History Characters / KatanaZero

-->'''The Psychiatrist''': ''Your [[ImplausibleFencingPowers swordsmanship?]] Your [[ImprovisedWeapon combat acumen?]] No, these are the product of years of training.''
-->'''The Psychiatrist''': ''Your [[CombatClairvoyance precognition?]] Your [[BulletTime perception of time?]] [[FantasticDrug Yes, these are side effects of the drug.]] This is why'' we cannot allow others to abuse it.

* TheComicallySerious: He's a silent, stoic, cold-blooded killer. He can also say that his getup is cosplay, get into a conversation about anime, play a Yu-Gi-Oh-esque card game (complete with saying the names of cards aloud), and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick use his sword to cut up drugs and proceed to inhale them,]] all without batting an eye.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler:A diagnosed psychopath and assassin,]] he's nonetheless disgusted by V's sadism.

* FacingTheBulletsOneLiner: [[spoiler:When being interrogated by V, he can do, say. and reply to many things, them being begging, or just insulting V, one of them is him saying "Fuck you" right before V replies it back to him, and V just sends a bullet to his skull. Then there is another one where V says that he is getting late to his date, which [[TheProtagonist Zero]] can reply that he hopes that she is ugly, and V [[LameComeback Lamely Comebacks]] by saying that he should "Shut the fuck up." before he shoots him in the head.]]

* MyHeroZero: Towards the end of the game, it's revealed that [[spoiler:during the war, his NULL codename was [[YouAreNumberSix Subject Zero]], though he also goes by just [[TheProtagonist ''Zero.'']]]]

* OlderThanTheyLook: A midgame conversation implies that the Dragon is very young-looking. He's a veteran of a recent war, but that was seven years ago and he still looks quite young. [[spoiler:His dossier says he's just 22, but in a withdrawal-induced hallucination/flashback he says he's been fighting for 28 years. Considering he's a NULL (and that the ending confirms that yes, he was in active service during the war) it's probable that Chronos abuse has physically slowed his aging.]]

* ShellShockedVeteran: [[spoiler:His participation in the Cromag War messed with him.]]

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Appearing out of nowhere, ambushes V, and cuts off both his arms within a moment's notice, then claims he's the true Dragon before taking him away for interrogation.
** He gets a second one in the Chinatown level, when he briefly outlines his plan for vengeance with Headhunter.
* FlashStep: Able to move so quickly he effectively teleports, letting him dodge lasers while slicing through anything in his path as he moves.
** It's so fast even the security cameras can't catch him, indicating he can cover a good 10-20ft in less than a 24th of a second!

* [[{{ImAMonster}} I'm A Monster]]: He expresses the opinion that the [=NULLs=] -- himself included -- are monsters, and that everyone responsible for their creation should die.

* RevengeBeforeReason: Wastes a vial of Chronos to torture V to death. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero A vial that could have saved Headhunter's life (as she was slowly dying from withdrawal), and prevented her from fighting Zero.]]

* TheUnfought: Much like SNOW, he never crosses swords with the player.
* NeckLift: As the end of his playable section, to Fa Yuan.

* KickTheSonOfABitch: Tortures V to death for information, and to sustain his lust for vengeance.

* AssassinOutclassin: Invoked at the end of the game. [[spoiler:Zero can find an assassination dossier for himself in his handler/therapist's suitcase, in case he went rogue or learned too much about how Chronos is made or the purpose of his assassination missions.]]

* FacingTheBulletsOneLiner: [[spoiler:When being interrogated by V, he can do, say. and reply to many things, them being begging, or just insulting V, one of them is him saying "Fuck you" right before V replies it back to him, and V just sends a bullet to his skull. Then there is another one where V says that he is getting late to his date, which Zero can reply that he hopes that she is ugly, and V [[LameComeback Lamely Comebacks]] by saying that he should "Shut the fuck up." before he shoots him in the head.]]
* ForeseeingMyDeath: Zero's main asset. Unlike many examples of this trope, he ''can'' fight fate: his precognitive visions allow him to avoid any actions that would kill him, and he can have visons over and over until the sequence of actions that lets him survive is seen-after which he can execute it flawlessly.
* GlassCannon: ZERO is quick, nimble and can destroy any thug with one well-placed katana strike... but one misplaced bullet, punch or knife does the same to him.

** On a darker note, he also shows numerous PetTheDog moments that call into question his supposedly lax morals. While it is indeed possible to be nice to people, [[spoiler:the psychiatrist proclaims the protagonist is a medically diagnosed psychopath. During one monologue, the protagonist even outright says that killing soldiers in the Cromag War "wasn't so bad", but seems to feel remorse about executing civilians, among numerous other examples]]. While these could be just an example of EvenEvilHasStandards, it's so consistent that it genuinely calls into question [[spoiler:just how psychopathic Zero is supposed to be]].

* MyHeroZero: Towards the end of the game, it's revealed that [[spoiler:during the war, his NULL codename was [[YouAreNumberSix Subject Zero]], though he also goes by just Zero]].

* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: His withdrawal from Chronos seriously messes with his mind. [[spoiler:This comes to a head when you fight the SecretBoss, which is heavily implied to be the Dragon going critical on his withdrawal symptoms and hallucinating.]] [[spoiler:It gets even worse at the ending of the Katana HERO April Fool's bootleg, where all of the 4Kids-style anime wackiness and "poorly-translated" dialogue is heavily implied to be how Zero remembers everything that has happened up until now. During the ending, he is outright asked if he is "losing it".]]

* AlasPoorVillain: In the normal ending, Zero [[spoiler:finds him in his office, breaking down in paranoia. He screams about how he can't find his daughter. Zero then proceeds to [[BludgeonedToDeath beat him to death with his daughter's own paperweight until he's a bloody pulp.]] There's no satisfaction, and despite all he's done, it's hard not to feel sorry for him. In the psychotherapy ending, it doesn't get much better either. He catches Zero's Punch, then gets his eye stabbed, either immediately after, or after watching Zero Freak out and have a seizure.]].
* BludgeonedToDeath: One of the fates he can fall to. [[spoiler:Is that Zero will use the ''Healing Stone'' to smash his head into red paste.]]

* EldritchAbomination: [[spoiler:During the TrueFinalBoss, the war drugs he takes to fight you seems to turn him into a '''freaking ''Manga/{{Akira}}''-like abomination'''. In reality, the drugs he takes just causes Zero to hallucinate the transformation in a case of YourMindMakesItReal, as after the fight, the therapist is back in his chair, with the Dragon's sword in his face.]]

* EyeScream: [[spoiler: His [[BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind actual]] fate after being defeated as the TrueFinalBoss, courtesy of Zero's katana.]]

* TheHandler: He serves as the protagonist's, supplying him with assassination targets after each therapy session in exchange for a daily dose of Chronos. [[spoiler:It eventually becomes clear that he's a government agent who's more of a handler than a therapist, and is using Zero's amnesia to manipulate him into killing off everyone related to the NULL Project.]]

* TheShrink: Of the Harmful variety. It's subtle at first, but it becomes clear that he is not interested in [[spoiler:Zero]]'s mental well-being at all. It seems that he only cares about [[spoiler:eliminating everything and ''everyone'' that might reveal the NULL project to the public, working through Zero]]. It's unclear if he even ''is'' an actual licensed psychotherapist.

* WonderChild: She comes into the Dragon's life abruptly, and proceeds to bring out the best of him. [[spoiler:However, it's heavily implied that she herself is a hallucination embodying Zero's conscience.]]

* TheAtoner: He is the only person connected to the [[spoiler:Chronos conspiracy]] who seems to feel any regret over his actions; should Zero give him the chance, his last words are to apologize for all the pain he's caused through Zero [[spoiler:and the other NULL Soldiers]].
* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: Jumps down the balcony upon being confronted, going out on his own terms rather than the player's. If Zero has a throwable item, however, he doesn't get a chance to jump.

* DrivenToSuicide: Once again, both for feeling regret for his contribution to [[spoiler:the NULL project]], and to refuse Zero the satisfaction of killing him.

* BoundAndGagged: By the time Zero gets to him, V has him tied up and is in the process of torturing information out of him. [[StupidEvil Or attempting to, since he's gagged.]]

* AndIMustScream: He inflicts this (maybe) on Zero's neighbors for the crime of listening to music too loudly and being obnoxious. [[spoiler:Fifteen gives him a taste of his own medicine.]]

* {{Irony}}: His behavior stems from his desire for attention and approval from The Dragon, which is why he pursues Zero. [[spoiler:Zero isn't actually the Dragon, meaning that a lot of the killing sprees he was so enamored with may not have even been Zero's handiwork. He does get the attention he wanted from Fifteen, though… in the form of being tortured to death, just like V did to at least two others.]]

* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler:The last we see of him, he had his arms chopped off by Fifteen and was apparently taken away by him. SNOW states that he's dead in a mid-credits scene, and he's also shown tied to a chair in Fifteen's hideout. He does have one final appearance while Zero is tripping on Chronos, but it's completely ambiguous whether or not this is "real" or just another hallucination.]]
* LameComeback: [[spoiler:During the interrogation, V will mention his date, that can make Zero say that he "Hopes that she is ugly" which will make V instantly pull out his pistol and reply back that he should "Shut the fuck up." right before killing him on the spot.]]

* NumericalThemeNaming: More subtly than Fifteen and [[spoiler:Zero]], but "V" is also the roman numeral for five, though unlike them he was never a SuperSoldier.

* PsychopathicManchild: His attempts to get Zero's approval comes across as a teenager trying to get the positive attention of a delinquent they admire, and it is easy to upset him to the point where he essentially throws a tantrum.

* INeverToldYouMyName: This is V's reaction to Zero calling him by name.

* StupidEvil: V is very, very capable when it comes to violence. Unfortunately for whoever hired him, this is the ''only'' thing he's capable at. Both times he has someone hostage who could tell him about Chronos, he kills them before they can talk — the first time on a whim to make sure Zero doesn't extract him safely, the second time [[spoiler:in a fit of rage induced by Zero's BreakingSpeech]].

* AGodAmI: If Zero tells her he doesn't kill because he enjoys it but for Chronos, she declares Zero, herself, and the other [=NULLs=] to be gods made immortal by the time-altering drug.

* StillWearingTheOldColors: The only NULL we see who is still wearing the uniform, as opposed to Fifteen and Zero, who have switched to a suit and a kimono — which is constantly mistaken for a bathrobe — respectively. Particularly odd as she wants revenge against the government that gave her that uniform.

* NoImmortalInertia: He suffers from this after Zero releases him from cryostasis, crumbling to dust in a matter of seconds.

* TVHeadRobot: Effectively — if Zero triggers any of the ceiling-mounted cameras, Leon's face will pop up on a screen and he will subject Zero to a series of tests designed to assess his aptitude as a NULL and kill him if he fails — all while sniping at him. It turns out this is either a sophisticated automated message system or a digitized copy of his conscience a la Arnim Zola from ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier''.
* WalkingSpoiler: For his heavy involvement in the NULL supersoldier program, as well as for the circumstances in which he's finally found. He also offers some of the most detailed exposition in the game on who Zero is and where he came from.

A mysterious Blonde NULL, out for vengeance against everyone responsible for the NULL Project. He wields similar powers to Zero, but with greater finesse; he's also his old war-buddy.

* AnimeHair: A very noticeable case of it; it's long, blonde, goes nearly past his waist, and is braided into a snaketail. It's one of the traits he shares with his former comrade in arms, Zero.

* AxCrazy: Implied. He's driven by a need for vengeance rather than V's sadism or Zero's sudden fits of violence, but his torture of V and his DialogueTree options for Fa Yuan are very telling. The Prison is also full of corpses that have been needlessly mangled, hung from the ceiling, or pinned to walls, suggesting that he must have really gone crazy after his playable level ends.

* AmbiguousSituation: He and Zero were partners in the Cromag War. [[LaserGuidedAmnesia Zero doesn't recognize him.]] Exactly what this means for their future dealings is unclear, especially if he really was the one who told Zero where to find Alvensleben.

* OneManArmy: Like Zero, Fifteen can effortlessly cut down dozens of heavily-armed enemies without even a scratch. This seems to come with being a GAMMA-Class NULL.
* RedBaron: The Media refers to his killings, and later Zero's, as being the work of a serial killer known as 'The Dragon.' It isn't clear whether the Media came up with this or not, but he appears to like it, since he claims it for his own in his first in-person appearance.

* SuperSoldier: One of the only two known surviving GAMMA-Class NULL, the other being Zero. Though this is only true if you take V's final conversation with Zero at face value.

* YouAreNumberSix: Much like Zero, he has a numerical NULL designation — in his case, Fifteen.

* {{Hallucinations}}: They're ambiguously indicated to be this, suddenly appearing and disappearing. [[spoiler:The only indications that they're not a product of Zero's PTSD and Chronos withdrawal is that a cop reacts to Tragedy appearing when Zero is surrounded by the police, and, in the ending, Zero's apartment is broken into with a note reading "A life for a life."]]

* LemonyNarrator: Tragedy narrates some parts of the game as though he's speaking to Zero, calling him "errant heart".

* TheProtagonist: The player controls him for the most of the game. [[spoiler:Expect until The Dragon tape, and the V's tape, where the player's contrl is being assigned to the people in the tape.]]

* AlasPoorVillain: In the normal ending, Zero [[spoiler:finds him in his office, breaking down in paranoia. He screams about how he can't find his daughter. Zero then proceeds to beat him to death with his daughter's own paperweight until he's a bloody pulp. There's no satisfaction, and despite all he's done, it's hard not to feel sorry for him. In the psychotherapy ending, it doesn't get much better either. He catches Zero's Punch, then gets his eye stabbed, either immediately after, or after watching Zero Freak out and have a seizure.]].

* BerserkButton: Don't interrupt him. [[spoiler:Interrupt him ''all the time'' and you get to fight him as a BonusBoss.]]

* HundredPercentAdorationRating: His death makes it to the local news. By all appearances, everyone loved the guy.

* PsychoPsychologist: The "Ulterior motive'' version: he provides therapy and Chronos [[spoiler:as a means of manipulating The Dragon to cover-up the NULL project]].

* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: His withdrawal from Chronos seriously messes with his mind. [[spoiler:This comes to a head when you fight the SecretBoss, which is heavily implied to be the Dragon going critical on his withdrawal symptoms and hallucinating.]]

* AmbidextrousSprite: His sword is traditionally depicted as being sheathed on his left hip, as he's right handed. Not only is this flipped when he faces left, but so is the left side of his hakama's collar that exposes his shoulder.

* KillEmAll: His end goal is to utterly exterminate everyone responsible for the NULL Project.

* ForbiddenFruit: Gives a number of direction through the game that the player is free to listen to or ignore at will.

* AnAxeToGrind: He wields a battleaxe with superhuman skill, being able to psychokinetically throw and recall it.

* BlingBlingBang: Apart from his gangster chains, V packs a gold-plated pistol as his WeaponOfChoice.

* ForbiddenFruit: Talking to him. [[spoiler:It reveals some key details about the game's plot, natch.]]
* InnocentBystander: For a given value of 'innocent,' anyways; [[spoiler:he offers some exposition on Chronos, but he has no idea what he's gotten himself into by stealing that Chronos shipment. It gets him killed]].
* JustJokingJustification: When he realizes the Dragon doesn't know what he's talking about, Electroface goes from panicking to smugly gloating that his {{groupie}}s are going to brutally murder the Dragon… and then right back to panicking if told that they're all dead or that he's going to die, saying his threats were just a joke.

-->'''Snow:''' There was nothing behind those eyes. No soul, no remorse. He didn't care about the mission, or the people he killed, or even himself.

** Reconstructed, since he is able to do things that no human can (like shooting a bullet, then reacting fast enough to deflect the same bullet).

* DeathByIrony: Dealing with Chronos in the first place puts a big target on you