nier-automata
9S keeps asking and wondering how the machines comprehend/possess human traits like loyalty or fear. I would understand his suprise if machines were built by humans before androids, but they were not. They were built by another species.
Why is it so strange that another entity is capable of these traits, if themselves are?
I have not finished the game, but this keeps bothering me.
There appears to be a total of three title screen backgrounds.
The default title screen looks like this:
If you
achieve ending [B] (complete the game as 9S),
then you will unlock this title screen:
However, once you achieve ending [E]
and choose to delete all save data,
your title screen will change to this one:
From what I have found online, you cannot manually change them and, going down the list, each title screen appears to replace any previous one, which means unlocking the final one will make that your title screen permanently from that point forward.
Did you read Anemone's logs as A2 while in the Resistance Camp? They gave A2 and Anemone's backstories, which explain A2's sentiment towards YoRHa.
Essentially, A2 was a prototype YoRHa unit sent on a mission to Earth. Her and her squad ended up joining forces with Anemone's squad. After being attacked by machine lifeforms and having units suffer from logic virus infections, A2 was forced to mercy-kill her own companions. Later, when it came down to it, she was not sent reinforcements and was left for dead. She managed to survive, but deserted afterwards, living on with the knowledge that Command betrayed her. On top of this, having deserted YoRHa, she is now hunted by YoRHa E-type units.
To her, the goal of the mission was to destroy the fusion reactor. In reality, the goal was to collect combat data for future android models. I think A2 was able to put two and two together and realize that she was being used.
So, not only was A2 deserted and betrayed, she is now hunted by the organization that she was once a part of.
In terms of what she is implying-- I believe she is accused of betraying YoRHa by Command at that moment. This is her rebuttal to that. It makes sense if you take it at face value, but there is added meaning, given the fact that
2B is based on the original A-class unit, which is what A2 is. In some sense, 2B is simply a newer A2. Anemone even hints at the similarity when she nearly mistakes 2B for A2 upon meeting her.
I was able to find a general summary of what happened during the Pearl Harbor Descent here. This should give a general idea of what happened and why A2 (correctly) felt betrayed.
Best Answer
The traits you're mentioning are distinctly human traits. The reason it's surprising for a machine lifeform to be exhibiting these traits is precisely because of that fact.
The machine lifeforms are not human and were not created by humans, thus there should be no reason for them to be exhibiting human characteristics. Androids, however, were at least originally created by humans, so it would at least make some sense for them to exhibit these traits.