Nei (Phantasy Star)

Nei
Phantasy Star character
Nei in Phantasy Star II
First game	Phantasy Star II (1989)
Designed by	Toru Yoshida
In-universe information
Species	Numan

Nei (Japanese: ネイ) is a character in the 1989 video game Phantasy Star II. She is a companion to the protagonist Rolf, who joins him early in the game. She was created through the combination of DNA from humans and creatures called "bio-monsters," and she is linked with another of her kind called Neifirst. She was designed by Toru Yoshida, who gave her feline features early in development before scrapping them. She also served as the basis for the character Rika in Phantasy Star IV. She also stars in a text adventure based on Phantasy Star II.

She has received generally positive reception, particularly due to the impact of her death in Phantasy Star II. It was regarded as a particularly shocking death due to her significance to the plot, with critics finding it unprecedented that such an important character be killed off at the time. The circumstances of Nei's life have also contributed to the impact behind her death. Her death has been compared to the death of Aerith Gainsborough in Final Fantasy VII, with some critics believing that Nei's death was more impactful.