Cyberpunk 2077 takes place a year after its Netflix anime prequel, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, and some players may be wondering if any of the Edgerunners from the latter series actually appear in the game. The term Edgerunner itself is vague in its definition, as no explicit explanation has been given in the Cyberpunk universe. Their origins can be found in the source book for Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0 called Edgerunners Inc., though. A company named StreeTemps sought to bring the people of Night City out of poverty by granting them freelance opportunities to gain job experience. However, StreeTemps mainly attracted cyberpunks who were hired for illegal mercenary work. These cyberpunks would then start being called Edgerunners and StreeTemps would take on the unofficial name Edgerunners Inc.
Considering that the term Edgerunners essentially functions as another word for freelance mercenaries and criminals, Edgerunners are indeed in Cyberpunk 2077. In fact, one could argue that since the protagonist V is classified as a mercenary and works with fixers and netrunners as David Martinez does in the anime, they are technically an Edgerunner themselves. But if one is looking for the Edgerunners from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners in the game, traces of them can be found in Cyberpunk 2077, too.
Edgerunners Do Exist In Cyberpunk 2077
In Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, several of the main characters work in a crew of edge and netrunners beneath Dorio and Maine. Unfortunately like those two, many of these Edgerunners die in the year 2076 when the anime takes place, save for a few members of the crew. The most notable of these survivors is Falco, who was the Nomad wheelman of David's Edgerunner crew prior to Cyberpunk 2077. In the mission “Over the Edge” in the game, V is contacted by Falco after inquiring about David. Although players do not get to physically meet Falco, this cameo shows that there are members of Edgerunner crews still out there in Night City in Cyberpunk 2077.
As for the other members of Dorio and David's crew, the 1.6 update - also known as "The Edgerunner Update" - brought in clues about their existence in Cyberpunk 2077. For instance, V can order "The David Martinez" drink at the Afterlife Bar, which is a hub for many Edgerunners. Furthermore, David's clothes, Rebecca's shotgun, and Kiwi's Edgerunners apartment are in Cyberpunk 2077. This shows that even if these characters of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners are no longer living by the time of Cyberpunk 2077, the presence of Edgerunners can still be felt in its setting.
So in all, Edgerunners are definitely in Cyberpunk 2077. Because the term is quite nebulous, many characters who are not classified as Edgerunners may technically be one. Even so, there could be more direct crossovers between Cyberpunk 2077 and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners in the future because several characters from the anime are still alive.