The Ending Of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Explained

In the world of "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners" cybernetic enhancements are part of everyday life. People use them to become stronger, faster, and in the case of mercenaries, deadlier. Having said that, if those modifications are used to an extreme, both the body and mind of an edgerunner suffers. As Kurosaki says, they end up either dead or entering a violent psychotic episode from which there's no escape.

In the beginning, David seems relatively safe from this fate, as his interest in body modifications is limited. Yet the emotional distress experienced after losing his mother and being physically assaulted by a student from his school motivates him to install the Sandevistan on himself. David doesn't just use his newly acquired superhuman speed to get revenge; he also steals chips and, eventually, joins a gang of mercenaries led by the heavily modified Maine. Predictably, after several missions, David's mentor starts having hallucinations due to his excessive use of cybernetic enhancements. Instead of slowing down, though, he enters a state of denial, which only leads to worsening symptoms and his eventual demise during a violent psychotic episode.

Despite witnessing the terrible consequences of overusing cybernetic enhancements firsthand, the next time we see David he has drastically modified his body. He has transformed himself into an imposing cyborg who is already showing early signs of malfunction, including tremors and blackouts. It's possible that rather than understanding the lesson exemplified by Maine's demise, David increased the number of upgrades as a bad coping mechanism for depression. In other words, instead of accepting the guilt from not being able to protect his mother or his father figure, he ignores the warnings and puts himself at risk as a way to punish himself.