Grimoire Weiss is the companion of Nier and deuteragonist of NieR and its remake, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139....
A hovering, magical tome that serves as Nier's medium to magical spells known as Sealed Verses. Originally a human male, he was absorbed into a grimoire after being subjected to experiments by the Hamelin Organization.
Grimoire Weiss also appears as downloadable content in NieR:Automata. His likeness can be used as a Pod appearance.
Story[]
And Then There Were None[]
Grimoire Weiss was born as a human male over a thousand years before the events of NieR.
At age 10, Weiss was taken into the Hamelin Organization and trained as a child soldier against the Legion. At age 16, he defeated a Legion Red Eye as part of Hamelin's 13th Crusade squad. Only two of the unit's soldiers survived: Weiss and an unnamed girl.
At age 19, Weiss entered a top-secret Hamelin experiment to obtain honorable discharge from the organization's forces, alongside the other survivor of the battle with the Red Eye. In the experiment, thirteen Hamelin soldiers were made to kill each other to be absorbed into magical grimoires; Weiss was absorbed into a white book, while the girl was absorbed into a deep-crimson book and became Grimoire Rubrum.
NieR[]
Before the events of the game, Grimoire Weiss is sealed away and placed in the Lost Shrine. He is discovered by Nier when the latter traverses the Shrine in order to rescue his family member, Yonah. After accepting Weiss' assistance, Nier is able to wield powerful magic, and the two become companions as Nier embarks on a journey to find all the Sealed Verses in an attempt to find a cure for Yonah's Black Scrawl.
When Nier discovers the truth about the human race and Project Gestalt, the true purpose of Grimoire Weiss is revealed to be him fusing with another grimoire, Noir, to force the Shades to return into their Replicant bodies and become true humans again.
During the battle against the Shadowlord, Weiss falls to the ground, revealing that all his power was used up by Nier. He then uses the last of his strength to completely destroy Grimoire Noir, abandoning his physical form in the process.
According to side materials, his consciousness remains within the world without a body. This is also shown at the end of NieR, where after abandoning his physical form he advises Nier on how to call Yonah's soul back to her Replicant body.
The World of Recycled Vessel[]
In The World of Recycled Vessel, Nier and Weiss happen upon a diary in Nier's house. Weiss asks Nier about it, with him responding that the later pages don't make sense. They venture into a strange white room that leads to a series of familiar locations with waves of Shades to fight. At the end of each battle, more of the diary is revealed, explaining the war between Gestalts and Replicants, and how a dragon brought magic into the world. When they finish reading the diary, both wonder what the meaning of the final pages were.
Personality[]
Grimoire Weiss has a very prideful, dramatic, and grouchy personality, constantly wanting others to give him the proper respect he believes he deserves. He possesses a sharp tongue and an inflated ego, being eccentric while making witty observations about everything around him. He is often impatient, having a habit of creatively insulting others yet feigns ignorance when it suits him. He is vehemently against his name being abbreviated, especially regarding Kaine who often calls him "Book". Although he proclaims otherwise, Weiss is a caring companion who enjoys looking after people. Weiss is very knowledgeable about magic, making his presence critical during Nier's journey throughout the story.
The Japanese versions of the Nier games gives Weiss a slight change in personality described as resembling a "grumpy old man" while the English versions make Weiss have an unidentifiable British-like accent.
Other Appearances[]
NieR Reincarnation[]
Grimoire Weiss was available as a login reward Companion during the Re[in]carnation x NieR Replicant crossover campaign and its subsequent reruns.
Story[]
Tome: Grimoire Weiss
A book of infinite wisdom that was sealed away in an ancient
shrine before choosing to accompany a certain man on his
journey to collect the Sealed Verses.
Though many mysteries surround his origin and true worth, it's
clear this eccentric tome enjoy looking after people—despite
frequently proclaiming otherwise.
SINoALICE[]
Grimoire Weiss could be purchased to unlock the Boy Nier/Sorcerer job class and 300 magic crystals during the NieR RepliCant x SINoALICE collaboration event. When used in battle, he lowers an enemy's physical attack and magic attack power. He can randomly target one or two foes.
The measurement of his width was the last answer for the Twitter collaboration quiz.
Story[]
SS-Rarity Grimoire Weiss
L-Rarity Grimoire Weiss
We fought for what seemed like ages.
To kill those things that took a twisted human form.
To protect those precious to me, with my own hands.
We were deceived for so long.
Deceived by people in a land we've never been, whose faces we've never seen
Issuing orders from a safe distance.
We must have been in love.
And despite the fact I couldn't save you,
but I never got to thank you for saving me.
These fragments glimmering deep in my depths...
they seem to be the vague memories of people...
the faded remnants of human wisdom...
H-hold on! I’ll have you know my name is not “Booky Wooky!”
You may call me "Grimoire Weiss" I am a great compendium of ancient wisdom.
Treat me with respect!
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- A grimoire is a medieval European book of magic. Of the 13 grimoires that were made in the story of the Nier series, only three are seen in-game including Grimoire Weiss.
- Weiss (German: weiß) is the German homonym for the adjective "white" and for an inflected form of "wissen," meaning "knowledge."
- The text in Grimoire Weiss's pages are written in an indecipherable language, very likely the Angelic language used in the Nier series.
- Weiss is scared of ghosts, shown when he is afraid at Emil's Manor and when exploring The Beached Shipwreck.
- Weiss can act as a fan by flipping his own pages. People priase him so highly for this that he no longer minds doing it.
- Weiss' Japanese voice actor, Peter, was intentionally cast by NieR producer Yosuke Saito because of the character's similarities to the Drakengard character Angelus.[2] Due to a two-year hiatus from show business, Peter did not return for NieR Replicant ver.1.22 and was replaced with Pod 042's voice actor Hiroki Yasumoto to preserve the casting allusion.
- During a Niconico livestream to promote NieR:Automata, Saito conducted a character popularity poll for NieR Replicant. Users voted Weiss to second place, to which Saito was surprised that he beat Emil.[3]
