Cyberpunk 2077 is by no means an original concept. The idea of Cyberpunk was established long before the game got its hands on it. If you’re looking for some of the inspiration the game took from, then pick up one of these amazing manga that helped build the world of Cyberpunk 2077.
Cyberpunk manga
The complex and often dark words of manga are perfect for the cyberpunk setting. Neon streets, high-tech weaponry, and futuristic dystopias are all run-of-the-mill for many Japanese comic books and graphic novels. If you want a bit more of that robo futuristic Cyberpunk 2077 goodness, look no further than some of these fantastic manga.
Akira – Katsuhiro Otomo
Fan of Cyberpunk 2077 or not, you should pick up a volume of Akira and give it a read. This seminal work, split into six volumes, tells the story of post-nuclear Tokyo, following the footsteps of some street kids. Through a wild turn of events, they uncover the truth behind the destruction of the city. Digging deeper into the underground science labs, terrifying experiments are being made, threatening not only the city but possibly also the world.
The glorious illustrations in Akira build monstrous cities filled with narrow alleys, dangerous street gangs, and robotic police forces. The Akira manga is a clear inspiration for Cyberpunk 2077 and the rest of the genre. The mean attitudes and stylish fashion of the characters in the manga have inspired more than one video game.
Ghost in The Shell – Shirow Masamune
When we begin replacing the body with cybernetics and enhancing our brains with microchips, at what point do we stop being human? This is the question posed by the Ghost in The Shell manga, which is another clear inspiration for Cyberpunk 2077. It poses the question of what makes us human and just how far the body can be pushed before humanity is lost and robotics takes over.
The manga goes beyond the similarities in theme with the cyber psychos of Cyberpunk 2077 and also dives deeper into the visuals. Ghost in the Shell is wonderfully stylized, with a vast metropolis hanging with cabling and mechanics. The light-soaked cities, filled with new-age tech, still retain much of the classic and traditional architecture, too, creating the blend of new and old we see in Cyberpunk 2077.
Blame! – Tsutomu Nihei
One of my favorite aspects of science fiction and graphic novels is the ability to create something truly massive. BLAME! is the perfect example of letting the imagination run wild and producing a universe that defies belief. In this manga, rogue city-building robots have run riot, killing all human beings and endlessly building, creating a megastructure roughly the size of Jupiter’s orbit. This megastructure houses concentric spheres, one inside the other, constantly being built, disassembled, and reshaped.
The megastructure itself is quite unlike anything seen in other manga but certainly inspires many. Planet-sized mechanical cities constantly reshape around the central character as he tries to find a solution to the ever-expanding, homicidal building robots. The manga is dark and hostile, in a way often seen in the bleak and dangerous streets of Cyberpunk 2077.
Battle Angel Alita – Yukito Kishiro
Class divide and a struggling peasant class left to feed on the scraps of the wealthy elite are themes often running through many cyberpunk productions. Battle Angel Alita takes place in Scrapyard, a place below the wealthy elite’s city, where they dump their various waste. Battle Angel Alita is a cybernetic amnesiac robot, left to be rebuilt from nothing but her head and chest. She awakens in the city of Scrapyard and slowly uncovers her past.
In many ways, this manga is an inspiration for Cyberpunk 2077. It goes beyond the simple amnesiac themes, tied up in biomechanics and corrupt chips. The people of Scrapyard heavily modify their bodies to cope with the environment they live within. Beyond this, Alita also works as a bounty hunter, tracking down criminals, furthering the similarities to Cyberpunk 2077.
Eden: It’s An Endless World – Hiroki Endo
In a world ravaged by a virus that killed off 15% of the world’s population, the manga itself deals more with the personal lives and experiences of the central characters. They struggle to survive in a drastically changed world and learn to live alongside the virus that continues to evolve, wiping out more than just people.
Cyberpunk 2077 players will be familiar with the futuristic dystopia of Eden, which is wrought with violence, suspicion, and, of course, robots. It perfectly captures humanity’s endless will to survive, even when the odds are turned against them. Infighting and desperation fill the pages of Eden: It’s An Endless World and make for an essential read to anyone who is a fan of the Cyberpunk genre.
Appleseed – Shirow Masamune
Mechs aren’t typical of the cyberpunk genre, but they fit very nicely into the world in manga. The well-received mange Appleseed places our two central characters, one of whom is a mech, in the cyberpunk post-apocalyptic setting. The world has fallen to rack and ruin, and the world governments are struggling to keep power. However, as the dust settles, Deunan and her cyborg partner find a utopia being built, aspiring to restore the earth to peace and former glory.
Like Cyberpunk 2077, the reality of this seemingly glorious place is just a cover for evil intentions and corruption. The glittering lights of the future dystopia are really just a cover-up for some incredibly nefarious plans. It is up to the two former LAPD cops to uncover the truth and fight the powers.
Gantz – Hiroya Oku
Gamifying death is always an interesting angle to take when digging into the cyberpunk genre. When the future of technology comes around, why not turn death and bounty hunting into a points-based competition? Gantz does exactly this, with two characters dying only to wake up in a room with a black orb. The orb informs them that they now owe a debt. This can only be paid off by going out into the world and killing monsters, earning points as they go.
Gantz creates a world in which disgusting monsters roam the streets of a futuristic city. The monsters and hunters are invisible to the rest of the population, but the threats are still very real. In this manga, we see the cyberpunk trappings in their weapons, vehicles, dystopian cities, and outfits. However, Gantz brings a whole new element to the genre with the grotesque and monstrous enemies that live within its pages.
Biomega – Tsutomu Nihei
If the slick vehicles, futuristic weaponry, and body modifications are what you’re looking for in a manga that inspired Cyberpunk 2077, then pick up Biomega. The story is complex, futuristic, and deep, involving immortality, mind reading, and the next evolution of humanity. However, the cyberpunk trappings of massive weaponry and cybernetics are all there for the fans of the genre.
The manga tackles a future in which humanity is evolving to become immortal. Genetic engineering is possible, resulting in some wild human transformations. Brains are moved between bodies, minds are read, and one character is a human soul inside a motorcycle. It is up to the various characters to fight off a plague that is sweeping across the planet, turning humans into zombie-like creatures.
Colourless – Kent
The world has been stripped of color by a solar flair that not only destroyed all pigment but also reduced most of the world’s tech to dust. In a world devoid of color, humanity struggles. However, this black-and-white world still has small amounts of pigment if you know where to look. This can be harnessed and used to create incredibly powerful reactions. The mutated and incredibly divided population seeks it out, using it for various nefarious purposes.
Colourless isn’t your usual cyberpunk choice, but it is certainly a great one to pick up for fans of the genre. The mechanical beings and color power tech in the manga are full of imagination and originality. As the story progresses, the ideas surrounding humanity’s obsession with color deepen, unraveling cults, superpowers, and the remnants of humanity before the great solar flair.
A.D. Police – Tony Takezaki
If the elements of policing, detective work, and crime-fighting are what you enjoyed in Cyberpunk 2077, then A.D. Police might be the manga for you. This collection of stories is set in the not-too-distant future and revolves around the police force that exists within the city. They are dedicated to fighting the terrorist and boomer forces that run riot.
A.D. Police has all the robotics, cybernetics, and ultra-violence you could want in a cyberpunk manga. The police in A.D. Police are given a vast amount of freedom in how they deal with crime, akin to the freedoms given to the militias in the game. They destroy huge sections of the city in an attempt to drive out crime. They are vilified by criminals and the public alike, wreaking havoc wherever they go.
Many of these amazing manga have been translated to the screen. The various anime adaptations are the perfect place to start if you’re looking for the inspiration Cyberpunk 2077 took from the screen.
Published: Aug 17, 2024 09:22 am