This article contains major spoilers forCyberpunk: Edgerunners.If you’re an anime fan, the name Hiroyuki Imaishi might ring a bell — he was the director of the classic mecha animeGurren Lagann, and is better known these days as the founder of Studio Trigger and the man behindKill La Kill,Space Patrol Luluco, andPromare. However, his most recent directorial effort, the Netflix originalCyberpunk: Edgerunners, strikes a decidedly different tone than his past works.
Edgerunnersis unique among Studio Trigger’s filmography for a few reasons: for starters, it’s their first time producing an installment in a preexisting multimedia franchise. Additionally, asa series developed for streaming,it features much more graphic violence and sexuality than their past anime. However, there’s another sense in whichEdgerunnersis more mature than its fellow Trigger anime, and it’s arguably the most important distinction of all.
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A Different Kind of World
Hiroyuki Imaishi — and by extent, Studio Trigger as a whole — has developed a distinct artistic style over the years. Simply put, Imaishi’s work is big, loud, and epic, with an emphasis on larger-than-life characters and over-the-top fight scenes. Big weapons, bigger robots, and melodramatic speeches are all recurring trends, often mixed with plenty of raunchy humor. And of course, the story is sure to end with the hero and villainfacing off in deep space,no matter how little sense it might make. And sure enough,Edgerunnershas plenty to offer in terms of sex, violence, and stylish visuals. However, it all takes place in a world that feels somewhat out of place within Trigger’s catalog.
While Imaishi often deals with sci-fi concepts in his work, he does so in a very heightened, fantastical way, with real-world logic taking a backseat to whatever would look the coolest.Gurren Lagann,Kill La Kill, andPromareall feature aliens and futuristic technology, but they’re more science fantasy than science fiction. In that sense, it’s no surprise that Imaishi’s aesthetic fit right in when he directed a shortfor theStar Wars: Visionsanthology.Meanwhile, theCyberpunkfranchise is much more grounded by comparison — while cyborgs and futuristic weapons are the norm in this world, you won’t be finding any galaxy-destroying mecha or parasitic aliens.
Despite featuring Imaishi’s usual stylized aesthetic, the world ofEdgerunnersfeels so much more real than his previous works. The grimy, lived-in feel of Night City is a far cry from the bright pastel skyscrapers of Promepolis inPromare. And whileGurren LagannandKill La Killboth featured their own grungy futures, they were distinctly more cartoony than the world ofCyberpunk. Even the fight scenes inEdgerunnersfeel rawer — despite being animated in Imaishi’s typical flashy style, they carry a much more dire and brutalvibe than the superhero-esque brawlsof his past works. The action may be bloodier and gorier than ever, but it’s handled with much more weight.
The same can also be said for the use of sexuality inEdgerunners. Though Imaishi’s work often features impossibly attractive characters of all genders, the women tend to be sexualized much more overtly. WhileGurren Laganndepicts both the hypermasculine Kamina and his love interest Yoko in perpetually revealing attire, the camera spends much more time leering at the latter. Meanwhile,Edgerunnershas no qualms about presenting nudity, but it does so in a comparatively tasteful manner. For instance, one scene features both the protagonist David and his lover Lucyhaving a serious conversationwhile fully in the nude. However, the scene isn’t framed in a titillating way — it’s entirely casual, emphasizing how David and Lucy are comfortable being fully intimate with one another, both physically and emotionally. They aren’t afraid to bare everything to each other, so to speak.
A Different Kind of Story
However, arguably the biggest difference betweenEdgerunnersand past Trigger shows is the kind of story it’s trying to tell. On the surface, it might seem like the kind of narrative Imaishi is all too familiar with — it’s the tale of an outcastwho goes on a coming-of-age journey,finding a new family in a ragtag band of outlaws and eventually taking on the tyrannical authorities oppressing the people. And indeed, David Martinez is cut from the same cloth as the likes of Simon the Digger, Ryuko Matoi, and Galo Thymos. He’s young, scrappy, and ambitious, with an indomitable will and a personal grudge against those in power. However, he ends up meeting with a very different fate.
In every other Imaishi work, hope, defiance, and fighting spirit are the keys to victory every time. No matter the odds, a cocky smile, a heroic speech, and a whole lot of willpower are all it takes to do the impossible and save the day. That’show it is in the world of fantasy,butEdgerunnersis a story firmly rooted in reality. In this story, the enemy oppressing the people isn’t any evil king or flamboyant supervillain, but the capitalist systems of Night City itself, controlled by the megacorporations at the pinnacle of society. And when David finally takes the fight to the Arasaka Corporation, all the willpower in the world isn’t enough to save him from a brutal death at the hands of Adam Smasher.
The ending ofEdgerunnersis a heartbreaking subversion of the usual Trigger finale, showcasing what happens when the hero just isn’t strong enough to win. Granted, Imaishi is no stranger to giving his heroes tragic deaths — just look at Kamina inGurren Lagann. But of course, Kaminawasn’t the real hero,and the series continued with Simon carrying on Kamina’s legacy and avenging his death. InEdgerunners, David’s death really is the end, and there’s nobody to avenge him after he dies. Just like in real life, it takes more than one defiant rebel to bring down the corrupt power structures of society, and the story ends with Arasaka still in power.
Even one of Imaishi’s signature tropes gets its own tragic twist in the final episode. The last scene of the series features Lucy arriving on the lunar colony, finally achieving her dream of traveling to the moon, only to be brought to tears by the memory of David — the man who sacrificed himself to make her dream come true.In any other Trigger show,going to space would be a triumphant moment that heralds the epic final battle against the main villain. But inEdgerunners, it’s an emotional, bittersweet moment, offering both catharsis and sorrow in equal measure.
A Different Kind of Trigger
Cyberpunk: Edgerunnersis an exceptional entry in the filmography of both Studio Trigger for many reasons. However, what truly makes it stand out isn’t its graphic content, but the story that unfolds around it. Where Imaishi’s past anime are grand, bombastic, and fast-paced,Edgerunnersis grounded, introspective, and unafraid to slow down when necessary. It’s more nuanced than its predecessors not because it’s more serious or tragic, but because it dares to tell a more layered, complicated story than thestraightforward good-versus-evil slugfeststhat Trigger is known for. And for those reasons — because it expands the boundaries of what kind of stories the studio is capable of telling —Edgerunnershas truly earned the title of Trigger’s most mature anime yet.
