Cyberpunk: Edgerunners - What We Know So Far

"Cyberpunk 2077" had one of the more disappointing video game launches in recent memory. When it dropped on November 19, 2020, it was so full of bugs and glitches that many found it unplayable, and it was even temporarily removed from the PlayStation store. Since then, its developer, CD Projekt Red, has worked tirelessly to improve the game. If you're one of the fans who was won over by CD Projekt Red's post-launch efforts, you might be interested in the new anime tie-in series, "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners." 

"Cyberpunk: Edgerunners" is a production of Studio Trigger and was developed exclusively for Netflix. The project is helmed by celebrated director Hiroyuki Imaishi and features a score by Akira Yamaoka, best known for creating the music for many of the "Silent Hill" video games (via IGN).

"Cyberpunk: Edgerunners" premiered on September 13, 2022. Now that it's available, we have all the information you need before deciding to watch. Make sure all your body-mods are properly calibrated and let's download everything we know about the plot, cast, and official trailer for "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners."

"Cyberpunk: Edgerunners" will be a proper spin-off that tells a separate story from "Cyberpunk 2077," told over a span of ten episodes. Although the narrative is different, it will take place in Night City, the same setting as the game. It takes place a few years before the story of V. V doesn't appear in the series, but several other characters from the game do. 

The protagonist of "Edgerunners" is David Martinez, a kid living on the streets of Night City who's enrolled in an Arasaka Corporation charter academy. After his mother is tragically gunned down, he embraces the life of a body modification-obsessed edgerunner, or "a mercenary outlaw also known as a cyberpunk" (via IGN). His mentor in the world of Edgerunning is Maine, who introduces him to her crew of fellow cyber-mercs.  

While the game draws aesthetic and narrative influence from a variety of sci-fi sources, it owes much of its inspiration to the tabletop role-playing game "Cyberpunk 2020," which was originally released in 1988. The creator of the game, Mike Pondsmith, has even been collaborating with CD Projekt Red on their contemporary update to his original ideas (via Rolling Stone). However, like the video game it's based on, we wouldn't be surprised if elements from the original "Cyberpunk 2020" made their way into "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners."

According to IMDb, Zach Aguilar voices David Martinez in the English-language version of the series. Rounding out David's crew of edgerunners are William Christopher Stephens as Maine, Emi Lo as his love interest Lucy, Marie Westbrook as Dorio, Stephanie Wong as Kiwi, Ian James Corlett as Pilar, Alex Cazares as Rebecca, and Matthew Mercer as Falco. Gloria Garayua plays Gloria Martinez, David's mother. She appears in all ten episodes despite her fate, so she likely appears in flashback form. 

None other than "Better Call Saul's" Giancarlo Esposito joins them in the role of Faraday, an Arasaka corporate fixer who also appears in the board game "Cyberpunk 2077: Gangs of Night City" (via the Cyberpunk Wiki). He's the show's main villain. 

Other actors in major roles are Bill Butts as Douglas and Borge Etienne as the gang's Ripperdoc–i.e. an underground doctor who installs cyberware. 

Finally, in the tenth and final episode, Alec Newman plays Adam Smasher, Arasaka's heavily modded head of security and the main antagonist from the video game. Newman voiced Smasher in the game, as well. 

Netflix released the official trailer for "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners" on August 1, and it gives us a good idea of what the show is like. 

The trailer begins with an overhead shot of the neon-drenched Night City, a place where "chrome exceeds the flesh." Then, it launches into some intense action that includes many features from the video game, like gunplay and some braindancing–a feature that lets users experience other people's memories. 

After that, the trailer introduces David and his story. It showcases some of his new edgerunner abilities, like his super-speed and strength. The visuals and sound effects strongly resemble the video game, so it should be familiar to anyone who's played it. 

Finally, trailer announcement also revealed several behind-the-scenes talent who are responsible for the series. They include creative director Hiromi Wakabayashi, character designer and animation director Yoh Yoshinari, and screenwriters Yoshiki Usa and Masahiko Otsuka.