Featured image: official Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 key art. Image credit: Studio TRIGGER / CD PROJEKT RED / Netflix.
Four years after Cyberpunk: Edgerunners became one of the most loved anime of the decade, Studio TRIGGER and CD PROJEKT RED have taken us back to Night City. All 10 episodes of Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 dropped on Netflix on October 20, 2026, and we binged the whole season. So here’s the short answer up front: Season 2 is good. It’s stylish, violent and easy to enjoy. But it is nowhere near Season 1.
This Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 review is spoiler-free. We cover the story setup, the new cast, the music, the animation and how it stacks up against the 2022 original, then give our final MovieAnimeX rating.
Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 – Quick Verdict
7.4 / 10
Studio: Studio TRIGGER with CD PROJEKT RED | Director: Kai Ikarashi
Release date: October 20, 2026 (all 10 episodes at once)
Where to watch: Netflix
Episodes: 10, roughly 26 to 28 minutes each
In one line: Enjoyable and worth watching, but the music, visuals and characters don’t reach the level of Season 1.
Table of Contents
What Is Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 About?
Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 is a standalone story set in the world of Cyberpunk 2077. David Martinez’s story ended in Season 1, so this season starts fresh with a brand-new cast. You don’t need to have seen Season 1 or played the game to follow it, though both make it richer.
Instead of one main hero, the season follows four people whose lives collide across Night City. It’s a story about revenge, second chances, family and what Night City does to the people who try to survive in it. CD PROJEKT RED shared the setup and creative team in its official Edgerunners 2 premiere announcement.
Meet the New Cast
- Weak Kingsley (voiced by Kentaro Tone): once known as “King,” a top edgerunner who has lost his chrome and his glory, and is searching for a reason to keep going.
- D (Koki Uchiyama): a Snake Nation netrunner hunting the killer who wiped out his clan.
- Roman Carax (Momoka Terasawa): a young cinephile filming the real stories of Night City, in a city that has swapped cinema for braindance.
- Talia Yang (Akari Kito): raised in the corpo towers, but pulled into the chrome-obsessed Maelstrom gang.
Behind the scenes, Kai Ikarashi makes his directorial debut after working as a storyboard artist and animation director on Season 1. Kanno Ichigo is the lead character designer, and Hugo Award winner Bartosz Sztybor returns as showrunner, story writer and producer, with Masahiko Otsuka back on scripts.
What Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 Gets Right
Let’s be clear before we get into the problems: this is an enjoyable season of anime, and there’s a lot to like.
- The action still hits. When TRIGGER goes all out, the fights are fast, bloody and wild in the way only this studio can pull off. The cyberpsychosis scenes in particular are brutal and memorable.
- Night City feels bigger. Following four different lives instead of one shows more sides of the city, from corpo towers to gang turf to the people just trying to get by.
- Roman’s camera adds something new. Seeing parts of the story through his footage gives the season its own look and a different way into the world.
- It’s an easy binge. All 10 episodes are out at once, and the whole season runs under five hours.
- Lots for game fans. There are plenty of Cyberpunk 2077 nods, and CD PROJEKT RED released the free Edgerunners 2 Update (Update 2.5) for the game on October 22 with content inspired by the anime.
Watch the Official Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 Trailer
Where Season 2 Falls Short of Season 1
Here’s the problem. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners in 2022 wasn’t just good, it was peak. It won Anime of the Year at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, and we gave it 9/10 in our Cyberpunk Edgerunners review. Season 2 had to live up to that, and in three big areas, it doesn’t.
Music and Songs: Good, But Not Peak
Season 1’s music was a huge part of why it worked. Franz Ferdinand’s “This Fffire” opening, Akira Yamaoka’s score and, of course, “I Really Want to Stay at Your House” by Rosa Walton turned into part of the story itself. People are still listening to that soundtrack years later.
Season 2 opens with The Cure’s “10:15 Saturday Night,” ends with “Watson” by Petite Meller, and has a new score by Tsuneo Imahori, plus original tracks from artists like Rico Nasty. Some of it fits the mood well. But none of the songs land like Season 1’s did, and there’s no moment where the music and the story come together and wreck you the way they did in 2022. The music is fine. It just isn’t peak.
Visuals: Great Action, Uneven in Places
Most of Edgerunners 2 looks great, especially in the big action scenes. But in some scenes the visuals just aren’t up to the standard TRIGGER set in Season 1. A few shots look flatter and less polished than you’d expect, and it’s noticeable because Season 1 looked consistently stunning from start to finish. It’s not a deal-breaker, but after a four-year wait, you notice it.
Characters: Harder to Connect With
This is the biggest difference. In just a few episodes, Season 1 made us care about David, Lucy, Maine and Rebecca, which is why the ending hurt so much. Season 2 splits the same 10 episodes between four leads, so each one gets less time to grow on you.
Weak, D, Roman and Talia are all interesting ideas on their own. But they’re less emotionally connectable than the Season 1 crew, and when the big emotional moments arrive, they don’t hit nearly as hard as they should.
Was It Worth the Four-Year Wait?
Honestly, no. After four years and an Anime of the Year win, expectations were sky high, and Edgerunners 2 doesn’t exceed them. To be clear, we are not saying it’s bad, and we are not saying skip it. It’s a good, enjoyable anime that we’d still recommend. It’s just not the masterpiece Season 1 was, and it isn’t the follow-up that was worth waiting four years for.
Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 vs Season 1
Here’s how the two seasons compare side by side:
| Season 1 (2022) | Edgerunners 2 (2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Release | September 2022 | October 20, 2026 |
| Episodes | 10 | 10 |
| Director | Hiroyuki Imaishi | Kai Ikarashi |
| Main characters | David Martinez and his crew | Weak, D, Roman and Talia |
| Opening song | “This Fffire” – Franz Ferdinand | “10:15 Saturday Night” – The Cure |
| Score | Akira Yamaoka, Marcin Przybyłowicz | Tsuneo Imahori |
| Music | Iconic | Good, not as memorable |
| Emotional impact | Devastating | Weaker |
| MovieAnimeX rating | 9/10 | 7.4/10 |
Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 Review Verdict: Is It Worth Watching?
Yes, Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 is worth watching. It’s stylish, violent and fun, and if you love Night City, you’ll have a good time with it. Just go in with the right expectations. The music isn’t as good, some scenes don’t look as good, and the characters are harder to care about. Season 1 was a masterpiece. Season 2 is a good anime that lives in its shadow.
MovieAnimeX Rating: 7.4/10
Pros
- Stylish, brutal TRIGGER action
- Four-character story shows a bigger Night City
- Standalone and easy to start
- All 10 episodes out at once, easy to binge
- Plenty for Cyberpunk 2077 fans
Cons
- Music and songs not as memorable as Season 1
- Visuals uneven in some scenes
- Characters less emotionally engaging
- Doesn’t live up to the four-year wait
More Anime Reviews on MovieAnimeX
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- Akudama Drive review: an underrated cyberpunk anime
- Terminator Zero review
- Anime Expo 2026 full breakdown, where Edgerunners 2’s first episode premiered
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Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 FAQ
Is Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 worth watching?
Yes. It’s an enjoyable, stylish anime and we rate it 7.4/10. Just don’t expect it to match Season 1.
Is Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 better than Season 1?
No. Season 1 is stronger in music, emotional impact and visual consistency. We rated Season 1 9/10 and Edgerunners 2 7.4/10.
How many episodes does Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 have?
10 episodes, all released on Netflix on October 20, 2026. Each runs roughly 26 to 28 minutes.
Do I need to watch Season 1 before Edgerunners 2?
No. Edgerunners 2 is a standalone story with a new cast. Season 1 is still highly recommended, though.
Is David Martinez in Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2?
No. David’s story ended in Season 1. Edgerunners 2 follows four new leads: Weak Kingsley, D, Roman Carax and Talia Yang.
Who made Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2?
Studio TRIGGER animated it with CD PROJEKT RED, the studio behind Cyberpunk 2077. It is directed by Kai Ikarashi and streams exclusively on Netflix.
What is the Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 opening song?
The opening is “10:15 Saturday Night” by The Cure, and the ending is “Watson” by Petite Meller.
All images, including the featured image, are official promotional assets. Image credit: Studio TRIGGER / CD PROJEKT RED / Netflix. Trailer: CD PROJEKT RED / Netflix. Cyberpunk, Cyberpunk 2077 and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners are trademarks of CD PROJEKT RED S.A.
