Zero (Drakengard)

Zero was conceived by Drakengard series creator Yoko Taro (left/top). She was voiced by Tara Platt (middle) in English, and Maaya Uchida (right/bottom) in Japanese.

Zero was conceived by Yoko Taro, the director and co-writer of Drakengard 3. While conceiving her, Yoko thought it would be interesting to do a character who had worked in a brothel, as the concept had not been often explored and the Drakengard series offered an opportunity for such a protagonist to be created.^[2] This sexual aspect of the character was generally conveyed through dialogue rather than cutscenes.^[3] One of the earlier ideas for Zero's role in the game was to have her as a schoolgirl with a cellphone in a contemporary setting, but this was quickly decided against.^[4] Eventually, Yoko decided to create more female characters for Zero to interact with: one of the reasons behind this was that all other possible choices for the game had been rejected.^[5][6] Her number-based name, along with the names of all her sisters, were meant to make it easier for players to identify and distinguish them.^[7] Yoko helped write her dialogue to complement the game's unusual situations, such as rude conversations between her and the disciples during moments of carnage.^[8] Multiple aspects of Zero's character and worldview were incorporated into the game's theme song "This Silence is Mine" by composers Keiichi Okabe and Onitsuka Chihiro.^[9] The choice of Zero's voice actress was an important part of her design, as the team wanted to both have a good performance and surprise the audience: Maaya Uchida, normally known for gentler female roles in anime and video games, was chosen for the role.^[10]

Zero was designed by Kimihiko Fujisaka, a designer who had worked on each entry in the Drakengard series. His original design was meant to emulate her status as a god-like being, and have a more elaborate and heroic appearance, but as the game's atmosphere was finalized, Fujisaka redesigned her with some unaesthetic elements, taking direct influence from the game atmosphere: this was the main reason behind adding her prosthetic arm.^[5] The original creation of the arm was a pure accident on Fujisaka's part. Her color palette was intended as a reverse of Caim, the protagonist of Drakengard. Other aspects of her design evoked the color and design for the Goddess of the Seal, a key character in the earlier Drakengard games.^[11] She went through two redesigns before Yoko was satisfied.^[7] Her final design, along with the flower in her eye, emphasized her sexuality.^[5][11] She originally had no flower in her design, but Fujisaka wanted to add an aspect of femininity to her appearance. The decision to place it in her eye was to add originality to the character: while the game's producer Takamata Shiba originally feared it was too much of a risk in conjunction with her gender, Yoko approved of the design.^[5][7] After Zero was finalized, Yoko decided on more female characters, and told Fujisaka to "think Puella Magi Madoka Magica" while designing them.^[5] Elements of her design were incorporated into the other Intoners.^[11] Her design, along with the rest of the main characters, was inspired by modern clothing styles and fashion in contrast to the "medieval" inspiration of previous games.^[12]

In Zero's prequel novella, "A Rain to End and a Flower to Begin", it is revealed that Zero was abused by her mother and sold into prostitution. Eventually escaping, she grew to live by killing and stealing, with the killing eventually becoming an unconscious instinct. Eventually, she was weakened by a deadly disease and was caught and imprisoned, dying from her illness there.^[13] Upon dying, she was revived and turned into an Intoner^{[Note 1]} by a magical flower intent on destroying mankind. Learning the flower's plans for her, Zero tried to kill herself, but the flower kept her alive, and spawned five other Intoners as a safety measure: these Intoners were Zero's "sisters". The sisters eventually took control of the land from the native warlords. Eventually, Zero decides to kill her sisters, then herself to rid the world of the flower.^{[q 1]} In the prequel manga Drag-On Dragoon 3: Utahime Five, told from the point of view of the other Intoners, it is revealed that she is directly responsible for the creation of the Disciples, used by her in an attempt to destroy the Intoners.^[14][15]

By the events of Drakengard 3, Zero had forged a partnership with the dragon Michael: as dragons are the only beings that can destroy Intoners, Michael would help Zero kill her sisters, then kill her to finish off the flower.^{[q 2]} Their first attempt to take down all the Intoners ends in disaster, with Zero losing her arm and Michael being wounded and forced to reincarnate as the child dragon Mikhail. During their second attempt, they attack each one individually: after killing one, Zero takes on their disciple,^{[Note 2]} a servant created to magnify the Intoners' powers, who each help in battle and act as a personal harem.^[16] Before facing One, Zero reverts her disciples to their original bird forms, releasing them from their servitude.^{[q 3]} During the battle, both One and Mikhail are killed, then Zero is killed by a male clone of One created as a fail-safe in the event of Zero's victory.^{[q 4]}

Around this central timeline, various "branches" appear, caused by "singularities", namely Zero, her sisters and the Disciples.^{[q 5]} During her progression through these branches, Zero is monitored by Accord, one of a race called Recorders charged with monitoring and recording history.^{[q 6]} In the second branch, while going to kill her sister Three, Zero witnesses the flower driving her sisters insane, with Three dying from poisons in the forest and One being murdered by an unhinged Two. In the ensuing battle, the disciples and Two are killed, then Mikhail is poisoned. Zero uses the flower to form a "pact" with Mikhail, resurrecting him.^{[q 7][Note 3]} In the third branch, Mikhail is regressed by the Intoners to a childlike form incapable of properly defending Zero, and Zero's disciples are killed when Two self-destructs. When Mikhail is killed by One's dragon, Zero and One do battle and One is killed. Mentally unbalanced by the event, Zero sets off to find another dragon, but it is hinted that she fails.^{[q 8]}

In the fourth branch, Zero manages to kill all of her sisters and absorb their powers, managing to take down One with help from Accord. After absorbing all their powers, she and Mikhail are transported to another world and Mikhail destroys the monster Zero transforms into. With this, the flower's magic is sealed away, although Accord speculates that Zero might have survived and would reappear in some form.^{[q 9]} In the novel Drag-On Dragoon 3 Story Side, a novel detailing the events leading directly into Drakengard,^[17] a combination of events from other branches occurs. During the final confrontation with One, Mikhail is poisoned and Zero forms a pact with Mikhail to save him. After killing One, One's clone kills Zero.^[15]