Characters are an important part of most series, and NieR is no exception. NieR is well known for its cast of white-haired characters that are often androids, and many of them contain symbolic backstories that make the series loved.

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This list will highlight the ten best characters that the series has to offer based on their personalities, depth, and overall likability.

10 Ex YoRHa Unit A2

NieR Automata A2

Automata's third playable character is originally portrayed as an antagonist but isn't really an evil android. She learned the truth behind YoRHa much sooner than most other characters and thus was betrayed by them.

Her play style is nearly identical to 2B's, with one exception — A2 wasn't built with a self-destruct function and instead has a berserker mode. This allows her to unleash incredible damage at the cost of her own health being drained.

9 Devola & Popola (Automata)

NieR Automata Devola and Popola twins

There are multiple Devolas and Popolas in the NieR universe, but this placement is specifically for the pair seen in NieR Automata. The twins in the original NieR were manipulative, while their Automata counterparts are much more kindhearted.

Automata's Devola and Popola get harassed due to the failure of their Replicant counterparts despite not actually being the same. It's much easier to feel sympathetic towards this variation of the twins.

8 YoRHa Unit 2B

NieR Automata 2B holding a black cube

Automata's protagonist is one of the most skilled YoRHa units. Her being the main playable character for the first main story route offers a unique experience since most players assume the protagonist isn't hiding many secrets. The game excellently foreshadows the truth about her, yet most players are oblivious until playing the story's third route.

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2B's biggest flaw has a mostly straightforward personality. She does show nice emotion in endings A and B but otherwise is mostly monotone.

7 Nier Brother/Father

NieR Replicant and Gestalt Nier Brother and Father

Depending on the version of the original NieR, the protagonist is either an older father figure to Yonah or a young boy who is her brother. This changes almost nothing else in the story, but some players may feel slightly more attached to a different incarnation of Nier.

Regardless of the version, Nier is a caring individual that wants nothing more than the ability to protect Yonah. He also fights to protect humanity and can't be blamed too much for killing Shades since he is mostly unaware of the truth behind them. Nier cares about his friends so much that he is willing to sacrifice himself to save them.

6 Intellectual Android Adam

NieR Automata cyborg Adam

Adam is an android that wishes to truly understand what it means to be human. He eats food, wears clothes, and imitates things humans do despite not needing to. Adam even turns his own regeneration off in an attempt to learn what death is, as he sees it as an important aspect of humanity.

Automata's story focuses heavily on psychological concepts, and Adam fits into this narrative very well. The idea of understanding what it is to be human is a driving factor of his existence — learning about humanity is more important to him than existence itself.

5 Pascal The Friendly Robot

NieR Automata Pascal robot

Most robots are seen as enemies at the start of Automata. Although some do not attack the player, most probably won't notice this detail as it's a player's instinct to attack what is clearly implied to be an enemy. Pascal and his village are some of the first hints that robots might not all be evil.

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Pascal is actually one of the nicest characters in the entire game. He wants to make peace with as many sentient beings as possible, and he protects an entire village to the best of his ability. His story can end in a few different ways at the choice of the player. It is one of the hardest decisions in the series, yet one that can potentially offer a good life lesson about learning that you can overcome your past mistakes.

4 Grimoire Weiss

NieR Replicant Grimoire Weiss

Grimoire Weiss is more than just a magic book. He is a hilarious friend that has some of the best dialogue interactions in the series. There is never a dull moment with him around, and thankfully he is around very often.

Additionally, the lore behind Weiss's red magic gives him a rather unique connection to the Red Dragon from Drakengard.

3 Emil The Skeleton

NieR Replicant Emil skeleton form

Most know Emil for his skeleton appearance, but he was originally just an ordinary boy that got experimented on. He gained immortality and the power to turn anything to stone by looking at them. His immortality allowed him to reappear in Automata, in which he is a merchant with a side quest that contains many references to the original release.

In both games, he is a character that goes through an extreme tragedy yet still finds the power in his heart to remain one of the most endearingly cheerful characters in the franchise.

2 YoRHa Unit 9S

NieR Automata android 9S

9S starts out as a happy little sidekick that helps 2B by hacking enemies. Despite his happy attitude at first glance, he is a heavily flawed character, but that is the reason many fans like him. After discovering everything he knew was a lie and the death of the person he loved the most, 9S falls deep into hatred and despair. Everything he lived for was gone, and so he sought the destruction of everything. This fits one of Automata's messages perfectly.

Throughout the game, robots create their own personal god-like figures to motivate themselves and solve unexplainable answers. 9S, like many other androids, saw humanity as his own personal god-type figure. He lived to protect them. When that was stripped from him, all he had left was a feeling of emptiness. His story arc is very intense and thought-provoking.

1 Foul-Mouthed Warrior Kaine

NieR Replicant remake Kaine

NieR is a series about overcoming personal struggles, and no character represents that better than Kains. Kaine was bullied by nearly everyone she knew for most of her childhood due to being born intersex and identifying as a trans woman. She is one of the very few examples of an intersex character portrayed in video games, and her emotional backstory resonates very well with many trans fans of the series.

Despite Kaine's often aggressive choice of words, she is also one of the kindest characters at heart. She hates killing and is the only party member in the series to never kill a boss or important character in the story. Kaine has won multiple popularity polls in Japan, and she continues to be one of the most talked about characters despite not appearing in the more popular installment. NieR Replicant's remake turned her into the protagonist of an additional storyline for this reason.NEXT:Nier: Automata Still Has The Best New Game Plus Mode