Part 1 Differences between games and animation

Key Takeaways

• The NieR Automata animation merges Routes A and B, providing dual perspectives of 2B and 9S simultaneously.
• The character roles were changed significantly, with Lily taking on the position of Resistance leader instead of Anemone.
• The adaptation features extended combat, covers the characters' backstories, and incorporates elements from NieR Replicant.

In addition to numerous production issues and disruptions; Nier Automata ver1.1a The anime delighted fans with its adaptation of the masterpiece game. The stories of 2B, 9S, and A2 are more powerful and moving than ever in animated form.

Under the supervision of A-1 Pictures' talented staff and Yoko Taro Nier Automata The animation is not a replacement for the game, but rather an extension of the experience that enhances YoRHa's original story. The story is mostly faithfully adapted, but there are some key differences from the game. The main changes to animation in Cour 1 are:

Path A and B

Dual perspectives at once

In the original game, each play traverses a “path”. One path tells one storyline, and players must replay the game and load a save file to move on to the next path and advance the story. In the game, Route A is the first act seen from 2B's perspective. She is the only playable character and players can only see what she sees. Route B is the same story but from 9S's perspective. Players control 9S and see the story through his eyes, and thanks to his hacking abilities, they gain more background on the mechanical life form.

Animation Part 1 follows 2B and 9S simultaneously, merging the two paths. This includes the events of the first act, but the audience sees more than just everything the two main characters see. Includes Machine Lifeform background on Route B. This makes the story easier for anime audiences to digest and follow.

Character differences, interesting changes

Lily is the resistance leader instead of Anemone

In the original game, the leader of the resistance was the female android Anemone. She is an adult android who was previously connected to A2. In Pearl Harbor Descent, she teams up with the YoRHa android experiments M Squadron and the resistance led by Captain Rose on a very dangerous mission. All members of the team were killed except Anemone and A2, who were known to be in second place at the time.

In the anime, Anemone is still present in Pearl Harbor Descent, but she survives and takes over Rose's role as leader, becoming the youngest member of the team, Lily. She also participated in the game's version of the mission, but died along with everyone else. Lily and Anemone's positions are reversed, with Lily becoming the resistance leader and linking up with A2.

Commander White's personality changes

Commander White is the leader of YoRHa. She is a graceful and commanding android who manages the entire YoRHa force from the bunker. In the game, she usually has a cool-headed personality, always putting the mission first and the android's safety second. Sometimes we throw it away without even thinking about it. In the anime, Commander White gets a new dialogue scene with the Council of Humanity. In these scenes, the commander is often seen paying much more attention to the safety of his soldiers. She appears to be much more considerate and hands-on with YoRHa. All of this is ignored by the Council of Mankind, and goes a long way to show that White is as much a puppet as her soldiers.

A2's full backstory revealed

A2's backstory is told only in supplementary materials. However, in the anime, Lily tells 2B about the Pearl Harbor Descent mission. It perfectly shows the story behind A2 before it emerged as it does today. This shows a completely different personality from her teammates in Experiment M Squadron and her appearance before she became a YoRHa deserter.

Adam and Eve switch places

The personalities and relationships of the machine brothers remain the same, but there is a crucial change in their final fate. In the game, Adam battles 2B in Copied City. 2B defeats him there and rescues 9S. Eve later goes berserk upon learning of her brother's death, launching an all-out mech attack on the Resistance and fighting 2B and 9S as the final boss of Route A/B.

However, in the animation, the meeting between 2B and Adam is extended. Adam kidnaps 9S after luring him into a room filled with drawings of the two androids. 2B enters the copied city and finds Adam in a replica church with ominous human statues. This appears to foreshadow the Ark in the finale. 2B and Adam battle in a replica of The Library, a location that originally only appears in The Tower on Route C. Just as 2B was about to defeat Adam, Eve intervened and delivered a fatal blow, causing him to die in his brother's arms.

Adam is the one who goes berserk and launches an all-out attack, and in the anime he turns into a monster similar to the one seen in the NieR Reincarnation games. His battles involve the Resistance, and his final battle with 2B and 9S is longer and much more dramatic.

Other less important changes

Emil in the original game is a mysterious character who acts as a traveling merchant transporting important items. He is one of the copies of the original Emil, the protagonist of the previous game NieR Replicant. His role is mainly seen in side quests as he connects automata with replicants, mentioning his friends Nier and Kainé, the protagonists of the replicants, to whom he never says their names but merely nods.

Emil merged with a tree near Pascal's Village in the animation. And when 9S hacks himself, he sees Emil's memories, and Kaine, Yona, Grimoire Wise, and Near all appear. This is one of the ways in which the animation connects to NieR Replicant much more closely than the game does.

Twin sisters Devola and Popola appear late in the original game. In the anime, they appear much earlier when 2B and 9S encounter the Resistance. And the resistance members mention their backstories early on. The discoveries of Pascal and his village are different. In the game, 2B and 9S battle Simon at an amusement park and are then taken under command by village members. In the anime, 2B and 9S are tasked by Lily to deliver supplies to Pascal and find a village beyond an abandoned commercial facility. Pascal is also able to tell jokes with more vigor and clarity in animation. Emil also plays a role in his backstory, inspiring Pascal to become a pacifist. Pascal's past as a battle machine is also featured in the anime.

The encounter with Grün Machine Goliath never happens in the anime. Instead, 2B and 9S spend time together in the coastal ruins of a flooded city until they encounter Jackass. Later, this is where Adam kidnaps 9S. Jackass also gets significantly more screen time in the animation, serving as a comedic relief character.

This is the main difference between the NieR Automata game and the anime. The animation took some liberties with events while maintaining the original essence of the game. As directed by NieR creator Yoko Taro, the animation doesn't deviate too much from the game, at least for Part 1.