The Arasaka Corporation is a powerful organization that towers over the world of Cyberpunk 2077. They are extremely influential in Night City, and their reach goes way beyond the city's borders. They have headquarters throughout the world, from Tokyo to the United States. They even have their own space station.
The corporation and the family running it are the main antagonists of the game. While there are many details the players will discover about this megacorporation while playing the game's main campaign, there are facts about Arasaka that not everyone will get, including crucial details about the company's history, traits, and background.
Updated May 29, 2023 by Stephen LaGioia: Thanks to a slew of DLC packs, updates, and refinements — as well as the recent popular anime, Edgerunners — Cyberpunk 2077 has seen something of a reemergence since its rocky start in 2020.
These factors have also brought more attention to one of the most prominent powers and story elements of the game, Arasaka. And with so many interesting, often hidden, details surrounding this powerhouse corporation, it seemed fitting to revisit the topic.
15 Countless Sponsors To Exert Their Influence
As one might expect for a highly dominant corporate entity, Arasaka is no stranger to sponsorships. But what may not be well known is that the company hosts an extremely wide variety of sponsorships, spanning all over and taking various forms. These include everything from festivals and events to media personnel, stores, and even anime.
An example includes the classical Japanese festival called the Dashi Parade. This was explained by leadership as a way to maintain and feed an economically sound Japan. But of course, it's also a means of exerting more influence and power in Night City and beyond, as well as to financially feed the growing machine that is Arasaka.
14 Their Immense Financial Value
Arasaka's rich — and often dark — history dates back to World War II, in which they helped supply the Japanese Imperial Army. From there, they would expand and take on various forms to keep the money machine churning and growing. This was initially meant to outlast and overcome Japan's post-war conditions.
Over the decades, as their influence and reach grew, they amassed an absurd amount of wealth, with properties in 2020 clocking in at about 9.5 trillion New Yen and 475 billion Eurodollars. Nearly half of the Eurodollar funds stem from the Arasaka Bank alone. A large portion comes from the various subsidiary companies owned by Arasaka.
This already immense value has doubled its value to nearly 900 billion Eurodollars in 2077.
13 Controversy And Corruption On Many Fronts
Most Cyberpunk 2077 fans are aware of the rather shady dealings and history surrounding Arasaka. Yet few know just how many tentacles of corruption and controversy are attached to the company. The corporation is on record for countless unethical practices — including extortion, blackmail, and bribery as tools for gaining more agency and wealth.
Though they also handle teams of morally dubious mercenaries. These mercenaries often take part in assassinations and abductions of prominent or otherwise "useful" targets. One of the most "explosive" indictments included the detonation of a thermonuclear device in Night City Corporate Plaze in 2023, of which they were found guilty.
12 The Militant Origins Of Their Name
While not confirmed, it's widely believed that the creative origins of the "Arasaka" name can be traced to a real Japanese lieutenant general from the early 20th century, Arisaka Nariakira. Appointed head of the Army Technical Bureau, he would go on to create the Arisaka Rifle and become a leading arms craftsman.
His weapons would be utilized up until the end of WWII. Despite the slight change in spelling, this reference would certainly make sense, given the similar origins and traits of the Arasaka Corporation.
Still, others speculate that this company name may come from a prominent rifle from the renowned anime film Akira, the "Arasaka HLR-12X Heavy Laser Rifle."
11 ...And Their Logo
While simple looking at first glance, there is more to this ambiguous Arasaka logo than meets the eye. The image is meant to represent a symbol or a three-part hollyhock "mon" of the Tokugawa Clan, a shogun dynasty that ruled Japan for over two hundred years during the Edo period (1603 to 1867). The Tokugawa symbol shows what appears to be a trio of blossoming flowers intersecting at a central point.
This is rather appropriate, given the parallels of the shoguns rivaling and mirroring government powers, acting as sort of independent power structures. This in some ways can be compared to the megacorp Arasaka in 2077.
10 Employee Life
One of Arasaka's main tenets is loyalty. Therefore, all Arasaka employees must abide by a series of strict rules should they remain employed by the corporation. One of the most austere rules held by Arasaka is the maintenance of image.
All Arasaka employees must dress according to their position. Higher-level people are expected to dress exquisitely, while low-level workers are given more liberty, but they're still not allowed to be too promiscuous. It is also frowned upon when an Arasaka employee uses non-Arasaka equipment.
9 They Supplied The Imperial Army
The Arasaka Corporation was founded in 1915 by Saburo Arasaka's father, Sasai Arasaka. During its early years, the company focused all of its time and resources on manufacturing. When World War II came around, Arasaka saw this as an opportunity to grow.
To further their name, power, and wealth, Arasaka started supplying the Imperial Army. Later on, however, Sasai Arasaka foresaw the Imperial's fall. In hopes of maintaining his company's fortune and power, he spread his wealth across the globe.
8 Saburo Almost Committed Seppuko Before Leading The Company
Before Saburo Arasaka was the head of the Arasaka Corporation, he was a lieutenant serving in the Imperial Japanese Navy. When the Emperor of Japan broadcast their surrender and renounced his divinity, Saburo was intensely distraught that he contemplated committing seppuku.
Right before taking his own life, however, Saburo had an epiphany. He realized that after his father's passing, it would be him leading Arasaka. He knew that a fortune like that, if used correctly, would allow him to dominate the world.
7 Saburo Became The Company's Head In 1960
Saburo Arasaka finally took control and became the head of Arasaka in 1960 after his father passed away at the age of 101. Saburo was 41 when he stepped into his father's role. During this time, Arasaka did not yet have the influence and power they already have in 2077, but Saburo knew they were heading in the right direction.
Saburo's main goal was to push Japan as a military and economic superpower, and his corporation would propel the nation. He also knew that the key to power was the control of information, so he formed the Arasaka Security Division.
6 Arasaka Tried To Control The Japanese Government
In the late 1990s, almost 60% of Japan's national legislature members were Arasaka-bought politicians. However, various Japanese corporations recognized this and disliked the idea of Arasaka having control of the entire country.
As a countermeasure, they formed FACS, (or Far Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere). They would constantly foil Arasaka's control and saw the arrest of the politicians that were bought by the corporation.
5 Saburo's Eldest Son
Arasaka Corporation continued to increase its wealth and power during the early 2000s. The corporation's main sectors were still its banking, manufacturing, and security divisions.
Despite the corporation's success, in 2020, at age 101, Saburo decided to step down as CEO and allow his eldest son, Kei Arasaka, to take over. Although not the CEO anymore, Saburo still made all the major decisions and continued to run the company from behind the scenes.
4 The Fourth Corporate War
In 2021, Arasaka got involved in a very massive and bloody conflict between two rival megacorporations, CINO and OTEC. This conflict came to be known as the Fourth Corporate War. CINO and OTEC battled for a year until reaching a stalemate when both realized one could not overpower the other. As a result, both hired larger megacorps with expertise in combat and military warfare.
OTEC hired Militech and CINO hired Arasaka. This actually proved opportune for both Militech and Arasaka as well since both had been in constant rivalry for years before the war.
3 The Night City Incident
August 20, 2023, is a monumental day for Arasaka Corporation, for a very negative reason. On this fateful day, Morgan Blackhand and Johnny Silverhand lead an incursion team to infiltrate the Arasaka Headquarters in Night City.
The team's mission was to steal or destroy the Arasaka Secure Reliquary Database using a pocket nuke. The blast would have only impacted the planned area, destroying the building only and preventing massive destruction. However, due to Arasaka's interference, the nuke detonated early and destroyed not only the tower but a massive portion of the City Center. Over a quarter-million people died during the aftermath of the event.
2 Arasaka Factions
Following the Fourth Corporate War and the countless controversies and destruction tied with Arasaka, the corporation was forced to withdraw all of its operations to Japan.
Many changes were brought upon by the Fourth Corporate War. Arasaka itself saw a change as well. The entire corporation's foundation shook upon the death of Kei Arasaka during the end of the war. This birthed three major warring factions within Arasaka: The Kiji Faction, led by Hanako; The Taka Faction, led by Yorinobu, and the Hato Faction, led by Michiko Arasaka, Kei's daughter.
1 The Unification War
The Unification War, or the Metal Wars, was a conflict between the New United States and the Free States; those who have called for their own independence. The conflict was brought upon when the newly elected president of the NUSA proposed a program that would take back the nation's control of the Free States, in hopes of strengthening the nation.
A vast majority of independent states opposed this proposition, thus ensuing chaos. Arasaka stepped in at the eleventh hour when Lucius Rhyne, then-councilman of Night City, begged for Arasaka's assistance. When Arasaka arrived, the NUSA settled for a compromise and they signed the Treaty of Unification with the Free States to avoid further conflict. This allowed Arasaka to operate on NUSA soil once again and Night City was declared an international free city.