Ask John: What’s the Significance of “Zero?”

Question:
I’ve noticed in Zoids New Century Zero and in Gundam Wing/Endless Waltz the most powerful mecha are ending in “zero.” Example: Liger Zero and Wing Zero. I’m wondering if there is any special meaning behind the word “zero” in a name?

Answer:
The word “zero” has several different connotations in Japan, and is used in several different ways. In the case of Gundam, the designation “Zero” may have something to do with Japanese military history. The Mitsubishi A6M fighter, also officially known as the “Carrier-Borne Fighter Type 0,” first commissioned and flown in 1940, was known to the Japanese as the “Zero-sen” or, especially to the Allies in WWII, the “Zero.” The name comes from the fact that the aircraft was commissioned into service in Japanese year 2600, “zero-sen.” During the early half of the war, the Japanese Zero was an unmatched terror of the skies and a source of great pride to the Japanese war effort. It’s very possible that this recollection of “zero” is employed in Gundam to subtly suggest superior military machines.

Much in the way Golgo 13’s name is supposed to invoke the unlucky number 13 and Dragonball Z is supposed to evoke a sense of the final and ultimate through the final letter of the alphabet, “Z,” zero can be said to signify to the Japanese a beginning or origin or new beginning. This could be said to relate to titles like Zoids Zero and Street Fighter Zero. The Zero also suggests nothingness or worthlessness, as in the Japanese live-action punk/action/zombie/anarchy/romance movie Wild Zero.