Kainé

Lore & Background

Kainé's backstory is revealed through additional playthroughs of the game. She suffered severe discrimination due to her parents' deaths, being born intersex, and later being partially possessed by the rogue Gestalt Tyrann. Through Tyrann, the player can understand the previously garbled speech of Gestalts, revealing them to be sentient beings with their own motivations. Kainé's relationship with the protagonist and Emil deepens as they journey together, and she becomes a key member of the party in their quest to defeat the Shadowlord and save Yonah. During the first playthrough, Kainé becomes overwhelmed by Tyrann, going berserk and forcing the protagonist to fight her. The protagonist can either kill her to end her suffering (the third ending) or sacrifice his life for her (the fourth ending). The updated version of Replicant adds a fifth ending that continues Kainé's story after the Shadowlord's defeat, where she and the young protagonist reunite, with the protagonist revived by the grimoires.

In Their Own Story

Kainé first appears when the protagonist and Emil successfully find the power necessary to free her from petrification and kill the giant Shade that had been sealed alongside her. After being freed, she joins the party, bringing her fierce combat skills and volatile personality. During the journey, the party learns more about her past through the perspective granted by Tyrann. In the final confrontation with the Shadowlord, Kainé fights alongside the protagonist and Emil. After the Shadowlord's defeat, in a third or further playthrough, Kainé becomes overwhelmed by Tyrann, going berserk. The protagonist is forced to fight her, and the player can choose to kill her to end her suffering or sacrifice his own life for her. In the fifth ending added in the updated Replicant version, three years after the Shadowlord's defeat, Kainé continues having nightmares about losing something precious and fights increasingly hostile Shades. She investigates a settlement and finds its people killed by robots emerging from a central tree. She is aided by Emil and eventually enters the tree's mainframe, battling enemies drawn from her memories. She ultimately destroys a more powerful Hook and the AI controlling the tree, restoring the protagonist in his young form.

Reader's Guide

Kainé is a key party member in Nier Replicant and Nier Gestalt. She is a hot-tempered and foul-mouthed swordswoman who is partially possessed by the rogue Gestalt Tyrann. Her combat style is aggressive and direct, relying on her sword skills and the power granted by Tyrann. She is freed from petrification by the protagonist and Emil after they obtain the power necessary to do so. Throughout the game, her backstory is gradually revealed through additional playthroughs, showing the discrimination she suffered due to her parents' deaths, being born intersex, and being partially possessed by Tyrann. Her relationship with the protagonist and Emil deepens as they journey together. In a third or further playthrough, she becomes overwhelmed by Tyrann and goes berserk, forcing the protagonist to fight her. The player can choose to kill her (third ending) or sacrifice the protagonist's life for her (fourth ending). In the fifth ending added in the updated Replicant version, Kainé's story continues after the Shadowlord's defeat, where she battles increasingly hostile Shades and eventually enters a tree's mainframe to fight a more powerful Hook, ultimately restoring the protagonist in his young form.

Did You Know?

• Kainé is partially possessed by the rogue Gestalt Tyrann, which allows the player to understand the previously garbled speech of Gestalts.
• She was born intersex, which contributed to the discrimination she suffered throughout her life.
• In the third ending, the protagonist can kill Kainé to end her suffering when she goes berserk.
• In the fourth ending, the protagonist sacrifices his own life for Kainé, but Yonah remembers him and Kainé retains memories.
• The fifth ending of the updated Replicant version shows Kainé and the young protagonist reuniting after the Shadowlord's defeat, with the protagonist revived by the grimoires.