Zato-1

Zato-ONE, alternatively spelled as Zato-1, is a recurring character in the Guilty Gear series. By sacrificing his eyesight, he became host to the Forbidden Beast Eddie and gained the ability to fight with his shadow. Zato was the rightful leader of the Assassin's Guild until his fall from grace, brought about by his former lover Millia Rage.
He is voiced by Kaneto Shiozawa and Takehito Koyasu in the Japanese version, and by Matthew Mercer in the English version.
== Story ==
Zato-1 was once a bottom-feeder in the Assassins' Guild. To fulfill his ambitions, he made a contract with a forbidden beast at the cost of his eyesight. With his new powers of shadow manipulation, he quickly rose in the ranks and became the Guild's leader, taking Millia and Venom under his wing. When Millia left him, he sent out assassins to bring her back, but she betrayed him further by turning him in to the authorities.
Unfortunately for him, the forbidden beasts were called forbidden for a good reason. The beast that Zato had, now having become sentient and calling itself Eddie, slowly began to consume his mind, body, and soul. The beasts are actually parasites that require a body to live. Zato was eventually driven mad by Eddie, and in X, attacks Millia one final time, but is killed by her.
With Zato now dead, Eddie is now able to fully control his new body, but because Zato is dead it means that the body will soon rot and decay. Eddie spends XX and Accent Core desperately trying to find a new host body, all the while pondering the meaning of his existence. In Accent Core it's revealed that deep down, Eddie hates that his existence is cursed to be a short one without a living host, and like any living creature all he really wants is for someone to remember that he existed when his time finally comes. On his last legs, he fatefully runs into Millia, doing battle with her one more time before he finally starts to fade away. Before he finally dies and leaves Zato's corpse behind, Millia assures him that she will remember his existence, not just as merely Zato's shadow but as his own being with his own will.
A returning character in Xrd... as Zato-1 instead of Eddie, to the surprise of many. Zato's soul is pulled back from limbo by the Senate, but when he is resurrected, he is completely apathetic and unresponsive, which leads the Senate to lock him in a dimensional prison until he is ready to cooperate. The only thoughts that make him feel anything are those of Millia, but he doesn't know why, so he escapes in order to find her. The two eventually reunite, and Zato realizes that Millia is what gives his life purpose. Even if he cannot remember the man he used to be, or the horrible sins he committed in the past, one thing is certain: his love for Millia was real, and now that he's been given a second chance at life, he declares his devotion to protecting her. However, it turns out that his resurrection is a prototype process for what the Conclave has planned, and was originally Dr. Baldhead's technique before the Conclave decided to steal it for themselves. As such, they hired Zato to discredit the good doctor by assassinating one of his patients - the little girl whose death would set him on the path to becoming a serial killer. With Zato's aid alongside the rest of the reformed Assassins Guild, the Conclave's plans are foiled and the true mastermind behind them is defeated afterward.
Returning in -STRIVE-, Zato now serves alongside Millia as part of Illyria's intelligence department, consisting of the reformed and newly-integrated Assassins Guild, having been called upon to investigate I-No and the mysterious man known as Happy Chaos. King Daryl thus calls the duo as specialists to investigate the White House. They report to the Illyrian War Room to inform Daryl and Leo Whitefang of their findings, although the latter is reluctant at the assassins' recruitment and methods. Zato and Millia tell them of a "black box" they found before Daryl departs for the summit. Unbeknownst to them, Happy Chaos hacks into their files. After the summit starts, Zato tells Leo why the assassins have changed their ways—to "remain human"—, and Leo warms up to them both. He also decides to leave the box be, but then Zato realizes they have been hacked.
Meanwhile, Chaos takes Daryl and the other representatives hostage and launches all missiles in the world. Zato manually deactivates the castle's weapons, while the other missiles are deactivated mid-flight by the dignitaries themselves. Upon a link being established between Sol and Vernon at the White House, Zepp, the Pentagon and Illyria Castle, Chaos activates the White House's Tír na nÓg mode. Zato then helps analyze the black box and facilities. Despite their joint efforts, Chaos ultimately uses That Man's Tome of Origin to restore I-No to godhood. As with the rest of the world, Zato witnesses as I-No starts a process to grant humanity her same powers, but she is soon defeated and seemingly killed by Sol, Ky, and Nagoriyuki. In the aftermath, Zato, Millia, Leo and Ky reflect upon the future I-No wanted. Sometime afterward, Zato takes Millia to see Venom (and Robo-Ky) at his bakery.
== Appearance ==
Zato is an attractive man, sporting long, flowing blond hair and strong features overall. To cover his eyes, Zato wears a bright red blindfold fastened by a black belt. He dresses in rather simple way having black sleeveless turtleneck, a choker, arm warmers, pants held by a belt at the waist, and combat boots. Only the buckles of his belts and boot laces differ in color, being golden and red, respectively.
His appearance in Xrd remains largely unchanged, simply adding silver accessories below his collarbone and the back of his hands. It features the phrases "Walking shadow" and "One light free me of all the weight and pain of life". His Strive design changes his outfit by giving him a more military-like look with padding, more belts, as well as dark brown leather harness straps and waist belt with pouches. His boots remain mostly unchanged, except that their soles are now red.
== Abilities ==
Having activated the 5th Forbidden Magic Spell "Life-Eating Shadow", Zato bound a Forbidden Beast to his own shadow, but due to its seal of protection, he had to give up his sight. Zato gained in its stead enhanced senses—enough for him to perceive his surroundings better than he ever could with sight alone, identifying others in terms of light and darkness. Thanks to Eddie, Zato-1 has complete control over his own shadow, and is able to shape it into a variety of different forms, ranging from simple swords to monstrous beasts. Able to deflect bullets and magic with his shadows, he can also meld with darkness for a number of uses, including his own brand of teleportation.
After his return from the underworld, it seems that he has become even more powerful, having obtained occult knowledge such as tracking down an individual's whereabouts (although the extent of the ability is unknown) and a greater awareness of things. For example, Bedman states that "only someone who has already died once, like Zato, should be able to sense" the extent of his abilities.Furthermore, now that Eddie is much calmer than he once was, their relationship seems to be very different from what it previously was.
== Personality ==
Zato is a very complex character. He is originally a very passionate man, albeit with a cold professional demeanor, who idealizes Millia and appears to truly care for her as well as his other subordinates. He was thoughtful, often shown contemplating the harsh realities of the life which he has chosen to lead, and their implications upon his identity. That said, Zato was not free of dark demons; his lust for strength and desire for excellence within the Guild caused him to make a deal with the devil. 
Despite his arrogance, Zato has good intentions, wanting to turn the guild into a place where those with nowhere else to turn after the war could take shelter, having a certain naivety according to Venom. Gentle and caring towards those in the same circumstances as himself, Zato is respected by his subordinates and by his predecessor. However, the betrayal of Millia, the only woman he ever trusted, and his imprisonment made Zato grow embittered, and the affection he felt for her turned to hate.
After his death and resurrection, being subjected to the breadth of human experience has burned out of Zato all capacity for emotional reaction, even as his memories remain intact. Unable to be emotionally moved, Zato perceives no value or interest in anything, including himself. The one exception to his ennui is Millia; as the only thing to elicit any kind of reaction from him, Zato is determined to protect Millia and keep her safe, desiring to become stronger for her sake. In a way, Zato has gained immense knowledge, but at the same time has reverted to being a child, and is re-learning things that others would do naturally. He is also keenly aware that his sins are not, and never will be, cleansed.
==Gallery==
===Renders===
Zato (Guilty Gear The Missing Link).png|Zato in Guilty Gear.
Zato (GGX).png|Zato in Guilty Gear X.
Zato (GGXrd).png|Zato in Guilty Gear Xrd
Zato (Revelator).png
===Videos===
ZATO MOVE LIST - Guilty Gear- The Missing Link
== Trivia ==
* Zato's original voice actor, Kaneto Shiozawa, died shortly before the arcade release of Guilty Gear X. As a result, Zato and Eddie are voiced by Takehito Koyasu, who was the narrator for the Guilty Gear X drama CDs.
** Shiozawa has also voiced Vega from Street Fighter. Zato shares similarities with Vega: they both hail from Spain, have long blonde hair, and Zato's birthday is a day after Vega's.
* As per Strive, Zato believes in aliens, having searched for them during his life.
* Zato might be Andalusian in origin. In Strive, one of his voicelines when he gets hurt is "gazpacho", an Andalusian cold soup. In one of his victory animations, he does a flamenco pose as castanets play in the background, both of which are very prominent in Andalusian culture. Zato also mentions sherry briefly during Night of Knives, which is a fortified wine that is only produced in very specific areas of Andalusia.
* Zato has made guest appearances in the following games: Code Shifter, Crusaders Quest, and Elemental Story.
== Navigation ==
Category:Guilty Gear Heroes
Category:Video Game Heroes
Category:Science Fiction Heroes
Category:Male
Category:Arrogant
Category:Mentally Ill
Category:Assassins
Category:Vengeful
Category:Leaders
Category:Elementals
Category:Fighters
Category:Rivals
Category:Freedom Fighters
Category:Pragmatists
Category:Protectors
Category:Revived
Category:Redeemed Villains
Category:Chaotic Neutral
Category:In Love