Based on a tabletop game entitled Cyberpunk 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 gave many people their first look into the dystopian science fiction universe created by Mike Pondsmith. Despite initial launch woes, the sales of Cyberpunk 2077 have since proven that the game is a success, and fans of the setting will be seeing more content soon enough. New Cyberpunk stories will be on their way in the forms of an expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, a limited Netflix anime series based on the setting.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was initially unveiled in 2020. However, since it was first revealed the anime then didn't show any major updates for some time. Fast-forward to 2022, and fans got their first proper glimpse at the series through a teaser trailer for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, displaying a bit of the story without revealing too much. Now, Netflix has put up the opening sequence for the anime on YouTube, as well as giving fans some more details on the plot of the show.
The opening begins with Cyberpunk: Edgerunner's protagonist standing in the corner of the screen, with text popping up confirming that the series is based on Cyberpunk 2077 rather than the tabletop RPG. Some fans of the original stories created by Mike Pondsmith may be slightly disappointed to see that, but it is worth noting that Edgerunners does have some inspiration from Pondsmith's work as well. More credits appear on-screen in the trailer set to a yellow background before silhouettes of buildings begin to rise.
Within these silhouettes viewers will notice images appearing of Night City, the setting of both Cyberpunk 2077 and its anime spinoff. It is difficult to pick out any details in the opening, as images of places and characters are gone just as soon as they're seen. The only constant is the protagonist of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, who is described by Netflix as a "street kid trying to survive in Night City." While fans may be expecting Cyberpunk 2077's protagonist V in the lead role, especially since both characters share a similar design in the opening, the Netflix anime features a brand new protagonist named David Martinez.
If Cyberpunk: Edgerunner does feature V in any capacity, it would remove a lot of the customization choices players are able to pick from in the game, like having a female V, for example. Also, if Cyberpunk: Edgerunner's protagonist is a "street kid," like Netflix says, it would disregard the two other life paths players can take in Cyberpunk 2077. Perhaps, in Netflix's limited series V will appear, but it will likely be a very different V from the one players of Cyberpunk 2077 are used to.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners releases in September on Netflix.
