Despite the bleak background story, there are many moments in the game that will pull a grin on your face.
- The title screen video's brief juxtaposition of Kainé's rant at Weiss over a blank screen with Square Enix's name on it.Kainé: Weiss! You dumbass!Weiss: Kai... né?Kainé: Start making sense, you rotten book, or you're gonna be sorry! Maybe I'll rip your pages out one by one, or maybe I'll put you in the goddamn furnace! How can someone with such a big smart brain get hypnotized like a little bitch, huh?! (mocking Weiss) "Oh, Shadowlord! I love you Shadowlord! Come over here and give Weiss a big sloppy kiss, Shadowlord!" NOW PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN ASS AND START FUCKING HELPING US!
- The banter between Weiss and Nier during every fishing quest is hilarious.
- Nier's... unique method of landing sharks and other big fish, specifically yanking them out of the water so hard, they go flying, to the point it looks like said fish actually got away.
- When you first meet Weiss and add him to your party, he acts extremely pompous, demands Nier calls him by his full name, finally taunts the Shades that they will meet his thunderous wrath... And after a brief silence, he just lets out a limp "...oh, dear", due to all the attacking Nier gave to his seal when he saw Yonah trapped behind it, causing the book to forget all of his spells. Nier is understandably bewildered.Nier (Father): "Oh dear!?" "What?!" "Dammit! Some help you turned out to be!"Nier (Brother): "Oh dear?" "Are you for real!?" "You are not nearly as helpful as you claimed to be!"
- Nier and Weiss' reaction to breaking the Parcel:Weiss: Ah...Nier: Ah, crap!Weiss: That did not sound good.Nier: I think we broke something.Weiss: Well, there is little point in finishing the delivery now. Best go back and apologize.Nier: Yeah, I guess.
- Nier and Weiss' first encounter with the Lighthouse Lady is full of hilarity.Lighthouse Lady: How can you just ignore an old woman in need?! Oh, I weep for this generation. The children of this age are nothing but selfish, heartless cads!Nier: Uh... are you talking about me?Weiss: Oh, ignore her! We've a quest to complete. People like that are best left to their own devices.Lighthouse Lady: OOOH! OH! OOOOH, THE PAIN!!Nier: What's wrong?! Is everything okay?!Lighthouse Lady: My illness has returned! It must have been the shock of seeing this rude, floating book!Weiss: Rude?! Ugh, B-BOOK?! Now see here, madam! I'll have you know-!Lighthouse Lady: You! You did this! Oh, what a terrible thing you are!Weiss: Why, you insolent crone! How DARE you address me like some common paperback!Nier: Weiss, knock it off!Lighthouse Lady: You there! Would you truly abandon a pitiful old woman to this cruel world?Weiss: Are you asking me? Oh, do please ask me...
- Nier and Weiss' reactions to Kainé's swearing during the second boss fight in the Aerie.
- Later on, she calls another boss a "shithog", which causes Weiss to protest that it's not even a real word. Emil also calls the said boss the same thing...despite not even being present when she said it! His hearing must be better than he let on.
- After killing Hook, Nier urges Kainé to live. After she wakes up, Weiss berates her for acting like a coward and not a warrior, that she should live on for her friends, which Nier follows up with "And we are friends now!". Cue a dumbstruck Weiss telling him that was hardly the point of his lecture.
- When Kainé gets captured in the Barren Temple for violating the room's rules. She begins to swear and threaten her kidnapper with death, not being much more angered than a moment before. "Captured" here means "carried by a cone of light emitted by the kidnapper". The "kidnapper" in question is a levitating cube. Nier and Weiss act barely moved.Kainé: What in the...? Oh, are you fucking kidding me? Lemme go, LEMME... Oooo, I'm gonna KILL YOU when I get outta here!
Weiss: I assume we'll have to find her as well?
Nier: ...Yep. - "The Runaway Son" is funny, but mostly because it's quite an impressive bit of game design trolling. What else do you call dashing around the world map to almost every location to find a runaway kid, only to discover (after the fact) that he wants to escape his family's life of crime, and you just tracked him down to help with the family business? Also, you're not going to get paid. It's so completely over-the-top that it spins around from being frustrating and becomes hilarious.
- The Stinger of Ending B combines this with Heartwarming Moments. Emil is just so nonchalant about his Heroic Sacrifice against Popola—the sacrifice he'd been so scared to go through with earlier—leaving him as just a head. Also the fact that his acceptance of all this probably happened while he was hurtling through the air for god-knows-how-long.
- In one sidequest, Nier is sent out to investigate the cause of a child's illness. He finds several berries that appear poisonous, but Kainé tries some, and says they're delicious. Nier tries one, aaaaaand promptly keels over in pain. Weiss later comments that Kainé's stomach must be as foul as her mouth for her to be able to enjoy such dangerous berries.Nier: (later) Ugh, I still can't feel my arms. Or my legs.
Kainé: I feel fine. - When Yonah asks for venison and wheat to make a stew and serves it to Nier. During the fetch quest, Weiss questions whether he's really going to eat it, to which Nier barks that of course he will, because Yonah would be sad if he didn't. Weiss simply wishes Nier good luck.
- Should Nier end up falling into a deep body of water, the following exchange might occur:Weiss: I must say, I'm rather surprised you didn't bother to learn how to swim these past five years.
Nier: (coughing) I can swim! My, uh... weapon is just heavy.
Weiss: Whatever you say, lad. - While Weiss getting his powers burnt out by Devola near the end of the game is a dramatic and sad moment, Liam O'Brien's slurred reading of Weiss's lines sounds like he is piss-drunk.
- When Yonah asks 'Father' Nier to help her pen pal, Nier is a little bothered to find out that her pen pal is a boy.Nier (Father): Great. My kid's got a boyfriend.
Weiss: You should tread with caution. The lad may be your future son-in-law.
Nier (Father): Weiss! We are NOT discussing this!- 'Brother' Nier is also clearly bothered by the thought that his sister might have a boyfriend.Nier (Brother): Great. Yonah's got a boyfriend...
Weiss: Is something amiss, lad? Your voice is trembling...
Nier (Brother): N-no it isn't. Shut up!
- 'Brother' Nier is also clearly bothered by the thought that his sister might have a boyfriend.
- This exchange from the ending, before the final stage of the Shadowlord battle:Weiss: Ah... uh...(flops to the floor) Oh, bother... One moment, please...
Nier: (kneeling to Weiss' level) You OK?
Weiss: Fine, just fine! (Beat) All right, no, I'm not.
Nier: Weiss...
Weiss: (gets up; hopping forward like a tired old man with a walking stick) It seems some headstrong idiot decided to push me beyond my limits. I should have taken that job as a cookbook when I had the chance… - After giving Nier two options for how to save Kainé, Tyrann immediately bids him good luck in the most cheerfully not-giving-a-shit tone imaginable, which can quickly become funny if you don't find it loathsome.Tyrann: The other way...is to make her a normal human being again. But to make that happen, you gotta trade your own existence for hers...Well, there you go! Good luck with that.
- A Freeze-Frame Bonus one on the Ending E path: when Emil swoops in to save Kainé from her robotic clones, he has four arms. When he faces Kainé, you can briefly see her confusedly counting them before he helps her up!
