Archive.05: 2B (YoRHa No.2 Type B) - The Gentle Executioner
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Introduction: The Jet-Black Blade Descending Upon a Ruined Land and the System of Delusion
The Earth has been reduced to ruins overrun by Machine Lifeforms, with humanity having fled to the moon. In this faded, gray world, there exist automated infantry dolls clad in jet-black garments that stand out in stark contrast. They, “YoRHa,” have thrown themselves into an endless war of annihilation under the absolute cause of reclaiming the glory of their god (humanity). At the forefront of this war, wielding a cold and calculating blade, is the subject of this article: “2B” (YoRHa No.2 Type B).
In official records and within the perception of YoRHa, 2B is defined as an all-purpose combat model (“Battler”). Flawlessly executing everything from close-quarters sword combat to long-range shooting using a Pod, and possessing an unwavering loyalty to mission accomplishment, she is the very paragon of a YoRHa chassis. However, deep beneath her black blindfold (combat goggles) and behind her tranquil mind lies a cruel “delusion” meticulously orchestrated by the system, concealing an unfathomable existential agony.
This report comprehensively integrates the fragmented archives scattered throughout the game, the corroborating evidence presented in sub-quests, the blood-stained records hidden within weapons, and official derivative media (recitation dramas, novels, etc.) to bring to light the true role imposed upon the unit known as 2B. It will offer deep insights into how she became a paradoxically “gentle executioner,” as well as her “Mauvaise foi” and the despair of “Eternal Recurrence” from the perspective of Existentialism.
1. The Concealed Truth and the Gruesome Fate of the Type E (Executioner)
To understand the depths of the narrative, one must first clearly separate and define the “facts” surrounding the existence of 2B and the “observations” derived from them.
1.1 The Facts as a YoRHa Type E and Structural Flaws
The decisive fact explicitly stated through the game’s progression and related materials is that 2B’s true model designation is not “Type B” (Battler), but “Type E” (Executioner). The Type E among YoRHa units is an assassination and execution model specialized in purging traitors within the squad, those infected by the Logic Virus, or deserters triggered by classified information (such as the extinction of humanity or the truth behind Project YoRHa).
The gruesome karma and mental limits borne by the existence of the Type E are vividly recounted through the sub-quest “Amnesia” that occurs on the surface. In this record, a certain YoRHa member (Type E) found around the Resistance Camp claims to be searching for the culprit who murdered her friend. However, after tracing the signal source of the Black Box and proceeding with the investigation, it is revealed that the true culprit was “herself, before her memories were erased.” As a result of repeatedly executing former comrades with their own hands, their mental circuits cannot withstand the crushing pressure and guilt, leading Type E models to chronically trigger a behavioral pattern of voluntarily initializing their own memory regions.
The act of murdering one’s brethren inflicts a fatal burden capable of collapsing the ego, even for Androids who are forbidden from possessing emotions. The ultimate fate of Type E models, who can only preserve their egos by erasing their memories, is a structural flaw inherent in Project YoRHa, and simultaneously, it is definitive proof that Androids are manifesting functions akin to a “heart.”
| Item | Surface Setting (2B: Battler) | True Role (2E: Executioner) | Derived Psychological Observation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Mission | Annihilation of Machine Lifeforms and reclamation of the Earth | Surveillance and execution of 9S to maintain secrecy | Endless sense of emptiness and chronic guilt over deceiving an ally |
| Relationship with 9S | A pair of an elite vanguard combatant and support | Observer/Executioner and the executed | An extreme self-contradiction where murderous intent and affection intermingle (The Sickness Unto Death) |
| Handling of Emotions | Strict adherence to the military regulation “emotions are prohibited” | A defense mechanism to suppress guilt and affection | Desperate maintenance of rationality to prevent mental collapse through Mauvaise foi |
| Retention of Memories | Accumulation of combat data and sharing within the squad | Monopolization of memories of past 9S and the memories of his murder | A fierce “Amor Fati” of continuing to bear all the pain alone |
1.2 The Eternal Recurrence of Executing 9S (YoRHa No.9 Type S)
The true top-secret mission assigned to 2B (more accurately, 2E) is the constant surveillance of the state-of-the-art Scanner model “9S,” and his immediate disposal should he reach the truth of Project YoRHa. Brimming with curiosity and possessing exceptional information analysis capabilities, 9S inevitably draws closer to the truth of the world (such as the fact that humanity is already extinct, and that Black Boxes are repurposed Machine Lifeform cores) every time he is activated. Each time, 2B murders him, and 9S is rolled back, losing his most recent memories, only to be assigned to 2B once again as a “support unit meeting her for the first time.”
This is a fact clearly depicted in the recitation drama “Memory of Dolls” and the novel “Memory Thorn.” Even before the main game (Routes A/B) begins, 2B has already murdered 9S countless times, her hands stained over and over with his blood (or rather, the coolant and oil equivalent to it). She meets the innocent 9S, whose memories have been erased, fights alongside him, nurtures a bond, and then, the moment he realizes the truth, ends his life by her own hand once again.
Unlike the Type E in the “Amnesia” quest who escaped by erasing her own memories, 2B never attempted to erase her own memories, no matter how many times she killed 9S. Continuing to face this endless spiral of “Eternal Recurrence” head-on is the very root of the despair that eats away at 2B’s mind, and the reason she obsessively clings to the rule that “emotions are prohibited.”
2. The Blood-Stained History Told by a Weapon: Weapon Story “Virtuous Contract”
The one-handed sword “Virtuous Contract” that 2B carries as her initial equipment. The Weapon Story hidden within this beautiful weapon, modeled after an Eastern katana, is a first-rate historical archive that cryptically describes 2B’s deep psychology and the transition of her past missions.
Level 1 Pod, transmit to Command. Destruction of “target” confirmed, mission complete. Returning to Bunker after recovering the wreckage. Out.
Level 2 Pod, transmit to Command. Contact made with mission target, no suspicious points observed at present. Will continue surveillance. Out.
Level 3 Pod, transmit to Command. Investigated observation records of mission target, but could not confirm hostile behavior. Requesting reinvestigation of target and temporary suspension of current operation.
Level 4 Destruction of “target” confirmed. I won’t apologize… because I promised. “Goodbye…”
This text is not merely the provenance of a weapon, but vividly represents the very process of 2B (2E) executing 9S. In Levels 1 and 2, it takes the form of sterile military communication, depicting her as an executioner coldly carrying out her mission while cleverly concealing that the “target” is 9S.
However, in Level 3, a tear appears in that objectivity. The act of “requesting temporary suspension” indicates 2B’s hesitation to kill him after being touched by 9S’s purity and goodness, as well as a faint resistance against Command (the system). It is evidence that her existence is beginning to waver, unable to find a justifiable reason sufficient for murder against him, her execution target.
Then, in Level 4, the writing style suddenly and completely collapses into a subjective first-person perspective. The sentence “I won’t apologize… because I promised” suggests a fatal promise exchanged with 9S immediately before or after the murder. As an observation deduced from this sentence, perhaps at some point in the past, 9S, having realized he was destined to be killed, or having accepted that his memories would be reset after being killed, wished for 2B “not to feel guilty about killing him (= not to apologize).”
This Weapon Story vividly illustrates that 2B is not merely a cold-blooded execution machine, but a “gentle executioner” who takes on the pain of others and carries out her mission while chipping away at her own soul. Her blade is white and beautiful, but it is by no means an untainted sword of justice; it is a sorrowful white blade honed to reap the life of the one she loves.
3. Philosophical Perspectives: Observations on Existentialism and Nihilism Surrounding 2B
To deeply understand the situation 2B is placed in, it is extremely effective to invoke concepts from 19th and 20th-century Western philosophy, particularly Existentialism and Nihilism. We will decode how she struggled to establish her own existence within the absolute deterministic system of YoRHa.
3.1 Sartre’s “Mauvaise foi” and “The Look”
Jean-Paul Sartre referred to the attitude in which humans reduce themselves to “objects” or “assigned roles” to escape the crushing pressure and anxiety of being free as “Mauvaise foi” (bad faith). Contrary to the fundamental proposition of Existentialism, “Existence precedes essence,” it is the delusion that one only possesses a predetermined essence (role).
2B’s attitude of constantly acting coldly, stating “emotions are prohibited,” and attempting to define herself merely as a “Type B weapon” falls under typical Mauvaise foi. To avoid being crushed by the responsibility of choosing to kill 9S, she tells herself, “This is my role as an automated infantry doll following Command’s orders, not my own personal will.”
However, that Mauvaise foi is constantly threatened by the pure “Look” from 9S. Sartre stated, “Hell is other people,” and for 2B, 9S’s Look, full of innocent trust and affection, is equivalent to the hellfire that mercilessly exposes the guilt of being a “murderous Type E” that she tries to conceal. Every time he affectionately calls her “2B,” cracks form in the wall of her Mauvaise foi, and her true identity as an executioner is backlit.
3.2 Kierkegaard’s “The Sickness Unto Death” and the Hierarchy of Despair
Søren Kierkegaard called the despair of refusing to be one’s true self, or the contradiction of the self being the self, “The Sickness Unto Death.”
2B’s despair is not simply fear or disgust toward “killing others.” It is a decisive mental schism that arises between “the self that must kill the one she loves (YoRHa 2E)” and “the self that intensely wishes to reject it (2B as an existence).” She is only permitted to exist as long as she obeys the orders of the absolute god (Command) known as YoRHa, but the more she executes that god’s orders, the more her self (soul) is fatally wounded. The ultimate fate of the Type E models recounted in the sub-quest “Amnesia” can be said to be a state where their minds self-destructed, unable to withstand this schism (death by despair).
3.3 Nietzsche’s “Eternal Recurrence” and “Amor Fati”
Friedrich Nietzsche advocated the concept of “Eternal Recurrence,” where in a world of Nihilism where God is dead, all phenomena in the universe repeat the same things infinitely. For 2B, the cycle of meeting 9S, fighting together, the budding of affection, and his murder is truly an inescapable hell of Eternal Recurrence.
Nietzsche posited that rather than turning away from this infinite repetition, thoroughly accepting that harsh fate and loving one’s own fate—“Amor Fati”—is the condition of the Übermensch who overcomes Nihilism.
2B does not choose to escape (through suicide or memory initialization) from this repeated agony. By continuing to retain the memories of 9S within herself, she attempts to bear and prove the “proof of life” of the past 9Ss all alone. This can be observed as her own tragic practice of “Amor Fati,” attempting to embrace her fate while weeping tears of blood, even while trapped within a system of despairing Eternal Recurrence.
| Philosophical Concept | Proponent | Metaphor/Application in 2B’s Situation |
|---|---|---|
| Mauvaise foi | Sartre | Evading responsibility through the defense mechanism of “I am a Type B” and “emotions are prohibited.” |
| The Look | Sartre | 9S’s gaze of pure trust. This exposes 2B’s guilt and her true identity as an “executioner.” |
| The Sickness Unto Death | Kierkegaard | The fatal despair of the soul caused by the schism between “the self that obeys orders” and “the self that loves 9S.” |
| Eternal Recurrence | Nietzsche | The infinite loop of 9S’s memory resets and executions. The repetition of endless futility and tragedy. |
| Amor Fati | Nietzsche | The choice to refuse memory initialization and continue living while embracing painful memories. |
4. The Abyss Revealed by the Recitation Drama “Memory of Dolls” and the Novel “Memory Thorn”
The history of past slaughters between 2B and 9S, which is only told in fragments during the main game, is cruelly supplemented in external archives such as the recitation drama “Memory of Dolls” and the novel “Memory Thorn.”
In the novel “Memory Thorn,” the episodes of 2B executing 9S in the past are depicted in detail. There is a scene where 9S, fully understanding that the one who will kill him is 2B (2E), adopts an attitude as if feigning ignorance in order to ease her mental burden. Or in another cycle, 9S willingly accepts 2B’s blade and passes away with a smile, saying, “Next time, please do it a little better.” The despair indicated by this word “next” is immeasurable. He has completely accepted that he will die, his memories will be reset, and he will meet her again (and be killed again).
These events pierce deeply into 2B’s heart (Black Box) as a “Memory Thorn.” Even if Androids can logically block out physical pain, they cannot erase the tremendous burden caused by the logical contradiction of information etched into their memory regions (= the contradiction of killing the one they love).
Considering the ultimate fate of the Type E models recounted in the aforementioned sub-quest “Amnesia,” the very fact that 2B continues to live without going mad or initializing her memories is proof of her astonishing mental fortitude and her intense attachment (love) for 9S. She is not suppressing her emotions to avoid madness; rather, while already standing on the precipice of madness, she desperately continues to wear the skin of rationality so as not to spill a single memory of 9S.
5. Visual Symbolism: The Design of Mourning Clothes and the Yoke of Blindness
In the game, 2B’s character design incorporates her psychological situation as visual symbols.
First, her jet-black dress is considered a metaphor for “mourning clothes,” intended from the initial design stages. Even before standing on the battlefield, and every time she meets 9S, she is already in mourning for the past 9Ss. The beautiful yet decadent black she wears is the formal attire of an attendee at a never-ending funeral, an expression of a will to mourn that will never fade away.
Second is the “combat goggles (blindfold)” that are standard equipment for YoRHa members. As suggested in official stage settings and the like, this blindfold is a symbol of “not seeing the truth.” For 2B, the blindfold is a blind obedience to the false information provided by Command (such as the survival of humanity), while simultaneously functioning as a “bulwark to avoid looking directly at the face of the one she kills with her own hands (9S).”
In a Sartrean situation where The Look of another exposes one’s own guilt, hiding one’s eyes is the final shield to physically block condemnation from others. However, near the end of the story, when 2B is infected by the Logic Virus and realizes her own end, she removes this blindfold herself. It is a liberation from the system, a visual representation of the moment she discards her Mauvaise foi and accepts the world as it is and the truth of herself.
6. Reinterpretation of the Main Story’s Trajectory: The Collapsing Mauvaise foi and the Acquisition of Existence
Based on the above historical and philosophical context, reinterpreting 2B’s trajectory in the main game (Routes A/B/C) causes all her lines and actions to take on an entirely different hue.
6.1 Loss and Lamentation in the Prologue
As soon as the main game begins, we witness a new cycle (meeting and fighting together) for 2B and 9S. After the battle with the colossal weapon in the prologue, when they self-destruct by overloading their Black Box reactions, 9S sacrifices his own data due to bandwidth limitations, prioritizing the upload of only 2B’s data to the Bunker.
Waking up in the Bunker, 2B learns that 9S has lost his memories of this operation (the memories of fighting alongside 2B). Her tightly clenched fist at that moment contains the despair of having to build a relationship with him from scratch once again, only to eventually have to kill him, as well as sorrow for him having lost his memories to save her.
6.2 The Exposure of Emotions in the Copied City
As the story progresses, 2B’s Mauvaise foi of “emotions are prohibited” gradually collapses. When rescuing 9S, who was captured by Adam and Eve (during the battle in the Copied City), 2B raises her voice, revealing clear anger and impatience. Here, the mask of the cold observer as a Type E completely falls away, and the cry of a single existence simply “not wanting to lose 9S” echoes out. It is an expression of autonomy, attempting to save another by her own will, not as a slave to the system.
6.3 The Meaning of “It always ends like this…” at the Conclusion of Routes A/B
At the conclusion of Routes A/B, after a mortal struggle with Eve, 2B strangles 9S, who has been deeply infected by the Logic Virus, with her own hands. At that moment, she wails, “It always ends like this…” This line presents a massive mystery for those who only play the main game: “Why ‘always’?” However, if one integrates the historical context (the records of the recitation drama and novels), its meaning is extremely clear and cruel.
She has taken his life with her own hands in this exact same way many times in the past, watching the moment the light of his life extinguishes. Her tears are not merely sorrow for a single parting. They are a lamentation over an eternal curse—the depth of 9S’s karma, who, no matter how many times he is killed or initialized, inevitably reaches the truth and chooses the fate of being killed by her, and her own powerlessness in being unable to save him.
7. Entrusted Memories: Succession to A2 and Liberation from “En-soi”
Entering Route C, as YoRHa itself collapses due to a massive Logic Virus trap, 2B also suffers severe virus infection. With her entire body being corrupted and the collapse of her ego imminent, she walks a lonely, aimless path to avoid infecting other squad members, and encounters the former traitor A2 (YoRHa Type A No.2).
2B entrusts all her memories to her sword (Virtuous Contract), and entrusts A2 with her execution and the world that follows (and 9S). At this moment, for the first time, 2B is completely liberated from the “rules of YoRHa,” the “fate as a Type E,” and the “circle of Eternal Recurrence” that had bound her for so long.
7.1 The Philosophical Meaning of Entrusting Memories (Projection)
The act of 2B entrusting her memories to A2 is the ultimate form of “projection” (throwing oneself toward the future) in Existentialism.
From a Sartrean perspective, a human (Android) loses all possibilities through death and is reduced to “En-soi” (a mere object) completely defined by The Look of others. However, by transferring her memories into the physical medium of a sword and entrusting it to another, A2, 2B prolonged her own existence within another.
A2 is a former prototype of Project YoRHa, an existence abandoned by the system. While 2B was an executioner loyal to the system, A2 was an avenger against the system. As these two conflicting figures cross paths, and 2B’s memories (especially her feelings for 9S and the truth of the world) are passed on to A2, A2 herself transforms from a mere avenger into “one who carves out the future.”
On the verge of death, 2B tries to leave final words for 9S, who has rushed to her side, but they do not form into speech. However, the blindfold (goggles) has already been removed from her face, and her eyes gaze straight, without any obstruction, at the object she loved, killed, and yet continued to love. It was the manifestation of her own “free will,” finally acquired amidst absolute despair, having broken out of the darkness of Mauvaise foi.
Conclusion: A Clockwork Existence and a Prayer for the Future
The existence known as 2B (YoRHa No.2 Type B / Type E) is the crystallization of tragedy that symbolizes the worldview of NieR:Automata.
She was an executioner destined to reap the lives of her brethren solely for the maintenance of the system (Project YoRHa), without being informed that her god (humanity) was already absent. As demonstrated by the Type E models in the sub-quest “Amnesia,” that crushing pressure would normally easily drive an individual to madness. However, 2B survived by deeply piercing her heart with the promise “not to apologize” recorded in the Weapon Story “Virtuous Contract” and the “Memory Thorn” left by 9S, using her own pain as the sole proof of her existence.
Within the circle of Eternal Recurrence preached by Nietzsche, she may never have been able to become a transcendent being (Übermensch). However, her figure—caring for another while smeared in agony, seeking a sliver of warmth within a despairing loop—was not that of a cold-blooded mechanical weapon, but the very image of a highly fragile, and therefore beautiful, “human.”
Her footsteps, tracing from the recitation drama “Memory of Dolls” and the novel “Memory Thorn,” are not merely a record of slaughter. It is a fierce pilgrimage of the soul, torn between the “false role (Type B)” and the “cursed role (Type E)” given by the system, until she ultimately acquires the existence of a single individual known as “2B.”
In a world where everything was false, only her feelings for the boy she had killed time and time again were her sole “truth.” Those feelings were entrusted to A2 along with her sword, ultimately becoming the final key to saving 9S’s soul within the collapsing “The Tower.” Furthermore, as depicted in the novel “Memory Thorn,” the conclusion where the Pods rebel in the final stage of Project YoRHa and attempt to repair 2B and the others by gathering their parts is the result of her way of life causing even the Pods, who were supposed to be mere machines, to sprout the emotion (existence) of “wanting them to live.” The Pods say, “A future is not given to you. It is something you must take for yourself.”
The blood and tears shed by the gentle executioner were by no means a worthless, futile effort. It was the purest prayer for existence, an attempt to carve meaning into a meaningless world. Clad in jet-black mourning clothes, continuing to bear her own sins and love, her soul will be passed down—sorrowful and beautiful, like white ash dancing in the sky of the ruins.
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