This Leak Won’t Squelch Our Excitement for ‘Terminator Zero’

When I first heard about Terminator Zero, I was surprised. Terminator absolutely makes sense as an anime, but I was delightfully surprised that Warner Bros. actually took the initiative to do it.

Terminator Zero isn’t an adaptation, but will rather tell a new story in a split timeline between 1997 and 2022. Fans are waiting with bated breath to see exactly how the new series will impact Terminator‘s delightfully messy timeline.

This series isn’t the only of its kind. Alongside series like Suicide Squad Isekai, Terminator Zero seems part of the company’s larger push to entice the growing anime market with its Hollywood stalwarts.

Unfortunately, all eight episodes of Terminator Zero just leaked three weeks ahead of its August 29 release date. The leak is part of a massive Netflix breach which began unrolling on August 7, 2024.

This is way bigger than just Terminator Zero

While Terminator Zero is getting a ton of attention, Netflix is home to a bunch of the most anticipated anime and animated series for the rest of this year. DANDADAN is arguably the most anticipated anime of the fall season. Arcane‘s second season is just as hyped. Ranma 1/2 brings back a beloved classic. Not to mention Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- and the new (and stunning-looking) Mononoke movie.

Alongside Terminator Zero, all of those series and movies have now been leaked online in some capacity. Netflix’s entire slate of animation for the rest of the year seems to have been affected. It’s being called on social media “the biggest leak in animation history.”

We began to sense that something was awry when the opening of DANDADAN leaked and started proliferating on social media on August 6. On August 7, full episodes of multiple series began showing up on outlets like 4chan. For Ranma 1/2 and Re:ZERO, a handful of episodes leaked. So far, half of Arcane season two and DANDADAN has leaked. Of all the leaked series, Terminator Zero is the only one so far where all episodes have leaked.

Leaks like this are a huge insult for the hundreds of artists, musicians, actors, etc. who spent so much time laboring on these shows. It’s also a bummer for the fan base. Like manga leaks, show leaks pop the air out of the hype balloon of a show. Having to dodge spoilers online for something which isn’t even out yet really sucks.

If you need further incentive to wait for the real release, all of the leaks—including for Terminator Zero—are incredibly low quality. Production I.G makes gorgeous work, and you deserve to see it at its best. August 29 is just three weeks away, after all.

In the meantime, Netflix has yet to comment on this huge breach.