With so many people experiencing the original Nier game for the first time thanks to the wonder that is Nier ReplicantV1.22 (though it still has a few flaws), it might be time to take a deeper look at its characters. Sure, 2B, A2, and 9S from Automata were great, but the characters in Nier Replicant are very different. Obviously, Kaine is the fan-favorite of the game, with Emil or Weiss as a close second, but what about Nier?
He’s the main character, yet fans know almost nothing about him! Maybe it's time to parse all the fan wikis, all of the endings, and all the in-game lore to dig up everything there is on the protagonist himself.
Disclaimer: There will be some story/plot spoilers for Nier Replicant (and a bit of Automata) below.
10 Brother Nier & Papa Nier Are Entirely Seperate Characters
In the new re-release, Brother Nier is the canonical MC, but when the games first came out back in 2010, there were actually two different versions of the game. One had Brother Nier, and the other had Papa Nier. And, looking back, these two Nier incarnations are actually pretty different characters comparatively. Papa Nier was married at some point, Brother Nier wasn't. Brother Nier prefers one-handed swords and is commonly seen in concept art wielding a katana, while Papa Nier is a big guy who uses two-handed weapons and is often seen with the Beastlord. Somewhere along the five-year timeskip, Papa Nier lost an eye and now wears an eyepatch, while Brother Nier has both peepers. There are just a ton of differences between them. Luckily, Nier Replicant has a pretty neat way for players to see both versions of Nier in one campaign.
9 Nier Had Blood On His Hands Before The Game Even Began
Now, there was a brief mention of Brother Nier’s dark backstory, and it’s time to look a bit deeper into it. A lot of the characters in Nierhave text in-game and out that provides more insight into their past. This short story, called “The Boys Chapter”, was originally part of the Nier Automata: Black Box Set. To summarize, Brother Nier, while doing some odd jobs in Seafront, ended up being coerced and/or forced into a physical relationship with a much older man for money. To make things even darker, as Yoko Taro loves to do, Nier would, coincidentally, end up on a Shade hunt that included this same older man. During the chaos of this battle, Nier took advantage of the situation to kill the man who abused him, and in doing so finds himself disturbed by how similar killing a human feels to killing a Shade.
8 That Whole Scene Where Nier Discovers Where Emil & Kaine Sleep
Speaking of Nier’s violent side, let’s talk a bit more about it. Throughout the events of Nier Replicant, Nier seems to be a relatively quiet, but determined and empathetic individual. But, in battle, and in a few select scenes, Nier seems to change in his body language and his behavior, he almost seems more comfortable in combat than out of it. There are not many scenes in the game where Nier embraces his violent side so obviously, but the one in particular where he argues with Poppola about Emil and Kaine sleeping outside the village (after the timeskip) is the best example. In this scene, Nier talks to himself about how had badly he wanted to strangle Poppola for even suggesting they stay outside the village. Now, in the new Nier Replicant, Brother Nier doesn't react quite the same way, being more ashamed of himself for not noticing Emil and Kaine's hardships, but in either case, this scene paints more of a picture of Nier's more subtle personality traits.
7 He’s Not A “Big Picture” Type Of Person
Let’s talk about Nier for a moment and his lack of forward-thinking. The guy only has one goal in his mind, curing Yonah. Fans have seen that in short stories and novellas, Nier recognizes the similarity between Shades and humans, long before it's explained to him. But, quite frankly, he just doesn't have the luxury to stop and think about the consequences of hunting Shades.
Honestly, if Nier really took a minute to think about things after Poppola and Devola explain what's really going on when they meet him in the Shadowlords Castle, he’d realize it’s for the best that he gives up his body. But, to him, the Gestalt Yonah isn’t “his” Yonah, and stopping means giving up on curing her, so who cares if he dooms the entire human race? It's intentionally selfish and at the same time admirably altruistic.
6 This Isn't The "Real" Nier
It's easy to forget, but the Nier the player controls in this game (outside of the prologue)...that’s not the real Nier. The Nier they play as is simply a Replicant that somehow managed to gain self-awareness over thousands of years. The real Nier, the one who was originally meant to dwell in that body, is the Shadowlord who has been waiting thousands of years to bring the human race back.
5 Time-Skip Nier Shares Some Traits With Caim From Drakengard
Before Nier Automata or even the original Nier, there was the Drakengard series. Three of them, to be precise, all of varying quality. In the first game, Caim is the main character, and looking back, Brother Nier has a few similarities to the guy (outside of their looks). For one, they both seem to canonically prefer one-handed swords. Two, they’re both very violent, though Caim is a bit more open about it. Lastly, both of them bond with a magical lifeform that allows them to use magic.
4 Nier's Been Raising Yonah For Most Of His Life
Most players during their first run of Nier weren’t exactly wondering where Nier’s parents went. But, this was because they only got Nier Gestalt in the west, meaning Nier was a full-grown adult with Yonah as his biological child. Now that Brother Nier is the version they’re playing, the story of their parents becomes a bit more important. Well, it’s only briefly mentioned in a loading screen and some in-game text, but their parents both died when they were young, around the same period of time, which means Nier has been taking on the "parent" role for most of his life.
3 Canonically He Has Very Feminine Features
This next one is a small fact, but one that many people might not have picked up on, especially considering Papa Nier is such a giant, stoic-looking man. But, in comparison, Brother Nier is very slim and elegant-looking. He’s small, lean, and the very definition of a “beautiful man”. But, since all the characters are drawn in the same art style, it might be hard to tell if his looks are “average” for this world or not.
Well, thanks to some in-game dialog and once again, the short stories, fans know that Brother Nier canonically has a very “feminine” face in terms of his features. This is what leads many people to underestimate him when it comes to combat, and also likely why certain horrible individuals took a liking to him.
2 Nier's Weapon Mastery Is Self Taught & He Likes Katanas
Next, up, has anyone ever thought of how Nier got so good at fighting? The guy can use magic thanks to Weiss but even before that, he was fighting hordes of Shades on his own. And, thanks to the short story that talks about him going on a Shade hunt with a bunch of grown men, it’s clear this skill is extraordinary. Well, surprisingly, this skill is all self-taught, as Nier thought it was necessary in order to protect Yonah. This is again why he’s always shown with a katana in the promotional material and concept art. Sure, he learned other weapons out of necessity while adventuring with Kaine and Emil, a lot of them, to be precise, but he'll always prefer swords it seems.
1 He’s Done Every Odd Job In The Book
And lastly, let’s talk a bit more about what Nier has done in order to keep Yonah safe. He’s run errands for the villages, worked on a farm, hunted Shades, brought people deliveries, fished, worked in shops, and tons of other odd jobs. Basically, when Nier was younger, he would go around the village asking anyone if they needed help with literally any task. This, among other reasons, is why all the villagers seem so understanding and helpful to Nier at the beginning of the game.