Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2 Goes Full Punk Rock, Says Showrunner

Remember how Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 1 hit you like a runaway truck full of neon and trauma? Well, get ready for something different—but no less intense. Showrunner Bartosz Sztybor says season 2 trades the blockbuster bombast for a more punk rock, indie vibe. "Visually, the first season was very Michael Bay, while this second season is more like Martin Scorsese," he told GameSpot. That means more abstract shapes, experimental techniques, and a rawer, more realistic feel—even the violence hits harder because it's more grounded.

Studio Trigger is back on animation duties, but director Kai Ikarashi is pushing things even further. If you know his work on Bocchi the Rock, Mob Psycho 100, or Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, you know he loves to get weird with it. This time, he's using those skills to explore heavy Cyberpunk themes like cyber-psychosis and AI sharing your brain—all while making Night City look unlike any stereotypical anime.

One big change this season is the introduction of Roman, a young cinephile who serves as the point-of-view character. He's always carrying an analogue camera, and a huge chunk of the show is seen through its low-res 4:3 lens. Funny thing is, Roman wasn't even in the original pitch. Sztybor and Ikarashi bonded over their shared love of cinema and realized they needed a POV character to connect the cast. "We thought, 'Okay, we love cinema; let me create a cinephile this season,'" Sztybor explained. Roman also represents a glimpse of innocence in a terrible city—a nod to season 1's theme of lost innocence. He loves retro stuff and hates braindances because he wants to hold onto that innocence as long as possible.

And if you're a Hideo Kojima fan, keep your eyes peeled—the legendary game designer makes a cameo in the series. Eagle-eyed viewers might just spot him in Night City.

Season 2 consists of 10 episodes and drops on October 20. So mark your calendars, chooms. Will you be tuning in to see how Edgerunners gets its punk rock on? Let us know in the comments!