NieR Automata: Story & All Endings Explained
Conclusion: The End of YoRHa
In Ending D, both 9S and A2 are killed in their battle with each other. Well, A2 is killed, but we still get a few moments with 9S as he’s severely injured. The true purpose of the white tower is revealed in this particular ending, and we find out that the tower was actually meant to fire off an ark full of machine lifeforms and data on the world into space. In his last moments, 9S sees that Adam and Eve are on the ark, and Adam invites him to join them. Whether you choose to go with them or stay, the ark gets fired off into space, where it will wander aimlessly until it eventually lands and settles itself on another planet. If 9S stays, he bleeds out, but is glad that he’ll finally be reunited with 2B. Or 2E, I guess.
In Ending C, A2 is able to subjugate 9S for a brief period of time, and she hacks into his system with the help of Pod 042. In this ending, she manages to remove the logic virus from 9S’ body and destroy the white tower, but at the cost of her own life. As A2 dies, she looks up to the sky, and she’s glad to be able to rejoin her fallen squad mates. It is also implied that 9S survives and continues to live on Earth. It’s not entirely clear how A2 pulls this off in the game, but this ending also sees her destroying the white tower (somehow) and preventing the ark from being fired into outer space
Ending E branches out from Ending C, where both 9S and A2 die. The Pods are about to conclude this cycle of Project YoRHa and conduct a complete data wipe. However, over the course of the game and witnessing the ordeals of the three main androids, the Pods themselves have also started to form some semblance of a consciousness and free will. They achieve sentience, and Pods 042 and 153 decide that they will try to preserve the memory data of A2, 2B, and 9S. In order to do this, the Pods (and by extension, the players) are forced to engage in a bullet-hell mini game against the game’s end credits. It’s not clear if we’re fighting against N2 and what remains of their consciousness, or if this is a fourth wall-breaking meta message in which we literally fight against the game’s creators to help the Pods achieve a better ending. Either interpretation suits the game just fine.
After beating the mini game, we are treated to a cutscene where we find out that the Pods were able to reconstruct the bodies of A2, 2B, and 9S by using spare parts found around Earth and in the white tower. Their memory banks from before the virus outbreak are also restored. However, while our three main characters will come back to life, the Pods also acknowledge that there is a good chance that the androids and machines could very well fall back into conflict all over again. Pod 042 states that the possibility of a continuing cycle is there, but there is also hope that they could potentially carve out a new future for themselves on Earth.
And that’s about it for the overall story of NieR: Automata. While this article serves as a summary for the events that occurred in the game, I still highly recommend playing through the game yourself to learn more about the little details surrounding YoRHa, N1, and the machines in general so you can form your own opinions on the story. That said, hopefully this helped you gain a better understanding of what’s going on in the story, and feel free to sound off in the comments if you have any questions about the game.
It’s worth noting that Emil, Devola, and Popola are returning characters in NieR: Automata as well, and we’ll have story summaries and explanations dedicated to these specific characters soon.
Be sure to check back with Twinfinite and our ever-expanding wiki for more information on NieR: Automata.
