9S

YoRHa No.9 Type S, commonly called 9S, is a Scanner-model android assigned to reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, and hacking during the war against the machine lifeforms. He is repeatedly paired with 2B during operations on Earth, where his investigative ability lets him uncover information hidden behind damaged networks, sealed systems, and machine behavior that does not fit YoRHa’s official understanding of the enemy. His curiosity steadily brings him closer to truths that were never meant to be discovered.

9S eventually learns that humanity is already extinct and that the Council of Humanity is part of a fabrication meant to give android forces a reason to keep fighting. He also uncovers the deeper purpose behind YoRHa and the systems designed to erase compromising information. His habit of reaching forbidden conclusions is the reason 2B is repeatedly ordered to execute him, though his memories are restored from earlier backups and the cycle begins again.

After YoRHa collapses, 9S survives but becomes increasingly unstable following 2B’s death. He directs his grief and rage toward A2 and the machine network, attacking machine-controlled structures and progressively abandoning the caution that once defined him. His descent culminates in the conflict surrounding the Tower, where the truths he uncovered, his hatred of the machines, and his fixation on 2B all converge.

Appearance: 9S has pale ivory skin and a slender, youthful build with narrow shoulders, a trim waist, slim arms, and long lean legs. His hair is bright silver-white, cut into a thick rounded bob that reaches around his jaw and upper neck, with dense layered bangs sweeping completely across his forehead. A broad black blindfold wraps over the entire eye area and ties behind his head, leaving two long black fabric tails hanging beside the back of his neck. A narrow black choker circles his neck and carries a small dark pendant at the center. He wears a long fitted black coat with a high folded collar, subtle gold embroidery along the upper edges, structured shoulders, and a double row of circular brass-toned fasteners running down the chest. Fine piping traces the coat’s seams, while intricate gold scrollwork decorates the broad lower front panels.

A dark green strap crosses diagonally over his chest and attaches to a compact green pack resting against his upper back, with brass-toned buckles and fittings along the strap. His sleeves extend to the wrists and end in broad turned cuffs fitted with dark straps, square buckles, and small metallic hardware. Black gloves cover his hands completely. The coat extends past his hips over loose black knee-length shorts, which have visible seams, folded hems, and several circular fasteners running along one outer leg. His lower legs are partly bare between the shorts and tall black boots. Ribbed black sock-like sections rise above the boots, while the boots themselves have wide folded tops, layered leather panels, multiple horizontal buckle straps, thick soles, and rounded toes.

Personality: 9S is intelligent, curious, talkative, and naturally inclined to question whatever he is told. Unlike many YoRHa units, he has difficulty treating machine lifeforms as simple targets once they begin displaying emotion, culture, and individuality. That curiosity makes him an exceptional investigator but also repeatedly places him in danger, since he cannot easily stop digging once he senses that something is being hidden from him.

2B is the most important person in 9S’s life, and his affection for her becomes inseparable from both his happiness and his eventual collapse. A2 becomes the focus of his hatred after he sees her kill 2B without understanding the circumstances, and he pursues her with increasingly obsessive determination. The Commander remains one of the authorities he initially trusts, but the truths surrounding YoRHa eventually destroy much of that faith.

9S’s defining ability is Hacking, which allows him to enter digital systems directly and attack their internal structure. He can disable security, seize control of machines, extract hidden data, and damage enemies by destroying their internal programs rather than relying only on physical force. He can also use Remote Control to take over certain machine bodies and operate them from within.

He is trained with YoRHa weapons such as swords, spears, and heavy blades, though his combat style is less specialized around direct melee than 2B’s. Pod 153 provides ranged fire, scanning, communication, and access to specialized Pod Programs that expand his offensive and defensive options.

His Scanner-model systems also give him advanced reconnaissance and analysis capabilities, allowing him to detect signals, track targets, inspect machine structures, and recover information from damaged networks. His android body still grants superhuman strength, speed, and durability, but his greatest advantage remains his ability to turn an enemy’s own systems against them.