NeiR: Replicant has a well-known character named Kaine, who is one of the strongest women in gaming. Kaine is an intersex woman who isn't afraid to speak her mind, dress how she feels, and use colorful language to express herself. Kaine is also a kind character who is shown comforting young Emil, who had also become an outcast among humanity.
She has been seen as an icon among LGBT gamers, and many fans consider her role in NieR: Replicant and Gestalt to be historic. To celebrate Kaine, the list below has several fun facts about the character and how she was brought to life.
Updated April 1, 2022 by Jerrad Wyche: Kaine is one of the more fascinating characters in the Nier series and has quickly come on the scene as a fan favorite. She plays a critical role in video games as she serves as a representation for intersex individuals and helps shed light on people who are rarely represented in entertainment. Her story is complicated and emotional, with plenty of mystery left for fans to discover.
14 She's Intersex
Contrary to common belief Kaine isn't female but rather described as intersex. The reason she chooses to dress in feminine attire is a direct result of the harassment and bullying she endured as a child. She felt that she should emphasize feminine characteristics to make it stop. It's likely why she prefers the pronouns she/her over they/them. According to Yoko Taro, Kaine was born intersex due to an error in the long-running Replicant system that brought them to life. For those who are unfamiliar intersex is defined as a general term used for a variety of situations in which a person is born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn't fit the boxes of “female” or “male.”
13 Not A Killer
Kaine separates herself from the group she finds herself in as she is the only one who never killed either a boss or a primary antagonist. Nier, Weiss, and Emil all played a role in killing these types of individuals, which leaves Kaine in a very interesting moral position. The type of skill she possesses makes it seem as though she'd welcome the idea of killing, but to this point, Kaine hasn't managed to land the final blow on anyone of note.
12 Lord Of Vermilion Re:2 Appearance
Most people are familiar with Kaine being mentioned in Nier Automata and know about the NieR RepliCant × SINoALICE collaboration that made Kaine a potential character. The more secretive and lesser-known cameo is the one she made in Lord of Vermilion Re:2, which is described as an arcade-based collectible card game. Considering how popular Kaine has become with the fanbase she'll likely appear in a lot more places over the coming years.
11 Kaine's Swords Tell Her Story
In the previously mentioned NieR RepliCant × SINoALICE collaboration, players can attack with Kaine's Swords which will spark an in-game animation. The weapon story attached expresses the trials and tribulations Kaine endured and the types of emotions she felt. It is told in the third person, which confirms that, though she is intersex, Kaine chose to identify with she/her pronouns. This story also explains that she doesn't enjoy killing, which clarifies a possible reason as to why she hasn't killed a boss or prominent villain yet.
10 She Has References In Automata
Kaine, like most other characters from Replicant, didn't live thousands of years to meet 2B and 9S. Instead, players can pick up Kaine's twin swords in the game to destroy enemies with. The swords come with a description of Kaine that lightly describes what happened to her.
Kaine's house can also be visited in Automata, and it's located among a field of Lunar Tears.
9 She Loves Flowers
Lunar Tears are something that become associated with Kaine the moment you meet her. This is further shown by the huge number of Lunar Tears growing near her home in Automata. Due to this love, Nier gives her a Lunar Tear when she first wakes up after the five-year time skip.
While Kaine may be crass, her love for Lunar Tears helps to show a more delicate nature that she keeps hidden.
8 She Is Good At Tongue Twisters
One of the stranger things that Kaine is talented at is doing tongue twisters. It's said that she even adds curse words to them, although that isn't something that Weiss seems like he would be happy hearing. It does seem a bit funny that she can't even play a small word game without cussing.
Kaine certainly doesn't ever seem to stumble over her words, so it's not surprising that she is confident in tongue twisters.
7 She Did Come From The Aerie
Despite the fact that the people of Aerie are unquestionably rude to Nier and Kaine, she was born there. When Kaine moved in with her grandmother, the two moved outside of town. Even after their move, though, the people of Aerie still kept contempt for Kaine, who they blamed for all their problems.
It's obvious that Kaine never wanted to go back to live there, especially with how closed-minded the residents were.
6 Her Voice Actor Is Laura Bailey
Laura Bailey has had a lot of roles in voice acting and even voiced Abby in The Last of Us 2. There aren't many voice actors that could fit the role of Kaine so well. In Nier, she captures Kaine's role perfectly and gets the emotions of the characters through, especially during later scenes in the game.
It's hard to picture any other voice actor taking up the role of Kaine, and fans applaud her stellar performance.
5 Kaine Looked Different In Concept Art
All characters go through a concept phase when a game is being put together. Kaine was originally drawn in a much more conservative outfit. This outfit showed very little skin, and fans can mostly identify her by the sketch having a similar hairstyle.
Yoko Taro pushed for the Kaine we know today as the team was hesitant to put her in lingerie or give her a strong-sounding voice.
4 She Almost Had A Cute Voice
The majority of the team behind Nier wanted Kaine to have a cute-sounding voice. Despite the push though, Yoko Taro just couldn't get behind a cute sounding Kaine.
He pushed the team towards Kaine having a bold voice, as he obviously wanted her to be a very crude and straightforward woman. This helps to set her apart from the cute trope that a lot of JRPGs use for their female cast.
3 Kaine Was Censored In Japan
Kaine likes to cuss, well, a lot. This is taken a bit differently in Japan and used as a source of comedy in the game. In the Japanese dub, Kaine's cursing is bleeped out with an audible noise. This was taken out of the English version as localizers didn't think it would go over well.
Whether the censoring is better or not is left up to the fan's discretion, as some may actually find it funny.
2 She Was Older In Gestalt
Gestalt changed quite a few things in an attempt to appeal to American audiences. In Gestalt, Kaine's age was changed from 17 to 20. This made her a bit closer in age to Nier, who was an adult father. This was likely done to avoid any backlash from ending C due to her age.
Kaine's design wasn't changed as she already has an adult appearance in the game and doesn't look young.
1 She's Won Popularity Polls
Kaine has actually won a few character popularity polls in Japan, proving that she is one of the most beloved characters in the franchise. English players also seem to think highly of Kaine, and she is commonly discussed on the internet, where there is a huge amount of fanart of the character.
Kaine is a very memorable character, especially for those who are struggling with identity and gender.