Unveiling the Ultimate Chronological Guide to Pacific Rim Movies: Demystifying Netflix's The Black Connection

Summary

Pacific Rim: The Black expands the franchise's mythology with minimal connections to the movies, allowing it to stand on its own.

The content:

Content hints that Pacific Rim: The Black occurs chronologically after Pacific Rim: Uprising, marking the furthest point in the franchise's timeline.

The ending of Pacific Rim: The Black implies that there may not be further installments or crossover events, leaving little room for hope.

Netflix's Pacific Rim: The Black is an animated sequel that continues the monster franchise. However, it raises questions about the order in which the Pacific Rim movies should be watched. The original Pacific Rim movie, directed by Guillermo del Toro, initiated the war between Kaiju and Jaegers in 2025. Pacific Rim: Uprising then advanced the storyline by a decade. After three years, Netflix revived the franchise with the animated series Pacific Rim: The Black. This series follows Taylor and Hayley Travis as they search for their parents in Kaiju-infested Australia.

Season 1 of Pacific Rim: The Black expanded the mythology of the franchise with minimal connections to the movies. Season 2 delved even deeper into a horrifying Kaiju messiah storyline. Despite being able to stand on its own, Pacific Rim: The Black does not explicitly reveal its place in the movie timeline. However, there are subtle clues that hint at when the events of Pacific Rim: The Black take place.

How To Watch The Pacific Rim Movies In Order (By Release Date & Chronologically)

Pacific Rim (2013)

Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018)

The Pacific Rim films are released in chronological order, aligning with the stories of the movies. The first Pacific Rim introduces the audience to humanity's initial encounter with the Kaiju in 2013, which leads to the development of the Jaegers and the eventual victory against the Kaiju in 2025. Pacific Rim: Uprising takes place ten years later in 2035, where it is revealed that Dr. "Newt" Geiszler orchestrated the return of the Kaiju and Precursors with the intention of eradicating life on Earth.

Although the threat is eventually overcome, Pacific Rim: Uprising concludes with a warning from Newt, indicating that despite the efforts of Jaeger pilots, the Precursors will continue to pose a threat. This paves the way for the events depicted in Pacific Rim: The Black.

When Does Pacific Rim: The Black Take Place?

Pacific Rim: The Black is positioned chronologically after Pacific Rim: Uprising, as indicated by various clues. The absence of Kaiju attacks between the original film and its sequel rules out the possibility of the show fitting in that timeframe. The presence of Herc Hansen in a flashback to Operation Blackout also limits the earlier period in which the events can occur. Additionally, the show references the Uprising Wars, the known events of the sequel, and the Travis siblings stumble upon destroyed jaegers from that conflict. Considering all these factors, Pacific Rim: The Black represents the furthest point in the franchise timeline to date.

Determining the exact year of the events in Pacific Rim: The Black proves more challenging. Taylor and Hayley search for their parents five years after their disappearance, just before Operation Blackout initiated. However, the show does not clarify whether Operation Blackout coincides with the Uprising Wars or occurs much later. With the events of the movie taking place in 2035, the earliest possible timeframe for Pacific Rim: The Black is 2040. Yet, it remains plausible that Operation Blackout transpired many decades after. As there will be no further seasons after the conclusion of Pacific Rim: The Black season 2, the precise setting of the show may remain an unanswered question.

Pacific Rim: The Black Is Over – Here's What That Means For The Pacific Rim Timeline

Season 2 marked the end of Pacific Rim: The Black, potentially reaching the furthest point in the Pacific Rim timeline. Despite initial plans for a third film that could have connected the original franchise to the animated series, the likelihood of Pacific Rim 3 seems low. The only remaining possibility for Pacific Rim's continuation lies in its rumored crossover with the Godzilla/Kong MonsterVerse. However, this prospect also appears doubtful since Pacific Rim 3 was intended to establish it. Ultimately, the conclusion of Pacific Rim: The Black suggests that the Pacific Rim timeline (and the entire franchise) might be coming to an end. With the introduction of Kaiju Messiahs, the series might have reached its peak in robot absurdity, and now is an appropriate time to halt its progress.