- "Nothing personal, but this isn't over until one of us is dead. This prison hungers for blood." —Before battle
Zeto the Butcher is a character in Octopath Traveler II and a miniboss in Hikari's Chapter 2.
Profile[]
Appearance[]
Zeto wears a green and brown tunic, a green headband, and has leather accents around his clothes. He wields a pair of razor claws as weapons.
Personality[]
Zeto is a calm and honorable man who cares deeply for his fellow comrades in arms, often calling them "brothers". He has a strong sense of integrity, not only laying his life down after being bested by Hikari, but also taking up arms to fight alongside him after he spared his life and saved him and his brothers from Borneau's arena.
Story[]
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(I don't think this is where I should be going at the moment...) The following section contains potential story spoilers! |
Zeto first appears in Hikari's Chapter 2, where he is set to be Hikari's penultimate opponent. While he holds no grudge toward the swordsman, Zeto states that in the arena, only one of them may walk out alive. Despite his best efforts, he is ultimately bested, and tells Hikari to finish him. However, against the wishes of both the audience and his bloodthirsty shadow self, Hikari refuses, enraging them both. Borneau then sends his personal warrior Bandelam to finish the job, but Hikari steps in and saves Zeto, offering himself as challenger instead. On the day of Hikari and Bandelam's duel, Zeto partakes in an uprising in the arena, holding Borneau and his men hostage. After Bandelam's defeat, Zeto is convinced by Hikari to let his grudges go and start anew. After being freed from the arena by Kazan, Zeto and his men decide to swear loyalty to Hikari, promising to fight alongside him to repay the debt they owe him.
Zeto reappears in Hikari's chapter 5, being one of the many warriors who decided to take up arms with the true king. After the battle is won, Zeto remains in Ku: Castle Town, helping the people rebuild and giving him and his brothers a new home.
Quotes[]
- "It is good to fight for a cause, Brother!" —In Castle Ku
- "I'll rebuild the castle, brick by brick. Just watch, Brother!" —In Ku: Castle Town
- "Lead the way!" —When recruited
- "Take care of yourself, Brother." —Parting Ways
- "Is it a duel you want, Brother? Then you shall have it!" —When Challenged
- "I shall protect my brothers from this beast!" —When Provoked
- "I wouldn't do that again if I were you." —Path Action failure
Gallery[]
.gif "OT2 Zeto the Butcher Battle (Unused).gif (29 KB)")
Etymology[]
"Zeto" is a Greek interjection (ζήτω, ancient pronunciation: zḗtō; modern pronunciation: zī́to), used to express the desire for someone to live. Zeto's name therefore reflects his nature as a survivor and his protective attitude toward those he deems "brothers."
Trivia[]
- Despite being a miniboss, Zeto uses a regular-sized NPC sprite during his Challenge duel with Hikari. An unused boss sprite remains in the game's code, and the reason for its being scrapped remains unknown. In his unused boss sprite sheet, early positions of his attack animation can be seen in a low prototype resolution.
- Zeto's name is pronounced two ways by the game's voice acting, with some NPCS pronouncing his name "ZEE-toh" and others pronouncing it "ZEH-toh."
- Prior to facing Hikari, Zeto held a streak of 22 consecutive arena victories.
- After Hikari's story is complete, Zeto can be found in Ku: Castle Town during the day or Castle Ku at night, working to rebuild a new life alongside the people of Ku.
- Zeto's biography reveals that he calls his comrades "brothers" because he failed to protect his real brothers from the ravages of war.
- During the Epilogue, Zeto can be seen complimenting Alpione on her "beautiful muscles."
- As a summonable NPC, Zeto has a strength of 6 and specializes in the skills Polearm Dance and Slowing Sweep.