Wise

Overview

Wise (known as Akira in Japanese and Zhe in Chinese) is the male protagonist of Zenless Zone Zero. On the surface, he co-manages the video rental store Random Play on Sixth Street in New Eridu alongside his younger sister Belle. In secret, however, the siblings operate as the legendary Proxy duo known as Phaethon, serving as expert non-official Hollow navigators who guide agents through hazardous Hollow environments. Balancing his everyday life as a shop owner with his covert role as a top-tier Proxy, Wise provides critical support to various factions operating across the city.

Appearance

Wise has short grey hair styled with central hair falling between his eyes and a prominent hair tuft on top. He possesses dark green eyes and a lean, slender build. His clothing features an open jacket layered over a black shirt or a long-sleeved shirt paired under short sleeves, complemented by casual sneakers and subtle jewelry accessories.

Personality

Wise is a calm, gentle, and highly organized individual who approaches situations with careful planning. He takes meticulous care of his living space and routinely looks after his energetic younger sister. Being an indoor enthusiast, he lacks physical athletic drive and self-portrait skills, preferring quiet hobbies like watching art and documentary films. Despite his composed demeanor, he has a strong aversion to horror movies and exhibits deep emotional protectiveness whenever his sister is threatened.

Abilities

Lacking direct physical combat abilities and high resistance to Hollow erosion, Wise operates as a specialized operator. Using the specialized H.D.D. system, he synchronizes his consciousness with the Bangboo Eous to provide real-time, zero-latency navigation and guidance to agents inside Hollows. His expertise lies in route calculation, hazard assessment, and tactical analysis, enhanced further by integrating the high-tier artificial intelligence system Fairy into his setup.

Background

Raised at the Helios Institute in Old Eridu under the tutelage of senior researcher Carlos Arna, Wise and his sister were rescued by Carlos eleven years ago during the catastrophic fall of the old city caused by Hollow Zero. Moving to New Eridu, the siblings opened Random Play while secretly taking up Proxy work as Phaethon to investigate the truth behind the disaster and clear their mentor's name. After losing their primary Phaethon account to a hacker named White Noise during a high-stakes commission, they bonded with the advanced AI Fairy and began rebuilding their Proxy reputation from scratch under a new identity.

Relationships

Wise shares an inseparable bond with his younger sister Belle, who acts as his co-manager and co-Proxy. Within their operational network, he relies on the Bangboo Eous for Hollow traversal and the AI Fairy for data processing. He harbors deep reverence for his missing mentor Carlos Arna. Through various commissions, Wise establishes strong professional ties and mutual trust with numerous factions, including Nicole Demara and the Cunning Hares, Belobog Heavy Industries, Victoria Housekeeping, Section 6, the Criminal Investigation Special Response Team, and the Sons of Calydon.

Trivia

His Japanese name, Akira, stems from a reading of his Chinese name Zhe and serves as an homage to Katsuhiro Otomo's iconic manga and anime AKIRA. Due to his friendly and suave dialogue options when interacting with various characters, players frequently joke about his smooth-talking nature. While his sister prefers action-packed films, Wise insists on stocking the store with art films and documentaries, leading to friendly rivalries over their rental inventory.