Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Lore & Background

The series is set in Night City, a self-reliant metropolis between the Free States of North and South California, plagued by cybernetic modification, gang violence, and corporate warfare. The city is divided into six districts controlled by megacorporations like Arasaka and Militech. The story centers on David Martinez, a poor student at Arasaka Academy who, after a personal tragedy, meets netrunner Lucy Kushinada and joins a crew of edgerunners led by Maine. David discovers an abnormally high tolerance for cybernetic implants and pushes his limits to protect his loved ones and become a legend.

Reader's Guide

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is significant as a critically acclaimed anime that expanded the Cyberpunk universe beyond the video game. It debuted on Netflix's top ten list in its first week with 14.88 million hours of viewing, and its success helped increase Cyberpunk 2077 sales to 20 million units. The series was praised for its writing, characters, action, animation, music, and worldbuilding. A standalone sequel, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2, is set for release on October 20, 2026, with a new story and cast. The show also spawned a prequel manga and crossover content in games like Guilty Gear Strive and Wuthering Waves.

Did You Know?

• The series was announced during a 'Night City Wire' livestream on June 25, 2020.
• The opening theme is 'This Fffire' by Franz Ferdinand, and the ending theme is 'Let You Down' by Dawid Podsiadło.
• Rosa Walton's song 'I Really Want to Stay at Your House' was featured prominently and critically praised.
• As of now, no standalone sequel series has been officially announced or confirmed by CD Projekt Red or Trigger.

The World and David's Descent

Set between 2075 and 2076, the series unfolds in Night City, a sprawling metropolis wedged between the Free States of North and South California. The city is a pressure cooker of obsessive cybernetic modification, gang warfare, and corporate conflict, all worsened by a corrupt municipal government. Six districts are carved up by megacorporations, with Arasaka and its rival Militech holding the most power. Into this world steps David Martinez, a talented but broke student at the elite Arasaka Academy. After a sudden personal tragedy shatters his life, he crosses paths with Lucy, a mysterious young netrunner who pulls him into the orbit of a crew of edgerunners—cybernetically enhanced mercenary outlaws taking contracts against Arasaka itself. What sets David apart is his extraordinary tolerance for cyberware, allowing him to stack implants far beyond what a normal body can handle. Driven by love and a desperate need to protect the people who have become his family, he pushes his physical and emotional boundaries to the breaking point, chasing legend in a city that devours the young and the reckless.

A Transatlantic Dream Team

Announced in June 2020 during a Night City Wire livestream, the project was born from an unlikely partnership: Polish game developer CD Projekt Red and Japanese animation studio Trigger. Rafał Jaki served as the series creator, while Hiroyuki Imaishi took the director's chair. The writing team included Masahiko Otsuka and Yoshiki Usa, with Yoh Yoshinari handling both character design and animation direction. Hiromi Wakabayashi guided the project as creative director, and Akira Yamaoka composed the score. The soundtrack leaned heavily on the world of Cyberpunk 2077, pulling tracks from the game's in-game radio stations. Franz Ferdinand's "This Fffire" opened each episode, while Dawid Podsiadło's "Let You Down" closed them. Rosa Walton's "I Really Want to Stay at Your House" became a standout, earning particular critical praise for its emotional resonance. The series premiered on Netflix on September 13, 2022, and Aniplex later issued a Blu-ray Disc set on May 28, 2025.

Critical Acclaim and a Second Life for 2077

Critics responded with near-universal enthusiasm. On Rotten Tomatoes, all sixteen reviews from critics landed positive, producing a perfect 100 percent score and an average rating of 8.8 out of 10. Reviewers singled out the writing, character work, action choreography, animation quality, musical choices, and the depth of worldbuilding. Jonathon Wilson of Ready Steady Cut captured a sentiment many shared, calling it the Cyberpunk story the game itself wanted to tell but could not. Matt Kim at IGN highlighted the show's vivid exploration of Night City's hostile daily existence, noting that the visual effects gave the city itself a presence that rivaled the characters. The numbers told their own story: in its debut week the series cracked Netflix's top ten with 14.88 million hours viewed. More importantly, the buzz fed directly back into the game, pushing Cyberpunk 2077's lifetime sales to 20 million units and sparking a broader reappraisal of the title. The momentum was strong enough that a standalone sequel, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2, is slated for release on October 20, 2026.

The Crew and the World Around Them

Beyond David, the ensemble is built from vivid, overlapping relationships. Lucy Kushinada, a young netrunner with a mysterious past, carries a deep hatred for Arasaka and a quiet dream of reaching the Moon. Maine, the crew's leader, takes David under his wing, while his girlfriend Dorio serves as second-in-command. Kiwi is a stoic veteran netrunner and Lucy's mentor; Pilar is the foul-mouthed techie whose younger sister Rebecca handles firearms with impulsive loyalty. Falco, a nomad getaway driver, keeps the crew mobile. Supporting the core are Gloria Martinez, David's single mother and a paramedic who scavenges cyberware from corpses to fund his Arasaka Academy tuition, and the local ripperdoc known as Doc, who installs David's implants and supplies immunoblockers. On the antagonistic side, Faraday is a well-connected fixer with Militech ties who covets a position at Arasaka, while Adam Smasher—voiced in English by Alec Newman, who reprises the role from Cyberpunk 2077—stands as Arasaka's fully cybernetic head of security, a legendary supersoldier and the crew's ultimate threat.