Highlights
- Edens Zero surprises fans with its dark and grim undertones, featuring macabre scenes and traumatic backstories.
- Character deaths, including the main protagonist, and graphic scenes push the series to new serious depths.
- The series explores themes of trauma and despair through the characters' past experiences, emphasizing the dark and heavy tone.
Edens Zero is one of the latest shonen series on the block, authored by Hiro Mashima, the creator of the renowned show Fairy Tail. Since Mashima has reused many of the same themes from his previous works, viewers were expecting a similar light-hearted adventure series.
However, fans were caught by surprise with Edens Zero's dark and grim undertones, an aspect of the series that is becoming more and more apparent as it progresses. From macabre scenes to harrowing backstories, the series has set a precedent of keeping things dark and heavy. With the latest developments in the series, Edens Zero has proved that it is nothing like its predecessor, and things are about to go further south for the crew.
Character Deaths
One aspect of Mashima's previous works that put off a lot of his viewers was the lack of character deaths in his series. This pegged his narratives as low-stake and inconsequential since the threat of any character dying was little to none. In the case of Edens Zero, however, fans were taken by surprise when the death of Valkyrie was revealed. While Valkyrie was never formally introduced as a main character in the series, her profound backstory left fans in anticipation of her eventual introduction. The revelation of her death was truly surprising, but it also cemented Edens Zero as a show that takes itself seriously.
However, the series doesn't stop with its kill streak at Valkyrie as a few more deaths rock the show’s premise. One of these is the series' protagonist himself, Shiki Granbell. Shiki has been killed once at the hands of Drakken Joe, and that too in an extremely brutal manner. While he is eventually brought back through Rebecca's Cat Leaper power, the scene of his tragic death has been etched into the minds of the viewers.
Edens Zero has also revealed that Rebecca has died several times, though her powers saved her from her eternal demise every single time by creating an alternative timeline. Drakken Joe has also killed many characters, and while those were merely side-characters, it is still a step up from Mashima's previous no-death policy.
Macabre Scenes
Keeping up with the themes of dark and grim, Edens Zero features a number of graphic scenes. From severed limbs to crushed bodies, the series has pushed the macabre to its limits. Season 1 of the series had a few off-putting scenes such as Kurenai Kogetsu’s torturous antics on young male escorts. Season 2, on the other hand, amps up these undertones quite a bit with a few messy and unexpected scenes.
Fans had already been acquainted with Drakken Joe’s merciless nature, yet seeing it in action truly came as a surprise. Weisz’s screams of pain and agony after having his arm severed by one of Drakken’s henchmen was the first of many graphic scenes, followed by the scene of Shiki taking a bullet straight to his head. The scene left many in shock and horror as the outcome was nowhere near anyone’s expectations. The Foresta arc is also quite graphic as several scenes depict heaps of corpses piled up in the corner of the streets. These scenes represent the effects of Ziggy's plans, albeit on a much smaller scale.
Edens Zero has proven that the cosmos are filled with entities far crueler than Drakken Joe, and Poseidon Nero’s adoptive son, Shura, is one example. Unlike Drakken, the deranged heir to Nero’s empire kills without reason, ridding anyone he deems an inconvenience. His very first appearance is accompanied by him killing two escorts by reversing their gravity, watching them plunge to their deaths as they splatter into the ceiling. However, this was only the beginning of his depravity as countless more are bound to fall victim to his cruelty.
Traumatic Backstories
The series is no shirt of trauma and despair, though most of it is imbued in each character's backstory. While there are many characters that have undergone tragic incidents, Kleene and Jinn's backstories are arguably the most traumatic. Jinn had his limbs dismembered piece by piece, while Kleene was forced to watch the entire macabre scenario. Given Kleene's young age, her mind failed to process the incident, and she was stricken with an illness that barred her from feeling emotions.
Hermit's past is another contender for the most traumatic backstory in the entire series. Being held in captivity and tortured for almost two years by Dr. Muller broke her, resulting in Hermit plunging into depression and bearing an abhorrence for humanity. Weisz and Rebecca also went through treacherous times, fending for themselves as children. Weisz lost his mother at a young age and was forced to look after himself, while Rebecca was abandoned and had no one to look after her.
Elsie Crimson’s backstory is yet to be fully revealed, though the series has hinted at a possible tragedy that took place on her home planet. Despite being the princess of a powerful kingdom, she was embroiled in a tragedy that destroyed her kingdom and countless other nations. She was eventually found by Ziggy who took her in, though it is implied that she had undergone countless horrors before finding shelter within the Edens Zero. It seems that trauma and abuse are at the core of many backstories, making this a running theme for the series.
Edens Zero is available to stream on Crunchyroll.