The Psychology of Bogeymen: Cyberpunk Edgerunners: What Makes a Legend? — Therapist Reacts!

It's heavily implied that cyberpsychosis is tied to one's ability to empathize with others and the reason adam smasher is able to handle so much Chrome is because he never had any empathy to begin with

Your right about Adam not having much humanity to begin with. He used to pick jobs based on the likelihood of there being civilian casualties.

Y'know what's really crazy? the ripperdoc was really looking out heavy for David the whole time. He could've easily just done the job and said nothing more but he gave David crucial information on multiple occasions.

"It's a child's toy reliant on antigrav training wheels. Not even worth my time." Funny thing. He knows this, meaning he analyzed his enemy and read the mission briefing, but doesn't even care to inform himself about Faraday. He knows exactly what he needs to win, and nothing more or less. And I love how Smasher respected David until he started shittalking.

It's worth noting that Adam Smasher is an Army combat vet of several dirty wars. Normally I'd say he's a walking case of PTSD, but: 1. He was already a killer when he joined the Army 2. Eventually he was discharged because the Army couldn't handle him 3. For something to be a Disorder, it has to actually cause you distress. Adam Smasher isn't suffering from a psychosis, he LIKES it.

Adam is immune to cyberpsychosis because you can't catch what you already have. Adam's soul was pitch black from his earliest days thus he had no humanity to lose. He's "special" because he was already so far gone that nothing could affect him. Add in the best doctors Arasaka money can buy, and a whole host of other bodies he can use, Adam is the ultimate enforcer for Arasaka. Also add in genuine tactical thought and intelligence, Doc warns David he can at most use the Sandevistan 3 times before side effects start occurring, Adam notably only uses his Sandevistan 3 times.

The way they went about Adam Smasher in the anime, was the same way they did John Wick in the first movie. Someone with little backstory, except for the basics beyond his legendary accomplishments. Simple, terrifying, and uber-strong. Awesome series, with an amazing villan to match

A few things to Note on Smasher. He goes out of his way to cause or be in an environment to cause casualties while on the job. He doesn't go out of his way to kill people in an open environment but to cause as much death while on the job and with in the legality of the system. He is meticulous with his augmentations, how much tax they would provide, the order they are installed and the level of usage. He is well aware the risk of cyberpsychosis and minimalizes the risk as much as possible. He is a massive fan of Elvis Presley, even has a spare body modeled after him. He did have a romance with Michiko Arasaka a few decades before edgerunners. And he has a rivalry with Morgan Blackhand where he wishes to prove Steel over Flesh in terms of superiority.

In the tabletop version of the game, it actually does give some explanation on Adam Smasher, and you're 100% right at 7:15 when you say there wasn't much humanity in him in the first place. He was supposedly born in the 1990's or maybe earlier, and was active during the 2000s, which is when he was injured so severely he was replaced with a metal body. And even when he was fully organic, he was apparently a complete and total psychopath. And considering Edgerunners takes place in 2076, that makes Adam very old, and he hasn't been organic for a very long time.

Adam Smasher in the anime is ten times the beast compared to the video game version. He literally is a monster.

One other thing to mention about Smasher, is that he doesn't lack humanity, it's that for him, he is not human to begin with. You can hear him talk about "organic people" as "meat" in the anime and the game, and when Lucy tries to quick hack him, you can see his Cyberspace avatar; which is a representation of ourself in the cyberspace, usually just what we look like; and he looks like a literal monster.

Love the custom made glowing collar. Sound designers are so talented. Love that fact that they make a subtle sounds can install great fear.

I love the little details like Smasher’s eyes not turning or angling. They stay fixed. It adds to the feel of a shark or predator.

Fun fact! Smasher actually had a romantic relationship with Michiko Arasaka the grand daughter of Saburo Arasaka the head honcho of the top corp. He did so in an alternate gemini body and apparently was cordial with her.

When you talked about Smasher’s mysterious nature, you spoke every complaint I had about Smasher in the 2077 game. He shows up like a normal video game brute in the tutorial, and frequently is seen just standing around like a normal man throughout the story. Smasher’s presence in Edgerunners in far better: appearing as the mythical figure you describe him as.

Adam is a psychopath, and he did enjoy causing as much casualties as possible, but he did have a romance at one point. It was with Michiko Arasaka (a person he bodyguarded) but not much known about how much it lasted. And by the events of anime it has been around 40-50 years since then, but still interesting detail.

You really need to check out a Johnny Silverhand compilation! He is a main character from the Cyberpunk game, one of Adam’s longtime enemies, and I would love to hear your take on him.

For what it's worth, in the original tabletop game that he originated from, Smasher's in-game Empathy stat was listed as "Yeah, right...". The creator of the Cyberpunk setting has also stated that Smasher's effectively a high-functioning Cyberpsycho who has the personal benefit of having a job that allows him to kill with impunity.

In my opinion, the reason the show was so devastating by the end is this: When you think it through, the Moon was merely an escape fantasy, an excuse for Lucy to push herself forward after escaping Arasaka. She then met Kiwi, who introduced her to the crew and, by extension, David. The crew then became her surrogate family, who she ends up losing. David took her dream as a literal instead of the figurative it was, and sacrificed himself to accomplish it, much to Lucy's dismay since she was willing to die to keep him safe. He was her new reason to live, and she lost him too. Now, on the Moon, you realize along with Lucy that she has no good reasons left to go on, since in his abnegation to her, David unknowingly committed the ultimate act of selfishness. A reiteration of Juliet's plan in the 3rd act of "Romeo & Juliet". And Lucy is now in an even WORSE place she was before meeting Kiwi, since she now not only has very compelling reasons not to trust the next Kiwi that may come along, even if their intentions are pure, but she fulfilled her "dream", her lifeline, and it tasted like dirt with David gone. And now she has nothing. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Not that I like the idea, but if I was in Lucy's place by the end, I'd kill myself after the trip. Not because of a deathwish, though I couldn't fully deny it, but because you have to wonder: Where does she even BEGIN to pick up the pieces if she even wants to?

Adam Smasher is basically Terminator plus Darth Vader minus everything human about him.