NieR Automata ver1.1a Part 2 delivers bold story changes, complementing the game with new scenes and darker revelations.
In the ever-evolving landscape of video game adaptations, the second part of NieR Automata ver1.1a stands as a bold reimagining that refuses to be a mere copy of its source material. While Part 1 stayed relatively faithful to the original game, Part 2 takes significant liberties, weaving new scenes and altering key events while preserving the core narrative. This approach proves that the anime is not a replacement for the game but rather a complement to the overall experience. Here is a detailed look at all the major story changes in Part 2. 🎮
Early Revelations and Expanded Roles
The anime introduces an original scouting mission for 2B and 9S, which ties into the game's Amnesia side quest. Through this brief storyline, 2B's true role is revealed much earlier than in the game. The anime explicitly shows the full extent of her secret mission: killing the 9S units every time he gets near the truth behind YoRHa. This revelation emphasizes the darkness behind their relationship even more, casting a shadow over every interaction. 😔
The Assault on the Machines and Its Aftermath
The assault on the machine lifeforms is further expanded and somewhat different in the anime. 9S commands a group of other Scanner units in a coordinated hacking attack on the machines. These Scanner units are also expanded upon, showing them in close relationships with their partnered Battler units. The anime also showcases resistance members assisting in the battle. When 2B and 9S return to the Bunker to save the commander, an infected 6O attacks them while serving as the spokesperson for the Red Girls. While 6O is killed off-screen in the game, in the anime she is killed by Commander White after the operator speaks ill of the commander, showing closeness between her and her superior. After the destruction of YoRHa, 2B and 9S land in different spots than in the game. 2B lands in the City Ruins instead of the Flooded City, while 9S lands in the desert where he encounters a Hegel machine, similar to A2's first battle on Route C.
9S's Descent and Operator 21O's Fate
9S finds Operator 21O outside The Tower instead of inside the God Box like in the game. Furthermore, instead of being killed by A2, she impales herself to protect 9S while admitting her parental love towards him. When 9S reaches the Meat Box, he finds only non-hostile machine lifeforms inside instead of the numerous hostile enemies in the game. When he reaches the last box, he finds no hostile enemies and instead finds 2B's flight unit, with numerous monitors showing memories of her. There he hears her last message like in the game, whereas in the game he hears her last message in an optional scene in the Flooded City.
A2's Journey and Pascal's Village
After A2 kills 2B, she awakens in Pascal's Village instead of the Desert. She spends a lot of time there where the pacifist machines, especially the children, develop great affection for her. Instead of the zombie virus turning the inhabitants of the village berserk, they are attacked by other hostile machine lifeforms. Pascal and the other inhabitants defend the village from the invaders, and while they succeed at first, more machines arrive and destroy the village. Pascal takes the surviving children to the Resistance Camp instead of the Abandoned Factory like in the game. One of the children infected many resistance members with a zombie-like virus, making Lily kill many of her allies and then being mercy killed by A2. Pascal's children originally take their own lives from fear in the original game. In the anime, the infected child eats the others to save them from fear. Pascal then self-destructs, taking the child and the Resistance Camp with him. In the game, Pascal requests A2 to erase his memories after the death of the children and the destruction of his village. 💔
The Final Battle and Beyond
The final battle between A2 and 9S is different in the anime. Here, 9S hacks into A2, attacking her with a psychological attack. She resists him and shuts him down. She encounters the remnants of the machine network as they offer her to join them in the Ark. In the game, 9S is the one to be offered to join the Ark by Adam and Eve. Like in the game, The Tower collapses and A2 dies. Similar to Ending E, the credits for the anime roll only to be interrupted by the Pods. The anime then shows the Pods battling hundreds of other Pods to save the three Androids' data. While this is implied in the game, it is fully shown in the anime. Once the androids are revived like in the game, they wake up and greet each other. While A2 is repaired by Accord. 🤖
Devola, Popola, and Other Expanded Lore
Just like in the game, Devola and Popola assist 9S in entering The Tower by fighting the machine lifeforms outside it. In the game, the backstory is told through text while the anime fully shows their life together. While in the game, the twins die from their injuries after the battle with the machines. Here, Popola dies while her sister is infected with the virus, and mercy killed by A2.
A2's involvement in the story is further expanded in the anime. Part 2 shows the rest of her backstory after the Pearl Harbor Descent, adding Captain Rose giving her and the other androids names based on flowers. A2 is given the name Freesia, which she reveals to Lily right before her death. The anime also reveals that she had been spied on for years by YoRHa. In the game, she battles a Hegel Machine in the desert. This is where she first uses her Berserk Mode. In the anime, she instead wakes up in Pascal's Village before reuniting with Lily. Instead, she uses her Berserk Mode to defend Pascal and the Resistance. Berserk Mode is also seemingly much more powerful in the anime.
Operator 21O is reassigned to the Battler type during the assault. The locations of the resource units are all changed in the anime. In an anime-only scene, 9S encounters a past version of himself that reveals to him the fates of the past units and 2B's true mission. In episode 22, Nier was confirmed to be canon in the anime.
Key Differences at a Glance
| Element | Game | Anime Part 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 2B's secret mission | Revealed later | Revealed early via Amnesia quest |
| 6O's death | Off-screen | Killed by Commander White |
| 9S's landing | Flooded City | Desert, meets Hegel |
| 21O's fate | Killed by A2 | Impales herself to protect 9S |
| Meat Box | Hostile enemies | Non-hostile machines and 2B's flight unit |
| A2's awakening | Desert | Pascal's Village |
| Pascal's village | Zombie virus | Attacked by hostile machines |
| Final battle | 9S offered Ark | A2 offered Ark |
| Pods' battle | Implied | Fully shown |
| Devola & Popola | Die from injuries | Popola dies, sister infected |
| A2's name | Not given | Freesia |
| Nier canon | Ambiguous | Confirmed in episode 22 |
These are all the major changes in Part 2 of the NieR Automata ver1.1a anime. While the story deviates from the game in many ways, the overall narrative is kept mostly intact, and it even expands on the famous ending of the game. The anime continues to surprise and delight fans, proving that adaptations can honor their source while exploring new territory. 🌟
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