Grimoire Noir is the secondary antagonist of NieR, and its remake, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139.... A cloned magical tome in the possession of the Shadowlord, the game's main antagonist. Like Grimoire Weiss, Grimoire Noir has access to magical spells (known as Words).
History[]
- See also: And Then There Were None
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According to notes regarding Project Gestalt, Grimoire Noir was given the specific task of initiating the resurrection of humanity. His magic was planned to be simultaneously decoded by Grimoire Weiss to complete the process for "true humanity."
During the prologue of NIER, Grimoire Noir was one of many mass produced books handed out to civilians in 2053. When Nier and Yonah were getting food, they were also given this book and another copy of Grimoire Noir. They then witnessed the other survivors who had copies of Grimoire Noir turn into Gestalts. Nier and Yonah then fled and hid in a grocery store.
The book tried luring Nier in his sleep to trade his soul for power, but only resulted in him lashing out at Noir. The Gestalts eventually found Nier and overpowered him, forcing him to use Noir's power. After Nier slaughters hundreds of Gestalts, he checks on Yonah, only to find she touched her copy of Grimoire Noir, thus, becoming a Gestalt herself.
The Lost Verses and the Red Sky depicts Noir as a faithful and obedient servant to his master, acting hostile towards the scientists using Nier. With Yonah in cold sleep, Noir was Nier's lone companion during the thousand year wait.
Story[]
Grimoire Noir is battled twice, always in the Shadowlord's presence. Nier battles him the first time in the Library, and for the second and final time in the Shadowlord's Castle. He fights using his pages and by rolling around with a protective barrier.
In the end, Grimoire Weiss uses the last of his power to destroy Noir, at the cost of his own life. After his destruction, the player fights and defeats the Shadowlord.
Other Appearances[]
SINoALICE[]
Players could potentially obtain him as a weapon through NieR Replicant's collaboration shooting gacha. Equipping him during the collaboration episodes increased the amount of tickets earned from each boss.
Grimoire Noir's weapon story was a one-sided conversation with Nier, or "Lord" as he calls him. It started with Noir introducing himself and flaunting his ability to speak the human language. Noir chatted with his master to help with the loneliness and recommended novels for his master to read to pass the time. When Nier tried to call him "Black," Noir calmly protested the abbreviation, yet hinted that he was appreciative of his master's fondness for him.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- "Noir" is the French word for "black," in contrast to Grimoire Weiss, which is German for "white."
- The Lost Verses and the Red Sky and his SINoALICE weapon story has Gestalt Nier nickname him "Kuro" (クロ, "black"), which is a common cat name in Japan. It contrasts the common dog name for Weiss.
- The English Grimoire Noir shares a voice actor with Pod 042 from NieR:Automata.