Key Takeaways
- 9S discovers android cores are similar to machine cores, blurring the line between them.
- Facing new knowledge, will 9S adapt or deny the truth about the destruction of humanity?
- 9S’s obsession with 2B comes to a head as he battles the Logic Virus, showing potential dark motives.
The following contains spoilers for episode 20 of NieR Automata Ver1.1a, now streaming on Crunchyroll.
The machine army is approaching and A2 is tasked with the responsibility of holding down the fort and acting as backup for Pascal. Though they achieve victory, it’s soon cut short when an ambush from the sky takes the village by surprise, killing most of the children in the process. A2 and Pascal evacuate the survivors to the Resistance camp while they fend off an approaching Goliath.
Meanwhile, 9S reaches another tower and discovers a chained machine reminiscent of that of Emil in NieR: Replicant, where he discovers that the foundation of YoRHa units is almost identical to those of machine lifeforms. It’s at this time that his intense desire for 2B is brought to the forefront.
The Existential Truth
Throughout the series, 9S has always actively set himself apart from the machine lifeforms, considering them less intelligent and killing them without mercy. In an ironic turn of events, he discovers that they are much closer than meets the eye. To most viewers, androids and machines are both robots, therefore they are fundamentally the same. Similar to how people in real life distance themselves from those they consider “enemies”, or in most cases, those they were conditioned to hate.
One primary example is how children are raised in countries. If the one they were born in has a bad relationship with another, their history classes will frame the other as the aggressor – indirectly creating a rift between them and a person they’ve never met. It’s much easier to believe that there are set “good guys” and “bad guys”, but that isn’t the case.
In 9S’s case, he is just that – a child that has been indoctrinated. While it is true that he underwent a slight change of heart in Pascal’s village, his resentment towards the machine lifeforms remained the same. What he discovered in his hacking this episode was even more telling than what was initially believed. Machine cores are the same as android cores, especially YoRHa. These are essentially the heart, and what keeps them alive. Inside, we’re all the same, and that’s a terrifying realization for someone who was raised to believe otherwise.
Erasing History
Last season, 9S and 2B came across a tree with Emil’s head. After hacking into it, he saw snippets of humanity before getting kicked out and being told by his Pod that information was prohibited. This implies that Emil, while stagnant, is very much alive. However, when Pascal’s village is attacked, the tree that housed Emil burns down. Because of this, it can be argued that the last remnants of humanity on earth have been destroyed. And 9S’s refusal to adapt to his new information is proof of that.
When confronted with new knowledge, it’s a similar dilemma in real life. Will you accept what you learned and adapt to it, or will you become angry and in denial? While the former is the ideal, it’s all too common for the latter to happen as well. Switching the perspectives back and forth between 9S and A2, there’s a mirror effect happening. A2 is ready to protect her new allies, 9S is ready to destroy them.
Redemption or Damnation?
The final battle draws near, and one can only hope for a peaceful conclusion. But Pod 042 observes that 9S is beginning to succumb to the Logic Virus. After the sudden exposition about android cores, in a fit of rage, he blindly kills a deformed shape that bears a resemblance to 2B, proclaiming his obsession to be the only one in her life. Is this just a fit of rage and influence of the infection, or has 9S been holding it in entire time?
