In 2022,Cyberpunk 2077developer CD Projekt Red and renowned anime studio apartment Trigger jointly released the Netflix anime seriesCyberpunk : Edgerunners . In quick taking over , the show join the tops undivided club ofphenomenal telecasting game adaptationsandrevitalized its player al-Qa’ida , which had long lost faith in the monumentally hyped game from itshistorically rocky launching . The show attain a hat trick by winningCrunchyroll ’s 2023 Anime of the Year laurels — dumbfound out show likeAttack on Titan , Demon Slayer , andSpy x Family .
Although CD Projekt Red has stress that there areno plans to make a subsequence time of year , they ’re far from done with create more gum anime content for the serial publication . Key among them are character likeLucy being a guest character inGuilty Gear Strive , a tabletop epilogue , and aspin - off animated series in production at Netflix . While the aforesaid content drops are a ways away from releasing , CD Projekt Red and Trigger are sustain folks sate with new prequel manga seriesCyberpunk : Edgerunners Madness . The series , which will soon get an English release courtesy of Dark Horse , take after the exploits of fan - favourite character Rebecca and her brother Pilar before the anime ’s event . A prequel to the prequel , if you will .
We spoke with manga author Bartosz Sztybor to gain insights into the series ’ creation and what fan can wait from CD Projekt Red and futureEdgerunnersstories .
© CD Projekt Red
Isaiah Colbert , io9 : What sparked the idea to revisitCyberpunk : Edgerunnersas a manga ?
Bartosz Sztybor : There are many stories not only inCyberpunk : Edgerunnersbut in the wholeCyberpunk 2077universe . Our idea for the whole dealership is to show that this is a big , authentic , and believable human beings and you may accomplish that through complex characters and grounded account . You need to experience that these fiber are alive , that they have their own lives , that they have a past and dreams . That ’s why Doc fromCyberpunk : Edgerunnershad a persona in theCyberpunk 2077 : XOXOcomic Quran . Cormac , a fixer fromCyberpunk 2077 : You Have My Wordwas see in Cyberpunk : Edgerunners , andCyberpunk 2077 : Blackoutand was even remark inCyberpunk 2077 : Phantom Liberty .
It makes the audience feel that these characters are awake , that they ’re not just from one story , but they had a life before that and maybe after — if they did n’t die of row , what can easy happen in our world … But also some characters ’ arcs are finished , which is why we do n’t like creating prequels or parentage stories just for the sake of doing so .
© CD Projekt Red / Trigger / Netflix
V ’s electric arc was told from start to finish , David and Lucy had their chronicle close , but some other characters were passenger and have the potency to be main hotshot . InCyberpunk : Edgerunners , there were a few part with such potentiality . When Kadokawa , a legendary Japanese manga publisher , kindle sake in creating aCyberpunk : Edgerunnersmanga we were passing excited . It ’s a historic thing , as not many Western IPs have a manga treatment . So when we ascertain about the opportunity , I part thinking what we could do .
David and Lucy were out of the picture for the reason I refer above , but there were other characters with awe-inspiring stories . Becca as a fan pet seemed the best idea , but I already knew that it should n’t be just about her . As one ofCyberpunk : Edgerunners ’ themes is parent - kid relationships , we need to add Becca ’s brother Pilar to the report and explicate how their childhood trauma made them who they are . They were also a utter match as I want to enjoin a dark comedy with this manga , following a very tragical gum anime ; something more fun , but still brutal , of course . I always check Becca and Pilar as the pure theatrical role for a sitcom with a cyberpunk turn .
So you have lots of slapstick , but you do n’t laugh when someone slips on a banana peel but when they slip on a banana tree peel and spud their head off with a scattergun . Though it ’s not only sense of humor , it ’s still a character - driven tarradiddle with acomplex fib , so — as always with CDPR — it ’s a story about morality and nicety of gray .
© CD Projekt Red / Trigger / Netflix
io9 : How long has the manga been in development ?
Sztybor : Almost two years . Kadokawa liked the idea of Becca and Pilar so I started indite moderately early , but it ’s a fully grown project ; each chapter is 40 pages and the first book will have six chapter in total . After a few pass on the plot line , I plunk into the handwriting and Asano ( the amazing artist behind the manga ) go drawing the first page before long after .
io9 : In what ways has making a manga serial in collaboration with Trigger artist Asano differed from the production of theEdgerunnersanime ?
Sztybor : In many mode , but it ’s because making comic books or manga is much different than creating a TV show . It ’s mostly you , the creative person , and editor in chief that are facilitate tell the story in the best possible style . And I ’m consecrate with amazing editors here . Our in - house CDPR editor program Tetsuya Seya and Kadokawa ’s Koeda - san are great , and help to bring the best out in me .
In Zanzibar copal , you talk with many more people : you have producers , a theater director , and other writer . You all postulate to be on the same page and you all need to think in the taradiddle you ’re tell so it ’s a much longer process to interpret each other and align . Making manga / comic book of account is more self-examining ; it ’s about a arc between the writer and the artist and fortunately that spark happened jolly early on while ferment onCyberpunk : Edgerunners MADNESS . So make gum anime is a squad effort , it ’s a football game match . Making a manga is a engagement , sitting on the beach , looking at the ocean , and deem hands .
◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤ 『 サイバーパンク : エッジランナーズ MADNESS』エピソード 3（前編）公開 ⚡ ️ ⚡ ️ ◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤ ◢ ◤
戦闘の末、仕事を奪い返すことに成功したレベッカ 。
その仕事とは“謎の男”を連行することだった…。…pic.twitter.com/vQXS1ZeoNW
— 月刊コミックアライブ公式 ( @comic_alive)February 14 , 2025
io9 : Will the manga be a modified - run series , or are there plans to explore it further as an on-going body of work ?
Sztybor : We’ll see . We ’re design to create two playscript , six chapters each , but if the lector will demand more , then I ’m quick . I could indite account about Becca forever !
io9 : Rebecca is a popular type inEdgerunners . Did that impact select her as the focus ofMadness ‘ story ?
Sztybor : Of course , but it was also the idea to make something more light source and action - packed , and the manga format seemed arrant for telling a account about a very manga - eqsue character . At first , I was consider about Maine , Becca , and Falco . Maine seemed a bit too noir for the genre I want to tackle and Falco lose against Becca and Pilar because of their popularity , but also because the idea for Becca ’s and Pilar ’s plot line were just come to my head in horde .
io9 : Should the prequel manga proceeds succeeder , will other plan exist to explore theEdgerunnersuniverse further with different character from the Zanzibar copal ?
Sztybor : candidly , the success or want of it wo n’t exchange anything . If there is a practiced story to tell about someone from that existence , we will do everything to tell it .
io9 : Is there an expected date forCyberpunk : Edgerunners Madnessto be available in English for readers ?
Sztybor : The first book , which collects the first six chapters , will be out this summertime through Dark Horse Comics . So , a nice delicacy a few workweek before the third anniversary ofCyberpunk : Edgerunners .
Until then , you could rewatch all 10 episodes ofCyberpunk : Edgerunnerson Netflix and look forwards to nab its Blu - ray when it arrive later this year .
Want more io9 news show ? Check out when to expect the latestMarvel , Star Wars , andStar Trekreleases , what ’s next for theDC Universe on film and video , and everything you need to know about the future ofDoctor Who .
AnimeCD Projekt REDCyberpunk 2077Cyberpunk : EdgerunnersDark HorseMangaStudio Trigger
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