written, but that its future hinged on the success of Uprising. Although Uprising didn't perform poorly, it made just half of what the original grossed, leaving its future uncertain. DeKnight also suggested sequels, standalone stories, and spinoffs set in the Pacific Rim universe weren't off the table (via SlashFilm). For now, there are no official plans or developments for Pacific Rim 3.

Both seasons of Pacific Rim: The Black are streaming on Netflix.

Source: SlashFilm