The Blade Runner saga thrives in print, with Titan Comics expanding its cyberpunk universe through diverse spinoffs and prequels. Titan’s ongoing series, Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus, marks the franchise’s first story set in Japan.
At IGN Fan Fest 2025, writers Kianna Shore and Mellow Brown shared insights into crafting this new series, bringing Blade Runner’s iconic aesthetic to a fresh global setting. View the slideshow below for exclusive artwork tracing the series’ journey from script to vivid illustrations, then read on for more details:
Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus Behind-the-Scenes Art Gallery
6 Images
This is the first Blade Runner tale set in Japan, despite Tokyo’s prominence in cyberpunk classics like Akira and Ghost in the Shell. We asked how the writers envisioned this alternate 2015 Tokyo and how it contrasts with the neon-drenched, rain-soaked Los Angeles familiar to Blade Runner fans.
“Crafting Tokyo for the Blade Runner universe was a thrill,” Shore tells IGN. “Having lived in Japan in 2015 and recently explored Tokyo’s futuristic exhibits, I aimed to create a distinct, hopepunk Tokyo, separate from Los Angeles’ vibe, reflecting their unique histories and cultures.”
“Los Angeles in Blade Runner is a crumbling city masked by neon,” Brown explains. “Our Tokyo mirrors that duality—a stunning utopia with a tight grip. Step out of line, and this ‘paradise’ turns brutal, just in its own way.”
Both writers deliberately avoided echoing Akira or Ghost in the Shell, instead drawing inspiration from modern Japanese life and other media to shape their vision of Tokyo.
Shore notes, “While I studied iconic works, I focused on how Japanese media portrays the future post-3.11 Tohoku Disaster, drawing from anime like Your Name, Japan Sinks 2020, and Bubble.”
“I avoided rehashing anime influenced by Blade Runner, like Bubblegum Crisis or Psycho-Pass,” Brown adds. “Cyberpunk reflects fears and hopes for the future. I wanted to capture Japan’s current societal pulse—what could go right or wrong if power falls into the wrong hands.”
Set in 2015, a few years before the original Blade Runner film, Tokyo Nexus operates within the franchise’s 21st-century timeline. How does it tie to the broader saga? Are there familiar elements for fans, or is this a fresh start with its Japanese setting?
“Tokyo Nexus stands alone in setting, time, and story,” Shore says. “Yet, it’s unmistakably Blade Runner, with Tyrell Corporation’s shadow looming and mysteries to unravel. It includes nods to the films but is accessible to newcomers.”
Brown adds, “We’re building on Blade Runner: Origins, set just before Blade Runner: 2019. We tackle big questions like ‘What was the Kalanthia War?’ and ‘Why does Tyrell dominate Replicant production?’ These threads lead to a hidden civil war among Blade Runner factions, with Tokyo Nexus laying the foundation for a rising global powerhouse.”
Tokyo Nexus centers on the partnership between human Mead and Replicant Stix, two battle-worn veterans who rely solely on each other in a harsh world.
“Mead and Stix are platonic soulmates,” Shore says. “They’ve endured unimaginable trials together, fighting to protect each other, even from themselves. Survival means rebuilding trust.”
“Their bond is beautifully flawed,” Brown laughs. “We play with the franchise’s ‘More Human Than Human’ theme. Stix, the Replicant, craves life, while Mead, the human, is worn down by systems, acting almost mechanical. Their codependency, born from shared trauma, could either save or destroy them.”
As the story unfolds, Mead and Stix are caught in a clash between Tyrell Corp, the Yakuza, and a Japanese group, Cheshire, which seeks to challenge Tyrell’s Replicant monopoly.
“Cheshire aims to rival Tyrell in Replicant production,” Shore hints. “Their latest model is a military-grade Replicant, built for combat, supposedly surpassing Tyrell’s designs.”
Brown adds, “Cheshire is a criminal syndicate with grand ambitions. When they recruit fugitive Tyrell scientists in Tokyo, their potential becomes limitless, shaking up the Blade Runner 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.
At IGN Fan Fest 2025, we also got a first look at IDW's new Godzilla shared universe and a preview of an upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog storyline.
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