Zac, despite his public persona of cheery pop star, is ruthless when it comes to other people. Specifically, people that he percieves as threats (Akira being the main example). So, I hereby present characters that Zac would feel extremely threatened by
1. Akira Yamatoga: This one happens in canon. Akira is a rising star in both the music and blading worlds, both of which Zac currently dominates. Akira is one of the few people that can challenge Zac in both fields. Zac is still more experienced however, and manages to convincingly defeat Akira in a battle (as far as music goes, we are never shown, but Zac probably stayed on top)
2. Orochi Ginba: I know they get along well in canon, but we are never shown how they met. Orochi is known for his hearing, being able to tell how close a bey is to bursting while in the crowd. Logically, he should be able to sense people’s heartbeats and breathing patterns. Zac puts up a fake personality because he cannot let people know his true intentions. Orochi senses his heartbeat accelerating and breathing getting faster when Zac feels threatened, but Zac might be able to play it off as excitement rather than fear
3. Valt Aoi: Another one that’s canon. Like Akira, Valt is a rising star that can take Zac on in a battle, but Zac can handle that. What makes Valt a threat is the exact opposite reason Orochi is a threat. Valt is oblivious to other people’s emotions. Zac needs to get rid of the threat without letting the public know he means to get rid of the threat, and Valt is simply too dense for Zac to do that. By the time Valt realizes what Zac is doing, everyone else already figured it out. Zac cannot get rid of Valt without letting his true intentions show very clearly
4. Joshua Burns: Joshua, like Zac, craves fame. Unlike Zac, Joshua is willing to sacrifice effectiveness for spectacle. Joshua throws the first round to up the tension so that when he wins, it’s more satisfying. If he faced Zac, Zac may or may not see through Joshua. If Zac does not, then Joshua loses the first round and Zac is caught off guard in the second. If Zac does see through Joshua however, Zac would freak out. Joshua is so confident he’s basically going “I can beat you with my eyes closed, and to prove it, I’ll put on this blindfold.” Zac would not be able to intimidate Joshua because Joshua’s ego is just that big. And to Zac, this means that Joshua is powerful enough that he can fight Zac while handicapped
5. Laban Vanot: Like Orochi, he’s too perceptive. Laban can look into people’s souls, and would be able to tell Zac’s not as pure as he presents himself. But since Zac is at worst, a massive dick, Laban probably wouldn’t care much. Laban doesn’t care about Kyle for example, despite Kyle being extremely shady. He only cares about Phi because Phi is downright evil and possibly not even human. I see Zac and Laban getting along after a while since Laban doesn’t want the spotlight
6. Hyde: Hyde is a showman, just like Zac and Joshua. Zac would see some guy that’s good at getting the crowd excited and would percieve him as a threat. Hyde and Zac have the same goal: Being the strongest while having fans because of it. Zac can handle losing if his image stays intact (look at his loss to Valt), but Hyde ridicules his opponents. Zac could not handle losing to Hyde because if he does, Hyde will taunt him on TV until Zac shuts him up in a rematch
7. Fumiya Kindo: Fumiya wants fame. That alone makes him a threat to Zac. Fumiya and Zac both tell the audience “look at how awesome I am,” albeit Zac is more subtle. Zac would probably deal with Fumiya like he dealt with Akira
8. Pheng Hope: Pheng, like Laban, can look into people’s souls. Laban can tell what kind of person someone is, while Pheng can tell what their current state is. This means that Pheng is more similar to Orochi, but replace “heartbeat and breathing” with “chi.” And ulike with Orochi, Zac cannot play it off as anything because Pheng’s perception of people’s states is even deepter than Orochi’s. But like Orochi and Laban, Pheng doesn’t care about fame so when Zac realizes that, he’ll stop worrying
9. Blindt DeVoy: Like Laban, Blindt can tell what your soul looks like. Like Laban, he does not care for fame. This would play out very similarly to how it would with Pheng since Blindt prefers to be away from crowds of fans
10. Arthur Peregrine: Zac’s worst nightmare. A guy whose only goal is “sway public opinion to believe that I am a god amongst men.” Zac has 2 options. He either opposes Arthur or sides with him. Zac would never side with Arthur for multiple reasons (Arthur is obviously evil. Zac would be a “servant” of Arthur). If Zac opposed Arthur, Arthur would simply physically obliterate him while streaming the battle online. Zac can recover from physical defeat if his image is intact, but Arthur goes out of his way to paint his opponents as fools who dared defy a god. And the fact that Arthur livestreams his battles is, like Joshua, saying that he is confident he will win. The only way Zac can beat Arthur is defeating him in battle, like with Hyde. Arthur embodies the most dangeroud traits of several of Zac’s biggest threats all combined into one. I wish Zac was in Rise just so I could see his reaction to Arthur, because I’m sure it’d be priceless
