Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Cyberpunk: EdgerunnersFor all its intense action, intriguing subplots, and raw emotion, Netflix’s new anime series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a story about implants. As should be expected in a world where the technological augmentation of humans is a feature, and not a bug, almost everything of substance that happens would not be possible without implants.
Hiroyuki Imaishi’s Cyberpunk: Edgerunners tells the story of David Martinez, a teenager whose life was turned upside down when his mother was caught in the crossfire of a gunfight. Rather than follow the path he and his Mother had previously agreed to, David gives up the long-term road to success by way of education and chose the “quick and easy” route as an edgerunner, or mercenary cybercriminal, and hacker who will work for anyone willing to pay their price. And, so begins his “entry and education” into the world of Cyberpunk. Unfortunately, just before he met his future crime family, he had a piece of stolen military-grade technology grafted onto his body.
While David’s story is a thrilling adventure that will keep audiences at the edge of their seats, the obvious takeaway is the extent to which humanity has accepted technological augmentation, and whether that acceptance is good or not. David’s descent into criminality in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners began with his decision to implant the Sandevistan neural-ware implant. This decision would not have been made without his rival, who had modified his own body using high-quality store-bought hacks that gave him super-powered strength. Beaten, David wanted the implants installed without complication so that he’d get be able to get revenge. The issue between David and his classmates began because of David’s use of “black market” tech as an alternative to the official in-class tech that he could not afford, and his classmates had a laugh at him because of it.
Can Cyberpunk Tech Save the World?
In the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners universe, implants are both the best and worst of society. They are also indispensable to the poor and middle-class citizens looking for a way to improve their position. On the other hand, implants, or access to the highest grades of implants, are the jackboot the wealthy and powerful use to maintain their own position. However, unlike contemporary society where talent, wealth, or influence cannot immediately upgrade a person’s position, implants in a cyberpunk future can help a person become an instant success at whatever they desire, from beating up the bully who has harassed them for a lifetime, to cooking a five-star meal without ever having boiled a pot of water.
The takeaway, as depicted in the Netflix series is a society where the “go-to” act is to simply rely on technology to resolve myriad issues plaguing society. While this approach offers a bunch of benefits, as Cyberpunk: Edgerunners illustrates, it’s an existence constantly open to variable change, from hack attacks to defective software to people unable to maintain control of their own tech. It is a future that is truly the best of times, and the worst of times.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is now available on Netflix.
