The old Golden Axe party has finally made it to television — with one member who probably should not be trusted with a sword. All ten episodes of the animated action-comedy premiered on Paramount+ on September 16. Ax Battler, Tyris Flare and Gilius Thunderhead reunite to face Death Adder, and inexperienced adventurer Hampton Squib insists on coming along.
The series treats SEGA’s 1989 arcade game as a place to play, not as a checklist of levels to copy. There are familiar fighters, fantasy creatures and the land of Yuria, but the tone is proudly comic. Hampton wants the kind of heroic story the veterans have already lived. His lack of experience is the thing that keeps the group from becoming a straight-faced nostalgia parade.
How many episodes and where can you watch?
Paramount+ released all ten episodes at once, exclusively on its streaming service. There is no weekly wait for the next one. The show is rated TV-14 and mixes sword-and-sorcery fights with jokes aimed at an older audience. That rating matters if a parent remembers the game from childhood and assumes every adaptation has the same intended audience.
Who voices the party?
Liam McIntyre voices Ax Battler, the honorable barbarian. Lisa Gilroy plays the sharp-tongued sorceress Tyris Flare. Matthew Rhys is Gilius Thunderhead, the grumpy dwarf. Danny Pudi voices Hampton, the new and spectacularly underprepared recruit. Carl Tart plays Chronos “Evil” Lait, the humanoid panther who came from Golden Axe III.
That mix gives each hero a distinct comic rhythm. The trailer lets the familiar warriors look formidable, then finds a joke in the way they have to live and argue with one another between battles. Hampton is a useful entry point for viewers who have never played an arcade cabinet; the veterans give longtime fans something to recognize.
How close is this to the original game?
The core quest still turns on Death Adder and the heroes defending Yuria. Ax, Tyris and Gilius come from the original franchise, while Hampton was invented for this show. The series also uses Chronos from the third game. It is an adaptation with familiar pieces and a new comic story, so nobody has to finish a game before pressing play.
Mike McMahan and Joe Chandler co-created Golden Axe and co-wrote its first episode. Chandler is the showrunner, Titmouse handles the animation, and SEGA is involved among the production partners. McMahan’s work on Star Trek: Lower Decks gives a sense of the comic pedigree, though Golden Axe has its own fantasy setting and characters.
A decade-spanning game franchise has room for more than a solemn retelling. The real question for this version is whether its heroes’ familiar skills remain fun when Hampton keeps complicating their quest. The entire first season is available now to find out.
See the setting and full release details on our Golden Axe series page.
