CD Projekt Red and Studio Trigger's hit anime franchise, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners has unexpectedly returned as a manga, surprising fans with a prequel. Kadokawa just stealth-dropped a new addition to the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners franchise without any warning whatsoever, and it might be the perfect surprise to end the year with, especially for Cyberpunk fans desperately wanting more of the vibrant series.
Kadokawa has launched a new prequel manga to Cyberpunk: Edgerunners titled Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Madness, on the Comic Alive+ platform, with the first chapter being released without warning on Friday, December 13. The series has been written by CDPR's Bartosz Sztybor, the writer and producer of the original anime, and has been illustrated by Asano, who has also worked on the manga adaptation of BNA: Brand New Animal.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Madness will be available in seven other languages besides Japanese, including Polish, Italian, Spanish, German, French, Traditional Chinese, and of course, English, with Dark Horse Comics distributing the series in paperback in English.
Cyberpunk Edgerunner's New Prequel Manga Brings Rebecca and Pilar to the Forefront
Surprisingly, instead of David or Lucy, the new prequel manga follows the siblings Rebecca and Pilar as they attempt to make a name for themselves as edge runners in Night City. Both characters are quite popular in their own right among fans of the show. Rebecca in particular is quite the fan-favorite owing to her distinct character design and her spunky, energetic, and, often trigger-happy personality. Kadokawa's official synopsis for the series on Comic Alive+ reads:
It's a must-see for the whole world. The prequel to Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is here. This original manga adaptation about siblings Pilar and Rebecca has begun...! This is the story of the siblings who have run across Night City to make a name for themselves as Edgerunners... The anime Cyberpunk: Edgerunners has already captured the hearts of fans around the world, and the show is especially popular thanks to its extreme action and the cute, cool look of Rebecca and her friends.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners only briefly touched on Rebecca and Pilar's fraught past full of mysteries and misfortune, making them the perfect choice for a fresh new story while simultaneously keeping the franchise alive. It will be interesting to see whether the manga manages to further expand on Rebecca and Pilar's complex relationship and how it came to be the way it did in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Moreover, given the tragic ending to Rebecca and Pilar's story, it will surely be nice to see more of them, especially with a dedicated focus.
Cyberpunk Edgerunner's New Prequel Manga is the Perfect Way to Revive the Franchise
Fans Still Want More of Cyberpunk
Considering the anime's practically perfect ending, fans of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners have been quite divided on the idea of a sequel, despite wanting to see more of the franchise. Studio Trigger has previously stated they have no intention of making a sequel either, and it seemed as though the anime franchise would end with the conclusion of David's story.
As such, a prequel manga centered around Rebecca and Pilar instead is the best possible route the series could have taken, giving fans fresh new Cyberpunk content without tarnishing the perfect original adaptation. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners remains one of Studio Trigger's most successful anime franchises to date, and it would be a shame to let it die given its massive, thriving fanbase.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Has An Exciting Year Ahead
A New Animation Project and a Blu-ray Release Are on the Horizon
Overall, 2025 is shaping up to be quite an exciting year for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Besides the new manga adaptation, the CDPR also recently announced that the ten-episode anime will also soon be available in physical form with a Blu-ray edition set to release in 2025. The Blu-ray will be available in Japan, USA, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand, with an exact release date yet to be confirmed.
It is unclear why it took so long for the series to receive a Blu-ray release, especially since it has been well over two years since the anime first released. Furthermore, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners received overwhelming critical acclaim with nearly 48 million hours of watchtime on Netflix.
Lastly, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners also has a new animation project in the works which was announced by Netflix at Geeked Week earlier this September. Few details have been revealed about the new anime so far, though considering the unique route the prequel manga has taken, it isn't a stretch to assume the new anime could similarly focus on other members of the main cast.
Overall, while it seemed like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' anime franchise was done for after season 1, the beloved series is finally making a comeback stronger than ever before and there could not be a better time to finally pick up the anime than right about now.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is available on Netflix.
Source: Comic Alive, ANN
David Martinez (Kenichiro Ohashi) is a streetwise kid living in the slums of Night City in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. To survive, David becomes an edgerunner, also known as cyberpunk, taking on mercenary jobs outside the system. Together with a group of new and veteran edgerunners, David will shoot for the moon to escape the underbelly of the increasingly cyber-obsessed city. Unfortunately, the law isn't the only group that the edgerunners will have to contend with, as other heavily cyber-augmented humans will pose an even more significant threat.
Release Date September 13, 2022
Writers Mike Pondsmith , Yoshiki Usa , Masahiko Otsuka
English (US) ·