In the desert, they meet , a quirky and eccentric researcher whose obsession with dismantling machines and even the YoRHa androids themselves provides a moment of dark levity. The investigation leads them into an underground chamber where they witness a disturbing collective of machine lifeforms mimicking human behavior—such as rocking "babies" and mimicking intimacy—while chanting "This cannot continue".
: Reviewers highlighted the "eerie" atmosphere of the robot pillars and the use of the track "Wretched Weaponry" from the game's OST to enhance the tension of the desert journey. Production Background NieR:Automata Ver1.1a Episode 3
: Introduced as a wild card, Jackass's personality is often compared by fans to Hange Zoe from Attack on Titan due to her chaotic scientific curiosity. In the desert, they meet , a quirky
This mass of machines eventually forms a massive cocoon that "births" a human-like machine, . Although 2B and 9S manage to kill him, he is immediately replaced by a second, identical machine, Eve , who emerges from the first's corpse. Key Highlights and Themes Production Background : Introduced as a wild card,
: The episode features hidden details for long-time fans, including hex codes that translate to wedding vows, referencing the Kingdom of Facade from the original NieR game.
The episode begins with arriving at the Resistance Camp under the guidance of Lily , the group's leader. While YoRHa HQ reveals that the androids are actually being used to investigate mysterious machine behavior rather than just assisting the local resistance, the duo is directed to the desert to investigate an abnormality.