CD Projekt RedandStudio Triggerhave officially announcedCyberpunk: Edgerunners 2, a surprise sequel to the critically acclaimed anime that first arrived onNetflixback in 2022. The first season is an incredible expansion ofCyberpunk 2077, and massive adoration for the animated series likely played a big role in the once-maligned RPG’s redemption arc. It gave fans a wonderful story and lovable characters in a video game world that still couldn’t be truly enjoyed, and so its value to the Cyberpunk brand cannot be overstated. Now, it’s coming back for round two.
The news broke during the ‘Cyberpunk Edgerunners: Behind The Scenes With Its Creators’ panel at Anime Expo in Los Angeles this past weekend, where writer and producer Bartosz Sztybor, voice actors Emi Lo (Lucy Kushinada) and Zach Aguilar (David Martinez), and director Hiroyuki Imaishi were in attendance. Edgerunners 2, instead of acting as a continuation of the original series, will instead feature “an entirely new story, fresh characters, and a raw, realistic take on the most dangerous city of the dark future.”
I can’t describe how much of a relief this revelation is and how it’s the absolute right choice for Edgerunners 2 despite how iconic its original cast of characters has become.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 Needs To Leave The Past Behind
If you’ve seen the original Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, you’ll remember that it has a particularly tragic ending. After falling in love throughout the course of the series and promising they can start a new life together on the moon, Lucy fulfills this dream after David is butchered by the infamous Adam Smasher, while other characters like Rebecca also bite the dust. It’s an epic yet utterly heartbreaking conclusion where individuals who were once filled with hope are all crushed underneath the boot of militaristic fascism.
David Martinez succumbs to the evils of cyberpsychosis after 10 episodes of abusing enhancements, with a kiss from Lucy bringing his sanity back forjust long enoughto save the day. The final episodes are defined by constant acts of violence, betrayal, and tragedy that perfectly encapsulate everything we love and hate about Night City. Happiness within it is fleeting, especially for a gang like this who spend their lives on a knife edge. You saw their demise coming, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.
But modern media has a habit of reversing death or being too afraid of cementing acts of tragedy in fear of fans reacting negatively or leaving their stories behind. It’s unhealthy to expect media to continually pander to us, and sometimes bad characters need to do bad things to survive, or in the case of Edgerunners, perish in pursuit of them.
So, I’d developed a fear that if Edgerunners was to receive a sequel, it was going to find a weak way for beloved characters like David and Rebecca to return, even if it undermined the writers’ original intentions. Thankfully, CDPR and Studio Trigger have no interest in doing such a thing.
Thankfully, CDPR And Studio Trigger Are Doing Just That With Edgerunners 2
In many ways, Edgerunners is a story defined by death. It begins with the passing of David’s mother in a completely avoidable incident that only came to pass thanks to grim corporations whose indifference brought society to its knees, helping to facilitate a place like Night City in which innocent bystanders are killed each and every day. You can either try to live a normal and prosperous life free from crime, or lean into this corruption and be somebody. David is a normal person in the opening, but as the finale reaches its end, he becomes a legend.
you’re able to even find a drink named after David Martinez in Afterlife, where legends of the decaying metropolis live on forever. He’s in good company with Johnny Silverhand.
CDPR and Studio Trigger are abundantly aware of the reverence these characters hold, which is why its announcement tweet for Edgerunners 2 begins with the words “David is Dead. But Night City lives on.” It’s a bold statement of intent, making clear that our hero should be seen as a single legend in a city filled with them, and their story, regardless of resonating with us so intimately, should be admired for its brevity and left behind.
Also, Sztybor has already confirmed that this new season will be “sadder,” “darker,” and “more bloody,” adding during the Studio Trigger panel that “I wanted to make the whole world sad… when people are sad, I’m a bit happy. It will also be darker, more bloody, and more raw.”
It’s safe to say we’re in for quite a ride for Edgerunners 2, and the focus remains on the telling of a finite story in which we will fall in love with characters before being forced to say farewell. It’s a powerful means of storytelling, and one that modern media doesn’t make use of enough considering our obsession with franchising the same characters and worlds again and again. This is still Night City, but one of a thousand sides we’ve never seen before.
What Do We Know About Cybperunk: Edgerunners 2 Right Now?
Aside from the fact that Edgerunners 2 is in production, we don’t know a huge amount about it right now.Attendees of the announcement panel were treated to some teaser footage, and while it’s mostly made up of existing scenes and characters, towards the end we do catch our first glimpse at a new face. They’re a small, green-eyed character - possibly even a child - who holds a camera in their hand. I’m convinced the characters standing alongside them are new to the cast as well, although we know nothing about them right now.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they were a younger character and used the camera as a means to thematically express how children are forced to be observers of this broken world, and, so much like David before them, are influenced by powers outside their control. All they’re capable of doing is standing and watching, or, with the right help, try to take back control.
Kai Ikarashi, who helmed the excellent ‘Girl on Fire’ episode in season 1, will return as director this time around, while Kanno Ichigo (Promare) returns as character designer. In terms of the screenplay, Masahiko Otsuka (Promare, Gurrenn Lagaan) will pen the story. This is a supremely talented team, and I’ve learned from experience to never count Studio Trigger out when it comes to productions like this. Aside from that and the details we learned from Anime Expo, however, we know little else. No release date, no casting news, purely that it will be another 10-episode experience ready to break our hearts.
Putting all of this talent aside, though, what I’m most excited about is the willingness to not only accept the death of incredible characters, but acknowledge they are just fragments of something far bigger. A wave in an ocean of stories waiting to be told in a universe bursting with potential. I wouldn’t be surprised if the moonbound Lucy makes a cameo, but even if she doesn’t, Edgerunners 2 is much stronger for letting go of the past.
