YMMV / Shin SD Gundam Gaiden Knight Gundam Monogatari

• Iron Woobie: While Zero Gundam hasn't had it nearly as bad as the previous protagonist, he still qualifies for this. As a child, he saw his father be (supposedly) killed while investigating a strange storm that appeared in the Granada region, who died giving him the Thunder Sword and saying he'll have to live alone from now on. He did just that and lost a tournament required for him to win to become his father's successor despite being chosen by the Thunder Sword. Then, in the main story, he finds out that the man who he believes killed his father, is his father and has a Heroic BSoD so massive that Knight Victory had to teleport him away for some training at Riga Mountain. He ultimately broke away from that training to join the Doom Halo invasion and see all of his former comrades vanish before his eyes, which was then followed by him fighting Vice again. Then when Vice was defeated, he underwent Mind Rape from The Man Behind the Man Illusion Emperor Assault Buster, saw his father be Killed Off for Real, and be supposedly killed in the Doom Halo's fall. Despite all of this, Zero tends to shrug off most of his trauma and continues forward.
• Memetic Mutation: When it comes to the Japanese SD Gundam fanbase, don't expect to have one conversation about protagonist strength levels without someone bringing up Zero Gundam.^note Based on the actual Carddass series, he has the highest HP (and therefore strength) at the end of his series, making him the strongest SD Gundam Gaiden protagonist. It's even higher than SUPERIOR DRAGONS!!
• Nightmare Fuel:
  • The scene in the manga where the Vice Tarantula that was possessing Falco Gundam attacks Zero. Due to Falco's weakened state, it attempted to brainwash him by imbedding its tentacles into his head, showing us the true mastermind, Illusion Emperor Assault Buster, within Zero's mind. Assault Buster's sudden appearance combined with the Mind Rape being done on Zero makes this utterly terrifying. (It mercifully comes to an end when Falco Gundam stabs the Vice Tarantula, freeing Zero.) What makes it even worse is that there is AN ARMY of them.
  • Illusion Emperor Assault Buster's design◊. He cranks the creepy factor up to eleven by having him be covered in eyes!