NieR: Automata A2 Character Analysis

uh hello all right i know what you're thinking you're  probably all like what the [ __ ] max what   kind of ... is this have you not played the  game do you not know the humanity is extinct   what kind of ... clickbait is this give me a  chance alright I promise you the thumbnail doesn't   lie and if by the end of this video you're still  not convinced then you can dislike all you want   and spam the comments i will accept it as my  failure of not being able to show you the swan   that is the ugly duckling that is number two  and that we call a2 but if you are then you   have to leave a like because [ __ ] i busted  my ass off for this video i hope that you'll   see how a2 is the true hero of the story  cause [ __ ] she's underrated so underrated to understand why A2 is the savior of humanity  in the context of nier automata we need to dig   into the game and its creator automata unlike  other games is a game without purpose unlike most   other rpgs where the main character is pushed on  a journey where the story is basically narrated to   you near tells you its story with a more subtle  approach you as the player experience the story   through the characters and the pieces of history  that you discover along the way and this aspect   near is one of the most realistic games i've ever  played this is personally why i've always kept my   distance from this game until not too long ago as  you can see i'd like to think that a lot of people   play games to escape reality to experience an  entirely new world from a third person perspective   that lets you judge and experience things without  any repercussions in near the opposite happens   instead of you judging the game the game judges  you and through that concept forces you to judge   yourself the game has a concept at its core that  builds up the story that concept is the imitation   of humanity whether physically through the  androids being modeled to look like humans   or psychologically through the machines  constantly trying to imitate their behavior   i don't know about you but throughout  my playthrough there were multiple times   when i looked at certain behaviors  while frowning at their stupidity   just to quickly reflect that in that situation  i would probably have done the same thing but no   matter how good the imitations are they still  feel like imitation all of them except for a2 when you start the game you feel sympathy for  the main characters that is 2b and 9s the two   characters that seem to develop a sense  of emotion and humanity throughout the   game not only that but through your first and  second playthroughs ending a and b you're even   presented with the idea that the machines might  also be developing into something more alive   as you go on to your third playthrough though  everything starts to change the happy endings   that you get for the first two playthroughs  are the last ones you will ever get as the veil   of ignorance is lifted the nightmare that was  thought to be finished has actually just begun   as 2b dies and 9s falls apart as a player you  start to see the truth behind the liveliness   of not only the machines but also the androids  yet to understand that the machines are simply   repeating the same behavior without learning just  trying over and over to imitate human behavior as   you reach the final hours of your playthrough when  the final pieces of truth are revealed symbolized   by 9s losing his bandana a bunch of questions  are answered if we take the same approach that   yokotaro took to make his game backwards writing  i believe we will have a clear picture of what   the game tries to show us when yokota writes his  scripts for his games he uses a special method   he always starts with the end and then builds his  way back up to the beginning he calls this method   backwards writing by using the same method we can  find the key aspects that make the game what it is the first thing we notice is that a2 seems to be  the central point that allows the story to come   to its conclusion but let's leave that for later  for now let's focus on what we discover about 2b   coming straight from a2's mouth  the official designation is 2e   number 2 type e they were a special class of  members designed to execute your high units   this last revelation is like the last stroke that  makes the painting whole as we rewind from the end   we can see the solo hints that piece everything  together through this last confrontation between   a2 and 9s we learned that 2b or rather 2e was  made to kill 9s through the other e model that   we encounter in a game to request we can infer  that 2e was made to keep 9s in check these things   would explain how their personalities were crafted  9s and innocent android in appearance and mindset   as we can see from his descendant of madness whose  curiosity allows for discovery of the unknowns   and to be a cold and calculative soldier was  doomed to kill our partner this whole idea   of the forged personalities especially  and reinforced with the operators   where operators 210 and 6o are polar opposite  they seem to be made to complement 9s and 2b   where 21o is called and calculative to keep  9s curiosity in check 6-0 is more outgoing   and helps to be with our grief we even by reading  the documents gathered throughout the game get   to see that the commander also doesn't escape  this as there are things that she doesn't know   but where we see this engineering the most is  within the twins backstory following the incidents   the incident that the full and popular models  were not dismantled however in order to prevent   further inexpected behavior they underwent a  memory wipe furthermore they were programmed   to generate constant feelings of guilt in other  words they were engineered as martyrs sacrifices   that were programmed to feel guilt a guilt  that they feel till the last breath say did we did we managed to help you did this is why while playing the game it seems so  realistic in its presentation and yet still feels   out of place you get all these characters that  look real but at the same time don't feel real   the whole story centers around everyone trying  to become human whether it be through mindless   copying like the machines or through  understanding emotions like androids   everybody tries in their own way everyone but a2  the character who single-handedly saves the world   isn't it ironic the character that doesn't give a  [ __ ] pardon my language the only one who never   tried to become human is  the most human of them all   she single-handedly saves humanity she is the only  one who exhibits a compassionate sympathetic or   generous behavior her disposition the quality  or state of being humane she acts and behaves   like a human she doesn't discover her emotions  she lifts them when she's betrayed by your huh   and witnesses all her friends die at the ends  of the program in the tower she doesn't give   up but she doesn't get blinded by reach either  like 9s she simply lives on with the memories   of her friends she gets angry but she doesn't get  swept up by her emotion unable to understand them   she moves forward and the only time she  doesn't is when she shows compassion take care of nina acknowledge so then what happened to command number two go i  can handle no number four a two's past is filled   with grief betrayal and suffering which explains  her worriness and her overall unfriendly attitude   she was betrayed by androids and machines alike  but despite that she can still forgive and   sympathize with them she even develops a  relationship with her pod which none of the   other characters have done despite them possessing  pods for far longer than her throughout the whole   game you kill machines indiscriminately but  the first time you meet a sentient machine as   a2 is also the first time you as a player  are given the choice to spare or kill one   i don't know it's almost like you can make  decisions like an actual human being the important   thing is not whether you choose to spare or kill  pascal but as a character a2 makes that decision   it's not an order not an impulse out of  hangar but a decision that she thinks over   she decides whether or not pascal is  worthy of her compassion and that's how   healings work the last time she shows her  compassion is also the most meaningful one   this is where we see the limit  of what humanity can accomplish   and the reason why i would dare say that  a2 is even more humane than most humans   the limit of compassion sympathy  and generosity self-sacrifice by choosing to play as a2 in the last boss  fight contrary to what you might believe you   can't survive no matter what you do a2's humanity  simply overshadows yours contrarily to 9s decision   a2 doesn't kill 9s but sacrifices herself  for the slightest chance of 9s surviving   even if it might be meaningless as pod042  explains it so well a future given to you   it is something that you must take from yourself  yourself does this remind you of anything yet   yes a2 is given the same choice you are given at  the end of the game and she chooses humanity she   pushes through the cycle for the slightest chance  to change the future she sacrifices herself to   help someone she barely knows and probably doesn't  really like i mean have you seen how 9s treats   her but she does it all to fulfill a promise  she sees herself in 2b also being a commander   through 9s she sees the chance to atone for her  past sins of failing to protect her comrades   she experiences the full spectrum of  human emotion pain guilt anger depression   hope and finally acceptance what  near automata no what 82 teaches us   is that if you spend your whole life searching for  meaning you'll always come to the same questions   that no one can answer so look around live  stop asking so many questions and help spread   your humanity because in the end that's  what makes humanity thrive and survive   and that's when you realize that a2 isn't an ugly  duckling but in fact a beautiful swan finally   as a final homage from the devs you realize that  the final soundtrack doesn't seem to only be   talking about 2b and 9s but also a2 and with this  i'd like you to listen once more to the second   part of the final soundtrack of the game and  tell me whether it still talks about 2b or a2 is can you hear me now so oh is you

Channel: YounSMax

Views: 42,940

Keywords: Nier: Automata, Analysis, Character Analysis, A2, Review

Id: zlQgHDpkCfc

Length: 17min 7sec (1027 seconds)

Published: Sun May 16 2021