I think it's fine having a shallow villain in a game rife with villains who have deeper, more meaningful motives or history. Because if everyone is a deep villain, then no one is. Zenos needs to exist to represent someone in the opposite extreme, because let's face it, people like that do exist. People who are so driven by a single, solitary desire that they don't care about anything or anyone else. Shallow doesn't necessarily mean bad or boring. And his conversation with Jullus in Garlemald proves Zenos acknowledges that his motives are shallow, because he questions whether or not someone's actions matter if their motives align. Basically, do the ends justify the means if you agree with them? He knows most people don't agree with him, and he doesn't care.
I think the biggest mistake they did with Zenos was to bring him back to life in Stormblood while he had nothing else to do in the story. Shadowbringers then changed the focus on the First so there was no space for Zenos to get some sort of development and he was kinda left out. I did like however how they handled him in Endwalker, they fully embraced the fact that he was a shallow villain so they passed the role of main villain to Fandaniel and then to Meteion while he waited for his occasion. Once the story progresses and more things happen however the main cast gets tired of him and his hunt because they have their hands already full dealing with the Final Days and he start to understand that the WoL is not the same as him. The final cutscene that we get before his battle is what made me change opinion on this character and made me actually like him at least in Endwalker, he brings up a lot of valid points and even sort of breaks the fourth wall while saying that we enjoy finding strong enemies and beat them not only for duty because we are the hero but also for personal fulfillment (as a raider i felt called out there).
To me, Zenos is not that bad of a character. He's a more realistic villain than most as you'll encounter a ton of people in life that are just dicks just because they can and they don't have any deep story behind them, it's just the way they are. He's a good example of those people
He's a pure product of his life and culture, never attempting to be more because the life he was raised in made him numb to "higher causes". The end result of creating an empire with various noble pretenses, which was really just made to sow chaos in the world. As a child, he probably instinctfully picked up on how all the generals surrounding him had various motivations from bigotry, ambition, nobility and honor but despite all these different motivations, their actions always seemed to result in chaos for its own sake. He may have not known or cared that it was by intention, but the exposure to it as he grew up made him embrace violence for its own sake. The literal 4th generation product of Emet's work. its delicious ironic that Zenos and Fandaniel, two individuals profoundly influenced by seperate empires created by the Ascian's, ended up laying complete waste to their plans.
When I've played Endwalker I had a same feeling about Zenos. He was a shallow edgelord for me with his "edgebottom" friend Fandaniel. I was playing throught FF14 during 2021-2022 so I've started to play Endwalker right after Shadowbringers. And this two guys contrasted with Emet-Selch and Elidibus has literally no chances to shine. If 6.0 was some kind of separate story Zenos and Fandaniel could worked, but because of how great of a villians was 5.0 (Emet-Selch) and 5.1-.3 (Elidibus) are Endwalker antagonists have no chances.
i think having a shallow villain is fine, but usually they are very entertaining or charismatic or they do super evil shit in the game to make up for the fact that they are not a 'deep' villain like Emet-Selch or something. imo Zenos is just kinda boring and i felt like he didn't really do anything throughout endwalker and if you left him out completely it would have not changed the story at all. like what was the point of the whole bodyswap sequence in garlemald? was he just trolling for the lols? the WoL spends like 4 hours crawling across a frozen tundra and he still couldn't get anything done then he shows up at the end to act as a giant platform for the final boss and you have a stupid anime fist fight with him at the end. kinda feels like the writers were wrapping up the story with all the major players and then they were like 'oh shit zenos is still alive lol'
his pointlessness was infact the point. his single minded actions and hedonistic violence had made him insignificant in the grander scheme of things at that point in time and ironically denied him the satisfaction he sought. Its what let the Garlean soldier to grow past his own trauma when he realized that the man responsible for it all was largely irrelevant to his duty, his country and what he had to do for his nation. Also the body swap sequence provided an important lesson and experience to the WoL, that they are more than their power and blessing. By their will and effort alone denied of all power and ability, they can still overcome what comes their way, that it is the most important part of them to move forward.
I think it's fine having a shallow villain in a game rife with villains who have deeper, more meaningful motives or history. Because if everyone is a deep villain, then no one is. Zenos needs to exist to represent someone in the opposite extreme, because let's face it, people like that do exist. People who are so driven by a single, solitary desire that they don't care about anything or anyone else. Shallow doesn't necessarily mean bad or boring. And his conversation with Jullus in Garlemald proves Zenos acknowledges that his motives are shallow, because he questions whether or not someone's actions matter if their motives align. Basically, do the ends justify the means if you agree with them? He knows most people don't agree with him, and he doesn't care.
I think the biggest mistake they did with Zenos was to bring him back to life in Stormblood while he had nothing else to do in the story. Shadowbringers then changed the focus on the First so there was no space for Zenos to get some sort of development and he was kinda left out. I did like however how they handled him in Endwalker, they fully embraced the fact that he was a shallow villain so they passed the role of main villain to Fandaniel and then to Meteion while he waited for his occasion. Once the story progresses and more things happen however the main cast gets tired of him and his hunt because they have their hands already full dealing with the Final Days and he start to understand that the WoL is not the same as him. The final cutscene that we get before his battle is what made me change opinion on this character and made me actually like him at least in Endwalker, he brings up a lot of valid points and even sort of breaks the fourth wall while saying that we enjoy finding strong enemies and beat them not only for duty because we are the hero but also for personal fulfillment (as a raider i felt called out there).
Look forward to these man.
I kind of want him to be a villain that just can't stay dead and cause more problems; but not in a main antagonist way
@@fuadgamer9043 Zenos is blasting off again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *cachingke**
To me, Zenos is not that bad of a character. He's a more realistic villain than most as you'll encounter a ton of people in life that are just dicks just because they can and they don't have any deep story behind them, it's just the way they are. He's a good example of those people
He's a pure product of his life and culture, never attempting to be more because the life he was raised in made him numb to "higher causes". The end result of creating an empire with various noble pretenses, which was really just made to sow chaos in the world. As a child, he probably instinctfully picked up on how all the generals surrounding him had various motivations from bigotry, ambition, nobility and honor but despite all these different motivations, their actions always seemed to result in chaos for its own sake.
He may have not known or cared that it was by intention, but the exposure to it as he grew up made him embrace violence for its own sake. The literal 4th generation product of Emet's work.
its delicious ironic that Zenos and Fandaniel, two individuals profoundly influenced by seperate empires created by the Ascian's, ended up laying complete waste to their plans.
Anyone else get an ad every single minute on Xeno's vids?
Imagine all 28 were lalafells lol
When I've played Endwalker I had a same feeling about Zenos. He was a shallow edgelord for me with his "edgebottom" friend Fandaniel. I was playing throught FF14 during 2021-2022 so I've started to play Endwalker right after Shadowbringers. And this two guys contrasted with Emet-Selch and Elidibus has literally no chances to shine. If 6.0 was some kind of separate story Zenos and Fandaniel could worked, but because of how great of a villians was 5.0 (Emet-Selch) and 5.1-.3 (Elidibus) are Endwalker antagonists have no chances.
i think having a shallow villain is fine, but usually they are very entertaining or charismatic or they do super evil shit in the game to make up for the fact that they are not a 'deep' villain like Emet-Selch or something. imo Zenos is just kinda boring and i felt like he didn't really do anything throughout endwalker and if you left him out completely it would have not changed the story at all. like what was the point of the whole bodyswap sequence in garlemald? was he just trolling for the lols? the WoL spends like 4 hours crawling across a frozen tundra and he still couldn't get anything done
then he shows up at the end to act as a giant platform for the final boss and you have a stupid anime fist fight with him at the end. kinda feels like the writers were wrapping up the story with all the major players and then they were like 'oh shit zenos is still alive lol'
his pointlessness was infact the point. his single minded actions and hedonistic violence had made him insignificant in the grander scheme of things at that point in time and ironically denied him the satisfaction he sought. Its what let the Garlean soldier to grow past his own trauma when he realized that the man responsible for it all was largely irrelevant to his duty, his country and what he had to do for his nation.
Also the body swap sequence provided an important lesson and experience to the WoL, that they are more than their power and blessing. By their will and effort alone denied of all power and ability, they can still overcome what comes their way, that it is the most important part of them to move forward.