Blade Runner Names its Best Replicant-Killer, & it’s NOT Deckard

Out of every Blade Runner in the series' history, there's only one who proved to be the best of them all, and that Replicant-killer isn't Deckard.

Many Blade Runner fans might assume Deckard is the best of them all given his role in the first movie and the fact that he’s unarguably the most iconic Blade Runner in the history of the franchise. However, they’d be wrong, as the Blade Runner anime series actually names the best Replicant-killer–and it’s not Deckard.

Rick Deckard was introduced in 1982’s Blade Runner as the titular Replicant-killing officer of the law. It’s assumed that he’s the best Blade Runner in the unit given the importance of the mission he’s on in the movie. A small team of rogue Replicants are on the loose, and it’s believed they’re going after the most powerful man in the world, Tyrell. Tyrell runs Tyrell Corp, and is responsible for creating the Replicants, though he’s also responsible for enslaving them. So, Deckard is tasked with keeping Tyrell safe by finding and ‘retiring’ the Replicants before any harm can befall the titan of industry. While Deckard fails at protecting Tyrell from being killed, Deckard does accomplish his mission of ensuring every one of the rogue Replicants are stopped. However, even with this supposed victory under his belt, he still isn’t even close to matching the accomplishments of the very best Blade Runner in the business: J.

Blade Runner: Black Lotus Introduces J, the Best Blade Runner in History

In Blade Runner: Black Lotus episode 7 (written by Alex De Campi, directed by Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki), it is revealed that the man who’s been helping the Replicant Elle this whole time, J (aka Joseph), is actually an ex-Blade Runner. Elle is on the run from the LAPD after assassinating some prominent members of society for their crimes against her and her kind. Throughout every kill, J has helped Elle–both in terms of preparation and recovery. When J is questioned by the police (while Elle hides in a closet) the detective interviewing him brings up the fact that he was a Blade Runner–but not just any Blade Runner. According to this detective, J was responsible for retiring between one hundred and two hundred Replicants throughout his career, and that his achievements have made him a lasting legend in the Blade Runner Unit, which alone implies his superiority over his predecessor, Deckard.

While J’s Replicant kill-count is the highest in Blade Runner history (way more so than Deckard’s), that isn’t the only reason why J’s the best. In the comic Blade Runner: Origins, it’s revealed that the Blade Runner Unit was founded by a man who secretly wanted to help Replicants. This man, named Cal, only pretended to be anti-Replicant in order to gain the trust of the people and the LAPD, all so he could head-up his own unit dedicated to ‘retiring’ Replicants. Replicants were on the proverbial chopping block no matter what, but Cal put himself in a position where he was in charge of the ones hunting them. So, Cal secretly implemented a strict hiring-guide for potential Blade Runners, one that tested their empathy towards Replicants. Essentially, Cal wanted to make sure the only Blade Runners hired to hunt Replicants would eventually side with them, and J is the latest success story for the unit Cal created.

J is the best Blade Runner for two reasons. Officially, he’s the best because he’s killed the most Replicants, full-stop. Secretly, however, he’s the best because he not only sided with the Replicants by helping Elle, but he ensured the safety of the strongest Replicant in Blade Runner history. Elle single-handedly destabilized practically all of humanity with the people she murdered, and J was integral in making sure she was successful, and that she was protected. So, while Deckard was the first and most iconic Blade Runner in the franchise, he is far from the best, as that honor goes to Black Lotus’ J.