The ''
Edens Zero
''Edens Zero'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese science fantasy manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It has been serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' since June 2018, with its chapters collected into twenty ...
''
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series features an extensive cast of characters created by
Hiro Mashima
is a Japanese manga artist. He gained success with his first serial ''Rave Master'', published in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from 1999 to 2005. His best-selling work, ''Fairy Tail'', published in the same magazine from 2006 to 2017, ...
. The story is set in a
fictional universe
A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes may ...
called the , which comprises multiple
planetary system
A planetary system is a set of gravitationally
In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interacti ...
s called "cosmoses" that the protagonists navigate using the titular spaceship. The characters consist mainly of humans, robots, and aliens, the majority of which inhabit the "Sakura Cosmos".
Described as a "space fantasy" series by Mashima,
''Edens Zero'' depicts several characters that use a magic-like technique called to harness their bodies' Ether – a magical power source – like the machines of their universe. Other characters include , which are users of an
online video platform
An online video platform (OVP), provided by a video hosting service, enables users to upload, convert, store and play back video content on the Internet, often via a structured, large-scale system that may generate revenue. Users will generally u ...
based on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
,
and
cyborg
A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline. s, alternatively called in the series. Multiple iterations of the same characters from
alternate histories
Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, alter ...
also feature prominently throughout the story, particularly those created by , space monsters that consume the time of planets, and others who inhabit numbered
parallel universes across the
multiverse
The multiverse is a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The di ...
.
Critics and readers have compared the characters' designs and attributes to those from Mashima's earlier series ''
Fairy Tail
''Fairy Tail'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from August 2006 to July 2017, with the individual chapters collected and published into 63 '' ...
'', some of which they noted were intentionally derivative.
Creation and conception
When developing ''Edens Zero'', author
Hiro Mashima
is a Japanese manga artist. He gained success with his first serial ''Rave Master'', published in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from 1999 to 2005. His best-selling work, ''Fairy Tail'', published in the same magazine from 2006 to 2017, ...
wrote several characters' storylines to tie closely to the foundation of the story, which Mashima stated would "almost never change mid-series", amidst those he introduced and changed during the story's progression; he described his storytelling method as falling "somewhere in between" his previous works ''
Rave Master
''Rave Master'', titled just ''Rave'' and, alternatively, ''The Groove Adventure Rave'' in Japan, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. The series follows Haru Glory, a teenager on a quest to find the five frag ...
'', whose stories and characters he had largely worked out by the series' midway point, and ''
Fairy Tail
''Fairy Tail'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from August 2006 to July 2017, with the individual chapters collected and published into 63 '' ...
'', where the only predetermined aspect was the backstory of protagonist
Natsu Dragneel
is a fictional character and protagonist of the ''Fairy Tail'' manga series created by Hiro Mashima. First making his debut in ''Fairy Tail'' chapter #1, originally published in Japan's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' on August 2, 2006, Natsu is d ...
. Mashima's writing approach led him to include new characters to the main cast who were not originally planned to be, while several planned characters such as
Homura and the
Four Shining Stars were introduced earlier than intended, resulting in a majority of female characters joining the main cast over male characters.
A number of characters are modeled after characters from ''Rave Master'' and ''Fairy Tail'', including
Happy
Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia.
Sinc ...
,
Elsie Crimson (
Erza Scarlet
The ''Fairy Tail'' manga and anime series features an extensive cast of characters created by Hiro Mashima. The series takes place primarily in the Kingdom of Fiore, a country in the fictional universe Earth-land, where several of its resident ...
), and
Justice
Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
(
Sieg Hart and
Jellal Fernandes).
Plue, another recurring character in Mashima's manga who featured prominently in ''Rave Master'', makes a minor appearance as well.
The manga also includes fictionalized versions of
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
rs whom Mashima has met.
When discussing the series' villains, Mashima stated that his personal theme for ''Edens Zero'' was to make them "the absolute worst kind of trash possible" so that readers could look forward to their downfalls, while also giving them their own convictions that would lead them to battle the protagonists. He was influenced to do so after receiving comments from those who sympathized with villains that he intended to be "real
iecesof garbage" in his previous works.
For the manga's second half, which advances the story by three years, Mashima deliberately gave minor visual changes to most of the characters' designs apart from Shiki, whom he wanted to "stand out"; he added that, with the exception of
Hermit
A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions.
Description
In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...
and
Jinn
Jinn ( ar, , ') – also Romanization of Arabic, romanized as djinn or Anglicization, anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources)
– are Invisibility, invisible creatures in early Arabian mytho ...
's redesigns, there "wasn't really any thought" put into these changes.
''Edens Zero'' crew
The primary characters of the series are the crew of the – ''Edens'' being an acronym for "Ether Drive Eternal Navigation System" – an interstellar warship left by
Ziggy
Ziggy is a masculine given name, often a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Zigmunt and other names. It is also a nickname. Notable people with the name include:
Nickname or hypocorism
* Ezekiel Ansah (born 1989), National Football League play ...
as inheritance to his adoptive grandson,
Shiki. The crew's goal is to navigate the universe in search of
Mother
]
A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...
, both to prove her existence and have their wishes granted by her.
In the story's second half, the ''Edens Zero'' is revealed to have come from 20,000 years in the future of Universe 3173, a parallel universe where androids suffer an Ether shortage due to Mother's disappearance and humankind's ensuing extinction. To prevent this, the ship was built on the planet Eden for Ziggy to travel to Universe Zero, a temporal convergence point that influences all other universes in the
multiverse
The multiverse is a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The di ...
, using the power of to travel through time. The crew uses Etherion to reach Universe Zero for the final
story arc
A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vide ...
, only remembering events from past worlds in response to personal triggers after living altered, often idyllic lives, while also retaining their experiences in the new world.
Shiki Granbell
:
is the sole human denizen of Granbell, a robot-inhabited theme park planet. Shiki uses the Ether Gear to freely manipulate
gravity
In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...
for himself and others, a power learned from his surrogate grandfather, Ziggy, who found him on a voyage for Mother beyond the Sakura Cosmos. He is characterized by his obsession with making friends, as well as a paralyzing fear of bugs. After Granbell's dying robot community chases him away with Rebecca to save him from solitude on their planet, Shiki searches for Mother to fulfill his goal of making 100 new friends across the universe. In the process, he receives the ''Edens Zero'' from
Elsie Crimson and inherits Ziggy's title of "Demon King" as the ship's captain. During the series' second half, he gains a more serious and mature personality over a three-year period of fighting a resurrected, evil Ziggy in Universe 3, where Shiki is branded as one of the
Oración Seis Galáctica for his growing power and vigilantism.
Continuing his theme of naming protagonists after seasons, Mashima chose the Japanese word meaning for the main character of ''Edens Zero'' to represent the culmination of his previous works. Mashima wrote that he often forgets to draw details of the character such as the patch on his cheek, and that he alternated between design attributes during development, such as giving him white hair instead of the final black, and whether or not Shiki would wear
goggles
Goggles, or safety glasses, are forms of protective eyewear that usually enclose or protect the area surrounding the eye in order to prevent particulates, water or chemicals from striking the eyes. They are used in chemistry laboratories and ...
. Other concept drawings depict Shiki wearing a bracelet that transforms into a
gauntlet as an early concept for his Ether Gear.
The character's transition into a young man was planned early in development, although Mashima hesitated to incorporate the change due to concerns of negative reactions from "fans of the boyishly cute Shiki"; he left traces of his old design to alleviate this, describing the change as "shifting him from cute to cool".
Rebecca Bluegarden
:
is a and
Shooting Starlight member from the planet Blue Garden, where she lives after being separated from her parents,
Connor and
Rachel
Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her aun ...
, during her childhood. She aspires to attain one million subscribers for her account, , which suffers from low viewership due to poor-quality content. She is an expert markswoman who acquired her skills from playing
first-person shooter
First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
s. After stimulating her Ether through repeated baths in the ''Edens Zero''s
spa
A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...
, Rebecca develops her own Ether Gear called , which enhances her jumping power and agility, and allows her to rewind time and mentally "leap" into parallel universes at different points in time. This power becomes the source of Etherion, which is extracted from a version of her who is killed and sent 20,000 years into the future by a
spacetime
In physics, spacetime is a mathematical model that combines the three dimensions of space and one dimension of time into a single four-dimensional manifold. Spacetime diagrams can be used to visualize relativistic effects, such as why differen ...
distortion on the planet Nero 66. Mashima developed the heroine character of ''Edens Zero'' before giving her a name, developing a variety of hairstyles and outfits before settling on the final design.
The name "Rebecca" is taken from the Japanese band of the
same name, drawing inspiration from their song "
Friends
''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...
" to compliment Shiki's friend-obsessed personality.
Happy
:
is Rebecca's best friend and partner, based on the character of the same name from ''
Fairy Tail
''Fairy Tail'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from August 2006 to July 2017, with the individual chapters collected and published into 63 '' ...
''. He is a feline alien from the planet Excede who was fatally injured in a traffic accident during Rebecca's childhood, leading their benefactor,
Professor Weisz, to transfer Happy's mind into an identical
android
Android may refer to:
Science and technology
* Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human
* Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system
** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...
body to help him survive. Happy can transform into a pair of firearms called , which fire non-lethal Ether bullets. He loses his mechanical abilities in Universe Zero, where he never experiences his accident and remains flesh and blood.
Weisz Steiner
:
is a man from the planet Norma who practices the Ether Gear , which allows him to instantly remodel machines to improve their performance, deconstruct them, and create weapons. As a result of Weisz fleeing Norma before a chronophage rewinds fifty years of its history, there are two alternate versions of him that co-exist as separate people: his adolescent self, an amoral but good-natured criminal who joins the crew after betraying his gang's leader, ; and his elderly, present-day self, who has since matured into an esteemed
robotics
Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist humans. Robotics integrat ...
professor. During the crew's travels, the young Weisz assumes a
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
identity named , using a
powered exoskeleton
A powered exoskeleton, also known as power armor, powered armor, powered suit, cybernetic suit, cybernetic armor, exosuit, hardsuit, exoframe or augmented mobility, is a mobile machine that is wearable over all or part of the human body, provi ...
that he customizes with his Machina Maker. Mashima described Weisz as "one of the good guys, but still a scumbag", which he noted is an uncommon character type among his works. He also said that Weisz's role in the story was "pretty clearly laid out", which made it "fairly easy to get
imto do what I want".
E.M. Pino
:
is a miniature "anti-bot" android who generates an
electromagnetic pulse
An electromagnetic pulse (EMP), also a transient electromagnetic disturbance (TED), is a brief burst of electromagnetic energy. Depending upon the source, the origin of an EMP can be natural or artificial, and can occur as an electromagnetic fie ...
(EMP) that disables machinery and Ether Gear within range for short periods of time. Pino was built by Ziggy to become the , the "next generation" of androids to the Four Shining Stars, but had her memory erased by
Sibir when she arrived on Norma for maintenance from the present-day Weisz. She joins Shiki after assigning him as her new master, later desiring to be reborn as a human through Mother. During the crew's battle with Ziggy on Lendard, he restores some of Pino's memory while struggling against the ''
Edens One''s control, which allows her to fulfill her purpose of freeing him through her ability to Overdrive. Her full memory is left intact in Universe Zero, revealing that her intended role is to destroy the ''One''.
Mashima created Pino to serve as the
mascot
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...
character of the series, but during development of the manga, he found it increasingly difficult to include her within the first chapter, where he incorporated Happy to stand in for her. As with Weisz, Mashima said that he found it "fairly easy" to write for Pino due to her established role in the story. He later called Pino his favorite character in the series, adding that he worked out "a lot" of story details for her, and that she would "probably" become an important character. Her name comes from Mashima's attempt to make the term "EMP" sound "cute".
Homura Kôgetsu
:
is a young swordswoman from Oedo, a planet styled after
Edo period
The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...
Japan. She is trained by
Valkyrie Yuna to use the Ether Gear , which creates swords and bladed weapons made of solid Ether. Homura has the habit of voicing her inner thoughts by mistake, stemming from Valkyrie's encouragement for Homura to overcome her quiet nature as a child. She first joins the crew to search for Valkyrie, who had gone missing for five years, and whom she regards as a mother figure after being abandoned ten years earlier by her uncaring biological mother,
Kurenai. After discovering Valkyrie's death on Sun Jewel, Homura takes her place in the Four Shining Stars as "Valkyrie Homura". In Universe Zero's renewed history, she leads a miserable life in debt to
Drakken Joe after witnessing Valkyrie's decapitation over Homura's accidental injuring of
Seiji Hôjô, the son of Oedo's
shogun
, officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...
, but recovers upon learning of Valkyrie's survival and reconciling with the now loving Kurenai. Mashima chose the character's name, which means , to give an impression of the color red and fire.
Four Shining Stars
The are a group of female androids created by Ziggy to serve aboard the ''Edens Zero''. Its members possess functions and powers that improve the ship's travel capacity, with all four required to authorize the use of Etherion. Each android also possesses a that enhances her combat skills. One of the androids,
Valkyrie
In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ("chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become (Old Norse "single (or once) fighters"Orchard (1997:36) ...
, is replaced by the human Homura after being discovered dead on the planet Sun Jewel.
Witch Regret
:
is the , a masked
sorceress who protects and manages the ''Edens Zero'', being the only Shining Star to remain aboard the ship upon its delivery to Shiki. She manipulates her own Ether in a fashion similar to
magic
Magic or Magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
* Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic
* Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
, using to generate
force fields
Force field may refer to:
Science
* Force field (chemistry), a set of parameter and equations for use in molecular mechanics simulations
* Force field (physics), a vector field indicating the forces exerted by one object on another
* Force field ( ...
, and to perform elemental attacks such as ice, air, and lightning. She is portrayed as kind and gentle, but becoming ruthless towards those who threaten her crewmates. She is killed during the Aoi War, with Universe 2's version of her perishing with the rest of the crew against
Shura
Shura ( ar, شُورَىٰ, translit=shūrā, lit=consultation) can for example take the form of a council or a referendum. The Quran encourages Muslims to decide their affairs in consultation with each other.
Shura is mentioned as a praisewort ...
's
antimatter
In modern physics, antimatter is defined as matter composed of the antiparticles (or "partners") of the corresponding particles in "ordinary" matter. Antimatter occurs in natural processes like cosmic ray collisions and some types of radioac ...
bombs, while Universe 3's version sacrifices herself to shield the ''Edens Zero'' from the explosion. Her death is eventually undone when the crew travels to Universe Zero's past, although she does not regain her memories of previous worlds due to her absence from the ship during Etherion's activation.
Sister Ivry
:
is a
dominatrix
A dominatrix (; ) or femdom is a woman who takes the dominant role in BDSM activities. A dominatrix can be of any sexual orientation, but this does not necessarily limit the genders of her submissive partners. Dominatrices are known for inflic ...
nun
A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...
who serves as the ship's medic, the . She uses a healing ability called , which allows her to instantly treat wounds, cure afflictions, and repair "living" machines such as herself and other androids. She is described as "scary" and "foul-mouthed", and uses the masculine pronoun ''
ore
Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit.Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ore". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 7 April 2 ...
'' in Japanese. Sister is seemingly introduced as the leader of , a
mercenary
A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...
squad on the planet Guilst, but is later revealed to have been impersonated for ten years by their leader, who held her hostage to monopolize her healing powers. In Universe Zero, her imposter's absence on Guilst leads to the real Sister forming Rogue Out as a
vigilante
Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without Right, legal authority.
A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a pers ...
corps that opposes
Drakken Joe. When talking about Sister's full name, Mashima said that it had no particular meaning, choosing it because he "liked the sound of it".
Hermit Mio
:
is a highly intelligent
programmer
A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs — often for larger computer software.
A programmer is someone who writes/creates ...
android with the appearance and behavior of a young ''
tsundere
is a Japanese term for a character development process that depicts a character with a personality who is initially very harsh before gradually showing a warmer, friendlier side over time.
The word is derived from the terms ('to turn away in d ...
'' girl. As the , she manages the ship's
computer security
Computer security, cybersecurity (cyber security), or information technology security (IT security) is the protection of computer systems and networks from attack by malicious actors that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, the ...
by using the
hacking ability , which allows her reprogram networked technology to her liking. When first introduced, Hermit suffers from mental trauma due to being cruelly exploited and experimented upon fifteen years earlier by the human
Müller Müller may refer to:
* ''Die schöne Müllerin'' (1823) (sometimes referred to as ''Müllerlieder''; ''Müllerin'' is a female miller) is a song cycle with words by Wilhelm Müller and music by Franz Schubert
* Doctor Müller, fictional character ...
and his research team, leading her to isolate her mind within the virtual planet Digitalis. She initially rejects Shiki's friendship out of hatred for humans, but overcomes her mistrust after the crew's kindness rekindles her desire for human friends. In Universe Zero, she avoids her traumatic experience altogether due to Müller's absence, and is found spending time playing on Digitalis.
Mashima originally named the character in her profile, but changed it after realizing he had already used the name for another character in the manga. He derived the name "Mio" from the Japanese word , which is used in ''
waka
Waka may refer to:
Culture and language
* Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand
** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe
** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe
** Waka taua, a Māori w ...
'' as a pun on the phrase , something that Mashima felt reflected her personality. When redesigning the character for the three-year time skip, Mashima changed Hermit's hairstyle due to her resemblance to
Hatsune Miku
, also called Miku Hatsune, and officially code-named CV01, is a Vocaloid software voicebank developed by Crypton Future Media and its official moe anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mascot character, a 16-year-old girl with long, turquoise bu ...
, which he stated was not intentional.
Valkyrie Yuna
:
is the , the manager of the ''Edens Zero''s armaments. She is also Homura's childhood guardian and "Soul Blade" mentor. Valkyrie is first mentioned as having been missing for five years, leading Homura to join the ''Edens Zero'' crew in search of her. On Sun Jewel, Valkyrie is revealed to have been dead for three years after perishing against a horde of monsters unleashed by
Kurenai, Homura's mother, whom Valkyrie freed from slavery in a misguided effort to reunite Homura with her biological family. In Homura's revised childhood in Universe Zero, Valkyrie is decapitated for her student's injuring of
Seiji Hôjô, but survives because of her android nature. She waits on Sun Jewel together with Kurenai for Homura, who aimlessly searches for her mother after mistaking Valkyrie for dead, allowing Valkyrie to reunite with her student and crewmates. Mashima chose the character's full name because he wanted her to be "a darker-skinned character with a classically Japanese name".
Mosco Versa-0
:
is a white-colored
sumo
is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...
android who works aboard the ''Edens Zero'' as its caretaker and
Sister
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...
's verbally abused servant. He specializes in ''
tsuppari
The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
...
'' techniques, which also allow him to achieve flight. He also has a button with an unknown function on his belly that Sister forbids anyone from pressing. Debuting as a member of Rogue Out who is reprogrammed to follow Sister's imposter, Mosco resumes his original duties after the real Sister restores him. He returns to being a Rogue Out member in Universe Zero's revised history, this time under the real Sister as a
vigilante
Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without Right, legal authority.
A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a pers ...
with dozens of identical robotic copies. Mashima did not originally plan to include Mosco in the ''Edens Zero'' crew, making the decision after he "took a liking" to the character while drawing him. The author based Mosco's name on the character's predetermined catchphrase, , which comes from the sumo term ''dosukoi''.
Connor
:
is a spaceship captain from the Aoi Cosmos. He appears as a pompous and eccentric middle-aged man with expert piloting skills, using unorthodox methods to push ships beyond their usual capabilities. As the story transitions through different universes, the crew meets alternate versions of Connor that only
Rebecca
Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...
remembers: the original Connor from Universe 1 is the ''
Edens One''s shipwrecked captain whom the ''Zero'' crew rescues en route to Sun Jewel; in Universe 2, he is a reluctant servant of Ziggy who is hired as the ''One''s pilot; and in Universe 3, he is an escaped worker from Ziggy's robot factory on Lendard who has no knowledge of the ''One''. He is eventually confirmed to be Rebecca's father, whose wife,
Rachel
Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her aun ...
, left him with their newborn daughter to protect him from being killed by her church for their forbidden marriage, with Universe 3's Connor joining the ''Zero'' crew and reuniting with his family after discovering his relationship with Rebecca.
The character's design underwent multiple changes during development, all depicting him as thinner and more attractive than the finished version as an overweight old man, with different hairstyles varying from a receding hairline to "silky smooth" hair. After storyboarding Connor's debut appearance, Mashima received input from his editor that Connor's feats were "not very interesting" for a "good-looking" character to perform. According to Mashima, the final design received complaints from his female staff over the change.
Jinn
:
, truly named , is an
ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...
who first appears as part of the
mercenary
A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...
squad Rogue Out, and later as a minion of
Drakken Joe. He uses the Ether Gear to perform
ninjutsu
, sometimes used interchangeably with the modern term , is the martial art strategy and tactics of unconventional warfare, guerrilla warfare and espionage purportedly practised by the ninja. ''Ninjutsu'' was a separate discipline in some tradit ...
techniques that produce winds with
typhoon
A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
-like force. During his childhood, Jinn is made into a cyborg by
Müller Müller may refer to:
* ''Die schöne Müllerin'' (1823) (sometimes referred to as ''Müllerlieder''; ''Müllerin'' is a female miller) is a song cycle with words by Wilhelm Müller and music by Franz Schubert
* Doctor Müller, fictional character ...
, who orphaned and dismembered him in front of his younger sister, Kleene, as revenge against their parents for withdrawing their financial support. Jinn seeks
Sister
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...
out to cure Kleene's trauma from the incident, which allows Rogue Out's leader to deceive him by impersonating Sister until he kills the imposter upon her exposure. He boards the ''Edens Zero'' after gaining the real Sister's cooperation, remaining distant from the crew until Sister successfully treats Kleene. In Universe Zero's altered history, Jinn willingly becomes an as part of his home planet's culture, but is forced into Drakken's service with Kleene after coming to Guilst by mistake while studying abroad. The
code name
A code name, call sign or cryptonym is a code word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project, or person. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may also be used in industrial c ...
"Jinn" is taken from the wind spirit of the
same name. Mashima gave the character "a lot more hair" to make him easier to draw during the series' second half, citing difficulties of drawing him consistently in the first half.
Kleene Rutherford
:
is Jinn's younger sister, introduced as , the
Element 4's representative of
wind
Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few hou ...
. Her Ether Gear creates air currents that are capable of stealing objects, redirecting projectiles, and trapping people in wind cages. She suffers from mental breakdowns whenever she experiences any emotion, caused by a
repressed memory
Repressed memory is an inability to recall autobiographical information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature. The concept originated in psychoanalytic theory where repression is defined as a protective mechanism that excludes memory of ...
of
Müller Müller may refer to:
* ''Die schöne Müllerin'' (1823) (sometimes referred to as ''Müllerlieder''; ''Müllerin'' is a female miller) is a song cycle with words by Wilhelm Müller and music by Franz Schubert
* Doctor Müller, fictional character ...
forcing her to watch Jinn's dismemberment during their childhood, which requires her to wear emotion-suppressing devices on her head that also indicate her mood. She joins the crew with Jinn after Sister cures her condition by erasing her traumatic memories. She avoids her traumatic experience in Universe Zero due to Müller's absence from her family's lives, although she becomes Drakken's minion anyway along with Jinn after coming to Guilst by mistake.
Laguna Husert
:
is a
cross-dressing
Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes usually worn by a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and self-express oneself.
Cross-dressing has play ...
man who uses the water-manipulation Ether Gear , which he combines with Empire Ether to transform others into water whenever they cry. Originally a stage actor, he suffers from an inability to cry naturally due to his over-commitment to his roles, which has led to his retirement. He first appears as the Element 4's representative of
water
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...
under
Drakken Joe, but is inducted into the ''Edens Zero'' crew by
Witch
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...
after proving himself to be among Drakken's more humane minions. He is later revealed to be an estranged member of the anti-imperial rebel army , which he initially joined to avenge his best friend's death in a raid conducted by
Poseidon Nero's empire, but deserted out of a pursuit of greater power. In Universe Zero, Laguna is instead Oasis's leader.
Couchpo
:
is a famous personality and
gourmand
A gourmand is a person who takes great pleasure and interest in consuming good food and drink. ''Gourmand'' originally referred to a person who was "a glutton for food and drink", a person who eats and drinks excessively; this usage is now rare. ...
who produces food videos and reviews for her account, ; her real name is . First meeting Rebecca when they and several other are abducted by Rogue Out, Couchpo joins the crew during another encounter on the planet Foresta after being enamored with the ship's kitchen, and provides critiques that help bolster Rebecca's popularity.
Antagonists
''Edens One'' / Void
The warship is a more advanced successor to the ''Edens Zero'', which serves as its prototype. It is captained by
Connor in Universes 1 and 2, parallel universes to where Rebecca travels. Originally destroyed in Universe 1 prior to the ''Zero'' crew's voyage to Sun Jewel, the undamaged ship is placed under
Ziggy
Ziggy is a masculine given name, often a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Zigmunt and other names. It is also a nickname. Notable people with the name include:
Nickname or hypocorism
* Ezekiel Ansah (born 1989), National Football League play ...
's command in subsequent universes, with the ship's crew becoming the primary antagonistic group faced by the ''Zero'' crew. Following Ziggy's destruction, the ''One'' is revealed to be
artificially intelligent
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animal cognition, animals and human intelligence, humans. Example tasks in ...
and the true main antagonist of the series, having controlled Ziggy to carry out its will to destroy Mother and humankind. In Universe Zero, the ''One'' uses
God Acnoella's android-manufacturing device to construct itself a superior body called .
The crew includes the , a group of four male androids that serve as "superior" successors to the
Four Shining Stars. ,
Witch
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...
's counterpart, is a
magician
Magician or The Magician may refer to:
Performers
* A practitioner of magic (supernatural)
* A practitioner of magic (illusion)
* Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context
Entertainment
Books
* ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...
who performs magic-like Ether attacks; ,
Sister
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...
's counterpart, is an effeminate clown who afflicts others with traumatic nightmares; ,
Valkyrie
In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ("chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become (Old Norse "single (or once) fighters"Orchard (1997:36) ...
's counterpart, is a warrior with nearly indestructible armor; and ,
Hermit
A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions.
Description
In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...
's counterpart, is an assassin and programmer who creates holographic dimensions. The crew also employs the human
mad scientist
The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as " mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly amb ...
, who rebuilds himself as an following torturous experiments on
Kris
The kris, or ''keris'' in the Indonesian language, is an asymmetrical dagger with distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). Of Javanese origin, the kris is famous for its disti ...
and
Kleene Rutherfood during their childhood.
When speaking about the development of the ''Edens One'', Mashima stated that he settled on the details surrounding the ship "to a degree" upon its first mention in the story, adding that the remaining details would be implemented later during the storyboarding process.
Drakken Joe
:
, whom Mashima named after the video game ''
Drakkhen
''Drakkhen'' is an early-3D computer graphics, 3D role-playing video game, initially developed for the Amiga and Atari ST, and subsequently ported to several other platforms, including MS-DOS and Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was a very ...
'', is a
loan shark
A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high interest rates, has strict terms of collection upon failure, and generally operates outside the law.
Description
Because loan sharks operate mostly illegally, they cannot reasonably ...
who controls the Sakura Cosmos's
criminal underworld
Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...
. He is nicknamed the for his Ether Gear, , which transmutes anything into different materials and forms of matter. His base of operations, the , is a space fortress containing a city sector of the planet Guilst, a peaceful planet that he is notorious for turning into a haven for all illegal activity. Raised as a test subject with a fifteen-year
life expectancy
Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average time an organism is expected to live, based on the year of its birth, current age, and other demographic factors like sex. The most commonly used measure is life expectancy at birth ...
, Drakken sustains his youth for over 200 years with a life-support machine that steals countless people's life force, but also deteriorates his physical health. He targets the ''Edens Zero'' to extract
Rebecca
Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...
's Ether Gear for himself, viewing her
mental time travel
In psychology, mental time travel is the capacity to mentally reconstruct personal events from the past (episodic memory) as well as to imagine possible scenarios in the future (episodic foresight / episodic future thinking). The term was coine ...
ability as a more efficient means of immortality. Following an encounter with Drakken that results in Shiki's death, Rebecca escapes to a parallel universe where the crew is able to reverse his life-support system, aging him into a feeble old man. In Universe Zero's altered history, Drakken sustains himself on the life energy of animals instead of people, forming a stronger moral code as a result.
Due to his unnaturally advanced age, Drakken maintains his Ether's balance with the , a
special forces
Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
team whose members each use Ether Gear with power over one of the
classical element
Classical elements typically refer to earth, water, air, fire, and (later) aether which were proposed to explain the nature and complexity of all matter in terms of simpler substances. Ancient cultures in Greece, Tibet, and India had simil ...
s.
Laguna
Laguna (Italian and Spanish for lagoon) may refer to:
People
* Abe Laguna (born 1992), American DJ known as Ookay
* Andrés Laguna (1499–1559), Spanish physician, pharmacologist, and botanist
* Ana Laguna (born 1955), Spanish-Swedish ballet d ...
and
Sylph
A sylph (also called sylphid) is an air spirit stemming from the 16th-century works of Paracelsus, who describes sylphs as (invisible) beings of the air, his elementals of air. A significant number of subsequent literary and occult works have be ...
begin as members of the team, representing
water
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...
and
wind
Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few hou ...
, respectively; in Universe Zero, Laguna's position is filled by
Poseidon Nero. Its other members are , a long-range sniper who represents
fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...
, and , an alien and torture addict who represents
earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
.
Madame Kurenai
:
is the moniker of ,
Homura's mother from Oedo. She first appears as the tyrannical ruler of the mining planet Sun Jewel who uses , a laser satellite, to execute criminals or teleport them to the labor district as slave workers. Prior to rising to power, she was enslaved for amassing debt at the
casino
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
s before being freed by
Valkyrie Yuna, from whom Kurenai hid her selfish and greedy nature, allowing her to marry and assassinate the planet's previous ruler. Kurenai is rejected by Homura after being deposed in the laborers' uprising, leaving her to be captured by a vengeful man whom she previously disfigured. She dies after a year in captivity, with
Ziggy
Ziggy is a masculine given name, often a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Zigmunt and other names. It is also a nickname. Notable people with the name include:
Nickname or hypocorism
* Ezekiel Ansah (born 1989), National Football League play ...
using her preserved body's Ether to locate
Mother
]
A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...
, but is restored in Universe Zero as a heroic version of herself who leads a defense force that protects Sun Jewel. Mashima named the character after the Japanese word for in response to Homura's name, meaning "flame", as he associated both names with fire and the color red; he admitted that he did not remember the inspiration for adding to her title.
Poseidon Nero
:
is a
cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda (Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head ...
-like alien who possesses the , a set of
dice
Dice (singular die or dice) are small, throwable objects with marked sides that can rest in multiple positions. They are used for generating random values, commonly as part of tabletop games, including dice games, board games, role-playing g ...
Relics that foretell favorable outcomes at a personal cost. He also uses the Ether Gear to create portals that instantly transport himself and others to different locations in the universe. Nero first appears as emperor of the Aoi Cosmos, who sacrificed his friends, family, and species to build his
galactic empire
Galactic empires are a common trope used in science fantasy and science fiction, particularly in works known as 'space operas'. Many authors have either used a galaxy-spanning empire as background or written about the growth and/or decline of s ...
. His former friend
Ziggy
Ziggy is a masculine given name, often a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Zigmunt and other names. It is also a nickname. Notable people with the name include:
Nickname or hypocorism
* Ezekiel Ansah (born 1989), National Football League play ...
kills him after destroying his dice and absorbing his Ether Gear. Nero is later restored in Universe Zero, where he appears instead as
Drakken Joe's business partner and the Element 4's representative of
water
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...
after abdicating to
Shura
Shura ( ar, شُورَىٰ, translit=shūrā, lit=consultation) can for example take the form of a council or a referendum. The Quran encourages Muslims to decide their affairs in consultation with each other.
Shura is mentioned as a praisewort ...
, his adoptive son.
Poseidon Shura
:
is
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
's adoptive human son and heir, and a rival gravity Ether Gear user to
Shiki who was briefly tutored by
Ziggy
Ziggy is a masculine given name, often a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Zigmunt and other names. It is also a nickname. Notable people with the name include:
Nickname or hypocorism
* Ezekiel Ansah (born 1989), National Football League play ...
as a child. First appearing as a brutal and insane prince with a loveless childhood, he wages war against Ziggy in a conspiracy to eliminate him, Nero, and the Aoi Cosmos's robot population with the , a network on the planet Nero 66 that influences all machinery in Aoi when the planets are submerged in the cosmic ocean's
high tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables can ...
. He is killed on Nero 66 when Ziggy destroys the planet with Nero's supply of 20,000 anti-matter bombs in a failed attempt to create the
time loop
The time loop or temporal loop is a plot device in fiction whereby characters re-experience a span of time which is repeated, sometimes more than once, with some hope of breaking out of the cycle of repetition. The term "time loop" is sometimes us ...
that would transform Shiki into Ziggy. In Universe Zero's revised history, Shura is restored as a compassionate figure who succeeds Nero as emperor and reestablishes the empire as a
republic
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
.
Shura commands the Empire's strongest
special forces
Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
team, the , whose four younger members are users of Empire Ether. These four consist of ,
Jinn
Jinn ( ar, , ') – also Romanization of Arabic, romanized as djinn or Anglicization, anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources)
– are Invisibility, invisible creatures in early Arabian mytho ...
's childhood rival who controls mist and disintegrates his opponents; , a card player who alters the values of
playing card
A playing card is a piece of specially prepared card stock, heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic that is marked with distinguishing motifs. Often the front (face) and back of each card has a fi ...
s; , who creates electric signals to perform
hypnosis
Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychologica ...
; and , who travels between mirrors and controls others' reflections. Additionally,
Shura
Shura ( ar, شُورَىٰ, translit=shūrā, lit=consultation) can for example take the form of a council or a referendum. The Quran encourages Muslims to decide their affairs in consultation with each other.
Shura is mentioned as a praisewort ...
is served by his
secretary
A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...
, a former Oasis member who creates
red strings
The Red Strings, also known as the Heroes of America, were a group active primarily in the Southern United States during the American Civil War. They favored peace, an end to the Confederacy, and a restoration of the Union. They began early in th ...
that influence others' love and hatred for each other. The designs and powers of the four younger Oceans and Ijuna were included as the five winning entries of an official "original Ether Gear" contest held on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
between September 26 and October 31, 2020.
Supporting characters
Ziggy
:
is
Shiki's adoptive grandfather, an android who portrays the at the Granbell Kingdom
theme park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
. Introduced as a good and kind figure who broke down from old age ten years before the series' beginning, Ziggy discovered Shiki on a failed voyage for
Mother
]
A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...
aboard the ''Edens Zero'', raising him to use his own gravity abilities. When Shiki revisits Granbell in the present day, Ziggy reactivates with a malevolent personality that desires Shiki's death and the dominance of machines over humans, serving as an antagonist in the series. During his and Shiki's final battle on Lendard, Ziggy reveals himself to be a mechanized version of Shiki from Universe 3173, where he was sent 20,000 years into the future by a
spacetime
In physics, spacetime is a mathematical model that combines the three dimensions of space and one dimension of time into a single four-dimensional manifold. Spacetime diagrams can be used to visualize relativistic effects, such as why differen ...
distortion on Nero 66 before using Etherion to travel to the past, gaining
amnesia
Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use ...
in the process. Furthermore, his evil behavior is revealed to be a result of the ''
Edens One''s artificial intelligence taking control of him. After
Pino
Pino or Piño may refer to:
People
* Danny Pino (born 1974), American actor
* Domenico Pino (1760–1826), Italian general of the Napoleonic Wars
* Fernando Solanas (born 1936), aka "Pino" Solanas, Argentine filmmaker
* Frank J. Pino (1909–200 ...
restores Ziggy's original personality, Shiki destroys him at Ziggy's own request to prevent the ''One'' from controlling him again. Ziggy remains permanently dead in Universe Zero, where the ''One'' creates Void to serve as its body in Ziggy's place.
Mashima named the character after the song "
Ziggy Stardust" by singer
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
, which the author listened to frequently during the manga's production; the name "Ziggy" was originally given to Shiki in the story's earliest draft. Mashima noted that several readers were able to predict the character's backstory before it was revealed, although he stated that there would be "at least one" element to surprise readers due to the backstory's "complex" nature.
Mother
:
is the creator of the universe, worshiped by space explorers as the goddess of the cosmos. She is depicted as a gargantuan woman described as being larger than any planet, and is capable of granting any wish to those who find her, causing them to be "born again". Because she exists in the hazardous outer regions of space, she is regarded as a mythical figure within the Sakura Cosmos. Shiki makes it his objective in the series to prove her existence when he is disbelieved for his familiarity with her, later reaffirming his goal as fulfilling Ziggy's dream of finding her.
Elsie Crimson
:
is an armored warrior who uses the Ether Gear to absorb planetary Ether and convert it into battle gear or energy attacks. Introduced as a benevolent
space pirate
Space pirates are a type of stock character from science fiction. A take on the traditional seafaring pirates of history or the fictional air pirates of the 19th century, space pirates travel through outer space. Where traditional pirates target ...
captain who is notorious for conquering the "seven cosmic seas", Elsie delivers the ''Edens Zero'' to Shiki to repay a debt to
Ziggy
Ziggy is a masculine given name, often a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Zigmunt and other names. It is also a nickname. Notable people with the name include:
Nickname or hypocorism
* Ezekiel Ansah (born 1989), National Football League play ...
, her childhood benefactor. She is later revealed to be the planet Lendard's crown princess, born as , who unintentionally caused a
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
while opposing her corrupt parents during her childhood, orphaning herself and her arranged fiancé,
James Holloway. After dying with James on Lendard when the planet is consumed by a chronophage, Elsie is reborn in Universe Zero as Lendard's queen and the Interstellar Union Army's director of operations in the Kaede Cosmos. The character is modeled after ''
Fairy Tail
''Fairy Tail'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from August 2006 to July 2017, with the individual chapters collected and published into 63 '' ...
'' character
Erza Scarlet
The ''Fairy Tail'' manga and anime series features an extensive cast of characters created by Hiro Mashima. The series takes place primarily in the Kingdom of Fiore, a country in the fictional universe Earth-land, where several of its resident ...
, with her name being a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words[sea
The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...](_blank)
" to reflect her role as a pirate. Mashima commented on her and Justice's relationship, which he described as "a very star-crossed destiny".
Labilia Christy
:
, whose name is derived from the word "lovely", is a
Shooting Starlight member and highly popular in the Sakura Cosmos. Depicted as a former friend to Rebecca, whose videos inspired Labilia to become a content creator as a means of coping with a
terminal illness
Terminal illness or end-stage disease is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is expected to result in the death of the patient. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as cancer, dementia or advanced he ...
, she bullies Rebecca and produces videos mocking her content out of disdain for her lack of talent. In Universe 3, three years after her channel loses its popularity, she reconciles with Rebecca and is taken aboard the ''Edens Zero'' to be treated for her illness.
Xiaomei
:
is the series'
metafiction
Metafiction is a form of fiction which emphasises its own narrative structure in a way that continually reminds the audience that they are reading or viewing a fictional work. Metafiction is self-conscious about language, literary form, and story ...
al
narrator
Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the a ...
, who breaks the
fourth wall
The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...
to provide context and meta-commentary to the story. She appears within the story itself as a resident of the
rogue planet
A rogue planet (also termed a free-floating planet (FFP), interstellar, nomad, orphan, starless, unbound or wandering planet) is an interstellar object of planetary-mass, therefore smaller than fusors (stars and brown dwarfs) and without a h ...
Mildian called the , a "fortune-teller" with powers of
omniscience
Omniscience () is the capacity to know everything. In Hinduism, Sikhism and the Abrahamic religions, this is an God#General conceptions, attribute of God. In Jainism, omniscience is an attribute that any individual can eventually attain. In B ...
granted to her by Mother, whose location is the only thing outside of Xiaomei's knowledge. To avoid boring herself with complete knowledge of the future, she limits her power so that she cannot know the outcome of any battles beyond multiple possibilities, satisfying her obsession for watching combat by putting her visitors through battles as compensation for her knowledge. Mashima noted that he had to be careful adding Xiaomei into the main storyline due to her conceived role as an omniscient narrator, but found that because she "knows everything in the entire world", he was able to include her "without too much trouble". He added that she had unrevealed backstory and character traits that "may gradually come to light in the future".
Justice
:
is the
code name
A code name, call sign or cryptonym is a code word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project, or person. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may also be used in industrial c ...
of , a prince and
Elsie Crimson's childhood fiancé from the planet Lendard. Like Elsie, he uses the Ether Gear "Star Drain" to absorb and manipulate the Ether of planets. He debuts as an
Interstellar Union Army officer who vengefully pursues Elsie for inciting the war that destroyed their home nation and families, and antagonizes the ''Edens Zero'' crew for their association with her. However, he loses his hatred for Elsie after realizing her regret for her actions, and allows himself to be erased from existence with her on Lendard when a chronophage rewinds the planet's time. He and his engagement to Elsie are restored in Universe Zero, where the war never takes place. Mashima modeled Justice after the ''
Rave Master
''Rave Master'', titled just ''Rave'' and, alternatively, ''The Groove Adventure Rave'' in Japan, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. The series follows Haru Glory, a teenager on a quest to find the five frag ...
'' character
Sieg Hart, following a "tradition" of using such characters that includes
Jellal Fernandes from ''
Fairy Tail
''Fairy Tail'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from August 2006 to July 2017, with the individual chapters collected and published into 63 '' ...
'',
reflected by the character's blue hair color and markings around his right eye when his Ether Gear is active. The character's code name was selected to reflect his sense of justice.
Xenolith
:
is
Ziggy
Ziggy is a masculine given name, often a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Zigmunt and other names. It is also a nickname. Notable people with the name include:
Nickname or hypocorism
* Ezekiel Ansah (born 1989), National Football League play ...
's mentor and the founder of the , a set of techniques performed by gravity users in the series. His prowess allows him to control gravity in conceptual senses, such as lightening pain and causing others' thoughts to "fall" into him. Previously a human member of the , a historic group stated to have guarded the Sakura Cosmos during the universe's Dark Ages, Xenolith has since transferred his mind into a robotic body to survive one thousand years after his death. In Universe Zero, he has his powers and identity stolen by
Müller Müller may refer to:
* ''Die schöne Müllerin'' (1823) (sometimes referred to as ''Müllerlieder''; ''Müllerin'' is a female miller) is a song cycle with words by Wilhelm Müller and music by Franz Schubert
* Doctor Müller, fictional character ...
, who frames him for destroying the planet Foresta and has him branded as one of the
Oración Seis Galáctica, forcing Xenolith to inhabit the body of a small helper robot belonging to , a human girl who becomes Xenolith's ward in other universes. Mashima decided on Xenolith's background some time prior to the character's introduction, something the author noted was a rare occurrence in his series.
Saintfire Nox
is an alias used by the Church of Saintfire's
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
, who has the ability to control time. At the beginning of the series, the name belongs to
Rebecca Bluegarden's mother and
Connor's ex-wife, , whom Ziggy captures among numerous human mothers in Universe 3 to extract their Ether and locate
Mother
]
A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...
. Rachel reunites with Rebecca and Connor after being rescued by the ''Edens Zero'' crew, explaining that she left her family to prevent her church's fanatics from killing them due to her forbidden relationship with her husband, having exhausted her ability to reverse time after thousands of attempts to avoid their deaths. In Universe Zero, Rachel also serves the
Interstellar Union Army's director of operations in the Yukino Cosmos.
Groups and organizations
Oración Seis Galáctica
The Oración Seis Galáctica (Spanish for "Galactic Prayer Six"), known in Japanese as , are a group of six powerful outlaws who are described as being capable of "crushing" planets.
Elsie Crimson,
Drakken Joe,
Poseidon Nero, and
#Saintfire Nox, Saintfire Nox are introduced as members, while
Shiki and
Ziggy
Ziggy is a masculine given name, often a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Zigmunt and other names. It is also a nickname. Notable people with the name include:
Nickname or hypocorism
* Ezekiel Ansah (born 1989), National Football League play ...
being branded as members over the course of the story. Its other members are , a 420-foot-tall, mass-murdering android and alter ego of
Cure
A cure is a substance or procedure that ends a medical condition, such as a medication, a surgical operation, a change in lifestyle or even a philosophical mindset that helps end a person's sufferings; or the state of being healed, or cured. The ...
, and , an android woman and Elsie's formerly human mother who commands cybernetic
dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
s. In Universe Zero, the Galáctica are a faction of androids commanded by
Void
Void may refer to:
Science, engineering, and technology
* Void (astronomy), the spaces between galaxy filaments that contain no galaxies
* Void (composites), a pore that remains unoccupied in a composite material
* Void, synonym for vacuum, a s ...
, consisting of Cure, Acnoella, , , , and a fake
Xenolith
A xenolith ("foreign rock") is a rock fragment (country rock) that becomes enveloped in a larger rock during the latter's development and solidification. In geology, the term ''xenolith'' is almost exclusively used to describe inclusions in igne ...
built by
Müller Müller may refer to:
* ''Die schöne Müllerin'' (1823) (sometimes referred to as ''Müllerlieder''; ''Müllerin'' is a female miller) is a song cycle with words by Wilhelm Müller and music by Franz Schubert
* Doctor Müller, fictional character ...
.
Shooting Starlight
is an adventurers' guild on the planet Blue Garden where members receive passports to different planets. , the director of the Galactic Intelligence Agency's Sakura Cosmos branch, works undercover as the guild's master, using Ether Gear to observe people's positions across space and time. With the exception of receptionist , most of the guild's members are depicted as being unfriendly towards each other.
Rebecca
Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...
,
Happy
Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia.
Sinc ...
, and
Labilia begin as guild members, with
Shiki joining early in the story.
Interstellar Union Army
The is the cosmic government's military and peacekeeping force. The army's six elite officers form an organization called the Oración Seis Interstellar – simply called the in Japanese – to combat the
Oración Seis Galáctica. Another army faction is an
intelligence service
An intelligence agency is a government agency responsible for the collection, analysis, and exploitation of information in support of law enforcement, national security, military, public safety, and foreign policy objectives.
Means of informatio ...
called the , with
Noah Glenfield acting as director of its Sakura Cosmos branch.
Besides
Justice
Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
, the initial Oración Seis Interstellar are , a
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
with a humanoid jaguar transformation; , who can melt and dissolve anything; , who erases things from existence; , who shares Noah's powers of observation; and , a treacherous android with regenerative powers. In Universe Zero, Justice and Cure are replaced by , who can transform into a giant, and , a shapeshifting G.I.A. agent. Another officer is , a member of Oedo's
shogunate
, officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...
family who shrinks others and encages them.
Reception
In her review of the manga's first volume for
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
(ANN), Amy McNulty praised the trio of Shiki, Rebecca, and Happy, noting that "Rebecca, who initially comes across as vapid, reveals some depth by volume's end", and that Happy "rounds out the trio nicely, though the manga could use more of his humorous commentary throughout to add more levity."
ANN's Faye Hopper described Shiki as "more
Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
than
Luffy
, also known as , is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''One Piece'' manga series, created by Eiichiro Oda. Luffy made his debut as a young boy who acquires the properties of rubber after accidentally eating one of the devil f ...
", feeling that his unambitious goal of exploring the universe and making friends helped enrich the story, though she added that his act of groping Rebecca "really does a number on
hiki'slikability".
In contrast, ANN's Teresa Navarro found Shiki to be archetypal of other
shōnen protagonists.
Twinfinite's Carlton McGrone praised the characters' designs for being "meticulously sketched and detailed".
In a review of the first twelve episodes of the anime, John Serba from ''
Decider
Decider is both a real word and a "Bushism". It may refer to:
* ''Decider'' (website), a pop culture website operated by the ''New York Post''
*'' Bill Maher: The Decider'', a stand-up comedy special
* Decider (Turing machine), a Turing machine th ...
'' considered Shiki and Rebecca to be "very thin characters – naif and non-naif, possibly both quite airheaded – in sincere need of substantial development", and criticized the vague establishment of their goals, but determined them to be "blank slates just
ipe Ipe or IPE can refer to:
* Isopropyl ether, a chemical solvent, usually in the form of DIPE (diisopropyl ether)
* Icosapent ethyl, that is, ethyl eicosapentaenoic acid, an omega-3 lipid formulation
* ''L’Institut pour I’Expertise'' (IPE), that ...
for whatever the universe throws at them". ANN's MrAJCosplay commented on the series' villains, opining that Mashima's decision to have the series' villains represent "the worst humanity has to offer" was a "double-edged sword"; he considered the majority of villains to be "boring" for their overly simplistic motivations, but noted exceptions such as the "fun sub-villain" Spider, and commented on the setup for Drakken Joe as "
eaninginto a balance of interesting and despicable".
Several reviews for ''Edens Zero'' have commented on the characters' similar designs and personalities to those from Hiro Mashima's previous manga ''
Fairy Tail
''Fairy Tail'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from August 2006 to July 2017, with the individual chapters collected and published into 63 '' ...
'', with comparisons to
Natsu Dragneel
is a fictional character and protagonist of the ''Fairy Tail'' manga series created by Hiro Mashima. First making his debut in ''Fairy Tail'' chapter #1, originally published in Japan's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' on August 2, 2006, Natsu is d ...
and
Lucy Heartfilia
is a fictional character and protagonist of the ''Fairy Tail'' manga series created by Hiro Mashima. Lucy first makes her debut in ''Fairy Tail'' chapter #1, originally published in Japan's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' on August 2, 2006, as a ...
being drawn from Shiki and Rebecca, respectively,
while acknowledging that the similarities between characters such as Elsie Crimson and
Erza Scarlet
The ''Fairy Tail'' manga and anime series features an extensive cast of characters created by Hiro Mashima. The series takes place primarily in the Kingdom of Fiore, a country in the fictional universe Earth-land, where several of its resident ...
, as well as both series' versions of
Happy
Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia.
Sinc ...
, are intentional.
Early online commenters have also likened Shiki's design to that of a "child" of Natsu and
Gray Fullbuster
The ''Fairy Tail'' manga and anime series features an extensive cast of characters created by Hiro Mashima. The series takes place primarily in the Kingdom of Fiore, a country in the fictional universe Earth-land, where several of its residen ...
.
Multiple reviewers felt the tie-ins to ''Fairy Tail'' suggested potentially deeper connections between both series.
Rebecca Silverman from ANN considered Shiki and Rebecca to be distinct characters from Natsu and Lucy, calling the former "a lot more aware of girls", and the latter "more cautious in her relationships".
Ian Wolf from Anime UK News criticized the manga's lack of original designs compared to ''Fairy Tail'', but felt that the similarities would help readers accept the "weirder aspects of the story".
Notes
References
''Edens Zero'' manga
;Entire series
*
Mashima, Hiro. ''Edens Zero''. 21 vols. New York City:
Kodansha USA
Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC is a publishing company based in New York, USA, and a subsidiary of Japan's largest publishing company Kodansha. Established in July 2008, Kodansha USA publishes books relating to Japan, Japanese culture, and mang ...
, 2018–present.
* Mashima, Hiro. ''
dens Zero' (in Japanese). 26 vols. Tokyo:
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...
, 2018–present.
;Individual volumes
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Other sources
External links
*
{{Edens Zero
Edens Zero
''Edens Zero'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese science fantasy manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It has been serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' since June 2018, with its chapters collected into twenty ...