CD Projekt Red, the game developer behind Cyberpunk 2077, had previously revealed that part of the franchise’s roadmap is an anime adaptation of the popular board game. The company subsequently revealed the title of said anime as Cyberpunk Edgerunners, which has been active in development since and will release exclusively on Netflix.
So, how does this anime tie into the overall universe that is Cyberpunk?
But first…
What is Cyberpunk?
About the genre, cyberpunk is a subset of science fiction whose overarching theme is a futuristic dystopian world, marked by the downfall of society as we know it. If you have seen films such as the Blade Runner and The Matrix, then you have got already an idea of what cyberpunk is and how it would be commonly depicted—or worse.
Otherwise, it would be about the universe that Mike Pondsmith built as a tabletop role-playing game (RPG), which would later become the basis of CDPR’s most recent major title, Cyberpunk 2077. Although the creator himself happily differentiates his work from the typical “cyberpunk” subgenre by classifying it as either “Cyberpunk Red” or “Cyberpunk 2020”. Either way, his work has most, if not all, the hallmark of the same sci-fi subgenre.
Cyberpunk Edgerunners Anime Story
Set in the same world as the one seen in Cyberpunk 2077, Edgerunners is a standalone 10-episode series, featuring a protagonist that is reminiscent of the former’s main character, V, in terms of hairstyle, attire, and some aesthetics, named David, as well as a major supporting character named Lucy.
David is a street kid who lives in Night City, hustling life in the futuristic urban jungle, alongside his mother. Lucy, meanwhile, is an edgerunner, another term for a mercenary outlaw, whose reserved character is complemented with an aspiration of someday reaching the moon as an escape.
The two would make a fateful encounter when David joins a cyberpunk group to which Lucy belongs, including involvement with the violent gang with an extreme obsession with body modifications, called Maelstroms. This is as far as what the anime story would go, as there has not been any official revelation about it, as of writing.
Cyberpunk Edge runners Anime Trailer
Watch the official trailer released by Netflix below.
What studio will produce Cyberpunk Edgerunners?
Cyberpunk Edgerunners would not be respectfully called an anime without a Japanese team behind its creation. For that reason, the developing title is handed and being developed by some of the best and most experienced people in the industry.
Taking the role of the director is Neon Genesis Evangelion and Kill la Kill-fame Hiroyuki Imaishi. Lending their creative talent in the direction is also Darling in the FranXX Producer Hiromi Wakabayashi as well as Gurren Lagann Episode Director Masahiko Otsuka, as creative director and assistant director, respectively.
As for the visuals, Yoh Yoshinari, who is known for his work with Little Witch Academia, will be showcasing his artistic talent as the character designer.
No information yet regarding the voice actors and cast as of the moment.
Cyberpunk Edgerunners release date
Cyberpunk Edgerunners will start airing on Netflix in September 2022. We will update this article once we get the exact release date.