Showrunner, writer, and producer for Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2, Bartosz Sztybor, has shed light on the intentional lack of backstory for the character Roman. The anime's second season introduces a new cast, including Roman, a young boy fascinated by retro cinema and old-school camcorders, who records events rather than experiencing them through braindances.
While the tragedies shaping other main characters are explored, Roman's past remains conspicuously absent. Sztybor revealed that this was a deliberate artistic choice, emphasizing Roman as a symbol of innocence and trust in Night City. Initially, scripts featured more dialogue between Roman and his father, but this was pared down to avoid providing too much exposition that could lead to audience interpretation.
“I think it should be something for the audience that they just feel, ‘Okay, he’s that guy.’ You can, of course, start thinking and start creating his story and background, which is fine,” Sztybor explained. He further stated that revealing too much about Roman’s past or family would diminish the impact of his character. “I would say that telling too much about himself, his past, his family would destroy the feelings of who he is. This is the promise that I’m making, never in the Cyberpunk franchise will we show his backstory. It will be kept secret.”
Sztybor also confirmed the fan interpretation that Roman serves as a narrative lens through which the audience experiences the events of Edgerunners 2. This concept emerged from discussions with Kai Igarashi, with the initial pitch aiming for an homage to '90s pop culture and a pulp fiction-style narrative connecting multiple characters. The idea of a cinephile character, an innocent figure representing hope amidst flawed individuals, became the perfect choice to link the disparate storylines.
Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 is currently available on Netflix.