While she is easily one of the stand-out characters from the show for fans, a CD Projekt RED producer revealed that Rebecca was almost removed from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners during the production phase.
This fact was revealed in a recent live stream about the new anime. Specifically, a producer from the studio’s creative team shared an interesting story about the new fan favorite.
During the production stage, the producer revealed that she, along with other members of the creative team, voted to remove Rebecca from the anime when her design was first presented.
But studio Trigger was insistent on keeping her in the show, stating that “the loli must stay”, though these might not be the exact words given the lighthearted nature of the discussion.
Following the show’s premiere on Netflix, fans online raved about Rebecca. She quickly became a fan favorite thanks to her distinct personality and her design. Fans also praised her character for fitting in perfectly in Night City.
In the story, Rebecca is part of Maine’s crew alongside her brother Pilar. She and the rest of the mercenary crew meet protagonist David Martinez during the story’s events. Soon, David is invited to join the crew.
Despite her small stature, Rebecca has a loud personality. Aside from constantly bickering with her brother, Pilar, Rebecca also has feelings for David.
Despite being friendzoned, Rebecca is still one of the most dedicated crew members to David.
As for the series' story, Edgerunners follows David, a street kid in Night City.
David soon becomes an edgerunner – a mercenary outlaw. In his adventures, he comes across various characters from Night City, including netrunner Lucy as well as Maine and his mercenary crew.
The main reason Rebecca was almost removed from the show is because of her childlike or “loli” design.
When the CD Projekt RED creative team first got her character design, they didn’t believe her to be a fit within Night City.
The producer even mentioned that the team believed “lolis don’t exist in Night City” and that she “doesn’t fit the Cyberpunk aesthetic.” But Trigger insisted that she still be included in the show.
While the creative team didn’t believe Rebecca’s design was a good fit at first, it seems that fans think otherwise given the amount of love that the character has received.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is an anime series by Trigger and CD Projekt RED that’s based on CD Projekt RED’s Cyberpunk 2077 game.
The anime is now streaming on Netflix.
Related: Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Is One of the Best Anime of the Year, Says Critics