Cyberpunk Edgerunners: Anime Protagonist Was Referenced in the Game Two Years Ago

Protagonist David Martinez of the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime series has been referenced inside Cyberpunk 2077 from its launch day in 2020.

As spotted by @Vesn4_ on Twitter (below), a drink called The David Martinez can be purchased from the Afterlife bar in Night City. While that doesn’t seem too exciting, fans of the game will know that only legendary figures in the Cyberpunk world get drinks named after them at Afterlife.

Martinez, who was revealed for the first time last week in a brief trailer for the ten episode anime, is a street kid from Santo Domingo that turns personal tragedy into an opportunity to enter the world of edgerunners. The drink’s description alludes to this storyline too, as it talks about aiming high and making an impact.

Neither game developer CD Projekt Red nor anime creator Studio Trigger have revealed much else though, and Martinez is a brand new character, despite the Cyberpunk world having a deep well of source material and lore. Fans will therefore have to wait until September when the series premieres on Netflix, a release window confirmed by the streaming platform during its Geeked Week showcase last week.

The anime looks just as bright, bold, and brutal as Cyberpunk 2077 itself, and the similarities don’t end there. A short clip released alongside the trailer appears to show a location straight from the game, where V and Jackie pick up the robot spy-spider from the electro-eyed Maelstrom gang.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.