Look. The actual in-game value of Zenless Zone Zero Characters is something that will ever-change. After launch, many new characters will come in and that’ll be a whole mess to keep track of. There’s no point putting out a tier list that’s actually functional when there’s no guarantee a character won’t be nerfed into dirt before the game’s release.
But there’s one thing that won’t suddenly have a new meta come in and ruin them, and that’s waifus. As is, there are already a handful of excellent Zenless Zone Zero characters in the beta, which means it’s time to rank them.
In the interest of transparency, these will be graded by their general design and theme, and how well they pull it off. AKA, it’s entirely subjective and just a silly way to spend an afternoon. With that in mind, let’s begin:
Zenless Zone Zero Characters- S Tier
Von Lycaon
The only man I’m putting on this list for reasons that are entirely arbitrary, Von Lycaon is combines the butler-type fantasy alongside the feral wild boy type. Yes, he’ll wait on you hand and foot, but he’s as well-versed in multiple forms of kicking your butt as he is types of tea. Having him actually be an anthropomorphized wolf is also another great add because I’ve had it with people on the internet thinking that kemonomimi (animal ears) count as “furries”. Here’s your furry, girls. Embrace it.
Grace Howard
Save me, mechanic girl. Grace Howard panders to a universal fantasy: An adult who knows what they’re doing. She’s still friendly and charming, but she’s an entirely different flavor of oneesan- the more active, sporty type by virtue of being part of Belobog Construction. Her design is a great combination of typical mechanic girl tropes- from the loose pony tail to the basically-a-sports-bra-and-cargo-pants. Plus, she has a gun!.
The biggest downside with her is one that many gacha games have. While its nice to have her look like your typical stylish older woman she does seem a little lean on the muscle. I wouldn’t mind it as much if it wasn’t for the fact that gacha games with full 3D models are so averse to making anyone buff that it feels less like technical limitation and more like design cowardice.
Zenless Zone Zero Characters- A Tier
These are the Zenless Zone Zero characters who, in general, have amazing designs. While not perfect 10/10s like the S-tiers, these characters who will still likely get a bunch of fanart because of their design alone.
Rina
Victorian Housekeeping overall has some of the best designs of any faction, and I do think Rina sits up there as one of the best. With the abundance of more French-style maids running around with their short skirts, the Victorian style maid, I believe, is shooting up in value. Having a gentle onee-san type character with a below-the ankle dress is like listening to an Arctic Monkeys album. You kind of know what you’re getting into, and that’s great- because that’s what you wanted in the first place.
The main flaw with this is just that she seems to have a secondary Jiangshi theme going on with her wrists that doesn’t feel fully explored. Plus, while her Bangboo summons are great for her actual gameplay mechanic, they do detract from the rest of her design.
Ella
On the opposite end of Lycaon is Ella- While Lycaon works because he screams “good at his job” Ella looks like she absolutely resents it. Tsundere maids are popular for a reason, and that reason is the same one that makes us like things like pro wrestling- conflict is fun, and seeing a shark girl with a massive scythe squeeze into a maid dress is inherently funny.
Nicole
The thing about anime-style characters is that there’s a few design elements that signify certain character traits. Moles, for example, are usually for sexy characters as a little wink and a nod for the fanartists who will be pouring over their turnarounds.
Nicole is a very logically designed character whose personality shows through those cues- she’s supposed to be sexy and she easily has the loudest outfit in the game, she’s got the half-twintails so you know she’s kind of a pain in the ass and she’s got a twisted ojou-sama laugh.
Zenless Zone Zero Characters- B Tier
A lot of my complaints for the B-Tier Zenless Zone Zero characters are the same, so I’ll put them here. Overall the designs don’t really have anything that stand out to me- Anby and Soldier 11 are conceptually cool, but ultimately it’s hard to tell what the designers were going for (the oversized jacket collar on 11, for example, does little to enhance her serious personality).
- Anby
- Soldier 11
Zenless Zone Zero Characters- C Tier
These are the Zenless Zone Zero characters who I basically don’t care all that much for. Sometimes it’s not even for just the design, some of these characters can disappoint with their dialogue and personality, too.
And here’s where the hatorade comes in. Look, I’m not a fan of “small girl with big weapon” trope on the best of days, and even less so when I know that it’ll put me on Kendrick Lamarr’s firing range. It doesn’t help that most of these characters have the same loud, fire cracker personalities that it’s easy to have them get on your nerves whenever they’re on your screen, or worse- when they appear while you pull.
- Soukaku
- Koleda
- Corin
- Nekomiya
