Highlights
- NieR Automata Ver1.1a includes references to the fan-made mod, "The Copied City," hinting at Yoko Taro's ability to surprise players with uncanny familiarity.
- 2B is aware of humanity's potential extinction and continues to fight the aliens on their behalf, despite Adam's realization that the enemy has been dead for hundreds of years.
- Adam's thirst for knowledge and desire to "become human" lead to obsession, cruelty, and conflict, while Eve represents compassion and companionship, ultimately resulting in his own demise.
The following contains spoilers for episode 9-12 of NieR Automata Ver1.1a, now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Last time we saw the icon android duo, 9S's thirst for knowledge led him into a trap set by Adam. Believing that he was A2, he followed him, but 9S isn't the only one who desires answers. Meanwhile, 2B is notified by Pod that he's unable to be reached. As we saw prior, Adam named himself (and his clone, Eve) after the first two humans on Earth, according to Biblical scriptures. But there's more to the human experience than just religion - and both 9S and Adam are about to find that out.
The Uncanny Familiarity
As we know, NieR Automata Ver1.1a was always going to take its own liberties in telling its story, but Yoko Taro always has something up his sleeve to surprise us. Last July, a "secret" area in NieR Automata made its rounds on the internet. Supposedly, when the player enters the Copied City, there is a small door that leads to the inside of a Church. For weeks, fans were speculating if it was legit, with other users claiming to have "discovered" it as well; before it was revealed to just be a complex mod.
But this didn't go unnoticed by Yoko Taro himself. In episode 9, when 2B goes to confront Adam in the Copied City, she enters a room eerily reminiscent to the Cathedral we saw in the mod. Additionally, we also see what looks to be statues of humans from the past, which Pod notes are actually made out of sodium chloride; meaning that these are humans that succumbed to White Chlorination Syndrome. If you look closely, you may notice that some resemble the original Nier and Devola and Popola. In the mod that was released last year, players would discover a deceased Yonah, in a similar manner to the "statues".
While this would raise questions for most androids, here we see that it is heavily implied that 2B is already aware that humanity may be extinct, such as when Adam made the suggestion. But if she's already aware of it, why does she still fight on their behalf? Easy, because the aliens still have to be defeated. But Adam's thirst for knowledge led him to the realization that their sworn enemy has been dead for hundreds of years.
Hypothetically, we'd be led to believe that this would end the conflict, but the human experience is centered in it, and Adam's obsession with "becoming human", includes the negatives too. Compassion and companionship are key parts of being human - but so is desire for knowledge - and cruelty, and this is something Adam does well. Compared to his brother, Eve, who just wants to be around him. This comes full circle when Eve protects Adam from 2B's attack and consequently dies in the process. Overcome with grief, the pattern of conflict only escalates.
The Mechanical Hive Mind
9S's naivety led him to being captured and tortured, and it was 2B's vigilance that saved him in the long run. But as a result, their toughest battle yet takes front and center. As we learned earlier in the series, the machine lifeforms operate under a shared network, which is essentially a hive mind; so should it ever get corrupted, everything connected to it, also goes downhill. This is why Pascal and his village disconnected. Overcome with grief, Adam's rage affects the rest of the machine network, transforming them into what's reminiscent of a cult. Similar to real humans, instances of grief can lead to obsession, and in extreme scenarios, it can become a collective - even a cult. Their shared rage and obsession to "become Eve" involves them committing mass suicide, after luring in 2B in an attempt to make her one of them. Whereas Adam, their "god" takes center stage and seeks revenge on the androids. What's interesting is that Adam likely doesn't even realize his influence on the rest of the machine network: one person's actions can affect the decisions of many. In the end, in a twisted turn of events, Adam did truly "become human".
Wait A Second...
There's one thing that struck viewers shortly after the last episode aired: Adam became a NieR Re[in]carnation boss. To give some background detail, the setting of Re[in]carnation takes place in "The Cage", which stores the memories of humans who have lived all throughout time. It's still a mystery as to if these are from multiple different dimensions, or the same timeline in the past. There are enemies in the form of crows that are fought throughout the story, and are thought to come from beyond The Cage, this implies that there is an opening. One user on Reddit theorized that Adam someway hacked his way into The Cage and his transformation was a "visual representation of a virus". If this is true, then we can assume that Re[in]carnation's place in NieR's continuity will be expanded upon in later episodes.
But it isn't just the audience that has questions; 9S is still seeking answers, himself. Two mysterious girls in red appear in the after credits of episode 12, egging him on to learn the "truth" about YoRHa, whilst simultaneously keeping him from attaining too much information. For those who have played the game, we know what the "truth" is, but there are things even we aren't aware of. For example, who was that other "9S" that 9S saw in that recording he discovered? Perhaps this is a message from Yoko Taro telling us to expand into not just the game, but reading the books and other side material. So what is the truth YoRHa?