The dystopian neon world of Night City is home to an immense and diverse group of characters, all of which are stunningly unique and crafted with gorgeous detail. Some are opportunists, some are enemies, some are friends, and some are just downright maniacal. Whichever one you come across, their design will have you captivated instantly.
A large-scale RPG like Cyberpunk 2077 lays out a vivid story with the potential of encountering hundreds of these characters. Although it's impossible to cover every one of them, and there are quite a few more that deserve to be on here, these designs are some of the most noteworthy.
10 Ozob Bozo
Everything about Ozob Bozo's design gives the sense of him being a clown character, from his voice and red hair, and down to his name. These are all references to the classic Bozo the Clown, but Ozob wears tactical gear, doesn't have any makeup, and has a red grenade for a nose.
The design was inspired by a campaign character created by Brazilian player Deive Pazos of "Jovem Nerd" when playing the tabletop version this game is based on. There’s a side mission for Ozob called Beat on the Brat: Pacifica requiring you to fight him in an abandoned pool. If you deal enough shock damage to him with the punches you throw, that explosive between his eyes will detonate.
9 Rita Wheeler
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Rita is a bouncer in Night City who wields a studded baseball bat and makes sure there's no trouble stirring at the establishment known as Lizzie's Bar. Her affiliation is with The Mox gang, represented by the giant tattoo across her chest, and the club she’s guarding serves as a haven for their fellow members.
The color palette of her design certainly makes her pop as a character. Rita's neon purple hair wrapped in a double bun matches the splashes of purple on her cyberware covering both of her arms, which are lined with sharp blue spikes in case things happen to get out of hand.
8 Bryce Mosley
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NetWatch is a global law enforcement agency that began in Europe to ensure the cybersecurity and safety of the Net, and Bryce Mosley is one of their operatives in the field. He's after a gang of netrunners, or cybernetically enhanced hackers, going by Voodoo Boys. He's the kind of cop that doesn't mind playing dirty to get what he wants, so he's teamed up with their rivals, the Animals, in hopes of taking them down.
Aside from his manipulative and untrustworthy nature, the character model for Bryce is incredibly unique. It looks as though, underneath his white-collared dress shirt, his body is entirely encased in a dark gray cyberware suit all the way up to his head, seemingly influenced by the iconic Robocop aesthetic.
7 Placide
This character isn't one for conversation, but he'll need your help on an important mission for the benefit of his gang. Placide holds the second-highest rank within the Voodoo Boys, a Haitian gang in the Pacifica territory of Night City. He's pragmatic and straight to business, increasingly so due to the concerns of his boss being held captive and Net Watch agent Bryce Mosley closing in on his organization.
Placide is a masterfully crafted netrunner character from all aspects of his compelling design — the wardrobe choice of a steampunk leather jacket with metal tubing on the right shoulder pad, the wired cyberware plugged into the side of his head that makes his eyes glow blue, his bulky build, the long hair flowing from a mohawk down to his shoulders, and his powerful voice acting.
6 Judy Álvarez
Judy Álvarez is a friend of Evelyn Parker, who introduces you to her during the heist questline early on in the game. Judy used to run with the Moxes and is a skilled technician of the braindance sensory process. The first item you receive from her is a braindance wreath to access Evelyn’s memories.
She's independent and learned to survive on her own, but she becomes a close ally and friend to you throughout the game. As with Rita, her short hair with a color combination of purple and green gives her a distinctive look. Her tattoos have exquisite attention to detail, as most carry significant meaning and weight about her personal life.
5 Sasquatch
The mountainous stature and intense muscle mass built on this character rightfully earn her the nickname of "Sasquatch". Matilda K. Rose is her legal name, and she's the head of a Night City gang called the Animals that allied with Bryce Mosley. Her design is fearsome and menacing, full of rage, propelled by the added touch of a giant sledgehammer as her weapon.
The sheer amount of intricate detail applied to her body is impressive as well. The chest area exhibits massive scarring from deep cuts, and has some sort of mechanized cyberware modification that clamps on her shoulders. Her shoulder and stomach regions also display severe burns.
4 Jackie Welles
A faithful friend, motorcycle enthusiast, and a devoted companion to have around you. Jackie Welles is a fellow mercenary partnered with you from the start, no matter what path you may choose. He’s always got your back and treats you like family, which is very important to him.
He may share that same formidable build as Placide, but his personality couldn't be more the opposite. He enjoys the moments you share together and has a gentle soul stored inside that tough body. A memorable character like him is worthy of an outstanding look, and he's got it with those cybernetic lines on both sides of his cheek connecting to his chip implant, along with the padded leather jacket, gold accessories, and half-shaved hair and bun.
3 Royce
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Royce, whose real name is Simon Randall, ruthlessly seized control of the Maelstrom gang after ousting its former leader Brick. He invokes fear through his erratic behavioral patterns, and his displays of psychopathy can rival that of a Far Cry antagonist. As a result, the Maelstrom gang is perhaps one of the most terrifyingly brutal in Night City.
Those associated are distinguishable by their nightmarish facial features, and Royce's face is certainly one you won't be able to erase from memory. The entire portion above the nose has been ripped out and replaced with a cyberware faceplate emitting ominous bright red lights, almost as though a laser beam could shoot right out of it. Other details of his appearance, such as a black leather jacket with Maelstrom sigils and the tubing around the arms, truly complement his design.
2 Lizzy Wizzy
A game like Cyberpunk is apt to include a celebrity character within its futuristic societal setting and glitzy nightclubs, and that would be Lizzy Wizzy. She's a musical artist who's amassed tons of popularity through her chart-topping hits that you encounter during a mission where she asks you to gather evidence regarding cheating allegations.
Lizzy Wizzy's appearance is visually striking and is perhaps one of the most original designs in the game since she had her body replaced and covered entirely in chrome cyberware. What also adds an exciting element to her pop star character is that the Canadian singer-songwriter Grimes is her voice actress.
1 Johnny Silverhand
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This list wouldn't be complete without the legendary Johnny Silverhand, ex-soldier turned hedonistic rockstar frontman of the band Samurai, brilliantly brought to life by actor Keanu Reeves. Johnny lost his life attempting to destroy the Arasaka Corporation prior to the events of the game, but his engram was preserved and became the Relic stolen by V and Jackie in the Konpeki Plaza heist.
Unlike other characters in the game, Johnny Silverhand is playable and remains inside your head throughout the game via the Relic. His military background is evident through the dog tags hanging around his neck and his missing left arm that turned into a shiny piece of silver cyberware, thus coining his name.