Zato-1

Zato-1 is a character from Guilty Gear series who makes his debut on the first Guilty Gear game.
==Story==
===Background===
Having lost his parents to the Crusades, Zato was taken in by the Assassin's Guild in 2166. As an underling, Zato presumably witnessed the guild's swift expansion and deviation, and Slayer's resignation as leader two years later, and then the organization's subsequent decay. In 2173, Zato, disgusted with his own powerlessness, risked death by invoking the forbidden arts. He lost his eyesight, but gained the ability to control his shadow. With his newfound powers, he became the guild's leader within weeks.
That same year, Millia Rage and Venom were taken in by the guild. To them, Zato was their savior and teacher; Zato earned Venom's undying loyalty, and eventually fell in love with Millia—the two becoming Zato's right and left hands, respectively. As leader, Zato had the guild turn to money contracts, but attempted to turn it into a place where those with nowhere else to turn after the war could take shelter; however, the Guild had become too massive, making change difficult.
When the guild was hired to assassinate Duke Dorian Scaburi of Castellia, the mission attracted Slayer's attention, who tested Zato for the changes in the guild. His meddling led to Millia's capture by Leon Mining. Zato, to save her, agreed to assassinate King Saltelia I, unaware that Slayer had already released Millia of his own accord. Yet, as they were about to assassinate the king, Millia stabbed Zato, leaving him for dead, and snatched the baby away to protect him. Despite his wounds, Zato escaped Mining's ambush and met with Slayer under a poplar tree outside the castle. They are soon surrounded by Mining's forces, but thanks to Millia and Venom's intervention, Mining was defeated. Zato spared his life, Mining then becoming his ally. In spite of her betrayal, Zato forgave Millia and let her find foster parents for the king instead of inducting the baby into the guild.
Sometime later, Zato, Millia and Slayer would later cooperate again in the Mount Rosa Operation. In 2177, Zato was hired to "take care of" Dr. Baldhead, but Zato ended up killing his patient instead, ruining the doctor's life by making him think he had committed malpractice. Then, in 2178, Zato led a high-risk operation, but Millia—secretly working with the IPF for her acquittal—betrayed him and took the opportunity to flee. Her escape threw the assassins into chaos, allowing them to be caught red-handed. Zato was arrested and put in a barrier prison, where his affection for Millia turned to hate.
===Guilty Gear===
Languishing in the utter blackness of his prison, a tall, thin figure appeared before him. He asked if he wanted out of there, and if he had a pressing appointment with a woman. Zato wondered how he knew of Millia, but the figure said that if he won an upcoming tournament, he would be free to punish her. While suspicious, Zato agreed to the offer, having nothing to lose.
Manipulated by Testament like the others, the bloodshed from the tournament releases Justice from her seal, but she is promptly killed by Sol Badguy. However, the constant battling takes its toll on Zato. Having demanded too much of his curse, Zato's shadow begins to move by itself, and it tells his host that he can no longer control him. The shadow thanks Zato for incubating him, and seizes control of Zato's body.
===Guilty Gear X===
In 2181, while seeking its brethren, the shadow—who calls himself Eddie—begins to follow the scent of the Gear with free will, Dizzy. His life force eroded due to involuntary overuse of the shadow, the physically-weak Zato perishes, but by then Eddie is almost completely in control, and keeps on using Zato's body as his own.
===Guilty Gear XX===
Yet a few weeks later, Zato's body begins to deteriorate and Eddie consults with Faust. Without Zato's soul, his body's cell structures are disintegrating in prevent him, a weapon, from becoming independent. Per I-No's manipulations, Eddie thus begins to search desperately for another host. His efforts are in vain, however, and he soon follows Zato into the afterlife.
In one path, Eddie meets with Millia one last time, and tells her that Zato's wish was that she be by his side when he died, while he himself asks that Millia doesn't forget him or Zato. In his other path, Eddie somehow survives, defying destiny, and flies away from Venom.
===Guilty Gear Xrd===
Presumably buried by Millia, Zato's remains were confiscated by the Conclave, and he was subsequently used as a "guinea pig" to develop the Art of Resurrection, with Baldias conducting the research. By September 3, 2187, Zato and Eddie are revived, and then confined in a dimensional prison. Rendered a shell of his past self, Zato makes no attempt to escape despite Eddie's prodding until he senses that Millia is nearby on October 14. Upon emerging, Zato finds himself before Millia and Venom at the Opera House, and are soon joined by Slayer. Zato asks Venom to protect her while he tries to locates the Conclave. Before leaving, Faust appears to settle the "mistake" that ruined his life; Zato says that he can kill him if he wishes but before then he needs a little time, and reveals why the Conclave targeted the doctor.
On October 28, Zato's quest takes him before Ramlethal Valentine; with the Cradle's activation, he attempts to locate Ky Kiske to pass the intel he possess, but is unable to. He thus returns to his fellow assassins' side, only to find that they were attacked by Bedman and taken to Uighur. Zato attacks him for harming Millia, thus saving Chipp Zanuff, and Bedman disappears, recalled by his ally. Afterwards, per Slayer's suggestion, Zato goes to Zepp and meets with President Gabriel. On November 1, Ky and Sol arrive, and Zato is able to disclose that the Conclave intends to use the art of resurrection to revive Justice by binding Chronus's soul to her body.
With the Conclave's defeat and the Universal Will's looming threat, in hopes of rebuilding the guild, Zato is sent to make a offer to King Daryl, who by November 7, accedes to the assassins enlisting as "soldiers". At Slayer's mansion, Zato relays this to the others; they all decide on the elimination of Bedman as a symbolic requirement, with Venom taking it upon himself to be the sacrificial lamb for legitimacy and recruiting Robo-Ky to help him. Meanwhile, Zato tests his own accuracy in tracking down Bedman and takes Slayer and Millia to a wasteland; there, Slayer briefly engages Bedman in a revenge match, but they soon leave.
During the battle at the Illyrian capitol, Zato, Millia and Slayer lead the guild in defending the capitol from Ariels's forces, the Phalanx and massive Gears, until the Illyrian main team defeats Ariels and Jack-O' Valentine merges with Justice. Meanwhile, Bedman is defeated by Venom and Robo-Ky, who sacrifices his body to do it; Venom, however, survives, but is declared dead.
In the aftermath, Zato takes it upon himself to "eliminate" Venom, their loose end due to unintentionally surviving his battle with Bedman. Zato has 2cave test Venom's resolve and make him choose between protecting the town or rejoining the "wolves"; having chosen the first, 2cave gives Venom, on Zato's behalf, a deed to a bakery so that he may live a normal life incognito while trying to restore Robo-Ky's body. Zato later visits them.
== Personality ==
A level-headed and cruel assassin, but also elegant, Zato has a calm disposition, and is someone who gives each aspect of a problem great consideration. He still feels things strongly, but keeps such feelings hidden from the world. His calm demeanor, with the implication of never seeing others on an equal footing, is a self-protection mechanism, for in truth Zato is simply an ordinary—if vain—man.
Despite his arrogance, Zato is a man of 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.
== Game appearences ==
=== Super Smash Bros Accelerant ===
He appears as a newcomer, alongside of Sol Badguy, May and Potemkin.
He appears in the chapter 17: Fated Darkness, to help Sol Badguy to defeat Verse.
===Guilty Gear vs BlazBlue: Multiversal Cross Assault===
Zato appears as a playable DLC character.
===Neo Geo 2: Match of the Century===
Zato appears as a guest character.
In his story, he got sent by Millia to investigate about WAREZ' plans and their purposes.
==Gallery==
==Trivia==
Category:Guilty Gear (series)
Category:Guilty Gear Characters
Category:Arc System Works
Category:Males