Sad fate of Nei and Rika...

Discuss the saga of Algo, where the legend began.

Sad fate of Nei and Rika...

Postby Rick » Tue Mar 16, '10, 2:27 am

This is taken from the Ps 2 character Settei and is found here:

http://www.sceneryrecalled.com/trans/pswps2.htm

Kinds's Misfortune
Though distinguished by his terrific strength against robots, the number of players who used him as a comrade was small. Because players were reluctant to drop comrades to whom they had become attached, Kinds ended up being excluded from the party.
If you look at the game settei, you see that Kinds's heart goes out to Nei. At about the time that Kinds came to play an active part in the proceesings, Nei lost her life in the battle with Neifirst.
And to think that, love having blossomed in such a short period of time between Kinds and Nei, that Nei would end up dead...... For Kinds, this would be the beginning of a tragedy, since he was planned out as an everyday human. Nei's child, like Nei herself, would age twelve years in one year's time. That is, in a mere five years' time, that child of Nei's would be 60, and in twenty-five years' time her own daughter would be 60, is a tragedy a bit beyond imagination.
This paradox is squared away a bit in the settei for IV.



Do you see that? It's such a tragedy. It makes you wonder about Rika. She is about 2 I think and looks 18? Would she continue to age that fast? It says it's squared away a bit but I don't think it coulda been fixed.

Why do I say this? The memorial drama cd.

Right here: http://pixelkiss.com/phantasystar/chara/nm-2011.html

[/quote]
Created by Gene in the Bio-Dome, NM-2011 is the ultimate masterpiece of the Neiseries 2000. She has better speed, agility, and damage ability than Nei does. She refers to Nei as “Oneesama”, or “Big Sister”. As a newman, her lifesepan is only 3 or 4 years length. She fights other neitypes in order to bring more meaning to her life. She thinks that if she defeats Nei, who is said to be the best of the NM-1000 series, that will bring more value to her own life.

Excerpts from the translation:

Gene: You are NM-1153. Based on a sample of genetic information prior to the 'Great Collaspe', I was able to complete you by cloning the damaged portions of DNA. You are the ultimate masterpiece of the NM-1000 Series.

Nei: I'm a.... clone?! So then, that means those capsules.... That can't be!

Gene: The neitype research has already advanced to the next level. The NM-2000 series surpasses the NM-1000 series in terms of both power and speed. 2011, it has become apparent that 1153 has gone insane. Quickly dispense of her.

NM-2011: I understand, Mother.

NM-2011: Why are you crying? Are you trying to console the loser? Ungh...gnn.. if you are, that's foolish. You know, we neitypes.... have an innate weakness. Our short lives... no matter what we do, we only have 3 or 4 years of life. And the same applies to you, sister.

Nei: No...

NM-2011: So.. that's why.. that's why I tried to create meaning to my life by fighting.

Later on.

Nei: Thank you. It makes me really happy that you feel that way. But you know, Rudy, even though we're able to talk with each other and laugh with each other, we're still far too different from each other. Yes, for instance, humans can have children and give their lives meaning.* But you know I.. er, no, we neitypes.. aren't able to do that. Moreover, our lifespan lasts only 3 or 4 years. It's so short that you can't even compare it to a human's.

Rudy: No way, that's just too awful!

Nei: Yes, it is. But you know, I was told that they're working on making neitypes that won't be like that. They'll be able to live just like humans do. So that's why I'm going to stay here, and use the remaining time I have left striving to bring happiness to my sisters. I'm doing this so that I may be able to face all my big sisters and little sisters who have already died, so I can make atonements. So please, understand, Rudy.
[/quote]

Memorial Drama Cd translation here: http://pixelkiss.com/phantasystar/index.html

Now looking at all these, we have some 10 years before PS IV, Nm-1153 (nei) being the only survivor of the GENE Biodome. Her lifespan is 4 years max.

I don't think Seed coulda fixed Rika to live as long as a human in 10 years if a Biodome in 1000 years couldn't do it.

Looking at the data, Rika would live maybe 8-10 years if you follow the line of evolution from Nei to Nm-1153 to NM-2011 to Rika.

Rika would live just long enough to have a child or two and complete the purpose of numans.

Anyone else saddened by this?
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Re: Sad fate of Nei and Rika...

Postby Tanith » Tue Mar 16, '10, 3:45 am

Honestly, as much as I love the PS series, it seems that many of the characters are doomed to some sad fate or unhappiness in life. Not to mention any time I try to actively work out continuity in this series my head explodes. :lol:

Anyway, the best I answer I can come up with is that we don't know Rika's fate; perhaps Seed really was able to tweak the numan gene code (or whatever it is) in a relatively short amount of time to lengthen her life. Is the drama CD considered canon?

And holy cow, someone working on the PS team loved Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. So many parallels.
Last edited by Tanith on Thu Mar 18, '10, 1:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Sad fate of Nei and Rika...

Postby Rune_Walsh » Tue Mar 16, '10, 4:02 am

Well, I think Rika lived a good while. The compendium touched base upon an idea (not canon as far as I know) of a widowed Rika, alone, raising her son Rui (who, with the exception of Numan ears is the spitting image of Chaz).

So, it is possible that Chaz dies, Rika dies thereafter, leaving Rui, the future of humanity.
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Re: Sad fate of Nei and Rika...

Postby Rick » Tue Mar 16, '10, 5:22 am

That concept you mentioned is in the compendium and it is of Rika with her son Rui. Rui is age 8 and he'll be a full adult by the age of 12.

Yet he is a half numan.

Nei lived 2 years before she died, Nm-1153 less and Nm-2011 even less in the drama cd. With the lifespan max of 3-4 years a little before PS IV, I wonder how long Rika would have lived.

It's a tragedy that Nei had such a short lifespan and was developed to be a weapon of war to wipe out humans.

Newmans in PSO also have a short lifespan as confirmed in Episode 3..

So who else things Rika lived a long time?
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Re: Sad fate of Nei and Rika...

Postby Thoul » Tue Mar 16, '10, 6:06 pm

Rika aged to adulthood at about the same rate as Nei (both are about a year and a half old when we see them), so one could make a case that Rika will last about the same time - just a few years.

Personally, I think Seed and Gene had more than enough time to tweak the genetic code to increase lifespan. That's because of these parts of what you posted above:
Nei wrote:Yes, for instance, humans can have children and give their lives meaning. But you know I.. er, no, we neitypes.. aren't able to do that. Moreover, our lifespan lasts only 3 or 4 years.

But you know, I was told that they're working on making neitypes that won't be like that. They'll be able to live just like humans do.

Given that Rika would supposedly fulfill the first part of that (having children), I think she would be the fulfillment of the second part (longer lifespan) as well. Rika's status is a mother is debatable as a matter of canon, but I think it has to be possible. Seed wouldn't have self destructed if Rika wasn't able to fulfill the purpose of his work, helping humans to survive long term in the harsh environment of Motavia.

So I think Rika would definitely live longer than the previous numans. I could see her still having a shorter life span, but not as short as the Neitypes. Fifteen to twenty years of life, maybe.
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Re: Sad fate of Nei and Rika...

Postby Lucas » Wed Mar 17, '10, 12:34 am

I know in Phantasy Star Universe. The Numans all age the same as the Humans do because Karen says in a cutscene she is seventeen years old. And she looks like a teenage girl too. Although this game series has nothing to do with the classic series you could still probably say they succeeded in getting Numans to age acceptably.
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Re: Sad fate of Nei and Rika...

Postby tilinelson2 » Wed Mar 17, '10, 12:17 pm

The problem wit PSIV and beyond numans are that they should be taken as something completely different from the PSII numans (Nei and Neifirst).

In fact they shouldn't exist at all, but as they exist due to the inability of Yoshibon to get over Nei's death (she was huge in japan. They used to have lots of stuff related to her there. I even own a Japanese Nei figurine) and to move on with the story of the series (he wanted to do Nei as the PSIV main character, but was outvoted by the team). But as they exist, we have to consider that:

- PSII numans were a result of a malfunction in the mother brain's biosystem (energy outburst recorded by recorder) and both Nei and Neifirst were subproducts of a failed genetic experiment. PSIV numans were result of a research by mother brain's subsystems (how could the subsystem act one his input was dead?) to create a new "race" fit for the future times.

So, you may consider that all the info about the numans till PSII doesn't need to be applied to PSIV and further PS stuff (compendium, memorial drama, PSO). The only sad fate you will find there is Nei's, because she had to die to make sure all the biomonsters were destroyed. Rika, on the other hand, could have lived a happy life and the end of PSIV leads we to believe so, regardless if she was in fact the love subject from Chaz or their relationship was like Rolf/Nei's relationship.
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Re: Sad fate of Nei and Rika...

Postby Rick » Wed Mar 17, '10, 6:57 pm

Actually you cannot ignore the compendium info. For this very reason:

[grey box] The Purpose of the Numan's Existence
Seed, the supervising computer at the Bioplant, foresaw the harsh conditions Motabia and the people living there would undergo in the generations to come. Seed's assignment in Algol's environment maintenance system was to balance the ecosystem with the birth of a lifeform suited to the environmental changes. To this end, Seed began study on how to preserve the human race by improving it. Data on the "Neitype", studied for a similar purpose before the Great Collapse, became the basis for this lifeform. Fal was born under these circumstances, but not just as a new type of human. She was also expected to mix her bloodline with that of a human to perpetuate the new race of humans. The term Numan, then, means to say "the lifeform that will give birth to and become the matriarch of a new human race."


Actually, if you play the PS 2 retranslation Naflign did, the surge of energy evolved the subject of the research which became Nei-First. Nei-First then made Biomonsters to get revenge on the rest of the world.

Neitypes were already being studied, as evident by Catfangs and their reskinned sisters.

The influx of energy rapidly evolved the catfang type into a sentient being. No weapons of war should think for themselves. They should just follow orders. Since Nei-First was self aware, she was a failure and when she was to be killed, she escaped.

Everyone knows, and it's been played out countless times what happens when weapons of war become sentient and start to question orders. GITS: SAC is a example. Weapons don't need to think or have personalities.

Besides, if you look at the ears of Rika, her ears are just like Nm-2011s. Nei and Nm-1153's ears are forgotten.

It seems Rika was never meant to live a long time. She was made to live long enough to have a CHILD/CHILDREN which would be a half-numan and able to live in the harsh conditions of Mota easier.

Her son would then find a wife, maybe 1-4 kids and thus after centuries, Motabia would be half numans vs humans.
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Re: Sad fate of Nei and Rika...

Postby Celeith » Wed Mar 17, '10, 10:59 pm

I think Rika may of lived to a good old age long after the game ended. Most likely Seed didn't spend 1000 yrs of work perfecting the Numan genepool, only for it to perish about five to nine years after birth. Seed knows of the problem going on in Algo, or at least Motavia. I believe from the time you get Rika to the point of Zio's demise was close to half a month.

Cause by normal standards, not game standards.. The travel from Zema to Aiedo must of taken about a week tops, with the retreat to Krup maybe a day, while they were able to cross the sands with the Landrover it still would of taken a few days to navigate through the harsh sands, not knowing if you would get turned around or not.

Also, even though the Landale was a fast ship, it still would have taken a long time to travel from Motavia, to Dezolis, to the Satellites, to Air Castle, to Rykros, and ect. I think maybe a few months passed just by travelling through space, most likely making Rika close to or at least two years old by the time the game ended. She was probably a year and half when she joined up with Chaz.

Even though the image of Rika and Rui is not canon, he looks like he would probably be thirteen, which would make Rika close to Fifteen years old by the time Rui hits his teen years. So I think the lifespan of a Numan is pretty long..
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Re: Sad fate of Nei and Rika...

Postby tilinelson2 » Wed Mar 17, '10, 11:17 pm

Actually, Compendium was a book written on the heels of PSIV, to praise PSIV. It almost talks only about PSIV. So, of course the explanation of the numans are fit for PSIV. But since it contradicts PSII, it cannot become canon over the story of PSII. This only contributes to prove that numan in PSIV is a thing completely different from numan in PSII. They are only numans because Yoshibon wanted so badly to have Nei in PSIV that he copied Nei in Rika (Fal).

You mentioned Catfangs, but this has nothing to do. Nowhere you can read that they are different from other biomonsters or that they were being studied with another purpose. Biomonsters were not weapons of war. You can´t find this info in PSII. If it was Neifirst who created the biomonsters, it is not true that Catfangs were researched as "weapons of war". By the way, the only game where monsters are "weapons of war" is PSIII, where Layan creatures were made to fight Orakians. This can be your personal theory, but it is not canon and for me it doesn´t make sense.

Nowhere in PSIV you read that Rika was made to have children with a human. They only mention that she was created as a being fit for the future times. The rest is your theory, it is not canon.

But you are right in having your theories. Everybody must have his theories to fill the gaps and improve our PS experience, after all we are PS fans. But we must take as canon first what is on the games and giving preference to the ones that came first. The main issue I have with PSIV is that it rewrites the story of the other PS games, sometimes creating contradictions.

The point is that numans only exist after PSII because of Yoshibon inability to deal with the death of Nei. They wanted to do the most references possible to other PS games, so why not resurrect the most popular PS character? The problem is that resurrection is not a good plot for a series. If the team was mature enough to make Rika anything other than a "clone" of Nei, the story would be make more sense.
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