10 Best Moments From Nier: Automata Season One (2024)

Nier: Automata Ver1.1a does an exceptional job of bringing the game's dark themes, curious world, and jaw-dropping set pieces to life. It's a story much deeper than the surface puts on and producers A-1 Pictures have done an excellent job under the supervision of PlatinumGames and Square Enix to bring that story to life. Season One of Nier: Automata Ver1.1a adapts the first sections of the game and ends with the "flowers for m[A]chines" ending, the first of 5 canonical endings in the game.

Season one of Nier is filled with moments ranging from explosive action to nihilistic wonder. It's a series with a foundation built in the uncanny valley that constantly toes the line between what's real and what isn't. Each character, scene, and location brings something interesting and meaningful to the overall narrative, setting Nier: Automata apart from a lot of other animes.

10 Meeting Pascal

The Leader Of The Machine Lifeform Colony Comes In Peace

If there is one thing YoRHa units like 9S and 2B know, it's that machine lifeforms are bad. That's why they were so thrown off when they met Pascal, leader of the first-ever passive machine lifeform group. The leader of the resistance force on earth, Lily, warned the pair of YoRHa units that they'd encounter something unexpected, and unexpected it was. Pascal and every other machine lifeform in the village approached 2B and 9S with white flags in their hands, surrendering before a battle could take place.

Pascal introduces the pair to the village, showcasing some of the most interesting characters in the series thus far. 2B and 9S meet all kinds of machine lifeforms that seem just like human children, making the two question who their enemies really are and where they truly come from.

9 Discovering The Resistance Colony

Humanity's Struggles On The Ground Are Humble

Humanity's main base of operations is the Bunker on the moon, but that doesn't mean they've given up the ground completely. There is still a small, but deadly, contingent of resistance fighters on the surface of the planet doing everything they can to get their home back. Led by former lover model Lily, the resistance consists of androids as well, protecting the humans who live on the moon.

The resistance camp's defenses are meek at best. They're doing their best in their fight against the machine lifeforms, but their victories are small and far-between. With 2B and 9S's help, however, things may just change for the freedom fighters. Their hardened nature tells a lot about the world of Nier: Automata; it's cold, brutally unforgiving, and yet still filled with people trying to fight against the bleak future to build something better.

8 Meeting Adam For The First Time

He's As Brutal As He Is Cunning

After heading to the desert with Jackass and other resistance members, 9S and 2B find a dangerous machine nest filled with machine lifeforms. While fighting these machine lifeforms and winning, the pair of soldiers see their enemies stop running towards them and instead start to run towards each other. They begin to form a cocoon unlike anything either YoRHa android has seen before, while chanting "This. Cannot. Continue". Adam is then born from the mass of machine lifeforms, emerging confused.

2B and 9S immediately, and correctly, recognize him as a threat and impale him from either side. Unfortunately, that was just the tip of the iceberg, as once Adam falls to the ground, his twin brother Eve springs from his body and defends his sibling. Eve goes into a rage seeing his brother so harmed and forces 2B and 9S to retreat, setting the stage for the following episodes.

7 2B and 9S Find Out That The Machine Lifeforms Play

One Of The Most Twisted And Interesting Venues For Battle

Nier: Automata Ver1.1a is set in a future earth decimated by Aliens and their weapons, the machine lifeforms. While most of the settings are relatively normal, like the desert, the ruined city, or the overgrown areas, the amusem*nt park was absolutely jarring. Machine lifeforms are known for being able to evolve on their own, but this was closer to a Stephen King novel than normal evolution. 9S and 2B are tricked into coming to the amusem*nt park by Simone, a machine lifeform that killed other androids and crucified them for decoration.

Once 2B and 9S found the amusem*nt park and Simone, the incredible boss battle was on. It wasn't an easy one either, as Simone is a Goliath-Class machine lifeform more than willing to use her fellow machines as nothing more than cannon fodder. 2B and 9S defeat their enemy but leave with more questions than answers.

6 2B Admits She Wants To Shop With 9S

9S's Wish May Finally Come True

Out of context, 2B wanting to buy T-shirts with 9S seems incredibly insignificant. In the world of Nier: Automata, however, 9S's wishes may finally come true. 2B is a classic kuudere character who has as many emotions as a triangle has sides: battle, fighting, and fighting in battles. 9S, however, sees a soft and caring side of 2B that he's always trying to bring out of her. After visiting the friendly machine lifeform village, the two talk about everything that could happen when the war is over.

9S tells 2B that humans used to do leisurely activities, like shopping, and he'd love to buy her something even as meaningless as a T-shirt. 2B wonders how necessary that really is before giving in and saying yes, when the war is finally over she wouldn't mind 9S buying her one. 9S lights up with the most joy seen in the series as he looks towards a bright future in one of the bleakest worlds in anime.

5 Meeting No. 2

The Prototype Unit Holds The Answers To Many Mysteries

Before 2B, there was 2A, also known as Number 2. Number 2 is one of the first YoRHa units and served as a prototype for her future copies. She's still alive and well years after abandoning The Bunker in an incredibly hostile and unforgiving environment, proving her skill and aptitude. When 2B and 9S meet her, their Pod Units inform the pair that the unit in front of them is in fact an android gone AWOL. Their Pod Units command them to defeat her, leading to a swift battle.

2A isn't weak and holds her own against two YoRHa units and two Pod Units at once. She engages 2B in combat and the two swing their blades at each other, with 2A's breaking in the process. She finds a way to escape, but before she does, 9S asks her why she betrayed The Bunker. 2A solemnly responds that "It was the Bunker that betrayed," before disappearing in the city beyond.

4 Killing Eve/ Eve Sacrifices Himself For Adam

Machine Lifeforms Might Have More Emotions Than The YoRHa Thought

Adam and Eve have only ever had each other, which makes this death awkwardly sad. Eve is one of the main antagonists at this point and a powerful threat to boot, but his sacrifice to save his brother showcased a side of the machine lifeforms that the YoRHa units don't fully understand. As 2B was going to land the killing blow on Adam, Eve threw himself between the two, sacrificing his life to save his brother. Eve then destroys 2B's sword inside of him and punches the android away.

Eve's death signals the beginning of the end. Adam is then sent into a blind rage, consuming other machine lifeforms to become a single unit of mass destruction. Both Adam and Eve's very real, human emotions confuse 2B at the end of the series when she wonders what the real difference is between the two if their sadness still resonates in her head.

3 2B And 9S Combine Their Black Boxes

The Series Starts With A Literal Bang

The first episode of Nier: Automata Ver1.1a features 2B meeting up with 9S on a very important mission to destroy a Goliath-class machine lifeform at the Abandoned Factory. 2B is destroying countless machines throughout the factory looking for her target, finally finding it as it wakes up outside. It's massive, too large for two units to destroy, but that's not how YoRHa units are built. They begin fighting their enemy but 9S gets severely damaged in the process. 2B sees her partner hurt and shows a rare bit of emotion, but 9S implores her to fight on.

She finally defeats their enemy before three more surround them, leaving them with no other option than to combine their black boxes. Once they do, an explosion destroys them and everything else in the surrounding radius, kicking the series off in explosive style.

2 Killing Adam

It Took Everything The YoRHa And The Resistance Had

After Eve's death, Adam was flung into an uncontrollable rage. He began to absorb all the machine lifeforms around him to become an unstoppable beast the Resistance and YoRHa couldn't stop. Adam then charged at the Resistance members, who barely had an answer for him. Thinking quickly, 2B asked the weapons trader if he still had the device they found during the desert operation. He was very surprised to hear her ask for it, but said yes.

They then launch a missile at Adam, sending him flying into space and exploding in a bang. While that didn't finish him initially, the Charged Particle Beam from The Bunker did the trick. Adam's fight was devastating, climactic, and, surprisingly, didn't actually feature in the Nier: Automata game, giving anime watchers something new at the end of the season.

1 9S Saves His Consciousness

flowers for m[A]chines

When Adam was being defeated, 9S began to hack into his system. While he was successful at hacking into Adam, he didn't get away unscathed. He got infected with a logic virus, forcing 2B to kill him before it turned him into an enemy. 2B is devastated, as even though she'll get to meet up with another version of 9S, it won't be this version. This highlights a key theme in the show about identity. Sure, there are dozens of 9Ss around, but 2B wants the one that's been beside her this whole time.

Before she has time to fully mourn his death, 9S reveals that he's transferred his consciousness onto a nearby machine. 2B is filled with joy as she heads to her now much larger partner. The series ends on an unusually peaceful note before the title card ends and the true ending is revealed.

NieR: Automata Ver1.1a

Action

Animation

Drama

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.

Release Date

January 8, 2023

Writers

Ryouji Masuyama , Yoko Taro

Directors

Ryouji Masuyama