Zenless Zone Zero Astra Yao: Do you know Macross F?

Every miHoYo game has its own singer that belongs to the player, and Zenless Zone Zero is no exception. With the arrival of version 1.5, Astra Yao, the star of New Eridu, has been released! The character we're going to be looking at today is Astra Yao, the Queen of New Eridu.

1. The Meaning of Astra Yao's Name

Astra Yao's Chinese name is "耀(Yao)嘉(Jia)音(Yin)", and the word "嘉(Jia)" in the name has a strong flavor of the Greater Bay Area, combined with the Cantonese songs in the PV and the retro-future design concepts that Zenless Zone Zero has been implementing. It's not hard to see that one of the inspirations for its persona came from the early days of Hong Kong female singers. The 80s and 90s were the golden age of Hong Kong female singers, when countless famous singers and great songs emerged.

Unlike the Chinese name, which has the meaning of wishing her good luck in singing, the English name emphasizes the word "Astra". This is not only in line with her status as a big star, but also alludes to the fact that her singing voice can bring hope and light to the people under the hollow disaster. It also refers to the star-like light she shines when she goes into combat.

2. Astra Yao's Brand New Faction

If there's one word that describes Astra Yao's clothing, it's "glittery," and Astra Yao's official persona is that she loves shiny things, whether it's decorations or makeup. This includes her faction's logo.

The name of her faction is "Stars of Lyra" and the Logo is an image of a diamond encrusted lariat. Interestingly, in reality, one of the brightest stars in the constellation Lyra is called "Vega". However, there are no elements associated with it in Astra Yao - are there other characters in that camp? That's just a guess on my part as well. But Astra Yao is already a superstar, so who can overshadow her?

3. Astra Yao Appearance Design

From the artworl, the hairpin in Astra Yao's hair is not just white, but has a dazzling colorful shine. The top of the hairpin is inlaid with crushed diamonds.

On her ears are large earrings that look like gold and jade craftsmanship. At the back of Astra Yao's head is a large fringed back-pressing hairpiece, also crafted in gold and jade.

The jewelry around her neck was even more exaggerated, with a large gold and jade pendant hanging from a huge pearl necklace. The pendant was interesting, in addition to having her name on it, it also had the icon of a player button, with the red dot in the center looking like a recording button. The white part looks like a jade material, but it can actually be seen as a CD disk. The whole thing looks like Astra Yao is wearing a small CD player around her neck.

Interestingly, Astra Yao's hair and hair accessories give off a purple glow when carrying the exclusive W-Engine. When viewed from the front, you can see a whole starry sky hidden in her hair. I believe this W-Engine enhances the appearance "multiplier zone" by more than 50%.

Let's perspective down, Astra Yao in a fishbone dress. This is a modern evolution of the corset from 16th century Europe. I think it's interesting that this dress has the richness of the corset that was once worn, but also the sexiness of lingerie. All of these characteristics fit Astra Yao, and the choice of this dress was perfect for Astra Yao.

And, of course, there is no shortage of metal and pearl embellishments. There are also two discs adorning the sides of the skirt. Probably symbolizing records or CDs as well.

Last but not least, we have to mention Astra Yao's leg rings, which are made of pearls and are the perfect finishing touch to the unadorned lower half of the body.

4. Weapon Design

Let's take another look at the Astra Yao's weapon. The prototype of the weapon is a reference to the round carbon-based microphone that was often seen in the early days.

The body of the microphone is emblazoned with the word "Melody", and in the center is a huge diamond, which is not a picture, but a crystal that changes light depending on your viewpoint. Interestingly, there's also a CD player on top of the weapon that plays music during battle.

Although the weapon is a microphone, the weapon as a whole is modeled after a staff both in appearance and in the way the character attacks.

In addition to these details, Astra Yao is more or less a reflection of the character "Sheryl Nome" from the anime "Macross F." This includes, but is not limited to, her purple hair during performances, her similarly styled performance dress, and her belief in inspiring people with her songs.

But most of all, Astra Yao's Japanese CV is Ms. Endō Aya, who voiced Sheryl Nome. With that in mind, it's easy to connect the two characters and understand the title of Astra Yao's queen.

These are all the details about Astra Yao, do you like her more? For this big star of New Eridu, there will be more official activities and peripheral merchandises, so let's stay tuned!