- "Finding light in the bad times is the mark of a true leader."
- — Nier, about the King of Facade
The young King of Facade is a minor character in NieR and its remake, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139.... He reigns over the desert city, Facade, which is governed by thousands of rules. Though he is the greatest violator of these sacred rules that the citizens of Facade hold above all else, the King of Facade is a thoughtful and generous king who is dedicated to securing the prosperity of his nation.
Appearance[]
The King of Facade first appears in Act I as a young boy with olive skin, blue-gray eyes, and short black hair with short cut bangs. He wears black robes with gold ornaments, and goes barefoot. Like all inhabitants of Facade, the King wears a mask, but he wears it on the side of his head, leaving his face exposed.
After the five-year timeskip in Act II, the King is now a teenager, but his appearance otherwise stays the same as it did in Act I.
Story[]
The King of Facade is first met by Nier when the party explores the Barren Temple. To regain the city's lost trust as a result of his father dying from the Black Scrawl, he entered the temple to obtain the Royal Mask, the city's proof of kingship.
Five years later, the King becomes a successful leader, and prepares to marry his childhood friend, Fyra. He invites his old friends to the ceremony, but just before he and Fyra are wed, she is killed by Roc, who had infiltrated the city with his pack. Wracked with grief and rage, the King, along with his men and the party, avenge her death by going to the wolves' den and slaughtering them all.
When Nier makes it to the Shadowlord's Castle, the King and his men arrive to help him fend off Goose, the boar Shade that had been pursuing the party endlessly. At the end of the fight, despite being fatally wounded, he succeeds in killing Goose and falls to the ground, promising to see Fyra again after he dies.
Other Appearances[]
NieR:Automata Ver1.1a[]
The King of Facade and Fyra briefly appear in Episode 3. When 9S attempts hacking a Goliath-Class machine, he uncovers a door which, when opened, leads to a record of the day of the marriage between the pair. The machine lifeform is spotted by 9S also observing the wedding and is promptly killed, ending the flashback.
SINoALICE[]
During the NieR RepliCant × SINoALICE collaboration, players could obtain Wabi-Sabi, the polearm that unlocks the King of Facade & Fyra/Paladin, through the collaboration gacha with a payment of 150 or 300 crystals. Alternatively, Replicant Medals (Revival) could be exchanged for individual exchange rates (1,500 for the job or weapon only). It's the second dual character class in the game to only have one available fighter: the King.
Wabi-Sabi's story takes place after Nier creates Rule 0, with a royal aide overseeing the proposals for new rules. Rule 451 is justified by someone who loves to drink. The aide decides to observe the people's reactions before dealing judgment. Fyra proposes Rule 356 with the reasoning that she wishes to spend more time with the King, a notion which the aide hesitates to pass. The justification for Rule 68 thanks the attendant's hard work and asks them to take an occasional break. In his long years of service, the aide surmises it was written by the King and is moved by his lord's generosity.
In the end, the only rule which was vetoed was Rule 451.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Yoko Taro personally considers the King to be "the hero" in a sense that he was the hero for the wolves' story, the first story to be created for NieR. He also follows a traditional hero's arc and has an established love interest. He and Fyra were once considered candidates for main protagonists.[1] The idea of creating Replicants also originated from their earliest incarnations.
- When the King first gains the mask in Act I of NieR, he imitates Link from The Legend of Zelda, with a similar tune also playing.
- The King's real name is "Sechs," which means "six" in German.[2]