This guide contains heavy spoilers for NieR:Automata.

Built to protect mankind, two androids fight the machines.

The female is 2B: A powerful warrior who fights on the front line.
The male is 9S: A support unit who aids 2B from afar.
When they fight as one, nothing can stop them.


But 9S has a secret:
He wants to free 2B from her world of unending war.


One day, as they pursue yet another enemy, they find themselves making their way through a massive limestone cavern.
Foes attack them and fall, one after the other.


The machines stand no chance against them.

They proceed deep into the cavern, then deeper still.


Finally, they reach their destination.
The darkness is absolute.


But the moment they step forward, they are enveloped in a brilliant red light.
Only then does 9S realize his mistake.



The enemy has been.using electronic camouflage.
There are machine lifeforms here—dozens of them.
Suddenly, 2B emits a heartrending scream.


She is infected with a virus—a weapon designed to destroy an android from the inside out.
Her eyes begin to glow red.


It is a worst-case scenario, and 9S knows the best thing for him to do is abandon the fight and retreat.
But he refuses to even consider this option.



He will save 2B. He must.


⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀For that is his purpose in life.


⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀In a desperate maneuver, he links himself to her infected mind⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀and begins diving into its deepest, most hidden parts.

2B's mind is a maze—a labyrinth.
Finally, he throws open a door and beholds a strange sight:
Flickering memories of himself, all from the perspective of 2B.


He sees himself in a forest of metal.
A frozen ocean. A boiling desert.
But he remembers none of this.


And all the memories end in exactly the same way:
With 2B killing him.


She does so over. And over, And over.
And over. And over. And over.


But for each death, there is also a first meeting.
Each time, he says,
"People who know me well usually call me Nines."


He says this dozens of times. Hundreds.

In another part of 2B's mind, 9S locates the virus and disables it.
The enemy stumbles in response to the unexpected counterattack, and the two take advantage of the situation to escape.



Later, 2B reports the completion of their mission.
As 9S lends his damaged companion a shoulder, he thinks:

Why does 2B kill me? Why are my memories erased?
And why do we always meet again?


The answer eludes him, and he cannot find the words to ask.

However...


So long as he remains in her mind...


⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀So long as a part of him is in her memory...⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀


He doesn't care how many times she kills him.

Their fate is a never-ending spiral, and they cling to its threads.


So 9S walks on through the darkness.

In NieR Re[in]carnation, every outfit or "costume" comes with a unique flavor text, much like the weapon stories from NieR:Automata.


We went there together, she and I. To the most beautiful place I've
ever seen.

We spent time there together, she and I. A time more precious
than anything.

Hmm... This is data saved by an old version of myself. I'd love to
know who it was talking about, but right now I have to get to work.

Oh, and I heard that I have a new partner today! I think her
name is...2B? I wonder what kind of person she is.


I was assigned to kill machine lifeforms, so I do.

It is my fate to be perpetually trapped in a never-ending spiral of
life and death.

...But what do I fight for now? I should be free,
but I feel like I've forgotten something—some vital goal.


These hands grasped pride. These hands grasped a vow.
These hands grasped a wish.

What was I so proud of? What did I promise to do?

What did I wish for?

All the people I met that day? In that time and place?
I can't remember anything about them anymore.