Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus Unveils Cyberpunk Japan's Future at IGN Fan Fest 2025

The Blade Runner franchise has experienced a remarkable resurgence through the medium of comics, with Titan Comics expanding its cyberpunk universe through a variety of spinoffs and prequels. Their latest venture, Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus, marks the first time the iconic series has been set in Japan, adding a fresh dimension to the beloved universe.

During IGN Fan Fest 2025, we had the privilege of speaking with the series' writers, Kianna Shore and Mellow Brown, to delve into the intricacies of this new installment. They shared insights on how they adapted the classic Blade Runner aesthetic to the vibrant setting of Japan. For an exclusive look at how the series evolved from concept to finished art, check out the slideshow gallery below:

Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus Behind-the-Scenes Art Gallery

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Tokyo, a city renowned for its role in seminal cyberpunk narratives like Akira and Ghost in the Shell, serves as the backdrop for this new series. We were keen to understand how the writers envisioned the Tokyo of this alternate 2015 and how it contrasts with the familiar, neon-drenched Los Angeles of the Blade Runner films.

“Brainstorming Tokyo in the Blade Runner universe was such an exhilarating process!” Shore exclaimed to IGN. “Having lived in Japan in 2015 and recently visited exhibitions on envisioning the future, I aimed to craft a Tokyo that felt distinctly different from Los Angeles, reflecting its unique history and socioeconomics. My vision was to create a hopepunk Tokyo.”

“The Los Angeles of Blade Runner is depicted as a crumbling, fracturing place barely holding together, with neon masking its decay,” Brown explained. “In contrast, our Tokyo is a beautiful utopia where people feel restrained, yet if you step out of line, this 'paradise' will consume you. It’s equally terrifying, just differently.”

Interestingly, both writers consciously avoided drawing direct inspiration from Akira and Ghost in the Shell, instead exploring other media and contemporary Japanese life to shape their version of Tokyo.

“I drew inspiration from great works but focused on understanding how Japanese media portrays the future post the 3.11 Tohoku Disaster,” Shore shared. “Anime like Your Name, Japan Sinks 2020, and Bubble were key influences.”

“My goal was to not merely echo anime inspired by Blade Runner, such as Bubblegum Crisis or Psycho-Pass,” Brown added. “When creating cyberpunk, you reflect your environment’s potential future. I wanted to encapsulate the hopes and fears of contemporary Japanese society and explore what could go right or wrong if dangerous forces took control.”

Set in 2015, a few years before the original Blade Runner film, Tokyo Nexus is positioned within the expansive timeline of the franchise. We were curious about its connections to the broader Blade Runner universe.

“Tokyo Nexus stands alone in its setting, time, and narrative,” Shore stated. “Yet, it wouldn’t be Blade Runner without the influence of the Tyrell Corporation and a mystery to unravel. While there are nods to the films, the series is accessible even to those new to the Blade Runner universe.”

“We're building on the story from Blade Runner: Origins and setting the stage just before Blade Runner: 2019,” Brown added. “We're addressing key questions in the universe, like the Kalanthia War and Tyrell’s monopoly on Replicant production. This is all leading towards a hidden civil war among different Blade Runner organizations, and Tokyo Nexus lays the groundwork for one of these groups to rise as a global power.”

Tokyo Nexus uniquely focuses on the partnership between human Mead and Replicant Stix, two battle-hardened veterans navigating this dystopian landscape together.

“Mead and Stix are more than partners; they're platonic life-partners who've endured unimaginable hardships,” Shore described. “Their bond is about protection and survival, pushing them to trust again despite their past traumas.”

“Their relationship is beautifully unhealthy,” Brown chuckled. “We play with the franchise’s theme of 'More Human Than Human.' Stix’s thirst for life contrasts with Mead’s mechanical outlook, forged by systemic pressures. They need each other to survive, and their bond has become a potentially destructive codependency.”

As the narrative unfolds, Mead and Stix find themselves embroiled in a conflict involving the Tyrell Corporation, the Yakuza, and a Japanese group called Cheshire, which is attempting to challenge Tyrell’s dominance in the Replicant market.

“Cheshire is entering the Replicant manufacturing arena,” Shore teased. “Their latest model is designed for warfare, supposedly surpassing Tyrell's creations in strength and speed.”

“Cheshire is more than a criminal syndicate; they have grand ambitions,” Brown added. “When they acquire refugee Tyrell scientists in Tokyo, their potential becomes limitless within this universe.”

Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus Vol. 1 - Die in Peace is now available in comic shops and bookstores. You can also order the book on Amazon.

As part of IGN Fan Fest 2025, we also got an early look at IDW's new Godzilla shared universe and a sneak peak of an upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog storyline.