The Blade Runner franchise has experienced a remarkable resurgence in comics, with Titan Comics extensively broadening this cyberpunk universe through new spinoffs and prequels. The publisher is currently releasing Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus, the first Blade Runner narrative set in Japan.

During IGN Fan Fest 2025, we spoke with writers Kianna Shore and Mellow Brown to explore the new series and learn how they translated the distinctive Blade Runner aesthetic to a new global setting. View the exclusive slideshow gallery below for a behind-the-scenes look at the artwork development, then continue reading for more insights:

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

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This marks the first Blade Runner story set in Japan, despite Tokyo's iconic status in foundational cyberpunk works like Akira and Ghost in the Shell. We asked the writers how they envisioned this alternate 2015 Tokyo and how it contrasts with the rain-drenched, neon-lit Los Angeles familiar to fans.

“Imagining Tokyo within the Blade Runner universe was an incredibly enjoyable process!” Shore tells IGN. “Having lived in Japan during 2015, and later visiting Tokyo exhibitions on future visions, provided unique perspective. I aimed for a Tokyo distinct from Los Angeles, reflecting its entirely different history and socio-economic landscape. My vision was a 'hopepunk' Tokyo.”

“I've always seen Los Angeles in Blade Runner as a broken, decaying place barely holding on, where neon lights mask a dystopian reality,” Brown says. “Our Tokyo operates on a parallel principle. It presents a beautiful utopia, but one where citizens feel tightly controlled. Disobey the rules of this 'paradise,' and it consumes you. It's equally terrifying, just in a different manner.”

Notably, both writers intentionally avoided direct homages to Akira and Ghost in the Shell, drawing inspiration instead from other media and contemporary Japanese life.

Shore explains, “While classic films provided inspiration, understanding how Japanese media portrays the future post the 2011 Tohoku disaster was crucial. I studied anime like Your Name, Japan Sinks 2020, and Bubble.”

“I personally aimed not to rehash anime already influenced by Blade Runner, such as Bubblegum Crisis or Psycho-Pass,” Brown says. “Cyberpunk often reflects contemporary fears about our own future—hence the original's '80s LA and anxiety over Japanese economic power. I wanted to mirror current Japanese societal hopes and fears, exploring what could go right or wrong if certain powerful forces had their way.”

The broader Blade Runner timeline spans the 21st century, but Tokyo Nexus is set in 2015, preceding the original film. We inquired about its connections to the wider franchise. Will fans recognize familiar threads, or is this a completely new experience due to the Japanese setting?

“Tokyo Nexus stands alone in its setting, time period, and story,” Shore states. “However, it wouldn’t be Blade Runner without the pervasive influence of the Tyrell Corporation or a central mystery. There are fun nods and easter eggs for film fans, but the comics are fully accessible to newcomers.”

Brown adds, “We're advancing a storyline that began in Blade Runner: Origins, set just before Blade Runner: 2019. We're tackling complex universe questions like 'What was the Kalanthia War?' and 'Why does Tyrell monopolize Replicant production?' This builds toward a secret, large-scale civil war with different Blade Runner factions vying for control. Tokyo Nexus fascinatingly reveals the origins of one key organization that rises to global power in that conflict.”

Tokyo Nexus is distinctive for focusing on the partnership between a human named Mead and a Replicant named Stix. Their deeply bonded, interdependent relationship is the series' heart, portraying them as two traumatized veterans who rely solely on each other in a hostile world.

“Mead and Stix are best friends and platonic life partners,” Shore says. “They've endured extreme hardships together. Their primary drive is to protect each other, sometimes even from themselves. To survive, they must learn to trust again.”

“It's a beautifully unhealthy dynamic,” Brown says. “We wanted to explore the franchise's 'More Human Than Human' theme. Stix is a Replicant with a vibrant thirst for life, while Mead is a human worn down by systemic pressures, her thinking mechanical and pragmatic. They need each other to cope. Surviving a shared trauma has forged a codependency that could ultimately break them both.”

The series finds Stix and Mead caught in a power struggle between Tyrell Corp, the Yakuza, and a Japanese entity called Cheshire. The writers hint that Cheshire plays a intriguing role, challenging Tyrell's Replicant monopoly.

“Cheshire is attempting to compete in Replicant manufacturing,” Shore reveals. “Their latest model is a military-grade Replicant, purportedly stronger and faster, built upon Tyrell's foundational technology.”

Brown continues, “Cheshire is a criminal organization with ambitions beyond petty crime. After acquiring refugee Tyrell scientists in Tokyo, they realize their potential in this universe is suddenly limitless…”

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.

Also featured during IGN Fan Fest 2025 were early looks at IDW's new Godzilla shared universe and a sneak peek of an upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog storyline.