The long-awaited Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime spin-off, which was first teased in June 2020, will finally debut on Netflix in September 2022.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a Netflix Original anime series based on CD Projekt Red’s video game Cyberpunk 2077. It follows a cast of new and original characters who inhabit the well-explored and immersive Night City.
Although the video game greatly underperformed during its lifecycle, many can agree that the original concept and aesthetics of the world are love letters to nostalgic masterpieces such as Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall.
Who’s producing it?
The anime is produced by Studio Trigger, the company that created the beloved animation Kill La Kill, and directed by Hiromi Wakabayashi and Hiroyuki Imaishi. The show is written by screenwriters Masahiko Otsuka and Yoshiki Usa, both of whom are experienced veterans in the field with beloved works such as Little Witch Academia, Star Wars: Visions, and SSSS.Dynazenon.
Scheduled for September 2022, the 10-part Netflix original series will become a part of their ever-growing catalogue of shows rooted in alternate realities.
What’s it about?
Night City is the perfect breeding ground for adaptation stories | Image Credit: CD Projekt Red
Although set in the Cyberpunk universe, much is not known about the characters. Fortunately, the writers have given us a pretty good idea of what the story will focus on. Here’s the official synopsis:
“A Street Kid trying to survive in a technology and body modification-obsessed city of the future. Having everything to lose, he chooses to stay alive by becoming an Edgerunner, a Mercenary outlaw also known as a Cyberpunk.”
Despite the familiar setting, it remains to be seen if characters will cross over to the anime.
Who are the main characters?
Twitter user @Vesn4_ has pointed out that protagonist David Martinez might already have been referenced in the game in the form of a cocktail served at the Afterlife (no link provided as it potentially contains a spoiler, but you can easily find it), suggesting that Edgerunners takes place just before the events of the game. This has not been officially confirmed.
David starts off in Edgereunners as just your average Joe, and he soon turns to a life of crime when he acquires the Cyberware called Sandevistan, a modification that allows spinal injections containing adrenaline to give David inhuman levels of speed and agility. Similar to the Flash from DC comics, David can move in quick bursts of speed, enabling him to carry out superhuman feats. In one of the teasers, he was able to rescue a girl in a standoff without being noticed, while his team takes out the gang.
One of the major characters revealed is Lucy, an introverted and reticent girl who takes on the mantle of Edgerunner for reasons unknown. Having a mod called the Nanowire, she easily cuts through bone and metal alike, so expect to see extremely graphic fights anytime she is involved.
Is this part of the Cyberpunk 2077 world?
Details are somewhat limited in regards to the timeline, but what we know for certain is that Edgerunners takes place in Night City and is a standalone story.
Lucy possibly revealing her Cyberware enhancement. | Image: CD Projekt Red
Teaser trailers and behind the Scenes
Our first look at the Cyberpunk anime provides a glimpse into the art style and darker tones that we can expect from the series. Aside from the intro, there are multiple teasers for our perusal. We are also introduced to the Maelstrom gang, who represents the typical bad apples that our heroes will come up against. The brutal and gory battle scene sets the tone and mood for what audiences can expect.
For fans who crave every morsel of information regarding Edgerunners, Netflix has also released an eleven-minute-long video with both the writers discussing their inspirations for the series as well as comparisons with the game.
