Line #75 Fridge/ZeroTimeDilemma


1	Administrivia/SpoilersOff applies to all {{Fridge}} pages, so '''all spoilers are unmarked'''.
2
3	!!FridgeBrilliance
4	* From the very beginning, the whole game's choice dynamic hearkens to its own starting example. In Zero's story, the woman who went left due to a snail ended up murdered. Similarly, any player who has Carlos predict the coin will be red, thus taking the ''left'' flowchart path, forces everyone present into playing the game proper.
5	* Odds, probability, and manipulating the odds is the theme of ''Zero Time Dilemma'' due to Zero's obsession with for-want-of-a-nail, and shows up several times:
6	** Decision Games:
7	*** Zero's initial coin toss.
8	*** Team-C having to each roll a one on a die at the same time.
9	*** Team-C dealing with the MontyHallProblem in the control room.
10	*** Team-D playing RussianRoulette.
11	** Delta's entire Radical-6 plan is a gamble, infecting several billion people in the hope that it would kill the person who would kill everyone.
12	* The release date for the game is June 28th, 2016. This is the 180th day of that year, and this in base nine has a least significant digit of zero.
13	** There's also the fact that the digital root number of 180 is 9!
14	** Not to mention the fact that the digital root of 2016 is also 9.
15	* Possible meanings of the "X Door":
16	** Using hexadecimal lettering, the letter X comes out to 33. The digital root of 33 is 6, which is the number of passwords needed to open the door.
17	*** X is also the 24th letter of the alphabet... and guess what the digital root of 24 is?
18	** X could also mean "10" in Roman numerals, symbolizing the 9 participants plus Zero.
19	*** This also creates a full-series Fridge Brilliance. The final escape door in ''999'' had a q on it, which meant that it required a digital root of 8 to pass through. The final door in ''VLR'' had a 9 on it. And here, a Roman numeral 10. It's been ascending in release order, even though the games don't actually take place in chronological order.
20	** Historically, houses of plague victims were marked with a red X. That door may be the origin of the plague.
21	* The new booklet shows the golden ratio being one the scientific motifs in this game. The golden ratio is mathematically represented by the letter Phi in equations.
22	* Sigma calls Junpei "Tenmyouji" when the game first starts. This makes perfect sense when one considers that the first time he met Junpei, that was the only name he went by.
23	** Also during this scene, take note of the names D Team calls out through the X-Door. Mira, Eric, Tenmyouji, Carlos and Akane. But not Q, because as far as they know, Q is deaf anyway.
24	* Phi and Sigma are participants #3 and #9, respectively. Phi is the 21st letter in the Greek alphabet, and Sigma is the 18th. The digital roots of 21 and 18 are 3 and 9.
25	** Going on from this, the real Q also follows the same pattern as his true name is Delta, the 4th letter in the Greek alphabet, and he is the real participant #4.
26	* CQD → 999/ZTD/VLR. The main protagonists of 999 are a part of C-Team, Q team is completely new characters to ZTD, and the main protagonists of VLR are a part of D-Team.
27	** Also each team has its own Zero. C-team: First Zero, Akane. Q-team: Second Zero, Q/Delta. D-team: Third Zero, Sigma.
28	*** Also each one is presented in chronological order.
29	* The use of the CQD letters, the former distress signal before SOS became an international standard makes a ''whole'' lot of sense when you realize it ties with Zero's ''Snail'' analogy. One story about the Titanic was that a helmsman used the then-new SOS signal to try and call for help from another, nearby boat but the other ship didn't respond because they didn't realize that SOS was a distress signal, as they still used CQD on their ship. The other ship's helmsman, refusing to learn the new international standard at the time, is responsible for the deaths of those who perished on the Titanic. Now, what was the [[VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors Gigantic a sister ship to?]]
30	* In the final ending, removing control for Carlos' final choice implies that every decision across the entire series was Delta taking control for an instant. It's more likely to be "?"/the Player from VLR than Delta as Delta would not be able to control them in the far future and past...
31	* Why does Carlos realize Zero's identity in ending CQD-1? Because Delta (AKA Q) is the only member of the Dcom team not present. In the decision game, he never realizes this due to thinking Delta is on Q team.
32	* The code for Q's helmet, 6140-4091 is probably the date to which Phi and Delta were sent back in reverse. We don't know the exact day they went back to, but we learn that it was in April 1904.
33	* ZTD keeps the tradition of the player being Zero all along.
34	** In 999 you played as Young Akane who was observing potential timelines through Junpei.
35	** In VLR it's revealed that Sigma was the one who took the role of Zero and planned the AB Project in the future.
36	** In ZTD you see events from Delta's point of view and the player's control over the game's decisions is him using his Mind Hack ability.
37	* Name of the game is Zero Time Dilemma. [[SignificantAnagram Move these letters around]] and what we got is Me, I'm Zero. I'm Delta.
38	* The fact that the 3 teams are operating at different times is foreshadowed during the Decontamination Room Votes. Rather than being parallel to each-other on the timeline, they happen sequentially.
39	* Upon learning that Q Team got executed, Junpei mentions how merciless it was to kill someone who couldn't see or hear what was going on, indicating Delta's presence on the team.
40	* Sigma and Diana's rather apathetic response to Q being the only person still alive barring them seems odd. Although it makes more sense when you consider the fact that the only person still alive is a wheelchair bound old man who can't see, hear or talk.
41	* In C-End 1, you learn that Q is still alive. At the the same time the anagram is revealed as "Together with me, we are ten". By this point you've likely already gotten the D Team End 1, during which "Q" is shown to be seemingly dead. This indicates that the "Q" spoken of throughout the game doesn't refer to the young boy.
42	* In D-END: 1, the one that leads to the second game, D-Team has one last chance to succeed at their mission. Diana is too compassionate and soft-hearted to kill Phi in cold blood and burn the body, leading to six billion deaths. Her virtue is rewarded with ''VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward''.
43	* Why did Maria happen to contact Carlos morphogenetically while he's fighting off Q's puppet? Because he recently unlocked his own esper abilities, and all 'natural' espers are siblings. It seems likely, therefore, that espers need to anchor each other to prevent one from being overwhelmed by the field (as Carlos' sister is)- so, now that Maria's brother is 'active', she can focus enough to actually send him coherent messages.
44	* Akane is foolishly quick to assume that all Carlos' talk of unity was just a facade to help him ambush Junpei. Of course she is- that was the same tactic she used against her victims, and Ace used against his.
45	* In the study, there is a wall decorated with depictions of the 9 main characters as different kinds of dolls, which subsequently act as their symbols on the status screen. The respective doll types allude to the personalities of each character:
46	** Carlos is a well built action figure, suitable for either a super-hero or a G.I. Joe. A perfect fit for a man who will do anything to save the lives of others, even if it involves risking his own.
47	** Akane is a Moe Catgirl figure, with a big smile and bright eyes. This reflects her more optimistic outlook that everyone can escape and that a brighter future can be created. Additionally, the fact that she's a catgirl references that not once, but twice she has been placed into a Schrodinger's Cat paradox.
48	** Junpei is a voodoo doll, with the obvious reference to the fact that he accidentally gave Akane one when they were young. More deeply, however, is the fact that Junpei has gained a more melancholy and grim outlook on life compared to before.
49	** Diana is a porcelain doll, a doll made to be warm, inviting, and comforting, but as anyone who owned one can attest to, will crack under time and pressure. If Diana dies in a timeline, the status screen shows the doll with a shattered face falling apart, possibly referencing an eventual fate of [[VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward someone based on her]].
50	** Sigma is strong, determined, dependable, and big. Perfect fit for a nutcracker, wouldn't you say?
51	** Phi is a paper doll, because she's [[ACupAngst flat]]. Okay, more in depth, it's likely because she stays firm and rigid, and never falters in her emotions.
52	** For as AxCrazy as he can be sometimes, Eric still has the mindset of a frightened and over-emotional kid. Naturally, he's a baby doll, even if he takes offense to his representation.
53	** Mira, a cold, emotionless, and uncaring person wrapped in layers of {{Fanservice}} is a dress-up doll, like a Barbie or Bratz. Dress them up all you want, they still don't break their empty stares.
54	** Last is Q. Him being a Matryoshka doll should have obvious connotations the second you see it (a mystery concealing more mysteries, More to him that first appears, etc.), but what ISN'T obvious is why this isn't his symbol on the status screen. That's because it isn't Q's doll, it's Sean's. But that doesn't mean there isn't a doll for Q. Do you remember what was on the card in the pod room escape? That's right, a doll of Zero II, the missing doll from the cast!
55	* It seems implausible for two people to survive on nothing but half a can of food a day, let alone less than half as Sigma and Diana do in one route, but... Delta knew what would happen even before the facility was built. Putting his own parents in danger of starving wouldn't have been a smart move on his part, and he needed Diana to be healthy enough to give birth to healthy twins. Most likely those cans were less "food" and more of a high-density nutrient gruel. All the ''regular'' food was in the pantry.
56	* While the most obvious hint of Phi being Sigma and Diana's daughter being the fact she's a natural redhead with obvious red eyebrows, there's another, much more subtle hint of this connection. Pay close attention to Phi's eye color: while her eyes are blue her model has her eyes rendered in a way that has a very noticeable amount of gray...
57	* At least in the English version, [[Creator/LauraBailey Luna]] and [[Creator/EdenRiegel Diana]] are voiced by different actresses and thus have distinct voices. This inconsistency can be explained as Sigma mentions to Diana in the D-1 ending path he couldn't exactly replicate everything about Diana to Luna, and likely, her voice was one of those things.
58	** Another explanation is that Sigma purposely gave Luna a different voice from Diana, since he tells Diana he grew to love Luna like a daughter, making it also likely he subconsciously designed Luna to be the child he and Diana never had in this timeline.
59	** Also, in ''Virtue's Last Reward'', where we do in fact hear Diana's voice from a recording of her taking responsibility for the release of Radical-6, her voice done by Luna's actress. Seeing as it's mentioned the reason Sigma didn't realize the recording of Zero Sr. had the same voice as his was due to how voices sound different in recording, the same idea (along with the fact Sigma doesn't know about what happened at DCOM) might hint he didn't recognize the woman speaking as Diana at any point during the development of the AB Project. Either way, Sigma very likely used this different sounding recording as the basis for Luna's voice and how Diana sounds in ''Zero Time Dilemma'' is supposed to be her real voice.
60	* There's a good few hints about Q's identity and how it's separate from Sean:
61	** During the opening of the game, Eric and Mira freak out when they discover their leader is Q. Having a blind, deaf and crippled leader would put them at a serious disadvantage.
62	** There's also Eric's hostility towards the kid. Zero didn't address him so there's no reason for Sean to be in Q-Ward.
63	** In the Mexican standoff, when you choose to shoot Mira and Eric intercepts the bolt, Mira fires two shots from the gun, and while this in itself is a subtle hint (she shot both Sean and Delta), the voice announcing the deaths and X-Passes announces Q as "deceased" while Sean is still clearly alive and speaking.
64	* Carlos could have passed his secret to Junpei and Akane in any number of ways -- why choose that particular one? He's still got Back to the Future in his head after they talked about it earlier. A similar "defend the girl from the bully" scenario just might help bring these two together!
65	* Why does Mira go insane in the Radical-6 injection route? Zero is, as seen many times in this game, a lying bastard... Sean himself theorizes he MADE UP FBR. Mira is infected with Radical-6... which causes side effects including insanity.
66	* Another thing is, why Zero has the '90 minute active time limit'... Since his psychic powers are MUCH more limited...and he has to work through recordings... this lets him prepare everything MUCH easier. Also, it limits the amount of variables he has to work with.
67	* According to the [[VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors first game]], Espers are born in Transmitter-Receiver pairs, with Transmitters being better at uploading information to the Morphogenetic Field, while Receivers being better at downloading information. [=SHIFTers=] are Trans-receivers, meaning they can do both. So of course, Delta and Phi's powers make sense - Phi's a [=SHIFTer=] while Delta can issue MindControl (Upload) and {{Telepathy}} (Download).
68	** Additionally, Phi's ability only affects her own mind. Delta can use his abilities on other people, but cannot use them on himself - hence why he cannot SHIFT.
69	* Junpei is [[PassiveAggressiveKombat relatively]], incredibly accepting of Akane's actions in ''999'' because they were mindlinked during her FreudianExcuse. Circumstances essentially forced him to empathize with her (and the several timelines Junpei had lived in which he, too, was murdered probably also contributed). Akane being recalcitrant in ''ZTD'' despite knowing that Junpei knows why she killed all those people makes her look like she's [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope planning to do something worse]], which is why he treats her differently despite the situations being similar.
70	* A possible explanation for the team composition in this game: The way espers resonate with each other, they'd be able to notice each others' presence. That may explain why Q/Delta put himself on the team without any espers; even if his powers work differently, Akane or Sigma might be able to detect something odd about the old man.
71	** One issue: They were together for a week in Dcom prior to the game. If they didn't feel anything odd about him then, especially since they'd likely be looking out for something of that nature, then they certainly wouldn't find out if they were on his team.
72	*** This isn't an issue. The Dcom experiment was supposed to be routine, and had been relatively peaceful up until the Decision Game. Immediate danger heightens an esper's abilities, meaning that, even though he was safe from being discovered back at Dcom, the danger of the Decision Game could make everyone's powers stronger, and someone might have sensed something from him.
73	* The AB Game segment in the Reactor Room contains some brilliance: If you (as Carlos) select Ally, Junpei will pick Betray. He'll mention that it was a 'defensive move' and that he expected Carlos to choose Betray. It's likely that he expected Carlos to choose 'Betray' because he shifted in from the timeline where you chose Betray (since Junpei chose Ally in that timeline and was shocked at your betrayal). It's similar to a scenario from ''VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward'', where Phi chooses the opposite result from Sigma in response to his actions in another timeline.
74	* In hindsight, the previews of the game contained some brilliance. All nine participants in the Decision Game were revealed, except for #4. This was probably done to hide the fact that the masked child was not the real Q/Participant #4.
75	* Why does Akane wipe Junpei's memories of her and the entire Decision Game in C-End: 1, even though he offers to help her? Because, as with the Second Nonary Game, she follows precisely what she sees in her visions. She likely saw that Junpei goes to the moon in [=VLR=] in pursuit of her, and his presence helps Phi and Sigma develop their Esper powers. To that end, she wants to make sure everything leading up to the Ambidex Game goes precisely the way she envisioned.
76	** To keep everything as she saw. Junpei didn't remember meeting her in the AB Game, so she wipes his memory.
77	* After escaping the rec room by rolling three ones, or more specifically after the versions of them that escaped the reactor room did so after [=SHIFTing=] into that timeline's bodies, Junpei proposes to Akane, but he's so nervous that he puts the ring on her right hand. Akane says they'll switch it once this is all over. Then they enter the temporally locked X-passes and end up having to use the transporter to escape the spare Sean body trying to penalize them, and wind up in the timeline that leads to VLR. If you look at Old Akane's model in VLR, you'll notice that she's wearing that same ring on her right hand.
78	* In the Triangle episode, you have a Mexican duel between Q-team members, each aiming at one another with a weapon. There are four outcomes, and the last one is not revealed until the very end, since it needs you to learn Delta's name. But in greek, triangle is the letter Delta! The game hints you the fourth option from the beginning of the episode.
79	* The deadly game in this installment is called the Decision Game rather than the Nonary Game, since it's different from the previous games. In hindsight, the name of the game is a hint toward there being ten participants instead of nine; "Deci" is the Latin root for the number 10, as opposed to "nona" for nine. As mentioned in a earlier fridge logic statement, the escape door is marked with a X instead of a 9; the Roman numeral for ten.
80	* Why does Mira willingly turn herself in and marry Eric in the Golden Ending? She [=SHIFTed=]. Building on the Dummy terminal analogy from the first game, [=SHIFTing=] most likely restored the damaged connection she had. Meaning that she was no longer TheSociopath. That combined with the memories from the other timelines most likely made her TheAtoner.
81	* In Virtue's Last Reward, there was K, an amnesiac in a mask with a single letter name. In this game, we have a similar character, Q. [[spoiler: Except all those assumptions are wrong this time.]]
82	** [[spoiler: He's a robot, so he had no memories to begin with.]]
83	** [[spoiler: That's not a mask, it's his head]]
84	** [[spoiler: His name isn't, nor ever was, Q]]
85	* The timeline in which Delta is revealed to be Zero ends with him mind-hacking Eric to kill everyone else in the room except Delta and his mother, Diana--including Delta's father, Sigma. EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas, sure, but it also provides a FridgeBrilliance moment for ''VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward''. Everything Dio did, he did on orders from Brother--which is to say, from Delta. Given that Delta was allegedly ''still alive'' at that point, and that he ''needed'' VLR to happen to ensure that Sigma would be at the DCOM site in 2028/2029, it's even possible that he took "direct control" from time to time. Now, when was the only time Dio ever willingly voted "Ally"? ''When he was up against Luna''.
86	** He also needed to kill at least one of Sigma or Diana to prevent a scenario where he was conceived under circumstances that didn't involve gaining powers and/or growing up in the early 20th century.
87	* While still horrible, the motive of Delta murdering Gab ahead of the final decision of whether to SHIFT to safety becomes apparent if you consider that he has read the group's memories of the various timelines. Delta would be well aware that a number of the players had repeatedly refused to leave Gab behind, and that would most likely influence their choice. So he removed Gab from the equation.
88	* Every respective team in the game has a person who has once held the identity of Zero;
89	** C-Team has [[spoiler:Akane, who was Zero during the events of ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'' and the second Nonary Game.]]
90	** Q-Team has [[spoiler:Q/Delta, who is Zero during the events of this game and the Decision Game.]]
91	** D-Team has [[spoiler:Sigma, who was Zero during the events of ''VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward'' and the Ambidex Edition of the Nonary Game.]]
92
93	!!FridgeHorror
94	* If Q-Team injects themselves with Radical-6, Mira kills Eric and D-Team and escapes. Not only is the SerialKiller on the loose, but she will inevitably cause the pandemic seen in VLR... except this time, there's no Sigma, Phi, or Akane to try to stop it.
95	** Zero mentions that the two viruses cancel each other out. Chances are, either her Radical-6 is no longer infectious, [[FromBadToWorse or she's also going to spread an even worse pathogen with a 100% mortality rate]]. This is of course assuming that Zero was telling the truth about [[SignificantAnagram Fanatic Bio R]].
96	* In the D-2 end, Gab, Diana, Sigma, and baby Phi and Delta all starve to death. Despite sending the copies to another time, they only send the copy.
97	** What makes it even worse is that the Sigma and Diana of the true ending presumably still have those memories.
98	* If you didn't figure it out or were at least skeptical before, when the other teams find Junpei's dismembered body in the pods, it's apparent he's not wearing the same clothes he usually wears. They're the clothes the limbs from the pantry had. Despite what Carlos and Akane were trying to tell themselves, the limbs were real, and they were ''Junpei's''.
99	** There might be another reason the body is wearing different clothes. If there was blood on the chest(indicating that the heart was removed), it would have been too easy to deduce his true killer. Zero probably wouldn't want the participants to figure out the secret of moving between the wards too soon.
100	* In C Team's ending, Carlos spends much of the route trying to find a way to escape alive with Junpei and Akane. By jumping to multiple different timelines, he is able to get information that seemingly will allow him to do this. However, he ultimately does not get the full rundown on how the Transporter works. As a result, shortly before he jumps to the VLR timeline, Carlos accidentally destroys the Transporter and causes it to self-destruct, killing the pod-ridden Junpei and Akane he spent so much effort trying to protect.
101	* Why would ZTD be so much BloodierAndGorier than VLR? Well, we know that the reason for all the mysterious deadly games is that Shifters must genuinely believe their lives are in danger. If you're in danger over and over again, you get used to the danger and no longer feel such tension, which might prevent shifting. So, how would it be brought back? Well, maybe by making the danger worse.. Which explains it, but becomes Fridge Horror when you wonder - after a few more years, ''what is it going to take to make them Shift?''
102	** For that matter, being a Shifter is pretty horrific. You're going to be endangered again and again, and there will always be someone who wants to leverage your powers. That's if you're ''lucky''. If you're unlucky, you're the consciousness on the other end of the shift and could, at literally any moment, be abruptly ''yanked out of your body and into one seconds from death''.
103	* If you thought D-END 2 was a TearJerker before, another thing to bear in mind: There is a pantry full of food in the complex that is seen on one of the other paths. Diana and Sigma just never see it because it isn't "in their ward". If Diana had her realization about the matching-up of the wards at any point during that 10 months, she and Sigma could have been saved. On one occasion, Diana throws an object at the door of the lounge. If only it had hit the wall instead..
104	** The Headscratchers page notes that it would be impossible for everyone to survive Diana delivering two healthy babies according to Sigma's calculations. It's possible that at some point, Diana and Sigma stumbled upon the pantry and found enough food to buy themselves more time.
105	* In [[VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors 999]], one of the bad endings involved Junpei drowning in a pool of water...and if his abilities in this game are any indication, he could well remember that. So what exactly was going through his mind while Zero's gas trap suffocated him?
106	* Sigma mentions that he died at least three times during his childhood. If the transporter works by sending data back through time regardless of a [[StableTimeLoop Bootstrap Paradox]], and thus Delta's 'birth' and resonance abilities remain the same, there could still be timelines where Delta becomes 'divinely inspired' and releases Radical-6. And that means that there'd be no one to stop him.
107	** Ditto for timelines where Akane dies in 999.
108	* When Carlos discusses the fire that killed his family, he never mentions that the arsonist is caught. Given that this fire also activated his resonance abilities it seems more than likely the arsonist is Delta, given that Carlos' abilities is an integral part of his plan, and his ruthlessness in achieving said plans.
109	** Also, as mentioned above Sigma's jumping abilities were likely augmented by those accidents he suffered in his childhood. He specifically mentions that, when he fell off the roof of a building, that he had no idea why. Delta could have forced him to walk off with his Mind Hack abilities.
110	* Zero often says "Life is simply unfair" many times, accompanied by a story about how, due to a string of events, 6 people died, including a child, due to a surgeon being unable to perform surgery necessary for the child's survival. It's also revealed Delta was friends with this child. The 6 deaths also lead to the timeline where Delta is born. Basically, to ensure his birth, Delta is forced to enact events that kill Sean. It gives the phrase an even darker meaning.
111	* At first it seems like after six people die, the rest will be able to escape as long as they get through the X doors in time. But then you realize all the wards are connected, and there's only one X door. Since only one team is awake at a time, this means only one team will be able to escape, and anyone left alive on the other teams is SOL. When you think about it, it's a reversal of the situation in 999. In that game, it appeared that there was only one "9" door, and not everyone would be able to get out. But then it was revealed that there were two "9" doors, allowing everyone to escape (provided everyone was still alive).

Context Fridge / ZeroTimeDilemma