Banyue

Overview

Banyue is an Intelligent Construct agent featured in Zenless Zone Zero, affiliated with the Krampus Compliance Authority while simultaneously running a martial arts dojo in the Weifei District. Originally built by TOPS as an unfeeling killing machine designated Purge Unit Zero, he gained humanity following a modification to his core. He shares a long-standing friendship with Yixuan, the current leader of Yun'e Mountain, and once rescued and raised the young siblings Ye Shiyuan and Ye Shunguang, earning him deep respect and trust from those around him.

Appearance

Banyue is a robotic Intelligent Construct with a lion-like appearance, featuring grey hair and white eyes. Standing 200cm tall with a muscular build, he possesses lion ears on his head and a prehensile tail capable of holding objects. He wears an orange garment reminiscent of the Yun'e Mountain uniform tied around his waist and carries large prayer beads. In serious combat, his mouth components open, and he can deploy hidden limbs to assume a four-armed form.

Personality

Though he projects a solemn and traditional atmosphere through his formal manner of speaking, Banyue is a genuinely gentle, honest, and warm-hearted master. He exhibits an endearingly naive side due to his unfamiliarity with modern slang and social media, which he continuously tries to study. Burdened by deep guilt over failing to save everyone during a past catastrophe, he vows to use his strength solely for the protection of others. He harbors a fear of rodents and dislikes water due to his heavy frame causing him to sink.

Abilities

Banyue is a Fire-attribute Anomaly agent who combines martial arts with prayer beads, executing diverse technique chains through specific input combinations. By building up Rage, he can enter a empowered state to trigger high-impact attacks such as raising giant rocks to crush targets. His combat functions include parrying enemy strikes and deploying extra arms to unleash multi-hit techniques like Lion's Roar, Earth Tremor, Mountain Split, and Path of Logic, granting invulnerability during execution.

Background

Created by TOPS as Purge Unit Zero, Banyue was originally dictated solely by automated programming to purge standard threats. After being damaged and abandoned, he was taken in by mining district residents, where his core gradually gained humanity. A catastrophic outbreak ten years prior forced his logic core to prioritize saving only a few survivors—including the young Ye siblings—leaving him haunted by the lost lives. He later established his dojo, accepting Ning Qian as a student despite knowing the youth's quiet resentment, and ultimately chose to stand and fight for the living on his own human terms.

Relationships

Banyue shares a bond of deep mutual trust with Yixuan, the master of Yun'e Mountain. He is regarded as a savior and father figure by Ye Shiyuan and Ye Shunguang, whom he rescued in their youth. He warmly guides his disciple Ning Qian, resolving past misunderstandings to form a genuine teacher-student connection. He maintains strong working ties with Zhao, Ryune, and the Phaethon proxies, eventually officially joining the Krampus Compliance Authority.

Trivia

Standing at 200cm, Banyue holds the record for the tallest playable agent in the game, surpassing Lycaon and Komano Manato. His skills, Mindscape Cinema names, and signature W-Engine draw heavy inspiration from Esoteric Buddhism iconography, including terms like Vajra and the Three Poisons. Billy Kid greatly admires his heroic appearance, comparing it to an upgraded villain from Starlight Knight. On the in-universe network Knock-Knock, he still uses the default paper bag profile icon.