9S (Nier: Automata)

First appearing in the 2017 video game Nier: Automata, 9S (short for YoRHa No.9 Type S) is a male "scanner" reconnaissance android who displays more emotion than other YoRHa units. After opening a route for future missions, they are sent to clear machine threats for Anemone's Resistance forces.^[1] During their missions, 2B and 9S discover the Machines are replicating human societies and concepts. The two work with a pacifist machine group led by Pascal, and battle Adam and Eve, physical manifestations of the Machine Network who reveal their creators were destroyed centuries ago. 2B and 9S also encounter A2, a rogue YoRHa android. Adam is killed by 2B after he captures 9S. During his recuperation, 9S discovers a glitch in YoRHa's servers when syncing himself and 2B, and learns humanity was extinct long before the alien invasion. Humanity's last remnant is a Moon-based server holding their genetic remains. YoRHa perpetuates the myth of their survival to give the androids a reason for existing. With Adam dead, Eve goes mad with grief and drives connected Machines into a frenzy. 2B and 9S kill Eve, but 9S becomes infected with Eve's logic virus, forcing 2B to kill him. 9S's consciousness survives within the local Machine Network.

YoRHa launches a full-scale invasion. A logic virus attack, which is enabled by the glitch 9S previously discovered, corrupts every YoRHa unit except 2B and the restored 9S.^[2] 2B and 9S are separated in the aftermath, and 2B is infected with the logic virus. A2 discovers 2B, who asks her to take her place. An ignorant 9S sees A2 mercy-killing 2B and swears revenge on her. Simultaneously, a tower created by the Machines rises from the land, separating the two before they can fight. An increasingly unbalanced 9S investigates the tower's resource-gathering platforms, fighting Machine remnants and learning the tower is designed to launch a missile at the Moon server. Devola and Popola sacrifice themselves to open the tower, with 9S and A2 both entering. During these events and their final confrontation, the two learn that YoRHa was designed to lose and perpetuate the myth of humanity, and that the Machine Network are using the war to further their evolution; each side has trapped the other in an eternal cycle of war. A2 further learns that 2B's real designation was "2E", an "executioner" unit assigned to repeatedly kill 9S whenever he discovers the truth about humanity, and that 9S was aware of this.^[3]

9S—now insane and infected with the logic virus—challenges A2 to a fight, prompting the player to choose a character.^[4] Choosing A2 leads to A2 saving 9S and sacrificing herself to destroy the tower. Choosing 9S leads to both androids killing each other; in his final moments, he is offered the option of joining with the now-peaceful Machine Network, as the tower has changed its function to launch an ark containing their memories. Once both endings are unlocked, Pods 042 and 153 defy their orders to delete YoRHa's data.^[5] Despite the possibility that 2B, 9S and A2 will repeat events, the Pods have faith they will forge a new future for themselves.^[6]

A crossover with the mobile game SINoALICE (2017) depicted 9S and 2B as part of a story based around one of the game's boss characters,^[7] and PUBG: Battlegrounds (2017).^[8] He also reprises his Nier: Automata role in the anime series Nier: Automata Ver1.1a.^[9]

 

 

Natsuki Hanae (left) and Kyle McCarley (right) voice 9S in English and Japanese, respectively.

Game designer Yoko Taro started creating Nier: Automata by started from the final fight scene between the androids 9S and A2. He then envisioned the main storyline including why they were fighting and thus had to empathize with the cat. In developing the character, Yoko Taro decided to show 9S broken and A2 a more justice fighter. Believing the gamers would not care for 9S's character, he kept writing the story to balance their stories and how they go from playable characters to mysterious and uncontrollable. In the end, Yoko Taro was glad with 9S's characterization and external reactions to it.^[10] 9S was designed by lead character artist Akihiko Yoshida, known for his work on Final Fantasy XII and Bravely Default.^[11] Yoshida was brought in following feedback on the original game's character designs and original illustrator D.K's unavailability following an elbow injury.^[12][13] For his work, Yoshida was given a guideline of sleek black designs.^[12] 9S's early character designs were fairly consistent with his final appearance beyond color variations.^[14]

In contrast to the darker narrative of Drakengard, Yoko decided that 2B and 9S deserved a happy ending, due to his belief that their experiences in Automata had "cleansed" the androids of their transgressions. Yoko considers the story of 2B complete with Automata, believing the narrative should not be continued.^[15] However, for a later tribute concert, he wrote an audio play epilogue to Automata featuring 2B and 9S, a different method than the original Nier's epilogue, which is described in a game guide.^[16] In the case of Nier: Automata, Yoko Taro wants to make it obvious that 9S and 2B kill many enemies, and eventually kill each other over and over again. In that sense, Yoko Taro wants to think that they were both punished for the sins they committed. So he then thought that the ending should be one that gives them a chance to cleanse their sins and gives them a sense of hope.^[17] For the final boss battle in which the player chooses between 9S and A2, the developers considered removing character abilities based on their choice but decided against it.^[18]

In Japanese, 9S is voiced by Natsuki Hanae with producer Saito finding he was given a difficult job as he has too much dialogue to play.^[19] For the anime adaptation, 2B's actress Yui Ishikawa enjoyed her dynamic with Hanae due to the bond they share.^[20] Hanae found the anime unique for displaying a different take on the characters' handling when compared to the original game.^[21]

Localization company 8-4 found it challenging to translate the android dialogue, as it was difficult to balance their supposed lack of emotion with the truth of their highly emotional relationships and distinct personalities. Compared to 2B, localizing 9S was easier as he was already written to be more emotive in the Japanese script. The team had notes about how to write each character; for example, 9S would speak about things at length, while 2B would be more crisp.^[22] In English, Kyle McCarley voices 9S and found his work in the anime to feel different from the game version as early episodes foreshadow the development 9S is going to have in later parts of the narrative.^[23] He also highlighted that working for an anime despite having the same story as the video game had different technical inputs. This was also affected by Covid-19 pandemic.^[24] In retrospect, the voice actor found 9S similar to Alm in Fire Emblem but finds that the android is more similar to him. McCarley said that while in the start of the game, his character had a happy-go-lucky personality, he becomes corrupted after 2B's death leading him to call 9S "emo Nines". While the game highlights the Yorha androids are not allowed to have emotions, 9S is always expressing himself. In regards to 9S' corruption, McCarley was assisted by John Ricciardi from 8-4 and was amazed by the story Yoko Taro shows in the game, regarding it as the first time he saw a work from such creator. He highly enjoyed 9S's and 2B's relationship, initially disliking the latter's cold treatment to the former until seeing latter scenarios where he was surprised by the plot twists.^[25]

Game journalists have often commented on 9S's characterization and dynamic with 2B. Christopher Byrd from the Washington Post said that 9S's issue is that vexes him the most is how machine life-forms like Jean-Paul are capable of higher-order thinking. His violent attitude can be often too much towards machines but at the same time comes across as realtisic and natural.^[26] Kyle Campbell of RPG Site said that, while 2B was caring and loving, he noted that the need for her to constantly kill 9S prompted her callous "act". He drew a contrast between 2B's "bottled-up" sadness and 9S's reaction at 2B's death, in which he "lets his emotions boil over" while fighting impostors of 2B.^[27] Anthony John Agnello of The A.V. Club stated that their "Hamlet-sourced name" was indicative of Nier: Automata's "obsession with classic existentialist philosophy", noting that 2B was disturbed by her partner's repeated deaths and memory wipes which something were equals. Nevertheless, the game makes it clear to the player that despite the tragedy there is a chance that 9S and 2B will live again.^[28] Celia Lewis of The Escapist noted that the blindfold worn by 2B and 9S was a "deviant design choice" that indicated their "inability to see the greater picture", its black color scheme showing how she was limited to a "black and white" view of the war.^[29] The duo's role in Nier: Automata Ver1.1a was praised for its fresh dynamic between 2B and 9S, the player's perspective constantly changing between them.^[30][31] In particular, GamesRadar like the fight 9S and 2B have against the machine Simone in the theater especially because of how the anime adapts 9S's hacking ability in the enemy and the next scene where 9S brutally kills two machines that gave up.^[32]

Polygon regarded the player's actions as 9S as one of the biggest spoilers of the decade due to the different fighting style he employs in contrast to 2B and gives the player a completely different perspective in regards to the story. The website further noted that the ending of the game was shocking as the duo suffer horrible deaths, praising Yoko Taro's writing in regards to the execution.^[33] Because of 9S's arc from a friendly soldier to a revengeful renegade seeking to kill A2 after 2B's death, Paste Magazine regarded him as one of the best characters from 2017.^[34] Kotaku referred to 9S and 2B as "as guardian angels sent by the deities in the form of the Council of Humanity" further enhanced by the amount of Machines they meet and help them in sidequests such as one who has questions to 9S about how can they make children while befriending them.^[35]

In "NieR (De)Automata: Defamiliarization and the Poetic Revolution of NieR: Automata" Grace Gerrish from Boston College commented that 9S and 2B are free from Yorha for the first time when the bunker is destroyed by the virus and start travelling around the world on their own will establishing the trope of death of the author. This further gives the player freedom with the multiple endings they can reach from then on especially with the ability to switch between androids.^[36]