The Netflix anime series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners introduced fans to Rebecca, whose big personality coupled with her diminutive stature promptly transformed her into one of the show’s best-loved characters. However, there has been some debate in regards to how old Rebecca is in the series, with Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red’s own comments on the character being a “loli” stirring up a little controversy. So what is Rebecca’s real age in the show?
How old is Rebecca in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners?
Rebecca is likely between the ages of 18–21 in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. While her age isn’t confirmed in the series, there are several clues as to how old she is.
In one episode, Rebecca can be seen drinking alcohol at a bar before she distracts the car owner that David is attempting to steal from. Her voice acting in both the English and Japanese dubs for the series is also notably adult, as opposed to the child-like performances typically reserved for loli characters in anime. There is also a time jump in the show, which means that by its conclusion, Rebecca is older than she appears in her debut episode.
Loli is a loaded term that is typically used to refer to adult female characters who look younger than they are, though can also be used to describe underage characters. Various shows use loli characters as a way to portray someone as underage, without actually having an underage character in their show. In Rebecca’s case, it seems that the character is a loli in the sense that she appears underage, though is actually an adult. Producer Saya Elder described how CD Projekt Red was initially uncomfortable with having a loli character in the show before creators Studio Trigger insisted on her inclusion.
“She’s best girl but I feel a little bit guilty to say it because what happened was I was one of the people on the creative team to actually vote Rebecca out of the original cast during pre-production,” Elder said. “CD Projekt Red first got the character design for Rebecca and they were like ‘She’s a loli. Lolis don’t exist in Night City. It doesn’t fit the Cyberpunk 2077 aesthetic’. But [Studio] Trigger was like ‘No, the loli must stay’.”
