Cyberpunk 2077 Lore Yorinobu Arasaka

When 21-year-old Yorinobu Arasaka graduated from Todai, his father Saburo Arasaka brought him to his private chambers at Arasaka HQ. There he explained to his youngest son the true nature of the Arasaka Corporation. Rather than agreeing with his father's vision, Yorinobu was secretly appalled. That night, Yorinobu slipped out of the compound and vanished into the Tokyo night. Four years later, Yorinobu, had gathered a cadre of tough Tokyo nomads: the Kotetsu no Ryu aka the Steel Dragons. Together, they swore to expose and destroy Arasaka. His knowledge of Arasaka facilities and corporate procedures gave the Kotetsu no Ryu some advantages, but they lacked the power or information to make serious headway against the corporation. Then the fourth corporate war happened. Aside from providing the Japanese government details on Arasaka’s operations, information on Yorinobu’s exploits during the war remained elusive, until Johnny Silverhand and his team, while attempting to find the storage room for the Soulkiller program and Alt Cunningham, stumbled upon a data file titled, Arasaka Yorinobu 24/9/2022. Kei Arasaka had used the Soulkiller on his younger brother. Next to the Soulkiller database, Silverhand’s team would find what appeared to be a cloning facility. Amongst the tissues samples one was labelled Yorinobu Arasaka 23/09/2022. During the aftermath of the fourth corporate war, in Asia, the humiliated Arasaka faced defeat with their head held high. The corporation spent a significant portion of their assets on war reparations, but a few profitable contracts allowed them to regain their market hold on weapon manufacturing and security industries, although internally Saburo Arasaka faced a secret civil war within the company ranks. Arasaka broke into three warring factions. The Bakafu Faction, headed by Hanako Arasaka; the Princess Faction, headed by Michiko Arasaka, Kei’s youngest daughter and the Rebel Faction, headed by Kei’s rebel son Yorinobu. Given that Yorinobu was supposed to be an engram, who was the Yorinobu fighting the other Arasaka factions? One can speculate either a cloned imposter or perhaps the soulkiller process was somehow reversed? At the end of 2069, the recently elected USA president Rosalind Myers presented a unification program to extend federal rule over the rogue Free States under the pretence of strengthening the nation. Most of the independent American territories opposed unification. Conflict was inevitable. Night City avoided the fighting, but only barely. In early 2070, the United States army were within the outskirts of Night City, but invasion was prevented thanks to the actions of councilman Lucius Rhyne. He beseeched Arasaka for protection. Within days, an Arasaka supercarrier arrived in Coronado Bay, and the NUS Army withdrew. Following Arasaka’s open intervention, the Treaty of Unification was finally signed by the New United States and the Free States coalition, ending the Unification War. The Free States retained their autonomy, but agreed to participate in the new federal government and to cease hostilities among themselves. In the aftermath of the war, Night City was rededicated as an international free city, independent from the laws and governance of the Free State of Northern California and the New United States. Night City paid for this liberty with the further increase of megacorporate influence, as the corpos pumped money into the revitalization of the city to establish a foothold on the West Coast of the NUSA.

In 2070, Night City allowed Arasaka to build their new American headquarters on the site where their previous building was destroyed in 2023, with Yorinobu Arasaka in charge. Who is this Yorinobu Arasaka and why does he possess a Relic that apparently is the key to immortality? Thank you for Chippin’In