The Gosanke in Zenless Zone Zero

"Gosanke (ごさんけ)" is a Japanese term originally refers to the Tokugawa Gosanke, "the Three Houses of the Tokugawa", or "the Noble Three Houses": Owari, Kii and Mito. Nowadays, it is often used to describe the "big three" in a certain area, such as the Gosanke of video game console: Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft; the Gosanke of American universities: Havard, Yale, and Princeton. The term is also widely used in ACG games, refering to the 3 free characters that are available for players from the very beginning, starting from the famous Pokemon series. In HoYoverse games, the tradition of having a Gosanke is also retained. In Honkai Impact 3rd, it is Kiana Kaslana (K-423), Raiden Mei, and Bronya Zaychik; in Genshin Impact, it is Kaeya, Amber, and Lisa; in Honkai: Star Rail, it is the Trailblazer (Stelle/Caelus), Dan Heng, and March 7th; and in the upcoming game Zenless Zone Zero, it is Anby, Nicole and Billy. For this article, we will reveal the story of these characters individually.

Anby Demara

When a female character has short hair, wields a blade, and doesn't rely on sexual appeal, it often indicates she is formidable. Today, we'll study such a character: Anby Demara.

Her name, Demara, might have been adopted from Nicole Demara, suggesting she doesn't want to discuss her past. To uncover her origins, we analyze key traits: short hair, blade user, physical prowess, adopted, spinning leap attack, and equipment resembling ODM gear and utility knives. These clues point to her possible prototype...

Her attire lacks distinctive features, possibly due to my limited knowledge. If you notice anything, please comment. Official info says Anby has no past, not because of amnesia, but she chooses not to speak about it, hinting at painful memories. Can we uncover her past indirectly? Yes.

We must mention another character: Soldier 11. Initially, I couldn't distinguish them due to their similar hair color, outfits, styles, and equipment systems, making me think Soldier 11 was Anby's second form. Why design two characters so alike? Perhaps they're twins?

If so, Soldier 11's background can hint at Anby's past. Due to the Promotional Video, Soldier 11 is part of the OBOLS Squad, the defense force, suggesting Anby, with similar gear and skills, was likely a soldier too. Anby's "efficient combat style from years of training" description supports this.

Another interesting detail: Anby is a deep movie lover but lacks the common knowledge that "images are fake." Why? Imagination time!

Anby and Soldier 11 were trained as soldiers from a young age, possibly using VR/AR headset equipment. This training meant reacting physically to displayed images, making the concept of "images are fake" foreign to them.

What made Anby reluctant to discuss her past? The context below is speculative fiction, if it resembles reality, it's coincidental and I'm awesome. I guess Anby's childhood was unhappy. Unlike Soldier 11, who sees herself as an emotionless weapon, Anby is more innocent. During a mission, faced with enemy attacks, Soldier 11 chose to complete the mission over protecting Anby, abandoning her. This severely impacted Anby, who relied on her sister emotionally. Later, Nicole rescued and cared for the injured Anby, creating a new emotional bond, explaining why Anby has a "chick attachment" to Nicole.

Nicole Demara

he name Nicole means "victor" in Greek and often refers to a beautiful, slender young girl. In the world of Zenless Zone Zero, filled with movie references, the first person that comes to mind is my favorite actress Nicole Kidman. And you know what, there really is a bit of resemblance between them. The surname Demara has an even more interesting origin. In 1960, a movie titled The Great Impostor was releases in the United States, about a young man who, without even graduating high school, managed to become a beloved battlefield doctor, a respected university professor, and even a warden admired by inmates... all by forging identities. What's more astonishing is that this movie was based on a true story, and the protagonist's real name was Ferdinand Waldo Demara. This man committed numerous frauds, not primarily for money, but for fame and respect. He was a bold vagabond and an idealistic wanderer, earning him the title of the greatest impostor in human history. This is why, in the official introduction of Zenless Zone Zero, Nicole Demara is known in the industry for her unruliness and cunning.

(Spoiler Alert)

However, in the first chapter of the storyline, she does not betray the protagonist to gain a chance to escape...

Billy: "If you report a Proxy they'll... "

Billy: "Boss?"

Nicole: "Enough chatter... "

Nicole: "Let's go."

Uh... Because if she betrayed the protagonist, it would be the end of the story, which I understand. But once you consider Demara's original character design, this decision feels quite reasonable. Speaking of which, her white collared shirt, black jacket, and belt elements... could this outfit have been inspired by an old friend of us?

Billy The Kid

On the surface, he is a carefree, somewhat edgy robot. In reality, his character is based on a ruthless Western legend.

His name, Billy The Kid, directly references his namesake: the legendary figure of the American Wild West, Billy the Kid, who was born Henry McCarty, became an orphan at 14 and started killing at 17, allegedly killing a total of 21 people. His bounty set records at the time, leading many to seek his head, but his quick and accurate shooting skills deterred most. Ultimately, this lefendary figure was killed at the age of 20 by a sheriff named Pat, with a shot to the heart. The number of movies made about him is second only to those about President Lincoln, highlighting the legendary nature of his story. The character Billy The Kid, from his name to the sheriff's badge on his chest, to the iconic revolver and its spur decorations, pays homage to this Western legend. The pattern over his heart might also be a tribute.

Billy The Kid's appearance is inspired by the protagonist Vash from the anime Trigun and Dante from Devil May Cry. His hairstyle, red jacket, large rivet elements, and gun designs are all from Trigun. Meanwhile, his white hair, dual pistols, and flashy shooting techniques come from Dante. Although many characters use this pure black face design, the more you look at it, the more it resembles Rubick from Dota 2.

In the game, Billy's favorite tokusatu show is Starlight Knight, which is derived from the real-life Kamen Rider. However, the appearance in the Starlight Knight is a combination of the Power Rangers and Kamen Rider Gaim. There's also a design flaw in this character: those familiar with revolvers know that spent cartridges need to be manually ejected by opening the cylinder, but in the game, there's an action where the cartridges are ejected automatically. Although it's not a big deal, it still feels a bit odd.