Sebs Battle Blogs #1: Katana Zero vs Sanabi

Katana Zero vs sanabi

(Subject Zero vs The General)

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"A good simulation, be it a religious myth or scientific theory, gives us a sense of mastery over experience. To represent something symbolically, as we do when we speak or write, is somehow to capture it, thus making it one's own. But with this appropriation comes the realization that we have denied the immediacy of reality and that in creating a substitute we have but spun another thread in the web of our grand illusion." ~ Heinz Pagels


Subject Zero:

The brutal chronos user struggling to fill in his forgotten past.


the General:

The forgotten veteran breaking free from his made reality.


Our reality is not always what it seems, our memories torn, our perceptions twisted, but these two try their absolute best to fight past their built in limitations and break free from their captivity. While the odds of their worlds are completely stacked against them, they still prosper in every endeavor, and show off that despite their programming saying no, their decisions and will are truly their own. Will Zero remove all life from the veteran, or will the General prove his being and end the subject once and for all? Well lets insert that coin and hit start! Ladies and gentlemen welcome to!


ZERO Life remaining…


Connections:

If there are any errors within these connections, please make it known so we can fix them as soon as possible! These were made a while back so this very well could have some minor issues, but regardless of that, it is still a wonderful matchup that deserves way more attention!


  • Two characters from extremely high paced indie games, both of which placed in a cyberpunk, more futuristic world, also both within Asian countries

  • Both have very stylized and unique movement systems within their games, by that I mean that the two are extremely fast paced in their own right, and have special properties which show them to be way above any other platformer pixel game (not much of a connection, just think that the gameplay styles fit each other so well and a fight between the two would look absolutely amazing, especially seeing that the games are beautiful pixel art portrayals)

  • The two are ex-mercenaries / soldiers, both of which going through super soldier programs where they both got unique and potent powers through somewhat different means (Zero was given the Chronus drug which gave him his precognitive, time stuff, and Veteran was made into a cybernetic human, having his entire arm replaced by the Claw arm and some other things)

  • The two are eventually put out of commission of the army, both by retirement / lack of necessity, the two taking on drastically different life styles after the fact, Zero going straight into becoming an assassin for employment, and Veteran raising a daughter, and becoming a great father in isolation with her, also both were forced back in some way shape or form...

  • Both of them are blatantly manipulated by a certain character in their stories, who although seem like they are assisting characters, it is revealed that everything is but the truth with them (Mari for Veteran, she begins as a random girl Veteran is off to find, but he is manipulated and not given any sort of information, turns out she was the reason why all of this started in the first place and she was his daughter the whole time, on the other hand, a massive contrast in that, although the Psychiatrist starts off the same being an assisting character who Zero meets and all of that good stuff, turns out he absolutely despises Zero, and has no remorse wanting to kill him)

  • The two have a contrast in that, while the General seemingly lost his daughter at the very beginning of his game, Zero found a daughter figure across his entire game, losing her at the end, while General found out Mari had been his daughter the whole time. 

  • It is shown that the two struggle with their memory, and are victims of brainwashing and mental manipulation, both of them struggling to deal with whatever the hell is going on around them, and constantly having people ignore their requests for information (Veteran had a filter placed on him that did not let him see the truth going on in Mago City, and did not allow him to hear anything dealing with his confusing past, and out of nowhere the people that worked for him hated him for some reason, and Zero lost the memories of his younger self, and constantly tries to find them sort of)

  • Both of their identities are complete mysteries up until just about the very end, where their story is elaborated on and we figure out to a certain extent, who they are.

  • Both of them are haunted by their pasts, often having horrid hallucinations, nightmares, minor hallucinations of things, PTSD and more, and regardless of the way they act in game, both having the capability of being kinder and more collected, or absolutely abominable rude monsters, they both when on the job turn to stone cold killers that leave nothing but destruction in their path...

  • Minor Connection: At the beginning of the game they both murder a stupid amount of people, and their first comeback targets fall off a building!


Before we begin:

Alright, so, first and foremost before we do anything else. Both of these games were indie game of the year nominees (and winners as well for Sanabi, possibly for Katana Zero), so it is important to note that this blog will contain an enormous amount of spoilers. Like seriously, we very, very much push you to play both of these games before you go any further inside of this blog. They are both passion projects amongst the community and they are absolutely wonderful, both easily reaching 10/10 on numerous scales. This blog will break the stories down heavily in order to get the best context and information in many aspects, so please, if you care at all for the stories, stop here now! This will be our final warning,


MASSIVE SPOILERs AHEAD!!!


Okay, let's cover some stuff here in terms of the General. Within the game, of course, it is revealed at the end that the General had been a worker the entire time, specifically classed as 17287. The bots were all created after a datafied version of the General after he had passed away. Within the game, the bots had filters placed on them, which blocked them from being able to see people, so for the sake of this blog, we will be assuming that this takes place after the events of Sanabi, of course, without the bot dying… Those filters placed on the bots themselves blocked many things from being seen, whether it be blood, human bodies, regular civilians simply watching the Worker General, and more. So, of course, if the filter is on, General would merely be unable to see Subject Zero, so to avoid that, we will be taking General as he is at the end of the game / afterward. Again, of course, without having him die. Before moving forward to the next big point, we wanna note that both of these games are from small indie companies, both of which have only 1 game each. While that will be the main form of content we will use, we will also be taking from any official interviews and dev talks to see if they can provide us with any valuable context or information. Otherwise, nothing will be allowed or accepted into this blog.


Now getting into something, a little more deep. Both of these games touch on very difficult topics to deal with at moments, whether it be death, suicide, and more, but there is one in particular within Katana Zero that we need to cover, that being extreme drug abuse. Across the story, there are heavy levels of drug abuse, and we understand that this is a sensitive topic for many. This is all for informational, educational, and entertainment purposes, and the game is amazing in its own right, but this is a topic touched on many times. We respect these topics, and see that it is a genuine issue, if you need help, reach out to the people around you, there is help available for all. Despite this blog potentially touching on these subjects though, we ask that you give it a shot. We try to be the absolute most respectful in all areas, and we hope you as the reader can understand that this is for fun. We once again also recommend that you play these games, if you do not care for the spoilers please be our guest and continue to read, but regardless of that, this should not be your sole way of understanding or consuming the content for both of these masterpieces. The games were created for your pleasure, and both of them are small companies that would absolutely love all the support they can get and deserve, so please, play the games! Though, going back to what we were speaking on before, if you need assistance, reach out, there are plenty of ways to get the help you need and if drug abuse is something you struggle with, we wish you nothing but the best in all things, and hope you can win the battle. Now, with all of that being said, we have nothing more to add, so let's get this battle started!


Backgrounds:

Subject Zero

War, there will always be war. Humanity’s thirst for pointless violence could never be cleansed. The next up in line for this trend was the government of New Mecca. They took up arms in a far away land, against the people known as the Cromags. The government claimed all sorts of reasons for the fighting, but deep down only one of them was true, they saw those people as subhuman, and wanted them gone..


The Cromags wouldn’t go down easily, they fought with everything they had to defend their jungles, and New Mecca realized they needed a trump card. They began working on a new program to win the war. The Null program as it was called, was a remarkable advancement in technology. It created Chronos, a new type of drug that could turn anyone into a super soldier, a soldier with control over time, a soldier who could never die. Subjects of the Null program would become the most dangerous individuals in the world, capable of destroying entire armies on their own. One of these Nulls, was a mere 15 year old boy, turned into a monster by his government. He had no actual name, just a lifeless code, this is the Story of Subject Zero.


7 years later…


The war has been long over, after years of fighting the government faced mass protest over the immense civilian casualties, not to mention the Null program being publicly leaked. New Mecca sent every one of their soldiers home, Nulls included. Zero found himself among many others lost and confused trying to adapt to a non war environment. Due to a near fatal head injury, as well as chronos having numerous negative effects on one's psyche, Zero suffered from heavy amnesia that caused him to forget most of his past. To make matters worse, post war Nulls began to make a startling discovery. Without constant doses of chronos, they’d enter a state of withdrawal, time rewinding back their deaths sooner and sooner for all eternity. It was a fate worse than death. Nulls were forced to find some way to get more chrono’s. For Zero, he started working as a hired assassin for an unknown employer, being given instructions by a psychologist. He knew and questioned nothing of who and why he killed, all that mattered was his pay in chronos, and his thirst for violence could be cleansed.


Years went by and Zero served his purpose well. Every week he’d get a new job, a new target, and with uttermost efficiency they’d be slaughtered. Despite his stable career though, Zero suffered from constant nightmares and visions of his past that he couldn’t understand. He would talk this out with his psychologist, who gave him advice on how to handle it. But no matter what he did his dreams would only get worse. Regardless of his struggles, he continued his job. Though one day, one of his targets was different than normal. Zero was specifically instructed by his psychologist not to talk to the target, a man named DJ electrohead. Zero defied this rule, and learned the man was on none other than the drug chronos, though his amnesia meant that he’d forgotten what the drug even was. After being questioned on the matter his psychologist was furious, insisting Zero dropped the topic and resumed his missions.

Two days later, Zero found the psychiatrist’s office shut down without warning. That same day, a limousine pulled up beside him. The owner—a loud, flamboyant gangster—acted as if they were longtime acquaintances. He praised Zero’s skills, calling him a “living legend” and offering an alliance. Zero refused. The gangster didn't take rejection well. Before he knew it, Zero was thrown out of the limo and left in the dust. Fury took hold. He pursued the vehicle to a movie studio, where his instincts took over. The halls ran red with blood as he carved through guards, tearing apart anyone who stood between him and his target. When he reached the gangster, another obstacle appeared—a swordswoman named Snow. She moved inhumanly fast, studying his technique before teleporting herself and the gangster away. Zero was left standing in the carnage, his mind swimming with questions.

In between all of these, Zero found himself with an unusual visitor at his home, a young girl claiming to have been locked out by her parents. He’s unsure at first, but the two gradually bond, spending most of Zero’s free time together.

But the good times had to end, and Zero found himself on a new mission sent to a mansion. There he found the gangster again, and promptly went for the kill. However, an unexpected explosive would knock Zero out. He wakes up to discover himself captured, and gets executed by the gangster. However, using chronos, he managed to come back again and again, questioning his captor. Zero learns that the gangster's name is V, and that he knows what Chronos is. He even has Al-Qasim, one of the old managers of the Null project tied up with him. V kills Al-Qasim, and leaves Zero to be finished off. However Zero breaks out, and a high speed motorcycle chase occurs. Near the end, Zero has V cornered, but someone new shows up. Another Null by the name of fifteen, also known as the dragon. Fifteen mutilates V and kidnaps him, leaving Zero alone.

Upon telling his psychologist, Zero is immediately tasked with killing Fifteen. He tracks him down to Chinatown, where Fifteen is having a meeting with another Null called Headhunter. Zero tries to take them out, but a sudden swat invasion lets his targets escape. Zero is forced to slaughter his way out of the area, but the invasion is too much. He finds himself completely cornered, ready to give up. Then suddenly, the masked men appear. They offer Zero a choice, he can die then and now, or he can live for a price. Zero chooses to live, and all of the police force drop dead.

Next, Zero suddenly received a phone call offering him answers. On his own time he tracks down the source to an old Null training facility. There he meets Leon, another one of the men responsible for the Null program. Zero is put through test by test, while also being told the truth about the project. At the end he discovers Leon's body, still alive in a pod. But when Zero opens the pod, Leon rapidly ages and dies, forcing Zero to leave the scene.

The next morning, his nightmares became worse than ever. Something was wrong. He wasn’t just dreaming—he was remembering. He awoke to a new mission, another hit to carry out. This time, he was infiltrating a heavily guarded bunker. His mind was foggy, his instincts on autopilot. He went with it, assuming that he would find the regular weapons, cash, maybe even Chronos—that’s all he expected to find. Partway through, he encounters Headhunter, the woman from Chinatown. She was expecting him. She initially assumes he’s here for more of the drug, but when he denies it, she questions his true motives. Their battle was brutal, each strike driven by past encounters neither could fully remember. She taunted him, revealing the horrifying cycle they were trapped in. They had killed each other countless times before—over and over, Chronos resetting them each time. She assumed he had returned for another dose. But when he denied it, her curiosity shifted. Zero eventually gains the upper hand, using her own knife to detonate the explosives strapped to her. Severely wounded, she is left vulnerable, allowing Zero to behead her and use her head for the vault’s retina scan. Inside the vault, instead of weapons or Chronos, Zero finds a cowering family—Al-Qasim’s wife and child. As he approaches, his vision distorts, flashing back to a memory of a terrified boy in a shack. His perception shifts again, recognizing faces from his past. He hesitates. After a moment, he sheathed his sword and left the family alive.

Returning to the psychiatrist’s office, Zero demands answers. The psychiatrist is visibly shaken, but instead of explanations, he belittles Zero, calling him a junkie and dismissing his questions. Zero snaps. He attacks, pummeling the older man to the ground. The psychiatrist pleads, offers unlimited Chronos, but Zero doesn’t stop. As the doctor hurls one final insult—calling him subhuman—Zero kills him, smashing his skull in with a stone paperweight. With the room silent, Zero searches the office, finding a New Mecca government keycard and a dossier detailing his planned execution if he ever learned the truth. He takes every syringe of Chronos, injecting them all at once before stumbling out. Returning home, he finds his apartment broken into, police investigating the scene. A message is left for him on the wall: One Life for Another. The girl is gone. When he questions officers, they deny her existence, claiming there are no children in the Third District. Ignoring the police, Zero flees into the night. His only goal now?

Find her, no matter the cost…

“Zero signing in… Mission accomplished…”


The General

Once a retired brigadier general, the General found solace in his quiet life with his daughter. He lived a happy, simple life, only going out when necessary, playing games with her, drawing, playing on his harmonica and more. He was truly happy, finding peace in the world he had escaped from, or so he thought. One fateful day, while playing soldiers, his daughter entered their house to find something, and the General only truly remembers one thing. Over their walkie talkies, he overheard her read out one nightmarish phrase,


SANABI… 


their previous peace was shattered, screaming for his daughter to escape from her confinements, an explosion destroyed their home, claiming her life. Seventeen days of torment followed, during which he sought vengeance against the arms dealer linked to the sinister entity known as "Sanabi." His obsessive quest led him nowhere, only deepening his despair. Just when he believed all was lost, Colonel Baek, an old friend, contacted him with a vital mission centered on Mago City, a place now shrouded in mystery after its 2.97 million residents vanished, seemingly because of Sanabi's actions.


Amidst the ensuing chaos, a mysterious source sent out a distress signal, hinting at critical information regarding the blackout. Tasked with finding it and uncovering the truth, the general set off on a helicopter, only to crash land in Mago City, where he navigated the abandoned and deadly urban landscape, beset by automated defenses presumably hijacked by Sanabi. As he pressed on, a floating drone caught his attention; upon confronting it, he found it to be harmless, and followed it back to its owner. Following the drone led him to a hiding place, where a young computer scientist named Mari introduced herself, and there an uneasy alliance began. Their first challenge came swiftly when a massive mechanical worm attacked, forcing them to work together to survive. After defeating the creature, they discovered an electronic key that promised access to crucial secrets buried in the underground maintenance facilities. However, hope quickly turned to frustration when they found the executive offices of the Mago Group stripped of data. Mari inadvertently disclosed that she had fabricated her earlier claims about finding information, revealing her desperate bid for survival. The general, although irritated, couldn’t rid himself of the burgeoning bond between them. He insisted she leave for her safety, but she chose to stay, driven by an unyielding desire for the truth.


Their journey took a twist when they crossed paths with Justice, a mysterious vigilante. Mari's excitement at meeting her hero contrasted sharply with the general's distrust, leading to an chaotic confrontation that unveiled the unsettling truth: Justice was a collection of robotic copies, suggesting that technology might be wielding its powers in unexpected and dangerous ways. Dangers burgeoned as they infiltrated the central factory, where the automated Overseer became their latest adversary. The general steeled himself against the menace, narrowly escaping its grasp, only to be rescued by Mari, who piloted a stolen flying car to save him. Together, they hatched a plan to destroy the Overseer’s power core, but not without a fierce struggle against the factory's automated defenses. In a frantic race to the top of the city, tragedy struck when an accident left Mari unconscious and the general striving to save her while navigating the threats that lurked in the aftermath of their battles. As they pressed on, his suspicions about Mari began to grow—her behavior shifted, growing more secretive, which made him question whether she had her own hidden agenda in their intertwined quest.


As they boarded a hijacked flying train towards Sanabi’s lair, the weight of his past haunted him, fueling both his determination and doubts. The remnants of his past, filled with loss and haunted by the ghosts of war, blended with the challenges ahead. With each step deeper into the heart of Mago City, he fought not only for answers but also for the flicker of hope that had been reignited—both for himself and for the relationship forged amid the chaos with Mari. Together, they would face the darkness that loomed, determined to uncover the truth behind Sanabi and the fateful events that led to their current plight. But something was wrong. Mari became increasingly secretive, her demeanor shifting. When they reached the facility, the General was granted access to restricted areas—not because of any hack, but because the system recognized him. He rebooted a dormant computer, only to see the corpses around him for the first time. They had been there all along. Mago had hidden them from his perception. When he confronted Mari, she dismissed his concerns. Sanabi was in the basement, she insisted. The General pressed her for answers. She finally relented, revealing that Mago wasn’t just trying to destroy evidence. They were trying to erase him, but before he could respond, Major Song appeared. The General attempted to question her presence. She answered with a blade.

She easily overpowered him. Before she could finish him off, Mari intervened, threatening to kill herself if Song hurt him. Reluctantly, Song spared his life but threw him into an elevator, sending him down into the basement before apparently capturing Mari. The General crawled out of the wreckage and tumbled down a flight of stairs, only to see a vision of his daughter—running deeper into the basement. He staggered after her. Then, at the stairwell above, he saw another figure. Mari. Watching him. A choice. If he continued downward, he found only violence. Mago’s security forces were trying to overload the city’s reactor, planning to incinerate the entire city to erase their crimes. He slaughtered them, his mission burned into his mind. He saw his daughter again, standing before him, telling him the mission was complete. That it was time to shut down. The screen cut to black. But if he turned back—if he chose Mari—he found something far worse. Song was waiting for him. She looked at him with cold, calculating eyes and asked a single question: What are you? He tried to answer. She didn't understand. To her, he wasn't the General. He was something else. A machine. A thing. They fought, and even wounded, he won. But before he could process what it meant, Baek intervened. They shut him down. And in that darkness, the truth unraveled. He was not a man. He had been one, once. But Mago had taken him, stripped his mind, rewritten his purpose. Sanabi was never real. It was a mission. A goal and concept, that the sheer trauma his code was put through created, something as essential to the universe as gravity, that removing Sanabi would mean the complete destruction and erasure of the character. They could not program this, but they used this figure of Sanabi to ensure obedience through a feeling of vengeance and hatred. Mago had filled the city with thousands of Worker drones just like him, puppets waiting to be activated. They weren’t erasing him to cover a crime. They were erasing him to prevent a war. And Mari—she had never been dead. She had been fighting this entire time. Fighting for him. Trying to undo what Mago had done.

For the first time, the weight of his existence became clear. He wasn’t a soldier seeking revenge. He was a weapon aimed at whatever target Mago chose. His entire crusade against "Sanabi" had been a lie, a tool to ensure he followed their commands. And Mari—his daughter—hadn’t been dead. She had been fighting Mago this entire time, trying to undo the damage they had caused. She had even programmed one final command into him: stop Mago before they destroyed the city. The name "Sanabi" had never been an enemy. It had been his true mission all along. When faced with the choice to abandon Mari or confront what lay ahead, he made the only decision that mattered. He fought his way back, finding her in the heart of the city’s power facility. By then, the damage was done—the only way to prevent a catastrophic explosion was to disable the reactor from within, an act that would mean certain death. Mari, bitter and heartbroken, called him what he truly was: a replica, a mere imitation of the father she had lost. But as he played an old melody on his harmonica—one that only they would remember—her resolve broke. In the end, he did what the real General would have done. He told her he loved her, then walked into the reactor, knowing he would never return. His existence had been manufactured, his purpose stolen, but in that final moment, his choices were his own. 

And that, more than anything, made him real.

“If the end comes for everyone exactly the same… Getting to the end… Is not important…”


Intellect / Experience / Skill:

Subject Zero

Once an elite soldier deployed deep behind enemy lines for prolonged operations, Zero has honed his combat prowess to near-superhuman levels. His form of combat was stated to be Shinkage Ryu school of martial arts (stated by snow). Now a feared assassin with an unblemished record, he possesses the skill to dismantle entire military fortifications with nothing but his katana, even while suffering the debilitating effects of Chronos withdrawal. His ability to assess and react to threats is nearly unparalleled, allowing him to eliminate entire squads in seconds, move undetected through enemy compounds, and outmatch even the most advanced military forces. Despite efforts by his government handlers to keep him in the dark, Zero relentlessly pieces together the conspiracy behind the Chronos and NULL projects, operating entirely on his own instincts and intelligence. His precognitive abilities grant him insight beyond conventional means, allowing him to foresee countless possibilities in an instant and execute the precise actions needed to secure victory.


In battle, Zero is untouchable. NULL soldiers have been known to massacre entire villages and legions of armed combatants without hesitation, even while weakened, yet Zero stands above them all. Even when facing overwhelming numbers, he dispatches foes with surgical precision, adapting seamlessly to any threat. His combat style is defined by absolute control—each movement is measured, each strike is lethal, and each encounter is resolved before his enemies even realize what has happened. He triumphed over Headhunter despite her superior equipment and reinforcements, exploiting every flaw in her approach to dismantle her defenses. Against highly skilled enemies, Zero remains composed, using his uncanny ability to predict the flow of battle to dominate every confrontation.


As a Gamma NULL, his capabilities far exceed those of Alpha and Beta NULLs, who can only achieve a mere 7% to 13% success rate in Leon's skill test—whereas Zero completes it flawlessly every time. His efficiency is absolute, driven by his mastery of memory and movement. Zero’s greatest feat lies in his ability to memorize entire battlefields in a single glance. No matter the number of enemies, the complexity of their formations, or the dangers of traps, machines, and gunfire, he internalizes every variable and executes each movement with absolute perfection. His awareness extends beyond mere reaction time—he instinctively maps out every scenario before it unfolds, ensuring that he is never caught off guard. He navigates multi-leveled fortresses, weaving through deathtraps with an almost mechanical precision, never making a single unnecessary move. But Zero’s brilliance is not limited to combat alone. His ability to manipulate situations extends to psychological warfare, as demonstrated when he convinced V to spare him by exploiting the precise emotional and strategic angles necessary to shift the encounter in his favor.


The General

Being the General in the army, one can already assume that he has incredible levels of training under his belt. The General uses his Chain Arm, an armament that by itself is deemed as one of the most incredibly unique and difficult-to-use pieces of weaponry, so much so that The General is the only person to have ever used such levels of mastery. His combat prowess extends far beyond conventional weaponry, as he demonstrates exceptional close-quarters combat skills, effortlessly dismantling both human and robotic adversaries, including heavily armored mercenaries and elite automated forces. The General’s ability to adapt in battle is further highlighted by his tactical ingenuity, frequently using the environment to his advantage, such as manipulating industrial machinery or setting up elaborate traps to eliminate threats. This is evident in the case where he made the plan of jamming the Crane into the Crushers mouth completely on the fly, despite it being extremely risky.

His intelligence and experience are evident in his strategic decision-making, as he is capable of navigating a technologically advanced city filled with automated defenses, enemy drones, and powerful security systems. Despite having no prior knowledge of the situation within Mago City, he quickly assesses threats and formulates effective countermeasures, including hijacking enemy systems and utilizing their own technology against them. His ability to operate and manipulate advanced robotics—such as controlling worker drones identical to himself—further emphasizes his adaptability in high-stakes scenarios. Now, beyond that, he is not particularly tech savvy, which is important to note. While he has done some very intelligent things in the past, there are many times where he simply needs assistance from Mari. Though, that is nothing to scoff at, since the topics at hand would be extremely complex situations, and extremely well encrypted pieces of information.

Another important thing to note is that, despite the fact that his reality was ultimately fabricated and manipulated, the General was still able to uncover many of the secrets surrounding Sanabi through his own intelligence and deduction. Even though the entire situation was designed to mislead him, he consistently made the right moves, steadily closing in on the truth. While Mari guided him at times, many of his decisions were entirely his own, showcasing his ability to act as a highly capable and intuitive detective. What makes this even more impressive is that the odds were completely stacked against him—both physically and mentally. He was not only facing powerful enemies and overwhelming forces but was also unknowingly hindered by Mago's programming, which actively prevented him from perceiving reality as it truly was. His perception was deliberately filtered, blocking out humans, acts of violence, and other critical details, yet he still managed to piece together the puzzle through sheer determination and intellect.

Weapons & Equipment:

Subject Zero

Swords & Katanas

Just like the name says, katanas and blades are the staple of the game (on top of the drugs, time, and violence it brings). With that being said, there are multiple blades Zero can achieve across his journey, each one of them having different properties and capabilities, beyond what the others can do. These blades each have different ranges, strengths, and come with special powers. The table below includes each blade, along with a description and the specific powers it brings to Zero’s arsenal.


Blade

Name

Powers + Abilities

Prism Blade

Literally just colorful…

Sword of Masters

It can shoot out otherworldly beams of energy. Granted, this comes with a charge time and is not readily available at all moments.

Claymore KH Prototype

Increases the amount of damage that Zero does, overall just provides a damage amplification.

Phoenix Edge

Gives Zero potent levels of flames. It can create waves of fire that burn opponents on top of its regular blade functionality like the rest.

Savant Knife

The only one that cannot necessarily be called a sword. It has extremely short range compared to the rest, but provides Zero with an attack speed amplification.



The General

Chain Arm

The General has a sizable prosthetic arm with a hook-like claw attached to a retractable chain. The arm grants enhanced mobility, allowing the user to swing around effortlessly, and can also be used for combat. It is incredibly powerful, capable of ripping down solid metal doors and destroying machines far bigger than its user, and it is incredibly fast, able to deploy and reel its chain almost instantaneously. In order to mimic the General's abilities, Mago's Worker drones utilize a similar technology with a grappling arm, utilizing a metallic wire rather than a chain. Now with all that being said, IS THIS NOT THE COOLEST WEAPON OF ALL TIME!?!?? The chain arm has many different capabilities listed before, but to put it into more detail, it is able to of course, grapple around, extend, and latch onto things despite not having good grip capabilities (it pierces through solid steel and holds on like a hot knife through butter), it can pull General up to its contact point, and is very good defensively. Overall, it's like a Swiss army knife of all weapons. On top of that, the General can quickly fix it and does not feel any pain in the arm.

 


Neo-Data Blade

Although it may seem like just any other collectible item, seeing as it was made to promote an anime within the world of Sanabi. The General says to “put that toy away” but that is all shut down the moment when Mari tells him that it is a genuine hacking tool with a circuit penetration device. This blade is used to shut down an entire complex defense system in one go as seen above. It is small, has a retractable blade, but packs a massive punch on anything technological.


Powers & Abilities:

Subject Zero

NULL Physiology

Being a NULL, Zero is fitted with a hefty level of superhuman enhancements and training both from past experiences simply amplified, and new training regimens and capabilities after the augmentation. The project focused on creating supersoldiers fitted with the military grade substance called Chronos. While the main point of this task which led to the creation of the NULL’s was the use of Chronos, there is still quite a bit of things outside of those chronos capabilities. The abilities, excluding the obvious superhuman levels of strength, speed, and durability, can be found below,


  • Enhanced Senses: Zero has shown varying showings of enhanced senses, such as being able to battle in blinding fog while others simply cannot, he has also shown the ability to fight in complete darkness and other sense nullifying situations.


  • Instinctive Reaction: Was able to act and kill the Psychologist while sleeping.


  • Accelerated Development: NULL’s are able to develop at massively quickened rates through training when compared to any other person or being, whether it be improving strength, quickening up their speed, or more.


  • Information Analysis: Whether this comes from Chronos abilities or not is unclear but regardless, Zero is able to see things such as the fighting stance of enemies, allowing him to adapt and act accordingly.


Chronos Abilities

This military grade substance / drug, Chronos was infused into the very being of all NULL’s. It grants them incredible precognitive and time manipulating capabilities. While it does have its downfalls, it allows the user to complete varying tasks without much risk of death through their varying survivability options. This also grants users incredible intelligence and developmental advantages in many aspects, due to being able to repeat events as many times as they want, without surpassing their chemical capabilities. The full list of abilities granted can be found below,






Supernatural Willpower

Zero was able to fight Headhunter, and that battle in it of itself was considered a battle of willpower. The battle would have lasted forever if neither side gave up or was rendered so drained to the point where their Chronos levels physically would have failed them.


Military & Assassin Training

Being trained as a Soldier and Assassin, Zero has many tricks up his sleeves. He is extremely acrobatic, with his movement in-game pretty much solely consisting of flips, jumps, rolls, and other parkour techniques. He is also extremely stealthy, able to get kills without anyone noticing, and leaves essentially no tracks for people to find him. He is also skilled with vehicles, mainly the motorcycle, as he was able to out maneuver a helicopter while also deflecting gun fire.


Social Influencing/Manipulation

Zero is a master at using the information he gains from every precognition. Even without the use of Chronos, Zero is rather skilled in general manipulation and feigning, a prime example when he had to enter a hotel to get to his target, and essentially slight-of-tongue his way past the clerk (best girl btw). However, with the use of Chronos, things get… interesting. For starters, when bound and interrogated by V, Zero experienced a multitude of “deaths” during it. However, after enough run-throughs, he was able to get under V’s skin through memorizing basically everything V would say, and mocked him about how he would miss his date. He got under V’s skin so much so that V just gave up and tried to let Mr. Kissy face finish the job, which gave Zero the ample opportunity to escape.


Resistances

Here you will be able to find any and all resistances that the Subject Zero has across the game.



The General

Worker Physiology

Throughout the entirety of Sanabi, the General was under the impression that he was still the man he was before, that his life had never left, but in the end, all of that was taken from him. Right before the boss battle, Major Song states that “Advanced Combat Bots are targets of concern for their mere existence”, along with revealing the fact that this entire time, The General was nothing but a bot. However, the limiters placed on this bot were removed, filters, off, everything pointed back to one thing, could this have possibly been the true General? These specific workers were created and infused with the datafied personality and mind of the General after his passing, in order to test different scenarios and possibilities, this experiment went haywire. While going under analysis, the autonomous thinkin system they were equipped with was stated to be so complex, that it should not even be called AI, but rather a personality in it of itself. This particular bot was able to have its own will, breaking free from programming and orders it was given. Being a worker bot, there is a level of information analysis that comes with it, being able to target certain points of vulnerability and openings to attack as noted within gameplay. Not only this, but the bot is also incapable of showing restraint, or any forms of fear, regardless of the task at hand. The Workers in order to imitate the General to the highest capacity use a similar technology with a grappling arm, utilizing a metallic wire rather than a chain.


Supernatural Willpower

It is stated that the General quite literally will not, and cannot stop at anything. No matter how close he is to death, no matter how much fear he could be going through, he is incapable of stopping and will always continue to push through. Any given task, he will complete, no matter the stakes at hand, this is part of his programming.


Analytical Prediction

As stated above within the Worker Physiology section, the General has a level of analytical prediction under his belt. He is able to see and predict movements and where enemies are going to attack & emerge from, and he is also able to predict their range of motion, these can be seen within the Justice boss fight, along with the Crusher boss fight. Not only this, but the General is also able to see points of weakness and openings for attack. However, this does not work on enemies who have obstacles or strong shields in front of them of course.


Charged Dash

Later within the game, the General gains this new ability which is catered to opposition that have strong, fortified defenses. By spinning extremely quickly, he can alter his momentum and hurl himself towards opponents at full speed, without getting harmed at all. This destroys shields, and can also be used to knock back objects in any given direction. We can see this being used against particularly strong military technology, with them being destroyed nigh-instantly upon contact.


Swing Dash / Instant Acceleration

The General is able to dash, and enter into an intangible / invulnerable state whenever he dashes. This of course is on a very slight cool down, but whether you are swinging around in game, trying to move around quicker, the dash acts as a massive boost in speed and as a strong defensive capability. Now, this is not only limited to that, whenever the General is hit or harmed, he can use the dash as a reaction, getting him out of dangerous situations, and allowing him a moment of rest.


Resistances

Here you will be able to find any and all resistances that the General has across the game. Do note, this will be based on his Worker self, meaning some of these, while they would not exist when he was human, do work and function as a Worker bot.



Feats:

Subject Zero

Overall


Power


Speed


Durability


The General

Overall

  • Is generally stronger than the rest of the cast. 

  • Has been shown to be much more skilled than many, and is the only person to use a Chain Arm to his level of proficiency. 

  • Is the General of the army for a reason, no one else has reached that task before.

  • Consistently trains on high output training regimens, which are against the regulations placed by the government itself.


Power


Speed

  • Is able to dodge standard bullets (Assuming average bullet speeds for pistols through automatic rifles 200m/s - 1,200m/s, Mach 0.58 - Mach 3.49, Subsonic - Supersonic).

  • Moves faster than the eye can see (Minimum 34.3m/s, Mach 0.1, Subsonic).

  • Dodges Major Song’s bullets and blitzes her in the process (9833.2 m/s, Mach 28.6, High Hypersonic).

  • Has shown feats of laser timing (debatable; see Q&A section).


Durability

  • Took a C4 to the face and was still able to continue fighting Major Song.

  • Tanks explosions from the Firebirds missiles.

  • Quite literally hurls his body into solid metal heavily fortified machinery to destroy them.

  • Can and will continue fighting even on the brink of death.

  • Can take multiple hits from the Crusher (see Writ of Execution scaling).


Scaling:

Subject Zero

Other NULL’s

As mentioned many times before, Zero is a NULL, a powerful one at that. Many NULL’s during the process of which they are created, simply did not make it through the harsh, brutal experiments, but the few that did showed to surpass human expectations, and proved that not even physics can subdue them. The main NULL we can get scaling from is none other then Headhunter, who has been mentioned previously, but the others, Fifteen and (assuming that she is one through all the information given) Snow, can give us basic scaling for skill and such, but nothing noteworthy that Zero has not done himself. Regardless, let's get into some of the things that Headhunter can grant for us in a little bit of better detail,

  • Her bombs are able to pulverize the environment and other items (0.2184 tons of TNT, Small Building Level, Maximum Potential City Block Level [debatable; see Q&A section]).


The General

Kang Seon

Being the first boss of the game, you would expect him to not have much, would you? Well, surprisingly, the General can actually grab a lot from this fight. Within the battle itself, we gather a lot, first off, we see that Kang is astonished at the fact that General was able to dodge his beam, and later on in the fight, after Kang is defeated, we see that General quite literally beat him down to the point of shivering in fear. This of course being the first boss would naturally mean that General would highly upscale from anything he can do, and at the bare minimum, should, and does gain all the respective resistances and durabilities from Seon’s attacks. This includes any basic attacks and speed scaling, but also the gunheads laser beam, which you will find below.

  • Completely vaporizes the upper portion of a person's body (only leaving both legs since they were not hit), General is able to take these blasts like nothing (Assuming 70% of a complete regular person being incinerated, Low End [0.0476 tons of TNT, Wall Level] High End [0.0511 tons of TNT, Small Building]). 

  • Resistance to Extreme Heats by virtue of tanking the beams (1,800°F or 982.22°C)

  • Matches Kang in speed and blitzes him in the end. Seon is able to move very quickly across the boss arena (164.89 m/s, Mach 0.48, Subsonic).


Writ of Execution

One of the most iconic bosses in all of Sanabi. The Writ of Execution, also known as the Crusher, is a massive wormlike machine that was created in order to destroy buildings, regardless of their strong foundations or steel beams. Although we do not see the Crusher destroying buildings within the game itself, we do see absolutely demolishing other things, but before we get into that, how exactly does the General scale? On the surface, one may say the General would not scale to Writ of Execution in terms of Attack Potency, but first let's just get defense out of the way. We can directly scale the General in terms of Durability, as he is able to take multiple strong direct hits from the Crusher and continue fighting like new. Now while it can be contentious, this could also be applied to the Generals strength, as he was able to force a Crane down the mouth of the worm, and thus breaking the entire machine in two after hitting it with one final strong blow, so for this instance, we will be applying this scaling to both the Generals strength and durability.


Weaknesses:

Subject Zero

As any other drug withdrawal is, being depleted and getting away from Chronos is an extremely uncomfortable and somewhat painful process. Being away from Chronos for too long can cause extreme hallucinations, failure in precognition, and can even slow down time until the user is in a prison of their own thoughts and issues. Without having multiple doses a day, these symptoms can show up easily and quickly. If a Chronos user loses too much Chronos, they are unable to reset the universe, this is shown from Headhunter when she lost too much blood before death, rendering her abilities useless. Zero is also a diagnosed sociopath…


The General

Being a Worker bot, the general was stated to be incapable of showing any signs of fear or restraint. While this may seem like a good thing, this could also be a bad thing in many cases. Outside of this, there are no notable weaknesses for the Veteran, other than depression before Mari...


Questions & answers:

Laser Timing

The first and only question we have here is dealing with the lasers. As you saw in the feats for both combatants, laser timing is in play here, but what's the deal? Shouldn't they both be faster than light if they can dodge lasers? While in concept, yes, the lasers themselves are the speed of light, the circumstances and context behind the feats themselves cancel that out. The laser timing feat starts with the General from Kang Seon, the Gunhead. Right before the battle, we see that the General can dodge the laser, and Kang remains surprised and excited by the fact that he was able to do so. Now, the issue with this, and something similar that will come later on, aim dodging. We see that the General has already moved out of the way and that the laser's trajectory was already in place. While it seems like the movement is within the first frame, upon further inspection, this is false. The General takes roughly three frames to move out of the way, and we see him multiple times during and after the laser. The movement is not as clean as one would hope, and even within the gameplay itself, the same aim of dodging debunk stands. Moving forward to Zero, lasers will not be allowed for him either. First, we recognize the MFTL feats at hand, but upon further discussion and reviewing bits and pieces across content, we see that these characters cannot scale to the lasers themselves. Getting it out of the way, aim dodging is another factor for Katana Zero as well, every laser within the game comes with a crosshair and time that any player/character is able to utilize in order to move out of the way, rendering the dodging itself null for both heads. Following, as said before, characters, including nulls, simply should not scale to the lasers to begin with. This applies even in gameplay, with even Zero being unable to react to their movement speed. A specific example is lasers mounted to walls. They have a tiny delay before activation which is likely the first, non-lethal laser being tripped, as this sort of activation mechanism works in real life, and then the machine shooting a second laser - with this process not having any evidence for being Relativistic in nature. So, due to those reasons, neither combatant will be granted any sort of scaling to laser timing.


Extents of Chronos

While this is not really up for debate, this is still something we would like to cover. Chronos users have arguments for reaching infinite levels of speed, but this relies on faulty context. So while this is not really an argument that came up, we still have to cover it just to inform readers on the subject. As seen in the weaknesses section, Chronos can cause the user's perception of time to completely stop, trapping them in an infinite period of their thoughts and issues. The user can move around in these instances, but of course, this is only really their perception, they cannot necessarily move around at infinite levels of speed, and of course, this is in the weakness section for a reason. Depending on this for extreme levels of speed comes with the issue of relying on an instance that realistically will cause the death of the user no matter what the circumstance, so using it even with the logical, mathematical and contextual issues, is realistically impossible because of this factor. With that being said, of course, this is not going to be used. 


Higher Level Feats

To be blunt, both of these games are fairly low level in terms of sheer strength, meaning outliers are pretty easy to come by. Both of the games have possibilities of being much higher than what they are at right now, for example, the fact both of them have city block level feats, but both of these are insanely high compared to quite literally everything else that has come up for them. For these simple reasons, we think that it is best to leave these things out. Neither one of them really has the consistency on these levels to truly gain anything solid. Not to mention how both of the sources they get these higher level feats from are highly contentious, for example higher level building feats for the Crusher, or higher level calculations for the storage container feat, or explosions from the Headhunter. So, in short terms, neither will be getting their higher, inconsistent strength & durability feats.


Debate:


Part 1: STATS


Strength & Durability

Alright, so of course, this is slightly tough to pin down just through the nature of both sides not having much content to draw from, but the main battle here is Headhunter vs Writ of Execution. In terms of Zero’s strength, it's hard to say exactly since most of his direct feats do not get that far and wide, but with that being said, he is indeed able to hurt and kill Headhunter, who’s bombs were called to have a yield of 0.2184 Tons of TNT, getting her comfortably into Small Building levels of power. Of course, Headhunter is able to tank their own explosions, to a certain extent… Which perfectly leads us into the next point! Theres the argument of Zero tanking Headhunters suicide explosion, which consisted of 5 of these explosives, and presumably he took them up close (which would grant a 1.092 Tons of TNT), though after further review, this is very contentious to use in general. The overall spread of these explosives is mostly unknown, and the nature of this explosion is also very different in appearance to any other previous explosions. Regardless of this, we could place this in as a fairly high end of durability, but this would essentially do nothing in terms of strength, as the bombs would still be individually at the previous 0.2184 tons of TNT, which is the reasonable scale since this suicide attempt of course successfully killed Headhunter. There are other feats that one could bring into question, but none of them are really worth noting in the actual debate since they are way below anything for General. Now mentioning his name, where exactly would he get? Well first off, he falls into the same situation as Zero where most of his main strength and durability scaling comes from one source, in this case being the big silly worm, but even then, we would already be at a higher level of strength and durability. The Writ of Execution was able to completely pulverize a storage container filled with military grade combat robots, this was calculated to come out to 1.059 Tons of TNT, so what would this mean? The General is consistently able to take multiple hits from this machine, and shrug them off completely as well, along with being able to destroy the Worm, tearing it in two with the crane as well. So, it's safe to say that with this feat alone, General would get to a higher level of strength when compared to Zero, and at the absolute worst, they would be just about equal when using the 1.092 Tons of TNT for the Subject's durability. General of course also has multiple lesser feats, but none of them, similarly to Zero, are really worth noting here. So overall, it is safe to say that in terms of physical strength and durability, no matter what reasonable ends you give to Zero, at best he would get just equal to the veteran, or very very slightly higher, but wait, there's more!


As seen above, Zero has multiple different swords, one of them in particular that we must bring into question talking straight damage is of course the Claymore. Now, the exact percentage increase this grants to Zero is unknown, but it would still be a means to somewhat level the playing field in terms of strength. Now this is helpful, but we would still be giving this section to General, since in now way is there any reasonable argument to say that this grants about a 5x boost in strength, and this would also be reliant on a piece of gear which would limit Zero’s capabilities of using the rest of his weaponry, which could be useful later on, so in the end, General is overall stronger, and more durable then Subject Zero. We recognize that this could be twisted the other way based on how you pull different things around, but on a consistent level, General was always going to be at least slightly stronger and more durable, even with amps.


Speed

Oh buddy, here we go… Now, this is where the debate is sort of settled, but we will try to be as positive as we can possibly be! Of course, excluding the laser timing feats both have but being extremely contentious on both sides, we have hypersonic feats for both sides, except the issue is, one has a MHS+ calc, and the other, is stuck at High Hypersonic... You get the point… That is an over 39 times difference in speed. Now of course the slower one here is General, but he does have the argument of using analytical prediction to assist him in this gap, but of course, this would still require him to be at the very least somewhat similar to Zero in speed, and that simply is not possible. To really emphasize this, the MHS+ speeds Zero obtains comes from the slow down ability within the gameplay itself of Katana ZERO. The slowdown that, in lore, is Zero’s average perception of the world around him. Adding in that Zero is capable of swinging his sword, rolling, throwing items, etc all during these speeds, The General is gonna have a rough time keeping up, if keeping up at all. Zero is unimaginably fast here, and the General simply would not see him coming, but let's ignore this for the time being as we go through everything else shall we? There's still some cool stuff to cover regardless of that so bear with us please…


Miscellaneous

So this section will contain anything from stamina to their experience and such. So beginning with experience and skill, not much is actually known about either of these two’s backstories, but simply based off of what we do know, we can come to a fairly simple conclusion. For starters, both of these two have military training, but with that being said, the General, is well, a general! There are statements within the game exclaiming how he is a legend within the army, and how he led the military to victory, along with mentions of his chain arm. Both of them are also extremely skilled from the looks of it, but simply put, overall, we can only really go off of their experience since most of their other feats are similar if not exact, such as bullet deflecting, destroying a whole bunch of battle robots, other augmented people and more. Moving forward to the other key point, Stamina. While it is obvious that these two can fight on for extremely long periods of time, something to note is that, however rare it is, Zero can still wear out, and run empty on his Chronos supply, while on the other hand, The General with his worker physiology, does not need any form of sustenance in the ways Zero does. While this point is more or less minimal, it is a possible win condition for the veterans side.


Part 2: Arsenal & Powers


Weapons & Equipment

Now we get to the good stuff. For starters, it's clear that Zero's arsenal, while not all that, is still much more varied than what General has to offer. He has many more options with his different blades, putting aside effectiveness. That would be something to note for Zero; however, the quality of these blades versus the Chain Arm is entirely different. The chain arm gives General so many different counters; it outranges anything that Zero can output, and not only that, but the amount of mobility it would grant the user would make Zero's flips and acrobatics simply look like trash. Regardless of any other factors that could tip this in the other side's favor, this is still a good survivability option for the veteran, allowing him to maintain distance very well while dishing out necessary levels of damage. However, this is the only real point that can be brought up for this section, as anything else really has no place in this battle, so moving forward!


Battle of Willpower

This is an exciting battle; we must form undefeatable wills that act in opposing ways. One of them comes from the character's intrinsic physiology, this case being the General, where his programming literally will not and does not let him stop, no matter how close to death. On the other hand, Subject Zero's will comes straight from his heart, his will not to lose and to keep pushing. One could make the argument that this would go in favor of the General since not only does his being and personality share the same level of willpower Zero has, but he also has his programming, but even with that, it would not change the fact that these will stop at nothing. So, while this may not be that big of a factor inside the battle itself, it was still interesting to note down here. Now, let's get into the actual game-winning section, shall we?


Chronos…

As unfortunate as it may be, Chronos and its capabilities are simply far beyond anything that the General can do, or presumably will be able to do in the future, regarding his games and character's past. When we talk about precognitive abilities and analytical prediction, the General may appear impressive in many situations; however, his abilities pale in comparison to those of Zero. The comparison is akin to driving a cool sports car versus driving a Formula 1 car: one is still quite good, but it is nowhere near as efficient or powerful as the other. On top of that, this battle would likely be over before it even begins, as Zero would be able to see most, if not, ALL possible outcomes of the conflict and could continuously reset the scenario in the unlikely event that he finds himself on the losing end. Moreover, the only feasible counters that the General might have against Chronos would be impossible to execute since he has no knowledge of its existence or the precognitive abilities and time resets that come with it. Theoretically, the General could try to stall out Zero by surviving as long as possible, potentially depleting Zero's Chronos reserves to the point of withdrawal, which could grant him victory. However, the chances of that happening are slim to none due to the vast difference in speed and the aforementioned factors. Overall, Chronos acts as a "get-out-of-jail-free" card. But, let’s play a little Devil’s advocate for the sake of argument, shall we? 


Even assuming Zero can’t see all possibilities of the fight in a short time frame, the amount of outcomes a Chronos user can view in a short time frame is still staggering. For example, as mentioned by a war veteran of the Cromag War, a Chronos user was capable of memorizing an entire 52 deck of cards quick enough for it to be considered practically light work for a typical Chronos user. Memorizing the exact pattern of 52 individual factors that all had the chance to be something completely different than the last is, well… really good. Even assuming that this Chronos user simply guessed and learned a single card at a time, that is still bare minimum 52 memorized outcomes in the span of a single memorization game between two random guys. To really put this into perspective, imagine fighting someone who has ran through, memorized, calculated, and predicted the entire battle 52 times over. As you can imagine, this would be hell to contest against, as they now know basically any possible opening move you could take depending on their own actions. This is especially damaging for The General, as Zero getting all of this information before the real battle even happens allows him to process and learn any and all about The General’s more limited arsenal, particularly the Chain Arm. Nearly all of the Chain Arm’s use, tactics, limits, range, etc can all be seen and witnessed by Zero before The General even throws their first attack. This level of Chronos precognition isn’t inconsistent either. Zero himself was able to use Chronos to predict the outcome of a 50/50 betting game in the casino as a casual bout of Chronos usage. It’s also important to remember that, even at the lowest possible Chronos flowing through his system, Zero was capable of clearing an entire government bunker swarming with several armed guards and other security protocols. Only for at the very end to fight a fellow NULL, Headhunter, in which their Chronos abilities were more detrimental than anything since they would cancel the other’s precognition out. Safe to say, the true extent of Chronos is just… waaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy too much for The General to have any good way to negate. Under circumstances where speed is even, the General might have a chance to win, but as long as Chronos exists, he will not… With all of that in mind, let's conclude this battle once and for all!


Fanart & commissions:

Art by Honk (Commission him he's awesome!)


Summary:

Subject Zero

“I'm tied up, and you still want my approval…”


Advantages:

  • Could somewhat close the strength gap through Claymore

  • Can at the very best match in durability

  • Blitzes HARD no matter what ends are used

  • More versatile in terms of weaponry through blades

  • Far superior and effective analytical prediction

  • Can restart the fight at any point if he were to die

  • Chronos lets him play out the fight in his head nigh-indefinitely

  • Superior showings of stealth

  • Chronos… just Chronos…


Equal:

  • Equal in terms of Willpower

  • Both are limited in terms of range options

  • A frickin baller indie game


Disadvantages:

  • Butttt this relies on equipment that would limit his other weapons…

  • And this does not apply to durability…

  • Likely less experienced overall

  • More prone to psychological outbursts due to psychopathy & Chronos

  • While highly unlikely, it still is possible for him to go into Chronos withdrawal

  • Less mobile overall

  • Chronos…


The General

“I started this whole thing, it's time I put an end to it…”


Advantages:

  • A good bit stronger overall and more durable.

  • Likely more experienced and skilled in 1 on 1 combat

  • Far greater mobility through his Chain Arm

  • Mobility allows him to camp out Zero to a degree…

  • Likely better stamina through his Worker Physiology

  • Could theoretically deplete Zero’s Chronos levels

  • Far less likely to have psychological breakdowns

  • Is not a drug addict

  • Dad of the Year


Equal:

  • Equal levels of Willpower despite the differing natures

  • Both are limited in their ranged options

  • Also a frickin baller indie game


Disadvantages:

  • Gets BLITZED no matter what ends are used…

  • Far less versatile in terms of weaponry

  • Has no way to get around Chronos outside of outlasting it

  • Butttt has no way of knowing about Chronos in the first place…

  • Far less effective analytical prediction/precognition

  • Butttt has no ranged options to really take advantage of camping…

  • And Chronos withdrawal is highly unlikely…

  • Chronos… just Chronos…


While these two sides had a lot more to unpack then what one may think, this battle is nothing but clear cut. The General did have some bits and bobs up his sleeves, so much so that a good chunk of advantages went to him, but none of them compare to what Chronos and Zero can do. The fact is, the subject and his speed would be way too much, and not only that but, no matter what, Chronos always provided a way out and a way to win, while the General would constantly be playing catch up. So while he may be dad of the year, and be a legend in the eyes of many, but unfortunately today it's GAME OVER  for the Veteran. 


The winner is,

Subject ZERO…


Media & References:


Games

  • Katana Zero (2019)

  • Sanabi (2023)


Outside Sources


Wrap-up & NEXT TIME

Before we get into the next matchup, just want to give a big thanks to a couple people who helped out on the blog, those my fellow indie game king Spectral, a so called “Average Nerd” in ZeeOne, and your local transbian who wants to save the world for some reason Fenic! They all helped in their own ways and we would not be here without their assistance so a special thanks to all of them and of course, a special thanks to you the reader! I hope you enjoyed the blog and like we said in the beginning, there are real issues touched on within these games, and if you need the help, please reach out, there are so many people who are ready to assist you in any way possible. Though, with all of that being said, let's see what the cosmic arcade has in store for us next!





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