How Is NieR:Automata Ver1.1a Related to the Games and Is It Canon?

NieR:Automata was released back in 2017 as a long-awaited sequel to the cult classic PS3 game NieR, thus expanding on the original universe in the best possible way. And while the original game by Yoko Taro received mixed reviews – the story and the characters, as well as the music, received absolute acclaim, while the graphics and the gameplay were criticized – NieR:Automata became an absolute hit. On the fifth anniversary of the game, it was announced that NieR:Automata would be getting an anime adaptation, titled NieR:Automata Ver1.1a. In this article, you are going to find out how the upcoming anime series is connected to the games and whether it is canon or not.

From what Yoko Taro and the trailers have revealed, NieR:Automata Ver1.1a is going to be a modified adaptation of the NieR:Automata video game. Taro confirmed that he wanted to do things a bit differently with the anime because a direct adaptation would not be interesting, and the trailers did reveal a lot of familiar scenes, but also a lot of new ones. As for the canon status, NieR:Automata Ver1.1a could be a different route of the main story and thus canon, but that needs to be determined.

The rest of this article is going to focus on what we know about the plot of the NieR:Automata Ver1.1a anime series. We still don’t know much, but we are going to tell you what we know and how that which we know is related to the original 2017 video game. If you haven’t played NieR:Automata, we have to warn you that there will be a lot of spoilers in this article.

How is NieR:Automata Ver1.1a related to the original game and is it canon?

The issue with NieR:Automata Ver1.1a is that we don’t really know much about its plot. A lot of production details have been revealed, we know that most of the cast from the original game is set to return (one big mystery is whether we are going to si Emil, but we probably are going to see him) and that the anime adaptation is starting very soon. But, the plot details have been scarce in the preceding months and we really don’t have too many details to work with. But, before we dig into the whole idea, here are two videos for you:

Promotion Files 008 and 009 are actually two trailers for the upcoming series and are a continuation of a series of videos titled “Promotion File 00X” that debuted several months ago. These videos mostly focused on the characters that are set to appear in the series, revealing some clips from the anime, as well as details about the characters. Files 008 and 009 are fully-functioning trailers rather than simple character videos, and they reveal more about the story of NieR:Automata Ver1.1a.

So, what do we know? First of all, we have to state that Yoko Taro said that he wanted to keep the original spirit of the NieR:Automata video game, but also that he did not want to make a direct adaptation, since that would not be interesting. This means that NieR:Automata Ver1.1a would be following in the footsteps of the original but that fans should expect a lot of new details and twists. Now, knowing Yoko Taro’s narrative style, this is not surprising. Both the original NieR and NieR:Automata games have more than one ending and the story details changed over the course of playing the game, so another new take on the original story makes perfect sense.

This would also explain the title “Ver1.1a”, which means that the game itself is actually an “updated” version of the original game with the same core idea, but a lot of different details. The same happened when the remaster of NieR was released; NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… was actually a remastered version of the original Japanese NieR game with additions to the story and a wholly new ending that explained a lot more of the story than the original game, but it was still the same story. This is, by all means, what Taro has in store for us with NieR:Automata Ver1.1a as well.

And the trailers seem to confirm it as well. Namely, if you’ve played the games, a lot of scenes from the 008 and 009 trailers above will be familiar. The first battle against Goliath, Pascal’s village, and the creation of Adam and Eve; all these details are taken directly from the game and are now animated, which means that NieR:Automata Ver1.1a is going to follow the principal plot idea of the NieR:Automata game. This probably means that the anime is not going to be a sequel to the game, but rather an alternative take with several new details and, possibly, a new ending; the ending might go a bit beyond what we’ve seen in the game’s final ending (or it could be a take on the story that happens right after that ending, but we won’t be spoiling much), but it won’t change the core idea.

That the anime is going to be a new version of the story was both confirmed by Taro and seen in the trailers, mostly through the inclusion of Lily, a new character created for the anime. Lily has not appeared in the original NieR:Automata video game but seems to be playing a major role in the anime, which actually confirms what we have said about the story. Now, as we’ve said, we don’t have many additional details, as the trailers mostly revealed the scenes that were taken from the game, but we are excited to see where Taro’s narrative genius is going to take us.

As for the game’s canon status, we have to say that the Drakengard and NieR games have one of the most flexible canons we know. Most of these games have several endings, some of which directly contradict themselves, which is why the canon is so complex.

If we’re to take the example of the remaster of NieR, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… actually added a lot to the story and all of these events are now considered canon, despite never appearing in the original NieR game or being mentioned in NieR:Automata (that came out in 2017, four years before the remaster). This means that the anime series is probably going to be part of the canon as well, but we have to see how it alters the main story. Plus, Yoko Taro himself worked on the series, which gives it some additional credibility.

What was NieR:Automata about?

For those of you that did not play the original game or those that did, but have forgotten the plot, we decided to bring you a short recap of the story of NieR:Automata in this article. We have to warn you that the recap is a spoiler heavy and although not all things will remain the same in the anime adaptation, the recap will still reveal a lot of details so be careful how you approach it.

The year 11,945 is when NieR:Automata begins. Alien beings invaded the earth with an army of machines and have since destroyed all humanoid life. The surviving part of humanity retreats to the moon and organizes the resistance from there. A space station in Earth orbit (“Bunker”) is the base of the androids called “YorHa”, which were developed to fight in a proxy war for humans against machines. The androids are strictly forbidden to have real names or to have real feelings, which fundamentally distinguishes them from humans.

NieR:Automata begins during the 14th Machine War with the story of a YorHa android with the identifier 2B and her companion 9S. Both droids are tasked with finding and destroying a Goliath-class machine being. The search starts in a former weapons factory of the people, which has been used by the machines as their own factory since it was taken over. During the fight with the Goliath, 9S is severely wounded. With the help of 9S’ reconnaissance aircraft, 2B then succeeds in defeating the Goliath.

As Goliaths continue to appear, 2B and 9S are forced to initiate self-destruct, eliminating not just themselves but also all enemy units. Data from 2B had previously been uploaded by 9S to the base computer. The same memories from 2B can therefore be used to create a new body there. The next time they meet, 9S is unaware of the assignment he had just completed because there was not enough time to preserve his data as well. Both androids are sent back to Earth in order to offer more assistance. They encounter the two artificially intelligent Adam and Eve there.

Additionally, they meet Pascal, who is protecting a colony of non-hostile machines. In an attack with machines of the Goliath class, the androids win the battle, the city is largely destroyed and an underground cave is uncovered. In this cave, 2B and 9S discover the leaders of the alien invasion; who are all dead. It turns out that Adam and Eve killed them and set their next goal to eradicate humanity. 2B and 9S manage to defeat the two, but they manage to escape.

Following their conversation with Pascal, the two discover that there is another kingdom of machines that dwells in the forest. These machines guard the monarch in their fortress with a certain amount of dedication. They are cordial. 2B and 9S learn that a king is actually just a young machine. The baby is then murdered by robot A2. Without elaborating on the offenses for which A2 is to be eliminated, the commander in the bunker informs them that he is a wanted droid and that he must be killed.

Adam, fascinated by what remained of human civilization and obsessed with expanding his knowledge of humanity, decides to explore the final secret that separates humans from machines: death. Because of this, he kidnaps 9S to lure 2B to him and force him to fight. In the course of this, he separates his consciousness from the network of machines, so that if he is destroyed he will also experience a “real” death. After 2B kills him, she rescues the badly wounded 9S and takes him back to the Bunker.

The machines ask Pascal and 2B to negotiate possible peace terms in the old, abandoned factory. There the two learn that the machines are destroying themselves for a reason that has not yet been clarified. After it becomes clear that no peace negotiations are possible, the two flee. 9S, whose damage has been repaired, supports the two out of the bunker. He hacks into the machine system and learns information about the origin of the war and the reasons for the creation of the YorHa: humanity has long since died out, their existence on the moon is only fooled into the androids to give them a purpose.

After escaping the factory, 2B and Pascal meet Eva. The android is full of sadness and anger over the death of his brother and has infected all the machines with a virus. To support them in battle, 9S flies his craft to Earth. In order to be able to finally kill Eva in battle, 9S has to hack into his system and disconnect him from the network of machines. In the process, he is injured himself and he begs 2B to end his life. 9S manages to copy his thoughts into a nearby machine shortly beforehand.

Fully repaired, the two androids are sent back to Earth to provide support for other YorHa androids. These are attacked by the machines using an EMP weapon in order to draw the androids to the side of the machines. After an attack by the machines and other YorHa androids, 2B and 9S escape but are tracked down by the machines. They decide to load their data back into the bunker and trigger a self-destruct again. With new android bodies, 2B and 9S want to report to the Commander. At headquarters, they learn that no reports of the EMP weapon and virus have been received. It turns out that the androids are already infected with the virus. The three then flee and get to the hangar.

There it turns out that the commander is already infected with the virus. 2B and 9S are forced to escape with the craft as the bunker explodes in the background. Back on Earth, the two are separated and 2B finds out that the virus has already spread to her body. She then decides to go to a secluded place. There she meets A2, who is fighting with the machines. 2B decides to give A2 her sword, which contains all of 2B’s memories. When A2 uses the sword to destroy 2B, 9S sees this from afar. In an earthquake, he loses his balance and falls into the wooded area in front of a large white tower, which is aimed directly at the moon like some kind of rocket.

At the top of the tower, A2 explains that 2B is actually the 2E model. Their job was to kill 9S whenever he learned the truth about the humans and the YorHa. This has already happened several times. A2 offers to help 9S through the memories of 2B’s sword. 9S, already infected with the virus, then challenges A2 to a fight. The player can then choose different characters, each with different endings. In ending C, where the player chooses A2, he destroys 9S, then cures him of the virus and sacrifices himself to destroy the white tower.

In ending D, where the player selects 9S, both androids, A2 and 9S, kill each other. In the final moments of 9S, the tower’s function changes to a kind of spaceship with information about the machines and androids bound for another planet. The player can decide whether 9S joins them or not. Both scenes, ending C and D, lead to a credit card asking the player whether or not to destroy the intact data of A2, 2B, and 9S. If the player chooses to keep the data, Ending E is triggered, causing the androids to be rebuilt.