NieR: Automata A2 Character Analysis
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- čas přidán 1. 07. 2024
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0:00 Intro
1:47 Uniqueness of NieR: Automata
3:40 Illusion of The End
5:19 The Hidden Truth Androids
10:27 The Beautiful Swan
Music:
Nier Automata Soundtrack - 03 Peaceful Sleep
• Video
Nier Automata Soundtrack - 08 A Beautiful Song
• Video
Nier Automata Soundtrack - 14 Vague Hope - Cold Rain
• Video
Nier Automata Soundtrack - 19 Voice of no Return - Normal
• Video
Nier Automata Soundtrack - 46 Weight of the World - The End of YoRHa
• Video - Hry
![[Nier: Automata] The Concept of Humanity and the Descent of 9S](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/J8jp5Acw3S0/mqdefault.jpg)
"I wish that someway somehow that I could save everyone of us, but the truth is that I'm only one girl" I just realized that the wight of the world talks about A2 wich makes the song even more emotional. Oh my heart💔
Man, I soo want a DLC for a prequel where we can play as A2. Like we get to see all her squad! Man, I'd pay soooo much for that!
@@younsmax6574 I. Wish so too. Unfortunately the only DLC we have is just some arena fights.
I know this is 6 month later but only the English one is about me, the Japanese version is 2B and 9S
@@-._A2._- Is that so? Well I didn't know the English and Japanese versions have different lyrics. + ( It's cool talking to my favourite girl In NieR series though).
@@sirajasfoor7128 I very much appreciated the last comment, however it I too don't speak Japanese but I do know that they have slightly different lyrics. Hypothesis is that some of the words had to be changed for language barrier so true best girl Yoko Taro said they about me for English and 2B for Japanese and I quite like the idea of that
9:11 "She acts and behaves like a human"
*stabs an infant
I felt that A2 was really downplayed in the game, she have the greater potential for backstory, it is even implied that she had Kainé's memories, and in rount C when 9S descend into rage and blindness, A2 ascend to a new understanding ane empaty. she is my favorite Character of this game.
No because even 2b was infected with the learning logic viruses character except for a2 was not infected with the logic virus
@@jeffreycooper7923 what?
Theres huge differences between kaine and a2, while kaine ignores the shadows voices out of pure hatred, a2 is pretty open and collected
Also the fact That she has a pretty different personality during far harbor, far more like 2b
@@kingofstrangeness7014 It's not like she's exactly like Kainé because she has her memories, the memories are just there and that's all. In the YoRHa Boys novel is said that "the purpose of the simulated memories was to allow androids to think and act more like humans. And apparently, each android's pseudomemory was chosen at random; for some individuals, it was a complete mismatch in terms of gender and age."
So yeah. Even if she has Kainé's memories, it doesn't necessarily mean that she will be exactly like her.
I love A2. She is the answer to existential dread. "I never quite realized how beautiful this world is." She went through all the rage, pain, sadness, and came out finding beauty in it all.
As for my understanding, every YoHra member is under a curse.
2B is curse to unwillingly kill 9S repeatedly, making her unable to fall in love fully with 9S.
9S is curse to be killed by 2B repeatedly and never be able to fully fall in love with her.
6O and 21O curse is to fall in love with Earth, despite never being able to reach it as their model belongs in the Bunker.
Commander is curse to carry a huge lie that she can’t let anyone know.
A2 is curse to never stop her rage as she was sent to her death by YoHra, but unable to take out her revenge on the primary cause of her misery, instead she could only channel her emotions on machine, something she was designed to kill.
Pod042 and Pod 153 is curse to carry out the destruction of YoHra without their own conscious input because they were made to do so.
Everyone tried to escape their curse, and they almost all met their dark end.
2B saved 9S when the Bunker was destroyed and she died of a virus shortly after.
9S is no longer under the cycle of execution by 2B, but then he went insane as his lover died.
6O and 21O all met their ends before being able to really enjoy Earth.
Commander let 9S know the secret of YoHra without killing him, which she later find her life ending with the Bunker.
A2 is the same, she actively tries to stop her irrational scapegoat of rage for the machines but that lead her to save 9S and met her end.
The pods are the true savior of humanity, as their attempt to escape their curse somewhat succeed as they are still alive and brought back another chance for 2B, 9S and A2 to escape their curse without meeting their ends in ending E.
The word: NieR according to Yoko Taro in one of his interviews means curse. This is where I start my theory from. Here it is: firesanctuary.com/blog/2016/06/24/dengeki-playstation-vol-617/
NieR:Automata means the curse of the automatons, NieR:Replicants and Gestalt means the curse of the replicants and gestalts
I'm totally impressed that after a year when I played the game, did the 100% and watching a lot of analysis about the whole lore, I am still amazed by this kind of information and all the ways the artwork can be interpreted. It's just so perfect how this story was made that I still cry when I see all the details and symbolism this masterpiece has. Your theory is such an amazing way to see the meaning behind the elements this story has
omg this guy is Chad!!! take a like great man.or woman
The ending looked like A2 is dead...
or maybe is resistance androids. who may figure day bring humans back. I watch anime. They have not said anything about human genome being lost but just not have found away to bring back yet.
2B and 9S aren't lovers. Fuck that. more of a sibling relationship.
What i love about A2 is her design, she's the only one who looks like an Android while others look more human, a reminder that the world is inhabited by androids and machines and how A2 herself doesn't fit the narrative of android.
yeah and funny thing she acts like the most human of them all
On the note of A2's character and character arc, I really love the way she is introduced because it immediately puts her in opposition of Yorha for being disconnected from the yorha network. Its not until you play as her that you realize this disconnection from the network was the exact thing that leads her to be able to make moral choices on her own.
Also, I also wonder if she knew 2B's designation all along since she remarks that even 9S and 2B were betrayed by yorha the moment she meets them.
A2 learns about 2B's true nature in the Library, she is reading through the records, and finds that out, and a small glimpse is given during the section where she has to clear herself from a virus, early in her playthrough.
The betrayal by YorHa is likely referring to the extinction of humanity. That also ties to the line and reason why she disconnected from the network.
@@spawn2021g In the story told amidst a concert 2B referred to herself as 2E to execute A2, which really hurt A2 that the command mass-produced a model 2 YoRHa, the same as A2, to execute her, so I think A2 knows that 2B is 2E all the time, but didn’t know 2B’s main target was 9S instead of A2 herself. Besides, knowing this in the library doesn’t make sense because she was handed over the memories of 2B with the blade.
@@neannafloweroftheabyss1052 Oh wow, I wasn't aware of that particular detail, but still, A2 was kind of shocked when she checked the records in the library, could be because she learned of 2B's real objective, which as you said, it was to execute 9S whenever he would learn the truth about YorHa 😕
The way A2 looks at 9S before the final confrontation gives me goosebumps. There is so much pain and sorrow in her eyes and when she starts raising her sword it looks for a second as she is tearing up. And then there is cold and painful acceptance and determination in her eyes. It gives me the chills, because I know those looks, those eyes and those feelings behind them to well. Great video mate 👍
After beating Ending E, “Weight of The World” will literally pull your heartstrings, god I love this game.
It pulled on me hard enough to give me a breakdown. Nier Automata was the first game I played when I returned home from Lugansk. I hadn't been home in 7 years. I had spent the past year recovering from severe battle wounds, and the 5 prior years at war to protect people from genocide. At the time, I'd spent 25% of my entire time alive at war. It was at immense personal cost, loss, deaths of comrades and civilians, survival of horror, and enduring pain.
So I play through the whole thing in a 3 day blur, I just cannot put it down. I get to the ending, and I'm refusing to give up. And then the other ships come in to save mine, dying for no other reason than to sacrifice for others was the right thing to do. And then comes the line "We're gonna shout it loud, even if our words seem meaningless. It's like I'm carrying the weight of the world. I wish that someway, somehow, that I could save every one of us, but the truth is that I'm only one girl."
And I break down, sobbing uncontrollably. All the pressure from those years at war, desperately trying to save people only to keep seeing more and more die every day, taking it as personal failure when those under my command and protection keep being killed, and then there's the sacrifice from the other ships. I think about the feeling of grabbing my rifle and going to battle, knowing I can die, and of holding positions against heavy odds, knowing I'm certainly going to die here. And for no other reason than someone had to go, it was the right thing to do, no matter the cost. I just snap and cry like I haven't for years.
That broke the plug on a lot of pain and trauma, and while it made me a gushing hemorrhaging wound for a long time, it also enabled me to finally start getting the pain out so I could heal, I could start to heal and make peace with the past so I could move forward and find good things in the future. It took a long time, but that was the beginning of recovery. In a way, a lot like A2, healing after extensive trauma from loss and brutality, coming back to life as a person and realizing it really isn't all that bad at all.
The physical and mental injuries will never fully heal. TBI, mishealed fractures, PTSD, nerve damage, respiratory barotrauma, extensive burns. And even more injuries accumulated prior. I survived the rocket attack that took me out of the war. I have been maimed. However, thanks to Yoko Taro and Neir Automata, I was able to find the will to live again, eventually, and a desire to continue on, and even rediscover joy and purpose. Maybe I am carrying the weight of the world, and that's fine, I don't have to carry it alone, and maybe pain is another beautiful part of my humanity, without it, you never strengthen, and you can never appreciate goodness and beauty.
9S and 2B were why I played, I'm a sucker for the big onee-chan thing, but A2 is the soul of Nier Automata, and a character both like myself and dear to my heart.
The moment A2 appeared in the forest kingdom I knew she was special, that there was something about her. Of course this is a Yoko taro game so character, bosses, and characters that are bosses (kinda like Kaine a bit but her fight led into another one while A2 left you questioning) will be revisited. When u had the option to play as A2 after 2B died I chose it immediately. What immediately hooked me about her is how she acted towards pod, I know this type of character and had a feeling how she would progress, but not in a bad way. I love characters like these and A2 really is that, she's experienced the worst, she has no reason, moral obligation to be nice to anyone after what has been done to her, if she wanted to she could kill 9S and 2B right at the forest kingdom or pod even, but she doesn't. Behind her coldness, behind that hard shell of hers, there's a soft core, a caring one. She cares even though after what she has gone through could just stop caring all together, but she chooses to not and keep going. I love that especially in her relationship to the machine village. She grows closer to them and at some point in the game gets genuinely concerned for pascal and the villagers which made the eventually death of the village even sadder for me. Same with 9S, he's fueled by grief, anger, the need for revenge. A2 could totally just kill him if she wanted to, she had multiple opportunities, but instead she chose to let him live. She knows how it feels to loose friends, family, it's not the same with a loved one like 9S feels for 2B but A2 has the capacity to understand, she knows grief, even if it isn't that exact type of grief she still understands and therefore won't let herself fall into that as well, she knows how 9S must feel. A2 is beautifully human, human with the capacity to understand, to care, to move on even if all seems meaningless.
It's such a shame that the general mainstream will always see nier automata as game with big robot ass. A2 is m favorite character in the game and it's so sad that almost nobody talks about her at all but instead talks about 2Bs ass for the billionth time
I like to think that A2 is a hidden gem that was put into the game, for those who can really appreciate the meaning behind the story.
A2s my favourite too. She's such a Good character. It truly is a shame that people only talk about 2B
@@phantomnite I know, Me A2 is a great Character, but I wanted more screen time but instead we got more of that child 9S.
@@-._A2._- damn straight. I wish we got to play as you more
She's such a great character. I liked her the moment I saw her.
Finaly... a deserved tribute to A2
She’s the real protagonist of Automata, I love for all the reasons you mentioned before
Your answer to life’s meaning is so close to what I came up with nearly half my life ago, that i wasn’t really sure what I was supposed to be doing or why, just that all I had to do was survive
A2 suffer the most in the Nier/Darkengard Saga. She lost her family aka her team by N2 aka Red Girl.
So order for the series: drakengard, replicant & automata?
A2 is the best and my favorite character in the game. I have nothing more to really say than that. The NieR community is far more obsessed with analyzing 2B, 9S, Kaine, and Emil. It was a pleasant surprise today when I saw your video come up as recommended.
Your analysis is perfect for her character being the most human amongst the "defenders" of humanity. Her and Pascal's moment with the children is probably one of my more recent favorite moments in the game. Yes, 9S and 2B both have baggage and are damaged psychologically throughout the game... but A2 needs to traverse down a path that has had her isolated for a long time... yet she shows more sympathy and selflessness than all of the other characters in my opinion. As much as she may not want to be a part of some events, she ultimately does the right thing and makes hard choices.
I refuse to believe the 9S ending (if you select him) is canon... no way he could top an assault android even with his hacking abilities. Just my opinion though. Her having grief and sadness over his death is a great scene.
isn't the reason 9s could attack and kill a2, because even then, she showed her humanity and hesitated to drive her blade into 9s? after 9s stabs her, we see that 9s only dies because he, quite literally, falls into a2's blade. isnt this so? unless im remembering wrong because the scene happened really fast for me and my brain couldn't keep up lol
A2 is character that had a chance to develop her emotions to become something more than an android she has been active for years if not decades while 2b and 9s were active for months at most she went through so much and grew past her programming and that is what makes her special,
5 years later and I still can't hear that song without ugly crying...
I always felt bad for A2 everyone focused on B2 and forgot about the hidden gem. Both NieRs, Automata and Replicant made me cry the hell out of me, there's a moment where you start to take the story quite personal and you fuse with the characters and it's awesome, i wish i could play them again for the first time
„I never quite realized... how beautiful this world is.“
Why am I feeling so much things?
I'd really like a discussion on why A2 realized the beauty of the world in Ending C and why she deleted the data on the Ark.
A2 has been my favorite character since I started route C. I loved her personality, design and mysterious backstory. And thanks to you I like her even more now!
Also, the end of the video gave me chills and almost made me cry, good analysis!
on a more critical note you put this together rather well, there seems to have a great deal of effort poured in this video and it shows. from the matching nier font to the subtle breaking of your voice in emotional parts. you did this justice and i tip my hat to you good sir
If you spend your whole life searching for meaning, you'll always come to the same questions that no one can answer.
So look around, live , stop asking so many questions ,and help spread your humanity ❤.
A2 was my favorite character in the game but I could never explain exactly why.
I love the way you put this into words.
i cried at the last part man the word really hits me hard such a great game
Amazing analysis. A2 was already my favorite character (even if I adore 2B and 9S) but you made her even more out of reach for others to stand a chance :)
It is somewhere implied in Automata (don't remember where) that A2's personality is based on Kaine's (another amazing character). And the big question after the NieR remake this year is if Yoko Taro will create a game where the characters of NieR and NieR Automata meet. I'm torned because a meeting between A2 and Kaine would be something unforgettable but it would have to be meaningful and not just fan service to respect those beautiful characters.
But their respective stories already seem complete so... I guess I'll trust Taro's genius to find something :)
A2 save 2B and 9S so many times. 2B was already infected by the logic virus she saved her but saving 2B memories and 9S by keep 2B promise.
"shes underrated" Chad commentary,actually shes the one driving the hole plot.since first invasio with her previous squad to the harbor,until the vEry End of the game. for sure the most important of the 3 main protagonist ,and besto waifu.
this video made me love her even more, great video dude!
oh man i'm so happy i've found your channel. keep up these awesome videos i can't wait for the next one.
this video is a masterpiece. You convinced, once i thought 9s was the best written character, but now, i think it is A2.
"I need you to be strong - strong enough to do what you've never done in your life. Can you be strong enough to allow yourself to be... can you just be human?"
- Halo prototype
I always love A2 as her character, you put it into words very accurate and beautiful ❤️❤️❤️
Thanks a lot, u deserve more sub, man 💪🏻
14:45 I think the second part of the song can be interpretable to either 2b and/or a2. Yes, a2 is indeed the one that makes the most sense. However, we can't ignore that 2b has her own guilt and pain. I mean a2 said it herself, "2b hated to keep killing you. It caused her so much pain." Although I know that I am perhaps being somewhat unreasonable with this assumption. Of course, as mentioned, a2 is the one who else fits perfectly as the savior of humanity. However, 2b had her moments where she also played the role of the heroine. And like even a2, she ended up giving her life. But unlike a2, 2b was more for someone specific, being 9s. a2, she even decided to keep her promise for 2b to take care of 9s. And personally, I can't decide who I like better between 2b and a2. Both are amazing characters to me and its sad to hear that a2 is underatted. I would love to play a prequel where we play as a2 in the past during the incident where she was betrayed by yorha and the machines alike.
I honestly don't really think you have to choose between them, because in the end when A2 picks up 2B's sword she gets all of her memories. So in essence, they do, by the end of the story, become the same person
@@younsmax6574 That would also explain why a2 cutted her hair down into a short hair, just like 2b.
Awesome video and well done! What i loved about the NieR games, is the meaning we take for ourselves. Yoko Taro makes us all cry and thru our tears, the freedom of self reflection. Good job! Look forward to more.👍
Very good video dude! I've always liked A2 from the first moment I played the game and even more so when I finished the game. She's such a good character.
This damn near made me cry. Thank you
Thank you
YounSMax
For Making me Cry
I am quite bad at figuring out the deeper understanding of things by myself so I love videos like this. The way you describe A2 and her story makes so much sense, and she does fit weight of the world so much better. So much so that it made me cry haha. This was an incredibly video and I loved listening to your thoughts and opinions regarding A2. ^-^
Nice vid man, Automata is such a joy
Brilliant video, she was always my favorite when I finished this game and this video definitely just solidified that
bro, amazing vid, im replaying automata, and when you made the parallel between A2 and the player's decision, i teared up. I cant believe i never made the connection even after a year lmao.
I've always found this plot about how A2 is getting compassion to machines as something rather forced and too sudden. Just think about it for a second. A2 spent probably hundreds of years hating and instantly killing machines on sight (I don't really remember how much time have passed between two Yorha generations, but I guess a lot). And she shows this attitude first time we met her in the game and first time we're given to play as her. First thing she wants to do is get rid of the machines, she doesn't even really consider which ones, just some random Goliaths. Then game shows us that 2B memories contained in her sword have combined with A2's data. And then when meeting Pascal, A2 decides to let him live. Immideately after she retearns from the desert. I know player has a *choice* which isn't really a choice since the only way you can continue playing is to let Pascal be. So the *correct* decision (or the actual A2's decision) is this one. Then she goes to the village and pretty quickly changes her opinion on machines. I mean really quickly, it doesn't feel like something natural, comething the real hateful A2 would have decided.
And here come 2B's memories. It seems like the reason this plot about A2 and Pascal's village even exists is because 2B's memories affect A2's behaviour. And game doesn't really hide it. In fact the game wants you to know it - to know that 2B (or rather memory of her) still somewhere there. The first argumet will be the last words in routs A and B. Have you ever thought how different they are? in route A 2B says that "machines have gained emotions, consciousness" and ends her speech with the words that "they still echo within me". When I first heard it I tought it was the most emocionally fullfilled and meaningfull conclusion 2B could ever say. I mean she isn't really emotional in machines sidequests, she doesn't say anything that special about them, all we hear is 9S complaining about how he can't understand machines and how "there is no meaning to anythnig they do". And 2B gets him down sometimes but not that often that you can notice properly. And in the end of route A she finally says that (unlike 9S) she considers machines as persons (or as someone who can have emotions). So yes, she is pretty compassionate to them. And she tells it clearly to the player.
So back to A2. I think that the only reason A2 acts the way she acts is because of 2B. She can't resist it or fight it back, she can't do anything about 2B and game makes it clear. First after the fight against Hegel and than in ending D, when she naturally hears 2B's voice telling her to take care of 9S, so she hesitates. 2B was compassionate about machines so A2 has also received this trait, whether she wanted it or not. And that is why A2's character change feels forced. Because it should feel forced. Because there is nothing actually left of A2's personality (that's just my opinion). 2B stands behind her back all the time in route C, even if the game doesn't show it so often.
And there is another interesting line, but it's more about 2B and 9S. After operator 21O gets killed by A2, A2 tells 9s that "2B told me she wanted you to become a good person". Firstly it again proves that 2B is actually somehow talking to A2 even when the player doesn't see it. Secondly, I've never really understood what these words mean. A *good* person. Was't 9S good person before, in routes A and B when 2B was stiil alive? He was obviously protective and kind towards 2B, he loves her, these routes are all about it. And suddenly - good person. Maybe it means that throughout their previous adventures (after which 9S got his memory wiped) 2B somehow learned, that he might get mad and reckless and eventually die without her? Or perhaps she discovered something horrible about him in the past? Or that 9S is capable of doing terrible things? Or she was talking about how naive 9S was throughout routes A and B and how the truth can mentally kill him? What was it all about? That's a pretty interesting question for me, what she meant behind this "good person".
So to conclude, my opinion is that to the end of the game A2 is basically 2B and carries 2B's mission to the end not because she really wants to do it, but because 2B forces her to do it. And then, after 9S is rescued, what does she do? She does what she wanted to do in the first place - she dies. I think even her last line about the beautiful world is, that's something connected to 2B's memories in her. Like exactly 2B helps her to see this beauty for whatever it was, because 2B herself saw this beauty too, but didn't really have an opportunity and strength to say it out loud since she covered her emotions about everything. And after 9S is safe her mission is finally over.
aw fuck, you made me cry again with 'The weight of the world'! It's a forbidden technique!
What an incredible video ❤️
14:56 bro, you totally nailed it with that part, I never thought of that before. I somehow disliked Weight of the World all this time compared to the rest of the soundtrack, thinking it was some kind of cheap, pity-begging song disguised as "redemption" for a character as sinful as 2B, but hearing this gave me chills, it totally changes everything to that song and its playing as the game's ending song. Awesome job!
Also, the discussion you brought to the table with this video is really endless, it started since the game's very release and it's still going, but you should know that last year there was a huge discussion on the NieR subreddit. What was interesting about it in my opinion is that, even if it came out from a pernicious meme (like "who's better? 2B or A2?"), people started to show their true selves on the comments. And there are some points that always bothered me about the NieR fandom:
1. Even knowing that Yoko Taro explicitly said in many occasions that his intentions are always to manipulate the players using their own emotions, most of the fandom still believes that NieR:Automata "is just a love story after all, between 2B and 9S". If they were fish, they would be dead for sure because that's 100% biting the emotional manipulation bait and obviating 99% of the game's stuff, just for the sake of "feeling fine" while deluding themselves by thinking of Automata as a simple tragic love story, when the game totally surpasses that superficial plot (which take us to number 2);
2. I was totally demolished by the fandom for simply suggesting that 2B & 9S story was one of self-delusion and cowardice/fearfulness of living by the truth (knowing the truth, but ignoring it just to live in some comfortable lie - JUST LIKE THEY ARE DOING WITH THEMSELVES as I explained in point 1), and A2 being the only YoRHa android that faced the truth and lived through and beyond it, thus being "the real hero of the game" as you just said on the video. People didn't accept even the possibility of this being true, and criticized my position to the bone (which take us to number 3);
3. NieR fandom seems to be convinced that there's only ONE way of interpreting Yoko Taro's games, and that ONLY way is written somewhere in the wikis, and everyone should read it, and never question anything about it nor propose any other interpretation than that "official" and "widely agreed" within the fandom. But the ugly truth is that they don't have any authority nor especific official media/explanations to discredit, deny or hunt down unpopular thoughts and interpretations of the games. To me it's just that they're "fine" with the simple way of looking at things, and every POV that could lead to emotionally hard-to-swallow conclussions or standpoints, they just fight them back just for the sake of getting rid of unpleasant, but more profound truths within the games.
And all this is very interesting to look at, sometimes even annoying, especially when discussing about A2 and her role within NieR:Automata, becase you come to see how people can't cope with their own emotions, and thus they arrive to incredibly emotionally-biased "conclusions". For someone who likes to think as impartially as humanly possible, it's really appalling.
The discussion I refered to is still available to read on this post: www.reddit.com/r/nier/comments/ms63dp/sorry_not_sorry/
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Art can be interpreted in different ways by different people. Some might disagree with each other, but that disagreement shows how great the art is. It proves that that art is more than it seems.
I am glad you enjoyed A2 as much as you did, and I'm also glad other people enjoyed 2B and 9S as much as they did. Because to me, the value of this story comes from how it means something different to everyone who sees it.
So I think their simple view of a romantic tragedy is as important or valid as yours or mine. I think most people often forget that. People can enjoy different things in different ways.
Anyways, thank you for watching and taking the time to write your thoughts. It shows me how much you appreciated my work and for that I am grateful
I Loooooove your comment! I’m a dissident in Shanghai, China, a country built up by lies similar to Japan in WWII. I had been a coward until I realize that if I acknowledge the truth without accepting it, I’ll end up in a meaningless destruction(2B) or madness when I have to confront them with no time to absorb that pain(9S). I have to spoke the truths out, but I don’t speak them out loud to avoid persecution, which is constantly giving me a sense of guilt. Then I touched the game no more than a week before. The moment A2 appeared in the 3rd playthrough in 2B’s front, I found myself resonating with her emotionally. She is my compass, the one I’ll have to try with my entire life to even come close to.
Lately we Shanghainese have been undergoing a draconian lockdown which led to thousands starve, hundreds if not thousands lives perished, and my best friend attempted suicide (but, luckily or unluckily, failed)(This is not the first time I witness my friends suicide, while suicide in my community is an acronym for ‘being murdered by the system’), for which I feel the same when A2 took over the squad command and witnessed the sacrifice of A4. WHY ME? Why It’s always me, the mediocre person, who survived? To further complicate it, I lost other friends because they chose to live comfortably in a lie. I’m now wondering if, or when, my ‘Mt. Ka’ala Server moment’ will come, that I’ll have to choose between a wasteful death and the hostility of everything around me. In the past four days I’ve browsed through A2’s story and backstory for more than ten times, each time tears were shed. I know how it feels to keep your eyes open to the truths in a world full of lies. It’s like you’re the only human amidst a crowd of Machines. It HURTS, constantly, and many were driven to self-destruction(or murderous ‘suicide’). But A2… In the name of my Kami I wish I could become her to some extent, for that is the GLORY OF MANKIND.
人類に栄光あれ！
@@neannafloweroftheabyss1052 I unfortunately can not fully relate to your point of view. I have never lived in a state of oppression and can not imagine what you are going through. All I can say is that I hope that you may find a drop of solace in what I was able to create.
Although I am no genius and I haven't been on this earth for as long as others, a lot of what I've learned has been condensed into this short video.
At the end of the day, the destination is the same for everyone, no matter where you come from, you will eventually die. Some people like to live their life with the thought of making their future self proud. They want to be able to look back at the end of their life and smile.
I see things differently, I want my life to be so full and fulfilling that I would never even get the chance to look back. To me that last moment when you look back at your life, is just that, a moment. A moment which is fleeting, incomparable with all the other moments your life will have.
I guess in the end what I'm trying to say is strive forward, and always do what makes you happier. Take hold of what you love, grasp it and never let go no matter where it may lead you. Now, the things you love may change, but the important thing is the process, not the destination, because no matter who, when or where you are the final destination is always the same.
Death
@@younsmax6574 Sorry for being overly emotional last night. I kind of get your point, but to me I'd take hold of what I VALUE (probably freedom) instead of what I love or mere happiness, because I can't just bury my head into lies and hope for happiness to be bestowed upon me. I'll strive for that, and by saying striving I mean being ready (though not already) to take pain.
I totally agree that death is inevitable, but that fact makes life itself THE ultimate asset one posesses. It can be used only once, so it is shameful to have it wasted.
Now back to A2. I think A2 can and should be analyzed in the modern Japanese culture, which is filled with nihilism thanks to WWII and the depression in the 90's. Although I am not Japanese, I kind of understand that after those two incidents the Japanese have really understood that if the 'meaning of life' given to you by external factors is unreliable. In the 40's they were told that their lives were meant to 'defend the glory of Japan', and the meaning collapsed. In the 80's they were told that their lives were meant to work extremely hard and get a lot of money and status, and that meaning collapsed again. NieR Automata is a perfect piece to show the Japanese' refusal to buy those grand stories. We see this in A2's back history: she bought that grand story of Project YoRHa, but found it was false, and lived her life in hatred towards the Machines and Bunker in the hope of not wasting her life her comrades sacrificed to give her.
A2's feeling when she realized that she was meant to be a kamikaze weapon is, I guess, the same as the millions of Japanese when they had been told that they could have a bright future for fighting/working for 'a great cause' (far east dominance/economic dominance) but that future never comes and what awaited was a wasteful death (Kamikaze/Karoshi). You can see the japanese people 'lying flat', the okatu culture... all traits of widespread nihilism (which has spread to China now). Yoko Taro must be one of them, but he kept searching for answers. In NA he asked the question what is humanity, and I think he gave several different answers. The machines named themselves after great philosophers, so the first answer is philosophy. The love story between 2B and 9S gave the answer 'love and death'. But Yoko Taro seemed unsatisfied with these answers, because those machines immitate more than learn (think of the extent of how the machine named Simone who misunderstood the feminist Simone de Beauvoir, just like people in the modern world), and love is fragile in the face of that nihilism. That brings us to A2, this seemingly emotionless character who literally experienced most emotions. In early route A/B 2B kept saying emotion is prohibited and 9S kept saying machines don't have emotions, so 2B/9S already gave the answer that it's the emotions which makes something human. But how? That brings us to A2, who not only understands the criticalness of emotions, but LIVED them, and by experiencing, and most importantly, accepting her emotions, she became human.
Do you remember that A2 is the only character in this human-less world who seriously believed in a sort of afterlife? 9S went mad when 2B died, and the cultists in Route A just do foolish immitations. But A2's last words in ending C was something like 'I'm going to reunite with them', which she obviously referres to her fallen comrades. This belief in afterlife is against the nature of artificial lifeforms because she KNOWS every part of her is man-made, but she still believes in souls and afterlife, which I think is because she values the relationship between her and her comrades and it's unacceptable for her to come to the conclusion that they were not there. It is the belief in something you value, even if it makes no logical sense, that makes you human.
And I think it is through this questioning and understanding of humanity that Yoko Taro decided to resurrect them in Ending E if the player behaved like a human. I don't know how others feel when playing ending E, but to me when Pod042 expressed its refusal to delete YoRHa data, I felt like I must grasp the little bit of hope for them, and I refused to admit my failure, because they embodied the hope of humanity in this human-less world, not because the humans can come back, but because they have finally become human. I felt like I CANNOT fail, and in the last moment, other players' assistance came to my aid. I never, never felt soooooo empowered and accompanied in my entire life!
I think why I wished their resurrection so much is because A2 became human, and 2B and 9S have experienced enough for them to fully embrace humanity, not as a part of a project but as themselves. Perhaps Yoko Taro thought the same way, because to him it is unacceptable to simply throw away the answers he found about humanity after such a strife. He poured his heart into those answers, which made 2B, 9S and A2 not just characters for him, but the embodiment of his thoughts, his hard work, and to some extent his humanity. They are not George R.R. Martin style 'disposal plot characters'. And I think this idea has spread to other NieR fans as well. In the stage play Farewell, Taro wrote the script that 2B dug through the ruins of the Tower in search of 9S, but died of fatigue in the end, but the Voice Actors playing as 2B, 9S, Pod042 and Pod153 changed the plot before the play to have 2B and 9S alive. This is really similar to ending E isn't it?
@@neannafloweroftheabyss1052
"I need you to be strong - strong enough to do what you've never done in your life. Can you be strong enough to allow yourself to be... can you just be human?"
- Halo prototype
She is my fabourite character and i really enjoyed playing her.And man,your Video really is a masterpiece.
Such A Great Underrated Video
You Deserve Very Much More Man
I wish Kaine & A2 was the Ally/Lover of Ash Williams (Evil Dead/Army of Darkness) even if she is another equivalent from another dimension
Well done on this...well done!!!!
Great video!
only one video and it's such a good take, i'm impressed. sure the mic has some echo, but the writing and the pacing are on par with other videos from much more experenced video essayist. and this is (to my ears) a novel take, I'd never heard such a convincing argument that A2 made the same choice we did in the end. Bravo
wished there were more quest for her coz after completing all quests/side quest from 2b and 9s, playing with a2 in route c felt so short
True, there's so much sidelore about A2 that's unfortunately not even explored in the games but through secondary media.
Still getting back to the video because power is off most of the day here except for 1-2 hours, and nothing satisfies me aside from working on Pearl Harbor or things related to A2, thanks for the video, it's helping me through some rough times.
Glad to see an analysis of my favourite Automata character
Adore the mix used for weight of the world. Made the whole video amazing.
You just earned your 61st subscriber. Don't stop!
bro you are genius ♥ , Your explanation is more than perfect And your vision of the game from a philosophical perspective
All the love and respect
Thank you forGive the honor she deserves to the pretty one from A2, she was also my favorite character and you feel that she is very underappreciated. Excellent video
Great video!! ❤️❤️😭
You deserve more subscribers
This video deserves more views man..
During my of 4 years dodging spoilers and waiting/saving up for a pc that can play the game, i've always liked A2's design and can't wait to play as her one day.
And i just finished the game a week ago, i was like yeah, A2's design is way cooler than 2B but 2B's characteristic really grew on me after A and B. However, the moment i got to play as her and understand more about her. Man... She has so much less screen time than 2B and 9S but the way the game shows who she is and how she feels just...
I still have hope that one day, we will get to experience her backstory. Perhaps, in a DLC when they decide to remake/remaster this masterpiece.
I don't think anyone thinks A2 is an ugly duckling.
Great video
Wow this video was excellent loved it
A2 is underrated, so is your video, subscribed
Know I just confirmed this is a masterpiece, thanks.
damn the real humanity was the friends we made along the way.
I'm terribly sorry for my english, It's not my first language but this video appeared in my feed and I also wanted to try to join this topic because A2 is a special character to me.
I can't believe how enormous the amount of context and meaning behind a single character. I'm so glad that I was wrong about this game because it's just beatiful. I decided to go through 9S perpective before A2 because I felt that the most interesting parts of a story can be experienced from her path. And library section went me speechless when I realized that while "the most intellegent yorha unit" 9S was on the battlefield and discovered "the truth", getting filled up with anger, losing his mind and desire to search for truth and meaning, while only the fact about A2's visit in library is so heavy in terms of symbolysm and visual storytelling that I started to think about all of the moments and themes that I experienced with her. The next moment that went me speechless is when A2 noticed that conflict inside AI seemed like human behavior, just wow. She didn't talk a lot in a story but when she did it always felt special and very touching because of the meaning behind her attitude as the most humane and compassionate. And the final moment is her ending which I experienced after a few-months break from this game. During a conversation with my friend he said that she carries the weight of the world by herself and I think it describes her perfectly.
Spectacular character and definetely my favourite videogame character and also in my opinion the main protagonist of NieR: Automata. I think It's even better that she's underrated because how you actually said in the comments she's a hidden gem.
Thanks!
I cried my eyes out at this video
Oh yeah, and FYI, when they develop and android just like A2 for purchase, i will definitely buy one!!
the goat
Bit chaotic with the editing regarding the way your voice fades in and out and the abrupt cut offs but regardless i really enjoyed the video. Great work!
Thank you for the feedback I will take note of it!
You convinced me 👌
You've earned the like you asked for. She is the most compelling character in the game
Long haired A2 is best girl.
This is a great video. I know it’s been 2 years, but someday I really hope you come back to making videos.
"stop asking so many questions, and just live"
I didn’t want to give a like when You said to like it and then I just liked it without realising it cause it was so good
What did you think of the pear harbor episode in the anime? I personally loved it and it recontextualized a lot about A2 for me, and it made me love her character even more
The fact that the game basically is restoring the kindness she used to have is just so... Heartwarming
There's always more to this game. Man.
Okay, obviously you have the hots for A2, just like everyone else,,,,,,, but dont fall too in love as we all have with her because you hit the power button on your gaming console or your computer and she is gone. But yea, she is utterly amazing. I will personalize my elegant black car with the license plate numbers 2B, 9S, and A2.
Now since this may be an exploding topic RIGHT NOW, @YounSMax , I have an offer you should not dismiss:
You take everything that is in this video, clean up the language, get a better microphone, drink a cup of coffee or two before recording, in total making it more polished for the wider audience (for the sake of YT algorithms). Name it like "NieR:Automata - A2. Character analysis of an underrated character" or something, using catchy phrases. Or even mention "2B", since that would pull tons of recommendations. The thumbnail is good, the only thing it needs is some canonical Automata fonts for the text.
Everything you've put here is absolutely on point! I could not have explained it any better. "The Ugly Duckling - The Beautiful Swan" is beyond ideal metaphor for that. Video composition is extremely good. The order of explanation is as it should be: overall introduction that gradually deepens into details. This, with all honesty, should have had hundreds of thousands of views, I'm serious. Mere 6k is unjust. You made me feel as if I traveled back 5 years ago when I first played Automata and had myself stoned from the tsunami of emotions.
I beg my biggest pardon for the unequivocally stingy complaint I'm about to file, but there is one thing that almost made ME close the video right in the beginning. Me: The A2 connoisseur, which is unthinkable, given the video's purpose. Ahem... You started speaking with quite strong language. The rest was, hands down, clean and to the point, but that short mischief in a very wrong spot...
This topic is huge.
Please, give it a thought.
All hail A2.
I by no means take offense to your criticism. In fact, I greatly appreciate the time and effort you've put into analyzing and pointing out my mistakes. I put a lot of time and effort into that video because of how it inspired me. Some of these points have been brought up to me since I made this video. If I ever decide to redo this video or make another I will surely come back and make sure to not make these mistakes again.
All in all, it warms my heart that I was able to relay my passion well enough to inspire you to want to make my work better.
Thank you very much
15:16 it hits even harder if you consider the humanity the so-called "god". Just like for example Christians are doing their best to be like God, the same way Machines and Androids are trying to be like, or are designed to be like humans. So what I understand by this, if we consider this a song of A2 more than the other characters, it may be her final wish, so as her sacrifice does not go fruitless.
Im quite late but l agree, A2 is just the real protagonist
How did you know I was thinking: "Wtf Max? What were you thinking?!"
Great video you should record more
neither A2 or 2B are the "true heroes" of the story. they both played their parts. I see them both just as equal in terms of heroism. 2B ran as far as she could to not infect anyone else and welcomed death from A2, that is some epic shit, she handed the torch to A2.
The only reason A2 can be considered "underrated" is from people who never seen the story, and they think 2B is the hero of the story.
this is also a deliberate storytelling choice from Yoko Taro. the "main" hero is assumed to be 2B, since shes on every cover of the games, etc
In an ironic way not giving a shit is one of the most human things, she is deciding for herself what has value to her and what's worth her time and energy. The machines and androids are programmed to care and focus on specific things, they don't get to decide what they care about it's chosen for them. From what I understand groups like Pascal's village and the forest kingdom where experiments being ran by the machine network to learn from so they weren't making decisions either just following preset programming.
I'm watching this video just after getting this character tattooed
heck my first play through when i got to play as A2 i liked her a bit more then ether 2B and 9S still loved the characters but A2 damn she's awesome and bloody sexy. and the cool levels are off the charts especially with the Destroyer outfit. and she's cemented as my favorite character again because her voice actor is Cherami Leigh. you know cyberpunks V/ Ghost Hunts Mai/ Road freaking Kamelot in D-Gray Man/ and SAOs Asuna Yuuki. and soo many more character's. A2 ugly duckling ever see the MacGyver episode by the same name that is something that poped into my head when i heard that.
I'm not sure I buy that the other androids or machines are incapable of humanity. I see it as kind of the opposite if anything: that humans are no less artificial (one might even say... they're no less automata) than the imitators are. sure they have predesigned appearances and roles and personalities but it doesn't take much abstract argument to say that humans are broadly the same. we have those things pushed on us (by the society we live in, the particular circumstances of our developmental periods, and our genetics) in ways that are beyond our control.
I did like the video overall and agree that A2 is special, but I don't think what sets her apart is some unique quality of humanity but rather the realisation that there is no such thing, or at least that she doesn't have to care about it. Many other characters get bogged down trying to lay out some reason to do what they do, a reason for living, but that doesn't make them less people (after all, there are human people who do that as well, that's kind of what the whole midlife crisis meme is about) it just limits them from expressing it.
Wishing you could put a2s long hair on 2b and also have the lunar tear equipped.
FINALLY SOMEONE'S SHARING THE SAME MINDSET AS ME ESP WHEN IT COMES TO THE SONG I SWEAR TO GOD IVE BEEN TRYING TO EXPLAIN THE LYRICS TO MY FRIENDS AND MAKE THEM REALIZE THEY ARENT ABOUT 2B THEY ARE ABOUT A2 aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh im sobbing
a2 best bby ;;;;;;;
Best girl hands down)
Thanks for explaining A2 also, she's either hard to read or I find sci-fi stories confusing. Or both.
great video, you don't add another videos, like for 9s? thanks
I'm sorry, the main reason why I was inspired to make this video in the first place was because of my deep appreciation for A2. I thought she was misunderstood and underappreciated. To me, like the video states, A2 is the only individual in the game that succeeds at becoming human. I would never be capable of making a video about 9S because of that. This video was made from my blood, sweat and tears. It is something I doubt I will ever be able to reproduce. The game as a mirror gave me hope and A2 helped me find my purpose. I don't know if I'll ever upload again, I just hope that my video was able to give even a fraction of the help that I received even if it might only be for one person. Thank you for enjoying it and sorry again for not being able to live up to your expectations.
@@younsmax6574 ok, thanks. because I love analysis (and phylosofies) video I ask for the other chartacters. ok thanks
How can the Androids try to be human when there are no humans to meet. Be like something you know nothing about?
Why do people seek to get closer to God when they've never met him and don't even know he exists? That is my understanding. Furthermore, they have records of human behavior. As I stated throughout the video they slowly try to understand human emotion by experiencing it. It is similar to all the science fiction stories where a robot becomes sentient and tries to understand human emotion. That is only my opinion though, I hope I could clear things up.
@@younsmax6574
I highly disagree. People as seek to get closer to God because he has made himself know through creation. He has spoken to many prophets and heathens a like.
When it comes to Christianity, this isn't blind faith. The nihilistic an existentialist views of this game or just trying to push an agenda...
*The purpose of man is to keep God's commandments!*
is game is still a mystery everyone have their own opinion