The NCPD detective who befriends V in Cyberpunk 2077 is River Ward. V first becomes involved with River during the investigation surrounding Mayor Lucius Rhyne’s death.
River’s storyline later takes V into the Badlands and the outskirts of Night City while searching for his missing nephew, Randy. These missions reveal River’s strong sense of duty and his frustration with corruption and institutional limits.
River is a detective rather than a fixer or politician. Wakako Okada is a Watson fixer, Jefferson Peralez is a politician central to another investigation, and Gustavo Orta is a gang leader encountered in a separate side job.