Netflix's New #2 Show Is The Sci-Fi Masterpiece Fans Have Been Waiting 4 Years For

Published Oct 22, 2026, 6:02 PM EDT Umair is a contributor for the ScreenRant anime section. He has always been enthusiastic about pop culture. Whether it's anime, movies, TV shows, manga, manhwa, video games, or pop music, he is always tuned in. From the classic Dragon Ball to the underrated Dororo, he has a broad knowledge of the most. When he's not writing, you may find him editing on his favorite anime, movie, or pop star on his Instagram. After four years of waiting, Netflix has finally dropped the next chapter in one of its best sci-fi franchises, and Night City is already making noise on the streaming charts. Following its October 20 premiere, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 quickly climbed to No. 1 worldwide before settling at No. 2, just behind Below. Once again, the Cyberpunk 2077 spin-off hasn't failed to deliver an absolute gut-punch of a story. Of course, following up the original Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was never going to be easy. The first season won Anime of the Year at the 2023 Crunchyroll Anime Awards and earned a rare 100% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes. That's a tough act to follow, especially after the impact its story had on fans. But Studio Trigger and CD Projekt Red are back with another look at the world of Cyberpunk 2077, and the early response suggests Night City still has plenty left to offer. Four years later, the wait is finally over, and the new season has wasted little time finding its audience. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 Scores An #2 On The Global Netflix Charts According to streaming tracker FlixPatrol, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is currently sitting as the #2 most-watched TV series on Netflix across the globe, putting it ahead of shows like The Diplomat season 4 and The Trap. It's currently trailing only Below, and the timing makes sense. The first season spent four years building a devoted following, so there was always going to be curiosity about a return to Night City. The bigger question is whether the sequel can keep that audience around once the initial excitement wears off. Netflix's official weekly viewership figures should give a clearer picture of just how well the new season is doing. Story-wise, Edgerunners 2 takes a different route from David Martinez's rise and fall. This time, the story follows Weak Kingsley, a veteran mercenary once known as King. After suffering a brutal bout of cyberpsychosis, he survives but has to give up his combat cyberware to avoid another breakdown. For someone who built his reputation on being dangerous, losing that edge is a pretty rough deal in a city where power often decides who's worth keeping around. King isn't the only outcast trying to find his place. Roman Carax wants to capture real life on an old-school camera in a city obsessed with braindances, while D is consumed by revenge after losing his clan. Talia Yang, meanwhile, runs away from her corporate upbringing and gets pulled into the Maelstrom gang's world of heavy chrome. Their stories eventually connect through the damage Night City leaves behind, with King's relationship with Talia giving the season its emotional pull. The sequel doesn't quite land the same immediate punch as David and Lucy's story, but it has its own ideas about survival, revenge, and what remains when the chrome is stripped away. The Anime Officially Jumps The Timeline A Full Year Past Cyberpunk 2077 The new episodes also clear up where Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 fits into the official timeline. While the first season began in 2075 and wrapped up in 2076, just before V's story in Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red loremaster Patrick Mills confirmed that the sequel jumps ahead to 2078, a year after the game's events. The difference is easy to spot in Night City, where Arasaka has lost much of its grip, and rival corporations like Kang Tao are moving in to take advantage. And just like the first season, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 leaves viewers emotionally wrecked, even as it takes the franchise in a new direction. CD Projekt Red is also making sure the anime's return comes with something extra for players. On October 22, the studio dropped the free Update 2.5 for Cyberpunk 2077, adding "Clampdown," a five-piece gear set based on King, dual-wielding pistols and revolvers, and the HKGN 102.0 FM radio station packed with music from the anime. Release Date 2022 - 2022-00-00 Network Netflix Showrunner Bartosz Sztybor, Rafal Jaki Cast KENN David Martinez (voice) Kento Shiraishi Animal (voice) Streetwise kid David Martinez lives in the slums of Night City, becoming an "edgerunner" and taking on mercenary jobs outside of the system. While the original Cyberpunk: Edgerunners story came to its end, a standalone sequel series promises a fresh new animated angle on Mike Pondsmith's unforgiving dystopic sci-fi universe. Directors Hiroyuki Imaishi, Noboru Furukawa, Yuichi Shimodaira, Tomoyuki Munehiro, Yoshiyuki Kaneko, Kodai Nakano, Mai Owada Writers Yoshiki Usa, Masahiko Otsuka, Bartosz Sztybor, Jan Bartkowicz, Łukasz Ludkowski Franchise(s) Cyberpunk Main Genre Anime Creator(s) Bartosz Sztybor, Rafał Jaki Executive Producer(s) Dylan Thomas, Rafał Jaki, Taiki Sakurai, Yoshiki Usa, Bartosz Sztybor Producers Bartosz Sztybor, Gabriel Moszkowski, Satoru Homma, Saya Elder, Hiromi Wakabayashi Seasons 2 Number of Episodes 10 Story By yoshiki usa Streaming Service(s) Netflix Studio Trigger Based On Video Game (Cyberpunk 2077) MyAnimeList Score 8.61