From Drakengard to Nier Automata, Yoko Taro’s main characters are often framed as outsiders – both to their in-game worlds and the video game mediums in general. Drakengard’s Caim was a brutal deconstruction of how self indulgently violent most protagonists are, setting a precedent for intelligently written leads moving forward. Nier Replicant is a remake of 2010’s Gestalt, but it notably features a different main character for western fans.
The original Nier was developed with two characters in mind: Father Nier and Brother Nier. The father was the protagonist of the 360 version in Japan, which was the only one localized. Nier Replicant will be most audiences’ first time playing as Brother Nier, ultimately seeing a very different side to a familiar story. Although Brother Nier is a more traditional main character than the Father, he ultimately twists what it means to be a JRPG protagonist.
10 Nier’s Mother Died From The Black Scrawl
The World of Recycled Vessel was Nier’s sole DLC back at release, allowing players to read through the diary of Father Nier’s wife in Gestalt and Brother Nier’s mother in Replicant. Befitting the remake, Nier Replicant includes The World of Recycled Vessel as part of the base game, unlocking in Part 2. The World of Recycled Vessel reveals that Nier’s mother was infected with the Black Scrawl and very slowly started to lose her sanity. While unconnected in the grand scheme of things, Yonah’s Black Scrawl mirrors her mother’s tragic fate.
9 Nier’s Mother Died When He & Yonah Were Very Young
According to Yonah’s in-game journal entries, Nier’s mother died young enough where Yonah doesn’t even remember what she was like – going so far to wonder if she was even nice. The most Brother Nier says about his mother is that he knows what it’s like to lose a mom, with no real references to her personality (perhaps suggesting Nier doesn’t remember much either). Since Yonah is 7 in Replicant, she was likely a baby when her mother died, meaning Nier was no older than 10.
8 Nier Was Born On June 6, 3449
Fans of Nier Gestalt might remember that Father Nier’s birthday was September 11, alluding to the first Drakengard’s original release date. This was actually intended to be Nier’s birthday across all versions, but the developers ultimately used Yoko Taro’s own birthday – June 6 – as the basis for Brother Nier’s birthday.
7 Nier’s Name Technically Isn’t Nier
According to Yoko Taro himself, Nier’s name isn’t actually Nier. The main character of Nier Replicant is simply the protagonist, meant to be named whatever players choose. That said, Yoko Taro has acknowledged the fact that Nier’s name has been used in canonical side material (most notably Grimoire Nier, a book which expands the game’s lore and builds off Ending D). “Nier” itself has no discernible meaning in the context of the franchise and is simply meant to be the series’ title.
6 Nier Sold His Body For Money
One massive difference between Brother Nier and Father Nier is what they have to undergo in order to take care of Yonah. Since Father Nier is an older man who’s already established himself in the Village, he’s able to get consistent mercenary work along with the odd jobs thrown in. Brother Nier doesn’t have such a luxury.
Per side material, Brother Nier sold his body to older men for money so he could buy medicine for Yonah. While this might be uncomfortable, it puts into perspective just how far Nier is willing to go for his sister and the sorry state of the world (for reference, Brother Nier is only 16 at the start of Part 1 and him selling his body occurs before the events of the game).
5 The Villagers Pity Nier
Part of what makes Nier Replicant such a great game is how it comments on the little oddities that make up the medium. Nier takes on odd jobs around town to help pay for Yonah’s medicine, but most of these tasks are framed as mundane errands the villagers can do themselves – which is 100% the point.
Outside of a few key quests, Nier is never given meaningful work. He’s always tasked with something the villagers can easily do themselves mainly because of the sense of camaraderie the Village shares as a whole. This is doubly important since it keeps Brother Nier an optimistic and proactive character, harshly contrasting him with The Shadowlord.
4 Nier Is A Worrywart
Nier Replicant features a lot of party banter to round out the core cast, but most of Nier’s characterization comes from Yonah’s diary. While not present during every load screen, Yonah’s diary occasionally pops up to fill audiences in on what she’s up to and shine some insight on the Nier we don’t see. According to Yonah, Nier is constantly worrying about her, a fact conveyed powerfully through Zach Aguilar’s performance as young Nier.
3 Nier’s Idealism Is Likely A Coping Mechanism
Nier’s idealism is one of his most defining features as a character, applying both to Father Nier and Brother Nier. In both cases, Nier’s aggressive optimism is likely his main coping mechanism to deal with the harsh realities of his world.
Brother Nier in particular loses his father and mother at a young age, essentially forced to raise his baby sister for over half a decade before she’s kidnapped. Nier puts most of his naivety aside in Part 2 and becomes more aggressive (similar to Caim from Drakengard), but he still holds onto a misplaced sense of optimism.
2 A Life Of Tragedy In Any Era
Along with Brother Nier and Father Nier sharing different birthdays, their stories actually take place in different years altogether. The events of Nier Gestalt begin in the year 3361 while Nier Replicant actually starts in 3465. Why there’s such a large gap between the events of Gestalt and Replicant (despite ostensibly being the same story) doesn’t seem to have a clear answer.
1 Implications Regarding Father Nier
Several details about Brother Nier can be inferred from Father Nier. Ultimately, Brother and Father Nier are two sides of the same coin. In both Gestalt and Replicant, The World of Recycled Vessel makes it clear that Brother Nier will grow up to look like Father Nier and Father Nier used to look like Brother Nier. It’s perhaps a bit outlandish, but the fact Nier’s mother and wife share the exact same role in either story could suggest an Oedipus Complex.