Zato is probably the most emotionally complex character Guilty Gear has to offer, so to understand him better, it's almost necessary to go a bit further than others. Formerly the leader of a feared shadow organization known as the "Assassin's Guild", Zato was as ruthless as he was effective. He took lives for politicians, for state reps, for military leaders, and the only principle was to get the job done properly. He was well-respected by his servants, though, and his charisma made him hard to read. But one day, he took in a young girl named Millia Rage. He taught her the craft of killing, trained her to the absolute limit, and eventually fell in love with her when she became a full-fledged assassin as an adult. The two were an item for only a short while. Millia began yearning for a normal life, and Zato became obsessive in turn. Not wanting her to leave, he started twisting their relationship, trying to break her so she would remain subservient, but she instead lashed out and fled the Guild. Zato was furious, but in his position, he could only send out assassins to catch the "traitor". And his obsessions remained until his death. For a while, his living shadow "Eddie" controlled his body like a puppet, trying to find a new host before the body would rot away, but failed. A second chance came only when the genius doctor Faust did the impossible: reviving a dead man. Zato was verifiably alive and well - but only in body. As it turns out, once the soul departs, there's no getting it back, so Zato was ressurected without a soul. He still retainedd all of his memories, but none of the emotional connection to them. Unless it was about Millia. She stirred an unexplainable urge within him, and his now utterly pragmatic and logical mind was set on understanding this odd feeling. By the time of Guilty Gear Strive, Zato and Millia have more or less reconciled. Despite his lack of emotion, Zato understands that his greatest wish ALWAYS was to protect Millia. But with the dark obsessions no longer attached to this wish, Millia can live her life while he protects her from the shadows - except she's now the leader of the Assassin's Guild, using their influence to prevent conflicts and search for intel.
In the beginning, when you said it's like the vocals are like they're "separated". You hit the nail on the head. I believe the guitar in the beginning is supposed to represent Eddie (Zato's shadow), while the vocals themselves are Zato's remorse being drowned out by Eddie's chaotic nature.
At the end part where the guitar goes from chaotic to silence and then empowering the 2nd half of the end part would also mean how Eddie went from taking over Zato(the beginning part qhere its being drowned out by the guitar) to like a demon to purely being eddie puppeteering his corpse(the majority of the song) to eddie changing and wanting to support zato after their ressurection(the last part of the song where half way the guitar that represents Eddie empower the 2nd half of it, rather than trying to drown it out again) man i love this.
Something to keep in mind that even older gg fans are pretty quick to forget Zato was kind of a piece of shit in his first life. He was a socially estranged man for sure. He killed people for money, power and status and there are implications that he sexually groomed millia rage. Even considering the control eddie ( his shadow) had over him even beyond his own death, zato was not a good person. Hes definitely not the same person he was originally, but he needs to prove that and needs someone to help atone for what he's done. And he could not be luckier that that someone to be the one he cared about the most
This song is peak Guilty Gear. And a bit of context: The heavy parts is supposed to represent Eddie (the shadow monster) and the start and ending are Zato himself. Zato died and had his body controlled by Eddie for a while, then was revived back in control but unable to feel any emotion, the only person that can make him feel anything is Millia
While that's true both parts also represent their cooperation, the soft parts are zatos current existence and feelings for millia but also Eddie learning his lesson of when he acts as a parasite, dooming them both. You notice that even though zato can't emote whenever he would Eddie emotes for him now. And the heavy parts are eddies control and manipulation, the lust for power but also, the discord between them, that would eventually lose their soul and kill them both.
The best part of Zato's theme is that you're almost never going to hear the last part in-game. Rounds are too short, so unless you're playing BO5, or are in the training room, you just won't hear it. Dude make a fighting game track that will basically never be heard in-game and it's awesome.
@@shadlz1628yeah lowkey hate Baiken's theme in game for that. Its so quiet that the sound effects play over it and the time it really starts the match is over
For some context: Zato=1 is the former leader of the Assassin's Guild, who made a deal in a rite with a Forbidden Beast to have its power in exchange for his eyesight (that beast is Eddie, the black demonic mass that follows Zato around, and is often the origin of a lot of the lines referring to "dark" or "shadow"). Eddie and Zato used to have a toxic partnership that ended with Eddie possessing Zato and puppeteering him. When Zato's love, Millia Rage, goes rogue against the Assassin's Guild, Eddie uses Zato's body to hunt her down and try to kill her. Zato quite literally begs on his hands and knees for her life, and Millia is spared. When Zato full-on dies, and is subsequently brought back to life, he is done so with no emotions, and thus the lines "drowned in pain, I lost my mind, there's no good or bad in there" make sense; Zato has no concept of morality because his lack of emotions means a lack of empathy. However, Zato experiences one emotion after his resurrection, and he can't explain it to anybody. All that he knows is that he feels it when he is with Millia. The hard metal thrashing in LMCYW seems to show Zato's relationship with Eddie and their traumatic experiences together, hence his descent into hatred with Eddie seen in "Vanish into dark" referring his relying on the Beast. But, the lines that show his true emotions at the start and end of the song are his love for Millia, and how much he misses her. In the end, despite the fact that he "can't see anymore", the "darkness" from Eddie is "filled by the light" that comes from Millia. All he wants to do is be with her, even if it means he must be a tool for her to feel happy, thus why he says the titular "Let me carve your way", and promises his devotion to her, because, in his own words... "I'm a shadow, always with you". I love Zato=1.
Some of the lyrics have double meaning since Eddie is his own being. Like the "I'm a shadow, always with you" is Zato=1 to Millia, it's also Eddie to Zato=1 after his experience being tied to the corpse of Zato=1 in XX.
@@zetsumeinaito Yeah, this line also represents change in Eddie. After all, he previously puppeteered Zato but now realising that he actually felt of Zato as his only friend, he's scared of losing him again. So, instead of puppeteering him, Eddie helps Zato with all he can and allows him to use his power to the fullest freely
Also super hidden tidbit of the song, the final lyrics “I’m a shadow always with you” have the vocalist Aisha singing in the background as well, who is the vocalist for Love the subhuman self, the theme of Millia.
@@maxmanchik Yeah, Eddie's experiences/development in the XX games are cool and have been under-explored since. Basically iirc at one point Eddie realizes that because the only memories he has are Zato's, despite always struggling with him and wanting to be the one in control, once he was he couldn't really help but want the things that Zato wanted anyway.
Nothing hits harder than finally processing a breakup in the backroom of a 7-11 during a solo nightshift listening to this song and completely breaking down and passing out before waking up to barely get your duties done before your replacement and manager gets there 🙃
I like how the song starts off trying to pull off the love song lyrics, but it's drowned out by his angst and apathy, and only at the end when ZATO seems to be able to pull his thoughts together after the match does the original theme come through.
Glad Im. Jot the only one who deacribed the opening riff as "Filthy". The second brodge that leads into the chorus "I hope, I hope, thah its not the end of sorrow and joy" cracks me emotionally everytime. Overall this song is just a brilliant heavy piece.
Love how in the beginning his cries are being drowned in heavy guitar riffs And later in on gg strive songs they do a throwback to an earlier point in the song but much clearer
I dont know if someones already mentioned this, but the ending cant be heard in normal gameplay because the song is to long, almost as if zato is hiding that part of himself from not only the world around him but himself
If you'd like a recommendation of a pre-Strive song, both Holy Orders (Be Just Or Be Dead) and Diva are great. Holy Orders has actually had four (I think) versions, between the version from the first game, the second version from the X and XX games, the bizarro Holy Orders? that acts as Robo-Ky's theme, and the more orchestral Holy Orders III from 2: Overture and the Xrd games. Diva is from GG2: Overture.
If you'd like a recommendation of a pre-Strive song, both Holy Orders (Be Just Or Be Dead) and Diva are great. Holy Orders has actually had four (I think) versions, between the version from the first game, the second version from the X and XX games, the bizarro Holy Orders? that acts as Robo-Ky's theme, and the more orchestral Holy Orders III from 2: Overture and the Xrd games. Diva is from GG2: Overture.
You somehow slipped of my recommended lately so I’ve either missed or been late to your posts lately but I’m glad you’re keeping to the brilliant quality of your videos, anyway I’m glad you enjoyed this some as it’s personally one of my favourites just behind ino’s, looking forward to whatever you do next keep up the great work
I feel not enough people give enough credit to the singers as although the music is perfectly made and put together but I feel the singers tie it all together and add a level of soul to the song that not many other singers ever could
THERES A NEW ONE ABOUT STRIVE??? LETS GOOO. also it’s pronounced like, “Za-toe”( I think?). Can’t believe you reviewed two of the best (personal) best songs in the game
so, a funny fact about this song... when all we had of this song was the trailer version, pretty much everyone was kinda "eh" on it, because all we had was the chorus (and it was mixed a bit different)... it wasn't until the game came out and we heard the full song that everyone discovered that it was one of the best songs on the soundtrack, LOL
