Archive.07: A2 (YoRHa Type A No.2) - The Traitor Abandoned in the Past
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Introduction: The Prototype Wandering the Wasteland and Existential Loneliness
Amidst the dry winds blowing across the ruined Earth, there is a solitary shadow wandering the wasteland, her silver hair disheveled. Her formal designation is “YoRHa Type A No.2,” commonly known as “A2.” Among the YoRHa units created to reclaim the Earth on behalf of the will of humanity, who supposedly fled to the moon, she is an early prototype model created prior to the manufacturing of successors like “2B” and “9S.” As an Attacker (Type A) specialized in close-quarters combat, her figure, silencing enemies while wielding a small sword and a large sword, appears at first glance to be a beautiful yet ruthless killing machine.
However, what flows at the very foundation of her existence is a tremendous torrent of “emotions”—which YoRHa strictly prohibits—along with the despair of a creation abandoned by its creator, the Command, and a history of rebellion against the system. A2 is depicted as a solitary figure who speaks little and always acts alone. Wanted as a “traitor” by YoRHa and pursued by her former comrades, she nevertheless continues to destroy Machine Lifeforms. Why did she flee, and why does she continue to throw herself into such grueling battles?
Unraveling this mystery is nothing less than an attempt to prove the philosophical proposition advocated by Jean-Paul Sartre, “Existence precedes essence,” through the body of a non-human creation—an Android whose functions and lifespan were predetermined. When a prototype, manufactured with its essence defined as “to die (to be discarded),” rejects that fate and chooses its own “existence,” a fierce rebellion against God (the creator) is born. In this report, through the tragedy of the Pearl Harbor Descent Mission hidden in A2’s past, the nothingness and karma carved into her black body, and her relationship with her successors 2B and 9S, we will thoroughly unravel the philosophical truth of the “affirmation of life” she found at the end of despair, interweaving facts and analysis.
1. The Tragedy of the Pearl Harbor Descent Mission and the “Absence of God”
In discussing the deep psychology and behavioral principles of the individual known as A2, one cannot avoid the past event that carved an indelible trauma into her soul: the “Pearl Harbor Descent Mission.” This mission, told in fragments through the in-game subquest “Anemone’s Past,” related archive records, and official stage plays and comic adaptations, is the very origin of her defection from the system and her being branded a “traitor.”
As a matter of fact, this mission was a large-scale military operation in which an experimental squadron of the newly established all-female Android force “YoRHa” descended to the Oceania region (the front lines) of Earth in order to reclaim the planet invaded by Machine Lifeforms. The YoRHa squadron members, including A2 (then designated as No.2), attempted to descend to Earth from the orbital base, the “Bunker.” However, during the descent, they encountered fierce anti-air fire from the enemy, and the squadron was devastated before even reaching the ground. Only a few managed to barely land on the surface: No.2 (A2), No.4, No.16, and No.21.
They joined forces with the Resistance unit (Anemone and others) who had survived grueling battles on the surface for a long time, and together they undertook the desperate mission of destroying the Machine Lifeform server. In the subquest “Anemone’s Past,” A2’s data chips (A-E) recovered in the Abandoned Factory record the gruesome memories and causality of this time.
| Data Chip Classification | Recorded Facts and Fragments of Memory | Philosophical and Psychological Implications |
|---|---|---|
| Data Chip A/B | The annihilation of the squadron during descent and the desperate situation of the surviving YoRHa units (No.2 and others). The encounter with the Resistance. | Confronting The Absurd of the world (Camus’s despair). The collapse of pre-established harmony. |
| Data Chip C/D | Engagement with overwhelming swarms of Machine Lifeforms. Resistance and YoRHa comrades falling one after another. | The realization of being a “being-towards-death,” internalizing the deaths of others. |
| Data Chip E | The desperate charge to destroy the server at the final destination. Records of comrades self-destructing and dying honorably, entrusting the future to No.2 (A2). | The acceptance of altruistic self-sacrifice and the “curse of survival (guilt)” borne by the living. |
Comrades falling one after another, and YoRHa brothers-in-arms sacrificing themselves to pave the way. A2 is left to bear alone the cries of “I want to live” from the comrades who died protecting her, along with the weight of their lives.
1.1 The Truth as an Experimental Squadron and the Recognition of The Absurd
Martin Heidegger defined human beings as “being-towards-death (Sein-zum-Tode)” and preached that only by becoming aware of one’s inevitable death can a person awaken to their authentic existence. During the Pearl Harbor Descent Mission, A2 confronted herself exactly as this “being-towards-death.” In the extreme situation where her comrades around her were turning into cold scrap iron one after another, she transcended the inorganic purpose of her “mission as an Android” and came to understand the irreplaceable value and pain of individual lives.
However, the true tragedy of this mission lies not only in the harshness of the battle. Here, we present an analysis derived from circumstantial evidence and the narrative structure. It is the fact that this descent squadron was, from the very beginning, “sacrificial pawns not expected to return alive.” It is presumed that they were literal “experimental subjects” meant to collect combat data of YoRHa units under extreme conditions to develop the next-generation completed models (the base for the later 2B and 9S). When she realized the true intention of the Commander (White) in sending them to their deaths, A2’s world completely collapsed.
God (the Command, acting on behalf of the will of humanity) did not love them, its creations. They were merely programmed to die from the start as expendable goods for data collection, thrust into hell. Confronting “The Absurd” as described by Albert Camus—a desperate situation where the world decisively betrays human reason—A2 mentally broke away from the YoRHa system at this moment. The fierce “grudge” she holds against the Commander is not merely a personal vendetta for betrayal. It is a fundamental anger as a single creation against the cold-hearted determinism of a creator who had predetermined their disposal, and it is the signal fire of rebellion.
2. The Exposed Black Chassis—Proof of Atonement Carved into the Body
One of the most notable features of A2’s design is the decadent and damaged appearance of her body. At first glance, she appears to be wearing clothing like a black camisole and black tights. However, based on the fact of the official setting, these black parts are not clothing but “areas where the skin (synthetic skin) has been lost, exposing the internal black frame (Chassis).” As a result of years of grueling solitary combat and her refusal of proper maintenance at the Bunker, her body is battered and decaying.
This physical characteristic of “the peeling of synthetic skin and the exposure of the base body” goes beyond mere visual aesthetics and is considered to contain a highly important philosophical metaphor.
First, it is the “intentional preservation of past pain.” As an Android with self-repair functions, and given that some degree of physical repair should be possible using materials on the surface, she could fix herself. However, A2 does not do so. Her exposed black base body and her overgrown silver hair visualize the “lost time” and “accumulated pain” from the Pearl Harbor Descent Mission to the present. For her, her wounded body is a “moving gravestone” and a requiem for her fallen comrades (No.16, No.4, No.21, and others). Just as Friedrich Nietzsche preached in “Eternal Recurrence” the strength to not look away from the pain of life but to embrace it time and time again, A2 shows the world her resolve to eternally bear the guilt and sorrow of the past by continuously facing the damage to her own body.
Second, it is the “breakaway from YoRHa (false beauty) and the acquisition of existence.” While her successor 2B maintains a perfected beauty as an “exquisite doll” through beautiful Gothic-style attire and flawless synthetic skin, A2 has stripped away that vanity herself (or as a result of battle). The state in which the prescribed role of “appearance” given by the Command has peeled away, revealing the black, rugged true face of a machine underneath, is precisely where A2’s existence lies. Her black skin is nothing less than raw proof that she has ceased to be a doll created by the system and has been reborn as a “single subject” who curses the world and tears it apart by her own will.
3. Active Nihilism and the Behavioral Principles of the “Traitor”
The subsequent behavioral principles of A2, who defected from YoRHa and became an unaffiliated “traitor,” appear on the surface to be pure and maddening “revenge.” She wanders the world alone, continuing to destroy any Machine Lifeform she encounters without a shred of mercy using her small sword and large sword. Despite the fact that Androids belonging to YoRHa are originally prohibited from having emotions, A2’s hatred toward Machine Lifeforms completely overrides that programming taboo.
If we interpret her mental state philosophically, A2 immediately after the Pearl Harbor Descent Mission stood on the precipice of what Nietzsche calls “passive Nihilism.” The great cause to believe in (reclaiming Earth for humanity) was a lie, all the comrades she was supposed to protect were lost, and the absolute orders of the Command were a trap to kill her. In a world of nothingness where all standards of value had collapsed, why did she choose to continue fighting instead of choosing self-destruction (suicide)?
It is simply because she ended up bearing the memories (data) of her comrades. For A2, who inherited the memories of those who fell wishing “I wanted to live,” ending her own life would mean reducing the proof of their lives to nothing. Therefore, she transitioned to “active Nihilism,” making survival itself her purpose and simply continuing to swing her sword as a rebellion against the world that thrust her into hell (the maddening system woven by both Machine Lifeforms and YoRHa). As Camus depicted in The Rebel, the poignant proof of existence—“I rebel, therefore we exist”—lies at the bottom of her infinite destructive urge. Destroying Machine Lifeforms is, for her, a blood-soaked ritual to report to her comrades that “I am still alive.”
4. Prototype and Successors—Repeating Despair and the “Virtuous Contract”
The greatest turning point in A2’s solitary tale is her intersection with her successor units, 2B (YoRHa No.2 Type B) and 9S (YoRHa No.9 Type S). As a matter of fact, A2 is their “prototype (base),” and she holds a relationship of being the base specifically for 2B (whose true role is the executioner model, Type E).
During their first encounter in the Forest Kingdom (Forest Castle), A2 leaves them with the cryptic words, “Command is the one that betrayed you,” and disappears. For A2 at this time, 2B and 9S, who blindly obey the system, are a painful mirror image of “herself when she was once ignorant.” Applying Søren Kierkegaard’s concept of “repetition,” the massive system of YoRHa is repeatedly “repeating” a cruel tragedy: using the same model number (No.2), instilling the same hope of a great cause, and eventually thrusting them into despair. A2’s cold gaze is a mixture of deep pity for her successors trapped in the system and, at the same time, resignation to the deterministic tragedy that they too will eventually face the same The Absurd.
| Unit Name | Role & Fate | Existential Challenge | Philosophical Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| A2 | Prototype / Disposable experimental subject | Rebellion against the creator and acquisition of the meaning of survival | Camus’s “Rebellion,” Active Nihilism |
| 2B | Successor / Executioner (Type E) | Execution of a false role and the chain of murdering a loved one | Sartre’s “Mauvaise foi,” Search for Amor Fati |
| 9S | State-of-the-art model / Seeker (Type S) | Reaching the truth and the resulting collapse of the world | Nietzsche’s “Ressentiment,” Fall into passive Nihilism |
4.1 Inheritance of Memories and “The Look”
In the latter half of the story (Route C), 2B, infected with the Logic Virus and facing the imminent collapse of her ego, reunites with A2 while fleeing from pursuers. 2B entrusts her memories and wishes to her beloved sword, “Virtuous Contract,” and pleads with A2 to kill her. At this moment, when A2 ends the life of her successor 2B with her own hands and inherits her memories, the fates of the two “No.2s” fuse into one.
Sartre argued that the self is objectified and freedom is threatened by “The Look,” but 2B’s gaze on the verge of death here does not bind A2; rather, it liberates A2 from the long-standing curse of being a solitary avenger. What 2B entrusted to A2 was the hope for the future: “Take care of 9S.” It was a pure altruistic love, different from the curse-like wish of “live” entrusted to her by her comrades during the Pearl Harbor Descent Mission.
After this tragic act of mercy, A2 cuts off her own long, overgrown silver hair with her sword, as if to match 2B’s hairstyle. The act of cutting one’s hair signifies “parting with the past” and “acquiring a new identity” in literature and mythology around the world. A2, who had been a ghost (traitor) preserving her own pain and trapped in revenge, lets go of a part of her past by her own will for the first time here, leaping her existence forward to become “one who protects someone’s future (9S).“
5. Tactical Support Pod and the Pacifist Machine—The Process of Understanding the Other
Memories and a sword were not the only things inherited from 2B. The Tactical Support Pod “Pod 042” also becomes A2’s new companion. Initially, A2 shows a strong attitude of rejection, saying “Don’t follow me around” and “You shut up,” toward Pod 042, who makes mechanical and logical proposals such as “Recommendation: Prompt sharing of objectives.” For A2, who had suppressed her emotions and extremely avoided involvement with others, it can be inferred that Pod 042, a child of the orderly system, felt like a symbol of the detestable world of “YoRHa” that had once treated her as disposable.
However, as they travel through the Desert Zone and City Ruins, the dialogue between the two gradually takes on a warmth akin to an awkward parent-child conversation, or a comedic double act. Here, I would like to interject an interesting meta-analysis. In stage play analyses, it has been pointed out that the number “042” of Pod 042 originates from “42,” the “Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything” in the sci-fi novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Based on this metaphor, Pod 042 can be interpreted not merely as a support weapon, but as playing the role of a mirror of reason to derive the “meaning of life (the answer to the ultimate question)” that A2 had lost. Pod 042’s extremely objective and logical analysis relentlessly verbalizes the “kindness” hidden within A2, making her aware of it herself.
Furthermore, what decisively determines this change is her interaction with the Machine Lifeforms in Pascal’s village. Pascal is a pacifist Machine Lifeform who is interested in the history of humanity and Machine Lifeforms and dislikes conflict. Initially, A2 held the absolute belief that “I will destroy all Machine Lifeforms,” but she begins to lend a hand for the survival of the village and fetches filters for the child Machine Lifeforms. This contradictory behavior of A2—who had hated Machine Lifeforms due to some past event—fighting to protect Pascal’s village indicates that she has dismantled the abstract, holistic concept of “enemy” and begun to face the “individual beings (existences)” right in front of her.
The fact that even among the Machine Lifeforms, who are supposed to be enemies, there are those like Pascal who love peace and cherish their families. This shook the sole foundation of “absolute hatred” upon which A2 herself stood. Like the “integration of self and other” in Hegelian dialectics, she finds the same “thirst for life” as her own even within the objects she once hated, melting her frozen heart. This very process of understanding the other paved the way toward “forgiveness” for the world.
6. The Decision at the Giant Structure “The Tower” and Amor Fati
In the final stages of the story, the giant structure “The Tower” emerges in the City Ruins, and all truths are brought to light. The true purpose of Project YoRHa, the extinction of humanity, and the existence of the Machine Lifeform network and the “Red Girl (N2).” Against 9S, who, having learned these cruel truths and further swallowed by madness from losing 2B, goes on a rampage to destroy everything, A2 steps forward to The Tower to stop him, carrying 2B’s wish in her heart.
The final battle between A2 and 9S. It is an inevitable existential clash between “one who once learned the truth, despaired at the world, and became a traitor (A2)” and “one who has just now learned the truth and become an avenger cursing the world (9S).” Both are victims of the system and creations betrayed by God. 9S’s madness is nothing but the flip side of the nothingness and hatred that A2 fell into immediately after the Pearl Harbor Descent Mission. However, the current A2 had already escaped the rock bottom of that Nihilism and achieved an existential overcoming: “Even so, finding value in this world and projecting oneself for the sake of others.”
In A2’s ending (Ending C), after subduing 9S following a fierce battle, she makes the choice to sacrifice her own life (system) to remove the Logic Virus from 9S and save him. It was a ritual to completely liberate him from the cursed deterministic system of YoRHa. Inside the collapsing Tower, the falling A2 looks up at the clear blue sky and leaves her final words.
“I never quite realized… how beautiful this world is.”
“I’m coming, everyone. I’m coming…”
This monologue is the ultimate “affirmation of the world” reached just before death by the girl named A2, who had cursed her harsh fate, been covered in blood and oil, and continued to hate the world for a long time. Accepting all of The Absurd of the world (the absence of God, orchestrated death, unreasonable loss), and yet acknowledging that there was still a beauty in this world worth protecting. Here, we can see the purest manifestation of what Nietzsche calls “Amor Fati”—the state of affirming all suffering brought about by necessity and loving one’s own fate.
Conclusion: Affirmation of Life—At the End of a Beautiful Betrayal
“YoRHa Type A No.2”—A2. The path she walked was a history of thorough loss and nothingness. Born into the gruesome dance of death that was the Pearl Harbor Descent Mission, abandoned by the false god that was the Command, she survived a solitary war named revenge while dragging her black, cracked body.
Just as Devola and Popola, characters from the previous work, were intentionally made to bear the “guilt” of humanity’s extinction and lost their lives for atonement, and just as Emil survived an immense amount of time while losing his memories, the Androids and creations of this world all uniformly bear a heavy cross named the “past.” However, when integrating the vast records and memory fragments of this work and unraveling A2’s spiritual history, it becomes clear that she was neither a mere “demon of revenge” nor a “defective prototype.” She was a true seeker of existence who continued to question “how she should be” amidst absolute despair.
The past wails carved into the data chips secretly kept by Anemone were by no means meaningless noise. Precisely because she took on those wails and pain, she learned the weight of life, accepted 2B’s altruistic wish, and ultimately reached the supreme choice of breaking the chain of hatred to save 9S.
In a decadent and cruel world ruled by mechanical gods, A2’s existence is a miracle. Her “betrayal”—defying a pre-programmed death, overcoming hatred, and ultimately choosing love and self-sacrifice—was the most beautiful form of soul that the Android species could reach. The memory of the clear blue sky she looked up at for the last time inside the collapsing Tower is deeply carved into our hearts as an unfading philosophical poem that symbolizes the cruel and beautiful world of NieR:Automata.
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