The following contains major spoilers for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, now available to stream on Netflix.
There is an extensive list of anime titles that have recently garnered fan hype all over social media. One of these is Cyberpunk: Edgerunners -- the Netflix anime series based on the video game Cyberpunk 2077 -- whose animation and art style are a refreshing take from the usual perception of anime. Aside from taking its viewers on a wild ride, there's also no shortage of emotional damage, especially in the final episode. Aside from that, some fans might still have questions regarding Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' ending.
Edgerunners is fairly short, spanning for just 10 episodes. Despite this, it successfully delivers a well-rounded story (fans will no doubt get misty-eyed over the song "I Really Want to Stay at Your House") So, what exactly went down at the end of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners? Here is a breakdown of the characters' fates, and what could happen in a hypothetical Season 2.
David Saves Lucy in the Edgerunners Finale - But at Great Cost
The Cyberpunk: Edgerunners finale finds David, Rebecca and Falco making their way through Night City with Arasaka and Militech on their tails; however, David is sinking into cyberpsychosis. He received special immunosuppressants from Doc -- though the side effects will stack. Still, David is ready to risk it all as long as they are able to save Lucy.
Elsewhere, Kiwi closes her deal with Faraday, so he shoots her since others aren't supposed to know about the cyberskeleton. Before dying, she sends the location of Faraday's AV to David and the others, who promptly attack it and arrive at the top of the Arasaka Tower. David is on his last vial of immunosuppressants -- there's no turning back for him. He attacks Arasaka's guards and crushes Faraday's leg, successfully retrieving Lucy. Arasaka then brings out the legendary Adam Smasher to take out David.
Amid the fighting, David falls deeper into cyberpsychosis while struggling to keep himself together. Lucy brings him back, and they share what seems to be a premature goodbye, and Faraday falls off the building and dies. Eventually, Lucy and David reach Rebecca and Falco; however, Smasher crushes poor Rebecca to death. Falco escapes with Lucy, as per David's request. David and Smasher fight, but the protagonist is almost at his end. Smasher rips him apart, leaving the upper half of his torso.
Smasher's final words to David claim that he would've been an "interesting construct." David doesn't care though, and Smasher blasts him off. After some time, Lucy travels to the moon -- but her dream isn't as fulfilling due to David's absence. Lucy and Falco are the last ones from the Edgerunners seen alive, though Falco's fate remains vague. Smasher shot his arm off, but he was able to escape with Lucy. Although after that, what happened to Falco remains unknown.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' Ending Left the Door Open for Season 2
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is reminiscent of Akame ga Kill! in the sense that most of the characters are dead by the show's end. Story-wise, however, some unanswered plot points in Edgerunners could be opened up in a second season. Lucy managed to escape, but there is no assurance that Arasaka will stop looking for her. She still holds valuable information and the company probably won't let it slide. Faraday escalated the situation to an uncontrollable proportion, but the plot point surrounding Arasaka, Militech and the cyberskeleton never fully concluded.
Moreover, since Lucy achieved her dream (though at a grave cost), there's an opportunity for her character to be explored further. A second season starring Lucy wouldn't be too far-fetched, especially since there was already a glimpse into her backstory. Falco may not be a fan-favorite like Rebecca, but it would provide closure knowing what happened to him.
As for David's fate, there is a theory that he did not actually die. Adam Smasher's final words to him could have hinted at his survival, though firing a blaster at him also cancels this out. But in the advanced world of Cyberpunk, there may be options for David's consciousness to remain. After all, Arasaka had a keen interest in him since the beginning of the show. At the same time, fans shouldn't be too hopeful, as sometimes the message is embedded between the lines.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners may not have explicitly shown David's death, but the frame of the splattered blood following Smasher's blast leaves a strong message. In a somehow poetic and harrowing way, David partially achieved what his mom wanted for him -- to get to the top of the Arasaka Tower. As was typical of David's character, he fought for his loved ones until the end. Perhaps this is truly where his story concludes, and it's time for the series to highlight someone else if it continues.