A new and improved version of Nier Replicant, the prequel to Nier: Automata and the first spin-off in the Drakengard franchise, released a few weeks ago. Though players can name the main character whatever they would like, many know him as Nier, due to the name of the game.
Throughout the installment, he goes on an epic adventure to save his sister, Yonah, and meets some unique friends, Grimoire Weiss, Kainé, and Emil, along the way. On his journey, he learns a lot about the world he lives in, including things that he did not even know about himself. Here are ten of the protagonist's best quotes.
10 "Look, It Doesn't Matter What A Shade Is Or Isn't Thinking..."
Full quote: "Look, It Doesn't Matter What A Shade Is Or Isn't Thinking. All That Matters Is That We Kill Every Last One Of 'Em."
Nier never had a problem against fighting the shades, but in the second half of the game, he hates them and wants to kill every single one. There are many times where he talks about how much he wants to kill these enemies, but this is one of the most impactful, especially as it takes place immediately after defeating a young shade that some players might feel bad for after learning its story.
Though Nier didn't know that the shades had emotions, he may be considered by some to be the true villain of the game.
9 "No! Yonah! Yonah! We Need Help... Please, Somebody, We Need Help! Help Us!"
In the prologue of the game, Nier fights against a group of shades to protect Yonah. When he returns, he finds out that Yonah had touched Grimoire Noir, which he told her not to, and she collapses in his arms.
Scared and alone, Nier doesn't know what to do. 1, 412 years pass before players see them again, not understanding what happened at the beginning of the game. However, when replaying it after learning the truth about the siblings, the prologue is much more painful and emotional to experience.
8 "We're Here To Rescue Yonah."
When Nier and his friends are finally ready to fight against the Shadowlord, he is shocked to encounter Devola and Popola. Nier learns that two of the people he cares most about in the world have never actually been on his side. They have been working for the Shadowlord the entire time that Nier has known them. After trying to convince the protagonist to return to their village, they attack him, Kainé, Emil, and Grimoire Weiss.
Players are able to choose to have Nier say this line, beginning the fight and progressing the story. Alternatively, they can also decide to go back with them and do something else before continuing the plot of the game. Being able to make this decision makes this short but game-changing quote even better.
7 "Weapon Or No Weapon, You're Still Emil To Us."
When Emil regains his memory of the time he was used as a weapon that was experimented on and reunited with his sister, he is saddened by his past. Luckily, Nier is there to help him remember that this doesn't change who he is.
He proves this moments later, when Emil's physical appearance changes, making him no longer look human. But that doesn't stop Nier from staying true to his word and caring about Emil just as much as he always had.
6 "I Didn't Get Much Sleep That Night..."
Full quote: "I Didn't Get Much Sleep That Night. For The First Time In My Life, I Hated Devola. For The First Time In My Life, I Doubted Popola. But Those Feelings Are Pointless In The End. They Said And Did What They Did For The Sake Of The Village. To Protect It From The Horror Of The Shades. Really, How Can I Blame Devola And Popola? In The End, I'm Just As Bad. Because I Never Once Stopped To Think About Kainé And Emil's Situation Myself."
After five years, Emil is able to save Kainé and the heroes are reunited. However, Devola and Popola do not allow Nier's friends to stay in the village, forcing them to sleep outside even after they saved the villagers. Not only do these words portray how Nier felt about the poor treatment his friends faced, but they also foreshadowed plot twists that were revealed towards the end of the game.
5 "You Want Me To Understand Your Sadness?"
Full quote: "You Want Me To Understand Your Sadness? You Think I'm Gonna Sympathize With You? I Swore To Protect My Sister And My Friends. If Someone Puts Them In Danger, They Must Stand Aside Or Be Cut Down! Now Come On! Let's Finish This!"
Towards the end of the game, Nier learns that he is the replicant of The Shadowlord, meaning that the two of them are the exact same person. In his final battle against himself, Nier still despises The Shadowlord, not fully realizing that if he had the same experiences as the main antagonist, he would have done the same thing, especially since both of their goals are to reunite with Yonah after losing her. These words are very ironic and a great way to begin the final fight with Nier's worst enemy.
4 "But You Saved Us..."
Full quote: "But You Saved Us. If It Wasn't For You, We'd All Be Dead. We Owe You. It's All Right. Really. Don't Look Back."
After the protagonists go to the Aerie, they are attacked by a group of shades who are disguised as replicants. Emil has no choice but to kill them, along with the true civilians of the Aerie, and destroy everything around him as well.
Emil feels terrible for doing this, but Nier is there for his friend. The protagonist tells Emil that they would have died if he didn't fight.
3 "We Made It This Far Because You Were With Us, Kainé!"
Full quote: "We Made It This Far Because You Were With Us, Kainé! I'm Who I Am Today Because Of You! I'm Not Going To Give Up On You. I'm Not Going To Abandon Someone I Love! I'm Going To Save You. I Swear It!"
Shortly after defeating The Shadowlord, Nier is forced to fight Kainé because the Black Scrawl is taking control of her. As much as he doesn't want to hurt one of his closest friends, Nier doesn't have much of a choice. Luckily, players are able to decide whether Nier will save or kill Kainé; however, the former results in Nier sacrificing his life and any memory of him, as well as the players deleting their save file.
2 "Yonah. All I Brought You Was Pain..."
Full quote: "Yonah. All I Brought You Was Pain. Years Of Painful, Lingering Memories. I Couldn't Do It. I Couldn't Rescue You. I'm So Sorry. I Failed. Your Brother Failed."
Because Nier and The Shadowlord are the same person, the main antagonist's quotes are technically also spoken by the hero of the game. After the replicant defeats his original self, The Shadowlord expresses regret and pain, showing how his story is even sadder than the Nier fans played as.
After centuries of being apart, The Shadowlord doesn't succeed in his goal of being happy with his younger sister again, like they were when they were children. There are many emotional stories in Nier Replicant, with The Shadowlord's being one of the most painful.
1 "You Don't Get To Decide Who Lives And Who Dies..."
Full quote: "You Don't Get To Decide Who Lives And Who Dies. She's A Life! She Has Meaning And Worth, And We're Going To Save Her! Everyone Has Something To Life For. Even Kainé... Even Yonah."
After avenging her grandmother's death by killing the shade that killed her, Kainé figures that there is nothing more to live for. However, Nier refuses to let her die and convinces her that there is more to life than her revenge.
As Nier approaches Kainé, Grimoire Weiss tells him that death may be comforting to her. The protagonist's response has meaning both within and outside of the game.