From Memory to Machinery: How Emil's Grief Shaped the Fate of YoRHa
Introduction:
There’s a certain sorrow that lingers across the *Nier* universe—an ache too heavy to die, too quiet to scream. At the heart of that sorrow is Emil. Not the weapon. Not the meme. But the broken, lonely boy who once tried to save the world… and watched it fall apart again, and again, and again.
Many fans look at the creation of the YoRHa units—specifically 2B and 9S—and wonder: *Why them? Why these faces?* But if you trace the data, the memories, and the emotional blueprints that shaped them, it always leads back to Nier and Kaine—Emil’s closest, most beloved companions. Out of all the possible templates for replicating lost humanity, the fact that these two were chosen can’t be a coincidence. It feels more like a desperate act of remembrance. A fragile echo of love.
And that’s why it’s so haunting when the YoRHa project begins to fall apart. The plan was close to completion—data was collected, the timeline was aligning, and hope for humanity’s rebirth was in sight. But then 2B dies, and 9S shatters. He loses everything. His grief turns into rage, and his rage corrupts him. Even the Pod tries to stop him, warning that without orders from Resistance Command, attacking the machines is irrational. But grief isn’t rational. And 9S… starts to fall.
He becomes what the world feared—another red-eyed tragedy in the making.
In the climax, the *Tower* becomes a battlefield—not just between machines and androids, but between purpose and despair. The Tower, now under the Flower’s control, tries to launch a weapon to destroy the remnants of humanity. But A2, broken as she is, makes a different choice. She rewrites the virus’ logic and transforms the missile into an Ark—a vessel carrying data, not death.
In the climax, the *Tower* becomes a battlefield—not just between machines and androids, but between purpose and despair. The Tower, now under the Flower’s control, tries to launch a weapon to destroy the remnants of humanity. But A2, broken as she is, makes a different choice. She rewrites the virus’ logic and transforms the missile into an Ark—a vessel carrying data, not death.
The Ark launches into space.
And where it lands… is where a city blooms. A familiar city. A forgotten one. A city built from memories.
*Cathedral City.*
And just like that, *Drakengard 3* isn’t a prequel anymore.
It’s what comes next.
The Ghosts We Programmed: How Emil’s Love Shaped the Faces of War
There’s something incredibly telling—heartbreaking, even—about who the first YoRHa units were modeled after.
YoRHa No.2 and No.9 weren’t just random creations. They weren’t designed out of statistical necessity or algorithmic logic. They were modeled after Nier and Kaine—the two closest friends of Emil, the one soul who had lost more than anyone, and somehow still carried the weight of the world in silence.
Think about that. Out of all the possible templates to restore humanity, the fact that it was them—Nier and Kaine—feels impossibly personal. Like a whisper from the past. Like Emil, in some quiet corner of the ruined Earth, just wanted to see his friends again… even if only through shadows made of steel and data.
The YoRHa Project was working. Data was being harvested. The plan to one day resurrect humanity was finally within reach.
But it all unraveled.
Because 2B and 9S—unlike the rest—survived.
And then 2B died.
And that’s when 9S broke.
His mind cracked under the weight of loss, rage, and confusion. He didn’t care about protocols anymore. He ignored direct warnings from Pod 153, who told him that without command from Resistance HQ, continuing the war was unjustified. But grief doesn’t follow orders. It devours them.
He couldn't stop. Wouldn’t stop. And slowly, he began to change.
The red glint in his eyes wasn’t just symbolic—it was the beginning of a fall. According to the manga Shi ni Itaru Aka, the Red Eye phenomenon is triggered under extreme emotional or psychological pressure.
And 9S… was living in the heart of that storm.
He wasn’t just a machine anymore.
He was the result of a grieving world—desperately trying to understand itself through war, love, and loss.
And in the end, the story of YoRHa was never about success.
It was about memory.
And what it costs to keep it alive.
The Ark That Bloomed a City: How A2 Rewrote the Fate of Two Worlds
By the end of *NieR: Automata*, a quiet truth emerges—one that changes everything we thought we understood.
The Flower—this parasitic, chaotic force—had seized control of the Tower. Its goal was horrifyingly simple: to use the Tower's systems to obliterate the human servers and erase the final traces of humanity’s DNA. It wasn’t just ending the war. It was rewriting existence itself.
But then… A2 stepped in.
In a moment of defiance, grief, and clarity, A2 sacrificed herself. Not to destroy—but to *reprogram*. She disrupted the virus’s logic, hijacked the tower's firing system, and turned a weapon of extinction into a vessel of hope.
Instead of missiles, an Ark was launched into space.
This Ark wasn't just a digital lifeboat. It carried data—memories, consciousness, remnants of everything humanity once was. And most importantly, it carried the *possibility* of a future.
Now here’s where the story takes a breathtaking turn.
That Ark didn’t vanish into the void.
It *landed*. Somewhere. Sometime.
And from it, something impossible happened: a city was born.
Remember the massive earthquake in *Drakengard 3* that unearthed the mysterious Cathedral City? The one that appeared out of nowhere, strange and ancient yet eerily futuristic?
That city… was built from the Ark’s data.
Its origin? The Forgotten City from *NieR: Automata*.
Look closely—the architecture, the silence, the ghosts of machines and purpose. It’s all there.
So what does this mean?
It means *Drakengard 3* is not a prequel.
It’s a sequel—the continuation of the war, reborn in a new form.
A new cycle. A new battlefield.
And it all began because A2 made a different choice.
Not to kill.
But to let something live.
Further Records Available — Ready to Discover?
Even after all that’s been revealed, echoes of forgotten truths still linger.
If you're ready… the next fragments are waiting to be found.
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🎧 Dive Into the Unknown
I’ve recorded a special podcast exploring one of the many deep theories from the world of Nier. While it’s the only episode for now, there’s so much more to discover in the articles below—until the next voice finds its way to you.
