Nier is the titular protagonist of the original western release of NieR, also known as NieR Gestalt. He is a middle-aged man in search of a cure for the Black Scrawl, a disease which has afflicted his daughter, Yonah.
While not officially named, as his name is determined by the player, most fans[3] and many official supplemental materials also refer to him as "Nier."[1]
His traveling companions are Grimoire Weiss, Kainé, and Emil.
Appearance
Nier is a well-built, muscular man with white hair and ashen-blue eyes. His hair is roughly shoulder-length and parted down the middle and tied into a small bun in the back. Nier goes mostly topless, save for a large, fur-lined pauldron on his left shoulder, and studded leather armor on his arms. He wears a leather waistguard with leather armor over his legs, and a simple white sash around his waist. He has an intricate tattoo on his exposed right shoulder.
After the five-year timeskip, Nier's hair is grown out, and he wears a mask that covers most of the upper half of his face, except for his forehead and left eye.
During the events of 15 Nightmares, Nier's appearance becomes that of Brother Nier, more specifically his post-timeskip appearance in Act II of NieR Replicant/ver.1.22.
Story
Nier is a middle-aged widower left to watch over his only daughter following his wife's untimely demise some years ago. Because Yonah is sad to have little to no memories of her mother, Nier swore to do everything within his power to never let her feel sorrow again. This determination can manifest in extreme ways, to where he'll praise his daughter's failed cooking as works of art and unwaveringly believing anything that she says. He strives to provide for Yonah as best he can.
Though his appearance seems intimidating, those close to him know Nier as a kind-hearted man with a strong sense of honor and incredible work ethic. Nier is also a skilled fighter trained in the ways of the one-handed sword. Over time, he comes to possess a mastery of the spear and the two-handed sword as well. These skills, and many more, come in handy as Nier dedicates himself to finding a cure for his daughter's illness.
Act I
The story begins 1,358 years after the events of Drakengard, where Nier's only daughter, Yonah, has succumbed to a violent cough and must remain in bed while he searches for a cure. Though much time has passed, the world in which this father and daughter resides is, in many ways, one of a simpler time. Villagers live in modest homes and work together to ensure a better life for their community. The entire village knows of young Yonah's illness, and lends their support by hiring Nier for numerous odd jobs and errands. Some would say the work is beneath a man of his caliber, but he holds his head high and does whatever he can to provide for his daughter, all the while hoping that the village's wisest members, Popola, and her twin sister Devola, can discover a cure.
One day, Yonah leaves to seek out the Lunar Tear, a flower her father once told her about, and goes off in search of the Lost Shrine where Popola told her they grow. Upon searching the Lost Shrine, Nier stumbles upon a talking book capable of wielding magic, calling itself Grimoire Weiss. The two team up to defeat an army of Shades and two living guardian statues to save Yonah. It is discovered that Yonah is suffering from the Black Scrawl virus, which is linked to the Shades. This partnership with Weiss allows Nier to use magic, and the two begin their quest to search the lands to collect the Sealed Verses that Nier hopes will give Weiss the power to destroy the darkness and save his daughter. In their search, they encounter the hot-tempered, foul-mouthed Kainé, who is herself part-Shade, and a young boy, Emil, whose eyes petrify anyone that gazes upon them. Their quest sees many hardships, culminating in Kainé becoming petrified in order to seal a deadly Shade beneath the library, while Yonah is carried away by a being known as the Shadowlord, who carries his own book, Grimoire Noir.
Act II
- "I have something to defend! I have a reason to live!"
- — Nier, when fighting the Shadowlord
In the five years since Yonah was carried away, Nier has neither given up hope that she's alive nor doubts for a moment that he can find her again. Times have gotten hard for the villagers during these intervening years. The gates to the village remain shut at all times, and food is scarce. News from the outside world seldom makes it to the village because of the increased number of Shades in the neighboring plains, and many of the animals that used to graze have fled the area. Shades have also become far tougher to defeat, even for Nier. They are outfitted with plate armor, helms, and wield swords. The world is in turmoil, and the Shadowlord is behind it all.
Emil believes he has discovered the key to removing his curse, as well as un-petrifying Kainé, so he and Nier journey to a lab below Emil's mansion, where Emil remembers his past: he and his sister, Halua, were the subjects of human experimentation through the National Weapons Research Laboratory, wherein they were genetically modified to turn into "weapons" with the power of maso. Halua, "Number 6," was utilized to create the "ultimate weapon," while he, "Number 7," was kept in reserve. This weapon—his sister—is a large, disfigured skeleton-like creature, and is ultimately defeated by Nier but not before Emil has to seal away her power. This has the unfortunate side-effect of transforming a devastated Emil into a similar skeleton-like body that floats above the ground. However, now he can see and wield his own form of magic. After un-petrifying Kainé and defeating the Shade beneath the library, the three set out to find the parts to a keystone that they believe will help them locate the Shadowlord and Grimoire Noir.
With the pieces in place, the team returns to the shrine where Weiss was originally found and enter the Shadowlord's Castle. They encounter Devola and Popola, who reveal to them that all of the remaining humans on the planet are not in fact humans, but Replicants, or "shells," from Project Gestalt. Faced with its own destruction over 1,300 years ago by a virus, mankind created Project Gestalt in an attempt to extend human lives by transferring their minds into duplicate shells, free of disease. The project was initially successful, but the Replicants began to exert their own consciousness and gradually became human entities of their own without the original human souls transferred into them. The Shades that Nier and his group have been fighting are actually the remains of humans from long ago who have succumbed to the virus, their aggressiveness due to an overwhelming desire to return to a real body. The twins fight against Nier and his friends, and when Devola is killed, Popola threatens to destroy everything until Emil sacrifices himself so that Nier and Kainé can continue.
Nier, Kainé, and Weiss reach the Shadowlord's chamber, and after defeating Grimoire Noir, they discover that the Shadowlord is the original "Nier" as seen in the game's prologue, who was the primary test subject for Project Gestalt and driven by an identical desire to protect his daughter. Having taken Yonah, he has given the original human Yonah her Replicant body, but this Yonah realizes that she cannot keep it, as she hears the Replicant Yonah calling for her father. She vacates the body, and Nier and the Shadowlord do battle. During the fight, Weiss loses all his strength and disappears, leaving Nier to fight the Shadowlord alone. After defeating him, Nier and Yonah are reunited. However, without their souls, the Replicants are all doomed to extinction.
Endings
Ending A: Call Her Back
Replicant Nier kills Gestalt Nier, hesitating for a moment before dealing a final blow. Afterwards, Nier goes to Yonah's side. Worried when Yonah doesn't respond to his calls, Grimoire Weiss, after losing his body, uses the last of his strength to speak. He tells Nier that she will awaken when someone says the name of the one she loves the most. The player is then given a choice to write their character's name. If entered correctly, Yonah slowly opens her eyes and observes her father for the first time in five years.
Kainé moves to leave, but is stopped by Nier, asking if she wants to stay with them. She declines, saying she has "her own shit to take care of." The scene shifts over to Nier and Yonah, five years earlier in the village, sitting on the hill near their house. Yonah runs up to a sitting Nier and gives her father a Lunar Tear as they both lay down on the hill.
Ending B: Lingering Memories
Similar to Ending A, Replicant Nier defeats Gestalt Nier. The scene then changes to Gestalt Nier scrunched up, weeping to himself—alone in a white void—as he regrets all the hardships he put Yonah through. A flashback occurs, with Yonah and himself alone in the grocery store from the game's prologue. He tells her that he isn't hungry, while Yonah tries to force him to eat something.
The scene reverts back and images of enemies that Replicant Nier killed gaze at him while he cries to himself. Gestalt Yonah, in her young form, comes to greet him and thanks him for always being there for her, and shares a cookie with him.
Ending C: Thank You
A continuation of Endings A and B, after Nier defeats and kills the Shadowlord, as Kainé goes to leave she begins to relapse. She then goes into her Shade form, forcing Nier to fight her. After Kainé is incapacitated, Tyrann explains to Nier how he can save her—either by killing her, or forgoing his entire existence for her.
If the player chooses to kill her, Nier stabs Kainé as he kisses her, finally ending her pain. Tyrann tells Nier Kainé's last words, "Thank you." A Lunar Tear falls next to a distraught Nier. He picks it up as he gazes through a window. It's unknown what events occur after this Ending, but it's likely that Nier and Yonah return to the village to live out the rest of their days together before they succumb to the Black Scrawl.
Ending D: Something Very Special
If the player chooses to sacrifice Nier's entire existence for Kainé, everything is erased and everyone forgets he ever existed. Nier disappears, while Yonah thanks Kainé for saving her. A Lunar Tear falls on the ground, which Kainé picks up. When she holds it, she has a flashback of Nier and mentions that it feels like she found something special.
Ending E: The Lost World
Note: It is unlikely that this ending applies to Father Nier, as both Grimoire NieR and NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... refer to Brother Nier for this ending.
Told in Grimoire NieR, after the Shadowlord is defeated, a program to reset the entire Replicant system begins its execution in the Forest of Myth, and Kainé goes to destroy it. The forgotten Nier is reunited with Kainé, reconstructed with the "memories" that the tree had of his first visit to the Forest of Myth.The World of Recycled Vessel
- "I usually stop before the end, though. The last few entries are pretty bizarre."
- — Nier, regarding his wife's diary
Also known as 15 Nightmares, Nier and Grimoire Weiss happen upon a diary that belonged to the former's wife. Weiss asks Nier about it, with him responding that the later pages don't make sense. They then venture into "The White Room" as a younger Nier, with a series of familiar and new locations with waves of Shades to fight.
At the end of each location, more of Nier's wife's diary is revealed, explaining the war between Gestalts and Replicants, and how the Dragon brought magic into the world where it didn't belong. When they finish reading the diary, both wonder what the meaning of the final pages were.
Gallery
Trivia
- Nier's birthday is September 11th, shown in one of Yonah's diary entries. The date is also the birthday of Nowe, the protagonist of Drakengard 2, as well as the release date for the original Drakengard.
- Nier in French means "to deny." Yoko Taro intended there to be no special reason for it.
- Nier is also the Danish word for "nine," the name of the playing card in Danish rank between eight and ten. It also coincides with September, Nier's birthday being on the ninth month.
- In the DLC pack The World of Recycled Vessel, the younger incarnation of Nier is playable for a short time in NieR Gestalt. In contrast, the older incarnation of Nier is playable for a short time in NieR Replicant. The older incarnation of Nier is also playable in the World of Recycled Vessel content included in NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139....
- Father Nier is referenced in NieR:Automata along with Yonah in the weapon story for Cruel Arrogance.
- Argo's "Patriotic Traveler" costume in NieR Reincarnation has him wearing Father Nier's outfit.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Grimoire NieR: Revised Edition p.196
- ↑ Grimoire NieR: Revised Edition p.10
- ↑ Fire Sanctuary (December 29, 2020). A Couple Interesting Facts About NieR Revealed on Saito's Christmas Special, Fire Sanctuary. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
