Aniplex has uploaded a new trailer for the upcoming NieR Automata anime, focusing on the Bunker this time. Previously, it highlighted how 2B and 9S would appear in their animated debut. The Bunker trailer focuses mostly on the Commander, with Chiaki Kano reprising her role. Though they do not appear in the trailer, itself, the cast list does include Operators 6O and 21O.
The official website for the anime was also updated with some art featuring the Commander and some Operators.
Keiko Isobe will return as Operator 6O, and Meari Hatsumi will also reprise her role as Operator 21O. Operators 6O and 21O may be in the promotional art of the Bunker units, standing next to the Commander. However, since there are so many similar Operator units from the game, it is difficult to say for sure.
In a conversation with anime director Ryouji Masuyama, and game director/writer Yoko Taro, they gave some hints to the story. According to Yoko Taro, the reason why the anime is called NieR Automata Ver 1.1a is because it would divert from the original plot. This is because NieR Automata’s base story relied on the game medium, which would be difficult to convey in anime format. This would also give veterans of the game a chance to experience a new story.
NieR Automata originally came out in 2017 for the PS4, with PlatinumGames as the developer. It is an ARPG following 2B and 9S, who are android soldiers in a proxy war between the aliens and the humans. Yoko Taro wrote the story, which deals with themes such as existentialism. A Nintendo Switch version came out in early October 2022, with some Switch-exclusive costumes.
NieR Automata is readily available on the PS4, Xbox One, Windows PC, and Nintendo Switch. The anime version will come out in January 2023.
