Summary
The following contains spoilers for episode 23 of NieR Automata Ver1.1a, now streaming onCrunchyroll.
Devola and Popola fulfill their duty, dying at the hands of A2, while she enters the final tower. 9S is faced with multiple 2B models, as he’s put to the test. Meanwhile,A2 uncovers more YoRHa secretsand the Red Girls turn against each other.
Then we see a glimpse of the original 9S model, Zinnia, and references to the side story,YoRHa Boys. After he loses an arm, 9S attaches a corrupted 2B model’s to replace the missing one. From then on, he and A2 meet for a final confrontation.
To Become Human Is To Lose Oneself
The Red Girls, like androids and machine lifeforms, were obsessed with becoming human. But the closer they became, the more conflict arose. What sets people apart from each other are differences in ideologies - this can lead to arguments, compromise, or in extreme cases, war.
The Red Girls are at a standstill when one wants to keep fighting, but the other proposes leaving the planet to explore new opportunities. This is a common dilemma between two types of people, or the “there are two wolves inside you” allegory. On one hand, some thrive on drama and chaos, on the other, some want to explore and better themselves. This is done to prevent boredom, and one of the primary things the Red Girls talk about is “having fun”. Having a purpose is what gives life meaning; and boredom is meaningless, devoid of anything.
9S and A2 are also somewhat affected by this dilemma, in how they react tothe same set of circumstances. 9S loses 2B and swears vengeance, with all sense of logical thought completely gone. And that became his primary focus, and reason to live: for revenge. A2 also swore vengeance on both the machine lifeforms and chose to abandon YoRHa, for the deaths of her found family. But in time, she found new companionship and became more open-minded, realizing that there is hope, there is beauty in a cruel world. Shelistened, and when she lost the remainder of her allies, she elected to save 9S and break the cycle of hatred.
Inside Project YoRHa
In a flashback sequence, the characters, Zinnia (founder of YoRHa), No. 9, No. 2, and N. 10, make an appearance. Even though it’s a quick glimpse in the anime, the story itself originates fromYoRHa Boys. Zinnia was an android who saw that androids were beginning to feel hopeless and needed a morale booster. To do this, he created arouse that humanity survivedand fled to the moon, and began construction on specialized models using machine cores.
Zinnia ultimately wanted the androids to feel like they were fighting for a purpose. No. 9, who is a curious model, discovered that humanity has been extinct and went crazy as a result. He killed Zinnia, andadded a backdoor to the bunker, to ensure that it would be destroyed. All remaining androids would not know the truth, and would keep fighting instead. But No. 2 killed him shortly thereafter, beginning the cycle of death between them.
Presumably, this is what 9S bore witness to while inside the tower. Thoughironically, while No. 9 wanted destruction and YoRHa destroyed, so everyone could live in ignorance, 9S didn’t want to lose 2B, one of YoRHa’s strongest soldiers.
NieR: Automata Ver1.1a
Cast
Based on the video game developed by PlatinumGames and Square Enix, NieR: Automata 1.1a is an adaptation that centers around members of a special android force created by Humanity in the distant future. In the year 5012, with Humanity at the brink of extinction and Earth all but claimed by Alien invaders with Machine Lifeforms, Humanity launches a counterattack to reclaim the planet. 9S, an elite attack unit, is sent to convene with an analysis unit known as 9S to eradicate the threat. But as the two learn about the world and themselves, they ponder the meaning of existence and whether they’re more than just weapons of destruction.
