For those who can actually keep Cyberpunk 2077 up and running, there’s a lot to explore and do in Night City. Is it everything that was originally promised? Not at all. Is it a flawless experience? Nope! In fact, with every hotfix, more bugs start popping up. But, regardless of the gameplay, CD Projekt has always been fantastic with their character writing and dialog, and that hasn’t changed with Cyberpunk.
The characters in this game are all so unique, though some are a bit more forgettable than the fans likely expected. So, why not take a closer look and see exactly which characters exceeded expectations and which ones weren’t quite up to Snuff?
Disclaimer: None of the romanceable characters are included in this, it felt a bit unfair since those characters get a ton more screentime. Also, be wary of character spoilers, we tried not to include too many, but some were unavoidable.
10 Forgettable: Jackie Welles
Starting things off with a controversial take, let’s talk about how forgettable Jackie Welles is. This guy has been in almost every trailer for the game leading up to its release, but fans knew he was going to die early on in the game, and it doesn’t help that most of his initial characterization is packed into that montage right after he meets V. A lot of Cyberpunk feels rushed or cut, and this early montage of Jackie and V getting to know each other is concrete proof of it. Maybe if that had been included in the final product fans would remember Jackie more, but as it currently stands, the guy dies a couple of hours into the game and V quickly moves on. Though, the message players can leave on his phone after his demise is a very nice touch.
9 Memorable: Misty Olszewski
Misty was the first big surprise character for a lot of people. At first, she just seems like a random NPC that Jackie is in a relationship with, but after he dies and V gets stuck with Johnny, Misty really starts to shine. In particular, her scene talking to V in their apartment is incredibly strong, and it’s so rare to see someone focused on spirituality in this technologically dependant dystopia. All in all, Misty has a very unique outlook for someone living in Night City, a very memorable design, and quite frankly she should’ve been part of the story a lot more.
8 Forgettable: T-Bug
Much like Jackie, T-Bug is basically a tutorial character that introduces V to the concept of netrunners. Fans were wary of her in the final release considering her betrayal siding with Dexter Deshawn in the E3 2019 Cinematic trailer. But, oddly enough, that scene never plays out, as T-Bug always dies over comms due to Arasaka Corp frying her brain remotely. In any case, T-Bug seemed like she had a lot going on at first, and was put on this pedestal by everyone as some netrunning expert, but in the end, she got killed the same way so many amateur netrunners do.
7 Memorable: Goro Takemura
Goro Takemura was such a surprisingly lovable character. The dude works and still firmly believes in corporations, yet he’s such an adorable out-of-touch old man. There’s a lot of little things about Goro that V slowly can pick up over their experience working together too.
For example, Goro obviously has a bit of a temper, he’s very homesick, isn’t quick to open up to people, is particular about food, and always makes sure to appear professional both in his attire and attitude. And, his text message conversations with V are just so funny. There’s not much more to say about the guy, he’s just a character many fans didn’t expect would be such a big part of so much of the main story, but were ultimately glad that he was.
6 Forgettable: Maman Brigitte
The Voodoo Boys were such a disappointment. Pacifica and its unique ecosystem were so interesting at first, but Placide and Maman Brigitte ultimately turned out to be crazed fanatics dedicated to breaching the Blackwall, and they’d do anything to achieve this goal. The Voodoo Boys from the Cyberpunk Tabletop series were a lot more hardcore, while the version in 2077 is just a band of fanatics with no semblance of loyalty. The worst part is, players actually get to see more of Placide than they do Brigitte, and Placide might be one of the most boring characters in the story overall, followed closely by the Maman.
5 Memorable: Delemain
Here’s the thing, for anyone unfamiliar with Cyberpunk’s source material, Delamain being an AI might not seem like such a big deal. But, the setting of 2077 is at a time where all AI’s that are deemed “uncontrollable” are basically captured and sent to the other side of the Blackwall. So, when V finds out that Delamain Taxi Service isn’t just a simple driving algorithm but a fully sentient AI, it shows how Delamain trusts V, and also how much it works as a standalone character. Plus, Delamain’s whole sidequest Epistrophy involves V getting to meet all the different sides of Delamain, and it works well as a way to characterize a literal taxi into one of the fan-favorite characters.
4 Forgettable: Meredith Stout
Not sure how everyone else thought Meredith Stout was going to play into the game but based on her appearances in the trailers, many people thought she was going to be the go-to contact for the Corpo Lifepath players or something. As it turns out, she’s barely in the game at all, basically disappearing in the aftermath of The Pickup story quest. After this V can text her and set up a meet at the No Tell Motel, where she’s dressed a lot less…formal. After this “interaction” between the two characters, Stout full-on disappears from the story, never to be seen again.
3 Memorable: Evelyn Parker
Here’s the thing about Evelyn Parker, as an individual, she’s, unfortunately, a tad forgettable. But, her story and overall character arc are quite frankly some of the more memorable parts of Cyberpunk 2077. Not to get into spoilers here, but players can absolutely find Evelyn again after the Konpeki Plaza heist by working with Judy, but it’s a long chase.
Sadly, players don’t ever really get to talk with her much, with most of her characterization from this point on being shown to V through BD’s or explained to them by Alvarez. But, the way this storyline ends…it’s some tough stuff.
2 Forgettable: Yorinobu Arasaka
Yes, Yorinobu is essentially the big-bad of Cyberpunk 2077, but as a character? People have seen villains like him a million times. The heir to a giant corporation, Yorinobu has an insane rebel complex and rarely ever looks at the bigger picture. Saburo was a monster as Silverhand will mention time and time again, but he was at least intelligent and reserved. Yorinobu is basically just a small-time gang leader in a nice suit, and it’s a shame that he’s not nearly as interesting as any of the characters around him.
1 Memorable: Claire Russell
Heads up, Claire’s description will be a bit more spoiler-y than the others.
So, Claire is the flagship Trans character in Cyberpunk, and while we can’t comment on how well she was written, personally we felt she succeeds as a character overall. At first, it just seemed like Claire’s sidequests were a vehicle (no pun intended) for the racing minigame (which sometimes doesn’t even need a vehicle). But, as the races continue it becomes more and more clear that there’s more to the story here. In the end, players can actually choose to ignore the race altogether and help Claire with her revenge plot. There are different rewards for each path, so check out our guide to see which path is more beneficial. In any case, it’s a shame that the trans representation was pushed into this easily missable series of sidequests, so everyone currently playing the game should, at the very least, see what her story has to offer.
NEXT: 10 Things That Make No Sense In Cyberpunk 2077
