David Martinez

A student at Arasaka Academy, David lives with his mother, Gloria, in Night City. After a personal loss and a chance encounter with Lucy, he enters the dangerous world of mercenary work. David is driven by loyalty to the people he cares about and by a desire to make something of himself, but his reliance on powerful cyberware puts increasing strain on his body and judgment.

David has a lean build, medium-brown skin, and dark hair shaved at the sides with a swept-back top. His academy uniform gives way to the conspicuous yellow jacket he wears as an edgerunner, usually over casual street clothes. After installing the Sandevistan, he has a visible cybernetic implant along his spine, and later acquisitions add extensive mechanical limbs and body modifications. As his enhancement load grows, his silhouette becomes increasingly imposing, while the strain of his implants shows in his posture and expression.

David is resourceful, quick to react, and protective of people he considers his own. He begins with a strong sense of responsibility toward his mother, but frustration with the limits of his circumstances makes him receptive to dangerous shortcuts. He adapts rapidly to the edgerunner world and can make bold decisions under pressure, yet often mistakes endurance for invulnerability. His confidence and loyalty help him earn the trust of a crew, while his tendency to take on other people's burdens keeps him from recognizing when he needs help. His choices are shaped by affection, grief, and a desire to fulfill the hopes others place in him.

David grows up in Night City's poorer districts with his mother, Gloria, who works in emergency medical services and struggles to provide him with opportunities. She pays for his enrollment at the prestigious Arasaka Academy, though the mismatch between David's circumstances and those of his wealthy classmates leaves him isolated. He is capable with technology and accustomed to improvising, but school discipline and bullying compound his frustration. Gloria secretly takes valuable cyberware from a body after a violent incident, hoping to use the proceeds to secure David's future. Her death and his expulsion leave him without the path she had worked to provide.

1. Academy and Gloria's death

   David's life at Arasaka Academy deteriorates as classmates target him and staff fail to protect him. After a public confrontation results in his expulsion, he discovers that Gloria had been carrying a Sandevistan taken from a corpse. Her death in the aftermath of a street attack leaves him grieving and angry, and he chooses to install the device rather than accept the future she had tried to arrange.

2. Joining Maine's crew

   David uses the Sandevistan to enter Night City's mercenary underworld and crosses paths with Lucy, who introduces him to Maine's crew. He proves valuable on jobs, develops trust with the group, and begins a relationship with Lucy. As he becomes more skilled and heavily augmented, Maine's worsening cyberpsychosis offers a warning that David does not fully accept.

3. Building his own crew

   After Maine's death, David takes responsibility for the remaining crew and grows into its leader. He pursues increasingly difficult contracts while supporting Lucy's wish to escape Night City. A significant time jump shows him operating with greater confidence and a larger arsenal, but his expanding cyberware use and dependence on medication increasingly threaten his judgment and health.

4. Arasaka's final operation

   David's crew becomes entangled in a plan involving Arasaka's experimental cyberskeleton, while Lucy's efforts to keep him out of the corporation's reach deepen the distance between them. He ultimately takes the machine to protect his crew and confronts the forces pursuing them. His final actions buy Lucy the chance to escape, but leave him unable to share the future she had hoped for.

Gloria Martinez

Mother

Gloria works hard to give David a chance at a better life, including paying for his academy education. He loves her, but does not initially understand the sacrifices she makes on his behalf. Her death becomes a defining loss and helps push him toward the edgerunner life.

Lucy

Partner and romantic interest

Lucy first helps David enter the mercenary world, and their trust develops into a close romantic bond. He wants to protect her and support her dream of leaving Night City. Their affection remains strong, though his escalating risks and her efforts to shield him create painful distance.

Maine

Mentor and crew leader

Maine gives David a place in his crew and teaches him the practical realities of edgerunner work. David admires his strength and leadership, while watching his decline as cyberware overwhelms him. Maine's fate becomes a warning David recognizes but ultimately fails to heed.

Rebecca

Crewmate and friend

Rebecca is a blunt, capable member of David's crew who supports him through dangerous jobs and personal turmoil. She shows affection for him but also respects his bond with Lucy. Her loyalty persists as the crew faces the consequences of David's increasingly desperate choices.

• David installs the Sandevistan Gloria had taken from a corpse.
• He joins Maine's crew after Lucy brings him into their orbit.
• He assumes leadership after Maine's crew is shattered.
• He uses the cyberskeleton in a final attempt to protect Lucy and the crew.

• His yellow jacket becomes one of his most recognizable pieces of clothing.
• His Sandevistan is a military-grade implant.
• He attends Arasaka Academy before becoming an edgerunner.
• His crew's work is based in Night City.

• Lucy
• Gloria Martinez
• Katsuo Tanaka
• Dorio
• Pilar
• Rebecca

• Maine
• Kiwi

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