Hello my dear Gearster, that is a very valid question!
You see, Zato=1 is a mathematical formular that means that Zato is in fact, One. The Zato Equals One. Zato-1 However is a different formula which implies that One is distracted from Zato. Now, you may wonder what One is. One (Also called unit, and unity) is a number and a numerical digit used to represent that number in numerals. It represents a single entity, the unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of unit length is a line segment of length 1. In conventions of sign where zero is considered neither positive nor negative, 1 is the first and smallest positive integer. It is also sometimes considered the first of the infinite sequence of natural numbers, followed by 2, although by other definitions 1 is the second natural number, following 0.
Since we can infer that Zato has the same value as One, since Zato = 1, we can assume that Zato - 1 = 0. Since 0 is nothing, that means Zato-1 is not real, in other words, does not exist. Zato=1 however is very real and he owes me money.
Just thought I'd point out something I don't think was intentional in the translation, but still relevant to the story.
When Slayer refers to "Preserving Privilege" it's not the normal idea of keeping Nobility in Power, but rather maintaining Balance.
To "save those in Peril" and to "Maintain Balance" are parts of Dandyism.
Nobility is "put in check" as those in power must always be observed to never abuse that power. That is what is meant by Preservation.
As for everything else, it's merely what Zato and Nagoriyuki have learned during their lifetimes and experiences amid the study of Dandyism which impacted them.
And while it's true that Zato has retained much of Slayer's teachings, it took his own death (and many mistakes) for that to sink in, actually.
Slayer was concerned that Zato "would change" if he began to live in a life where his power was kept in check (working under the reformed P.W.A.B. instead of working independently).
While he didn't change (in his fighting capabilities), he did change in his demeanor and perspectives on life.
If one lives a life of Humility, there would be some concern that they lose all of what they once were or potentially truly are... but such isn't always the case:
To fight beyond the risk of one's own life, to ignore Death, but to fight in such a way that killing comes as naturally as breathing... yet another tenet of Dandyism.
Perhaps to some that may look as desperation, but in Dandyism, it is the realization of the person's life: the actualizing OF their life.
To bring your life to bear, to live to your utmost, in other words.
And of course, the conditions of victory are not determined by strength, fortune, pride, or other basic singular ideas alone.
True Dandyism takes everything in to account, and continues to reflect on that sense of chivalry, that it might help other people.
For someone like Nagoriyuki, perhaps at one point he faced that desperation as a Human, desperate to avoid Death, to see the fate of his former Master without dishonor.
Slayer gave him a "new path" to tread, and he has begun to spend these many years growing and learning on that path, whatever trials and tribulations await him.
Slayer admits it might have been a foolish whim on his part at the time he saved Nagoriyuki from his Humanity, but that does not mean that the end result will bring misfortune in its entirety.
Thus, the three men reflect on Mortality, Immortality, and the rest of Eternity.
In the Xrd Rev 2 you can have zato as your system voice and he'll say unique things when selecting each character, usually saying how light or dark their essence is. However Elephant and Sol have unique responses. For elephant he says:" I see nothing." While for sol he says: "I don't know/I don't get it." Is there an explanation for these responses?
Apparently Auto-Correct hates Elphelt for some reason.
Either that or you aren't trying hard enough on your Phone.
...Anyway...
Elphelt is a Valentine, so her essence is defined as "Pink" (at least according to Kum Haehyun), so probably Zato's analysis of her is that she has no history to speak of, since she's an artificial human being.
As for Sol... the Flame of Corruption inside of him is a super-complex body of information, so getting someone like Zato to analyze that would probably not work out so well... even Jack-O' and Bedman had a hard time fully comprehending the nature of the Divine Seeds.
Of course, that was before when the Seed was still inside Sol's body... now that Asuka has extracted it, Sol is... more or less.. an ordinary Gear-celled organism.
do people think zato and millias storyline will continue? or are they going to take a backseat like sol? I feel like there's more they could explore with the characters, specifically their forbidden beasts. also Eddie is really chill and hasn't been very talkative in strive what's up with him right now
Ishiwatari stated in a Story-centric Interview (see the GG+Interviews tag for details) that he would like to cover Millia's story in more detail later on. He just hasn't gotten around to it.
Obviously, Zato and Eddie are also connected with Millia, so that's something that will also need to be addressed.
That said, Eddie has become a lot calmer since his revival from death, though his personality is a lot more boisterous than Zato's by comparison.
Most likely, the main reason we haven't heard from Eddie as often as before is because of how simplified the gameplay mechanics have become for Zato.
In previous games, when Eddie was summoned, each move consisted of an actual special attack or setup, so Eddie would be the one to call out the moves accordingly (as a tell for both players).
Now, Zato can summon and "cancel" his summons on the fly (you can tell when he cancels a move when he does his clap animation), so there isn't much time or room for voices to work when Eddie is summoned or unsummoned.
That's just, largely, the technical reason.
But if there's more story to be told for Millia, Zato, Eddie, and the others, we might hear from Eddie again at some point. We'll just have to wait and see.
Annon-Guy: Redemption - How do you feel about the concept of Redemption and Atonement, from both a fictional and real life standpoint? I mean Ramlethal, Faust and Zato have blood on their hands, yet they're doing everything they can moving forward. Granted, Sol and the others forgave Ramlethal and accept Faust (assuming they knew he was Baldhead), yet Zato (along with Millia) is on thin ice. Sorry if this is a strange ask 😓.
The story presents itself in a way that these characters have varying levels of sin to atone for:
With Ramlethal, though she took part in events during the conflict, she was acting under the Propaganda and beliefs laid out by her Mother (The Merciless Apocalypse/Ariels) and did not have a clear picture of whom she was fighting against or why.
She was set up to fail for the sake of her Mother's plans from the very beginning, as a decoy. Even the labels on her armor and clothing are a sad reminder of her true purpose.
But even as that purpose was put in to action, others stood in the way of its true fulfillment. Even Bedman (who would normally have killed her without a thought) spared her life because of her ignorance and because of the true potential of her emotions as a living being.
Ramlethal's loyalty to Ariels' cause (and the belief she had value in fulfilling that cause) were what drove Ramlethal to act as she had. But even that was an illusion.
But even if she was party to the conspiracy, in the end she was a bystander and had not actually shed blood of her own accord… This gave her a chance to become a better person, a person with values and principles, a person with strength and independence… to understand Freedom.
Then you have Dr. Faust… his passion for his patients drove him to cross an "invisible line" that became the impetus for his downfall.
You see, all he wanted to do was save a girl's life. And he spared nothing in the research of trying to save that girl.
But it was that very research that became the source of greed and contention among members of the corrupted Conclave.
In fact, it didn't matter "who" was doing the research, so long as the Conclave got what they wanted.
Zato=ONE was under orders to not only destroy the Doctor's reputation, but in a moment of vulnerability, kill and silence him for his knowledge.
The only reason the latter did not happen is because of Faust's skill with the scalpel.
So what changed?
What changed a kind and gentle man in to becoming such a dark and imposing killer?
Some might argue it was the "Truth" that changed Faust in to Dr. Baldhead… but that is only on the surface.
Normal men would flinch at the revelation that all their accomplishments were controlled from on high by a higher organization.
They might even feel a sense of worthlessness in themselves.
But what of Faust?
Faust, even despite the heights of his career, sought to save a single girl, no matter the cost, expense, and effort.
The blood he saw, when trying to save her, is part of what changed him.
What makes a Surgeon different from a Killer?
The choice to bring lives back from the brink. But Faust's oath was made in to a farce by the Conclave, and the Assassins.
Maybe, in all his passion, he already knew the cost and potential loss for trying to save a girl who absolutely "must" not be saved.
Maybe he already knew the Assassins would be coming after him… he was a brilliant man after all.
All it takes is for a single bloody scene to change some men.
From the operating table, perhaps all the nurses and staff were in on the conspiracy to end the girls' life… all pointing their scalpels at Faust.
Because he had to die as well.
He was surrounded by enemies in that operating room.
And what does one do when one is surrounded, and the only weapon on hand is a surgeon's scalpel?
Perhaps the first death might have been in self-defense… or perhaps the next and the next, in a battle for one's own life.
These were the Conclave's orders, after all… and the Assassins knew how skillful he was as a surgeon… but not to this extent.
But in all of Faust's "passion" as a doctor… he killed an innocent person.
He killed the girl… it was his fault… his decisions. And then he killed another innocent person… and another… and another…
It was hard to tell who was innocent and guilty anymore… the rooms and walls all looked red with blood to Faust.
Zato's failure to kill Faust, created a man driven beyond the brink of sanity.
Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunate?) the Police got to Dr. Faust first and arrested him… so the Conclave had no more power over the situation.
And the tragedy came to light as an ongoing nightmare.
And what of Zato?
Zato lived in a world where one's own life is meaningless unless one was willing and able to KILL.
That was the darkness that (from youth on) transformed Zato (and many other orphans of the War) in to Assassins.
Zato took to his new life with gusto and great ambition.
So great in fact, he would sacrifice his very eyesight to obtain unfathomable power (though he knew not the true cost of that power).
As far as Zato was concerned, only his hit contracts mattered, the payment, and the height of his position as Leader.
He cared little for those beneath him… not even Millia (at first).
Zato became a cold-blooded killer, and nothing he did affected his sealed heart.
He used and disposed of pawns (people) and in turn was the very "model" pawn of the Conclave… so long as they paid him his dues. Betrayal was common in his line of work, after all.
But Zato underestimated the weakness in his very soul. The greed and desire for power had blinded him long before he even took on the curse that ended his eyesight.
From the moment he grasped that power, he was manipulated… fooled in to thinking what he obtained was his own.
But once that truth reared its Shadowy Head at the end of the tournament, Zato once more languished in a new prison of darkness… one of his own making. Eddie was born, and that was the slow march to Zato's death and demise.
But, what happens to a dead man when they are faced with the Underworld?
In death, Zato saw everything, he saw the world for what it was, and not any illusions or trickery… he saw the people he used and abused, he saw every person he killed.
All the information, every piece and scrap of it, moved his soul and burned through him.
Like Light destroying a Shadow utterly… leaving nothing but a husk.
A vessel that became filled with the world's forbidden knowledge.
And then he was once again given life… along with Eddie… and a new way to live presented itself.
But compared to everything else he had done, everything he had seen…
NOTHING MATTERED…
It was if everything became pointless and trivial before the information he had been given.
Except for one thing: the very pawn he would have easily disposed of… the pawn that betrayed him time and time again.
The very pawn that moved Zato's cold heart: Millia Rage.
Maybe at some point Zato had good memories in the past… in the times he celebrated his fleeting and superficial victories.
But he lost everything… or so it seemed.
The very fact that Millia was still alive was a stirring revelation to Zato.
That nothing was over yet… even if it didn't matter in his (blind) eyes.
So what changed?
Zato was faced with the consequences of his sins… and while he felt little remorse, much less anything else… he saw what the people whom he once called "pawns" were doing.
They were trying to save the world. They were trying to survive and protect themselves and others.
Something he had never done before in his life.
However, one of Zato's pawns had been "used" far too much: Venom.
By this moment in time, Venom had just as much blood on his hands as Zato (even compared to Millia).
There was no redemption for Venom… or so it seemed. But Bedman's attack on them presented them with a new opportunity.
An opportunity for change. For a new world for them to exist in.
However, some sacrifice was necessary. Venom did not hesitate to take the role (selfless).
But then Zato realized, that even if Venom did take all the pawns' sins upon himself… that did not change Zato's fate.
Or Millia's.
Zato decided he was done running from his past. Even if it meant he would be beheaded upon arrival to Illyria Castle.
But between Millia and Zato, the knowledge and resources they had were too good to pass up…
Daryl chose to make good use of them… and there would be no going back.
To all the world, Zato was still a "dead man", and he would've died again if Leo had his 'druthers…
But even so… they were given a new fate, even if they have to work hard for the rest of their lives.
If that fate meant forging a new world where Millia could exist… Zato would spare nothing. Fight and kill anything.
Even so, Zato still awaits the day when Dr. Faust will come to claim his life in payment for his sins.
While each of them carries a great deal of guilt, they are all still very much alive and brimming with possibility.
Possibility dies, when Death comes. That is when the wages of Sin are paid.
So in the time one is still alive, one must do what one can, to the very utmost of their ability. Whether to change fate, to change direction or purpose, or to save lives for just a little longer.
