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The Cage

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The Cage (檻) is a mysterious location and the primary setting of NieR Reincarnation.

Website Descriptions[]

The Girl and the Monster[]

Main article: The Girl and the Monster

A girl awakens on a cold stone floor.
She finds herself in an infinitely vast place
filled with buildings that touch the very sky.

Guided by a mysterious creature who calls herself Mama,
she begins to explore her new surroundings.

To reclaim what she has lost —and atone for her sins—
she sets off on a journey through this place of unknown creation.

...A place known as The Cage.

The Sun and the Moon[]

Main article: The Sun and the Moon

A high school boy/girl finds him/herself in The Cage.
Before them stands row upon row of towers made from stone and iron.

Lost, they meet mysterious creatures that offer to guide them.
To get back to Tokyo, they must repair the sun/moon that hangs in the air.

Despite their unease, they have no choice but to press on.
For each has a place they belong.
And they would do anything to return there.

The People and the World[]

Main article: The People and the World

The denizens of a wide variety of worlds are gathered in a vast expanse known as The Cage.
Perplexed, they are greeted by a mysterious creature that introduces itself as Mama.

Despite having only just made their acquaintance, Mama asks the group for their help,
claiming the world requires protection from external forces that would see The Cage destroyed.

To stop the invasion the group proceeds along a path without end,
and each among them is made to confront their own concealed truth.

Characteristics[]

The Cage is a vast space primarily comprised of stone towers,[1] though other terrain elements may also be present. In most areas of The Cage, statues known as Dark Scarecrows dot the landscape and guard weapons containing corrupted memories of their wielders.[2][3] The scarecrows can later be "purified" to restore the memory.[4] The Cage is also occupied by black birds that seek to corrupt memories,[5] giant flying fish and jellyfish, and massive beings known as cursed gods.[6]

The landscape is typically influenced by the weapon stories found in a specific part of The Cage.[7] The time of day and weather similarly change based on location.[8][9] Structures within The Cage have the ability to counter destructive attacks and repair themselves.[10][11][12]

In The People and the World, The Cage is revealed to be a digital space which is hosted on a server on the moon.[13][14] It contains a myriad of memories from human history, including those from divergent timelines.[15][16]

The Cage was originally intended to reflect Earth's appearance. Upon the Earth's drastic environmental change to reflect the Alien homeworld, The Cage changed as well, including the construction of its signature stone towers.[17][18]

Under the guise of ghost-like beings such as Mama, units of Pod 006 act as guides within The Cage to help those who restore memories.[19] They are also tasked with collecting weapons and "storing" them somewhere for safekeeping.[20] YoRHa unit 10H was also in charge of maintaining The Cage's server from the moon base alongside the Pods.[21]

The Cage appears to be overseen by an unknown entity that has the ability to monitor, intervene, and dispose of users within the server.[22] It is unclear whether their identity belongs to 10H or someone else entirely.[Note 1]

Background[]

In the 52nd century, a lunar base was created by the Army of Humanity on the surface of the moon. It was intended as a storage facility to archive and protect information on humanity.[23] Specifically, after the extinction of the Gestalts, structural information of remaining Replicants and genes of Gestalts were recorded by androids and stored in the lunar base.[24][25]

The Cage was originally a paradise that replicated the worlds in which its inhabitants had lived in.[26][27][28]

Long after the destruction of the Earth's quantum server through Kainé's intervention,[29] the scattered Administrator known as "Her" assimilated a damaged Red Girl.[30][31] She used the Red Girl's power to freeze and transform the Earth into a complex of stone structures resembling the Aliens' homeworld,[32][18] which eventually had a similar transformative affect on The Cage.[17]

Although a copy of humanity's history was erased with the destruction of the quantum server, She recognized that memories were also stored on another server known as The Cage.[33] Wanting to destroy humanity's memories as a means of "salvation,"[34] She sent viruses into the Cage in the form of the black birds and malformed creatures born from humanity's memories.[35][36] She also summoned the entities known as Papa and Dark Mama to start guiding Hina and Yuzuki in the convergence of the Cage's sun and moon,[37][38] an event that would open a more direct path for attack.[39]

The viruses began to invade The Cage, bringing destruction as they tried to infiltrate deeper into the server.[40] Although the inhabitants resisted across years of conflict, they were ultimately captured and placed into cages.[41][42] Once the dark forces destroyed The Cage's idealistic scenery, stone towers were erected to form the desolate new landscape of The Cage.[43][44]

Eventually, Hina and Yuzuki repaired The Cage's sun and moon and successfully fused the two objects together, along with their respective areas of The Cage.[45] However, unbeknownst to the siblings, the convergence opened a path to Earth from which the hostile Administrator "Her" could attack the server.[39][46][47]

As a result, Mama summoned nine individuals from their weapons to help protect The Cage from the invading enemies.[48][49] Mama then led the summons through the collapsing Cage to salvage remaining data, including those of other summons.[50][51] After coming under attack by the Mourning Mother, Mama extracted the group out of The Cage and into her physical Pod unit on the moon.[52] Since the enemy's continued assaults were causing The Cage to be on the verge of destruction, it was decided to attack the enemy at its source on Earth.[53][54]

After defeating Her, the server residents fell asleep and Mama began repairing The Cage.[55] The residents were able to return to their respective worlds,[56] though Hina and Yuzuki previously gave up their core memories.[57][58][59] However, 10H reappeared in The Cage and reminded the siblings about their promise to do something as friends,[60][61][62] and the three's memories were collected by Mama.[Note 2]

With that, each of The Cage residents' stories were repaired, as were Mama's memories. A book containing the library entries from The Girl and the Monster, The Sun and the Moon, and The People and the World were extracted from Mama and given to another Mama for delivery to an unknown location for archival.[65]

Characters of The Cage[]

Fio Fio Levania Levania Mama Mama Carrier Carrier Hina Hina Yuzuki Yuzuki Papa Papa Dark Mama and Babe Mama YoRHa No.10 Type H 10H Her Her Rion Rion Gayle Gayle Dimos Dimos Akeha Akeha Argo Argo 063y 063y F66x F66x Lars Lars Griff Griff Noelle Noelle Saryu Saryu Priyet Priyet Marie Marie Yurie Yurie Yudil Yudil Sarafa Sarafa

Gallery[]

Notes[]

  1. ↑ Suggested to be Accord; after a Carrier mentions that 'Akorde' forges the memory-containing weapons, he is eliminated and a replacement Carrier is summoned.[22]
  2. ↑ In 10H's fourth Hidden Story, she transfers copies of her conciousness data into a replica of herself and releases the aberration.[63] In the updated version of Gayle's fifth Hidden Story, an entity listed as "e58f8b" claims to be born from 10H and asks Mama to be taken to The Cage.[64] The code e58f8b is hexidecimal for 友 ("friend"), which is used as 10H's name in her epilogue appearance in Japanese and English, respectively.
    The updated version of Gayle's story also adds mention of the date 03/12024, suggesting that the epilogue events may take place during or after March 12024. This date would coincide with the release of NieR Reincarnation's final story chapter in March 12024.

References[]

  1. ↑ "Massive stone towers pierce an empty sky. This enormous structure is called The Cage." -Narrator (NieR Reincarnation)
  2. ↑ "These strange statues are scattered throughout The Cage. I don't know who made them, but I call them Dark Scarecrows." -Mama (NieR Reincarnation)
  3. ↑ "This weapon is a memory of the staff held by the boy from the wastelands. Your task is to fix warped memories like this in order to restore complete stories. But we also need to collect weapons like these." -Mama (NieR Reincarnation)
  4. ↑ "Our scarecrow pal here holds a record of the witch girl's past. Sadly, it's in the process of being destroyed by some real nasty characters. So I need you to get out there and restore her memories!" -Papa (NieR Reincarnation)
  5. ↑ "Did you see the flock of black birds that possessed the bounty hunter? They're nasty sorts who like to fly in and warp the story." -Mama (NieR Reincarnation)
  6. ↑ "That is a cursed god; it being in this part of The Cage brings wickedness!" -Carrier (NieR Reincarnation)
  7. ↑ "The ever-changing landscape in The Cage may be influenced by the stories contained within the weapons' memories." -Loading Screen (NieR Reincarnation)
  8. ↑ "The time of day and the weather change depending on where you are in The Cage." -Papa (NieR Reincarnation)
  9. ↑ "Brrr! It's so cold all of a sudden. Is this...snow that's falling? Even The Cage has varying weather, it seems." -Mama (NieR Reincarnation)
  10. ↑ Lost Archive: Regarding The Cage's Interior (NieR Reincarnation)
  11. ↑ Lost Archive: Regarding The Cage's Repair (NieR Reincarnation)
  12. ↑ Lost Archive: Rec. Re: Self-Repair of the Depths (NieR Reincarnation)
  13. ↑ Argo: "What a strange building... I guess we really have left the real world."
    Yurie: "Correct. "The Cage" is a virtual space in which great amounts of data are stored—or so I have heard."
    Argo: "What kind of data?"
    Yurie: "Records of human history. But this data—along with "The Cage" itself—is in the process of being destroyed by unseen forces." (NieR Reincarnation)
  14. ↑ "And so humans turned to their last resort... They left behind a key for their revival. Humanity's genetic data was stored in a base on the moon, and the entirety of their culture and history was preserved inside a server. And now that the brother knows why The Cage exists, he poses a question: "If the enemy destroys The Cage, will our memories vanish too?"" -Narrator (NieR Reincarnation)
  15. ↑ Mama: "You saved her, in fact. But the you that did not save her also exists within The Cage."
    Akeha: "...What do you mean?"
    Mama: "Countless possibilities are kept within The Cage." (NieR Reincarnation)
  16. ↑ "Here you will find recorded pasts that could have taken place—as well as your alternative selves." -Mama
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Marie: "So...why does Earth look like The Cage?"
    Mama: "You've got it backwards. The Cage has taken on the form of Earth, you see. The Cage was originally meant to reflect Earth's environment. It seems their similarity was an effect of that characteristic." (NieR Reincarnation)
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Finally, She uses the girl's power to change the city. She transforms it something[sic] resembling the home planet of the machine lifeforms' creators." -Narrator (NieR Reincarnation)
  19. ↑ "Analysis: Though I look a little different, I am Mama. Summary: This is my true appearance. Please do not be alarmed. ...Goodness. I'll never get used to talking like that. I'll speak how I normally do." -Pod 006 (NieR Reincarnation)
  20. ↑ "When the figure is finally satisfied with the telling of its tale, a white ghost collects the sword and leaves. This ghost is a creature the girl and her friends call "Mama," and her objective is to collect every weapon and store it away for safekeeping." -Library Entry: People/World Overture I: Story 1 (NieR Reincarnation)
  21. ↑ "I'm YoRHa Number 10 Type H, but you can call me 10H. I've been looking after the human server—The Cage—with the Pod system from this base. That's how I know all of you." -10H (NieR Reincarnation)
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Lost Archives: Regarding Weapons Storage
  23. ↑ "5100 Onward." NieR:Automata World Guide Volume 2, Dark Horse, p280
  24. ↑ [Record of Project Gestalt's End] (NieR:Automata)
  25. ↑ (Top Secret) Project YoRHa (NieR:Automata)
  26. ↑ "They see a grassy plain and the phantoms of people in strange dress—just like the one they saw in the weapon. They live in peace, free from all conflict. The sight is like nothing the pair has ever experienced. It is so beautiful, they almost cannot believe such a thing exists." -Narrator (NieR Reincarnation)
  27. ↑ "The man recalls his past. He remembers a paradise very unlike the desolate stone towers in which they recently awoke. He remembers the paradise The Cage used to be." -Narrator (NieR Reincarnation)
  28. ↑ Mama: "You just experienced The Cage as it once was."
    Fio: "It was so pretty..."
    Mama: "Yes, it was. Before it took on this form, The Cage replicated the worlds you lived in." (NieR Reincarnation)
  29. ↑ "The quantum server falls, signifying His and Her deaths. This woman will bring an end to the quantum server. Her choice will bring about a new history that even He does not know." -Narrator (NieR Reincarnation)
  30. ↑ "However... He makes a miscalculation. Though She scatters, She alone remains here in this world. She would spend an eternity alone in this nothingness." -Narrator (NieR Reincarnation)
  31. ↑ "The Red Girl, too, is another seized by loneliness. And so, She attempts to offer her salvation. But She cannot—the girl's data is damaged beyond the point of repair. And so, She burdens herself with the girl's data and emotions and stains herself red. ...The color of hatred." -Narrator (NieR Reincarnation)
  32. ↑ "As She becomes red, the world freezes white. Had She always been alone, She would never have grieved for the girl in red or the woman with white hair. And so, She freezes it all. The world...and even time itself." -Narrator (NieR Reincarnation)
  33. ↑ "Humanity's history and bonds exist in another place besides the quantum server. For there is another server that houses humanity's memories—The Cage." -Narrator (NieR Reincarnation)
  34. ↑ "Indeed, all those trapped within The Cage faced hardship from antipathy and loss. And that is why She attempts to sever those bonds. It is Her own way of granting salvation." -Narrator (NieR Reincarnation)
  35. ↑ "And so, She sends forth the black birds, uses the brother and sister's conflict to create a path... And brings about the fall of The Cage." -Narrator (NieR Reincarnation)
  36. ↑ P.A.: "During development, we referenced the country where the thief and the princess lived."
    Sarafa: "Our country never had monsters like these..."
    P.A.: "These monsters—or rather, viruses—are created here, and will be deployed to your worlds as they're ready."
    Sarafa: "What? Why!?"
    P.A.: "To destroy your worlds." (NieR Reincarnation)
  37. ↑ "But Earth is not the only place that is home to humanity's histories and bonds. She sets free the black birds, then uses Carrier and the siblings to bring about the fall of The Cage on the moon." -Library Entry: People/World Act III: Story 5
  38. ↑ Deleted User: "Hello there. Are we ready to put our plan into action?"
    Dark Mama: "Uh, well, there's actually been a bit of trouble..."
    Papa: "Nothing to worry about, though!" (NieR Reincarnation)
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 "We're in the process of checking everyone's pairings with the key. If all goes well... A massive path should open." -Papa (NieR Reincarnation)
  40. ↑ "Girl and man come to a place surrounded by crumbling stone walls. This is The Cage—what was once a beautiful paradise. (...) Dark foes wander to and fro over the lands, searching for ways to infiltrate The Cage." -Narrator (NieR Reincarnation)
  41. ↑ "Many have taken up arms to fight against their inexhaustible foe. (...) Many have been claimed as prisoners of war, their freedoms stolen away. The cages are filled with people. People. People. All of whom drown in despair." -Narrator (NieR Reincarnation)
  42. ↑ "For years has this battle raged. Dark foes attempt to infiltrate the paradise world, and the people resist. But the people can only do so much, and they are all eventually captured and placed in cages." -Library Entry: People/World Overture I: Story 2 (NieR Reincarnation)
  43. ↑ "The land shudders. The air is poison. The world loses more color with each battle. After a long battle that leaves the once-beautiful paradise as some sad and forgotten thing... The land—once a battlefield—has changed drastically. After a moment, girl and man finally understand: Only after countless battles did the paradise transform into The Cage they now know." -Narrator (NieR Reincarnation)
  44. ↑ "They continue in this way for some time, until a set of stone towers finally looms up before them. This is when they finally understand: the moment the dark foes destroyed paradise, The Cage as they knew it was created." -Library Entry: People/World Overture I: Story 2 (NieR Reincarnation)
  45. ↑ "Oh no. It looks like we're out of time. It's time for the two Cages to merge." -Papa (NieR Reincarnation)
  46. ↑ "Flashing through their minds are the memories of their journeys to restore the broken sun and moon. When they finally brought their wishes to life, the sun and moon were conjunct. Little did they know that the very act would draw the enemy into The Cage." -Narrator (NieR Reincarnation)
  47. ↑ "The top of this tower is familiar. It is the altar at which the two of them restored the broken sun and moon. But what comes to mind for both are memories of destruction. They invited the enemy into The Cage to make their wishes come true. Even as they fight the enemy, their hearts are tainted with despair." -Library Entry: People/World Act II: Story 4 (NieR Reincarnation)
  48. ↑ "I know this is all quite sudden, but we have very little time. I called you here because I need your assistance. (...) I need you to protect The Cage from outside enemies." -Mama (NieR Reincarnation)
  49. ↑ "Your existences are bound to weapons. But the memories within the weapons are also histories of terrible sins committed across the ages. That is why I freed you from your weapons and allowed you a life in The Cage. But just look at this place now... I fear my power alone isn't enough." -Mama (NieR Reincarnation)
  50. ↑ "Listen to me: that attack was an omen. (...) If nothing is done, your worlds will be destroyed as well. If you wish to return to your world, you must join forces with Mama. Follow me." -Mama (NieR Reincarnation)
  51. ↑ "I finally managed to shake off the enemy's jamming and show myself. One, two, three, four... Heavens! There are so few of you! Everyone was supposed to gather here now that all the data's been salvaged..." -Mama (NieR Reincarnation)
  52. ↑ "Welcome to the lunar base, everyone. (...) We are outside The Cage. To tell you the truth, The Cage is on the moon." -Pod 006 (NieR Reincarnation)
  53. ↑ "As you already know, enemy assaults have pushed The Cage to the brink of destruction. So our only option is to strike back." -Pod 006 (NieR Reincarnation)
  54. ↑ 10H: "Let's see here... We'll be making our way to the home base of the enemies who are threatening The Cage."
    Yudil: "Where is this base?"
    10H: "Earth. We'll depart from here on the moon." (NieR Reincarnation)
  55. ↑ Levania: "What in the world happened?"
    Mama: "After defeating Her... you all fell asleep. And I got to work fixing up The Cage." (NieR Reincarnation)
  56. ↑ Saryu: "So we can finally return to our world?"
    Mama: "Indeed. Are you ready, Priyet?"
    Priyet: "I HAVE SARYU. I'LL BE OKAY." (NieR Reincarnation)
  57. ↑ "The siblings give up the memories of their family to put the sun and moon together again. Another eclipse is born. This is the gateway to the route connecting Earth and The Cage." -Narrator (NieR Reincarnation)
  58. ↑ "They are relieved to see their friends appear. It is thanks to their protection that the siblings' memories avoid complete deletion." -Narrator (NieR Reincarnation)
  59. ↑ Mama: "I'm sorry, but you two..."
    Hina: "...It's all right. We know."
    Yuzuki: "This is the path we chose for ourselves, after all."
  60. ↑ 10H: "You said we're friends, didn't you? I'd kinda like to do something that friends do together, y'know?" (NieR Reincarnation)
  61. ↑ 10H: "We should reach Earth soon."
    Yuzuki: "Can you see what it's like down there from here?"
    10H: "I can. But it's going to look a lot different than your Earth."
    Hina: "I'd still like to see it. With you, 10H."
    10H: "Yeah... I still haven't really gotten the chance to talk with you. Or the others..." (NieR Reincarnation)
  62. ↑ Mama: "Oh... I'm so relieved!"
    10H: "Yuzuki...? Hina? So you're safe, huh? Do you remember what you told me back then?"
    Hina: "Yup. We've got a lot of hanging out to do." (NieR Reincarnation)
  63. ↑ Savior's Excerpt No. 04 (NieR Reincarnation)
  64. ↑ Hunter's Excerpt No. 05 (NieR Reincarnation)
  65. ↑ Mama: "Everyone's stories are finally fixed up... The weapon's stories... and Mama's memories. They need to get them...[sic] They were always with me."
    Other Mama: "It might take a while, but I'll make sure they get there. ...Because they're precious records I want to protect." (NieR Reincarnation)
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