X as a reflection of Zero: the dawn of a new system /thoughts
The more I think about X and Zero, the more they feel like two sides of the same coin, similar in some ways, yet complete opposites. Even their color palettes reflect that.
Zero’s palette feels more unsettling, it’s almost like a negative, with vibrant reds and blues clashing against black. It gives off this intense, chaotic energy, like a void filled with madness.
X’s world, on the other hand, isn’t just colorful, it’s vibrant against white. That contrast makes everything feel lighter, more hopeful, almost playful by comparison.
They have a lot in common, both are insanely powerful, both shook the world just by existing. But while Zero came from within the system and grew too strong for it to handle, X shows up out of nowhere, completely separate from all of that, and already beyond anything the system can control.
Zero's power was built on belief, trust from the public, from himself, from the system that created him. That trust is exactly what led to the system putting limits on every hero that followed. But X? Probably doesn’t rely on trust at all and, if he does, it's not as we know it. He’s not sponsored, not managed, not even explained. He just exists, fully formed, and impossibly powerful.
That’s what makes him so compelling.
If Zero was a god created by the system, X is a god that exists outside of it.
Zero was the reason they built walls.
X is the reason those walls might not hold.
Zero's story warned us of what happens when someone becomes too powerful to control.
X isn't a warning. He’s a disruption. He doesn’t ask for power. He is the power everyone else has to learn how to respond to.
This makes even more sense when we think about these words:
That explains X's role in the story. Establishing new systems involves pushing boundaries or disrupting the status quo. Someone has to break or bend previous rules to expose their flaws if change is ever to be considered.
So yeah, X is like mirror (quite literally) held up to everything the system was trying to avoid. A glitch in the design. A reflection of Zero and a reminder that even the best-laid rules can fall apart.
The word "reflection" isn't used only to imply that they share the same impact or power, even if the intentions and outcomes are different. It symbolizes how X's identity is shaped in opposition or response. He defies the system as he was made possible because of it's flaws. And in relation to the line:
A reflection can expose hidden truths or contradictions, showing how the past still defines the present, and that now he came to challenge the ideals or limits of, not only the System, but Zero's as well. By ultimately setting everyone free from the illusion, the shackles of Trust/Fear that binds them. Showing people how it is possible to become the New Type of hero.
What would this "New Type of Hero" even be?
We’re so used to hero stories being about a "normal" person gaining powers, becoming a hero, and learning to navigate this new reality. But what if TBHX is showing us the exact opposite? What if it’s a metaphor telling us that you can be just… human, and that’s what makes you an even greater hero? That our very idea of what it means to be a hero is inherently "twisted"? We, as people, can make anything come true as long as we put our mind and effort into it. The power of creation is our greatest weapon. In other words, TBHX is, through X, redefining what it means to be a hero.
The very trailer that shows X as the acting force behind every hero, literally in the spotlight, contains the lines:
Where "Born in ashes" can allude to something, or someone, emerging as a consequence of the past, such as The Dawnfall incident, being shaped from the ashes of what came before or as a product of the new system that arose from it. But it can also mean "I was born a commoner", since "from ashes" can mean "from nothing". In fact, this trailer was translated into other languages with exactly that connotation, hinting that X most likely is, or at least was, just a commoner. After all:
The mirror, reflection and disruption symbolisms are cleverly translated visually in this same trailer and others:
Zero is the past they tried to lock away.
X is the future they can’t predict.
What we are witnessing now is the dawn of new system. In a snap, one chapter ends and another one starts.
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The parallel between Nice and X is interesting. Both fixing the angle of something on their table...
And then, the only moments we see spirals in TBHX is with X and Nice. I made a post about the meaning of spirals and many other things HERE, if anyone's interested.
We believe that the incident that caused Nice to be in a downward spiral (intentional choice of words) has to do with Extro(Smile). And so, despite Extro being related to many other characters, we also know of his encounter with X. Could it be that fighting X made Extro go crazy, which led him to drive Nice mad too? It wouldn't be surprising if Nice had big admiration for Extro and after he went nuts it probably had an impact on Nice as well. We're yet to find out.
This is a stretch, but the only moments we see people's hands being depicted the following way towards a hero is with both Nice and X. Not to mention the color scheme, a mix of white and golden.
I don't know if it makes sense or if it means anything. I just find it curious. Also, in the ED, after X breaks "reality", and the heroes are falling, Lin Ling in the only one, or seems to be the only one, that isn't awake.
Extra thoughts:
We see these people going after X
I think the guy in the middle, as we saw before in X's video, could be related to Mr. Shang, who's none other than Treeman's CEO (another curious connection to Nice). Mr. Shang is doing his own thing trying to figure out what fear is while probably, like the other CEO's, chasing after information on X.
Regarding the other two characters, I have no idea who they are or if it's gonna be relevant. The last one could be the guy we see in Dragonboy's video? Not sure.
Extra thoughts 2:
There are so many possibilities as to who/what X actually is. After today's episode (14), it was made official that we are dealing with things foreign to Earth. This is not surprising at all, of course, especially considering the nature of Zero's power... I think his cosmic abilities weren't just for show, maybe he was the reason something that didn't belong to Earth ended up here. Or maybe it's not related to that incident. Regardless of what it is, we've seen depictions of X in space a few times:
And after Extro fought X he mentioned opening his eyes and suddenly he was in front of the moon.
These space related themes + Zero's "apocalypse day"
+ the look of X's apartment in the Hero Tower
+ the OP, ED and Nice's theme using space metaphors or being direct about "saving" the Earth, gives me the idea that X could really be the God of probability, i.e, life, i.e nature itself. Like a cycle of rebirth, things get destroyed and then are rebuilt, which is basically how nature works.
OP:
"Picture your planet in disharmony"
ED:
"follow a clue from space"
Paragon:
"It's so serene, the blue and green, from outer space
If we all could make it work, it could be such a happy place"
Idk, it's just something I often think about... It would be interesting if he was the embodiment of the universe making sure things would follow their natural course instead of having life and planets existence being dictated by people and their "destructive power". Maybe he's been around since the events with Zero, or even before that, and has now decided to take action because things might be getting out of hand, which could lead to another, or an even worse, blood bath(annihilation). Who knows...
Shen and Johnny:
Not to mention Shen's ability literally bringing life to the environment around him (flora) and Johnny being all friendly with the animals (fauna). Both leaning heavily towards environmental and wildlife protection.
Related to the line in Paragon:
"It's so serene, the blue and green, from outer space
If we all could make it work, it could be such a happy place"
is followed by
"We are much more than the sum of all our parts
So go and capture all their hearts"
The blue and green is Earth, and then when it mentions "capture all their hearts", I immediately think of the OP scene where we have the blue and green heart being released from the trust chains:
It shows the heart in other colors too, and I already mentioned why I think that is in another post, but it's just an interesting detail. Probably not an intentional parallel, but still cool.
I don’t talk about Queen that often, if ever. So now I’ve decided to pay a bit more attention to her, and a few things popped into my mind.
Queen’s ability is incredibly powerful. Her rules are literally capable of overthrowing Trust, even if only for a short time when the value gets high.
Remember when she made Firm Man literally kneel? I feel like I’ve overlooked that for so long. And while I sometimes read things like, "Too bad her rules aren’t strong enough against high Trust or Fear powers", I actually think that being able to contain them, even for just a few seconds, is already a huge feat. No?
Something I find funny is that, at first, I thought Mickey was her other dad. Like maybe Liu Zheng and Mickey were a couple because of her PV.
I mean… Tell me they don't exude gay couple aura: toxic dads / cute dad vs. bad dad / the soft journalist getting swayed by evil corporate / wicked, wealthy older man seducing a younger, beautiful journalist… sorry, I got carried away.
He says, "Jump forward! Be brave! Don’t worry, we’re here with you", in a scene where she jumps, and then suddenly starts falling. It’s a nice transition, yes, but I think there’s more to it. Her fall happening right after they reassure her that everything will be okay, followed by her saying, "I won’t trust anyone anymore. I don’t need to rely on anyone either. I’ll only believe in myself and the rules I set", makes me believe she realized very early on that they were more focused on turning her into a hero and developing her powers than actually caring about her wellbeing.
Then the PV ends with this:
Mickey is so unbelievably creepy, seriously. His face makes me just as uncomfortable as Yen's (Uncle Rock).
Intentionally or not, her dad put at least two children in the care of very, very toxic and suspicious people, first his own daughter, and later, Cyan. This parallel makes Queen and Cyan’s friendship all the more compelling.
Is Liu Zheng really just blindly trusting creeps, or is he actually ill-intentioned too? Man, it’s so sad. I mean, if he really is the masked man in Spotlight, it wouldn’t be surprising. Even if he’s not outright "evil", he’s definitely surrounded by it on all sides.
Mr. Shand has good reasons for choosing this body.
Could it be that the Black Clad Organization is to Shand what Spotlight is to Zheng/Micky?
I'll leave it at that for now.
There's always this possibility too... just saying
I thought it was a nice touch to add this coffee scene that parallels the X coffee scene.
Ah Sheng was from MG and Johnny was from FOMO. What the hell is going on... I always thought both had always been from DOS.
I'm speechless. BEAUTIFUL cinematography. The transitions were so so good. And the final sequence... Wow.
Also, they've been giving off couple vibes for more than 20 years now, jfc...
Why have an enemy when you can have a “friend” like Micky? He scares the hell out of me.
What’s even scarier is how silent he is about his plans. It actually contrasts with Rock’s manipulative behavior, because with Rock, it’s at least obvious. He doesn’t hide the fact that he’d do anything for power, even kill.
But Micky? He hides it all behind a calm posture and friendly smiles, while stabbing in the back someone he’s known his whole life. He even uses that person’s daughter to achieve his own ends. I mean, it looks like they were only friends in Liu Zheng’s eyes, because Micky has clearly been more interested in using Queen than anything else, from the time she was a child.
FINALLY another piece of the puzzle:
Shand is looking more troubled than usual, jfc. Did he spiral after his son's death?
My theory about what Shand is doing remains unchanged. He's using E-Soul's body to make fear troopers.
Last, but not least:
WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?????? NICEEEE??? IS DIRECTOR LI TRYING TO KILL ME? THE TEASEEEEEEE AAAAAAAAA.
I'll probably have a lot more to say soon. But for now that's all.
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I love the theory behind the hero cards and their connection to tarot card meanings, it makes a lot of sense.
But there’s something about the cards that’s been bugging me a little. If anyone understands it, please explain it to me.
Why is Ghostblade’s card the only one with different numbers in the bottom right and top left corners? All the other heroes have their number mirrored on both ends, except for him. And guess what? His card shows the number 4 (his own) and number 6 (Luo Li’s), and they do have something in common.
Also, is the World Earth Day celebrated on April 22nd because that's when the Downfall incident happened?
Only now I realized that at the end of the OP we see all the heroes that were once X. A few were X for more than a year, so the math makes sense. And in Queen's arc we learn that Bowa was the second female X, which makes sense too. The ginger lady in the OP is probably the first one. Then we have Johnny's dad, Extro, DJ Shindig, Bowa and two others that I don't know.
Starting from the first X -> E-Soul
Ending with the current X -> X
We also see Zero for a split second. At first I didn't know if it was meant to be like "yeah, everything you started has finally come to an end" and that's why he looks scared/surprised. Or if he was included here because he was also an X. But now I know that it wouldn't make sense, since E-Soul became X BECAUSE of his fight against Zero.
Look at him lol, pooping his pants fs.
His legacy lives. Whatever Fear and Trust are, I think the alien stuff all entered Earth because of him and his cosmic powers. So everything we're watching would be because of him, thus, making him an important character to this day, even if he is dead. IF he is dead, because we know by now that "being dead" doesn't mean much, since one can take/inherit/steal the power. One can still be present without living.
TBHX design (colors): A parallel between Nice and Yang Cheng and how it culminates with Lin Ling
This post was originally a comment that I made on THIS incredible post by @bibibbon. Their post shows a very interesting parallel between Nice and Yang Cheng story wise. But because I'm a sucker for design and colors, I couldn't help but notice a great parallel in their color pallets too. The reason why I'm posting it here separately is just because I like to have my thoughts organized. I intend to make a big post one day (after the show ends) connecting all of the color parallels in the show, but this post is about Nice/Yang Cheng.
Xia Qing wears white and green, and in episode 2, Moon’s casual outfit is also entirely white and green. Shang Chao is wearing yellow and black, the exact same colors as Wreck’s outfit. In other words, not only the trios’ dynamics is mirrored, but also their color palettes.
We can even stretch this further: Lin Ling(as Nice) wears a black shirt with white pants, then changes into his hero outfit, which is mainly white with some gold and blue. Yang Cheng starts with a white shirt and blue hoodie, then changes into his hero outfit, which is mainly black with blue and gold.
So, not only do they share the same four colors, but Nice drops the black while YC drops the white, almost like a Yin and Yang situation, where they’re complementary forces that are interdependent and inseparable.
This is especially fitting given how their stories were connected at the end of episode 4. And what's most curious is, what's the main colors for Lin Ling's outfit as The Commoner? Black and White.
@bibibbonon even added:
It's especially fitting that lin ling's outfit is mainly black, white, and gold. It's showing how both Nice AND Yang Cheng were the two forces that made Lin Ling the hero he is. OG Nice's death starting his hero journey and E-soul killing Moon, making him reach a climax for that journey.
