Summary
The HoYoverse universe continues to grow with the release ofZenless Zone Zero. The action RPG follows siblings Belle and Wise, who are undercover Proxies that take on the moniker “Phaethon,” as they accomplish commissions and investigate the Hollows within New Eridu.Zenless Zone Zeroshowcases a brand-new world that HoYoverse fans can immerse themselves in.
It also brings up whetherZenless Zone Zerois connected to HoYoverse’s other titles in any way. There’s aclear connection betweenHonkai: Star Rail,Genshin Impact, andHonkai Impact 3rdbecause of the character crossovers, such as Bronya and Raiden Mei, so it’s only natural for fans to be curious about howZenlessfits in the multiverse.
Zenless Zone Zero’s Spot in the HoYoverse Multiverse
In the past,HoYoverse confirmed that its games exist in the same multiversethrough the Imaginary Tree. The devs also made it clear that the games aren’t directly related because they each have their own independent universes, which means that the identical characters are alternate versions of each other, and not exactly the same people. However,Honkai: Star Rail,Genshin Impact, andHonkai Impact 3rdall share similar struggles as the characters experience various honkai-related disasters.
Honkai is a reoccurring cataclysm that results in the existence of evil forces and apocalyptic-level disasters.Honkai: Star Rail’s Stellaron Crisis is an example of this.
InZenless Zone Zero, the Hollow can be considered a honkai because it is a supernatural disaster that creates disordered dimensions where evil forces roam around. It is the Proxy’s job to guide people in their Hollow explorations and aid them in combating powerful mutant enemies known as Ethereals.
There are other elements inZenless Zone Zerothat somewhat connect it to other HoYoverse titles. The most obvious is the construction faction Belobog Heavy Industries, which shares the same name with Jarilo-VI’s Belobog City inHonkai: Star Rail. There’s also the existence of Ether, which is a substance extracted from Hollows andone of the elements inZenless Zone Zero, and possibly similar to the Refined Aether material inStar Rail. In terms of character crossovers,Zenless Zone Zerohas yet to introduce characters that longtime HoYoverse fans recognize but has done a great job of including unique characters.
Zenless Zone Zero’s Place in the Imaginary Tree is Inevitable
The Imaginary Tree is essentially the origin of life where all universes and bubble worlds are born, which would explain the variety ofworlds featured inHonkai: Star Rail,Genshin Impact, andHonkai Impact 3rd. It’s definitely possible thatZenless Zone Zerois another world bubble, which has been compared toHonkai Impact 3rd’s futuristic theme.
The Imaginary Tree’s Confirmed Universes So Far
Meanwhile, there are discussions among HoYoverse fans online aboutZenless Zone Zeropossibly being an independent world that isn’t part of the Imaginary Tree, which would mean that it’s unrelated to otherHonkaititles. The lack of character crossovers might be a factor as well, butZenless Zone Zerostill has a long list of charactersthat have yet to be launched. The game also has factions with interesting characters, so players might expect to see some familiar faces from other HoYoverse games in the future.
The Imaginary Tree shows that different worlds and universes can exist at the same time, soZenless Zone Zero’s spot on it is definitely inevitable, even if it still lacks crossover characters. Many fans can still make enough connections to other HoYoverse titles, while still enjoying a brand-new world and gameplay that they haven’t experienced before. It’s also not a bad thing ifZenless Zone Zerois confirmed to be an independent world, because it will show that HoYoverse is able to build worlds that aren’t dependent onHonkaititles.
