Postmodern science fiction genre in a futuristic dystopian setting

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyberpunk</span>

Cyberpunk

<p><b>Cyberpunk</b> is a <a href="/en/Subgenre" title="Subgenre" class="mw-redirect wl">subgenre</a> of <a href="/en/Science_fiction" title="Science fiction" class="wl">science fiction</a> in a <a href="/en/Dystopia" title="Dystopia" class="wl">dystopian</a> <a href="/en/Futurism" title="Futurism" class="wl">futuristic</a> setting that tends to focus on a "combination of <a href="/en/Low-life" title="Low-life" class="wl">lowlife</a> and <a href="/en/High_tech" title="High tech" class="wl">high tech</a>",<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-1"><a href="#cite_note-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[1]</span></a></span> featuring futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as <a href="/en/Artificial_intelligence" title="Artificial intelligence" class="wl">artificial intelligence</a> and <a href="/en/Cybernetics" title="Cybernetics" class="wl">cybernetics</a>, juxtaposed with <a href="/en/Societal_collapse" title="Societal collapse" class="wl">societal collapse</a>, dystopia or decay.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-2"><a href="#cite_note-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[2]</span></a></span> Much of cyberpunk is rooted in the <a href="/en/New_Wave_science_fiction" title="New Wave science fiction" class="wl">New Wave science fiction</a> movement of the 1960s and 1970s, when writers like <a href="/en/Philip_K._Dick" title="Philip K. Dick" class="wl">Philip K. Dick</a>, <a href="/en/Michael_Moorcock" title="Michael Moorcock" class="wl">Michael Moorcock</a>, <a href="/en/Roger_Zelazny" title="Roger Zelazny" class="wl">Roger Zelazny</a>, <a href="/en/John_Brunner_(novelist)" title="John Brunner (novelist)" class="mw-redirect wl">John Brunner</a>, <a href="/en/J._G._Ballard" title="J. G. Ballard" class="wl">J.&nbsp;G. Ballard</a>, <a href="/en/Philip_José_Farmer" title="Philip José Farmer" class="wl">Philip José Farmer</a> and <a href="/en/Harlan_Ellison" title="Harlan Ellison" class="wl">Harlan Ellison</a> examined the impact of <a href="/en/Drug_culture" title="Drug culture" class="wl">drug culture</a>, technology, and the <a href="/en/Sexual_revolution" title="Sexual revolution" class="wl">sexual revolution</a> while avoiding the utopian tendencies of earlier science fiction.</p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Postmodern science fiction genre in a futuristic dystopian setting</div>
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src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/%E5%9B%BD%E5%86%85%E3%81%AE%E6%96%B0%E8%A6%8F%E6%84%9F%E6%9F%93%E8%80%85%E3%81%AF%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%95%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%96_%2851008728635%29.jpg/288px-%E5%9B%BD%E5%86%85%E3%81%AE%E6%96%B0%E8%A6%8F%E6%84%9F%E6%9F%93%E8%80%85%E3%81%AF%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%95%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%96_%2851008728635%29.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="3936" data-file-height="2216" data-file-type="bitmap" height="162" width="288" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/%E5%9B%BD%E5%86%85%E3%81%AE%E6%96%B0%E8%A6%8F%E6%84%9F%E6%9F%93%E8%80%85%E3%81%AF%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%95%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%96_%2851008728635%29.jpg/432px-%E5%9B%BD%E5%86%85%E3%81%AE%E6%96%B0%E8%A6%8F%E6%84%9F%E6%9F%93%E8%80%85%E3%81%AF%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%95%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%96_%2851008728635%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/%E5%9B%BD%E5%86%85%E3%81%AE%E6%96%B0%E8%A6%8F%E6%84%9F%E6%9F%93%E8%80%85%E3%81%AF%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%95%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%96_%2851008728635%29.jpg/576px-%E5%9B%BD%E5%86%85%E3%81%AE%E6%96%B0%E8%A6%8F%E6%84%9F%E6%9F%93%E8%80%85%E3%81%AF%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%95%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%96_%2851008728635%29.jpg 2x"></a></span></div></div></div><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="width:290px;max-width:290px"><div class="thumbimage" style="height:192px;overflow:hidden"><span><a href="/en/File:Times_Square,_New_York_City_(HDR).jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Times_Square,_New_York_City_(HDR).jpg"><img loading="lazy" alt="Times_Square%2C_New_York_City_%28HDR%29.jpg" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Times_Square%2C_New_York_City_%28HDR%29.jpg/288px-Times_Square%2C_New_York_City_%28HDR%29.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="3896" data-file-height="2606" data-file-type="bitmap" height="193" width="288" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Times_Square%2C_New_York_City_%28HDR%29.jpg/432px-Times_Square%2C_New_York_City_%28HDR%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Times_Square%2C_New_York_City_%28HDR%29.jpg/576px-Times_Square%2C_New_York_City_%28HDR%29.jpg 2x"></a></span></div></div></div><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="width:290px;max-width:290px"><div class="thumbimage" style="height:157px;overflow:hidden"><span><a href="/en/File:DelValleCity.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:DelValleCity.jpg"><img loading="lazy" alt="DelValleCity.jpg" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/DelValleCity.jpg/288px-DelValleCity.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="5428" data-file-height="2970" data-file-type="bitmap" height="158" width="288" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/DelValleCity.jpg/432px-DelValleCity.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/DelValleCity.jpg/576px-DelValleCity.jpg 2x"></a></span></div></div></div><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="width:290px;max-width:290px"><div class="thumbimage" style="height:191px;overflow:hidden"><span><a href="/en/File:Ponte_Estaiada_-_São_Paulo_-_Brazil_(3192059946).jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Ponte_Estaiada_-_São_Paulo_-_Brazil_(3192059946).jpg"><img loading="lazy" alt="Ponte_Estaiada_-_S%C3%A3o_Paulo_-_Brazil_%283192059946%29.jpg" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Ponte_Estaiada_-_S%C3%A3o_Paulo_-_Brazil_%283192059946%29.jpg/288px-Ponte_Estaiada_-_S%C3%A3o_Paulo_-_Brazil_%283192059946%29.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="1600" data-file-height="1064" data-file-type="bitmap" height="192" width="288" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Ponte_Estaiada_-_S%C3%A3o_Paulo_-_Brazil_%283192059946%29.jpg/432px-Ponte_Estaiada_-_S%C3%A3o_Paulo_-_Brazil_%283192059946%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Ponte_Estaiada_-_S%C3%A3o_Paulo_-_Brazil_%283192059946%29.jpg/576px-Ponte_Estaiada_-_S%C3%A3o_Paulo_-_Brazil_%283192059946%29.jpg 2x"></a></span></div></div></div><div class="trow" style="display:flex"><div class="thumbcaption">Artificial landscapes and “city lights at night” were some of the first metaphors used by the genre for <a href="/en/Cyberspace" title="Cyberspace" class="wl">cyberspace</a> (in <i><a href="/en/Neuromancer" title="Neuromancer" class="wl">Neuromancer</a></i>, by <a href="/en/William_Gibson" title="William Gibson" class="wl">William Gibson</a>). From top to bottom: <a href="/en/Shibuya" title="Shibuya" class="wl">Shibuya</a>, <a href="/en/Tokyo" title="Tokyo" class="wl">Tokyo</a> (<a href="/en/Japan" title="Japan" class="wl">Japan</a>), <a href="/en/Times_Square" title="Times Square" class="wl">Times Square</a>, <a href="/en/New_York_City" title="New York City" class="wl">New York</a> (<a href="/en/United_States" title="United States" class="wl">United States</a>), <a href="/en/Monterrey" title="Monterrey" class="wl">Monterrey</a>, <a href="/en/Nuevo_León" title="Nuevo León" class="wl">Nuevo León</a> (<a href="/en/Mexico" title="Mexico" class="wl">Mexico</a>) and <a href="/en/São_Paulo" title="São Paulo" class="wl">São Paulo</a> (<a href="/en/Brazil" title="Brazil" class="wl">Brazil</a>).</div></div></div></div>
<p><a href="/en/Comic_book" title="Comic book" class="wl">Comics</a> exploring cyberpunk themes began appearing as early as <a href="/en/Judge_Dredd" title="Judge Dredd" class="wl">Judge Dredd</a>, first published in 1977.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-3"><a href="#cite_note-3" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 3;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[3]</span></a></span> Released in 1984, <a href="/en/William_Gibson" title="William Gibson" class="wl">William Gibson</a>'s influential <a href="/en/Debut_novel" title="Debut novel" class="wl">debut novel</a> <i><a href="/en/Neuromancer" title="Neuromancer" class="wl">Neuromancer</a></i> helped solidify cyberpunk as a genre, drawing influence from <a href="/en/Punk_subculture" title="Punk subculture" class="wl">punk subculture</a> and early <a href="/en/Hacker_culture" title="Hacker culture" class="wl">hacker culture</a>. Other influential cyberpunk writers included <a href="/en/Bruce_Sterling" title="Bruce Sterling" class="wl">Bruce Sterling</a> and <a href="/en/Rudy_Rucker" title="Rudy Rucker" class="wl">Rudy Rucker</a>. The <a href="/en/Japanese_cyberpunk" title="Japanese cyberpunk" class="wl">Japanese cyberpunk</a> subgenre began in 1982 with the debut of <a href="/en/Katsuhiro_Otomo" title="Katsuhiro Otomo" class="wl">Katsuhiro Otomo</a>'s <a href="/en/Manga" title="Manga" class="wl">manga</a> series <i><a href="/en/Akira_(manga)" title="Akira (manga)" class="wl">Akira</a></i>, with its <a href="/en/Akira_(1988_film)" title="Akira (1988 film)" class="wl">1988 anime film adaptation</a> (also directed by Otomo) later popularizing the subgenre.</p>

<p>Early <a href="/en/Filmmaking" title="Filmmaking" class="wl">films</a> in the genre include <a href="/en/Ridley_Scott" title="Ridley Scott" class="wl">Ridley Scott</a>'s 1982 film <i><a href="/en/Blade_Runner" title="Blade Runner" class="wl">Blade Runner</a></i>, one of several of Philip K. Dick's works that have been adapted into films (in this case, <i><a href="/en/Do_Androids_Dream_of_Electric_Sheep%3F" title="Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" class="wl">Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?</a></i>). The "first cyberpunk television series"<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-Hague_4-0"><a href="#cite_note-Hague-4" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 4;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[4]</span></a></span> was the TV series <a href="/en/Max_Headroom_(TV_series)" title="Max Headroom (TV series)" class="wl"><i>Max Headroom</i></a> from 1987, playing in a futuristic dystopia ruled by an oligarchy of television networks, and where computer hacking played a central role in many story lines. The films <i><a href="/en/Johnny_Mnemonic_(film)" title="Johnny Mnemonic (film)" class="wl">Johnny Mnemonic</a></i> (1995)<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-ctheory1_5-0"><a href="#cite_note-ctheory1-5" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 5;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[5]</span></a></span> and <i><a href="/en/New_Rose_Hotel_(film)" title="New Rose Hotel (film)" class="wl">New Rose Hotel</a></i> (1998),<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-dvdverdict2000_6-0"><a href="#cite_note-dvdverdict2000-6" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 6;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[6]</span></a></span><span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-nytimes1999_7-0"><a href="#cite_note-nytimes1999-7" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 7;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[7]</span></a></span> both based upon short stories by William Gibson, flopped commercially and critically, while <i><a href="/en/The_Matrix_(franchise)" title="The Matrix (franchise)" class="wl">The Matrix trilogy</a></i> (1999–2003) and <i><a href="/en/Judge_Dredd_(film)" title="Judge Dredd (film)" class="wl">Judge Dredd</a></i> (1995) were some of the most successful cyberpunk films.</p>

<p>Newer cyberpunk media  includes <i><a href="/en/Blade_Runner_2049" title="Blade Runner 2049" class="wl">Blade Runner 2049</a></i> (2017), a sequel to the original 1982 film; <i><a href="/en/Dredd" title="Dredd" class="wl">Dredd</a></i> (2012), which was not a sequel to the original movie; <i><a href="/en/Upgrade_(film)" title="Upgrade (film)" class="wl">Upgrade</a></i> (2018); <i><a href="/en/Alita:_Battle_Angel" title="Alita: Battle Angel" class="wl">Alita: Battle Angel</a></i> (2019), based on the 1990s Japanese manga <i><a href="/en/Battle_Angel_Alita" title="Battle Angel Alita" class="wl">Battle Angel Alita</a></i>; the 2018 <a href="/en/Netflix" title="Netflix" class="wl">Netflix</a> TV series <i><a href="/en/Altered_Carbon_(TV_series)" title="Altered Carbon (TV series)" class="wl">Altered Carbon</a></i>, based on <a href="/en/Richard_K._Morgan" title="Richard K. Morgan" class="wl">Richard K. Morgan</a>'s <a href="/en/Altered_Carbon" title="Altered Carbon" class="wl">2002 novel of the same name</a>; the <a href="/en/Final_Fantasy_VII_Remake" title="Final Fantasy VII Remake" class="wl">2020 remake</a> of 1997 role-playing video game <i><a href="/en/Final_Fantasy_VII" title="Final Fantasy VII" class="wl">Final Fantasy VII</a></i>; and the video game <i><a href="/en/Cyberpunk_2077" title="Cyberpunk 2077" class="wl">Cyberpunk 2077</a></i> (2020), based on <a href="/en/R._Talsorian_Games" title="R. Talsorian Games" class="wl">R. Talsorian Games</a>'s 1988 tabletop role-playing game <i><a href="/en/Cyberpunk_(role-playing_game)" title="Cyberpunk (role-playing game)" class="wl">Cyberpunk</a></i>.</p>



Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting that tends to focus on a "combination of lowlife and high tech", Much of cyberpunk is rooted in the New Wave science fiction movement of the 1960s and 1970s, when writers like Philip K. Dick, Michael Moorcock, Roger Zelazny, John Brunner, J. G. Ballard, Philip José Farmer and Harlan Ellison examined the impact of drug culture, technology, and the sexual revolution while avoiding the utopian tendencies of earlier science fiction. Comics exploring cyberpunk themes began appearing as early as Judge Dredd, first published in 1977. Released in 1984, William Gibson's influential debut novel Neuromancer helped solidify cyberpunk as a genre, drawing influence from punk subculture and early hacker culture. Other influential cyberpunk writers included Bruce Sterling and Rudy Rucker. The Japanese cyberpunk subgenre began in 1982 with the debut of Katsuhiro Otomo's manga series Akira, with its 1988 anime film adaptation later popularizing the subgenre. Early films in the genre include Ridley Scott's 1982 film Blade Runner, one of several of Philip K. Dick's works that have been adapted into films . The "first cyberpunk television series" both based upon short stories by William Gibson, flopped commercially and critically, while The Matrix trilogy and Judge Dredd were some of the most successful cyberpunk films. 