[SPOILER] The meaning(s) of the title "NieR : Automata"

[myhr2]

[Spoilers,
lots of spoilers,
spoilers everywhere,
not only for NieR : Automata but also for NieR : Gestalt/Replicant]

Ok, first, I have to say that I have not played NieR : Gestalt/Replicant, and that most of my knowledge of that game comes from reading wikis, articles, watching play-through videos, etc, etc...That being said, after finishing NieR : Automata, I felt compelled to dig in the supplementary materials that I could find online (I love internet), and as such red the whole plot of NieR : Gestalt/Replicant and also red/watched all the analysis I could find, and things like the Concert scripts, Grimoire Nier novels, and such...

Secondly, I do not pretend to have come up with some incredible revelation that nobody thought about before, in fact, I'm pretty sure there is someone that may have come up with this theory months ago...I just couldn't find it on the web, and so I start this thread to discuss this theory if people are interested, but if you have already red something like that, feel free to link posts or threads that are similar, I'm highly interested in any discussion about this subject.

Thirdly, yeah, theory discussion...meaning I'll discuss hints here and there, but by no means do I think it's "the truth", just "my truth"...and to be honest, Yoko Taro seems to purposely leave a lot of things up to interpretation, which is, imho, what makes his universe so intriguing and interesting. I'll also assume that people that are interested in this discussion know the plot of both NieR and NieR : Automata...and if people even want to form links with the Drakengard lore, they're welcome! I've only superficially red about the Drakengard games, and I plan to learn more about them in the future, but in the meantime, all thoughts are welcome!

That being said...this theory is about why this game is titled "NieR : Automata".

Let's first look at the reasons that spring to mind : it's a sequel for the first NieR (I'll refer to it as NieR : G/R in the future to avoid confusion with Nier, the protagonist of the first game). Though I want to point out that the title is not "NieR 2 : Automata".

Then there is "Automata", and this obviously refers to the term "automaton", which, again, perfectly fits the game, it's a story about androids and machines, after all.

So it makes sense...but there are things that are strange though...why call the game "NieR" when said character of Nier is not in the game at all? The canon ending of NieR : G/R, ending D, shows Nier giving up his very existence to save Kainé. Correct me on that one if I'm wrong, but it is also strongly suggested that Nier and Kainé have a strong romantic relationship.

And here is where I stumbled on another theory that seems to be a fan favorite : Kainé's personality would be the template for the personalities of the Number 2 YoRHa androids. And I must admit, I find this theory really interesting, with a number of hints pointing to it :
- the fact that A2 and Kainé share somewhat similar personalities
- that they are both swordswomen...in fact, add 2B in the mix
- the fact that 2B, not A2, 's DLC outfit is Kainé's outfit.
- the fact that in the YoRHA stage play, it's mentioned that A2's personality is based on a girl (or hermaphrodite, but that's another discussion) that lived on the countryside with her grandmother, which is highly reminiscent of the backstory of Kainé.
http://firesanctuary.com/blog/yorha-stage-play/

They're only hints, but I find them quite convincing. And then, if we push this theory just a little further...

If Kainé is indeed the template for Number 2 personalities...and if we take into account the Concert scripts...
https://mintychu.dreamwidth.org/tag/script
Then in Concert Script 2, it is implied that the original prototypes for all the YoRHa androids Number 2 and Number 9, were intrinsically attracted one to the other. So...if Kainé is the template for Number 2 personalities...wouldn't Nier be the template for Number 9 personalities?

Far-fetched? Maybe, but here are other hints going in that direction :
- Number 9, 9S, and Nier all share a tendency to let their emotions overwhelm them and lead them to irrational actions/madness. If people that have played NieR : G/R could confirm, it'd be super interesting, but from what I've red, Nier can be seriously ruthless against Shades and thirst for vengeance on a quasi-maniac level.
- The novel "The lost World" of Grimoire Nier, http://nier.wikia.com/wiki/The_Lost_World, tells an epilogue to NieR : G/R ending D where it is implied that Kainé succeeds at helping a younger version of Nier to come back to life, even after his sacrifice at the end of NieR : G/R. What's interesting is that it's a younger version...how much younger? Not specified, but...9S is a young man, almost a boy...

And the final hint : the title, "NieR : Automata", that echoes perfectly NieR : Gestalt and NieR : Replicant. In fact, I've red/heard people referring to 9S as the main protagonist of NieR : Automata, since it's the character that we spend the most time controlling. And if Nier is the template for the Number 9 androids personality, then the title makes more sense : it's the story of an android version of Nier, "NieR : Automata". And it fits the theme of a never-ending cycle of life and death perfectly, this is not a sequel, just another tour around the cycle.

Now, I just want to clarify that I don't think it means that 9S IS Nier...more like, he's the current incarnation of certain ideas that were represented by Nier. They're not the same character, like Kainé, 2B, and A2 are not the same characters...after all, 2B has quite a different personality than A2, and while similar, A2 and Kainé are also quite distinct (again, from what I've red of Kainé).

But I like the way it fits the theme of the cycle, and the fact that if could mean that Yoko Taro is able to repeat the same templates of characters and come up each time with deep distinct and believable characters while maintaining a coherence with his favorite themes. Hey, maybe this "cursed but eternal love" theme can be linked to Caim/Angelus and Zero/Mikhail?

[sammykneen]

Yoko Taro stated in an interview that the word “Nier” means “Curse”.

Therefore NieR: Automata indirectly translates to “Curse of the Automatons”, and NieR: Gestalt and NieR: Replicant translate to “Curse of the Gestalts” and “Curse of the Replicants” respectively. Which makes sense to me.

Also, Nier’s actions in the original game have a direct impact on the events that unfold in Automata, so it makes sense that they kept the name.

[Triggerquad]

I think a major bit of evidence for the No. 2 personalitys being based of the gestalt of Kaine is the fact that Emil seem to recognise 2B in the Emil heads weapon story, but due to his clone fiasco, can't quite remember. It does seem like there are strong implications. I get the feeling that the red girls are slightly based off of a twisted version of Yohna. The medical record found in the library is a bit to diliberate for me to ignore the possibilitys. The little script that Jackass wrote on the machines when you truly finish the game make me question if it is in fact Nier though. I think Yohna whas the only gestalt to fuse (or almost fuse) with her repicant though, and the log does say "the first succsessful example of the gestalt proccess". Meaning both seperation and fusion, so who knows? Anyway, It's a bit unsettling and sad, so it fits with Yoko Taro's themes.

[myhr2]

Good points, I didn't though of how Yohna fits in all of this.