Zeno

English Website
Zeno is a QUILL operative and a supporting character in the first Azure Striker Gunvolt. A wisecracking otaku who rarely takes anything seriously, he is a member of Team Sheeps under the codename "Sheeps 2", and occasionally serves as an operator and back-up for Gunvolt. He gives Gunvolt the missions Underworld (Stratacombs) and Spintronics (Datastore).
Zeno is an Adept, but his Septima ability is unknown.
He also appears in the side stories Admiration to Peace, Joule's Story, and Armed Blue Gunvolt (Drama CD).
== Website Description ==
==Appearance==
Zeno is a young teenager with yellow eyes and spiky orange hair. He wears a blue QUILL combat uniform consisting of a blue armored jacket, a black undershirt and black gauntlets. He also sports black trousers with blue highlights over his inner thighs and groin, and black boots with glowing blue highlights.
When in public, he wears a blue jacket, anime shirt, brown pants, a black belt, and brown shoes. 
===Gallery===
Main article: Zeno/Gallery
Gino concept art.png
== Personality ==
Zeno is a friendly and casual person who is prone to making jokes and witty comments during missions. Despite his energetic and goofy persona, he is a capable fighter and operator. He has a high opinion of GV and Asimov's abilities, but is still protective of GV as well as Joule.
As an otaku, he can get carried away when he is talking about anything that is anime, manga, or video games.
== History ==
=== Armed Blue Gunvolt (Drama CD) ===
During Eden's battle with Sumeragi, Asimov uses this opportunity to sneak Zeno and Moniqa to into Japan where the two meet Gunvolt for the first time.
=== Azure Striker Gunvolt ===
Zeno is apparently a marksman, codenamed "Sheeps 2" in the field. He provides Gunvolt with field support, although this is mostly information and logistics about Gunvolt's own skill.
=== Joule's Story ===
Taking place in the six month time gap. One of Joule's school friends, Hatano, invites her to play September Record with her to get exclusive bonus items. Gunvolt at first was against it due to the game being made by Sumeragi until Lumen convinced him to ask Zeno. Getting a call from Gunvolt, Zeno confirmed that the game is safe after Gunvolt saved Joule from Sumeragi and her connection to September Record and thanks to a cyber attack that led QUILL to discover that Lumen was used to find Adepts. This shocked Gunvolt and Zeno explained that Asimov didn't tell him this because Gunvolt wasn’t interested in video games and he just quit working QUILL. Hearing that Joule likes video games, Zeno comes up with some game suggestions but Gunvolt cuts him off.
After being cut off, Zeno logs on to his September Record and finds Joule. Using the communications system provided by QUILL for safety, Joule teams up with Zeno to get some practice and level up in a limited dungeon designed for beginners while waiting for Hatano. In the dungeon, the two encounter a monster with a giant hammer designed to stop players from staying too long which takes out Zeno and gives Joule a hard time. Gunvolt seeing her struggling suggested she change to the Sect instead but corrects himself. Hearing this, Joule unintentionally activates her Septima and hacks the game to gain an advantage which shocks both Gunvolt and Zeno. As Joule is about to finish the monster Gunvolt calls her out for cheating which snaps her back to reality and loses.
Afterward, Gunvolt banned Joule from playing anymore online games. Feeling bad for her Zeno started bringing video games for her to play whenever he comes to visit.
=== Admiration to Peace ===
=== Kaleidoscape (Sinner's Row) ===
He attempts to take down the Sumeragi Adept Zonda, but gets seriously injured in the process. It is implied that he is a very powerful Adept, as Gunvolt remarks that there are very few who can contend with him in a battle.
=== Assault on Firmament ===
During the true ending of Azure Striker Gunvolt Zeno and Moniqa discover Asimov's corpse on the Babel elevator, with the two asking GV what happened. Lumen who is now residing within GV, rejects Zeno, while GV simply leaves unresponsive. Zeno makes no canonical appearances after this.
==Other Appearances==
=== Mighty Gunvolt Burst ===
Zeno appears as a collectible pixel sticker. His can be picked up at the stage Radio Tower as a hidden item.
==Abilities and Equipment==
===Septima===
As Zeno is an Adept, he possesses some sort of septimal power. What it is has yet to be revealed, but it is presumably powerful given his role as a combatant and Gunvolt believing his fighting prowess to be top class. In Armed Blue Gunvolt (Drama CD), Zeno expected to show off and use his special skill during his and Moniqa's infiltration of Japan, only to end up being disappointed when Asimov's plan going perfectly meant there was no need.
===Computer skills===
Zeno is presumably adept with computers and network equipment, as he set up the PC and internet connection of Gunvolt and Joule's apartment to be secure and run through a QUILL server, and he serves as their tech support for any network problems.
===Firearms===
Zeno uses two guns in combat.
*Ga2044 ORSO: A high-power, high accuracy assault rifle designed by QUILL for Zeno. It can toggle between full and semi-automatic firing, and is equipped with an under-barrel grenade launcher.
*GaM71 TOPO: A QUILL-issued pistol that serves as Zeno's sidearm.
== Designer Comments ==
Source: Armed Blue: Gunvolt Complete Works
== Trivia ==
*Matching the car theme naming of characters in Gunvolt 1, Zeno's Japanese script name, Gino, likely comes from the Daihatsu Mira Gino.
**The Mira (ミラ) in its name is also similar to how Zonda's septima, Phantasm Mirror, is read in Japanese (ミラー), which Zeno's encounter and defeat may reference. The combined word Miragino is also similar to Mirage, part of Zonda's original title.
**Gino is a real Italian name, matching Zeno's background.
*In an interview with Skybane's Gunvault at GDC 2016, Inti Creates CEO Takuya Aizu was questioned about Zeno's Septima. He speculated that perhaps director Yoshihisa Tsuda or writer Toshiaki Tai may know what it is, but if so they haven't told him, and speculated they might not want people to know.Interview by Skybane's Gunvault Its existence is alluded to in Armed Blue Gunvolt (Drama CD), where Zeno jokingly complains he didn't get to use his ability because Asimov's plan worked.
**When questioned about the subject, Tsuda stated that Zeno's ability was decided during the character design phase and that they considered explaining it during base conversations or stage dialogue, but felt that the time wasn't right. In Zeno's case they believe that his secrecy is what makes him appealing.https://x.com/sa1999_/status/1826861523375124830
*Similar to Zeno, GV's operator Xiao Wu in Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 also has an unknown Septima. The two are the only named Adepts who appear in the games yet haven't had their abilities revealed.
**Coincidentally, Zeno in the English version has the same name as the Greek philosopher Zeno of Elea, who proposed a famous paradox related to turtles and spacetime, and Xiao Wu’s design concepts include time and Genbu, a mythical turtle. 
*Zeno says that games from the “old days” had instant-death spikes. He’s likely referencing the Mega Man franchise, where instant-death spikes are a common obstacle.
== References ==
== Azure Striker Gunvolt 1 Navigation ==
Category:QUILL
Category:Characters
Category:Adept
Category:Azure Striker Gunvolt
Category:Protagonists
Category:Male Characters
Category:ASG1 Characters
Category:Image Pulse