Zenless Zone Zero is an upcoming action RPG from HoYoverse, and multiple playable characters have already been confirmed and named for the game.
Zenless Zone Zero is an upcoming action RPG from HoYoverse, the developers behind the massively popular Genshin Impact. From what’s been shown of ZZZ so far, it looks like the game will have a lot in common with Genshin Impact – and this includes a roster of playable characters which will likely be introduced over the course of regular updates. The Zenless Zone Zero trailer showed off a lot of characters, but many of these were left unnamed for now. Thankfully, HoYoverse has since confirmed the names and additional information on a number of new characters in Zenless Zone Zero that will join a player’s team for exploration of Hollows.
Players will control a character called a Proxy, a sort of stand-in protagonist that has the power to explore Hollows. These Hollows have caused a great calamity all over the world and are rifts between dimensions that will likely be where the teased roguelike elements of Zenless Zone Zero come into play. Much like the Traveler in Genshin Impact, ZZZ‘s Proxy will seemingly serve as the chosen (and likely silent) protagonist of the game.
Of course, Hollows are also full of enemies – called Ethereals – and this will be where many of the playable characters get to shine. Proxies form their own squads and join characters inside of Hollows, all of which seems to serve as the core gameplay loop. The trailer also teased multiple factions in Zenless Zone Zero, and it looks as if each character will belong to one faction or another.
Right now, many of the characters shown off in the trailer for Zenless Zone Zero are still unnamed. This includes characters from a faction that appears to be called Globe Industries (the name is partially obscured in the trailer) – a man with spikey black and red hair, a woman with an eyepath and red hair, and an anthropomorphic bear with what appears to be a rocket launcher. Later, a woman weilding a katana and wearing a kimono or robe is shown alongside a demonic-looking character with blue skin whose face is obscured by a mask.
There’s another faction that appears to be called Victoria Housekeeping, which includes two characters that have been teased so far – a woman dressed like a maid who has green hair and a tall, wolf-like man with part of his face covered. With the Zenless Zone Zero beta test happening soon, it’s likely some of these characters will get their names either officially revealed or leaked online. The trailer for Zenless Zone Zero that shows off these characters can be viewed below:
Despite the majority of the characters in the trailer being unnamed right now, HoYoverse has also confirmed the names of several characters on the official Zenless Zone Zero Twitter account. The voice actors for these characters have also been revealed, alongside additional information about the factions they belong to. Given how HoYoverse handles character reveals for Genshin Impact, it’s likely that more announcements for playable characters in ZZZ will trickle out in the coming weeks.
The first Zenless Zone Zero character to be named is Anby Demara, a member of the Odd-Job Agency known as the Cunning Hares – or Gentle House. She loves movies but “lacks common sense,” but is known to excel in combat. However, her past is a mystery (perhaps something players will learn along the way) and she was accidentally taken in by another ZZZ character – Nicole Demara – explaining how Anby Demara joined the Cunning Hares in the first place.
Thus far, there’s not a whole lot of other information out there regarding Anby Demara. However, her Chinese voice actor was confirmed to be Atsumi Tanezaki, although an English VA hasn’t been revealed yet. Since she was revealed first, it’s likely Anby will be a free starter playable character in Zenless Zone Zero, if Genshin Impact‘s playable characters history is anything to go by.
Nicole Demara is featured a lot in the Zenless Zone Zero trailer, and it looks like she’ll play a major role in the game’s story. In addition to taking in Anby Demara (and presumably giving her the same last name), Nicole is the founder of the Cunning Hares. She uses her faction to take on missions inside Hollows. She also knows the streets of New Eridu “like the back of her hand,” which should make her a vital ally. She has a love for money and is known for her cunning – but her attitude has gotten the Cunning Hares blacklisted by a number of clients. Her Chinese voice actor is Yu Serizawa.
The latest character confirmed for Zenless Zone Zero is Billy Kid. He’s also from the Odd-Jobs Agency of the Cunning Hares, which may indicate the faction will serve as a place to acquire the free starter characters for players – like the Knights of Favonius in Genshin Impact. Billy Kid, also referred to as Billy the Kid, is a cyborg – so he’s part robot, part human. He’s been described as carefree, handsome, and casual – and he’s also a major fan of the in-game TV show, Starlight Knight. Apparently, he quotes the show often. Billy carries two custom-made high-caliber revolvers that he refers to as “the girls,” and his Chinese voice actor is confirmed to be Yuu Hayashi.
So far, these are the playable characters who have been given official names and additional details. However, it’s highly likely that HoYoverse will reveal more characters as the game gets closer to launch. While it’s possible not every character shown off in the trailer will become playable, the F2P nature of Zenless Zone Zero hints that most – if not all – characters should join the playable roster eventually, similar to how some Genshin Impact characters start off as NPCs before being playable in future updates – like Genshin Impact 2.7’s Yelan appearing in-game before getting a Banner.
Austin King is a Game Features Editor at Screen Rant. He’s the author of several books and hosts the Dragon Quest FM and JRPGs & Me podcasts. You can find him on Twitter @DragonQuaustin.
