In the dystopian future of Cyberpunk 2077, being smart can help those with the intellect to rise to the top, or to get flatlined. Cyberpunk 2077 features some great characters, with a real sense of existential dread. Some of the best characters in Cyberpunk 2077 are the ones with the brains rather than the brawn, the best minds to help V along their quest, or to deter them from it.
The most intelligent characters in Cyberpunk 2077 could have the most profound philosophy based on a situation or the knowledge about all the future tech one could need. What’s important about these characters is that their minds are a greater gift than their iron or chrome.
8 Johnny Silverhand
The debate rages on whether Johnny Silverhand is smart or dumb, but considering his feats, the answer is pretty obvious. Johnny Silverhand sure does talk a lot of game, but when one is as popular and as dead as him, it’s not exactly a surprise. Johnny Silverhand has a lot of life experience and a lot of hate for the corporate lifestyle.
What makes Johnny Silverhand a smart character is his desire to rise above the system that is created to keep him and others oppressed, Johnny has a motive and a grudge, and will help guide the player through Night City with his smarts.
7 Rogue Amendiares
One doesn’t become the Queen of the Afterlife and the best fixer in all of Night City by not being smart. Rogue Amendiares is a battle-hardened fixer and earned her reputation for a reason. If anyone has an issue, Rogue is the person to speak to.
Due to her vast resources and web of allies, Rogue is everywhere and knows a lot of things. She can be a valuable ally in Night City, and someone that the player would not want as an enemy. Rogue may not know much about the Blackwall, but she knows how to get in and out of a situation without a hitch.
6 Brigitte
It takes brains to lead the Vooodoo Boys, and even smarter brains to remain completely hidden as a Netrunner in Night City. Brigitte operates in Pacifica, and is an extremely wanted target, despite many not knowing what she looks like. Brigitte may be selfish, but her goals are beyond understanding to those who are not as smart as she sees herself.
Brigitte seeks to go beyond what is known from Netrunners and wants to transfer herself and her Voodoo Boys across the Blackwall and to be on the right side of the oncoming war with Rogue AIs. Brigitte’s intellect allows her to predict a potential future, from which she seeks safety.
5 Judy Alvarez
An intensely skilled braindance technician, Judy is an important member of the Mox and an important person in V’s life. Judy Alvarez has her past, and a life in Night City that she is not too fond of. Nevertheless, she uses her brain for the best.
Judy wants a happy life, and for those, she surrounds herself with to also be happy. She spends her free time experimenting with technology, and maybe one day could use that intellect to save lives. Yet, perhaps one of the smartest things that Judy could ever do was to leave Night City behind, and not look back.
4 Anders Hellman
As a bioengineer, Anders Hellman saw fame and recognition for having a leading role in the creation of the Relic program. This program sees the storage of an individual human psyche, which digitizes a person’s brain into an engram. The technology to comprehend this is beyond understanding and shows just how smart Hellman is to develop such a thing.
The extreme nature of this intellect makes Hellman a target and a valued asset to many of the rival corporations. However, perhaps Hellman could be the best chance V has at leading a normal life, considering his smarts.
3 Saburo Arasaka
As of Cyberpunk 2077, Saburo Arasaka is 158, an absurd age, but not when one considers just how important and powerful Saburo Arasaka is. It takes a smart man, and one of sheer will to go from a Navy Air Service Pilot to the Emperor of Japan, and the most respected and feared corporate overlord of the 21st century.
Despite his death at the hands of his son, Saburo Arasaka is too smart to allow his mortality to be his end. Saburo had plans in place in the case of his death, but perhaps these plans will be interrupted by a Merc and the deceased rocker boy terrorist in their head.
2 Mr. Blue Eyes
No character in Cyberpunk 2077 exhibits more mystery than Mr. Blue Eyes. This mysterious figure seems to have his fingers in every pie of Night City and is directly involved in the politics of the mayoral race of Elizabeth and Jefferson Peralez.
There is nothing known about the organization that Mr. Blue Eyes works for, and every piece of information about him is scrambled. His only notable aspects are the ring on his finger, and the strange glowing blue eyes to indicate his namesake. What can be assumed by Mr. Blue Eyes, is that he works for some very powerful people, and must be extremely intelligent to be amongst their ranks.
1 Alt Cunningham
There is a reason that all occupants in Cyberpunk 2077 fear the potential dangers of Rogue AIs, and one of those reasons lurks beyond the Blackwall, collecting data, information, and an army of Rogue AIs during her time there. Alt Cunningham may have once been the best netrunner in all of Night City, but now, she is something more.
Alt Cunningham was digitized, and forced into the Net, where her power would grow beyond what was seen as possible. What’s beyond the Blackwall, only what remains of Alt Cunningham can say, but it’s clear that she is perhaps the smartest character in Cyberpunk 2077, because she harbors the power of technology all for herself.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.