”2B Activates for Battle” 2B and Nier:Automata Smash Analysis Part 1
Introduction to Nier:Automata and 2B
Nier is an offshoot of the series, Drakengard, which is known for its multiple endings and branching storylines. Both series are published by Square-Enix but Drakengard was originally developed by Cavia, a now defunct studio that was later bought by AQ Interactive. However, they also went belly-up so Square Enix licensed the series out to other development studios for later titles.
Nier:Automata was developed by Platinum Games who also developed Bayonetta and Wonderful 101. Nier is the continued story from the fifth ending of the original Drakengard game where the Earth is left virtually destroyed. In the first Nier game, players took control of the character Nier whose backstory differs depending on the version. In Gestalt, Nier is a father looking to save his only daughter set in 2049 while, in Replicant, Nier is a brother looking to save his only sister set in 2053.
Both games lead into NieR:Automata which has little connection to its predecessors. 2B (which stands for “YoRHa No. 2 Type B”) is a YoRHa-type Android who fights an ongoing war against The Machines on an apocalyptic Earth. In battle, they use various weaponry, giant mechs, jet planes, and even machines such as Pods. 2B’s Pod is number 042 and they form quite the team. The story in NieR:Automata chronicles 2B’s battles alongside the other YoRHA 9S and the enigmatic A2. Together, they discover the inner workings of the machines and their fight against Earth while also potentially discovering their humanity along the way. The game has 26 endings that range from heart wrenchers to feel-good-endings and to joke endings (don’t eat the fish). With 26 endings, there’s many ways to play NieR:Automata with each play-through vastly different than others before it.
2B Character Overview
2B is all about stringing together combos to rack up damage and then releasing a powerful finisher to kill the opponent which makes sense considering that’s how she played in NieR:Automata. Many of her moves are multi-hitting attacks that deal high damage if they all connect. A good majority of her standard attacks lack noticeable ending lag which allows her to link attacks together to deliver powerful combos. She is similar in design to Bayonetta as they both focus on combos but she differs from her in a number of ways. The biggest difference is her use of weapons as opposed to guns and shadow-based melee attacks. She also is supported by Pod 042 in battle which grants her numerous abilities. This makes 2B a bit more flexible in fighting against different opponents and being able to employ different strategies based on the situation.
Now, let’s talk about her stats. 2B is a light heavyweight with a rating of 114, which puts her in between Incineroar and Piranha Plant. This is due to her actual canon weight being 148.8 kg or 328.048 lbs. That’s very heavy but, in Smash, she’s best classified as a light heavyweight. Despite her weight, her falling speed isn’t that fast and she’s borderline mid range at 1.63 along with Joker and DK. Her jump is a bit lower in comparison with a rating of 31 which puts her around Pit and Dark Pit. She’s not meant for aerial maneuvers like Bayonetta and has a better ground game in comparison. She has a slow walk speed at .83 which puts her in between Snake and Terry. However, she has a very good dash speed at 2.19 which ranks her slightly higher than Banjo & Kazooie but lower than Ridley.
2B uses a mixture of short and long swords in her standard attacks with the long sword giving her enhanced reach at the cost of reduced speed while the short sword has the opposite effect. She has a balanced mixture between her two sword styles to ensure she can effectively combo into these attacks without too much trouble. Besides using her physical sword attacks, she would also make use of Pod 042. It is able to assist in her attacks; in particular, her Special Attacks. These include firing projectiles through the Neutral Special, Pod Fire, aiding in recovery, or even enacting selectable Pod Programs which all have different attributes and effects.
These Programs give 2B an edge in battle such as using Gravity to draw in and damage opponents, Mirage which acts like a multi-hitting counter, or powerful projectiles like Laser and Bomb. In addition, 2B can also grab hold of Pod 042 to hover in the air for a slight period of time by holding the jump like Peach and Daisy.
2B Specials and Final Smash
Neutral Special: Pod Fire
2B instructs Pod 042 to unleash a hail of gunfire at the direction she is facing. Much like its origins, the Pod cannot fire in 360 degrees but is dependent on where 2B is facing. Since the player doesn’t have full control of the camera, Pod 042’s aim is always facing where 2B is. Holding down the special button causes the pod to unleash its bullets but it slows down and grows weaker in time. It initially does 3.3% damage per hit but grows weaker with a minimum of 1.1% damage per hit.
Side Special: Missile
2B grabs a hold of Pod 042 and flies forward in a way similar to Wolf and Meta Knight’s Side Special. While this technically is a Pod Program from the original game, this was added to give 2B better mobility options. As she moves forward, she performs a spinning kick that gives her some control over her trajectory. The attack can even be charged for further traveling distance and trajectory control. The attack does 2.7% per hit with a total of 6 hits before finishing when uncharged. When fully charged, it delivers 3.3% damage with ten capable hits. This attack is good for closing gaps, pressuring, and can also be used as an alternate recovery option.
Up Special: Pod Jump/Pod Kick
2B grabs a hold of Pod 042 and boosts herself into the air, though it has slightly less traveling range than Snake’s Up Special. Once she reaches a certain height, she lets go and enters into a freefall state. However, pressing the special attack button before this happens causes 2B to swing around in the air while holding onto the Pod. After performing a full swing, she launches herself forward into a flying kick. The swinging animation does 6% damage while the initial launching kick attack deals 12.4% and scales down to 8% near the end. This up special grants 2B both vertical and horizontal recovery which helps her get back to the stage by clearing a path for a safe recovery.
Down Special: Pod Program
Technically, Missile is listed within the Pod Programs in Nier:Automata, but giving her the ability to select other Pod Programs would be an excellent way to give her more functionality while also representing her series. Selecting the Program from the program selector retains the style and design of Nier:Automata. Each Pod Program can be charged to change the nature of the attack which may also increase the number of hits and damage. Each one has a Cooldown Timer which slowly fills up after use. Once the icon is highlighted, it can be used. Using a fully charged version lengthens the cooldown timer.
Laser: Pod 042 fires out a large laser blast that functions similarly to R.O.B’s Neutral Special. It has great range and will deal damage and then knockback. The uncharged version also takes a while to fire off, but the fully charged version comes out more quickly and deals multiple hits much like Robin’s fully charged Thoron. The Laser pod program does only 7.2% damage while uncharged, but the fully charged version does 2.2% with ten hits before launching the opponent. The uncharged cooldown timer is 8 seconds while the charged version is 13 seconds.
Mirage: Pod 042 erects a field and, if any opponent is within the field, 2B launches a multi-hitting combo. Charging the move expands the field and also the amount of hits the combo delivers. It’s possible to trap additional opponents in the attack but at reduced damage compared to the main target. While a strong attack, it is susceptible to attacks from outside the field and can be shut down mid-attack animation. The uncharged version deals up to 12% damage with a 12 second cooldown while the charged version can deliver 18% with a 20 second cooldown.
Hammer: 2B summons a hammer and then slams it downwards in front of her. It has startup lag that can be punished but, upon releasing it, she has super armor. The attack produces a devastating slam that has high damage, knockback, and is one of her more powerful attacks. Charging the attack not only enlarges the hammer but also increases the damage radius along with granting it higher damage output and knockback. However, the attack greatly suffers from start up lag much like the uncharged version. It can do damage between 10-17% uncharged and 14%-25% charged depending on the distance between the opponent and the point of impact. It is a brutal attack that is capable of killing opponents even at low-mid percentages and can meteor smash airborne opponents when the head of the hammer connects. The uncharged cooldown is around 20 seconds and charged is around 40 seconds.
Blade: Pod 042 extends a blade and quickly rotates around 2B. It differs from the original attack as it covers 2B vertically instead of horizontally. This is due to the 2D-based action of Smash as opposed to the 3D based action of Nier:Automata. When activated, the Pod will quickly rotate around 2B even if a stage or platform obstructs its path. Charging the attack causes two Pods to appear instead of just one which vastly increases the speed, number of hits, and its overall range. The attack typically lasts 10 seconds when uncharged and 20 seconds uncharged. The uncharged version deals .5% damage per hit with twenty five hits total during its duration as well as a 20 second cooldown timer. The charged version deals .8% per hit and is capable of delivering up 45 hits total as well as a 33 second cooldown timer. This attack is perfect at protecting 2B from approaches but it is weak against mid-range projectiles which can stop the attack before it finishes.
Gravity: Pod 042 erects a field of effect which acts much like Black Hole. It draws in opponents and items into the center of the field while continuously dealing damage. Those close to the field will find themselves quickly drawn in while those further away will notice a slight drag. The charged version has an intense gravitational pull that snags and drags in opponents even if they are further away. This attack could be a big risk however as it might bring powerful items to the opponents to snatch after it finishes. The uncharged version deals 1.8% damage per hit and can deal up to eight hits total. The charged version deals up to 2.4% and is capable of 10 hits total. The cooldown timers are 13 seconds for uncharged and 45 seconds uncharged. Opponents are juggled while in Gravity but may get thrown upwards if they are at high percentages. This is a great attack for aerial denial and zoning while also trapping opponents in order to set up a combo or score a KO.
Bomb: Pod 042 fires off one to four bombs which arc and then land. Each Bomb has a slightly different trajectory and power which causes its striking area to be randomized. It does high damage, especially at the moment of impact, with lesser damage outside of the blast zone. The charged version increases the size of three blasts and causes the Pod to release four bombs altogether. The uncharged version does up 8.5% damage and has a 12 second cooldown while the charged version does up to 17% damage and has a 23 second cooldown.
Final Smash: YoRHA Special Attack/Self-Destruct
2B will throw her sword forward which will hit and trap the opponent in the attack. She then teleports and reappears at the opponent. Grabbing her sword, she performs an upward slash which launches the opponent into the air. She then delivers a series of blinding-quick slashes into the opponent which causes tons of shiny particle effect to whirl around her. She then kicks the opponent downwards which can result in a meteor spike if done off the stage. She will then descend down and strike the opponent with her sword. If done off the stage, she will stop at an approximate altitude of the main stage platform. Altogether, the Final Smash does around 65% damage.
Holding down the special button will initiate the second Final Smash, Self-Destruct.
This results in a countdown from five seconds, but releasing the button causes the countdown and Final Smash to stop. Once the timer reaches 0, 2B releases a large explosion that deals extremely high damage to anyone around her. It is capable of OHKO’ing opponents within close proximity to her while dealing up to 50% to those further away. 2B will collapse to the ground in a Final Smash cinematic afterward with her body covered in smoke. She will then get up but stagger a bit first. This sets her damage percentage up by 100%.
2B Smash Attacks
Her Special Moveset primarily featured her Pod and the Pod Programs. For her Smash Attacks, the focus was on her weapons that she uses to hack apart robots. This time, let’s look at the other side of the spectrum.
Side Smash: Inspired from her Combat Bracers Multi Hit. She performs several punches with dual Combat Bracers followed by one final punch which launches the opponent. The first three hits trap the opponent with the final hit launching them. It does around 15-23% damage and is an effective and powerful Side Smash with great range, large hit boxes, and high knockback.
Up Smash: While not directly lifted from her game, this uses her Spear and has her thrust it upwards much like Marth’s Up Smash but with greater reach. The head of the spear does more damage than the rest of the spear but, if they both connect from the start up of the smash attack, it does even more damage. By themselves, the head of the spear does 8-17% damage while the staff does 5-10% damage; uncharged and charged. If the attack hits from the start up to the final attack animation; it does 19-26% damage uncharged and charged.
Down Smash: Taken from her Heavy Attack Large Sword Combo, she swings once with her sword close to the ground and brings it backwards to perform one full low slash rotation. The attack hits in front of her twice and once behind her. The attack is capable of doing 10-18% damage; uncharged and charged on either side.
Entrance Animation
2B appears floating to the stage while holding onto Pod 042. She then drops, slashes her short sword and points it forward.
Taunts
Up Taunt: Holds out her arms and tilts her head up as if feeling a natural breeze. Taken from one of her original idle poses.
Side Taunt: Pod 042 swerves around and positions itself in front of 2B. She bends over and lovingly pats it on the “head”. This is taken from the animation when the PlayStation 4 controller pad is rubbed.
Down Taunt: Summons a holographic chair and sits down on it briefly before unsummoning it. Based on fishing in NieR:Automata.
Victory Animations
2B spins her two blades in a vicious combo before slashing down in front of the camera. She then says “Enemy neutralized.”
Pod 042 spins around her before stopping next to her head. 2B playfully pats it on the head while smiling.
Descends down from the top and lands in a dramatic pose before standing up to look off in the distance.
Classic Mode: Destroy All Machines
2B’s Classic Mode route features opponents who are based on robots or machines, metallic in nature, or have the Metal Box effect attached to them. This is in reference to 2B fighting against machines who have largely destroyed humanity and the Earth. Some opponents reference bosses fought in NieR:Automata.
Round 1 - Vs.
(Metal)
Umbra Clock Tower
References the battle between So-shi and Boku-shi, two spherical robotic machines that A2 and 2B faces. Umbra Clock Tower references the elevator or shaft they fight the pair in.
Round 2- Vs. (Grey)
Space Frigate Orpheon
Grey Ridley resembles Mecha Ridley, a mechanized version of Ridley, from a Metroid Zero Mission.
Round 3 - Vs.(Mecha Suit), (Cybernetic Suit), and (Chibi-Robo)
Gerudo Valley
All three Mii Fighter outfits are based on metallic or cybernetic costumes.
Round 4 - Vs. (White),
Find Mii
While not entirely robotic, they both have robotic-like components in their armor and attacks.
Round 5 - Vs.
Gaur Plain
Mega Man is a fighting robot created by Dr. Light to fight Robots corrupted or made by the nefarious Dr. Wily.
Round 6 -Vs.(3, Giant)
Mushroomy Kingdom (Omega)
References the three Engels that 2B and 9S faced at the start of the game. The stage also references the desert-like environment of the first level along with the main fighting platform in NieR:Automata being flat.
Final Round - Galleom
Galleom is a giant robotic beast with enhanced cybernetics.
Victory Theme
Alternate Costumes
Black - (Default)
White - Based on Commander White
Green - Based on Anemone
Red - Based on Popola and Devola
Blue - Based on Yonah from Gestalt and Replicant
Orange - Based on Operator 210.
Cyan - Based on Kainé from Gestalt and Replicant
Brown - Based on Red Girl
Closing
That finishes Part 1 of the 2B and NieR Automata analysis. She is no stranger to crossovers with managing to land multiple appearances in games like SoulCalibur VI, Servant of Thrones, and Monster Hunter Frontier Z. She is certainly no stranger to crossovers. However, NieR doesn’t have the legacy as some of the other third-party franchises nor does it have a good relationship with Nintendo like Bayonetta despite it still being new. Moreover, the Drakengard and NieR series hasn’t been as well-received as other series such as Persona 5, Final Fantasy VII, and Mega Man 11. Still, seeing as how NieR:Automata was critically acclaimed; perhaps it’s time to let the series finally shine and get the recognition it sought for all these years.
Introduction to Nier:Automata and 2B
Nier is an offshoot of the series, Drakengard, which is known for its multiple endings and branching storylines. Both series are published by Square-Enix but Drakengard was originally developed by Cavia, a now defunct studio that was later bought by AQ Interactive. However, they also went belly-up so Square Enix licensed the series out to other development studios for later titles.
Nier:Automata was developed by Platinum Games who also developed Bayonetta and Wonderful 101. Nier is the continued story from the fifth ending of the original Drakengard game where the Earth is left virtually destroyed. In the first Nier game, players took control of the character Nier whose backstory differs depending on the version. In Gestalt, Nier is a father looking to save his only daughter set in 2049 while, in Replicant, Nier is a brother looking to save his only sister set in 2053.
Both games lead into NieR:Automata which has little connection to its predecessors. 2B (which stands for “YoRHa No. 2 Type B”) is a YoRHa-type Android who fights an ongoing war against The Machines on an apocalyptic Earth. In battle, they use various weaponry, giant mechs, jet planes, and even machines such as Pods. 2B’s Pod is number 042 and they form quite the team. The story in NieR:Automata chronicles 2B’s battles alongside the other YoRHA 9S and the enigmatic A2. Together, they discover the inner workings of the machines and their fight against Earth while also potentially discovering their humanity along the way. The game has 26 endings that range from heart wrenchers to feel-good-endings and to joke endings (don’t eat the fish). With 26 endings, there’s many ways to play NieR:Automata with each play-through vastly different than others before it.
2B Character Overview
2B is all about stringing together combos to rack up damage and then releasing a powerful finisher to kill the opponent which makes sense considering that’s how she played in NieR:Automata. Many of her moves are multi-hitting attacks that deal high damage if they all connect. A good majority of her standard attacks lack noticeable ending lag which allows her to link attacks together to deliver powerful combos. She is similar in design to Bayonetta as they both focus on combos but she differs from her in a number of ways. The biggest difference is her use of weapons as opposed to guns and shadow-based melee attacks. She also is supported by Pod 042 in battle which grants her numerous abilities. This makes 2B a bit more flexible in fighting against different opponents and being able to employ different strategies based on the situation.
Now, let’s talk about her stats. 2B is a light heavyweight with a rating of 114, which puts her in between Incineroar and Piranha Plant. This is due to her actual canon weight being 148.8 kg or 328.048 lbs. That’s very heavy but, in Smash, she’s best classified as a light heavyweight. Despite her weight, her falling speed isn’t that fast and she’s borderline mid range at 1.63 along with Joker and DK. Her jump is a bit lower in comparison with a rating of 31 which puts her around Pit and Dark Pit. She’s not meant for aerial maneuvers like Bayonetta and has a better ground game in comparison. She has a slow walk speed at .83 which puts her in between Snake and Terry. However, she has a very good dash speed at 2.19 which ranks her slightly higher than Banjo & Kazooie but lower than Ridley.
2B uses a mixture of short and long swords in her standard attacks with the long sword giving her enhanced reach at the cost of reduced speed while the short sword has the opposite effect. She has a balanced mixture between her two sword styles to ensure she can effectively combo into these attacks without too much trouble. Besides using her physical sword attacks, she would also make use of Pod 042. It is able to assist in her attacks; in particular, her Special Attacks. These include firing projectiles through the Neutral Special, Pod Fire, aiding in recovery, or even enacting selectable Pod Programs which all have different attributes and effects.
These Programs give 2B an edge in battle such as using Gravity to draw in and damage opponents, Mirage which acts like a multi-hitting counter, or powerful projectiles like Laser and Bomb. In addition, 2B can also grab hold of Pod 042 to hover in the air for a slight period of time by holding the jump like Peach and Daisy.
2B Specials and Final Smash
Neutral Special: Pod Fire
2B instructs Pod 042 to unleash a hail of gunfire at the direction she is facing. Much like its origins, the Pod cannot fire in 360 degrees but is dependent on where 2B is facing. Since the player doesn’t have full control of the camera, Pod 042’s aim is always facing where 2B is. Holding down the special button causes the pod to unleash its bullets but it slows down and grows weaker in time. It initially does 3.3% damage per hit but grows weaker with a minimum of 1.1% damage per hit.
Side Special: Missile
2B grabs a hold of Pod 042 and flies forward in a way similar to Wolf and Meta Knight’s Side Special. While this technically is a Pod Program from the original game, this was added to give 2B better mobility options. As she moves forward, she performs a spinning kick that gives her some control over her trajectory. The attack can even be charged for further traveling distance and trajectory control. The attack does 2.7% per hit with a total of 6 hits before finishing when uncharged. When fully charged, it delivers 3.3% damage with ten capable hits. This attack is good for closing gaps, pressuring, and can also be used as an alternate recovery option.
Up Special: Pod Jump/Pod Kick
2B grabs a hold of Pod 042 and boosts herself into the air, though it has slightly less traveling range than Snake’s Up Special. Once she reaches a certain height, she lets go and enters into a freefall state. However, pressing the special attack button before this happens causes 2B to swing around in the air while holding onto the Pod. After performing a full swing, she launches herself forward into a flying kick. The swinging animation does 6% damage while the initial launching kick attack deals 12.4% and scales down to 8% near the end. This up special grants 2B both vertical and horizontal recovery which helps her get back to the stage by clearing a path for a safe recovery.
Down Special: Pod Program
Technically, Missile is listed within the Pod Programs in Nier:Automata, but giving her the ability to select other Pod Programs would be an excellent way to give her more functionality while also representing her series. Selecting the Program from the program selector retains the style and design of Nier:Automata. Each Pod Program can be charged to change the nature of the attack which may also increase the number of hits and damage. Each one has a Cooldown Timer which slowly fills up after use. Once the icon is highlighted, it can be used. Using a fully charged version lengthens the cooldown timer.
Laser: Pod 042 fires out a large laser blast that functions similarly to R.O.B’s Neutral Special. It has great range and will deal damage and then knockback. The uncharged version also takes a while to fire off, but the fully charged version comes out more quickly and deals multiple hits much like Robin’s fully charged Thoron. The Laser pod program does only 7.2% damage while uncharged, but the fully charged version does 2.2% with ten hits before launching the opponent. The uncharged cooldown timer is 8 seconds while the charged version is 13 seconds.
Mirage: Pod 042 erects a field and, if any opponent is within the field, 2B launches a multi-hitting combo. Charging the move expands the field and also the amount of hits the combo delivers. It’s possible to trap additional opponents in the attack but at reduced damage compared to the main target. While a strong attack, it is susceptible to attacks from outside the field and can be shut down mid-attack animation. The uncharged version deals up to 12% damage with a 12 second cooldown while the charged version can deliver 18% with a 20 second cooldown.
Hammer: 2B summons a hammer and then slams it downwards in front of her. It has startup lag that can be punished but, upon releasing it, she has super armor. The attack produces a devastating slam that has high damage, knockback, and is one of her more powerful attacks. Charging the attack not only enlarges the hammer but also increases the damage radius along with granting it higher damage output and knockback. However, the attack greatly suffers from start up lag much like the uncharged version. It can do damage between 10-17% uncharged and 14%-25% charged depending on the distance between the opponent and the point of impact. It is a brutal attack that is capable of killing opponents even at low-mid percentages and can meteor smash airborne opponents when the head of the hammer connects. The uncharged cooldown is around 20 seconds and charged is around 40 seconds.
Blade: Pod 042 extends a blade and quickly rotates around 2B. It differs from the original attack as it covers 2B vertically instead of horizontally. This is due to the 2D-based action of Smash as opposed to the 3D based action of Nier:Automata. When activated, the Pod will quickly rotate around 2B even if a stage or platform obstructs its path. Charging the attack causes two Pods to appear instead of just one which vastly increases the speed, number of hits, and its overall range. The attack typically lasts 10 seconds when uncharged and 20 seconds uncharged. The uncharged version deals .5% damage per hit with twenty five hits total during its duration as well as a 20 second cooldown timer. The charged version deals .8% per hit and is capable of delivering up 45 hits total as well as a 33 second cooldown timer. This attack is perfect at protecting 2B from approaches but it is weak against mid-range projectiles which can stop the attack before it finishes.
Gravity: Pod 042 erects a field of effect which acts much like Black Hole. It draws in opponents and items into the center of the field while continuously dealing damage. Those close to the field will find themselves quickly drawn in while those further away will notice a slight drag. The charged version has an intense gravitational pull that snags and drags in opponents even if they are further away. This attack could be a big risk however as it might bring powerful items to the opponents to snatch after it finishes. The uncharged version deals 1.8% damage per hit and can deal up to eight hits total. The charged version deals up to 2.4% and is capable of 10 hits total. The cooldown timers are 13 seconds for uncharged and 45 seconds uncharged. Opponents are juggled while in Gravity but may get thrown upwards if they are at high percentages. This is a great attack for aerial denial and zoning while also trapping opponents in order to set up a combo or score a KO.
Bomb: Pod 042 fires off one to four bombs which arc and then land. Each Bomb has a slightly different trajectory and power which causes its striking area to be randomized. It does high damage, especially at the moment of impact, with lesser damage outside of the blast zone. The charged version increases the size of three blasts and causes the Pod to release four bombs altogether. The uncharged version does up 8.5% damage and has a 12 second cooldown while the charged version does up to 17% damage and has a 23 second cooldown.
Final Smash: YoRHA Special Attack/Self-Destruct
2B will throw her sword forward which will hit and trap the opponent in the attack. She then teleports and reappears at the opponent. Grabbing her sword, she performs an upward slash which launches the opponent into the air. She then delivers a series of blinding-quick slashes into the opponent which causes tons of shiny particle effect to whirl around her. She then kicks the opponent downwards which can result in a meteor spike if done off the stage. She will then descend down and strike the opponent with her sword. If done off the stage, she will stop at an approximate altitude of the main stage platform. Altogether, the Final Smash does around 65% damage.
Holding down the special button will initiate the second Final Smash, Self-Destruct.
This results in a countdown from five seconds, but releasing the button causes the countdown and Final Smash to stop. Once the timer reaches 0, 2B releases a large explosion that deals extremely high damage to anyone around her. It is capable of OHKO’ing opponents within close proximity to her while dealing up to 50% to those further away. 2B will collapse to the ground in a Final Smash cinematic afterward with her body covered in smoke. She will then get up but stagger a bit first. This sets her damage percentage up by 100%.
2B Smash Attacks
Her Special Moveset primarily featured her Pod and the Pod Programs. For her Smash Attacks, the focus was on her weapons that she uses to hack apart robots. This time, let’s look at the other side of the spectrum.
Side Smash: Inspired from her Combat Bracers Multi Hit. She performs several punches with dual Combat Bracers followed by one final punch which launches the opponent. The first three hits trap the opponent with the final hit launching them. It does around 15-23% damage and is an effective and powerful Side Smash with great range, large hit boxes, and high knockback.
Up Smash: While not directly lifted from her game, this uses her Spear and has her thrust it upwards much like Marth’s Up Smash but with greater reach. The head of the spear does more damage than the rest of the spear but, if they both connect from the start up of the smash attack, it does even more damage. By themselves, the head of the spear does 8-17% damage while the staff does 5-10% damage; uncharged and charged. If the attack hits from the start up to the final attack animation; it does 19-26% damage uncharged and charged.
Down Smash: Taken from her Heavy Attack Large Sword Combo, she swings once with her sword close to the ground and brings it backwards to perform one full low slash rotation. The attack hits in front of her twice and once behind her. The attack is capable of doing 10-18% damage; uncharged and charged on either side.
Entrance Animation
2B appears floating to the stage while holding onto Pod 042. She then drops, slashes her short sword and points it forward.
Taunts
Up Taunt: Holds out her arms and tilts her head up as if feeling a natural breeze. Taken from one of her original idle poses.
Side Taunt: Pod 042 swerves around and positions itself in front of 2B. She bends over and lovingly pats it on the “head”. This is taken from the animation when the PlayStation 4 controller pad is rubbed.
Down Taunt: Summons a holographic chair and sits down on it briefly before unsummoning it. Based on fishing in NieR:Automata.
Victory Animations
2B spins her two blades in a vicious combo before slashing down in front of the camera. She then says “Enemy neutralized.”
Pod 042 spins around her before stopping next to her head. 2B playfully pats it on the head while smiling.
Descends down from the top and lands in a dramatic pose before standing up to look off in the distance.
Classic Mode: Destroy All Machines
2B’s Classic Mode route features opponents who are based on robots or machines, metallic in nature, or have the Metal Box effect attached to them. This is in reference to 2B fighting against machines who have largely destroyed humanity and the Earth. Some opponents reference bosses fought in NieR:Automata.
Round 1 - Vs.
(Metal)Umbra Clock Tower
References the battle between So-shi and Boku-shi, two spherical robotic machines that A2 and 2B faces. Umbra Clock Tower references the elevator or shaft they fight the pair in.
Round 2- Vs.
(Grey)Space Frigate Orpheon
Grey Ridley resembles Mecha Ridley, a mechanized version of Ridley, from a Metroid Zero Mission.
Round 3 - Vs.
(Mecha Suit), (Cybernetic Suit), and (Chibi-Robo)Gerudo Valley
All three Mii Fighter outfits are based on metallic or cybernetic costumes.
Round 4 - Vs.
(White), Find Mii
While not entirely robotic, they both have robotic-like components in their armor and attacks.
Round 5 - Vs.
Gaur Plain
Mega Man is a fighting robot created by Dr. Light to fight Robots corrupted or made by the nefarious Dr. Wily.
Round 6 -Vs.
(3, Giant)Mushroomy Kingdom (Omega)
References the three Engels that 2B and 9S faced at the start of the game. The stage also references the desert-like environment of the first level along with the main fighting platform in NieR:Automata being flat.
Final Round - Galleom
Galleom is a giant robotic beast with enhanced cybernetics.
Victory Theme
Alternate Costumes
Black - (Default)
White - Based on Commander White
Green - Based on Anemone
Red - Based on Popola and Devola
Blue - Based on Yonah from Gestalt and Replicant
Orange - Based on Operator 210.
Cyan - Based on Kainé from Gestalt and Replicant
Brown - Based on Red Girl
Closing
That finishes Part 1 of the 2B and NieR Automata analysis. She is no stranger to crossovers with managing to land multiple appearances in games like SoulCalibur VI, Servant of Thrones, and Monster Hunter Frontier Z. She is certainly no stranger to crossovers. However, NieR doesn’t have the legacy as some of the other third-party franchises nor does it have a good relationship with Nintendo like Bayonetta despite it still being new. Moreover, the Drakengard and NieR series hasn’t been as well-received as other series such as Persona 5, Final Fantasy VII, and Mega Man 11. Still, seeing as how NieR:Automata was critically acclaimed; perhaps it’s time to let the series finally shine and get the recognition it sought for all these years.
