Cyberpunk Edgerunners Bringing Black Visibility to the Anime Party

Netflix done went and opened up the floodgates on some peak anime with Cyberpunk Edgerunners. Oh, is Edgerunners your first jump into the world of Cyberpunk? Then let me put you on to some of the source material and highlight some of the awesomeness of the franchise. What Y’all Need to Know is… The Cyberpunk transmedia universe, as we know it, is the most vast and most expansive gaming universe in known media. It spans roleplaying, board games, video games, and now animated mediums. On top of the many accolades and years of critical acclaim – the creator is a Black nerd legend: Mike Pondsmith. Yes, a Black man is responsible for designing and developing this sprawling piece of prophetic media. So when you watch a series like Edgerunners and see a brown-skinned protagonist, know it was with an intention beyond the well-meaning of some executives working out how to deal with their white guilt.

In case you wondered why this was in the opening. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2022

I say that to say this: the impact of Pondsmith’s work in shaping the way we see the future, dystopian or otherwise, includes and introduces Black and Brown people to a vision of that future. Although he doesn’t center any one kind of person, there is something profound in having a Black creative design a future that imagines us in it. So much so, that despite the many many glitches in the Cyberpunk 2077 video game, folks are still investing in the richness of a world that focuses on…