Dash of Anime

Also me: Or...we could make them suffer.

*cracks knuckles* Rambling alert, buckle up!

On the part of the Happy Hungry Bunch, their relationship with Zeno is one of family, primarily. He comes on as apparently just quirky comic relief, keeping things light-hearted with constant jokes and smiles and enthusiasm. He shows facets, pre chapter 100, of something deeper going on below the surface of his joviality, but manages to pretty effectively keep them distracted from thinking too much about it. So he goes from traveling companion to friend to brother (some jumping along that path faster than others). And then they see him getting viciously, brutally mauled, somehow survive, and then go on to do the mauling himself in chapter 100.

Zeno probably expects them to keep their distance - even if they’re dragon warriors and have seen some crazy things, he seems to find his condition off-putting and monstrous - he even had kept it hidden from his original brothers at the behest of the crimson dragon king. But the Happy Hungry Bunch immediately run to him and embrace him, terrified that they had seen their family member die repeatedly and not know if he was going to survive.

Now that they know of his true power, he’s still treated a lot like a younger brother most of the time - much to his frustration - although now with a side of them appealing to his knowledge at times. Because when he drops the third person and starts talking seriously, they know that they need to listening.

So, rambling aside: Happy Hungry Bunch primarily sees their relationship as that of a brother who is at times funny and deadly serious - and now one they have to protect at all costs because they’ve seen the lengths he’s willing to go to to keep them safe, and the thought of that pain for him terrifies them.

On Zeno’s side, it’s a tad more complicated.

He sees them as brothers, certainly. He sees them as children that he needs to protect, and as comrades that he can rely on. He sees Yona as his King, but also as family. But his ability to form relationships with them has been significantly affected by the years and years and years he’s spent traversing the world, alone.

I think that Zeno is one who cares very deeply, and that conversely, he’s learned over those centuries of being alone and depressed, that caring deeply hurts. He’s lost his original brothers, his King, the only woman he’s ever loved; and the good memories he shared with them are just a drop in the ocean that is the expanse of his entire life. So he feels removed from just having a simple relationship of family or friendship with the Happy Hungry Bunch, as much as he loves them.

Because those years of being alone, and watching how the world changes and stays the same have set him apart from other people. After watching how people interact, and events happen, and how the impact of people on those events can be extremely limited to the point of non-existent at times, I think Zeno feels like he’s separated from humanity in general, including the Happy Hungry Bunch. He’s seen so much that sometimes he just...goes with the flow. Not just because he’s an easygoing guy, but because he’s seen that most of the time all you can do is go with the flow. Heck, even when asked why he hadn’t revealed his powers earlier, he says that “because nothing changes whether or not you know.”

So, short(er) answer to the question: Zeno loves the Happy Hungry Bunch. He sees them as family, not just as descendants of his original family but as their own family unit. But he also feels incredibly separate from them at times with all the knowledge he has which he never wants to burden anyone else with.

Happy Hungry Bunch and Dark Dragon (about any given other member of their family): They’re so powerful and amazing and can face any obstacle and are stronger than I can ever think of being and I trust them.

Also HHB & DD towards their foes (about same given member of their family): I almost feel bad for you facing them, because you don’t stand a chance.

Zeno seems to have been getting more tense during the most recent arcs - everyone has, understandably, as the stakes having been getting higher, his brothers and Miss have been placed in greater danger several times, and as a man pushing 2017 years, he’s probably just overall exhausted.

But I have a head canon that there is an additional layer to his frustration - and it is that, for him, history is repeating itself.

Let me elaborate (ramble)...

I believe, at his core, Zeno is someone who wants most to help others. When he was approached by Ouryuu to become a dragon warrior, he didn’t hesitate to agree (even though he stated himself that he was no warrior or veteran) because he wanted the chance to make people happy.

So, being unable to help his fellow brothers and his king on the battlefield would have been incredibly frustrating. He did not have any knowledge of weapons or fighting, but would do what he could, even if it was just serving as a few additional layers of flesh and blood between any danger and the people he cared about.

It was understandable that the others wouldn’t want him in harm’s way, given that he was a weakling, but he still wanted to help.

But then he found out about his powers, and while they didn’t make him a strong warrior, healing faster would mean that the king and his brothers would be fine with him on the battlefield, right? Right?

He could be useful!

But somehow, despite more capable than ever of being a reliable human shield, Hiryuu forbade Zeno from shielding him. The king meant it to protect the Yellow Dragon, but his ways of trying to protect him just meant that Ouryuu Zeno had to discover the traumatizing truth on his own, alone.

And he also had a long, long time to stew on his own immortality and perceived disgusting “monstrousness” without someone else to temper it. His self-worth pickles in a brine of self-disgust, frustration, and depression for two thousand years.

But then, he sees the red star, and things start to click back into place.

Upon meeting his new master and her companions, he’s content to settle into his role as the new guy and the shield holder who apparently has no battle skills whatsoever. He had a long time to see how people reacted to his powers, and probably was none too eager to see their reactions - and it wouldn’t change anything in the long run. Meanwhile, he could protect them like he was supposed to.

And then the battle with Kai happens, and the truth comes out. Everyone sees the bloody, gory truth for themselves.

So...everyone knows his power. Everyone now knows that he is more than capable of being a shield for his master, and for everyone.

But once again, despite this information, NO ONE IS LETTING HIM DO IT.

It was easier to stomach being treating like the youngest sibling when he was the youngest sibling, and no one knew what he could survive. Now, everyone not only knows what his powers are, but who he truly is, and he has years of experience and practice and knowledge of the world based on a long time of observation more than they do.

So why don’t they think he is capable of being a shield?

Zeno is pretty smart, but I think he’s too blinded by his own low self-esteem (too many years of thinking himself a monster) to realize that everyone knows that he is more than capable in the battlefield - they just hate seeing him get hurt. They have seen it far more often then they can bear to.

I hope that in the oncoming arcs, they delve into this part a little with Zeno’s character - I want him to grow to see that he is not worthless, that he is in fact a person who is worth knowing, worth loving, worthwhile.

*sniffle*

I need to read some HHB shenanigans chapters, my heart hurts for this boy.

I especially enjoy it when it's not a matter of life and death (although man, can he be badass and self-sacrificial to a fault at those times), but instead when it's pure madcap zaniness.

Such as the "good candy incident."

Yoon is worrying because that's what mothers do, and Jae-Ha is trying to keep Kija, Shin-Ah, and Yona from self-destructing or camp-destructing.

And Zeno just...observes. Because of course he does. 😂

I see you just chilling and grinning, Zeno.

And after watching for a bit, Zeno just casually gets involved.

He doesn't lift a finger, he doesn't even look urgent about it. Just...calls him down to dinner. And it works!

And as for Yona, poor Yona...he knows exactly what to say to her.

And he is SAVAGE.

And I LOVE IT 😂

Well, at least he apologizes...kind of. Although I'm not sure how sorry he is, based on the "strongest female primate."

Anyway, this was supposed to be a well-worded look into how much I adore Zeno's ability to know so much about everyone, how to read a room, and how he is a delightful troll...but this happened instead. Oops, lol

Watching the Shirayuki-Kidnapped-in-Tanbarun arc again...I love Obi so much, it kills me that he won’t forgive himself.

But one of my favorite things about the arc, is that no one else even has to think about it. Zen doesn’t harangue him about “letting” Shirayuki get kidnapped, Shirayuki immediately worries about his safety even as she’s being taken away and as soon as she sees he’s not above ground with the others after fighting the pirates. Mitsuhide and Kiki think about him being on his own once they’re in the Lions’ Village. 

The most admonishment he gets is Zen smacking him on the head, and that’s played almost more for laughs than anything (Zen even laughs himself and starts teasing Obi) At no point in any of the episodes is there any drama about “Obi failed us.” Except from Obi himself... :(