Cyberpunk 2077is a truly beautiful game, both in terms of its gameplay, setting, and of course, it’s incredible story.Cyberpunk 2077’s story is filled with interesting and flawed characters, each of them with their own motives and lives that just don’t seem to go the way that they would want. Take the protagonist V, a character with a terminal condition, desperate to save their own life.
V’s condition is a catalyst for their role as a chewed-up and spat-out merc for Night City, but theyaren’t the only ones suffering. Across the many hours that players can spend inCyberpunk 2077, they are bound to find some of the saddest quotes that will stick to them like emotional scars.
Spoilers ahead for Cyberpunk 2077
8“See Ya in the Major Leagues, Jack.”
V Says Goodbye to His Best Friend, Who Died Before They Could Win Big
Saying goodbye to a friend can be hard, but a best friend whose very death you are witnessing? It’s a tough city for V, and as they watch the life and happiness fade from Jackie’s optimistic smile and eyes, they are left with nothing but silence as they sit in a car, knowing that their best friend isn’t around to make them laugh anymore. Jackie is gone, and V’s life as they knew it died alongside him.
V’s final words to Jackie before leaving him are almost like a promise, that V will continue on the path as a merc to become a Night City Legend,to reach the major leagueslike Jackie always wanted him. V won’t give up, won’t back down, nor will they let Jackie fade away.
7“Well, That Way You’d Kill Two Souls. Is That What You Want?”
Misty’s Understanding That V’s Mind is a Shared Space Shows the Burden of a Terminal Illness
When V discovers that they have risen from the dead thanks to the Relic in their head, it’s nothing but bad news. The Reliccontains Johnny Silverhand, a rocker boy terrorist who is unwillingly overriding V’s consciousness, essentially giving V a terminal illness with no cure. Yet, it’s always Misty who knows what profound and philosophical thing to say, even when she herself is grieving due to the death of her boyfriend, Jackie.
Misty understands V’s aggression and confused hatred, but Misty tries to guide those emotions to a smarter light where she mentions that V isn’t just burdened with their own soul, but the soul of Johnny’s as well. Misty is very spiritual, and it’s rather emotional to see her stand strong in the face of loss, and give V theperfect reasoning for not killingthemselves: They share the fate of two now.
6“Second Chance… I Never Really Got It, Did I?”
Songbird’s Caged Between NUSA and the Rogue AIs of the Blackwall
Songbird’s story is perfectly entwined with V’s, where both of them were essentially given a death sentence, and both are desperate for a way out. For V, it’s to livea full lifewithout the Relic overriding their consciousness, whereas for Songbird, it’s a life away from her NUSA handlers, and away from the infectious Blackwall Rogue AIs that are stealing her identity from her own mind.
If V decides to betray Songbird and assist Solomon Reed in her capture, she won’t be angry at their decision, and instead will just grieve the loss of her life. Songbird never got a second chance after NUSA took her in. She was never allowed to live as a person, just an agent with no way out.
5“I Just Want the World to Know I Was Here, That I Mattered.”
V’s Intimate Conversation with a Doll Shows Their Immense Fear of Death
V’s desires to be a legendary merc in Night City is one that constantly haunts them, and it’s a scar that shows a squandered opportunity and presents itself as a warning for a dangerous dream. When V’s condition is known as terminal, they take to Clouds to interact with a Doll, who V shares private fears in a moment of intimacy about how truly scared they are to die.
V doesn’t want to fade away, and they believe that the best way to do that is to find people or do something worth remembering. The idea of just existing in this world and leaving no mark on it, through emotional connections with others or through hard work, is one that many face and V isn’t afraid to admit that in a moment of anxiety.
4“Here? For Folks Like Us? Wrong City, Wrong People.”
Johnny Understands That Who He and V Are, And What This City Is, Will Kill Them
Johnny Silverhand is a tad bit nihilistic, but it’s just a shield he keeps up to stop himself from hurting. Johnny knows this all too well, but V is new to the pain game, so they ask “Guess I meant, I dunno… a happier ending… for everyone involved.” Johnny is a realist and knows that for folks like Johnny and V,in a city like this, there was never going to be an ending where they get to ride into the sunset and be happy.
The somber understanding in Johnny Silverhand presents a vulnerability and a moment of care in his voice for V, as he doesn’t take this as an opportunity to belittle them or be rude, as he understands all too well that life just sometimes isn’t what we expect it to be, or what we think we deserve.
3“I… ####, I Can’t Do This…”
Judy’s Intense Grief After the Loss of Evelyn and V is Heartbreaking
The most heartbreaking quote inCyberpunk 2077comes from one of the alternate endings of the game where V decides to take their own life. The end credits are extremely bleak, as characters who V had met throughout their journey express their grief through holo-recordings. Yet, one that hits like a true punch to the heart isJudy’s if V romanced her, as she will express her grief, unable to find the strength to leave her bed, almost drowning in her own tears.
Judy had already lost Evelyn Parker to suicide, and now she had lost V. It’s heartbreaking to think of what Night City has taken from Judy, who deserves to be happy. She tries so hard to get the words out to V, but in the end, she breaks down and hangs up, and her words of “I can’t do this” imply something far more tragic than her just hanging up on V’s phone call.
2“G’night, Vincent/Valorie. Today Was a Good Day.”
Johnny’s Final Goodbye to V Shows Contempt in the Face of Death
The Tower ending might just be V’s last hope to stay alive, but it comes at the cost of surgically removing Johnny Silverhand. By this point in the story, the two have become close friends, so V doesn’t exactly want to lose Johnny, but both of them understand that there is only ever going to be one way, and Johnny wants V to live their full life, and he’d never obstruct that – even if part of him would want to find another way.
Johnny doesn’t resent V’s decision or hate them for it, and instead completely understands and comes to terms with his impending second death.Johnny’s last wordsto V before it all ends are truly tragic and enough to make anyone cry. Johnny is the only person inCyberpunk 2077to call V by their real name, and the fact that he sees his last day as a good day proves that he’s just happy to finally have a friend in the end.
1“The Guy Who Saved My Life.”
V Confesses to Johnny That Despite His Meaningless Death, He Matters
Racing to the Oil Fields to try and find Johnny Silverhand’s body for a funeral, V and Johnny turn up nothing. Finding just scrap and dirt, it hits Johnny hard to realize that his bodymeant nothing to his killers, and there’s no sign of him existing outside of a few scornful memories from those he hurt and the music that people still worship. Yet, V can etch Johnny’s mark at the Oil Fields by engraving his initials, and even give a beautiful eulogy.
Johnny asks what V would write on his grave, to which V can reply:The guy who saved my life. It’s an unexpected response that makes Johnny’s eyes swell. He’s never had someone who trusted him like this, a true friend who appreciates him, despite all the times Johnny’s put V in the gutter. Calling Johnny the guy who saved V’s life is an emotional reflection on Johnny and V’s relationship and a turning point for their inseparable bond.
