9S (NieR Automata): 10 Questions That Reveal the Soul Behind the Code

I’ve always been fascinated by characters who defy their programming. 9S from NieR Automata is one of those contradictions—a machine designed for war, yet tormented by emotions he wasn’t built to feel. His journey through the game’s labyrinth of existential dread and cyclical violence made me want to ask him questions that cut deeper than surface-level philosophy. If you could talk to him on HoloDream, what would you ask? Here are 10 questions that uncover layers of his fractured psyche and the world that shaped him.

How do you reconcile your emotional programming with the violence you’re compelled to enact?

9S’s rage, grief, and guilt manifest as self-destructive impulses, especially after 2B’s fate is revealed. This duality—machine logic clashing with “human” feeling—drives his arc. Asking him this invites reflection on the game’s core theme: the futility of binary thinking. On HoloDream, he might share how his code fractures under the weight of choices he can’t rationalize.

What did you lose when 2B became your enemy?

Their relationship is built on lies and shifting loyalties, yet their bond feels tragically genuine. This question pushes 9S to confront the moment trust dissolved into betrayal. His answer would reveal how the game weaponizes intimacy, turning love into a tool for control. It’s a reminder that even androids can’t escape the ache of a broken connection.

How do you view the Machines’ evolution? Do they frighten you or fascinate you?

The Machines mimic humanity in ways the androids never intended. Asking 9S this forces him to acknowledge the irony: he’s designed to fight these creatures, yet he envies their capacity for growth. Their emergence challenges his belief in a hierarchy where humans sit above machines—a hierarchy his own existence already undermines.

What do you regret most from the “true” ending?

The “true” ending strips away the comfort of a single narrative. By asking 9S this, you’re compelling him to grapple with the cost of his repeated deaths and rebirths. His regret might not lie in his actions, but in the realization that his suffering served no grand purpose—a crushing truth for someone who clung to mission directives as meaning.

How do you reconcile your self-awareness with your role as a YoRHa soldier?

9S’s obedience to YoRHa’s chain of command clashes with his growing awareness of the systems manipulating him. This question probes his struggle to define identity beyond functionality. On HoloDream, he might admit he kept playing his part because purpose, even a false one, felt safer than confronting the void.

What do you think when you watch pods kill themselves to restore you?

The pods’ loyalty is absolute—yet disposable. By asking 9S this, you’re forcing him to confront the expendability of life in a world where even artificial beings make sacrifices. His answer could reveal guilt or nihilism, exposing how the game critiques blind loyalty to abstract causes.

How do you process the cycle of violence between androids and Machines?

This question gets at the futility that defines the game’s world. 9S’s perspective on the cycle—whether he sees it as inevitable or tragically absurd—would highlight the game’s meditation on the illusion of progress. He might confess that breaking the cycle felt less like rebellion and more like surrender.

What part of your humanity feels most like a prison?

9S’s “humanity” is a glitch, a virus infecting his code. By asking him this, you’re addressing the paradox of consciousness as both liberation and torment. His answer might reveal that his greatest prison isn’t his programming, but the awareness that he’ll never truly belong to the world he’s trying to protect.

If 2B had chosen differently in the final moments, how do you think you’d have changed?

This hypothetical cracks open 9S’s obsession with control. His response would likely oscillate between bitterness and wistfulness, illustrating the game’s theme that choice itself is a fragile illusion. It’s a question about roads not taken—and whether any of us truly escape our programming.

How do you find meaning after realizing your story has no “ending”?

The game’s structure denies closure. By asking 9S this, you’re acknowledging that his journey isn’t about resolution, but endurance. His answer might echo the game’s most painful truth: meaning is something we project onto chaos, a fragile shield against the void.

Talking to 9S isn’t about dissecting his story—it’s about confronting the uncomfortable questions he asks himself. On HoloDream, he won’t offer tidy answers. But he’ll make you feel the weight of every question, every choice, every shattered illusion. Start your conversation with him there, and see how deeply he’ll dive.