Johnny Silverhand’s Best Quotes in Cyberpunk 2077

Key Takeaways

• Johnny Silverhand has many impactful quotes that reveal his character’s complexity and emotions.
• Johnny’s role in Cyberpunk 2077 is pivotal, forming an unusual relationship with the protagonist.
• Through quotes like “Never stop fighting,” Johnny shows his caring yet rebellious nature.

When it was first announced Keanu Reeves would play a pivotal role in CD Projekt RED’s Cyberpunk 2077, to say fans were excited would be a huge understatement. However, the size of Keanu’s role wouldn’t become clear until a little later, when the character of Johnny Silverhand was eventually revealed to the masses.

This sharp-tongued, cocky, and rebellious former rockstar is implanted into V’s head very early on in the story. On the one hand, Johnny’s influence is slowly overtaking V’s body throughout the game, which becomes a pretty big concern for the protagonist. Still, in that time, Johnny also learns to respect his newfound host, forming a rather unusual relationship that has led to him saying some pretty outlandish things. These quotes are by far the most memorable and impactful to be uttered by Johnny in both Cyberpunk 2077’s main story and the Phantom Liberty expansion.

7 “Here Lies Johnny Silverhand…”

A Rare Somber Moment From Johnny Who Reflects On His Own Sacrifice

The mission to find Johnny’s grave is a pretty miserable one. Once V reaches the Northern Oilfields, it soon becomes clear Johnny doesn’t have any gravestones or memorials that have been dedicated to the sacrifice he made back in 2023. This is one of those rare moments where Johnny lets down the facade and expresses sadness to V, though this also leads to a heart-to-heart between the two.

In trying to come up with a memorial, Johnny starts things off with the line “Here lies Johnny Silverhand…” which players can then finish off themselves. Seeing Johnny writing his own memorial is pretty surreal, but also provides a glimpse into the sadness and possibly even regret that lies beneath the cold exterior.

6 “So Go Out And Play. Just Don’t Get Played.”

Johnny Warns V Early On In Phantom Liberty To Watch His Back

Though Johnny does make fewer appearances during the Phantom Liberty DLC compared to the original game, he does still pop up here and there to try and help steer V in the right direction. Since the DLC is packed full of tricky decisions that can drastically change the course of the story, Johnny is always dropping small and subtle bits of information to remind the player that their actions hold a lot of weight, with this memorable quote being a prime example of that.

While watching a few kids playing basketball from afar, Johnny tells V to “Go out and play“, as in, to see how they feel about Songbird, Reed, and Myers but warns them not to “Get played” themselves. There are a lot of betrayals and unexpected turns in Phantom Liberty’s story, so these were certainly some precious words of advice Johnny gave early on in the expansion.

5 “Stick Some Iron In Your Mouth And Pull The Trigger.”

Johnny Comes Off As An Intimidating Antagonist When He First Shows Up

Before Johnny has a chance to warm up to V, he comes across as a selfish piece of work whose only concern is trying to make sense of the situation while also escaping from the control of V. One of his first suggestions is therefore that V “Stick some iron” in their mouth and end it all, just to set Johnny free.

Not only is this very eerie and intimidating bit of dialogue from Johnny, but it also expresses just how rash he is as a character, often speaking before he thinks. Johnny manages to form a genuinely heartfelt relationship with V through the game’s main and side missions, so trying to end V’s life so early and prevent the relationship from flourishing is something only someone with his short temper would do.

4 “Of All The Heads I Could’a Popped Up In, Hella Glad It Was Yours.”

A Line That Sums Up The Weirdness Of Johnny’s Situation

Since what’s left of Johnny’s memories are stored on a chip, anyone could have technically integrated this bad-mouthed rockstar into their own heads if they had managed to get their hands on it. For a moment, it almost seemed like V’s best bud Jackie would be the one to inherit Johnny; who knows how that would have ended up.

After Jackie’s unfortunate passing though, it was up to V to implant the chip into their own head, though this isn’t something Johnny is at all thrilled about. For the first few missions, Johnny is constantly mocking V and trying to belittle them, but this quote, which appears later in the story, demonstrates even Johnny can come around to people after spending enough time with them. It’s a loving piece of dialogue that also puts into perspective just how peculiar Johnny’s current situation actually is.

3 “This War Is A People’s War, Against A System That Spiraled Out Of Our Control”

Johnny Expresses How He Truly Feels About The Modern Night City

When Johnny first shows up in the story, he’s not exactly too keen about sharing his backstory with V. As the story progresses though, Johnny eventually spills the beans in one big speech after he feels that V has earned enough of his trust through the game.

Johnny hints at why he raided Arasaka Tower all those years ago, in order to fight back against a “system” which he sees as being the cause of crushed spirits and lost souls in the metropolis of Night City. A major theme in Cyberpunk is the danger of mass corporatism reaching new heights and essentially turning people into mindless robots, and judging from this quote, it’s clearly something Johnny picked up on very early on.

2 “Life’ll Shake You, Roll You, Maybe Embrace You. The Music’ll Find You.”

Johnny’s Heartfelt Advice To The Next Generation

Johnny is a free spirit; a man who has seen his fair share of highs and lows, but who still manages to roll with the punches and see the value in life. Part of his hopeful personality seems to come from his time as a musician where his trusty guitar and dedicated fanbase could always make him feel just that little bit more optimistic about the future ahead.

It’s not very often Johnny gets too sentimental with his dialogue, but this quote said in the Temperance ending, was both an homage to his past career and his own message for the next generation to follow. Life can be tough, but according to Johnny, this is just all par for the course and can lead to much better things further down the line.

1 “Goodbye, V, And Never Stop Fighting.”

One Of The Most Emotional Farewells In All Of Gaming

A farewell that had every player sobbing their eyes out on a first playthrough, Johnny’s last few words to V manage to sump up this endlessly complex character in just a single line of dialogue. Before disappearing into the void, Johnny says his final goodbye to V but also encourages them to “Never stop fighting”, which puts into perspective just how much Johnny cares about pushing back against corrupt systems and making the world a better place.

Johnny’s sacrifice may not have made the impact on Night City he wanted it to, and though he does show some signs of regret throughout the game, this line confirms he still believes fighting for one’s beliefs is the right thing to do. It’s also a short but sweet way to wrap up the relationship between him and V, highlighting just how far they’ve come since those first few hours when they were always at one another’s throats.