Line #89 Franchise/Drakengard


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_dragoon301_3165.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: Our main "heroes." [[labelnote: From left to right]] [[SociopathicHero Caim]], [[HumansAreBastards Angelus]] (the red dragon), [[KnightInShiningArmor Nowe]], [[CheerfulChild Mikhail]] (the white dragon), [[GrumpyOldMan Legna]] (the black dragon), [[KnightTemplarBigBrother Nier]], [[DeadpanSnarker Grimoire Weiss]] (the book), and [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Zero]]. Not pictured: [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots 2B, 9S, A2 and 10H]]; [[AGirlAndHerX Fio and Levania]], [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Hina and Yuzuki]][[/labelnote]]]]
3
4	->''I hear a sound.''
5
6	'''''Drakengard''''', known as ''Drag-On Dragoon'' (Japanese: ドラッグオンドラグーン commonly abbreviated as ''DOD'') in UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}, is a series of action role playing video games published by Creator/SquareEnix. The eponymous first game in the series was released in 2003 on the Platform/PlayStation2, and has since been followed by a sequel and a [[VideoGame/{{Drakengard3}} prequel]]. It was conceived by Takamasa Shiba and Takuya Iwasaki as a gameplay hybrid between ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' and ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 2'', with the ability to switch between on-foot hack-and-slash gameplay and riding a dragon for flight-sim fighting action. The story was created by Shiba, Iwasaki, Creator/YokoTaro, and Sawako Natori, who were influenced by European folklore and popular anime series and movies of the day. Shiba, Yoko, and Sawako have had involvement in an entry of the series since its debut.
7
8	A SpinOff series was created in 2010 named ''VideoGame/{{NieR}},'' set in an [[AlternateTimeline alternative reality]] and followed by a sequel called ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'' developed by Creator/PlatinumGames with Creator/YokoTaro as director, same as the original series (not counting ''Drakengard 2'').
9
10	Installments include:
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12	[[foldercontrol]]
13
14	[[folder:Drakengard]]
15	[[index]]
16	* ''{{VideoGame/Drakengard}}'' (2003, [[Platform/PlayStation2 PS2]]). A young man named Caim sets out to destroy TheEmpire and protect his sister, who acts as a BarrierMaiden to a horrific threat. Caim isn't a [[NominalHero great guy]].
17	* ''Drakengard 2'' (2005,[[/index]] [[Platform/PlayStation2 PS2]]). [[note]]The only game in the series not directed by Creator/YokoTaro.[[/note]] A [[ContrastingSequelProtagonist conventionally heroic]] young man named Nowe fights to save the world from both his own corrupt knightly order and [[RogueProtagonist Caim himself]].[[index]]
18	* ''{{VideoGame/Drakengard 3}}'' (2013, [[Platform/PlayStation3 PS3]]). A prequel. Zero, a bloodthirsty young woman, sets out to kill her sisters, the godlike Intoners, so that she will be the only Intoner left.
19	[[/index]]
20	[[/folder]]
21
22	[[folder:[=NieR=]]]
23	[[index]]
24	* ''VideoGame/{{NieR}}'' [[note]]Released in multiple versions as described below.[[/note]] (2010, [[Platform/PlayStation3 PS3]]/Platform/Xbox360). Nier, a somewhat downtrodden older brother ([[OneGameForThePriceOfTwo or father, depending on the version]]) looks for a cure to save his sister (or daughter) from a mysterious disease.[[/index]]
25	** ''[=NieR=]: Replicant'' (2010, [[Platform/PlayStation3 PS3]]) [[note]]Nier is Yonah's brother. Released only in Japan. Treated as the default over ''Gestalt'' by background material and sequels.[[/note]]
26	*** ''[=NieR=] Replicant ver.1.22474487139...'' (2021, [[Platform/PlayStation4 PS4]], Platform/XboxOne and PC) [[note]]A remake of ''Replicant'' with updated character models, musical tracks and gameplay features, released both in Japan and in the West. Finally increased the popularity of the first ''[=NieR=]'' game with Western audiences following the positive reception of ''[=NieR=]:Automata'' and introduced them to Brother Nier.[[/note]]
27	** ''[=NieR: Gestalt=]'' (2010, Platform/Xbox360)[[index]] [[note]]Nier is Yonah's father. Released in Japan as ''[=NieR=]: Gestalt'' but localized in the West simply as ''[=NieR=]'' (also on [=PS3=]), so more well known to Western players who don't speak Japanese until the ''Replicant'' remake was released in 2021. ''Gestalt'' received no equivalent remake.[[/note]]
28	* ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'' (2017, [[Platform/PlayStation4 PS4]][=/=]PC) [[note]]Received a digital-only Platform/XboxOne port in 2018 and a Platform/NintendoSwitch port in 2022[[/note]]. A race of androids fight a civilization of invading extraterrestrial machines AfterTheEnd.
29	* ''[[VideoGame/NierReincarnation NieR Re[in]carnation]]'' (2021, Android and iOS). [[MobilePhoneGame A mobile spin-off]] set in a world known as “The Cage”. How exactly the game connects to the rest of the franchise was unknown until the Third Arc, but it contains references to several games in the series.
30	** ''“The Story of the Girl and the Monster”'': The First Arc (total of twelve main story chapters) features a Girl of Light awakening in "The Cage”, accompanied by a ghost-like figure called “Mama”, to regain her lost memories and recount her “past sins” while encountering a Dark Monster roaming around the higher levels of "The Cage”.
31	** ''“The Story of the Sun and the Moon”'': The Second Arc (total of six main story chapters in each route, along with Three MultipleEndings) involves two high school students of modern-era Japan being transported to “The Cage”, both determined to return home to one of their parents (the father for the girl and the mother for the boy). Unlike the previous arc, players can choose either the Sun route (the female student) or the Moon route (the male student).
32	** ''“The Story of the People and the World”'': The Third Arc (total of six main story chapters), in which Mama brings back the characters from the previous two arcs for their assistance protecting The Cage from an external threat, eventually uncovering hidden truths along the way.
33	[[/index]]
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder:Other]]
37	* ''Drakengard Judgement'', a canceled prequel manga that only made it to two installments. Contradicted by later canon.
38	* ''Grimoire Nier'', a UniverseCompendium to ''[=NieR=]'' as well as containing several short novellas.
39	* ''[=NieR=] Replicant Drama CD: The Sealed Verses and the Red Sky'', a collection of Drama [=CDs=] that mostly focus on characters and events surrounding Project Gestalt. It also contains the story ''The Space War'', which delves into what happened when the aliens arrived after the end of ''[=NieR=]''.
40	* ''Drag-On Dragoon Shi ni Itaru Aka (Drakengard Fatal Crimson)'', a manga following Ending A of ''Drakengard 3'' that leads to ''Drag-On Dragoon 1.3'' below; it could be considered canon to the first ''Drakengard'' as well in BroadStrokes.
41	* ''Drag-On Dragoon Utahime Five'', a LighterAndSofter ([[DarkerAndEdgier Well sort of at first...]]) prequel manga to ''Drakengard 3'' focusing on the Intoners and how they overthrew the evil lords who ruled Midgard before them.
42	* ''Drag-On Dragoon 3 Story Side'', a novel that acts as a sort of Ending E for ''Drakengard 3'', the events of which are canon to the first game.
43	* ''Drag-On Dragoon 1.3'', a series of novels showing the alternative version of the events of the first game that follows from Ending A of ''Drakengard 3''.
44	* ''World Inside'', a guidebook with 3 novellas inside as well.
45	** ''The Garden of Light'', a novella set after Ending A of ''Drakengard 2''.
46	** ''The Song of Fourteen Years'', a novella set before the first ''Drakengard'' but separate from ''Drakengard 3''.
47	** ''The Fire of Prometheus'', a novella set roughly two thousand years after the end of ''[=NieR=]''.
48	* ''Theatre/YoRHa'', a stage play series set thousands of years after ''[=NieR=]'', setting up the premise of ''[=NieR:Automata=]''.
49	* ''VideoGame/SINoALICE'', a free-to-play fairytale-based mobile game also created by Creator/YokoTaro whose collaborations with the ''[=NieR=]'' series and ''Drakengard 3'' imply a connection.
50	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', an MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame, features an Alliance Raid based around ''VideoGame/NierAutomata''. Written by Creator/YokoTaro, it follows the PlayerCharacter dealing with Androids, Machine Lifeforms, and other threats from ''[=NieR=]: Automata''. Its unclear if it is canonical to the series, but the story is set after the events of said game, and contains references to the past games.
51	[[/folder]]
52
53	The setting of the main series is a North European-style dark fantasy world where humans and creatures from myth and legends live side by side, while the spin-off game is set in an alternate reality leading from one of the first game's possible endings. The stories generally focus on the fortunes and personalities of a small group of protagonists either directly or indirectly connected to and affected by the events of the story. Dark or mature plot and character themes and multiple endings have become a staple of the series. Their popularity in Japan has resulted in multiple adaptions and additional media in the form of novelizations and mangas.
54
55	The series is considered highly popular in Japan, having sold well and gaining a cult following, though it appears to be a niche series in western countries. The main games have become noted for their dark storylines and mixture of ground-based and aerial combat, while ''[=NieR=]'' stood out because of its mixture of gameplay styles. The series has received mixed to positive reception in both Japan and western countries: the majority of praise has been given to its story and characters, while the gameplay has been criticized for repetitiveness. ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'' seems to have finally broken this trend, releasing to excellent reviews and being showered with praise in both the gameplay and story departments.
56	----
57	!! Tropes that appear in the series as a whole:
58	* OneHundredPercentCompletion: Traditionally, each game in the series requires you to get all weapons, which usually requires the completion of most sidequests, before you can view the final two endings. [[GuideDangIt Most are easier said than done]].
59	* AfterTheEnd:
60	** In 856 AD something happened known only as the Great Disaster, when a huge earthquake struck in the Iberian Peninsula and the Cathedral City suddenly appeared overnight. This released all kinds of mysterious creatures on the world and led to the current state of the setting of ''Drakengard''. It also led to the appearance of "Singularities", unique conditions that can cause the timeline to split, as seen in the multiple endings of each game.
61	** The ''[=NieR=]'' setting takes place centuries after the modern world was devastated by White Chlorination Syndrome and most of the human race was killed by it. ''[=NieR:Automata=]'' takes place further down the road than even that.
62	* AllThereInTheManual: See that big list of side materials? That's where you'll find most of the worldbuilding and and backstory of the ''Drakengard'' world.
63	* AlternateHistory: Both ''Drakengard'' and ''Nier'' take place in alternate [[TimeyWimeyBall elaborately interconnected]] versions of our world where a certain event in 856 AD lead to the introduction of magic and the supernatural. The ''Drakengard'' trilogy takes place around the Iberian Peninsula in Europe (the world map from the first game is an inverted version of that region, and is named "Midgard" here) circa the [[TheHighMiddleAges 11th century]] whereas ''Nier'' and related works generally take place in [[AfterTheEnd what used to be]] Tokyo.
64	* AlternateTimeline: Each game has multiple endings that work this way. The spin-off series ''[=NieR=]'''s storyline follows directly from Ending E of the first ''Drakengard'', while ''Drakengard 2'' follows Ending A or one close to it. In ''Drakengard 3'', the character Accord records and moves between these "Branches".
65	* AmbiguousSituation: Creator/YokoTaro is a strong proponent of DeathOfTheAuthor which is the reason a lot of the series' lore is ambiguous, confusing and secretive; by his own admission, he prefers to see himself not as an all-knowing deity of the lore but as a fan who is "discovering information" much like any other player, and his interpretation of events that ''he himself wrote'' is not necessarily meant to be absolute. He also expressed some regret over how he handled ''Grimoire Nier'' (the first ''Nier'''s UniverseCompendium book) where he put ''too'' much of his thoughts on paper (though even ''then'' there's a metric ton of unexplained and ambiguous details and even new mysteries altogether).
66	* AnyoneCanDie: No character is safe. Not even the main characters, as there are endings where many of the cast die in some form.
67	* ArcWords:
68	** "I. Hear. A. Sound." or a different translation thereof ("Oto ga kikoeru" in Japanese, invariably rendered as "オトガキコエル"). Originally the verse description of Drakengard's final mission, it's an ominous phrase that pops up across the games and in side materials and is strongly tied to the Watchers and the eerie [[ForDoomTheBellTolls sounds]] they're associated with.
69	** "ACGT", a chain of letters that are hidden in the various magical incantations spread throughout the series written in the celestial script. They refer to Adenine, Cytosine, Guanine and Thymine, a.k.a. the bases that make up part of the DNA molecule.
70	* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: In the ''Drakengard'' series, Caim is a [[BloodKnight bloodthirsty]] AxCrazy SociopathicHero only saved from VillainProtagonist status by TheEmpire he fights being worse. In the [[Videogame/{{Drakengard 2}} sequel]], he's [[RogueProtagonist something of an antagonist]] and the protagonist, Nowe, is a fairly standard WideEyedIdealist who [[IdiotHero doesn't know things he logically should]]. [[spoiler:The fact that they're related, as Nowe is Inuart and Furiae's posthumous son and thus Caim's nephew, makes this even more notable.]] Zero is a brutal AntiHero who slaughters every enemy she comes across and seems as close as Caim to being a VillainProtagonist, [[spoiler:only she has noble intentions to save the world from being destroyed by the puppets of an EldritchAbomination flower.]]
71	* CosmicHorrorStory: A nebulous example; humanity, and sometimes their creations as well as nonhuman life, constantly seem to be under the existential threat of ''[[NothingIsScarier something]]'' that's trying to wipe them all out across all timelines and is possibly threatening to [[TimeCrash destroy spacetime as we know it]], but it's never made exactly clear what is the source and why any of this is happening. The most prominent connecting thread appears to be [[GodIsEvil God]], but it remains unknown what type of existence this supposed "God" really is, as a cursory look at the franchise as a whole makes it seem as if the ''universe itself'' is bending over backwards to try and find new ways to destroy mankind. Whatever the case, [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]] are always an extremely bad sign that the end is nigh.
72	* CrapsackWorld: Pretty much. Sometimes less so than others, but still pretty crappy regardless.
73	* DarkFantasy: Occasionally delves into some CosmicHorrorStory tropes as well.
74	* {{Deconstruction}}: The series is known for deconstructing various storytelling and RPG tropes, with an especially strong emphasis on GreyAndGrayMorality, the nature of war and protagonists which are at worst [[VillainProtagonist villainous]] and at best "good people" that have reasonable motives but fail to see things from the perspective of [[{{Mooks}} those they consider evil]], typically to [[DownerEnding horrifying results]]. That being said, it's also a DeconReconSwitch as Creator/YokoTaro stated that he doesn't write scenarios that are ''too'' constantly introspective and realistic (which leads to TooBleakStoppedCaring) and instead allows a lot of room for conventional storytelling and RPG tropes that are played perfectly straight, which allows the deconstructive elements to stand out when they do show up. And then there's ''Drakengard 2'' which [[OddballInTheSeries wasn't written by Yoko Taro and is not really deconstructive at all]].[[invoked]]
75	* DivineConflict: God / the Watchers and the Holy Dragons (the ancestors of the dragons) have been in a recurring one, though it's unclear how long it has been going on for and how it started. All that is known is that the dragons were once in a position of divinity which they were forced out of by the former and were turned into their underlings, and are now biding their time and waiting for a chance to strike back, which becomes an important plot point in ''Drakengard 2''.
76	* DysfunctionJunction: If someone doesn't have a problem within the world of ''Drakengard'', chances are that they're probably going to be dead sooner than later. Nowe and Eris are by far the ''closest'' thing to a normal person in here but even they still got issues.
77	* EverybodyDiesEnding: A number of endings of the games will feature the entire cast being killed off.
78	* FantasyKitchenSink: Elves, fairies, ogres, sea serpents, eldritch demon-angels and dragons are real, and so are aliens, time travelers from the future and mechanical lifeforms.
79	* FlowerMotifs: Most of the games share a recurring use of flowers as some form of symbolism. ''Drakengard 3'' and ''VideoGame/{{NieR}}'' make the most use of it due to plot reasons, but from ''VideoGame/{{NieR}}'' onward, each game has flowers play some form of importance.
80	* FormulaWithATwist: The franchise was conceived when its creator, Creator/YokoTaro, expressed confusion about how games and their players could casually enjoy death and killing. Each of his games have thus centered around themes of life and death, exploring what it means to die (and to be "alive" for that matter). This has resulted in some of the darkest, most bizarre and existentially-engaging games in the RPG genre.
81	* FromBadToWorse: "It Got Worse: The Franchise". One thing one always can be certain of in this series is that no matter how grim things get, it can ''always'' get worse. A lot.
82	* GenreRoulette:
83	** Creator/YokoTaro has stated that one of his main goals when making new games is to make them as different from each other as possible, which is why all games in the series take place in different types of worlds despite sharing a continuity, narrative themes and gameplay style.
84	** Within the games themselves it's not uncommon for there to be a sudden UnexpectedGameplayChange every now and then, with common genres being [[RhythmGame rhythm games]], [[ShootEmUp shmups]] and [[VisualNovel visual novels]]. ''Nier'' even has a segment that's a parody of the first ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil1''.
85	* GreaterScopeParagon: Accord of ''VideoGame/Drakengard3'' is possibly one for the franchise as a whole, as she is [[spoiler:an android (or a HiveMind thereof, though there is an unknown "original Accord" somewhere out there) from the era of ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'' created to "observe" the multiverse for reasons that are not fully explained but appear to be related to fixing the series' StableTimeLoop which is currently placing the games in a self-fulfilling cycle of destruction, and/or preventing a "Fall Down", a phenomenon wherein one (or ''all'') timelines [[TimeCrash get completely annihilated]]]]. That being said, even she does not seem to fully understand the whole picture, especially with regards to the "God" mentioned below, and she's explicitly forbidden from [[AlienNonInterferenceClause directly interfering with the timeline]].
86	* GreaterScopeVillain: [[GodIsEvil God]] (or "the gods" in earlier English translations). It tends to serve as the central unseen antagonist for the whole series, and its influence is felt in ''every'' game, even ones where it is not outright stated to be connected to. What this God and its "angels" (the Watchers) exactly ''are'' is one of the series' most enduring mysteries.
87	* GreyAndGreyMorality: Most of the conflict in the series isn't "good versus evil" so much as it is "people trying to protect the interests of their own social group/species/loved ones versus other people trying to do the same thing". Characters that attempt to bridge the gap via communication or compromises [[TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth will usually be crushed under the weight of the partisan conflicts]] or [[NiceJobBreakingItHero unwittingly make things worse for everybody]]. [[PerspectiveFlip Perspective Flips]] are often employed to show how little it takes for characters that initially seemed "evil" to be sympathetic and "heroes" to be murderers. There are occasionally conflicts that involve [[BlackAndGrayMorality irredeemably evil forces]] or [[BlueAndOrangeMorality alien/incomprehensible threats]], but there are few characters that are fully without sin (and survive long enough to cause meaningful change).
88	* JigsawPuzzlePlot: While it did start somewhat confusingly, it was still relatively straightforward. Then numerous extra materials and installments added even more depth to the ''Drakengard'' world, and with the inclusion of numerous alternate timelines things start to get hard to keep track of. This is mitigated somewhat by the continuity between titles being rather vague (with the exception of ''Drakengard 2''). Therefore, knowledge of past entries or of the overarching universe is not necessary to play the games.
89	* MacGuffinSuperPerson: A person (or sometimes an artifact or a place) whose effect on causality is so massive that it leads to the creation of new timelines ("Shifts") is known as a "Singularity" and they serve as an important subject of observation by the likes of the Administrators from ''Nier'' and Accord. They appear to be ImmuneToFate for better and for worse as most of them are [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom Unwitting Instigators of Doom]] whose relentless attempt to fight against destiny lead to less-than-favorable results in the timelines they helped create. Thus far, the characters explicitly named as Singularities in various games/[[AllThereInTheManual guidebooks]] are [[spoiler:Caim (of both ''Drakengard 1'' and the alternate timeline novel ''Drakengard 1.3''), Nowe, Nier (both Replicant Nier and the Shadowlord/Gestalt Nier), Kainé, all Intoners, 2B, 9S, and Levania. The term has also been thrown around in ''VideoGame/{{Sinoalice}}'' but its connections to this franchise and its Singularities are somewhat unclear.]]
90	* MagicAIsMagicA: "Magic" in the series is defined InUniverse as "the process of creating something out of nothing by drawing on energy from other dimensions", made possible by strange particles which were dubbed "Maso" in the ''Nier'' universe. Maso happens to be potentially extremely dangerous to humans; only certain forms of life that are "beyond human" can use them safely (such as Gestalts and Ultimate Weapons in ''Nier'' and pact-bearers in ''Drakengard''). The presence of Maso played a huge part in [[spoiler: locking the universe in a StableTimeLoop that prevents it from becoming our normal magic-less world]], but anything beyond that is largely unknown. There are also other systems of magic altogether; the Power of Song from ''VideoGame/Drakengard3'' is explicitly different in origin and applicability than the standard magic seen elsewhere.
91	* MagicallyBindingContract: One of the core concepts of the setting is Pacts, which allow humans (or elves) to make a contract with beings of different species such as fairies, dragons, golems or elementals for power at the cost of "the trait that's most important to oneself", which can range from things like eyesight or sense of taste to [[CursedWithAwesome being unable to age or die]] or [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking grow hair]]. The Pact central to the backstory of the ''VideoGame/{{NieR}}'' setting is more [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse one-sided]]; those who become infected with White Chlorination Syndrome either die or must make a Pact with the God of ''Drakengard'' and join the [[ZombieApocalypse Legion]].
92	* MultipleEndings: All games in the series have multiple endings which generally all need to be viewed to experience the plot in full, and as such are designed in a way that clearing the "first ending" is technically just the midpoint of the games. ''Very'' rare to have an EarnYourHappyEnding. All endings are canon due to branching timelines (a concept explored most thoroughly in ''VideoGame/Drakengard3''), and ''VideoGame/Drakengard2'' and ''VideoGame/{{NieR}}'' stem from different endings of ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}''.
93	* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Dragons are among the most powerful of magical creatures, often cynical, proud and not big fans of humans. They share a [[HiveMind collective memory]] of sorts that allows them to evolve physically and mentally depending on their circumstances. They're also possibly servants of "God", and at least according to ''Drakengard 2'' they have no real allegiance to it as they were more or less been enslaved after an ancient war and would like nothing more than to strike back. They've also been implied to have robotic origins, and may or may not be manmade constructs altogether.
94	* RecurringElement: It wouldn't be a Taro Yoko game without them:
95	** A very handsome early-adult-to-late-teenaged boy who hides some dark opinions underneath his seemingly normal exterior. Caim, Brother!Nier, and 9S.
96	** A very [[{{Fanservice}} Fanservicey]] woman wearing {{Stripperiffic}} clothing who hates her current circumstances and is a JerkWithAHeartOfGold. Kainé, Zero, 2B and A2.
97	*** A romance including one or two of the above that is doomed to fail for one reason or another. [[spoiler:Caim and his sister due to his rejection on the grounds that he finds incest disgusting, Nier and Kainé because of circumstances, and 2B and 9S due to the InLoveWithTheMark relationship they share]].
98	** A motherly figure is revealed to [[spoiler:be in on a dark secret and/or is responsible for the current state of affairs by proxy. Zero, Popola and Devola, and the Commander]].
99	** Something that shouldn't have human emotions is found to exhibit them. Often [[spoiler:the main character's assist character. Angelus, Weiss, and now the Pods]].
100	** A computer-like character meant to oversee the events of the story [[spoiler:due to the story being an experiment of some sort, and is tasked with ending it once all data was collected, but then they [[GrewBeyondTheirProgramming ultimately choose to go against it]] because they have come to believe in the protagonists' efforts. Accord and the Pods]].
101	** Artificial beings who were supposed to be empty shells mysteriously develop human behavior. The replicants, the [=YoRHa=] androids and the Machine Lifeforms.
102	** A TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth character who always gets the short end of the stick and either gets killed off or [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifices themself]] in some way to save their friends and loved ones. Seere, Mikhail, Emil, and Pascal.
103	** Events transpire to turn a young person into a psychopath with an insatiable grudge against a group and their followers, whether they deserve it or not. [[spoiler:Caim against the Empire/anybody who isn't his friend in ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'', the younger smith brother against machines in ''VideoGame/NieR'', Zero against Intoners but with a ''very'' good reason in ''VideoGame/Drakengard3'', 9S against Machine Lifeforms]].
104	** Due to the action or inaction of the adults caring for them, children suffer horribly.
105	** Violence perpetrated by the player is heavily chastised.
106	** Red eyes on a character as a sign of intense hatred and[=/=]or hostility.
107	* RedEyesTakeWarning: In this series, red eyes are never a good sign since it signals the Watchers' influence, be it the Red Eye Disease of ''Drakengard'', the Legion of ''[=NieR=]'''s backstory, or the Logic Virus of ''[=NieR=]: Automata''. In fact, Word of God is that these are all linked somehow.
108	* RunningGag: "Thank you so, so much for playing"![[note]]In Japanese: "本当に、本当にありがとうございました！"[[/note]]. A sadistic parody of ThankingTheViewer, this phrase is spoken with utmost joy by [[BigBad Manah]] after clearing all the endings of the first game in a way that serves as the cherry on top of the [[GainaxEnding insanity sundae]] that is [[EarnYourBadEnding Ending E]]. The phrase reached meme status in Japan immediately after the game's release and has since become synonymous with the ending itself and other similarly-bleak endings in different media. It's since been used in every game in the series, often in a similar context, except for ''Drakengard 2'' where the sound byte from the first game is played [[SdrawkcabSpeech in reverse]] in the game's opening. ''Nier'''s "parting greeting" has the main cast come together to try and say the phrase, and in ''Drakengard 3'' [[spoiler:Accord says the phrase to ''the player'' as according to Creator/YokoTaro she's meant to be [[BreakingTheFourthWall peeking into our dimension and examining the way it influences her own.]]]] However, the phrase is genuinely played straight in [[spoiler:the final ending of ''Automata'', where the Pods directly address the player.]]
109	* ScienceFantasy: The series combines gods, magic and dragons with androids, aliens and robots.
110	* SnowMeansDeath: Out-of-season snow is a recurring sight in the series, best seen in the intro to ''VideoGame/{{Nier}}''; it's not actually snow, but rather the particles of White Chlorination Syndrome spreading.
111	* StableTimeLoop:
112	** Heavily implied that the setting is tied together through one. The background lore for the ''Drakengard'' setting reveals that its world was once our world, until a more modern city suddenly appeared on the European continent, causing fantasy elements to spawn from it and magic to come into existence. This was called the "Great Disaster" and completely reshaped the land into a more fantasy-like one named Midgard. The last ending of the first game ends with Caim and Angelus in roughly modern-day Tokyo, causing the events of ''VideoGame/{{NieR}}'' after they defeat the FinalBoss and are shot down. It's implied that these two events are connected to each other in some way, and that both events created a loop of some kind, which is further strengthened by the setting's usage of words like "over and over again" and cycles being a recurring element of each game.
113	** Later confirmed in the [[https://firesanctuary.com/2020/04/03/new-revelations-about-accord/ 10th Anniversary Livestream]] for ''VideoGame/NieR''. The skyscrapered Cathedral City of ''Drakengard'' came from the era of the Alien War in ''[=NieR=]: Automata'''s backstory, and was working on bio-engineered weapons prior to being yanked into the past of ''Drakengard'' -- the Dragons are confirmed, but presumably also all the other monsters of the ''Drakengard'' world that don't have another confirmed origin. [[spoiler:It's also where the recorder android Accord was created.]]
114	* TenuouslyConnectedFlavorText: All weapons in the games have their own FlavorText in the form of Weapon Stories, which are 4 short passages that are unlocked as you upgrade the weapons. Some of them are fairly straightforward backstories, others are ambiguous tales that only indirectly relate to the weapon at hand. Plot-related weapons will often reveal tidbits of lore or character motivations that are otherwise unmentioned. There are some hints that the weapon stories are written InUniverse by [[spoiler:Accord]].
115	* TidallyLockedPlanet: In the backstory leading up to ''Nier'' (following up from [[spoiler:Ending E of ''Drakengard'']]), a certain unclear series of events in the 27th century that involved the moon being partially shattered [[NoodleIncident or something]] lead to Earth's axis shifting in a way that locks part of the world (roughly the Asia-Pacific region) in EndlessDaytime while the rest of the earth is in [[AlwaysNight perpetual nighttime]]. The games take place exclusively in the former region (specifically the area where Japan used to be, more specifically the [[TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse Kanto region]]), which is the reason night never seems to fall.
116	* TimeyWimeyBall:
117	** The {{Multiverse}} that the series takes place in is governed by a concept called "Great Time" (大いなる時間), a term that as per [[AllThereInTheManual the 10th anniversary book]] refers to the totality of "time", "space" and "dimensions" in all of existence; every world in the multiverse has its own "time" and "space" with their own branches, whereas "dimensions" are shared across parallel worlds and are causally linked to one another (hence Caim & co. [[spoiler: traveling across dimensions]] in Ending E of the first game). The Seals' true purpose is to keep out the [[EldritchAbomination mysterious force]] trying to destroy Great Time, and the breaking of the Seals can lead to a TimeCrash that would potentially destroy all of existence.
118	** The above explanation comes with the small caveat [[ImmediateSelfContradiction that it may be all a complete and utter lie]]. Ending E of ''VideoGame/Drakengard3'' (which is exclusive to the novelization but is the one that leads to ''Drakengard 1'') introduces the idea that "Great Time" is a makeshift theological explanation given retroactively by the Cult of the Watchers to a [[BizarroApocalypse bizarre unexplained curse]] which was successfully "contained" by sheer happenstance with no one understanding how or why, but they decided to take credit for it regardless and developed the Seals and Goddesses system to keep up appearances. It ''is'' true that the series takes place in an intricate web of timelines and dimensions, and the Seals ''are'' helping protect the world from ''something'' that is trying to mess with time or reality itself, but no one InUniverse ([[RiddleForTheAges or out of it]]) thus far has been able to define exactly ''what''.
119	* ThemeNaming: Most groups in the games follow a theme of some sort:
120	** The dragons are all given [[ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming angelic]] names (Angelus, [[SdrawkcabName Legna]], Michael/Mikhail), which highlights their status as underlings or "tools" of God.
121	** The Goddesses of the Seal are, appropriately, named after mythological goddesses. Furiae (from Furies), Asherah and [[spoiler:Eris, which is a double whammy with the ''Drakengard 2'' naming scheme mentioned below.]]
122	** In ''Drakengard 1'' most human characters are named after [[ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming demons]], primarily ones from ''Literature/ArsGoetia'', ''Dictionnaire Infernal'' and other such grimoires (Caim, Gaap, Seere, Leonard...).
123	** In ''Drakengard 2'' the new characters are named after obscure early 00s computer viruses (Nowe = BAT_NOWE.A, Eris = VBS.Eris.A, Urick = W32/Urick, Gismor = W32/Gismor...).
124	** In ''Drakengard 3'' the Intoners are named after English [[NumericalThemeNaming numbers]] ([[MyHeroZero Zero]], One, Two...) while their Disciples' names are derived from Greco-Roman numbers (Dito, Octa, Cent...).
125	** In ''Nier'', most Shades and human characters are named after fairy tales or their authors, with each community centering around specific works (Seafront = ''Literature/TheLittleMermaid'', the Aerie = ''Franchise/PeterPan'', Junk Heap = ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfPinocchio''...). The exceptions are Facade, whose residents are named after [[NumericalThemeNaming German numbers]] (though nearby Shades have ''Literature/ArabianNights'' related names) and some of the main characters, who officially weren't written to follow a specific theme.
126	** In ''Nier Automata'', the Machine Lifeforms are named after [[NamedAfterSomebodyFamous philosophers]] and often have quirks that are related to their namesakes' beliefs (Pascal, Plato, Kierkegaard...). The [=YoRHa=] units meanwhile are simply named after their production number + the initial of their unit type (2B, 9S, A2...). Also, the androids of the Resistance introduced in [[Theatre/YoRHa the stage plays]] are named after [[FloralThemeNaming flowers]] (Anemone, Rose, Lily...).
127	* TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse: Shinjuku to be exact, and "center of the universe" might be an ''understatement'' depending on your view of the lore. [[spoiler:''Drakengard 1'''s Ending E has Caim, Angelus and the Queen Beast teleport from the Imperial Capital to real-life Shinjuku, an event which would lead to the introduction of magic to that world and build up to the events of ''Nier''. Shinjuku would later lose its importance [[note]]Despite the government's attempts to quarantine Shinjuku and the magical particles ("Maso") it contains due to their awful effects on humans, the US Army's decision to [[HistoryRepeats nuke Japan a third time]] would inadvertently spread the particles to the whole world[[/note]]; ''however'', there's evidence to suggest that Shinjuku is one and the same as Drakengard's Imperial Capital, which is in turn one and the same as Cathedral City, the city that was transferred from the world of Nier to Drakengard's year 856 [[note]]The city was described as being "full of high-rise concrete structures", and indeed the Imperial City in ''Drakengard 1'' does look eerily modern compared to the rest of the setting[[/note]], which was equivalent the real world before this event introduced magic to it. To summarize: Tokyo is the epicenter of an enormous TemporalParadox which could be the reason the whole universe is stuck in a StableTimeLoop of destruction and misery.]]
128	* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Ever since ''VideoGame/NieR''[[note]]Or technically ''Drakengard 2'' if you count Nowe's transformed state[[/note]], all protagonists have white hair, and nearly all of them usually get broken in their experiences, are unintentionally a VillainProtagonist in any part of their story, or started like that.
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Context Franchise / Drakengard