- Arasaka Academy location in game: No marked building exists in Cyberpunk 2077, but the anime anchors it in Heywood, near David's Megabuilding H4.
- District clue: David commutes from Megabuilding H4 in Heywood, placing the Academy in or near southern Night City.
- Best strategy: Explore Heywood and Corpo Plaza districts for architecture matching the Academy's corporate design.
- Key fact: Studio Trigger recreated real 2077 locations like Megabuilding H4, so the Academy follows the same Night City geography.
- Companion content: The official Edgerunners page and Netflix are the primary sources for location references.
Arasaka Academy Location In Game: The Short Answer
The Arasaka Academy location in game is one of the most common questions fans ask after finishing Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. The honest answer: Cyberpunk 2077 does not contain a labeled, enterable "Arasaka Academy" building on its map. The school is an anime-original location created by Studio Trigger for the 2022 series.
However, the Academy is not placed randomly. Trigger's art team deliberately anchored Edgerunners to real Cyberpunk 2077 geography — including David's home in Megabuilding H4 in Heywood, the Afterlife bar in Watson, and Arasaka Tower in City Center. David is shown commuting between his apartment and the Academy within a plausible route through Night City, which lets fans triangulate where the school would sit in the game's map.
| Location | Appears In 2077? | District | Academy Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arasaka Academy | No (anime-only) | Implied Heywood area | David's school, main setting of Episode 1 |
| Megabuilding H4 | Yes, visitable | Heywood | David's apartment block |
| Arasaka Tower | Yes, key location | Corpo Plaza / City Center | Parent corporation HQ |
| Afterlife Bar | Yes, visitable | Watson | Where David's edgerunner life begins |
| David's Tribute | Yes, added post-2022 | Afterlife interior | In-game memorial added by CD PROJEKT RED |
If you want to "visit" the Academy's world in-game, start at Megabuilding H4 in Heywood. It is the only Edgerunners location that exists exactly as depicted in the anime, and it anchors every surrounding geography clue.
Triangulating the Academy: Night City Geography Analysis
Since the Academy itself is anime-original, its position must be inferred from what surrounds it. Three clues dominate the analysis.
| Clue | Evidence | Location Implication |
|---|---|---|
| Commute distance | David travels between home and school daily by foot and AV | Academy likely within or near Heywood |
| Corporate architecture | Tall, clean, corporate campus design with Japanese styling | Similar to City Center corpo districts |
| Arasaka branding | School operates under Arasaka Corporation influence | Proximity to Arasaka-controlled zones |
| Class demographics | Wealthy corpo kids and scholarship students mixed | Sits between corpo and residential districts |
Heywood (Best Candidate)
- Home district of Megabuilding H4
- Mix of corpo and street areas
- Matches David's short commute
City Center / Corpo Plaza
- Arasaka Tower dominates the skyline
- Most corpo-heavy district
- Possible inspiration for campus design
Charter Hill
- Upscale Heywood sub-district
- Wealthy residential zone
- Fits the elite student body's homes
The strongest community consensus places the Academy in the Heywood / Charter Hill corridor, because the anime shows David making short, routine trips from Megabuilding H4. A daily cross-city commute to Corpo Plaza would be unusual for a student storyline that emphasizes his family's poverty.
Some fan videos and posts claim a specific unmarked Heywood building is "the real Academy." CD PROJEKT RED has not confirmed any in-game building as the Academy. Treat any exact coordinates as fan theory, not canon.
Step-by-Step: How To Find the Anime Locations In-Game
Follow this route to walk in David Martinez's footsteps inside Cyberpunk 2077.
Start at Megabuilding H4, Heywood
Fast travel to the Megabuilding H4 marker. David and Gloria's apartment is in this block, rendered almost identically to the anime, including the corridor and elevator design.
Scan the Surrounding Heywood Streets
Walk the blocks around the megabuilding. The streets David bikes through in Episode 1 use this district's layout as a reference. Look for the school-route corridor heading toward Charter Hill.
Head to Corpo Plaza for Arasaka Tower
Drive north to City Center. Arasaka Tower is the visual anchor of the corporation that runs the Academy — and the site of the series' tragic final act against Adam Smasher.
Visit the Afterlife in Watson
End your pilgrimage at the Afterlife bar. CD PROJEKT RED added a permanent David Martinez tribute here after the anime's release, making it the closest official in-game recognition of his story.
The Edgerunners tribute content was added to Cyberpunk 2077 in the post-launch updates following the anime's September 2022 premiere, per CD PROJEKT RED's official Edgerunners page.
Why the Academy Is Not On the 2077 Map
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a standalone story set roughly a year before the events of Cyberpunk 2077. Studio Trigger, directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi with assistant director Masahiko Otsuka, recreated recognizable 2077 landmarks while adding anime-original spaces — the Academy chief among them — to serve David's narrative.
| Element | In Cyberpunk 2077 | In Edgerunners |
|---|---|---|
| Megabuilding H4 | Yes, explorable | David's home |
| Arasaka Academy | No | David's school, Episodes 1–2 |
| Sandevistan cyberware | Yes, operating system | David's signature implant |
| Arasaka Tower | Yes, story location | Final battle site |
| David Martinez | Tribute only | Protagonist |
The Academy functions as a symbol rather than a map point. It represents the corporate ladder Gloria Martinez dies trying to help her son climb — and its absence from the game map reinforces that the "legitimate path" it offered was, in the end, inaccessible in every sense.
Players who want an Academy-style photoshoot can approximate the look in Photo Mode near Corpo Plaza: clean corporate architecture, Arasaka signage, and V in a school-inspired outfit capture the visual language of the anime's campus scenes.
Edgerunners Location Pilgrimage Checklist
Complete These In-Game Milestones:
- Visit Megabuilding H4 in Heywood
- Find the David Martinez tribute in the Afterlife
- Walk the Heywood-to-Charter Hill corridor (Academy route theory)
- See Arasaka Tower at Corpo Plaza
- Equip a Sandevistan to honor David's fighting style
FAQ
Q: Is there an official Arasaka Academy location in game?
No. Cyberpunk 2077 has no marked or enterable Arasaka Academy. The school is an anime-original location created by Studio Trigger for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, and CD PROJEKT RED has not mapped it to any specific in-game building.
Q: Which Night City district is Arasaka Academy closest to?
Fan analysis and the anime's geography most strongly suggest the Heywood area, near Charter Hill, because David commutes daily from Megabuilding H4 in Heywood. This remains an inference rather than confirmed canon.
Q: Can I visit any Edgerunners locations in Cyberpunk 2077?
Yes. Megabuilding H4, the Afterlife bar, and Arasaka Tower all exist in-game and closely match their anime depictions. The Afterlife also contains a permanent David Martinez tribute added after the anime's release.
Q: Is Arasaka Academy run by Arasaka Corporation?
Yes, within the lore. The elite school operates under Arasaka Corporation influence and embodies its corporate values of discipline and elite formation, funneling students toward corpo careers — the path David abandons after his expulsion in Episode 2.