Key foods
- Due to the failure of the Gestalt project, the negligence of Devola and Popola led to the extinction of humanity.
- Kindness and gratitude can break the cycle of hatred and polarized thinking.
- 9S's existential crisis is fueled by the truth behind YoRHa and her relationship with 2B.
The following contains spoilers for Episode 22 of NieR Automata Ver1.1a, now streaming on Crunchyroll.
In 2003, a mysterious object fell from the sky in Tokyo. It was at that time that an epidemic overcame the human race. Using what they could find of the mysterious object, scientists came together to create a project that would ensure humanity's survival, called the “Gestalt Project”. The humans' souls are then separated from their bodies, while replacements called “Replicants” temporarily take their place. The humans then take the form of “gestalts”, ghostly shadow-like beings.
With the virus gone, two androids named Devola and Popola were set up to oversee the project. However, as a result of their negligence, the project failed and humanity became extinct. From then on, all Devola and Popola models are programmed with endless guilt to ensure that they never deviate from orders. Meanwhile, 9S receives a visit from one of his former selves and learns of his past fate at the hands of 2B.
past sins
Those who have played NieR: Replicant Devola and Popola will be introduced as the player fights them in a boss battle at the end of the game, when it is revealed that the main character is not a human, but a Replicant. The initial plan was to combine the Gestalts with the Replicants to ensure that humanity fully survived and regenerated. However, the way they took it was to pretend to unite the player and eventually force a reunion, as the two androids did not consider the Replicants to be human, let alone equal. This course of action failed and along with the early models of Devola and Popola, humanity perished.
But looking at the past does not make for a brighter future. Conversely, while the newest models of the twins bemoan their predicament, believing that they have failed a second time, they decide to help him as he enters the tower for the final battle. Ironically, it was because Lily and the Resistance thanked them that it gave them the determination to continue forward. Maybe there is hope for them. The biggest cause of conflict is polarized thinking and preconceived bias, and it's easy to fall into this mindset. Something as simple as gratitude can go a long way. Hate is contagious, but so is kindness.
accepting the present
It goes without saying that 9S is in love with 2B, and considering the events of the previous episode, it is confirmed that 2B returns her feelings. Upon arrival, 9S enters an existential crisis when he confronts his past self and realizes that 2B's only purpose was to kill him. It's also around this time that Zinnia, an Android similar to the 9S, is revealed. For a quick story, Zinnia was the mastermind behind the YoRHa project, but ended up abandoning the plan.
#9, the original 9S was informed of the extinction of humanity and unable to accept it, killed Zinnia and ended the YoRHa project, installing a backdoor in the Bunker to ensure the truth would never be revealed. #2 destroyed #9 shortly after and the facility they were in was destroyed. From then on, all of the 9S are in danger of going down the same path and need 2B (or 2E) by their side to make sure they never discover the truth or go insane in the process.
This puts the current Derek 9S in a dilemma: why is he alive? It's simple, 2B wants to break the cycle, and 9S shows that for some reason. It doesn't have to be this way all the time, and so, without his fate pulling the strings, it is his own actions that dictate the future.