Bartosz Sztybor, the writer and producer of Netflix’s biggest sci-fi anime, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, has revealed his motivations for the series’ somber narrative direction while promising an even darker and sadder sequel.
Sztybor shared a video from his Cyberpunk: Edgerunners panel at Anime Expo on his X (formerly Twitter) account, where he cheekily admitted that his goal was to «make the whole world sad» with the anime. At the panel, which also featured voice actors Emi Lo (Lucy) and Zach Aguilar (David Martinez), the showrunner was asked about the focus on human stories within the dystopian world of Cyberpunk. «Human stories are important for CD Projekt Red. We created Cyberpunk 2077 and we always want to write stories that are character driven, so that was important,» Sztybor explained. «But the other thing is that we are a company from Poland. I’m from Poland and people in Poland are sad. They are born sad, they die sad, so I just wanted to make the whole world sad.» When questioned if he ever considered writing a happy story, Sztybor bluntly replied, «No. Because when people are sad, then I’m a bit happy,» before jokingly adding that he feasts on the sadness of others.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 Anime Promises a Darker Standalone Series
The panel provided more concrete details about Cyberpunk: Edgerunner II, confirming that it will be a 10-episode standalone series. While set in the same world as the first season, it will not continue the original story, with the panel asking the audience to not get «too excited» before bluntly stating, «David’s dead.» The new season, which is described as being «darker» and «sadder» and will be helmed by a «younger, fresher» team.
Kai Ikarashi, who directed the sixth episode of the first season, will step into the director’s role for the new series, with Sztybor serving as writer, producer and showrunner. An official trailer was also screened, but its content was deemed «too bloody» for the main panel and was instead shown at the separate, 18+ Trigger panel.
The original Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, which started streaming on Netflix in 2022, captivated audiences with the dark and tragic story of street kid David Martinez. In the hyper-violent, body-modification-obsessed world of Night City, David makes the desperate choice to become an Edgerunner, a high-tech mercenary, to survive. The series follows his journey as he navigates the alleys of Night City, falls in love with the netrunner Lucy, and confronts the brutal consequences of his actions. The events in the anime take place one year before the start of Cyberpunk 2077 game.
The first season was a massive critical success for Netflix and Studio Trigger, the animation studio behind the project. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners holds a perfect 100% «Fresh» rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Its audience score is nearly as high, with a 95% approval rating. It also won the Anime of the Year at the 2023 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
