A Fool's Dream or a Hero's Journey? - Cyberpunk Series' V and David
Cyberpunk 2077 and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners tells the dream chase of V and David in Night City, but rather finds their tragic demise. Yet is it really as tragic as it seems?
The mainstream media and gaming community has been blessed with two entries from the Cyberpunk series: Cyberpunk 2077 and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Both stories showcase a protagonist fighting for their life, trying to fulfill the dreams of a lost friend, and becoming a hero in each of their own journeys.
V and David
For Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' David Martinez, the death of his mom and mentor led him to strive to become better - to make it out of Night City or make a name in it. For Cyberpunk 2077's V, the death of Jackie and his life-threatening "disease" pushes him to accept death, live out the rest of his life, or solidify himself as a legend in Night City.
While Cyberpunk 2077 offers a more open approach with its structure and multiple endings, both Cyberpunk titles have a rather bleak story arc and conclusion for their protagonists. A core concept of both titles is that V and David will inevitably meet a grim fate, a pitiful death, the inescapable curse of Night City.
The foolish dream of David to fill in Maine's shoes and fulfill his mom's dream of success eventually leads him to take extreme measures that give him Cyberpsychosis. For V, you may be reluctant about achieving glory as a player, but your best friend Jackie will see things differently. A once-in-a-lifetime heist is his ticket to success whether you see it the same or not. V will join him in this suicide mission, one that ultimately ends both his and Jackie’s life - kind of.
A dream, that is all there is in Night City. Yet to have one is a death sentence, and to chase one simply hastens it.
Foolish or Heroic?
Yet is it foolish or heroic to chase one's dream knowing death awaits at every corner?
It doesn’t matter, the ability to choose makes a difference. It is about the choice to take the journey, the paths taken. David and V may have died, but each chose their way to it. Each chose how to meet their Reapers.
More importantly, they got to choose how to live. Something often overlooked by many.
David lived for his mom, his friends, his newfound family, and most importantly for Lucy. He died protecting them, the only treasures he has left. He died with regrets, yet he died with something not anyone can get in Night City. Happiness. Something given and received. David gave Lucy what she wanted, made her feel loved, and opened her a way out of Night City.
V lived vicariously with Jackie, not having a greater purpose or meaning in life. Yet losing Jackie and his own life showed him what it truly means to live. In most endings, V's journey eventually leads him to leave his memento of the past - the bullet that killed him and dragged Johnny into his life. Through this, V and Johnny started to appreciate life. It is to spend days wholeheartedly loving your partner, to care for your family, and maybe to pass this newfound perspective to someone who never got to experience it - to Johnny.
Cyberpunk's story is tragic, yet it should leave us with a partial truth about life.
Death is not the end of us.