Blood of Zeus, formerly known as Gods & Heroes, is an American adult animated fantasy action television series created and written by Charley and Vlas Parlapanides for Netflix. Produced by Powerhouse Animation Studios and animated by South Korean studios Mua Film and Hanho Heung-Up, the first season premiered on October 27, 2020.
In December 2020, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on May 10, 2024. According to the creators, they originally had five seasons outlined. In July 2024, the series was renewed for a third and final season that is set to premiere in May 2025.
Premise
Set in mythical ancient Greece, the series revolves around Heron, the demigod son of Zeus, trying to save Olympus and Earth. Though Heron himself is an original character created exclusively for the series, the existence of such demigods born of the union between a god and a human is implied to be common in the original myths. The series claims in its prologue to be one of the tales "lost to history" rather than part of the current canon of Greek myths. It features gods, giants, demons, automata, titans, and mythical mounts from the original tales.
Voice cast and characters
Main
- Derek Phillips as Heron
- Jessica Henwick as Alexia
- Mamie Gummer as Electra
- Jason O'Mara as Zeus / Elias
- Claudia Christian as Hera and Chrysanthe
- Elias Toufexis as Seraphim
- Chris Diamantopoulos as Poseidon and Evios
- Adetokumboh M'Cormack as Kofi (season 2; supporting season 1)
- Fred Tatasciore as Hades and Aratus Theogonis (season 2; supporting season 1)
- Lara Pulver as Persephone (season 2)
- Cissy Jones as Demeter and Iris (season 2)
Supporting
- Melina Kanakaredes as Ariana (season 1)
- Adam Croasdell as Apollo and Hephaestus
- Danny Jacobs as King Periander and King Acrisius (season 1)
- Matt Lowe as Ares
- Matthew Mercer as Hermes and Alexia's father
- Vanessa Marshall as Ariana's sister and Hestia
- David Shaughnessy as Chiron and Dionysus (season 1)
- Jennifer Hale as Alexia's Mother, Artemis, Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos
- Sarah Elmaleh as Athena (season 2)
- Jean Gilpin as Gaia (season 2)
- Dustin Harnish as Walla (season 2)
- Courtenay Taylor as Hecate (season 2)
- JB Blanc as Rhadamanthus (season 2)
- Kari Wahlgren as Melinoë (season 2)
- Julie Nathanson as Aphrodite (season 2)
- Rachel Rosenbloom as Gorgo (season 2)
- Alfred Molina as Cronus (season 3)
Episodes
Season 1 (2020)
Season 2 (2024)
Reception
Critical response
The first season received a 100% fresh score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes from 21 reviews, with an average rating of 8.14/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Reforging Greek mythology as an epic battle royale with slick imagery and sterling voice acting, Blood of Zeus earns a spot on the Mount Olympus of action animation."
Inverse.com called the series "Netflix's best American anime yet", while IGN gave it a 9/10 score. In a posting summarizing an interview on her podcast with the show's creators, Kate Sánchez argued that the series offers a "nuanced take on anger and how it relates to power" and noted how the series is part of the "continuing trend of adult animation." The New York Times also praised the show, calling it, "special and dazzling" comparing it to the HBO series Game of Thrones. In 2023, Collider ranked Blood of Zeus #2 on its list of Top Ten Mythology Shows. YardBarker called it one of the most extraordinary recent offerings in the dark fantasy and mythology genre, while Ranker named Blood of Zeus their #1 Greek mythology show.
The second season received a 100% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes from 15 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Blood of Zeus long-awaited second season steps down from Olympus to explore Greek myth's underworld, finding even more compelling lore and emotional texture than before."
Marilo Delgado from Espinof gave the second season a 4.5/5 score and wrote, "Blood of Zeus once again proves that it is one of the most entertaining animated series available." Daniel Kurland from Bubblebladder wrote, "Blood of Zeus was a fascinating dissection of not just Greek mythology, but demystifying the larger-than-life figures who are the basis from so much of modern culture's mythology and storytelling." Kate Sanchez from BUT WHY THO? gave the second season a 9.5/10 score and wrote "With fantastic animation that captures epic action moments and emotional character growth that goes far beyond expectations, Blood of Zeus second season is near perfect." Britany Murphy from Muses of Media gave the Second Season a 4.5/5 score and wrote, "The much-anticipated second season of Blood of Zeus has finally graced our screens, and it's a magnificent continuation of the divine drama that captured our attention in the first season." Frantz Jerome of Black Nerd Problems wrote that "Blood of Zeus deeply engages in the ethos of Greek society... The kinds of decisions characters make, the direction of a plot, the design of a character – each of these things hinges on culture". In 2025, Collider named the series among its list of best fantasy shows of the decade so far. and Tom's Guide named it among their list of top five shows about Greek mythology.
Accolades
Composer Paul Edward-Francis was nominated for an Annie Award for Best Music for Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production for his work on the first season of Blood of Zeus, specifically for the episode "Escape or Die."
Ryan Brothers won a Concept Art Association Award for his work on Blood of Zeus. He received the award for his piece titled "The Burning Polis," which was recognized in the Animated Series Environment category.
In 2025, Charles and Vlas Parlapanides were nominated for a Writers Guild of America award for their script "Winter is Born", written for the second season of Blood of Zeus.
References
External links
- Blood of Zeus on Netflix
- Blood of Zeus at IMDb
- Blood of Zeus at Rotten Tomatoes
