"You know, when I was young, I...I hated my eyes. And now that I'm older, I hate what my body has become. But there's something else there now. Something like...pride. You know? I mean, without all this...I couldn't have become your friend. Goodbye, my friends! Thank you for everything!"

— Emil to Nier, Kainé, and Weiss

Emil, also known as No. 7, is a companion and deuteragonist in NieR, its remake, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139..., and a minor character in NieR:Automata.

A young boy that joins Nier's party towards the end of Act I, cursed with the ability to turn anyone who sees his eyes to stone. He is the younger twin brother of Halua.

In Act II, Emil reveals himself to be No.7, an ancient weapon created through human experimentation as a result of Project Snow White. He is ultimately transformed into a skeleton-like being after fusing with Halua, but retains his soul and gains new powers.

After the credits of Ending B, Emil, who survived the blast caused by Popola in the Shadowlord's Castle, crash lands in the desert. Now just a head, he goes out to search for Nier and Kainé, bouncing and rolling into the distance.

In NieR:Automata, a disembodied copy of Emil is briefly encountered inside the head of a machine, and is later seen attached to a moving sales cart where he offers his wares for the roaming androids of YoRHa. He recovers his memories with the androids' help and reveals he and countless other Emils were created by the original Emil to fight against the aliens.

Appearance

When he is first met towards the end of Act I in NieR, Emil appears as a young boy with short brown hair and purple eyes, which are hidden behind a blindfold. He wears purple clothing resembling that of Victorian era aristocracy, along with a floral-pattern sash worn over his left shoulder.

In Act II, after fusing with Halua, Emil undergoes a drastic transformation, resembling his sister's monstrous form at a much smaller scale. His body becomes a skeleton wrapped in a green shroud, while his head is now a large, gray sphere with blank eyes and a wide, toothy grin. Emil continues to wear his sash as a scarf. During Ending E in ver.1.22, Emil reappears after reconstructing his body, though he now possesses an extra set of arms.

In NieR:Automata, a copy of Emil is met after emerging from the severed head of a machine lifeform. Initially nothing more than a disembodied head, he soon comes upon and renovates an old sales cart and uses it as a body. In NieR:Automata Ver1.1a, Emil's head is embedded inside of a tree in Pascal's Village.

During the side mission Emil's Determination, a group of Emil Clones are fought in the Desert Zone, resembling massive versions of Emil's head equipped with spider-like legs.

Personality

Emil is a selfless and kind individual, who's empathetic to the point of being naïve towards those who experimented on him and his sister, willing to be a hostage to Yura Masayoshi to keep them both safe. Even after sealing his sister, being ostracized and cast off to the outskirts of Nier's Village, and destroying The Aerie, he didn't lose his gentle heart and faith in people. In some concert stories, his kindness even extended to the Shadowlord and his sister, despite them having been his enemies. Even to those he didn't know, like Pascal in Episode 5 of NieR:Automata Ver1.1a, he valued life and told them to live, and strove to protect even the wildlife of the planet in The Space War.

Emil felt immense self-loathing for the people he hurt through his abilities and for what his body had become, but still felt accepted by Nier's party. He was strongly willing to do anything for Nier, who he was in love with,^[1] and cherished his friends so much that he was willing to sacrifice himself and put on a brave face despite his own fear of death. He has a strong will to live after his sister's death, as well as for the world his friends tried to protect.

Long after his friends passed, he's shown to still cherish them, recreating Kainé's shack in a field of Lunar Tears in their memory.^[2] He was resolved to protect the planet his friends lived on, but as millennia went by, he eventually questions the meaning of their journey as he continued to suffer immense solitude, and began to dread his memories the more comrades he lost.

Even so, one of his clones was still drawn to recovering his memories despite no longer being able to recall them, commenting on the warmth they gave him. He regains his will to continue fighting again once he remembers both the good and the bad.^[2] However, the loneliness of eternity and loss consumes most of his other clones, so much so that they end up wanting to destroy the world, feeling that their fates were unfair and were never understood by anyone. Regardless, his powerful love for his comrades overpowers this despair, which manages to sate them at the cost of one of the clones sacrificing his life, protecting the world to the very end.^[3]

Story

Early Life

See also: The Stone Flower and Emil's Dream

Emil and his sister Halua were orphans who were selected as lab subjects for Project Snow White, being used for human experimentation by the National Weapons Research Laboratory to develop anti-Legion weapons. Emil was unsuspecting of the researchers while Halua had to look out for him. Emil was developed as a fail-safe against his sister in the event she lost control, with Emil eventually being forced to petrify her and the underground facility.

In The Lost Verses and the Red Sky, Emil was kidnapped from the laboratory by Yura Masayoshi to fight against a Red Eye, but loses control. He was later returned to the laboratory, where he remained for millennia, unaging.

NieR

Emil is introduced as a young, kindhearted boy who lives in an old colorless manor on the southern plains, tended to by his stoic butler, Sebastian. Despite his gentle demeanor, Emil possesses unimaginable power—everyone he looks at is turned to stone. Rather than abuse this power, Emil is burdened by a terrible guilt and wears a blindfold to avoid petrifying anyone. The butler, having used Emil's name and pretended to be Yonah's pen pal, pleads for Nier and his party's help in finding a way to lift Emil's curse.

While slaying the Shades that run rampant in the manor, they locate a red book in the manor’s library, which soars off into the air and fires off powerful magic at them. After Emil aids them in defeating Grimoire Rubrum, they find a Sealed Verse documenting a way to reverse petrification among its scattered pages. The party leaves the task of deciphering the formula to the butler and bids Emil farewell. But knowing Emil has secluded himself from the world because of his power, Kainé empathizes with Emil and tells him there must be a reason for his eyes, invigorating him with hope and courage. Since then, he comes to admire Kainé as an older sister due to their shared physical conditions and alienation, while developing an attraction to Nier.

Emil later returns to warn Nier and his village of Shade attacks, but comes too late. When Grimoire Weiss was about to be taken over, Emil alongside the others try to bring him back to his senses, with Emil saying he would remember Weiss forever and begging him to come back. They manage to succeed in saving Weiss, but a heartbroken Emil is then forced to petrify Kainé in an attempt to keep a monstrous Shade locked away, knowing it would destroy them all otherwise. He is left tending to Nier in the aftermath of the Shadowlord's attack and kidnapping of Yonah.

Five years later, he requests for Nier to help him find a cure for reversing the effects in a laboratory under his mansion. With Nier protecting him as he explores its Shade-infested depths, Emil slowly recovers his past, piece by piece. While in the laboratory, Emil remembers that he was experimented upon by the National Weapons Laboratory in the search to create an "ultimate weapon." His sister Halua, labeled Number 6, became the ultimate weapon, while he was known as Number 7 and kept in reserve, in case his petrification power was ever needed to keep her at bay. Knowing her power is needed to break the curse, he is consumed by her, who attacks Nier and Weiss.

Once Halua is defeated, Emil says his goodbyes within her and the two fuse together. Their mission below the mansion is successful, and Emil gains not only the ability to see without harm to others, but also the power to manipulate all forms of magic and and thus the power to reverse the effects of Kainé's petrification. However, the new power came at a price: Emil is granted a new form reminiscent of his sister's "weaponized" body. He becomes a skeletal creature—bereft of flesh and warmth—that floats above the ground, wears a ragged cloak, and wields an enchanted staff.

At first, he is deeply ashamed of his new look, but learns to accept it once everyone assures him that they do not feel any differently towards him. After un-petrifying Kainé, who accepts him as he lives with her on the outskirts of Nier's village, he vows to never feel the pain of having petrified her again, promising to cherish the remaining time he has left with his friends and protect them next time.^[4] He also finds closure with the female researcher he regarded as his mother when he discovers her letter to him.^[5]

He accompanies Nier on his quest to defeat the Shadowlord. At Fyra’s wedding, he is extremely excited by the festivities and wishes he could become a bride just like Fyra, leading his friends to misunderstand him. He is later responsible for the destruction of The Aerie after losing control of his powers as the "ultimate weapon", in which Nier comforts him and tells him to continue looking onward. At the end of their journey, he tearfully sacrifices himself to save the others from Popola in the Shadowlord's Castle, thanking them for meeting and accepting him as his fear of death encroaches on him. Thinking this was the price for his sins against his sister and the Aerie, he braces himself for death, until he has a vision of Halua within him encouraging him to continue living.^[6]

Emil ends up not dying, surviving only as a disembodied head. He expresses his relief as he lands somewhere in the desert and begins rolling along to locate the others.^[7]

The Lost World

In The Lost World and Ending E of NieR Replicant ver.1.22, Emil returns to help Kainé fend off mechanical clones of her at the Divine Tree. They enter a surreal white structure within it, where Emil and Kainé catch up and recall memories of having made a promise with someone. They enter a white copy of the Shadowlord's Castle and in striking the core, Emil recalls more memories of Nier. Destroying the Tree, Kainé and Emil successfully bring Nier back to existence and regain their memories of him, with them remarking even if their journey was pointless and they've destroyed the world, they won't look back, as they're reunited with the one they cherished again.

NieR Drama CD

See also: NieR Replicant Drama CD: The Lost Verses and the Red Sky

In The Space War, 280 years since Kainé and Nier's deaths and humanity's extinction, Emil is humming and singing in the plains, wondering what happened to humans, when he is attacked by a rampaging boar. Several animals begin to chase him. After things settle down, Emil hears a strange noise coming from the sky and sees strange lights approaching the ground. He encounters the Aliens who attack him. Emil struggles desperately to fight them before managing to defeat one of their motherships. However, as more approaches, he splits into 430 clones of himself to repel off the invasion, resolving to protect the planet his friends lived in. Once managing to do so, Emil, exhausted, lies in the plains underneath a quiet starry sky, thinking of Nier.

Concert 12018

See also: NieR:Orchestra Concert 12018/Fan Translation

Emil thinks back over his journey and the truths he uncovered, struggling to recall his memories that are falling apart, asking Kainé as though she was still with him if they were right in their actions, having led humanity to extinction and left with a hopeless future. He resolves to live for the sake of his friends who had fought with him.

YoRHa Boys

Emil is zooming across the terrain until he hits a landmine set by Cactus, Lotus, and Phlox, who think he's a special machine lifeform they could modify and sell for money. Emil clears up his identity and tells them he simply sells bargained wares. They offer to be his supplier for some change, which Emil accepts.

NieR:Automata

See also: Emil's Memories

Thousands of years later, Emil is discovered by 2B and 9S inside the head of a machine. Shortly after, he attaches himself to a moving cart, and begins operating a shop that supplies any androids of YoRHa that approach him. Upon discovery of a Lunar Tear, 2B and 9S are greeted by an enthusiastic Emil who mentions that the sight of the flower gives him a surge of unfamiliar memories and a strange feeling. He requests the pair to let him know if they find any more flowers.

After discovering the second flower, Emil recounts the time when he stopped seeing people as the sand started expanding and flowers began to wilt.

Finding the third flower, Emil remembers the time when the aliens started invading the world. He admits that he forgot something important about the person he wanted to protect.

Discovering the fourth flower, Emil reveals to the pair that the war with the aliens wasn't going well. To combat the failure of their operations, he decided to create multiple versions of himself. Unfortunately, those versions were lost to the war as well. 9S asks Emil how old he is but the latter cites it as a memory he didn't need to remember.

The fifth flower discovery reveals to Emil a precious memory. He recalls to the pair that it was "a place very special to him." He gives 2B and 9S a key for the elevator in the shopping mall. He then tells the two that he needs to stay in the area for a while to reflect.

After 2B and 9S use the key to access the elevator in the shopping mall, they discover Kainé's shack surrounded by Lunar Tears. Emil reveals to the pair that it was a place a version of himself once protected long ago. He explains his background as a weapon and that the war with the aliens provoked the original Emil to create copies of himself. The Emil reveals that he was one among countless Emils, but the more Emils there were, the more that Emil's memories became fragmented.

The duplicate Emil reveals that the real Emil "spent a lot of time here with people he loved," admitting that they were tough and sad times, the memories of which were ultimately valued by Emil as his greatest treasure. 9S asks him where the original Emil is and he admits to the android that he doesn't know. He thanks the pair for helping him recall his memories and mentions that he and the other Emils need to settle something together. He rewards 2B and 9S with a Lunar Tear.

Emil can optionally be fought as a secret boss after visiting his underground home twice and taking Emil's Mask and an Emil Head. Upon the second visit, Emil will confront 2B and 9S for stealing from him, forcing the androids to fight him. Upon his defeat, he gives them the Emil Heads weapon.

Concert 12022

See also: NieR:Automata Fan Festival 12022: Voices from the Verge

In a concert story set when the Tower emerges, Emil finds himself with A2 and Pod 042 in a Copied City that resembles his era. They find Yonah, who Emil (with his fragmented memories) feels is special to him, and they meet up with Shadowlord's group (2B, Shadowlord, and Pod 153). Pod 153 is hacked and it's revealed the Machine Network created this space as one of their many attempts to imitate humanity, that this is a world of memories. That's when 2B, the Shadowlord, and Yonah realize they're just data constructs and have already died, while Emil, A2, the Pods, and 9S are all consciousness data of people that are still alive but were forcibly brought into this space. The "dead" decide to help those that are still alive escape this cyberspace, the escape route being located in a Church, which is guarded by machine lifeforms that are shaped like Shades. Emil refuses to leave Yonah and the Shadowlord and tries to back them up on his own machine body's terminal, feeling that he was meant to do this, but fails. Everyone alive manages to escape but do not retain their memories of this experience.

In another concert story, in a similar timeline and cyberspace but without meeting Yonah, Emil is once again with A2, in which they meet Mama, who says they need to save the Shadowlord from his suffering. The Shadowlord goes out of control and spreads his darkness over the entire subspace, feeling rage at the 1000-year promise to save Yonah being broken. 9S, Pods 042 and 153, Emil, and A2 fight the Shadowlord, with Emil and Mama wanting to save him. 2B saves them from the Shadowlord, proclaiming that the dead should take care of the dead and defeats him. Mama reveals that she is here to guide the dead 2B and Shadowlord to a different cyberspace, in which those two find peace, and Emil leaves the cyberspace with the others, not retaining their memories of this encounter.

Emil's Determination

See also: Emil's Determination

After acquiring and fully upgrading all available weapons in the game, 2B and 9S can encounter Emil at the shopping mall once again. After purchasing something from him, Emil will state how he believes the androids won't need his help anymore before setting out for the Desert Zone. Sensing something is wrong, 2B and 9S chase after him, following him into the desert. Emil confronts a multitude of his clones, whose minds have deteriorated from the many years of fighting and duplicating, but is overwhelmed and defeated by them. The two androids eventually come across the massive clones of Emil's head before finding Emil's cart overturned. Emil warns them to run away, as the other Emils are still alive, before they suddenly activate and begin attacking.

2B and 9S battle the Emil Clones, who begin rambling about their pain and madness from their prolonged life as the fight goes on, and how they believe they no longer need this world and seek to destroy it in order to end their suffering. As the fight goes on, Emil protests that, despite how painful life was, his friends never gave up because they believed they could someday overcome the pain, suddenly remembering and calling out Kainé's name and asking her if he was right. As the final Emil clones began its self-destruct sequence in a last-ditch effort to destroy the world, Emil gathers up the last of his magic to stop them from doing so, putting them back to rest. As 2B and 9S check on the dying Emil, he expresses his disbelief at remembering something so important at the end of his life, and apologizes to them for causing so much trouble before dying.

Recollections of Emil

According to the end of the Recollections of Emil novella, after he dies, Emil reunites with Nier, Weiss, Yonah, and Kainé in the afterlife.

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a

In NieR:Automata Ver1.1a, an inactive clonehead of Emil is revered as a god of worship amongst the machine lifeforms in Pascal's Village. 9S hacks the Emil head, obtaining files on Project Snow White and seeing some of his treasured memories, before being ejected. Another clone of Emil is later seen in a flashback where 2B and 9S find him rolling around in the Forest Kingdom.

Appearances

Emil appears in the following episodes of NieR:Automata Ver1.1a:

• Episode 5, mave[R]ick (appears, flashback)
• Episode 13, reckless bra[V]ery (appears)
• Episode 22, just y[O]u and me (cameo)

NieR Reincarnation

Though Emil does not appear in NieR Reincarnation, his Lunar Tear field can be found within The Cage in Arc 2, The Sun and the Moon.

Abilities

Originally, Emil's only power is the ability to turn anyone he looks at to stone. This is involuntary and Emil is forced to blindfold himself to ensure the safety of innocent people. He also seems to be able to sense Shades, as seen when he identified Kainé's possession when he touched her arm, and ran to warn Nier at his village when a huge army of Shades was in the process of invading. Also, as a result of the experiments done to him, he became unaging.^[8]

However, after merging with Halua, he gains the power of Number 6 as the "ultimate weapon," along with the ability and knowledge of methods to cancel and control all forms of magic, or at least those known to Project Snow White. This grants him an immortal and extremely durable skeletal form, as well as the ability to hover in the air and use immensely powerful magic to various ends, including the ability to heal others (such as from the effects of his own petrifying stare, as seen with Kainé), create defensive barriers, perform teleportation magic, and cast strong offensive spells to aid in battle.

Due to his immortality, he is capable of living indefinitely unless he wishes not to.^[9] He is also able to clone himself indefinitely, producing up to 85,943,258 copies of himself by the year 5112.^[10] As a series of uncontrolled cloned machines, he launches countless lasers that can't be neutralized by YoRHa technology and his fusion reactor core can blow up the entire planet.

There are limitations to his magic, however, as shown when he was required to use extreme force to defeat the Shade Wendy at The Aerie, only to lose control of himself and obliterate the entire Aerie in a massive blast of magic. Also, each time he clones himself, his clones lose more of their memories overtime, leading to a loss of identity and extreme mental duress.

Development

Originally, his name was going to be "Snow" (as in Snow White). This was changed to be the official code name for the project that created No. 6 and No. 7.^[11]

No. 7's original concept was a giant boar. When the prototype design was given to character designer D.K., it was immediately revised to be closer to his current design. Yoko and Saito were quite taken by it on first glance. Yoko still wanted to keep the boar design in the game, so it was recycled for Goose.^[8][12]

In an interview with Yoko Taro, he confirms Emil to be homosexual and is attracted to Nier.^[1]

The monochrome setting for Emil's manor is to reflect the idea that time has stopped. Neither him or his butler are human and can no longer age.^[8]

Other appearances

SINoALICE

The NieR collaboration included two versions of Emil, his blindfolded human form (Boy Emil/Mage) and his copies (Emil Copies/Minstrel) as separate characters. Both had job stories that distinguish themselves from the NieR:Automata collaboration. Emil Copies could be earned by finishing the collaboration event while Boy Emil could be obtained through the collaboration gacha. His job was unlocked with the weapon "Halua Head."

Boy Emil's job story had him cheerfully citing key events of his life that extended to NieR:Automata's setting. Regarding the restoration of his body, Emil rejoiced that it's a terrific feat achieved through magic. He remembered that he went on a journey long ago, but he couldn't recall any details. "For some reason," he only felt a warm and clenching feeling around his heart.

Young Emil Mage

I've been running a shop since a long time ago! Ehe, I'm a full-fledged manager! Um... what... do I sell? That's a secret!

I've been fighting aliens for a long time now! That was a disaster... Um, it looked like a wavering form... That's not the point anyway, it was a terrible battle!

I've been split apart for a really, really, really long time now! My original form recovered from that hardship... but I can use magic, kinda! Man~ magic is convenient, isn't it!

I've been traveling for a really, really, really, really long time now. When I try to remember those days, my chest gets all tight... and warm...

Emil Copies' job story had them aware that they were a weapon created by the original. Though confused by their Library surroundings, they grouped together to face any threat with bubbly cheer. While the last part of his job story lampooned the addictive nature of micro-transactions in social games, his remark hinted that copies can tell each other apart by the age of their creation and there were at least 12,682 of them.

Disembodied Emil Minstrel

I'm a weapon that was copied from "me!"
I can adapt to any environment, self-duplicate, and shoot beams!
Nice to meet you!

It seems like I came to a really mysterious world this time!
Everyone's working hard to revive their author!
I'll try hard too! Heave-ho!

Everyone here is really tough!
But it's not just me, there's a lot of us here!
We've had great success, whether it's becoming an enemy or a weapon!

Ah, a transmission from the 12682nd me!
Eh?!
Bad news!
It seems that the rival guild has a lot of whales!
We can't lose!
Take out your prepaid cards and credit cards!

The NieR collaboration event story, Dreams Under Missing Pages, began with a disembodied Emil pleading for Nier to wake up. Despite his new appearance, Nier quickly recognized his comrade. They were surprised to find Shades in the Library (SINoALICE's setting) since they had already defeated the Shadowlord. While accompanying Nier in his search for Yonah, Emil monologued about his gratitude for Nier's acceptance of his skeletal form and his desire to always support Nier. Towards the end of the event, Emil was distressed when Nier regresses into the Shadowlord before him. He pleaded for his friend to revert to the person he once was as he defends himself. As the battle continued, Emil remembered the truth and realized that everything he has experienced in the Library was a sweet lie. When the Shadowlord revived again, he somberly vanquished it with the knowledge that his most treasured person was no longer alive. The Library responded to the remaining sentiments in Nier's weapons and Emil's loneliness to create a former remnant of his past life. Even if it was a dream, Emil was thankful through his sorrow. With his memories being split in his fight against the alien invasion, Emil could no longer remember the people important to him. He only had the lingering feeling of "missing" someone. Seeing Nier again in any way was comforting to him. Resolved to always honor their will to never give up in the face of despair, Emil swore to always protect the place that was important to his comrades. From the ending visuals and descriptions, it is revealed that the Emil for the event scenario is one of his many copies. The last battle in Normal difficulty played Emil/Karma for the first part of the battle and Emil/Sacrifice for the second half as opposed to Shadowlord's Castle / Roar.

The redux collaboration with NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... featured a new job story called Emil & Grimoire Weiss Sorcerer. Though its event story, Lies and Atonement, was largely about Devola and Popola, it contained diary entries written by Emil that chronicled his journey over the millennia as he fells into the sea, gets caught up in tornados, finds scorpions in his head, mistakes the sound of the wind for human voices, sees the gradual extinction of humanity, loses his memories, and is left with a desire to see Nier again.

Emil & Grimoire Weiss Sorcerer job story talked about Emil and Weiss discovering a library, in which they find a book about someone who killed their family for power. Weiss describes such actions as foolishness and when Emil asks if that makes him a fool for having killed his sister, Weiss tells him that someone who protects out of love is no fool.

Emil & Grimoire Weiss Sorcerer

"Look, Weiss! There's a mountain of books here!"

"Don't get carried away, Emil! Don't touch others' belongings without permission!"

"Weiss! What do you think this one's about?!"

"'Behind the Bizarre Killings'...Don't open that! Murdering your entire family, all on some notion it'll grant you power? Idiocrasy. I rather not think of what fools would allow themselves to be consumed by such thirst."

"Would that make me a fool, too, Weiss?"

"My boy, you... You protected. Someone who protects out of love is no fool."

If players paid 300 magical crystals to the limited-time NieR:Automata gacha, they had a chance to receive Emil/Cleric and the weapon that unlocks him, No.7's Staff. Alternatively, players could spin the NieR:Automata gacha fifteen times to exchange 1,500 Lunar Tear Medals to get his job class (without the weapon); his weapon was another 1,500 Lunar Tear Medals. The majority of his quotes reference his role in NieR:Automata; his entire Job Story is him badly singing.

The weapon story for No.7's Staff was a series of mad chants. Level 1 was a bunch of "tasty" with a single "bitter." Level 2 was a flood of "beautiful" with a single "painful." Level 3 was only "I love you" (大好き) being repeated until the character limit ran out. Level 4 was a series of "I'm scared" (コワイ) and a lone "help me" (タスケテ).

Stellar Blade

Emil appears in the Stellar Blade x NieR:Automata collaboration DLC, released on November 20, 2024. He can be found roaming the Wasteland and Great Desert regions, where EVE can stop him to purchase 11 NieR:Automata-inspired cosmetic items from his shop by using Stellar Tears. After all his available items are purchased, Emil bids farewell to EVE, explaining that he must return to where he came from, before driving away.

One of the items in his shop is new clothing for EVE's companion, Adam, resembling Emil's head. Titled "Emil's Head", this headwear can be purchased for 1 Stellar Tear. Its description reads, "An outfit crafted from the build data of androids hailing from another world."

Square Enix Cafe

In the Square Enix Cafe x NieR collaboration, there was a short story about Emil's feelings about his body and guilt for having petrified Kainé before resolving to cherish his time with his friends and protect everyone else next time.

Emil's Monologue

The wind of the northern plains is blowing through my body.

But with a body that has become bones, I cannot feel cold or comfort.

Even my senses and emotions seem to have become broken and faded.

It is then I realize that I have become a "monster."

But when I look at Kainé, sleeping there beside me, I feel a deep conviction.

That I do not regret having obtained this power, nor having become a monster.

For these five years, my heart has been consumed by guilt.

Each day I went to see Kainé, I would only spin words of regret.

I never want to feel that way again.

In this world ravaged by disease, how much time do we have left to spend together?

I do not know what I can accomplish with the time that remains.

But no matter what happens, next time, I will protect everyone.

Trivia

• Emil is named after Ludwig Emil Grimm, the younger sibling of the Brothers Grimm, due to his connection to Snow White.^[11]
• Emil is skilled at holding a light like a glowstick and performing otaku-like dances.^[13]
• His original power to petrify people on sight into stone is in many ways similar to the powers of the mythical Greek monster Medusa.
• Emil makes an appearance in the arcade-based fantasy collectible card game Lord of Vermilion Re:2.
• Emil is Mai Kadowaki's first role as a male character.
• In NieR:Automata, attempting to hack Emil as 9S when encountering him in the world map will result in 9S being briefly stunned.
• Saito conducted a Niconico livestream to promote Automata which included a character popularity poll for Replicant. Users voted him to third place. Saito was surprised that Emil was less popular than Grimoire Weiss.^[14]
• In most public appearances, franchise creator Yoko Taro wears a mask modeled after Emil's face following his transformation.

Gallery

References

Navigation

Characters   NieR Main Other Blue Carlo Defense System: Geppetto Dimo Fisherman Gideon Goose Grimoire Rubrum Halua Hans Hansel & Gretel Hook Jack Jakob Kainé (Gestalt) Kainé's Grandfather Kali Kali (Gestalt) Kalil King's Advisor Nier's Mother Nier's Wife P-33 Red-Bag Couple Roc Sebastian Shadowlord (Father) Shahriyar The Dragon The Giant Tyrann Ursula Wendy Yonah (Gestalt)   Automata Main YoRHa YoRHa Boys Other Accord Auguste Big Sister Machine Boku-Shi Council of Humanity Engels Erica Ernst Grün Hegel Immanuel Jean-Paul Juliet Kierkegaard Ko-Shi Little Sister Machine Marx No.2 (Prototype) No.9 (Prototype) Pod-24 Ro-Shi Romeo Seed Shion Simone So-Shi Sonia SS YoRHa No.4 Type S YoRHa No.8 Type B YoRHa No.22 Type B YoRHa No.64 Type B YoRHa Type A No.1 YoRHa Type P No.2 Zinnia   Reincarnation Main Memory Collab Other Eleanor Him Hina (Divergent Reality) Mourning Mother Old Man Yuzuki (Divergent Reality)