Zenless Zone Zero Ye Shunguang: Is She "Bai Ze" Thiren?

Ye Shunguang, as the second "Void Hunter" Agent to appear in the game, has won the affection of many with her adorable appearance and formidable strength. However, I'm sure many Proxies are quite curious: what kind of Thiren is Ye Shunguang exactly? Her large ears and tail are particularly eye-catching. Today, let me take you all through an analysis!

1. Zenless Zone Zero Definition of Thiren

Even after the implementation of Version 2.5, the discussion about what kind of Thiren Ye Shunguang is remains inconclusive. This suddenly made me want to compile all the current settings for Thiren in Zenless Zone Zerobased on official information—their types, habits, etc. After searching around, I found that the developers haven't actually provided any in-game text detailing the origins of Thiren or what criteria define someone as a Thiren. However, the Zenless Zone Zero archive does contain related information. The only detail mentioned, in a newspaper article, is that some Thiren have caffeine intolerance.

There was once a post on the Inter-Knot about Thiren fur/hair care. The content suggested that Thiren have better Ether affinity than ordinary people, so the current criteria for identifying a Thiren are controversial. The most obvious question is: are humans with animal forms or features considered Thiren, or is anyone with any slight difference from a human considered one? For example, take Soukaku. The current game PVs only clearly state that she is of the Oni race. But no in-game text calls her an Oni Thiren. Soukaku's visual design originates from the mythical Blue Oni. This leads to the question: can mythical archetypes be considered Thiren?

Answer: Yes, it is indeed possible.For example, in Version 1.0, there was an NPC in Sixth Street who was a Thiren with goat horns, dragon horns, and a thin tail, without a clear archetype.

Another controversial example is Hugo, whose design incorporates many vampire elements, yet no in-game text refers to him as a Vampire Thiren, Elf Thiren, or a Bat Thiren based on an animal archetype. However, on the other hand, he, like Soukaku, has horns and fangs, indicating clear non-human genetics, meaning he cannot be completely classified as human. Therefore, some people refer to this as a racial distinction.

However, there are counterarguments. The evidence is that Lucia refers to her own group as the Night Demon tribe, yet she herself is a Goat Thiren. After comprehensive consideration, I lean towards the superficial view that such special groups represent species diversity and are not counted as Thiren. This is similar to finding mermaid species or such NPCs in Yuzuha's quest within the Zenless Zone Zero worldview.

2. Divine Beast Thiren "Ye Shunguang"

Speculation about what kind of Thiren Ye Shunguang is has never ceased since her character reveal. Theories have included, but are not limited to, horse, ear-mouse, fox, feihuang, and even Pam. Although Version 2.5's storyline also doesn't directly state what Thiren she is, the version preview short video clearly indicates she is definitely a Thiren of a rare species. According to the legend recounted by Lu Hengzhou, Ye Shunguang represents the Baize. So, is she a Baize Thiren? There are two possibilities:

2.1 First Possibility: Appearance, Exorcism, and Auspicious Elements

Various elements of Xiao Guang's appearance, exorcism abilities, and auspicious symbolism suggest she is a Baize Thiren. The real-world research on the Baize is quite complex, with the most classic debates being whether the Baize is even in the Classic of Mountains and Seasor if the relevant records are simply lost, and where the earliest depictions of the Baize came from and what it looked like. We won't delve into these academic questions. 

Based on the two early concepts mentioned in "Baopuzi", the Baize is an auspicious divine beast that repels ghosts, "using Yang to subdue Yin, using substance to overcome evil." Moreover, "Baopuzi" is also one of the Taoist-related texts, aligning with the Yin-Yang concept of the Qingming Sword.

Rather than searching for Ye Shunguang within a vast sea of uncertain Chinese textual and pictorial records, it's better to take the clear elements of Ye Shunguang—the single horn and leg patterns after activating her Ultimate, and the themes of good/evil and Yin/Yang associated with her—and work backward. You'll find that while the mainstream "Sancai Tuhui" records the Baize as having a lion-like posture with two horns on its head, there are also legends describing an encountered Baize as having a single horn and a tail like a fox.

Searching further, you'll discover that the Baize in "Fairizest" is the most similar. Both have selectively incorporated aspects of modern art for better presentation and acceptance by mainstream aesthetics.

2.2 Second Possibility: Baize is merely a metaphorical symbol

On the other hand, if Ye Shunguang truly is a rare divine beast Baize Thiren, how do we explain her brother? Ye Shiyuan doesn't fit, even if forcefully, into any Baize legends; he seems more like the "sweating-blood steed" Thiren jokingly mentioned in the Zenless Zone Zero preview. Assuming they are not biological siblings, we must discuss another possibility: must the parents of a Thiren be the same kind of Thiren?

The currently prevalent in-game lore in recent versions suggests that a Thiren's child is of the same species. For example, both of Yidhari's parents are Octopus Thirens, though the octopus features manifest in her hair—since octopuses are cephalopods, transforming the hair near the eyes into tentacles seems quite logical. Alice's father is also a Short-Eared Rabbit Thiren similar to her.

However, interestingly, Ellen's parents are different. In an event storyline, she had Wise attend a parent-teacher conference for her, and a fairy prompt indicated that Ellen's parents are a Wolf Thiren and a Fish Thiren. While this was most likely poking fun at Lycaon frequently helping Ellen with parent-teacher meetings, leading the school to believe Wolf-bro was her father, it's interesting to wonder: didn't the teacher suspect that a Thiren who looks so much like a wolf could be Ellen's father? Perhaps Ellen's father actually is a Wolf Thiren, which is why she asked Lycaon for help.

Perhaps there really are mixed-species Thirens, which would explain why Ellen isn't an ordinary shark. Even if this example is a bit far-fetched, there's another NPC — the little Wolf Thiren girl often seen in Lumina Square. Her mother is an ordinary human, and her father is a Wolf Thiren. So, one might boldly speculate that the type of Thiren a child becomes might be random, somewhat akin to dominant and recessive traits.

Ye Shunguang's parents might be of mixed heritage—a Baize Thiren and another kind of Thiren. After all, aside from the fact that ordinary Ye Shunguang has impulses like smelling flowers and wagging her tail, even her skins are specifically designed with tail openings. Do you think that's truly unique? Actually, if you observe the Thiren NPCs on the streets of Zenless Zone Zero, you'll notice that most New Eridu residents' pants have pre-made openings for tails, which is quite a detailed touch.

3. Thirens with Prominent "Beastification" Traits

This type of Thiren typically exhibits animal characteristics more prominently than human ones in appearance, such as Zhao from Version 2.5, Lycaon from before, Ben, and various bears at construction sites, and Pulchra. They exhibit habits closer to animals. For example, in Zhao's character showcase, she does the standard rabbit sniffing, her ears perk up as a warning, and she licks her fur during idle animations; Pulchra purrs, gets teased by Lucy for being a Cat Thiren who dislikes baths, and has the trait of shedding hair.

Outside the 141 Convenience Store, you can encounter Ben struggling over whether to buy caviar—his fondness for caviar is precise down to two decimal places. Of course, Bear Thirens also have a strong liking for sweets, like honey; and Wolf Thirens or canine-type Thirens will wag their tails when happy and enjoy having their heads and chins scratched. However, one should not touch their tails.

But there's a setting for Thirens in Zenless Zone Zero: don't view them entirely through the lens of their prototype animal's habits. For instance, Zhao publicly claims to enjoy eating meat, although her character's off-sale showcase footage suggests she privately eats carrots, greens, and grass, but she likely still often eats meat to appear strong. Ben, as a bear, does not eat raw food, indicating they are still fundamentally human. Others belonging to this category include the Pekingese Dog Thiren "Cairn", the Boar Thiren "Big Daddy", and "Lucy's Three Little Pigs".

4. Thirens with Prominent "Human" Traits

This category includes Shark Thiren "Ellen", Octopus Thiren "Yidhari", Dog Thiren "Komano Manato", Goat Thiren "Lucia", Tiger Thiren "Ju Fufu", Rabbit Thiren "Alice", Cat Thiren "Nekomata", Rat Thiren "Jane Doe", and Fox Thiren "Miyabi". Seth is a special case; his Agent profile mentions that he wants to disguise himself as a harmless cat. From Seth's Mindscape images, we can see his prototype resembles a Maine Coon, but his voice lines claim he is a Lynx Thiren. However, all lynx breeds have short tails, unlike Seth's.

These characters are typically gentle and reserved, preferring to stay in their own spaces and being cautious in public to avoid disturbing others. For example, in Yidhari and Ellen's PVs, they indulge their natural instincts while hiding under blankets. Ellen likes to sleep on her stomach because her tail is too long; Yidhari prefers to wrap herself in octopus tentacles to sleep, and when fully indulging her nature by not wearing clothes, she even startled another novice officer. In public, Yidhari apologizes if her tentacles touch someone. 

Manato dislikes being compared to a puppy just because he's a Dog Thiren, valuing equality and respect in human society more, aside from some inherent habits. For instance, Nekomata stretches lazily in the morning like a cat. Rat Thiren Jane Doe habitually places her hands in front of her chest, a classic mouse pose.

They also have many differences from their prototype animals as humans. For example, Ellen needs to consume a lot of energy and loves sweets. While real sharks don't worry about cavities, Shark Thirens do, and although sharks don't typically get drowsy, Ellen feels sleepy every day. Alice is also different from reality; rabbits have poor color perception, yet she clearly knows her eyes are heterochromatic. This type of Thiren is also the most common in the world of Zenless Zone Zero.

That concludes the discussion about Thirens sparked by Ye Shunguang. If you feel there's more to add, feel free to email us with additional details. Stay tuned for more of our interesting articles. Until next time!