The lore of Nier is surprisingly elaborate and interconnected. Weaving a narrative across the Drakengard games, Nier Replicant, and Nier Automata, it carries several small facets which can be easy to miss if you aren’t careful. Chief among them is the fate of humanity, and if you’re watching the anime adaptation of Nier Automata, you’re likely asking the question: Are humans extinct in Nier Automata Ver. 1.1a?
Luckily for you, we’ve got an answer. Do be warned though: There are some *Major Spoilers Ahead.*
Are All Humans Dead in Nier Automate Ver. 1.1a? Answered
The sad answer is that yes, humans are indeed extinct in Nier Automata Ver. 1.1a.
While Yorha may still be fighting under the pretense of eliminating the threats to humanity’s existence, the last humans died out over 1,000 years before the events of the series. This was the result of Nier killing the Shadowlord in Nier Replicant, which led to the failure of Project Gestalt and left Humanity with no way of overcoming the apocalyptic plague triggered by Caim’s destroying the Queen Beast above Tokyo.
Every signal or transmission the androids have supposedly received since then has been a dummy signal sent from the moon, where the code of the human genome was stored in case of their extinction.
Why Do the Androids Believe Humans Are Alive?
As for why the Androids still believe that humans are alive, it’s a little complicated.
As humanity neared its end, it was determined that the androids would need something to work toward and give their existence meaning once all the humans were dead, especially given androids had only been created in order to protect humans.
The solution humanity found was to create a lie which would serve as the androids’ new purpose. They established YorHa, whose goal would be to destroy all the machines which were supposedly posing a threat to mankind. Humans, meanwhile, would be said to have gone to the moon to wait until the war was over, after which they would return and live alongside androids once again.
This would serve as an unachievable goal which the androids would pursue forever, always believing that humanity was simply out of reach on a cosmic voyage. Even if they did manage to destroy every existing robot for a time, the goal of YorHa would be adjusted or rewritten in order for the androids to maintain their war and continue to strive toward some form of existence. This is why they are also at war with aliens, despite alien life only coming to earth one time several centuries ago.
Hopefully this cleared up whether or not humans are extinct in Nier Automata ver. 1.1a. For more on the series, check out our review the Nier Automata video game. Likewise, you can check out some of our other Nier-related articles down below.
