V Can Survive Every Ending…But Should They Return? | Cyberpunk 2077 Theory

[@LayedBackGamers]

Hey chooms! I hope you all enjoyed and learned something new about the Cyberpunk series. Let me know all your thoughts and feedback down below! And as always, have a great week! Addition to video: I do want to state that just because I believe V CAN survive every ending, doesn't necessarily mean V HAS to. If you like the idea of the endings being fatal, our own "head canons" or beliefs likely won't be contradicted in future stories. FOLLOW ME ON: ● Community DISCORD Server: discord.gg/M2ESDtg9xk ● Twitter: x.com/LayedBackGamers ● Twitch: www.twitch.tv/layedbackgamers

[@happyninja42]

I think it depends on if a sequel would have V as the protagonist, or just a supporting/walk-on character, and on which ending they decide to go forward with as canon. Most of the endings easily allow for V to show back up. In the endings where V joins Alt beyond the Blackwall, well, Phantom Liberty heavily implies that interacting with things from that side is pretty easily done. So V could show back up as a ghost in the machine for the new protagonist to interact with. In the endings where V stays in their body, again, you could easily have them show back up, though I think the Aldacaldo's ending is probably the most far fetched for a return. The ending where V is flying towards the space station could literally be the entire setup for a sequel game. I always imagine it as something like Bioshock, where V ends up on the station, isolated, and it turns out the whole place is a complete mess of chaos and debauchery, more than usual for the CP universe. So they have to do what they can to survive, with the slim hope that the doctors in the place have some super advanced treatments that could fix them. It's entirely plausible for V to survive all of the endings except the suicide one obviously. But yeah, as to whether they SHOULD. Eh, I'm personally fine with V showing up as a cameo in the next game to some degree. My personal favorite being some kind of AI construct that helps the new protagonist through a significant story arc. If you've played Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, there is a side mission you can get, that involves an AI from the first game, and trying to rehabilitate them. And the way you encounter that quest is just so random and mundane, you wouldn't think it would become this lengthy subplot with a really awesome story to it. I think it's probably best to either simply refer to V's exploits in datafiles, or NPC conversations, and let the new protagonist have their own independent story. Or, to have them show up as an AI to help the protagonist in some aspect of either the main plot, or a side plot (or both). We hear in CP 2077 all the time about the Legendary Solo's of Night City, but in the actual gameplay, they are pretty much never directly encountered, until Adam at the end. The rest of the time, it's just referring to them by name, or reputation. V could easily fit that kind of niche, and if you can pull your save file from CP 2077 into the next game, they could even tailor V's exploits based on the ways you handled the various missions. Which could be fun.

[@NorseGraphic]

DNA is just the blueprint of the hardware. The ‘software’ (the engram), can be installed on any physical devices with enough neural connections. How or why CDPR made things so complicated, I don’t know. Maybe to cast a mystical aura around soul killer? Edit. I think V should only gets mentioned as a legend.

[@designertm3283]

How do you feel about all the paths somehow being linked? If you look at the endings there is always something that you lose/gain with certain choices. IT would be cool to see someone line these out with some sort of visual timeline showing how these playout.

[@Cryptic0013]

It's not "Copium," BTW, to dig into the iceberg and remain hopeful, even in the face of the Tower or Devil. It's the whole point of the game. A big running theme in the setting is that nobody you talk to has all the answers, and that what you see presented to you often bears little resemblance to the deeper truth. Couple that with the other theme of fighting for a slim chance to survive, remaining true to yourself, and holding onto hope... I honestly think the "downer endings" are meant to be food for thought, to get your gears turning. If you just take them at face value and walk away depressed, that's kind of your punishment for not doing the homework, whereas if you dig into them and read between the lines, you're rewarded with hope and insight into the character of V. We don't really *know* if the FIA is telling the truth that Johnny is deleted, rather than held in a lab as part of Project Cynosure. We don't know whether hopping into Cyberspace disintegrates our person or becomes a (temporary) vessel for our soul freed from its meatbag. The unknowns here are a Rorschacht Test. Do you look at it and see despair or get excited by the potential?

[@JohnnySilverwrench]

V is that gangster.....in Orion I see them having you and V cross main stories together the only partner V is really had since Jackie find out the next main character is already chillin contemplating leaving the life that they're living at the crystal palace when V shows up with a pistol.....just an idea...

[@stertrack520]

Takamura : "there have been no complains" No shit you turn people into usb

[@LayedBackGamers]

Takemura: No worries, you have zero rights as an engram but Arasaka will totally give you your rights once the laws update

[@stertrack520]

"Trust me bro"

[@terranampire6077]

You think they have to try 3 times to get the engrams into a host body?

[@stertrack520]

Yes

[@federalcasemaker]

"Now, I know that sounds bad-" "I SAVED YOUR LIFE AND THIS IS WHAT I GET IN RETURN!?"

[@Christopher-eq1rn]

If Orion can pull off a choice system like in mass effect then I'd like V to be back as playable, otherwise would be cool to have mentions or V to be an npc

[@PrimeDecanus]

In my opinion I think the true ending is don't Fear the Reaper, I feel like V will do this because he doesn't want to let his friends die, just because what has happened to Jackie and he blames himself for that. And he is in this situation because of his actions, and a lot of it is his fault, for me I believe that is the true ending to cyberpunk 2077.

[@destinmorrissey6058]

Don't fear the reaper has always been the canon ending in my head

[@Cryptic0013]

IMO, every "canon" ending has a Tarot card associated with it, one that will probably be your "lifepath" for the sequel, setting up a prologue to explain how you regain your life/powers/body and get back into the fray. Don't Fear the Reaper is more of an Easter Egg that lets you try a "What If" but still ends with either a Game Over or The Sun But With More Steps.

[@cookdislander4372]

I like how you said "his" lol. I feel like I'm the only person who loves male v. His voice actor was awesome.i played him all 4 playthroughs

[@MagklJellyBeanPastelLucidDream]

It was the first ending I took believe it or not, and that’s only because I had felt like Johnny could coarse Alt to bring V back, letting Johnny have a second chance. After helping V take down Arasaka and Adam. It only felt right that with all the augmentations, money invested, that Johny should be the caretaker of that body afterwards. Which is crazy funny coz you can interact with characters you met as the original V.

[@Michael12111983]

@@cookdislander4372 Same here bro, I started a female V walkthrough and just didn't feel it... Soo it's all male V for me too

[@lelouche25]

V coming back is good. Curing himself is an excellent excuse to depower V in a sequel.

[@LayedBackGamers]

If V were to return as MC, they've definitely set up several paths to reset them! Wonder how they would turn out after surviving in the net with Alt...

[@jthomas669]

​@@LayedBackGamers oh gawd here we go with the pronouns 🙄🤪

[@LayedBackGamers]

@@jthomas669 So take a second to realize V is a character that can be either male or female. It's really not a big deal and shouldn't be something that offends you. Nothing to do with politics.

[@cozzy4447]

​@@jthomas669it's not a pronoun it's an abbreviation of MAIN CHARACTER aka playable character.

[@jthomas669]

@@cozzy4447 He could have simply said V. Instead he chose the "they them" nonsense. Maybe in a world without wokeness, I wouldn't have thought twice about it.

[@STRmw2]

IMO it's the sort of story where you end up caring about your own character and your allies. I think V should come back to expand on it

[@isaiahjohnson9905]

Exactly!

[@Cryptic0013]

I'm cautiously hopeful (not quite optimistic, just hopeful) that CDPR will take fan sentiment into account. They seem to walk a line between artistic vision and "give the people what they want," and it really seems like people want V to survive and Keanu to be in the sequel, so... they may find a way, no matter what they had written back in 2019, just to honour what their fans want rather than trying to shove existential dread and ambiguity down our throats.

[@STRmw2]

@@Cryptic0013 I think there’s still more to be told outside of V getting better tbh, characters like black hand or blue eyes are too compelling and I think do fit into V’s story already

[@Cryptic0013]

@@STRmw2 Agreed! It feels like they did more to set up V's long-term career, the AI Wars, the conspiracies, etc., than to resolve them. This had *better* be the first entry, not the last one. IMO, "V getting better" should just be the Prologue of the next game, kind of our new "Lifepath". It explains how you get back into action, then funnels you into a newer, larger plot that picks up all those threads that the first game set up.

[@PolicyPanda420]

I like the idea of Johnny surviving.. th​e don't fear the reaper ending is my favorite... @@Cryptic0013

[@petertrex]

I think Johnny's quote "That's why you don't bring legends; They will just see everything they fought for turned into sh*t" is somewhat of good representation. V really should be left alone and referenced as badly as a history textbook does for very significant person, but not to the extent of being insulting. Status like Johnny, or other legends. just one, among many. with drink named after them at Afterlife. that's how subtle it should be and, and I believe CDPR will deliver. And yea, people like Aldecado, misty, Vik or mama wells, or other fixers, or other form of media should be the ones telling one aspect of V.

[@r1pbuck]

It could be done...but I think it makes a lot more sense for V to fade into legend and introduce a new protagonist and cast of characters in Orion. I'd be open to a cameo of some kind, I guess, but I see V more as a drink and a reference at the Afterlife bar.

[@gibrevik]

id rather have that happen. The main character in the Cyberpunk 2077 universe is Night City.

[@thekaiser6842]

Many players like myself have developed a deep connection with V. I think he deserves to be in another title before being retired. He’s only just started after all and most of those endings didn’t exactly provide much closure for his story either…

[@r1pbuck]

@@thekaiser6842 I definitely feel the tragedy of V's life [apparently] ending so young...but isn't that in keeping with the way things work in Night City? 'Blaze of Glory' almost inevitably means an early death...or vanishing into obscurity, just leaving behind a legend. In any case, I trust the people at CDPR to deliver their best possible sequel, whether V is in it or not.

[@thekaiser6842]

@@r1pbuck I understand your point but I really do stand in the belief that upon introducing a character, especially one as beloved by fans such as V, that they are dedicated a proper story arc. Preferably in the form of a trilogy, such as they did with Mass Effect with Commander Shepard. That Johnny/V dynamic was undeniably the stuff of legends with how good it was throughout the story and they need to bring it back for at least one more iteration. The potential for a sequel to his story is immense.

[@GhostwalkerSparrow]

I’m for both options really, because the game is so open ended that V could come back in multiple ways, but I’d wonder if V would become a Johnny like mentor to a new protagonist. It would hurt harder if they could heh died because of the connection we already have with V

[@MrVux007]

Man, after the depression shot that was the Phantom Liberty i really needed this kind of video. I really want a continuation of V and the other characters, it just feels like there is more of story to be told.

[@VectorVGaming]

Cryogenics could also be plausible , freezing v body in suspended animation completly freezing brain activity. TIME IS the constraint , mr blue eyes probably has this in mind for keeping him alive until there is indefinite cure and advancement in medicine.

[@Kaimariification]

To have V as the main character would mean that they need to figure out how to tie it into the endings because choosing one ending would irritate players who chose something different. Plus it would cause issue if they can't transfer over stuff and even eddies. If they decide to bring V back, make V into an NPC we hear about or can interact with that has their story change via how the new PC responds to rumors that other NPCS are discussing. That would allow for minor changes in the story while still letting the player set up how their version of V handled Night City. Using the three paths as example, the player chooses their start and they have a moment in the prologue where NPCs are swapping stories about Night city. Nomads ( a group other than the Aldecaldos) would be chilling around the camp, Street would be chilling with chooms or hanging out at the bar, Corpos would be having a "water cooler" break while on the bare downtime they have. One person mentions V and they start talking about all the crazy things they apparently did and your character happens to be someone who kept their ear to the ground more than the others so they call you over to see if the rumors check out. Rumors dealing with the base game endings would have you mention info like: - that it was a coup by Hanako(V's devil ending) - the Aldecaldos ripped them a new one and got some sweet gear at the cost of members (V's Nomad ending) - they got attack by a squad that was rumored to have an old fixer in it (V's ending with Rouge) - V went in and soloed Arasaka and took down Smasher. They run Afterlife and can sometimes be seen there in between missions (V's DFtR ending). Maybe have a group also talking about wanting to visit Clouds and the player chimes in that either it is still closed down or the management is stricter with the clientel list. It would lead to the player possibly assisting in reopening it or lessen the restriction for at least a few of their chooms? Overall, things mentioned at the start by the player would unlock extra things in their run that matches what they did in CP2077. Could even allow for the players to "experience" certain missions we never got the chance to do because they were not in game (I.E. the Crystal Palace heist, raids on some lab for a "cure", etc.) and even have the other missions be from others who have done such things. It would be like what Bioware did with KoToR 2, just with greater reaching moments. At the start you were allowed to choose the gender and ending of Revan and what you chose changed some of the responses, even though overall the main game was the same.

[@smithynoir9980]

I think if they went down that path, they should make something akin to how Dragon Age imported players data into DA:Inquisition. They used a website where players can choose the outcomes of the events from previous games that were important to the new game. For example; you'd be able to mark V's origin, what the essential outcome was of plot points, which ending was chosen and which choices were made. This is then saved and can be imported into the new game. Great thing was being able to save multiple sets of outcomes so that you didn't have to play through the whole game again to create a save from which you wanted to know what would happen. I really hope they do some sort of save reading or story importing. Just to keep the flow of it being each players Cyberpunk story instead of the break between games being a bit of a fixed point of events and outcomes.

[@Bee_Mavrick]

Naw. V going to space would be the one

[@123Suffering456]

@@smithynoir9980 I hope so as well. I think they already did this with Witcher, though, so I'm hopeful they will choose to do this again for Cyberpunk. This way, nobody will feel like their choices of the first game don't matter.

[@AveChristusRex789]

Not saying that I want V back as the main character, but CDPR will probably have to pick a canon ending anyway, or a canon set of events, as Orion will be a sequel to 2077 which implies a continuation of 2077’s story to some degree. You can’t continue on from 2077’s story with endings that vary from one another, take the star and devil ending. Players will probably be irritated anyway with that in mind anyway

[@lostvayne9146]

"choosing one ending would irritate players who chose something different." then so be it.

[@infin1te_]

i’m currently on my 5th or 6th playthrough of cyberpunk and i’ve gotta say, i can’t imagine doing orion without v. i know it’d likely be very difficult but i’ve definitely become just so incredibly attached to v at this point that i’d find it really sad for their story to end here. everything they went through- it can’t be for nothing

[@jethrodark2372]

The main issue I see is more of where the new game will be set. Can't be the same NC again that might get boring. Vis like 25 in 2077, so if they put you in NC again they will probly to a time skip like 20 years later. Idk..I would love to see V back but idk how.

[@karmagray9152]

I once thought that an engram was also the death of the original user and a copy of the data but not the soul. But when you think about how it works it's basically the same way netrunners access the net, they leave there body behind to explore the net, in this sense either every net runner is also already dead and just being copied (similar to a teleporter argument) OR it is actually entirely possible to remove and store a consciousness and a person's original "soul" effectively making them immortal

[@maddovah1594]

I think they could continue V’s and the construct’ story, maybe with the real Johnny out there in a new body hanging out with a version of Alt. Could just be about the war against the rouge AI, and the conflict between the corpos. Also the real ganic’ people and their AI counterparts. I would very much love to see ganic’ and AI Johnny having a convo about their past memories and how AI Johnny has a lot of things wrong, but at the same time, AI Johnny grew and matured, I suppose, in the hiatus of death and the time he spent kinda becoming V, seeing life through a different lens.

[@exemplar7205]

To add onto the cloning thing you bought up not only does Alt potentially have a clone like you mentioned but Mike in the in game radio mentions how Yorinobu might be a clone after Saburo killed his son and then cloned him in order to change him to be more obedient.

[@AesirUnlimited]

Sending Songbird to the moon, picking the don’t fear the reaper approach, and giving V’s body to Johnny has always been my personal favourite ending combination for V. It’s the most emotionally hard hitting ending, without being an outright bad outcome for the characters involved in my opinion.

[@saadasaad8538]

Same man, although in that scenario, should we see Johnny again? Technically, he has different vocal cords now, so you dont need to cast Keanu Reeves .

[@AesirUnlimited]

@@saadasaad8538 I suppose we technically could. But I think it’d be better for him and everyone V knew if he just rode off into the sunset and lived the rest of V’s natural lifespan in peace and quiet.

[@lostvayne9146]

mine is close to the same. Its 90% affinity with johnny > killing moon > don't fear the reaper > path to glory. Work for blue eyes again, complete the crystal palace. Get the cure from blue eyes and bring in our AI overlords.

[@ozymandias1669]

i don't think send Songbird to some Ai would be a really good idea, i always prefer to kill Songbird she's just too powerful to live imo

[@RebelSkyGaming]

That's exactly what I think on every ending in cp2077, I don't think V could "die" in every ending, everyone keep saying if V don't do something he/she will die, but it never said the relic will kill V to let Johnny take over the body, they only slowly merge into one mind, V become Jonny & Jonny become V.

[@robadobflob2320]

I personally subscribe to the suicide run ending. It screws with as few side characters as possible, and V gets to pull a stunt that would surely bring him to "Legend" status. Plus, it leads to the ending with Mr. Blue Eyes, which is one of the most promising endings for V imo. As for if V should return as a playable character, I personally don't want CDPR to take that route, though it's not impossible that it could happen. I think he should fade into NC lore as a Legend. I like the idea of hearing rumors about V in coming installments, ones both true and false. It'd be interesting to see how muddled V's story can get.

[@Tonius126]

No. Tower ending is where there is least ammount of characters being messed with. Smasher is alive, yurinobu is alive and Alt doesn't absorb all the people in mekoshi.

[@JC_Hyperi0n28]

​@Tonius126 Alt absorbing everyone in Mikoshi is probably important for the sequel, her intentions are something we know little about, so it's perfect for Orion. Also the Arasaka's being alive and well is bad. I think everyone wants a different antagonist for the next game instead of Araska again. And the Tower messes heavily with charatcers. Panam is most definitely dead, Judy's gone and married of to someone else to if someone who does romance her wants her in a sequel that can't be done, River refuses to engage with you out if shame. Misty leaves NC, and Vik sells out to a corpo contract he can't break. It messes mostly with charatcer relationships that likely can't be mended. The Tower is the worst ending for a sequel ngl. I also think DFTR is the best for a sequel, within having the Crystal Palace and Blue Eyes heavily involved.

[@davidponder1654]

Id love to see V as a legend or maybe a fixer. But he needs to retire the solo life soon if he is living, dragging out characters is never a good thing. Just look at poor halo and cod

[@davidponder1654]

@@JC_Hyperi0n28i truly think alt is “lilith” all of the ai refer to lilith as queen which would make sense because alt made these safe havens for them to live in. Over 60 or so years of being disembodied can definitely rid her of her humanity and resent humanity for their “inferior” nature considering just a few months in solitary confinement makes people lose their minds in our real life.

[@thekaiser6842]

⁠@@JC_Hyperi0n28agreed. I think most of the game’s endings left us on a cliffhanger (with many unanswered questions). Especially the one where V infiltrates the Crystal palace which I think would make for an excellent start to a sequel. Mr. Blue eyes using his ever mysterious litany of recourses to aid in V’s survival in exchange for his services. V is too great of a character to retire him after just one title. He deserves to be the starring role in at least one my entry before the developers hang up his mantle.

[@GtheMVP]

I'd love to return as V, but having our characters immortalized and referenced would be pretty cool. It all depends on what the story is for the sequel. If it's a corporate war that follows shortly after the end of the game, and an AI invasion lead by Mr Blue Eyes, with Song Bird and Alt playing big roles, V should play a big role again. I'm fine getting to work alongside V as well, letting us upload our V's look/traits from a save file.

[@warex4501]

I don't want V back as a playable character. They can show up in the story as long as they are not a vital role they play in the story. Maybe show up in a mission or at the very least have some mentions of V. But i don't want them in the story because quite frankly their story is done. I want to play as a new character with a new cast.

[@channel45853]

i agree

[@Kehwanna]

Mannnn, I'm like a concerned parent. I just wanna know if my V survived somehow.

[@kiingsama9441]

Rather not have V come back I'm happy with V's story that we got. And if they do continue V story will the plot involve V finding a new body simliar to the story we already got. Prefer to have a new mc. It brings in a whole new set of charcters, and story. Also idk how possible for cdpr to bring the voice actors back judy, panam etc. It's make sense for blank slate.

[@watchmehope6560]

I mean those characters don't need to come back to being V back. Panama could've left (like she does in PL) and we know Judy leaves regardless what we do, and misty goes to Europe. That only leaves Vick.

[@Natty_Angel77]

I think the "Don't fear the reaper" ending will end up becoming canon for V. But other than that I feel like V should be mentioned by some characters as a legend with an unknown ending, theorizing about what happened to V. Some saying they escaped night city with a group of nomads while others say they are still alive, etc. Either way I feel like what happens to the other characters in the Tower Phantom Liberty ending is canon. Meaning that Judy leaves NC, Misty also leaves NC, and Vik ends up working for Zetatec.

[@brennangum6236]

Its hard to make a character people like... even harder to find good voice actors for them. I also think it would be weird to have the AI plot without V. Because you would have to reintroduce everyone. It doesn't need to be a trilogy but I think V should be the one to play through the rogue AI story (if that's the story in the first place. I mean I don't know). Take advantage of the awesome voice actors while you can. V is a great character. Have either V losing the implants OR mr blue eyes ending be the "canon" ending. You can have NUSA say they were lying and need V to investigate rogue AI stuff as Night City slowly gets taken over. You can have V have an adversarial relationship with NUSA as well and stuff. And because shes kind of undercover she or he has to remake themselves in Night City. It all just makes sense for the start of a game. Mr Blue eyes ending being the new games beginning would also be cool.

[@exemplar7205]

See for me, its less V's fate that needs to be addressed and more the consequences surrounding V's choices in the endings that need to be, so for example, in every ending but Devil and the Tower, Araska is in a ruined state and quite a few members of the Arasaka family are dead plus there's talk of another corpo war, unless the devil ending is not canon, how can V's choices not be addressed because it has too huge consequences for the sequel and the overall tabletop lore and world going forward. There's also the thing of every person that dies in each ending Rogue for example if she's not running the afterlife in the second game and neither is V if their fate isnt addressed, who is? personally i think they are gonna have to do some form of save file transfer or pick a ending choice option in cyberpunk Orion, like they did with the witcher games, the ending is my biggest problem with the game because i can't for the life of me figure out how its gonna work without it.

[@EternalNightingale]

Can’t wait to rewatch all your vids again when Cyberpunk Orion/ Sequel comes out time is definitely going to fly and gonna look back at 2077 in a nostalgia lens

[@exemplar7205]

You can actually see Blue Eyes during Songbird's ending, he's in the room above not long after the conversation with her about him, people have footage of him on youtube D clutch caught the moment during his all appearances video and Little Danny has a video just on that (that was also the first one i saw so i do wonder if he was the first to catch it)

[@jekwes4960]

V’s essentially going to turn into captain ginyu by body hopping

[@thetaorobertshow265]

I imagine a really nice twist to the ending of the Cyberpunk Sequel would be something in between the lines of the main character ending up talking to some random NPC, after an epic ending. You know...the type of calm after the storm. So the main character is sitting over the ruins of some battlefield or a rooftop, watching a sunrise. An NPC that was not very consequential to the story sits next to the main character, they chat a bit and the stranger NPC, before leaving, turns to the main character and says: "you know...I had a good friend once. He was so ambitious and had a head full of dreams that were contsgious. But that was a long time ago....his name was Jackie" and the NPC leaves, leaving the protagonist of the Cyberpunk sequel putting 2 and 2 together...

[@kalaelizabeth]

I don't comment often but I watch all your videos. Keep up the great work!

[@LayedBackGamers]

What matters the most to me is that you watch and enjoy! It's what keeps me motivated choom, so thank you for the support

[@Onqotkarlovo]

15:21 - V goes cyborg, like Smasher and Lizzy. The end.

[@LayedBackGamers]

The only issue with this, is even full borg conversions keep the brain and some accompanying parts. So V would still be in the same predicament unless it was a 100% conversion which hasn't been canonically done.

[@astroboy8637]

I think the time period the next game goes into will be a big indication if V should come back or not. The beauty of 2077 came from V and the relationships you build throughout the story. If the game starts in 2099 then you lose a lot of those and are starting out with practically a new life which is something I don’t think you need a consistent character like V. However if the game is in 2080 or some time around then I think you could build out a really interesting story as V becomes a weapon for a corp before breaking away and trying to reclaim their life. Also V’s connections reach the top of night city and if a war is coming the story could throw you into the growing conflict as a major player rather than a merc trying to make a name for themselves

[@astroboy8637]

I think in every ending leaves V a lot of room to grow as a character that if chosen to be explored could really cement them as one of the best video game characters of all time

[@PaganPolska]

Handing So Mi over to the NUSA is just pure evil. As much as my V wants to survive she would never do that. I mean just listen to the fear and pain So Mi's voice. It's heartbreaking. It would take being one cold ass bastard to do that to her.

[@ZacharyDarkes]

That's the thing about being an adult actions have consequences and So Mi made a lot of bad choices and deserves to suffer for them.

[@_souvenirs_8104]

I am V and V is me, that how I played the game, granted I still went with the king of wands ending but in a real life scenario I would 100% turn song in

[@TrashedFather]

So Mi screwed V and everyone she “cared” for so many times.

[@seanmcclure]

Love these videos. I have been obsessed with this game since its release. Way too many playthroughs and different builds. It’s just so great.

[@avendurree]

I always thought that CDPR tried too hard with that "bittersweet"(which is becoming more and more generic at this point) PL tower ending. With all the tech and knowledgeble people, especially the government, there's no way V would be as useless as they ended up to be or lose all implants functionality forever. Should V return tho? No, but only because there's a lot of possibilities for different and better characters and stories.

[@channel45853]

I think people are calling things generic just because they don't like them. Not because they are actually generic.

[@avendurree]

@@channel45853 Of course I dont like it, because its true, its becoming too overused and the tower ending in CP77 doesnt make sense. Movies, shows and games in general nowadays using too many "so bittersweet, so sad, sooo DEEP" type of endings, that its becoming meaningless due to oversaturation. We all get what kind of world CP77 has, however that extra ending is straight up CDPR trying too hard.

[@VORASTRA]

The government might actuallybe involved in making V's state as useles as he/she is, to prevent the future problems from V.

[@DominusNoctis624]

Would love to see V stay as a legend, but a mystery at the same time. Like by the time setting of the next game, all that's known is that V was a legend who raided Arasaka tower, but by this point now it exactly happened is all speculation. Take it a step further and have all the different theories somehow align with the different possible endings from the game. Some say V assaulted the tower with an army of nomads with a massive tank, others say V did it alone like a true badass, others that they became another corporate pawn, and the very few allude that maybe V just disappeared all together with involvement of the FIA. I feel like that would be a real fun way to keep V around.

[@matheusfroehlich5727]

One problem i can imagine if V return is the powergap between endgame V and any other enemy. V by the end of the game V can bare handed raid one of the most fortified buildings on earth and be able to kill smasher (the strongest character of the main game excluding V and Alt). The only way i think V can return without destroying the Powerscaling of the universe is if they do something like the tower ending, but i don't know if the community would enjoy this as cannon. In the end i think the possibility of V being alive is one of the main questions about the endings, an I think they should let that question open an focus on another main character.

[@Spolchen]

Honestly, I always wanted a somewhat episodic cyberpunk game. Every replay I got kinda sad when I didn’t get to simply play ng+, but having different stories with different play styles and characters would work perfectly in the setting

[@gamedammeister2934]

For V being referenced in future games, it is easily doable. Studios like BioWare have been able to have choices in past games reflected in future ones either through save files or using a website that has you select choices that’ll be used. That way V can better reflect each player’s rather than having a canon personality, story, etc. Though personally I would love a game where we continue as V in a fully cybernetic body. Not only does it give a great Ghost in the Shell feel, but like that franchise it can like 2077 explore a lot of philosophical things like the whole “Are they really alive, and are they really them?” you mention in this video.

[@happyninja42]

I'm curious about who you think Doctor Paradox might be. They're an interesting enigma that gets peppered throughout the whole game. My theory, very sketchy I'll admit, is that it's Ziggy Q. Mainly because of a few things. 1. The way he talks, sounds like Ziggy's vocal tone, cadence, mannerisms, etc, just put through a voice filter. 2. He talks about the way the television industry is set up like someone who is on the inside, and knows what's going on. 3. In several of the clips of Ziggy talking to a guest, (the lady from the police department during Act 1's load screen especially), he actually goes off in a way that highlights the corruption and hypocrisy in the various agencies. He also gives the religious guy shit in that clip about the dangers of the Secure Your Soul technology. It felt very biting and anti-establishment, for a character designed to feel like Graham Norton. A smiling man with no deep thoughts on anything. Not that I think that about Graham Norton, but that his public/media persona gives that impression. But they don't really talk about him very much (at least that I found) in the game. There's a few data shards that mention him, a few NPC's will comment about one of his broadcasts if you happen to be near them when it comes up, but that's about it.

[@abneraranivar346]

I think V being a construct for the next protagonist would be a fun way to honor V. Him being unique to every player based on his previous choices & lifepaths. That or a cameo from either him or Johnny Or both depending on your ending. Cyberpunk lived off its replayability. They know what works & what to do right this go around

[@saadasaad8538]

My favorite ending is king of wands and don't fear the reaper/ temprance. With the multiple endings avaliable in 2077 i really wish they would have save ports just mostly for the consequences of V's choices like the space port massacre and mikoshi being destroyed but . I don't think i want to see Johnny again his story is over he should live the quiet life as for V maybe I'd like to see an ai version of them if they go throw with rogue ai's invading the physical world and it would be cool to see how blue eyes and night corp handle shit with V and without them. I had this idea which is most likely shitty that V's long lost sibling is looking into what happened to them and finds their outcome based on the ending you choose . I thought of this because of the dialogue in clouds where V mentions that only people who know them real well can use their real name maybe it was their family V was talking about. I imagined a scenario where our main characters finds Johnny only to learn the heartbreaking truth about what happened or they find V working for Arasaka blue eyes etc etc based on your ending

[@edgarrice]

I've always thought that V would be the protagonist of (presumably) all three Cyberpunk games, just as Geralt was the protagonist of the three Witcher games. It's a matter of how much complexity CDPR wants to manage going forward -- you don't want hundreds of permutations for the third game. As to his uncorrupted DNA, one of the very first things to happen in the game is that Victor removes his eyeball to install the Kiroshi. What does he do with it? Incinerate it? Throw it in the trash? Or does he store it in the freezer, waste not want not, maybe until he is sure that the implant takes. The suicide ending would be the exception, there you would roll a new character for the second game. What's to be gained by going through the boring grind from level 1 to wherever we actually start the events of the second game? Far better to let people import their V from the first game, maybe give them a free respec to their current level. There are several scenarios where V could lose their implants, such as the Phantom Liberty ending or by cloning a fresh (and thus implant-free) body. You could take his money, cars, and apartments, or let him keep them.

[@MrReivn]

The world of Cyberpunk is full of possibilities. In that sense, all those scenarios are plausible, some more than others. I have a feeling that CDPR did have more in store for V before launch, but they had to make some adjustments when fixing the game took all the effort. Crystal Palace was planned as a DLC, and as it is one of the endings of the base game, it could have had more info on how V's story continues. Could also mean that was planned as a canon ending of sorts, but we'll never know because of the heavy rewrites and cut content.

[@cd5sircoupe]

During the Technomancer portion, I just have to point out a few things, depending on the ending in question. So the bullet necklace right, if you get the ending with Panam & the Aldecaldos, V throws the necklace away basically and is en route to somewhere in AZ or NM to potentially get treatment. As far as Vik, I forget what exact ending it is, but one of them has him bought out by Zeta and his shop's unrecognizable compared to the early game ripperdoc. The Blue Eyes thing is pretty wild. There's plenty of breadcrumb clues in various places, but no definitive answers. Rogue AI? Probably.

[@yokailover]

I think it would be difficult to continue the Cyberpunk story with any of the characters in 2077, simply because there are too many variables as to how the story ends. There is no way they could make the past events vague enough to account for all the possible endings. Case in point, if V sides with Reed and takes the deal with the NUSA, then Arasaka tower is never raided, Yorinobu is still in charge, MIkoshi sitll exists, Adam Smasher is still alive, etc.

[@NameIsStark]

DO NOT ABBREVIATE CYBERPUNK

[@yokailover]

@@NameIsStark Fixed

[@smithynoir9980]

@@NameIsStark Why? CP2077 makes sense

[@gamedammeister2934]

Yorinobu gets removed from leadership in the Tower ending and Hanako dies trying to remove him. We hear that on the radio in Del as he drives us in the Tower ending.

[@HorrorAesthetic]

If V is mentioned or makes some form of cameo in the sequel, I would love for CDPR to implement a feature where it reads your 2077 save data and has your V’s likeness cameo if they show up, or characters that mention them tell what your V did in your play through, etc. I guess it would be hard to do considering you can do any ending on a single save.

[@DarthSautiorn]

Cloning and engrams of the brain are just like The Sixth Day. A discussion on whether a clone and saved engram have a soul/is the same person might be a fun rabbit hole. I'm ready, I think.

[@ogre7699]

Honestly? Even if they does have a good shot at surviving in the respective endings where V's not really undergone anything to directly combat the fact they've only got so long to still live, however low the odds are, they aren't zero. They've got some kind of chance, even if it's likely the worst odds they've faced yet. But should they come back? *No,* or at the very least, they shouldn't personally come back. I think it's best to leave it up to the players to debate and decide which ending is the "canon" one, and I think it's better that way if they don't bring V back directly. However, absolutely do make mentions of them in places like Afterlife, where they bring up the crazy shit they did whilst they was around still (I'd like them to mention the raid on Arasaka HQ, but that might invalidate some endings, and I wouldn't want that). Hell, give them their own drink. But besides mentions from other people, that's as far as CDPR should go. Of course, this also depends on how far in the timeline they choose to go, if they're going for a full blown sequel. If it's like a year or two later, I can still wager V would be spoken about. But a decade from then? Maybe not so much. Plain and simple, if they do a sequel, just make a new character for us to play instead. V's had their time to tell their story. And if anything, gives me an incentive to go back and play again, if I want to ever relive it, or try something different this time around.

[@yumikalashnikov2634]

My idea for a sequel is night city maybe 10-20 years in the future, a restart of V's story with another character. The person in your head is V. YOUR V from your last playthrough in the first cyberpunk

[@johnd6006]

If he returns as a background character, maybe a fixer, maybe we do a gig where a fixer hires us to steal something for V

[@E2STOPTV]

I'd love them to bring V back for at least one more time with this sequel and i think he deserves it, after all of this build up and with endings being pretty much him having 6 months or the blackwall thing (whice we dont know much about) but yeah i think they can make a story around alt breaking out of it and somehow V / jhony survive. That along side considering that most side characters will stay alive in all endings (both judy and panam) so it makes perfect sense to get to see more of where each went with V in their new life. + i just need more panam man, like come on cdpr, all of us absolutely loved her on another level.

[@Salem_Rah]

V has so many stories that have an open end I would love to see v come again kinda like mass effect

[@warman3096]

V definitely should return not only from a narrative point as V can survive all endings but be cos so many ppl have grown so attached to their version of V and that's what GDPR is good at creating perpetual characters like Geralt form the witcher series everyone thought the series ended with its third adaptation but no Geralt Wil be back for the fourth time around and i don't see why V should not get the same treatment along with the fact all endings end on a cliff hanger V is decently the guy she tells you not to worry about he/she has done in those short few months more than anyone in their whole arc also I want to see my V clap Morgan black hand.

[@Cryptic0013]

V totally can survive, Mikoshi be darned, especially if you happen to subscribe to the notion that Alt truly "doesn't get the human factor" in ways that go beyond mission planning. The Schopenhauer book you find in Misty's Esoterica very early in game is a big ol' breadcrumb as to what's going on beneath the surface, but you have to do the work of finding it, reading it, and thinking about it on your own. V's spirit, the immaterial element that can't be killed, captured, or even perceived by a machine, could persist, either in cyberspace, the Mikoshi, or semi-dormant in an FIA sleeper agent. Their powers can be restored, their longevity renewed. It's really up to CDPR whether the next game begins with you choosing a Tarot card to represent one of the canon endings and play that as your Prologue to explain how all that happens, funneling you into the same ultimate setup where you're brought back into action in order to become whole again. Or they could just give you a new protagonist and leave V's fate very vague because they want to let players make up their own headcanons and draw their own conclusions, and for CDPR be creatively free to write the next game however they want. Either way is fine, but they're probably going to have to wipe the board mostly clean somehow regardless, because there's so many moving pieces and they could barely get the first installment of the game to run, the last thing they need is the Mass Effect/Dragon Age problem of having 10 billion permutations of player choices in a previous save file to account for.

[@SofaKingWashed]

I agree, the best way to handle it would be to bring in a whole new protagonist and have V be a legend with a fogginess as to how her/his story ended. Not only would it make sense from a gameplay perspective: playing an up-and-coming merc who gradually builds their skills as the game progresses (and no I don't feel the Tower ending is a workaround to that because I feel like once their combat implants are unlocked, V would instantly be OP V again or would just have to buy implants, not "level up"), but would also help with most of the story paradoxes that come with a multiple ending game. The ONLY thing I don't like about a new protagonist is not having Cherami Leigh voice the main character again.

[@MK2Abolish]

The way I see it don't do the ending yet until you finished everything if you save some of it you good but if you go ahead and do the end then pass it you basically stuck is best to save your game on the best part finish everything first the best part once you on the roof don't meet reed yet make sure you finish everything first

[@4m4n40]

The next game will be directed by neil druckmann, who’ll bring back V, only to kill them off in the sequel.

[@mangoose3569]

With a dildo to the back of the head after he decides to let a couple of regular scavs rob him

[@benjima100]

My headcanon is that just as when V died with the relic in their head, they saw Johnny's memories, we are actually playing through V's memories when the relic is slotted into our head.

[@CarToOxX]

I can like both situations.I like v but If v died it could be a legend with tones of reference ingame, just like david. a new perspective on the world would be nice. I rly loved the dynamic with silverhand commenting what happend, i dont know if they can bring back this mecanic with out beeing to abvious of a copy.

[@PhrygianTurk]

V should be alive but not return as MC. And i agree with the dynamic but sadly it would feel like a copy

[@Paul_nutfrom80s]

I’d like to run with V again hopefully next time with 3rd person option. So many options she ‘s no quitter & the type to come running if a friend is in trouble.

[@wrathofnile1094]

He* male V solos

[@mop-kun2381]

imagine in Orion, you go back to Jig Jig Street and just saw V standing there... and then you walk up to them and a prompt pop up: "E$100 - Eh, why not."

[@wolvo5441]

The mikoshi ending where V becomes an engram I feel would be the canon one if they wanted to bring the character back in the next game. It would then allow the player to got through character creation to make their “V” as the engram is uploaded to it.

[@ghastlyanarchy1720]

I feel the most we will get of V from the next game is about as much as we got for the Edgerunners crew.

[@spiderfan1974]

CDPR and Pondsmith have both said V's story is told its over. As far as Silverhand engrams and clones there are many in the tabletop game.

[@svuppy]

i think they will return but not as a character but as back drop lore and instead you will meet some other characters from 2077 similar to how v got to speak with falco from edgerunner

[@ACLC00]

Getting to live out V story would be fun tie up loose ends and develop the character. That being said I think a new protagonist would have a lot more potential. And starting a new game having to lock back in a bunch of decisions and paths to then play with a nerfed V might be a bit awkward. I think an unrelated story with some cameos would have the most potential

[@jethrodark2372]

Maybe they do a prequel game set in 2075 where you end up casually meeting David and the gang through some quests and V. And no i don't mean meet them as a grp cause David aint with them yet. I mean meet them in passing.

[@christopherrobbins0]

I think so as well. He's/she's too much of an anomaly to waste.

[@SPƏ4R]

Imo at this point its ain't survival anymore but just trenscendence for V. The only limit of life is death, what happens after is out of the human condition, so yeah like you said we lost V the moemnt Dex flatlined him. But when i'm starting to think who are we playing there is like a bug in my brain as if i don't want the answer to that question.

[@GiantTalkingTree]

It would have been nice If more corps played larger roles in the game like Biotechnica or even more situtations involving Millitech.

[@MagklJellyBeanPastelLucidDream]

I hope Johnny works with Alt to bring V back by making a clone where we may see the male version of V, a clone, for Johnny to transmute into the clone with the help of of by linking both Johnny and the clone together, (V’s body and V’s clone) where Alt then digitally uploads V back into the chip and transfers Johnny into the clone. Where they go onto taking down the rest of such said boogie men. Edit: Jonny being in V’s body means V would have to be brought back through the engram that Johnny is stored on. This would then allow V to theoretically continue living. Giving them another second chance of course. While Johnny would maintain all of his functions as a construct. Or . . . We see Johnny going past the black wall and digging V out on his own, risking the potential to even make the transfer happen.

[@WilliamAmbervein]

Personally I think that the next game might be on a space colony and that Earth is just so fucked by AIs that it wouldn't matter if V survived. I think it would be a clever way to avoid having players feel like their decisions from the first game didn't carry over too. The endings for the most part are too different to account for them.

[@juimymary9951]

An interesting idea for a storyline featuring construct V would be a videogame focusing on the AI conspiracy taking place within the net. V would be the perfect contact to deal with whatever they are planning.

[@christophermichael5764]

I would love for the protagonist to be different in the sequel- starting from scratch, but with the backdrop of all of the conspiracies still in motion. It allows the studio to truly facilitate the role-playing aspect to the player. The lore and the environment are all still there. You, as the player, have the chance to continue the journey through a different lens while still allowing the events in CP2077 to inform how you move throughout the world; the player is intuitively "in" on what's going on and plays the new character from this angle.

[@tarikrobot8568]

Either play V again or choose a different character. The choice should be up to the players.

[@JohnnySilverwrench]

And this is why i like saving somi and going solo with the Silverman. BlueEyes/ cough cough Bartmoss helps you since the beginning of the game throughout dialogue you find out he funded you since the first heist....

[@spinkey4842]

man, i kinda feel bad for ol Goro. ignorance is bliss

[@chrisc448]

The great thing about Night City is it's big enough for many stories. V had theirs, just like David, Rebecca and Johnny. I'd enjoy some V or Jackie easter eggs in the next game, but give me new content and characters in this world.

[@tupolewizm]

You couldn't bring back V in a form of a TV displaying his face, driving around the Night City, as it would put him in the state of cyberpsychosis.

[@GreenBlueWalkthrough]

About having a TTRPG like character you can do this it was once common in RPGs but it just costly and modern action AAA/AAAA don't have the budget for it... Though it has been done namly Masseffect and Balder's gate 3. So it comes done to how long does red want the next CP Red to be in dev for or should it even be AAAA and cost over 500 million USD.

[@nukefuel6757]

Bringing V back as the protagonist would be difficult with all the endings. I'd be happy with a small cameo or hints scattered throughout the game world about his fate.

[@SirMixatron11]

V knows things that no one else does. So them coming back would make sense. They could be crucial for data.

[@orciencor6001]

Personally, I would like to continue playing as V in the next game, with hopes that your start will vary depending on what ending you chose. But I'm also the sort who just likes continuing a character's story into new campaigns in TTRPGs vs making a new character and rehashing the start from scratch over and over again. (Done far too much of the latter of the years, and not much of the former is probably why.) Of course, setting up the new game to *allow* for this would be one hell of a challenge (though can you imagine if it were actually done well?), and probably not actually worth the effort it would take when they could far more easily just tell a new story entirely. So I fully expect V will just be little more then rumors and stories, quite possibly with conflicting stories so there is no canon ending, or using save data/an ending choice in creation to determine which path V took. Which would be a little disappointing to me, but probably the most fitting way to address 2077 in... whatever year the next game takes place in.

[@PlayerJay425]

With the sleeper agent thing how would that work if we can see that V doesn’t have any chrome. Going up against anyone with it would be a gerbil fighting a wood chipper. They would have to reinstall v’s og cybernetics then add whatever new things would make him a viable agent in 2079.

[@thomaskinyon2984]

If V returns, even just a cameo, it would be the cherry on top.

[@elscabbo9487]

V would have served the NUSA willingly up to a point, but eventually they'd cross some sort of line or V would start to connect dots and resist, so V would get brought in and wiped before they could become rebellious.

[@irystocrattakodachithatmooms]

If you ask me V should return as a support character at most, perhaps an engram that fills a role similar to Johnny Silverhand. Except in this case they wouldn't be taking over but instead be using a special system to be there without being harmful. Perhaps the technology has matured and it's now possible to have an engram separate as a supporter in your head. Maybe you are an elite mercenary who got V as an engram from beyond the Black Wall.

[@Conta_Minated]

Here's an idea: V enters Mikoshi, and becomes the new Smasher. He's now a completely mindless slave/weapon Arasaka uses to destroy their enemies. In a sequel, you'll fight and destroy one copy of V-smasher only to find out that Arasaka can just upload a backup into a new body and continue where they left off. This option would follow the tradition everything being hopeless, futile and frustrating, while Arasaka always wins. Isn't that exactly what cyberpunk is all about?

[@riotborka2190]

Я думаю что в концовке где ты казик в космосе грабишь, Мистер голубые глаза как должен предложить выход для Ви. Хотелось бы ДЛС поиграть, но к сожалению его не будет

[@neonoir__]

V is a great character but I would personally love to play as someone new in orion. You could have save importing like in the witcher 3, where your ending and maybe other choices can affect small things in the game. I feel like we've got enough of V's story already, and it would be a shame if they don't tell a new one

[@thekaiser6842]

Many people like myself have developed a connection with V and would be sorely disappointed seeing him exit the series after one game. I’m of the belief that such characters are deserving of trilogy’s before being retired. Similar to Witcher Geralt. I would love to see a return of the Johnny/V dynamic for another entry of the series. Seeing all the actually good endings to the game I just don’t feel like V’s story is just quite over yet.

[@Wiwcharizard]

Good video Choom. I definitely hope V is the main character for the next Cyberpunk. Id like to see the first mission of the next game be the Space Station heist.

[@Mohmar2010]

I personally think whatever ending (besides the one you side with arasaka) are all canon, but don't matter in the end, because the next game will be set later in the timeline, and i doubt we may see much returning characters

[@MetalTeaCup]

The way I see it, V straight up just kills Arasakas bogeyman… so in my eyes I think they see Vs skills and knowledge way more valuable than what Smasher ever was and would be.

[@jaxzian]

i think the best way v could return as a character would be through the tower ending as a fixer npc in the next game like the rogue of that game.

[@halvarmc671]

Mr Blueeyes actually shows up at Jackie's Offerenda or at least I think it is, doesn't have the name, but it's definitely the character model.

[@craigmoye2322]

V not returning is one thing, but some of the characters and their voice actors I'd like to see comeback

[@enicaverly6837]

It's fucking crazy how much you can say Saburo and Arasaka in 7 minutes

[@ABrickinTime]

I think it would be cool if you could link with data from a 2077 save when you start up a new game for project Orion.

[@TheCorybonuaf]

I agree with some of your conclusion, although I think it is possible to have a unique experience with cyberpunk in future upcoming games with the same protagonist similar to mass effect just done a whole heck of a lot better. But if does not come back as a protagonist, I don’t think he should be a sidekick companion NPC I think he should just be left to the lore. Also on a sidenote, I always wondered how Brandon knew that you were dead sentient vending machine. I’m sure other people have done a video on it. I just have to look up and figure out how he knew comes back. Is that at that point they were scanned. I don’t know just a thought.

[@bogatyr2473]

Been saying since the game came out. Since V is an engram, all they need is a body now. Either cloned, one of Biotechnica's consciousness less clones, or just some poor sod that pissed V off.