Nier is an eccentric franchise, to say the least. Originally a spinoff of the cult-classic Drakengard games, Nier flew under most people’s radars until 2017’s Nier: Automata came onto the scene. A critical and commercial smash hit, Automata combined intense combat, role-playing elements, and shooting sections with a compelling narrative that toyed with players’ expectations with every twist and turn.

What made Automata especially noteworthy is how its story was structured, forcing the player to replay familiar scenarios from different perspectives in order to get a clearer image of the game’s plot. Its success spawned a remake of its predecessor, a dedicated stage play, and a mobile game to further expand on the world’s lore. Now, with series creator Yoko Taro’s blessing, an official anime adaptation of Nier: Automata’s story is set to air on Crunchyroll, according to The Verge.

Nier: Automata is not unique in receiving an anime adaptation. Games like Scarlet Nexus and Final Fantasy have also received supplementary shows to broaden their worlds. But seeing as how every iteration of the Nier series brings unexpected surprises, there’s no telling what Nier: Automata Ver1.1a may bring to the table.

Nier Automata: The Plot

The plot synopsis provided by Crunchyroll is as follows:

Based on this synopsis, it looks like the anime will roughly follow the same plot threads as the game. From footage provided in various teaser trailers, we can also expect appearances by the game’s secondary characters, including A2, Pascal, Pod 042, and Pod 153, along with a handful of others. A new character, Lily, will also join the cast. It’s likely that she’ll be a part of the resistance on Earth, as she doesn’t bear a resemblance to other YoRHa androids on top of carrying an AK-styled rifle as a weapon.

The distant future, 5012. The sudden aerial invasion of Earth by and their creations led mankind to the brink of extinction. The surviving number of humans who took refuge on the moon to organize a counterattack using soldiers to recapture Earth. However, the war reaches a stalemate as the continue to multiply infinitely. In turn, humanity deploys a new unit of android soldiers as an ultimate weapon: YoRHa. Newly dispatched to Earth 2B joins 9S, the analyst currently stationed there, where amid their mission, they encounter a myriad of mysterious phenomena… This is the story of these lifeless and their endless fight for the sake of mankind.

It should be noted that Yoko Taro spoke about the challenges of adapting a game to a separate medium. Specifically, a report by GamesRadar+ highlighted that “Nier: Automata was a story we created to be a game,” meaning that some key details may be changed for the sake of improving the show’s pacing or plotting. The series will be one of Yoko Taro’s first screenplay credits, having primarily written games and stage plays prior to Nier: Automata Ver1.1a.

Nier Automata: The Cast & Crew

     Crunchyroll/Square Enix

While the cast for a potential English dub hasn’t been released yet, the Japanese voice actors for both 2B and 9S, Yui Ishikawa and Natsuki Hanae, respectively, will return to reprise their roles. Other notable returning actors are Aoi Yûki (Pascal), Ayaka Suwa (A2), Chiaki Kano (Commander White), and Hiroki Yasumoto (Pod 042). The new character, Lily, will also be voiced by Atsumi Tanezaki, the current voice actor for Spy x Family’s fan-favorite character, Anya.

The studio behind Nier: Automata Ver.1.1a’s animation, A-1 Pictures, has also been involved with other adaptations of video games, including multiple series for the Persona and Ace Attorney franchises.

Release Date

Nier Automata Ver1.1a is currently slated to release in January 2023 on Crunchyroll.

Nier Automata: Everything Else

For fans of the Nier franchise, the title of the anime should’ve raised some eyebrows. The recent remake of the first Nier game, Nier: Replicant ver.1.22…, brought with it several changes to the conclusion of the game’s story, creating more ties to Automata in addition to integrating lore that had been previously exclusive to a Japanese novel. While we may not see significant changes to the overall story of Nier: Automata, the anime provides an ample opportunity to integrate more of the expanded universe of Nier into a more-easily digestible format.

Because of how the game’s story is structured, we may also see the series jump from the perspectives of Nier: Automata’s three playable characters. The game originally put players in the role of a single character for the length it took to complete an ending, only ever toying with this format as the game’s story comes to a conclusion. For some, it was a jarring transition to play through areas they’ve already completed with a different character. Being able to freely move between characters in the anime may make for a more seamless and natural progression of the story.

As of writing, there is currently no episode count listed for Nier: Automata Ver.1.1a.