Cyberpunk: Edgerunners - Characters & Cast

Initially, David is motivated by a desire to make his mother proud and escape poverty. After her death, his motivation shifts to survival and finding a new place to belong. As the series progresses, his primary motivation becomes protecting Lucy and fulfilling her dream of going to the moon. He also shoulders the legacy of his former crew leader, Maine, attempting to live up to his example. This externalization of his goals is his fatal flaw; he is driven by fulfilling the dreams of others rather than finding his own.

David begins as a bright but disenfranchised teenager trying to fulfill his mother's ambitions for him in the corporate world. Following her death, grief and desperation drive him to abandon that path and implant the Sandevistan, embracing the violent freedom of an edgerunner. Initially, he finds a new family and purpose, but he also develops a savior complex, taking on the dreams and burdens of those he cares about, particularly his mentor Maine and his love, Lucy. He constantly pushes his body's limits with more cyberware, believing his unique tolerance makes him special. This belief spirals into a self-destructive obsession, culminating in him donning the experimental cyberskeleton and succumbing to cyberpsychosis in a final, sacrificial act to save Lucy. He transforms from a hopeful kid into a tragic Night City legend, a martyr who achieved his goals for others but lost himself completely in the process.

Lucy's core motivation is escape. Her ultimate dream is to go to the moon, which represents a final, clean break from her traumatic past and the oppressive grip of Arasaka and Night City. After falling in love with David, her motivation becomes twofold: achieve her dream with him, and more urgently, protect him from the dangers of the edgerunner life and the clutches of Arasaka. She sees his potential and vulnerability and fears he will be consumed by the city just as she almost was.

Lucy is introduced as a mysterious and skilled netrunner, initially appearing aloof and cynical, shaped by a traumatic past. She was raised in an Arasaka facility as a child netrunner, forced to delve into the dangerous Old Net, which explains her deep-seated hatred for the corporation and her desire for escape. Her relationship with David breaks down her emotional walls, revealing a vulnerable person capable of deep love. As David becomes more powerful and reckless, her focus shifts entirely to protecting him from Arasaka, the corporation she knows will exploit him just as they did her. She tries to handle this threat alone, which creates distance between them. In the end, she is the sole survivor of the core crew, achieving her dream of reaching the moon, but her arc concludes tragically as she is left completely alone with the memory of the man who sacrificed everything for her.

Maine is motivated by the desire to be a successful and respected crew leader. He wants to provide for his team and carve out a name for himself in the brutal landscape of Night City. He believes that more chrome equals more power and a greater chance of survival, a common but flawed philosophy among edgerunners that ultimately leads to his demise.

Maine is the veteran leader of the edgerunner crew who takes David under his wing. He is a powerful, charismatic figure who serves as a father figure to David, teaching him the ropes of the mercenary life. However, Maine's arc is a grim foreshadowing of David's own. He continually adds cybernetics to his body, ignoring the warning signs of encroaching cyberpsychosis. His gradual descent into madness culminates in a violent, tragic rampage where he loses control completely, leading to his and his partner Dorio's deaths. His fall serves as a stark warning about the inevitable price of chasing power through chrome in Night City.