Summary
If there’s one thingevery fan of HoYoverse can agree on, it’s that the character designs are always impeccable. Their attention to detail and respect for various real-life cultures is incredible, as players of games likeGenshin Impact,Honkai: Star Rail,Honkai Impact 3rd, and evenTears of Themiscan attest to. With their latest offering,Zenless Zone Zero, it’s clear that HoYoverse intends to keep its winning streak going.
What setsZenless Zone Zeroapart from other games by HoYoverse is its introduction of beast people — referred to as Thirens — as playable characters. As an urban fantasy game, many of its character designs evoke the 2000s aesthetic, like hip-hop culture and street fashion.
13Corin Wickes
Apologetic Chainsaw-Wielding Maid Who Rocks The Gothic Lolita Esthetic
As a member of Victoria Housekeeping Co., an agency that employs maids and butlers,Corin’smaid outfit is standard, but unlike the typical French maid outfit that’s commonplace in anime, manga, and video games, Corin’s outfit comes decorated with chains, zippers, bolts, and leather belts galore.
Corin’s description might make her sound terrifying, given thatshe also wields a chainsaw, yet she’s anything but. She’s very apologetic, especially when attacking enemies, and she is one of the most beloved employees of Victoria Housekeeping Co., even if her anxiety makes her think otherwise.
12Billy Kid
Self-Assured, Twin Revolver-Wielding Android
With his spiky hair, red leather jacket, giant wallet chain, and a revolver in each hand,Billy Kid’sdesign screams ‘action movie hero’. In reality, he is one of the sillier characters in the game. He refers to his guns as ‘The Girls’ and is a huge fan of the TV show “Starlight Knight,” and aspires to be like the show’s heroes.
Another stand-out feature of Billy’s design is his extremely expressive face. Despite being a robot, Billy’s mask-face, for all intents and purposes, works just like regular human skin, and he can show a wide spectrum of emotions despite his robotic features.
11Ben Bigger
Huge Bear Thiren Who Carries Around A Pile Driver
Beniseasily the largest character in the game so far, as he is a huge anthropomorphic bear. His design is the embodiment of cool, with a large gold chain, a scar where his left eye used to be, and a large pile driver which he wields as a weapon. The most striking aspect of his design is how it clashes with his personality and job.
Ben is Head of Finance at Belobog Heavy Industries, and is a huge math nerd. He’s also one of the most gentle and sensitive characters in the game, which neatly contrasts with his large and intimidating appearance.
10Anton Ivanov
Hot-Blooded Project Manager With Spiky Hair And A Jackhammer
Antondoesn’t just look like a stereotypical shonen anime hero; he has a hot-blooded personality to go along with it. His impressively spiky hair with red streaks, headband, and fingerless gloves call to mind iconic shonen protagonists like Kamina fromTengen Toppa Gurren Lagannand Naruto Uzumaki fromNaruto.
His personality fits his appearance too, as he is incredibly passionate about his work, and he considershis arm-mounted jackhammer weapon his ‘bro’. Just like any good shonen protagonist, Anton is always willing to help a friend in need, and never backs down from a fight.
9Zhu Yuan
As the squad leader of the Public Security Criminal Investigation team,Zhu Yuan’soutfit is both practical and stylish. From her high ponytail to her suspenders and protective guards, Zhu Yuan’s design hints that she’s a no-nonsense, by-the-book cop. Her gear-shaped headband is also of note, since it fits neatly within the urban fantasy world ofZenless Zone Zero.
Personality-wise, she behaves as one would expect based on her appearance. She’s a very diligent officer, and works a little too hard sometimes. She takes her job as a police officer very seriously and has no problem reprimanding people for not following the law.
8Nicole Demara
Money-Obsessed, Fashion-Loving Leader Of The Cunning Hares
Nicolewas extremely popular within the HoYoverse community even beforeZenless Zone Zerowas released, and it’s not hard to see why. She clearly cares about her looks, as evidenced by her design. Her style, which includes a short top, shorts, and combat boots, is an homage to 2000s street fashion, while her pink hair tied in pigtails emphasizes her girly, energetic personality.
Nicole may seem like a fashion and money-obsessed ditz at first glance, but as the name of her agency would suggest, she’s actually quite cunning. Despite that, she has extremely poor money management skills and has brought the Cunning Hares members near bankruptcy at times.
7Nekomiya Mana
Adorable Two-Tailed Cybernetic Cat Girl
Nekomiya Mana, a.k.a Nekomata, is based on, as her name would suggest, the Nekomata youkai from Japanese folklore. However, unlikeKirara fromGenshin Impact, she has cybernetic features. She has two prosthetic tails, paw-shaped armored boots, large cat ears, and a triangle-shaped barcode marking on her forehead.
Nekomata knows how to play up her cuteness to get what she wants. She liberally peppers her speech with meows, is energetic and mischievous, and has a deep love of fish. She also attacks her enemies like a cat would, which fully completes her persona.
6Lucy
Biker Girl Who Fights With A Baseball Bat
As a member of the biker gang Sons of Calydon, Luciana Auxesis Theodoro de Montefio, orLucyfor short, has the get-up to match her threatening aura. With a helmet with a spike on it, a leather jacket, the ace of spades all over, and a spiked baseball bat with a brass knuckle attached to it, Lucy comes across as someone nobody should mess with.
Lucy looks and acts like a typical ‘bad girl’, being a heavy drinker and leading her boar minions with an iron fist. Given that she’s also a member of a gang of outlaw bikers, it should be obvious that Lucy’s not the most scrupulous character inZenless Zone Zero’s roster.
5Von Lycaon
Butler Wolf Thiren Who Packs An Icy Kick
Victoria Housekeeping Co. doesn’t just hire pretty ladies in French maid outfits.Lycaonis not just the only male member of the agency, but the only wolf man as well;and he dresses to kill. He wears a muzzle on his face and leather straps on his tail in addition to his butler uniform. His gloves just add to the ‘cool’ factor.
Of note are his robotic legs, which he makes heavy use of in combat. Like Ben, Lycaon may have a fierce appearance, but he is actually very affable and gentlemanly, exactly what one would expect from a suave butler.
4Qingyi
Quirky Android Police Officer
Qingyiacts as a foilto her partner Zhu Yuan, both in personality and design. While Zhu Yuan looks and acts like what people would expect from the squad leader of New Eridu Public Security, Qingyi wears a far more revealing outfit, with pigtails emphasizing her youthfulness. However, don’t be fooled by her looks; Qingyi is just as competent as her protocol-loving partner.
There are a few indicators in her design that indicate Qingyi is an android, including the markings on her thighs. Despite being one of the tinier characters in the cast, Qingyi is extremely strong and is able to pull off impressive maneuvers with her staff.
