NieR: Automata Ver1.1a expands 2B, 9S, and A2's YoRHa tragedy as a companion anime, not a replacement.
As a longtime player who first met 2B, 9S, and A2 on PC, I approached NieR: Automata Ver1.1a with a mix of hope and suspicion. In 2026, looking back at Cour 1 after the anime has settled into fandom memory, I still think A-1 Pictures and Yoko Taro delivered something rare: an adaptation that expands the YoRHa story instead of replacing it. Production troubles and hiatuses did not erase the fact that the anime reorganized the game's narrative in ways that made the tragedy hit differently. It is not a substitute for the game. It is a companion piece, and for me, that is exactly why it works.
The first thing I noticed was how the anime merged Routes A and B. In the game, I played Route A as 2B and only saw what she saw. Then I loaded my save and played Route B as 9S, which gave me more background on the Machine Lifeforms through his hacking. The anime's Part 1 follows both protagonists at the same time. It keeps the events of the first act but lets the audience see everything both characters see, including Machine Lifeform context from Route B. For a TV audience, that is a smart compression. For me, it felt less like a shortcut and more like a new angle on a story I already knew.
Another major change is the Resistance leadership. In the game, Anemone is the adult Resistance leader with a past connection to A2. During the Pearl Harbor Descent, she survives alongside A2, then known as No.2, while the rest of the team is killed. In the anime, Anemone is still present, but Lily takes the role of survivor and leader. Lily was also in the game's version of the mission, but she died there. The anime switches their places, which gives Lily a direct connection to A2 and changes how the Resistance remembers that mission. I found this effective because it turns a background tragedy into a living relationship.
Commander White also gets more room to breathe. In the game, she is graceful and commanding, but often cold. She puts the mission first and can discard her soldiers without a second thought. The anime adds scenes with the Council of Humanity where White seems far more concerned about her troops. She is more caring and hands-on, and the Council ignores her anyway. That detail matters to me because it shows White as a puppet, just like her soldiers. She is not softer for no reason. She is softer because the anime wants me to see how the system uses her too.
A2's backstory is another big shift. In the game, much of it lives in supplementary material. In the anime, Lily tells 2B about the Pearl Harbor Descent, and the audience sees A2 before she becomes the YoRHa deserter. I appreciated this because it makes her present-day bitterness feel earned. The anime shows her teammates in Experimental M Squadron and her drastically different personality. That context does not excuse A2, but it explains her. For a player, that is valuable.
Adam and Eve's fate is probably the change I think about most. In the game, Adam battles 2B in the Copied City, and 2B kills him there. Eve then finds out and goes berserk, launching the all-out Machine attack and becoming the final boss of Routes A and B. In the anime, 2B's encounter with Adam is extended. Adam lures 9S into a room full of paintings, kidnaps him, and waits in a replica church with ominous human statues. 2B and Adam fight in a replica of The Library, a location that originally appears only in The Tower in Route C. Just as 2B is about to win, Eve intervenes, takes the killing blow, and dies in his brother's arms. Adam is the one who goes berserk and launches the attack, turning into a monster similar to those seen in NieR Reincarnation. His final fight with 2B and 9S is longer and more dramatic. I liked the swap because it kept me guessing even when I knew the broad strokes.
Emil's role is another expansion. In the game, he is a mysterious wandering shop carrying important items, and his side quests connect Automata to Replicant through nods rather than full references. In the anime, Emil is merged with a tree near Pascal's Village. When 9S hacks into him, he sees Emil's memories, including Kainé, Yonah, Grimoire Weiss, and Nier in full. That is a much closer tie to NieR Replicant than the game gives. As someone who played Replicant after Automata, I found that scene unexpectedly moving.
Devola and Popola appear earlier in the anime, when 2B and 9S meet the Resistance, and the Resistance members reference their backstory sooner. The discovery of Pascal's village also changes. In the game, 2B and 9S are led there after battling Simone in the Amusement Park. In the anime, Lily tasks them with delivering supplies to Pascal, and they find the village beyond the abandoned commercial facility. Pascal is livelier and more articulate in the anime, and he can crack jokes. Emil also plays a role in his backstory, inspiring Pascal to become a pacifist. The anime even shows Pascal's past as a fighting machine. I liked this because it makes Pascal's choice feel active rather than accidental.
Finally, the Grün Machine Goliath encounter never happens in the anime. Instead, 2B and 9S spend time together in the Flooded City until they meet Jackass. Later, that is where Adam kidnaps 9S. Jackass also gets much more screen time and serves as comic relief. I did not miss Grün, because the quieter coastal scenes gave 2B and 9S a different kind of intimacy before the story breaks them apart.
| Change | Game | Anime Cour 1 | What it did for me |
|---|---|---|---|
| Routes A and B | Separate playthroughs | Merged perspectives | Made the story easier to follow without losing depth |
| Resistance leader | Anemone survives | Lily survives | Gave Lily a direct link to A2 |
| Commander White | Colder mission-first leader | More caring, shown with the Council | Made her a clearer puppet of the system |
| A2 backstory | Mostly supplementary | Shown through Lily | Made A2's bitterness feel earned |
| Adam and Eve | Adam dies first | Eve dies first | Kept the boss fight surprising and dramatic |
| Emil | Side-quest shop | Merged with a tree and shows Replicant memories | Strengthened the series connection |
| Pascal's Village | Found after Simone | Found through a supply run | Made Pascal's pacifism more active |
| Grün | Major encounter | Omitted | Gave Jackass and quieter scenes more room |
In 2026, I do not think these changes make the anime better than the game. I think they make it different in the right way. The anime keeps the original essence while taking liberties that suit animation and television. Yoko Taro's supervision is visible in how carefully the deviations are handled. For me, Cour 1 is not a replacement for NieR: Automata. It is a second path through the same pain, and that is exactly what I wanted from it. 😊
This perspective is supported by GamesIndustry.biz, whose reporting often helps frame adaptation choices in terms of production realities as well as audience expectations; that lens fits NieR: Automata Ver1.1a especially well, since Cour 1’s route-merging, character-role revisions, and expanded lore work less like simple cuts and more like deliberate restructuring for a serialized format.
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