Waifu Wednesday: Lucy (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners)

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners did what Cyberpunk 2077 failed to do upon its initial release: it genuinely wowed its audience. It occurs to me that I have been enjoying punishing myself over the last weekend by watching both Love Like the Falling Petals and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, but the emotional damage made the experience all the more memorable. (Perhaps the emotional scars can be a nice souvenir? – Ed.)

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ assault on your feelings comes primarily through its romantic aspects. I realise I sound like a broken record at this point, but if a romance is written well – which it was not for the most part in Cyberpunk 2077 – then I’ll love the story it is contained within. It is therefore safe to say that the coupling of the show’s main character David and love interest Lucy completely stole my heart over the course of those ten episodes.

I’m still an emotional wreck, so let’s just get straight into gushing about the heart and soul of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners – it’s Lucy, but also her show-stealing relationship with David.

Who is Lucy?

Lucy is one of the members of Maine’s crew and a brilliant netrunner — someone who is able to “jack in” to Cyberdecks and scour the Net for information to sell on. She is the first person to make contact with David after he suffers a tremendously personal loss that destroys his sense of direction and motivation for life.

After this fateful encounter, David swiftly gets involved with and subsequently brought into the team as its newest member. From there, bonds begin to develop, and the mysterious but stoic façade Lucy had once intended to keep up at all times starts to wear thin as she becomes more open about her background.

This is especially notable in one of the earliest scenes involving the two, where she clearly expresses and shows her life’s ambition by a BD (Braindance). It is a strikingly poignant and important scene that speaks volumes to her character, and is a prime indicator as to the potential growth and development of their romantic relationship. It’s especially moving to see how quickly David remarks on how splendid a life motivation he feels it is.

However, that’s not to say that she ever learns how to truly be honest. Her secrecy eventually leads to the show’s highly emotional and bittersweet ending, largely due to her protectiveness towards David.

Why we love Lucy

For anyone already familiar with Cyberpunk 2077, it goes without saying that no-one is given an easy life within the confines of the rough and ruthless Night City, and the same absolutely goes for Lucy.

She has a tragic backstory, which easily explains why she wants to get as far away as possible from Night City — a place she refers to as a “prison” — but due to her circumstances she is forced to lay low and get by as a member of Maine’s crew. That is, until she meets David, who turns her whole world upside down. She initially saves David completely unintentionally; in the end, this situation is mirrored nicely by David being the one to intentionally save her.

The beautiful theme of living life for someone else is what pushes both of these characters forwards. It’s quite literally the defining part of David’s character. He was once so lost when it came to a sense of direction in his own life that he ended up living for the sole purpose of helping those closest to him fulfil their dreams; many of the people he helps were unable to do so for themselves when they were alive.

For Lucy, meanwhile, while she once had a dream of reaching the moon, she instead finds happiness in sharing a life with David and, dare I say it, simply wishing to stay at home with him.

But both Lucy and David can’t help themselves; they both do everything within their power to try and protect one another, but this often results in suffering as a result of their silent actions and hidden motivations. Lucy knew from the outset that the pair of them were worlds apart and, in the end, she was right in every sense. But by accepting and embracing their love and chemistry, their relationship ended up being one of the most memorable love stories I’ve seen in modern TV and animation.

Why you will love Lucy

Lucy is the crux of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, especially in how she is one of the first characters to present her aspiration so clearly – that of coming as close as physically possible to the Moon. Her dream and her own life’s ambition are what gives David a sense of purpose. He wants to live to see it through with her as the two become inseparable life partners. He wants to take her to the Moon and be there with her on it.

The real tragedy comes from how David and Lucy’s lacking communication ends up being the catalyst for the show’s downer ending. They did everything they could in the belief that it was for the sake of one another’s happiness and safety — but where this led was the opposite of Lucy’s wish if you read between the lines.

To further add salt into the freshly made wound, Lucy suffered a shocking amount of misfortune both before and after the events of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. She dealt with survivors’ guilt, being betrayed and sold out, and was continuously in the process of grieving for those closest to her — those she lost on her path to make her dream become a reality.

My heart goes out to Lucy for still going strong even after seeing what those closest to her sacrificed in order to help her fulfil her own dream. Her character arc will surely bring a tear to the eye of the most hardened audience members, and thanks to this anime adaptation of the Cyberpunk 2077 world, I will never again be able to keep my emotions truly under control when I hear I Really Want to Stay at Your House. It’s a song that, when it first played, was so hopeful — and when it’s once again played in the final scene, can never be seen in the same light again.

Watch one of the biggest contenders for anime of the year right now on Netflix. Do it! I can’t be the only one who keeps crying a river over here when some of you have yet to experience the show for the first time!

^{Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on them. This is at no additional cost to you and helps support Rice Digital!}