Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Summary: Dreams are doomed to die in Night City, a futuristic Californian metropolis. As a teenager living in the city's slums, David Martinez is trying to fulfill his mother's lifelong wish for him to reach the top of Arasaka, the world's leading security corporation. To this end, he attends the prestigious Arasaka Academy while his mother works tirelessly to keep their family afloat.
When an incident with a street gang leaves David's life in tatters, he stumbles upon Sandevistan cyberware—a prosthetic that grants its wearer superhuman speed. Fueled by rage, David implants the device in his back, using it to exact revenge on one of his tormentors. This gets him expelled from the academy, shattering his hopes of ever making his mother proud.
After witnessing David's newfound abilities, the beautiful data thief Lucyna "Lucy" Kushinada offers to team up with him, handing him a ticket to salvation. However, associating with Lucy introduces David to the world of Edgerunners—cyborg criminals who will break any law for money. Edgerunners often lose their lives, if the cyberware does not break their minds first; but in his fight for survival inside a corrupt system, David is ready to risk it all.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Description
Dreams are doomed to die in Night City, a futuristic Californian metropolis. As a teenager living in the city's slums, David Martinez is trying to fulfill his mother's lifelong wish for him to reach the top of Arasaka, the world's leading security corporation. To this end, he attends the prestigious Arasaka Academy while his mother works tirelessly to keep their family afloat.
When an incident with a street gang leaves David's life in tatters, he stumbles upon Sandevistan cyberware—a prosthetic that grants its wearer superhuman speed. Fueled by rage, David implants the device in his back, using it to exact revenge on one of his tormentors. This gets him expelled from the academy, shattering his hopes of ever making his mother proud.
After witnessing David's newfound abilities, the beautiful data thief Lucyna "Lucy" Kushinada offers to team up with him, handing him a ticket to salvation. However, associating with Lucy introduces David to the world of Edgerunners—cyborg criminals who will break any law for money. Edgerunners often lose their lives, if the cyberware does not break their minds first; but in his fight for survival inside a corrupt system, David is ready to risk it all.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Trailers
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Pictures
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Review
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners — Dreams are doomed to die in Night City, a futuristic Californian metropolis. This overview is intentionally spoiler-free and focuses on tone and intent rather than plot specifics.
Thematically, It sits firmly within Action, Sci-Fi conventions as a ONA work and has garnered attention (MAL score: 8.62). This work explores character dynamics, tonal shifts, and the interplay between narrative ambition and execution. The story's pacing and tonal choices are crafted to complement the central ideas, often emphasizing atmosphere and emotional truth over explicit exposition. The show's ability to evoke a consistent mood — whether melancholic, exuberant, or contemplative — is a recurring strength, and the scenes are constructed so viewers can infer stakes without needing explicit spoilers.
Characterization is a core pillar here. Protagonists and supporting figures are written with distinct motivations and narrative roles; even when archetypal, the series invests in small behavioral details that make choices feel earned. Character arcs are handled with an eye for gradualism: development often arrives through incremental beats rather than abrupt, expository shifts. The interactions between characters create texture, and relationships are used to illuminate both personal flaws and larger thematic concerns.
On the visual front, production values play a significant role. The animation quality varies by sequence but frequently showcases thoughtful direction and composition. Background art, framing, and color palettes are used deliberately to support tone — quieter scenes favor muted palettes while action or heightened emotional beats employ brighter, more kinetic visuals. Direction choices, such as camera movement and shot selection, often elevate scenes beyond their raw script, creating moments that linger in the viewer's mind.
The soundscape — score, incidental music, and sound design — complements the visual language. Music cues are placed to maximize emotional resonance without manipulating the audience with melodrama; this restraint often leads to more authentic emotional payoff. Sound design punctuates key moments, and when the series leans on silence, those quieter moments are given weight by measured audio choices.
Pacing and structure are handled with craft. Episodes are arranged to build tension and release methodically, and the narrative rarely rushes through important emotional beats. That said, the deliberate pacing may feel slow to viewers who prefer faster plot turnover; the reward is greater nuance and an accumulation of meaning across the series. Accessibility is generally good — one can appreciate surface-level pleasures, while repeat or attentive viewing reveals additional layers.
No title is without flaws. Occasional unevenness in subplots or variable animation across episodes can be distracting. Some tonal shifts might feel abrupt if you expect uniformity; others will argue that those shifts are purposeful. These are worth noting, but they seldom undercut the larger achievements of the work.
In sum, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners offers a rich experience for viewers who value character-driven storytelling, considered visual design, and a soundtrack that supports rather than overwhelms. For fans of Action, Sci-Fi, this is an especially rewarding watch. It's recommended for those who appreciate layered narratives and artistry in animation, and best approached with patience and attention to nuance.
Characters & Voice Actors
Lucy
Main
Yuuki, Aoi
Japanese
Lucy
Main
Lo, Emi
English
Lucy
Main
Pousséo, Dorothée
French
Lucy
Main
Bielli, Francesca
Italian
Lucy
Main
Moreno, María José
Spanish
Lucy
Main
Pietermann, Gabrielle
German
Lucy
Main
Gouveia, Jennifer
Portuguese (BR)
Lucy
Main
Mira, Mayte
Spanish
Martinez, David
Main
KENN
Japanese
Martinez, David
Main
Aguilar, Zach
English
Martinez, David
Main
Tomassian, Alexis
French
Martinez, David
Main
Markovics, Tamás
Hungarian
Martinez, David
Main
Pili, Alessandro
Italian
Martinez, David
Main
Torres, José Ángel
Spanish
Martinez, David
Main
Drummond, Eduardo
Portuguese (BR)
Martinez, David
Main
von Jascheroff, Constantin
German
Martinez, David
Main
Lara, Raúl
Spanish
A.I Teacher
Supporting
Lee, Wendee
English
A.I Teacher
Supporting
Sakuraoka, Atsuko
Japanese
A.I Teacher
Supporting
Maréchal, Marie-Eugénie
French
Staff
Tsutsumi, Naoko
Producer
Imaishi, Hiroyuki
Director, Storyboard, 2nd Key Animation, Animation Director
Urakari, Hiroki
Sound Director
Furukawa, Akira
Episode Director
Kaneko, Yoshiyuki
Episode Director, Storyboard, Assistant Director
Munehiro, Tomoyuki
Episode Director
Nakano, Koudai
Episode Director, Storyboard
Shimodaira, Yuuichi
Episode Director
Yoneyama, Mai
Episode Director, Storyboard, Key Animation
Noriega, Paulo
Script
Ootsuka, Masahiko
Script
Usa, Yoshiki
Script, Series Composition
Amemiya, Akira
Storyboard, Key Animation
Ikarashi, Kai
Storyboard, 2nd Key Animation, Animation Director, Key Animation
Miyajima, Yoshihiro
Storyboard
Sushio
Storyboard, Animation Director, Key Animation
Yoshinari, You
Storyboard, Chief Animation Director, Character Design, 2nd Key Animation
Franz Ferdinand
Theme Song Performance
Podsiadło, Dawid
Theme Song Performance
Abe, Shingo
Key Animation