Syndicate

Syndicate is an animated television series produced for Axiom Prime from 2023-2027. It is the culmination of a series of interconnected shows, featuring characters introduced in Squad Æ, Project Jeptha, and Bandit Territory along with new characters. Syndicate is set in a retrofuturistic, crapsaccharine world populated by hundreds of sentient species. The series follows a ragtag group of losers who, after having faced smaller threats in their own series, are forced to unite against a conspiracy in Elysium, a shining melting pot acclaimed as the first utopia. It is a lighthearted, lore heavy drama, with larger than life characters adding levity in the form of dark humor and lampshade hanging. The general format of each season follows an overarching storyline with occasional self-contained plots.

The series has been met with critical acclaim and won several awards, including 8 billion Annie Awards, 69 Primetime Emmy Awards, a Dahl Award, and every other award ever made. In reviewing the first season, IAmBagel of IGN wrote, "This sucks." He rated the series a 6.9 out of 10. Curiousgorge66, a television critic for Ligma, wrote, "I can't drive. I don't have a driver's license."

Setting
Syndicate takes place in a world where hundreds of intelligent species evolved on Earth, with humans being the most common. Most intelligent species are entitled to the same rights as humans. Species that are counterproductive as a whole, such as by preying on other intelligent life, lose their rights and are treated no differently than animals. Crossbreeding is possible but is heavily stigmatized by every culture as the offspring are always sterile and tend to suffer from genetic defects.

Most extraterrestrial societies are isolationists. The Treaty of Gorge is a galactic peace treaty that bans outright invasions, but only a handful of planets have signed. Certain planets are considered high-risk and to be avoided at all costs, such as Othon's homeworld Xial, an imperialistic dictatorship. Earth has an immigration service for alien refugees, which many native Earthens have taken issue with. The idea of the supernatural (deities, magic) is still disputed.

Syndicate takes place in a Nevadan city called Elysium, the largest melting pot in the country.

Synopsis
In 2012, Jeptha crash-landed in New City, Oregon, shortly before Mayor Kingman went mad and enclosed the city in an impenetrable barrier. Jeptha played integral roles in forming a resistance and eventually discovered the mayor was being brainwashed by his assistant, Lote. Although Jeptha freed the city, Kingman ultimately died as a scapegoat for Lote, who managed to escape.

In 2023, Jeptha is in Elysium on a lead from Collector, who discovered where Lote was hiding. Jeptha's friends from New City gave up the hunt years ago after all their leads went dead. When the two close in, however, they instead find the corpse of Æ, mayor of Elysium, and are framed for his murder. Instead of being helpful, Mage is peer pressured by Web and their lackey, Saint, into attacking the precinct and busting them out.

Season one
Jeptha, Collector, Mage, Web, and Saint spend the majority of the season as fugitives and find themselves relentlessly pursued by Kizal, an insubordinate detective who is given one last chance to redeem himself. They are caught up in a conspiracy by a transhumanism movement called Excel, whose goal is to slander and purge the nonhuman populace. Lote is also collaborating with the group as a means to an end.

Main characters
Due to a slipup on Alistair's end, Nozus suspects his friend had a hand in Æ's death, which puts him on the trail of the conspiracy behind it. Faced with potential bankruptcy, he devises a plan to expose Excel and profit off of the unsung heroes, spinning them as civil rights activists, rebranding as the consumer-friendly Syndicate, and cashing out on the licensing and endorsement deals.
 * Jeptha: Sole survivor of the Kreonian race, Jeptha is a big fat meanie 😡😡
 * Mage: A hybrid clone created from the genetic material of an Immortal and a fabled, precursor race called the Arcadians. Mage is a violent, lazy, and socially awkward weirdo with no concept of personal space and a penchant for appearing behind people unannounced. He doesn't have any inherent desire to do anything and only sticks around out of personal loyalty for Collector.
 * Collector:
 * Saint: A hyper-competent hitman brainwashed into serving Mage and Web unquestionably. Saint is a bubbly and optimistic practitioner of Dahlism, a cult that encourages debauchery and virgin sacrifices. He was originally an agent of Symmetry, a villainous shadow organization that had created Mage. Saint is a Scaper, a species of lanky blue-skinned humanoids with three fingers.
 * Web: The most unconventional of the lot, Web is a sentient 8-bit sprite.
 * Kizal:
 * Nozus: The founder of the Syndicate brand, Nozus is a corrupt entrepreneur motivated by his own personal interest. After a corporate scandal in 2022, many executives at Zeppelin Industries were arrested except for its founder, Nozus, who was absolved due to a lack of evidence. The incident was a PR disaster and permanently damaged his brand and reputation, forcing his bestfriend, Councilman Alistair, to distance himself because of the bad press.
 * Erin:

Villains

 * Lote:
 * Excel
 * Sapient:
 * Alistair: Sapient's right-hand, Alistair is a demagogue who exploits human frailty to create a fear of nonhumans. He is a member of the city council and becomes a mayoral candidate following Æ's death.
 * Ludwig: An "expert" in genetic engineering although his experiments are known to go spectacularly wrong, usually resulting in the deaths of many personnel.
 * Stan:
 * Commissioner Avraf:
 * Imperium
 * Eris:

Secondary characters

 * Morningstar:
 * Ricky Frizz: Jeptha's cellmate who escapes during the jailbreak. He is implied to have burned down a daycare center. Frizz runs a support group for stigmatized half-human hybrids, as they're known to suffer from mental instability and physical deformities. He offers refuge to Jeptha and his friends, but his neurotic behavior drives them away.
 * Hagel:
 * Azenna:

Minor characters

 * Æ:
 * Dappu:

Video game
Epic Games developed a video game based on the series called Syndicate: Battle Royale (Syndicate: Yeet Chronicles in third world countries). Released on the Leapfrog Learning Tablet in 2025, the game was universally panned. GameSpot's Lemon Athiest gave it a 3, although his review had nothing to due with the game as it derailed into a racist rant.