Smasher:ZeRo: Difference between revisions

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| winningsssb4  = ~$170,758.77
| winningsssb4  = ~$170,758.77
| winningspm    = ~$6,377.22
| winningspm    = ~$6,377.22
| skillssbm    = Top professional {{retired}}
| skillssbm    = Top professional <small>(retired)</small>
| skillssbb     = Top professional {{retired}}
| skillssbb       = Top professional <small>(retired)</small>
| skillssb4     = Top professional {{retired}}
| skillssb4       = Top professional <small>(retired)</small>
| skillpm       = Top professional {{retired}}
| skillpm         = Top professional <small>(retired)</small>
| alias        = PersistentBlade
| alias        = PersistentBlade
| realname      = {{iw|wikipedia|Gonzalo Barrios|eSports player}}
| realname      = {{iw|wikipedia|Gonzalo Barrios|eSports player}}

Revision as of 18:15, November 7, 2018

For other smashers with similar names, see Smasher:Zero.
ZeRo "PersistentBlade"
Tempo ZeRo.jpg
Character info
Smash 64 main Fox
Melee main Fox
Other Melee character Marth, Falco
Brawl main Meta Knight
Other Brawl character Ice Climbers, Fox, Snake
Smash 4 main Diddy Kong
Other Smash 4 characters Sheik, Lucina, Cloud, Captain Falcon, Fox
Project M mains Fox, Pit
Team info
Sponsor(s) Tempo Storm
Former sponsor(s) Team SoloMid
Crew(s) Leap of Faith
Former crews vVv Gaming, CLASH Tournaments
Rankings and results info
Winnings Super Smash Bros. Brawl ~$3,735.30
Super Smash Bros. 4 ~$170,758.77
Project M ~$6,377.22
Personal and other info
Real name Gonzalo Barrios
Birth date (age 29)
Location Chillán Chile
Miscellaneous info
Skill Super Smash Bros. Melee Top professional (retired)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Top professional (retired)
Super Smash Bros. 4 Top professional (retired)
Project M Top professional (retired)

ZeRo is a smasher from Chillán, Chile who currently resides in Chicago, Illinois.

He was considered the best Smash 4 player in the world throughout the game's entire competitive lifespan up until his retirement in January 2018. He was also considered the best Diddy Kong player in the world, the best Lucina player in the world when he actively used her, and was considered the best Sheik player in the world until summer 2016, when he relegated the character to a secondary in light of her nerfs. He also had strong Cloud and Captain Falcon secondaries, with his Captain Falcon often considered to be among the best in the world. ZeRo was formerly ranked at the 0 position on both the Chicago Smash 4 Power Rankings and SoCal Smash 4 Power Rankings, 1st on the New Jersey Smash 4 Power Rankings, and 1st on the Panda Global Rankings v4, and he has held the latter position for the first four of the rankings' iterations prior to his retirement.

With a combination of Diddy Kong and Sheik, he had a record of 56 consecutive tournament wins from the game's release on Wii U in November 2014 until MLG World Finals 2015 in October 2015, including nationals such as Apex 2015, CEO 2015, EVO 2015, Super Smash Con 2015, and The Big House 5. This is the longest such streak of any player in any Super Smash Bros. game.

ZeRo has also seen great success in other Smash games. He dominated the Chilean Brawl scene with his Meta Knight and rose to fame in the United States as a top player on All is Brawl. Due to consistently great tournament results such as 2nd at Apex 2014 and 1st at Rescue 2 and KTAR 9, he was considered to be one of the best players in the world in 2013 and 2014, and was ranked 3rd on the 2014 SSBBRank. In Melee, ZeRo mained Fox and played from 2007 to 2010, and again starting in 2014 after focusing on Brawl in between. After qualifying for MLG Anaheim 2014 and placing 17th at both CEO 2014 and EVO 2014, he was ranked 35th on the 2014 SSBMRank. He was also considered to be the best Project M player in the world during the 3.02 era in 2014, winning CEO 2014, Zenith 2014, GUTS 3, and The Big House 4 with a combination of Pit and Fox.

Due to his top professional success in multiple Smash games, ZeRo is widely considered to be one of the best overall Smash players of all time, along with Mew2King, Wizzrobe, Larry Lurr, and ESAM.

On January 12, 2018, ZeRo announced an indefinite hiatus from competitive Smash 4, citing disillusionment with the game and personal reasons. He has since shown a renewed interest in Melee, and is currently active on Netplay on Anther's Ladder. He also occasionally commentates for Smash 4, doing so at Midwest Mayhem 11 and Smash 'N' Splash 4 after his retirement. In addition, he regularly streams Smash 4, Melee, and various other games on his Twitch channel.

On November 7th 2018, ZeRo announced that Tempo Storm would replace TSM as his sponsor, and that, after almost a year, he would be coming out of retirement to compete in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Tournament History

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2006: Early Beginnings

ZeRo has been playing Smash since the release of Smash 64 in 1999, and has had "ZeRo" as his gamertag since 2005.

ZeRo began playing competitively in 2006 with Melee. Not much about his career during this time period is known until his first international tournament roughly 6 years later.

2012-2013: Climbing To Be One Of The Best in Brawl

ZeRo's first international tournament was Apex 2012, where he placed 17th in singles and 9th in doubles, teaming with Kadaj.

Shortly before Apex 2013, ZeRo arrived in the United States to attend XSmash, and shocked the world by winning the tournament, defeating top professionals such as Vinnie, Nairo, and Mew2King during his march to victory. At Apex 2013, he placed 9th in singles and 13th in doubles, teaming with quiKsilver. ZeRo's last tournament on the East Coast during his stay was Rescue 2, which he won after defeating Nairo in two consecutive sets during grand finals. A week later, he traveled to the Midwest to attend Outrage, which he won after defeating players such as Ally and Zinoto. Before leaving the United States to return to Chile, ZeRo was honorably ranked 2nd on the Tristate Brawl Power Rankings, behind Mew2King.

Later that year, ZeRo traveled to the United States in preparation for SKTAR 2. Here, ZeRo placed 4th in doubles, teaming with Ally, losing to Nakat and False in winners' semis and Nairo and ADHD in losers' semis. In singles, ZeRo got 1st seed in his bracket pool after defeating Atomsk in winners' finals. In winners' quarters, he lost to ADHD 1-2 in a close set, getting timed out and losing the percentage lead at the very last second of game 3. ZeRo then took out SKTAR champion Nairo 2-1 and ESAM 2-0 in losers' bracket before being eliminated by Nakat 1-2 in losers' quarters, placing 5th.

2014: Final Year Before Smash 4

ZeRo attended Apex 2014 five months later. He defeated Ally in winners' quarters before losing to ESAM 0-2 in winners' semis, and then proceeded to eliminate ADHD 2-1, Mew2King 2-0, and ESAM 3-0 in a rematch in losers' bracket, making it to grand finals against Nairo. ZeRo ultimately lost to Nairo 1-3 and placed 2nd in singles after some very close and exciting matches. He also placed 5th in doubles, teaming with Chibo, defeating several teams such as Nakat and False, and also almost defeating Nairo and ADHD.

ZeRo's next appearance was at the MLG sponsored Smash event Shuffle V in Columbus, Ohio. In Brawl singles, he placed 1st after defeating ADHD 2-0, Mew2King 2-1, and Vinnie 3-2 in winners finals. He lost to Vinnie 2-3 in the first set of grand finals, but still won the second set 3-1. ZeRo also placed 13th in Melee singles, 3rd in Melee doubles with Nintendude, 13th in Project M singles, and 1st in Project M doubles with Denti.

ZeRo would then travel to several qualifiers for the Melee event at MLG Anaheim 2014. At Fighters' Edge, he placed 5th in Melee singles and 2nd in Project M singles. At WHOBO MLG one week later, ZeRo placed 1st in Brawl singles, Project M singles, and Project M doubles with Denti. He also placed 2nd in Brawl doubles with Denti, and 4th in Melee singles.

ZeRo then attended SKTAR 3 the week after. In Brawl singles, he was knocked out of winners' bracket 1-2 by ADHD, and then eliminated Vex 2-0, Vinnie 2-1, and Ally 2-0, before being eliminated by Nairo 1-2, placing 4th. He placed 4th in Brawl doubles with Vex, 9th in Project M singles, and 1st in Project M doubles with Rolex, defeating Mew2King and Armada 3-2 in both winners' finals and grand finals. Lastly, ZeRo placed 9th in Melee singles, notably eliminating HugS and Darc in losers' bracket before losing to SFAT 0-2. This placement, coupled with ZeRo's placements at previous qualifiers, allowed him to qualify for the championship bracket at MLG Anaheim 2014. He also placed 5th in Melee doubles with s0ft.

ZeRo attended CEO 2014 one week later. At this tournament, he won Project M singles, defeating aMSa 2-0, ChuDat 2-0, and Wizzrobe 3-1 in winners' finals. He lost to Wizzrobe 0-3 in the first set of grand finals, but still won the second set 3-1. ZeRo also placed 2nd in Project M doubles with Mew2King, 17th in Melee singles, and 4th in Melee doubles with ESAM. ZeRo then attended Kings of Cali 4, where he placed 13th in Melee singles and 5th in Melee doubles with Westballz.

In Project M singles at Zenith 2014, ZeRo managed to win the tournament through losers' bracket after losing to NinjaLink 0-2 in the second round of winners' bracket. He defeated Jtails 2-0, DJ Nintendo 2-0, Rolex 2-1, Seagull Joe 2-0, NinjaLink 2-1 in a rematch, Mew2King 3-1, and Emukiller 3-0 to make it to grand finals. In grand finals, he defeated Junebug 3-1 in both sets. ZeRo also placed 1st in Project M doubles with Mew2King, defeating Rolex and Emukiller 3-0 in winners' finals and Junebug and Pink Fresh 3-1 in grand finals, 7th in Melee singles, losing to Zhu 0-2 in losers' top 8, and 2nd in Melee doubles with Axe, losing to Mew2King and Hax in winners' finals, and then defeating Zhu and Cactuar in a close set in losers' finals before losing to Mew2King and Hax again in grand finals.

2015-Early 2016: Breaking Records: 56-Streak and Undisputed Smash 4 Dominance

ZeRo was widely considered to be the best Smash 4 player in the world, winning numerous amounts of early Smash 4 national tournaments including Apex 2015, CEO 2015, and EVO 2015, often without losing a set. This amazing prowess was recognized in CEO, where $500 would be rewarded to any Smasher who could take a set off of ZeRo; however, he again successfully won the tournament without dropping down to losers bracket, defeating ESAM 3-1 in winners semis and Nairo 3-1 in both winners finals and grand finals. At EVO 2015, ZeRo defeated Ally and Abadango 2-0 in winners quarters and semis, and Nairo and Mr. R 3-0 in winners finals and grand finals, taking the tournament without losing a single game while switching back exclusively to Diddy Kong for his set against Mr. R.

ZeRo was also the winner of the promotional Super Smash Bros. for Wii U tournament held by Nintendo at E3 2014, playing as Zero Suit Samus against Hungrybox as Kirby in grand finals.

Although ZeRo hadn't entered a Melee tournament all through 2015, Armada drafted him for his crew in the FC Smash 15XR: Return crew battle. ZeRo faced Kalamazhu and was subsequently three stocked.

On August 1st, 2015, after a 43 tournament win streak, including winning EVO 2015 without dropping a game, ZeRo was signed on by Team SoloMid, being a free agent after resigning from Clash Tournaments in 2014.

At The Big House 5, ZeRo suffered a shocking loss in Round 2 Pools against Seagull Joe, leading many to believe that the undisputed #1 player would finally be defeated. However, ZeRo would end up easily going through the losers bracket, defeating MVD 2-0, StaticManny 2-0, Wizzrobe 2-0, Ally 3-0, ESAM 3-1, Zenyou 3-0, and Rayquaza07 3-1. Finally, he was put up against Anti in losers semifinals, but despite being down 2-1 against Anti's Mario, he brought it back in a very close set to win 3-2. After 3-0'ing Dabuz in losers finals, he would go on to face long time rival Nairo. ZeRo would 3-0 Nairo in the first set to cause a reset, after Nairo was playing secondaries in an attempt to avoid his ZSS being downloaded. In the second set of grand finals, with Nairo playing Zero Suit Samus, ZeRo was down 2-1 to Nairo, marking the second time in the tournament that he was just one game away from losing his streak. In the end, ZeRo brought it back once again, defeating Nairo 3-2, and completing one of the greatest losers bracket runs in Smash history.

ZeRo's huge winning streak was finally ended at MLG World Finals 2015, where Nairo beat him 3-2 and then 3-1 in grand finals.

At GENESIS 3, ZeRo solidly cruised through his round 1 pool without dropping a game. In his round 2 pool, he defeated Akiro 2-0 and Umeki 2-0 to advance to top 32, where he would go on to defeat Earth 3-1 and Mr. R 3-0 to qualify for top 8 in winners. In winners semis, ZeRo managed to defeat Dabuz 3-2 in a close set, advancing to winners finals against Ranai. In a highly anticipated match, ZeRo was able to defeat Ranai 3-2, advancing to Grand Finals, where he would again take a close 3-2 set against Dabuz to win the tournament.

ZeRo went on a hiatus due to personal medical issues, most importantly an injury in his middle finger, and could not attend many tournaments, most notably Pound 2016, as a result. This could be marked as the end of his dominance in the game as his return 2 months later was rocky as a result.

2016: Post-hiatus, Sudden Decline and Slow Resurgance

After initially dropping out of registration, ZeRo competed at Get On My Level 2016, the first tournament he has attended since 2GGT: EE Saga, as Zinoto was unable to attend and vacated his spot for ZeRo. Performing well up until winners quarters mostly using Diddy Kong over Sheik, Mew2King's Cloud defeated both of his characters in a 3-0 upset. However, ZeRo managed to advance to the loser's side of grand finals, defeating San 3-0 to get into top 8 and Mr. R 3-2 in losers eighths. In losers quarters, he fought MkLeo in a highly anticipated set which he won 3-2. He continued his losers run, defeating Nairo 3-0 in losers semis, and Larry Lurr 3-2 in losers finals. In grand finals, ZeRo lost to Ally 2-3, placing 2nd at the tournament with his sixth ever set loss, and only second ever tournament loss since his streak ended at MLG World Finals 2015.

The next few tournaments began a streak of losses for ZeRo, placing 2nd at three more tournaments after Get On My Level 2016, usually losing two sets in grand finals. He lost to Larry Lurr twice at 2GGT: Mexico Saga (2-3 both sets), ANTi twice at Wednesday Night Fights 2016 2.5 (1-3 and 0-3) and Ally twice at Smash 'N' Splash 2 (1-3 both sets).

He ended his short losing streak by defeating Nairo twice at Low Tier City 4 3-2 and 3-1 in winners finals and grand finals respectively.

However, ZeRo's losing streak began again and would last throughout the summer. ZeRo placed 9th at CEO 2016 after getting upset by Prince Ramen's Palutena 0-2 in winners semis of his pool and Larry Lurr 0-3 in losers, marking the first time he was eliminated before top 8. At WTFox 2, ZeRo placed 3rd, losing to Dabuz 2-3 in winners finals and Mr. R 1-3 in losers finals. At EVO 2016, ZeRo was upset again, this time by Mr.E. However, this time he managed to make top 8. He proceeded to defeat Larry Lurr, Abadango and VoiD all 2-0 but lost to Kameme 0-3 in losers finals, placing 3rd. However, ZeRo again placed outside of top 8 at Super Smash Con 2016, placing 13th after getting upset by Day 1-2 in winners and Ally 1-3 in losers.

Endgame would mark the beginning of ZeRo's return to dominance as he took the tournament. Though he lost to Mew2King 2-3 in winners finals, he beat Ally 3-1 in losers finals, marking his first win over him in 2016. He proceeded to defeat Mew2King 3-1 in both sets of grand finals, with a JV-3 stock in the final match. He attended Shine 2016 the following weekend and took the tournament without dropping a set, defeating ESAM 3-1 and 3-0 in winners finals and grand finals respectively.

After winning The Big House 6 , only losing to ANTi in winners finals 1-3 but 6-0'd him in grand finals, ZeRo would not attend another tournament until KTAR XIX which he solidly took. Winners finals pitted him against MkLeo in a rematch from Get On My Level 2016. ZeRo won the set 3-2 then beat Salem 3-1 in grand finals. He then won UGC Smash Open without dropping a single set, defeating Abadango 3-0 and 3-2 in winners finals and grand finals respectively. ZeRo was then invited to attend Smash City LA which he again won without dropping a set, defeating Larry Lurr 3-1 and 3-2 in winners finals and grand finals respectively.

However, his short winning streak ended at, ironically, his namesake tournament: 2GGT: ZeRo Saga where he lost to Ally 2-3 in winners quarters and MkLeo 0-3 in losers semis, placing 4th and perpetuating the 2GGT "saga curse".

2017: Securing Dominance During His Final Year

ZeRo's first tournament he attended in 2017 was 2GGC: GENESIS Saga. ZeRo solidly took his pools without dropping a single set, defeating KiraFlax and Saiki on the way. He made to top 8 after defeating Elegant and Mr.E, both 3-1 and defeated Zenyou in Winner Semis 3-2 in a close set. He then 3-0d VoiD in winners finals and took the tournament 3-1 over Komorikiri in grand finals, also qualifying him for the final 2GG Championships in December.

At GENESIS 4, ZeRo suffered a huge upset in round 2 pools, losing to Brood's Duck Hunt 1-2. However, ZeRo still managed to make top 32 losers after defeating Manny 2-0. ZeRo went through the losers bracket defeating Salem and Nairo both 3-2, ESAM 3-1 and VoiD 3-2 advancing to Top 8. He proceeded to defeat Dabuz (although it was later discovered that their set had accidentally been played with a launch rate of 0.9) and Mr. R 3-1 each and Captain Zack 3-0, but narrowly lost to Ally 2-3 in a very close set using Cloud in losers finals, placing 3rd.

ZeRo was invited to PAX Arena at PAX East 2017, where he took the tournament in a dominant fashion, defeating Larry Lurr 3-1 in winners finals and Dabuz 3-1 in grand finals.

At Frame Perfect Series 2, ZeRo solidly took his pools, not dropping a set and entering top 48 on winner's side. In top 48, he beat MVD 3-1 then both Captain Zack and MkLeo 3-0 each until falling to Kirihara 2-3 in winners finals. After defeating MkLeo again 3-0 in losers finals, he lost to Kirihara again 2-3 in grand finals, placing 2nd.

At 2GGC: Civil War, ZeRo lost to Xzax 1-2 in winners finals of his pool in a huge upset. He then lost to Luhtie 2-3 in losers in another upset, placing 49th, his lowest in his entire Smash Bros. career.

Despite the unprecedented loss, ZeRo would go on a short tournament winning streak, winning KTAR XX (defeating Tweek 3-1 in the second set of grand finals after initially losing the first set 2-3), Midwest Mayhem 8 (defeating Zinoto 3-1 and 3-0 after initially losing to Ned 2-3 in winners quarters), CEO Dreamland (defeating Mr. R 3-2), DreamHack Austin 2017 (defeating MkLeo 6-0 after initially losing to Ally 1-3 in winner semis) and Royal Flush (tournament) (defeating Mr. R 3-2 in the second set of grand finals after initially losing the first set 2-3).

At 2GGC: Greninja Saga, ZeRo solidly took his pools defeating ImHip 2-0 qualifying to winners top 32. However, he then lost to falln 2-3. After defeating Rich Brown and Lea 3-0 each, he lost to ANTi 2-3 in a close set, placing 9th.

At MomoCon 2017, ZeRo easily made top 8 winners side without dropping a single game, defeating Rango in winners finals of his pool. He defeated Mekos, Salem and Larry Lurr all 3-0, but lost to Nairo 1-3 in winners finals for the first time since MLG World Finals 2015. He then lost to Fatality 1-3 in losers finals, placing 3rd.

At Smash 'N' Splash 3, ZeRo made top 8 winner side without dropping a game, defeating Shel and MVD 3-0 each. He then defeated Tweek 3-0, but lost to Ally 0-3 in winners finals. He 3-0d Larry Lurr in loser finals then defeated Ally 3-1 and 3-2 in grand finals to take the tournament (using Diddy Kong instead of Lucina). Carrying this winning momentum, he won 2GGC: Nairo Saga the following weekend, not dropping a game to make top 8. In top 8, he defeated Nairo 3-0 in winners semis, MkLeo 3-2 in winners finals and Salem 3-2 in grand finals to win the tournament.

At CEO 2017, ZeRo made top 8 winners after defeating Zinoto 3-0. He then defeated KEN 3-2 in winners semis, Larry Lurr 3-0 in winners finals and MkLeo 3-1 in grand finals to take the tournament.

Following a win at Midwest Mayhem 9, ZeRo would have a temporary fallout, as he placed 2nd at 2GGC: ARMS Saga (losing to Dabuz 1-3 in winners finals and 0-3 in grand finals despite resetting the bracket 3-2), 2nd at EVO 2017 (losing to Salem 2-3 twice in grand finals) 9th at DreamHack Atlanta 2017 (losing to Samsora 2-3 in an upset in winners, then Nairo 2-3 in losers), 2nd at Low Tier City 5 (losing to Mistake 1-2 in an upset in winners quarters, then Tweek 1-3 in grand finals), and 2nd at Super Smash Con 2017 (losing 2-3 twice to Nairo in grand finals).

Despite his recent losses, ZeRo managed to win 2GGC: SCR Saga in a dominant fashion, defeating Larry Lurr 3-0 in winners finals and MkLeo 3-2 in grand finals. Continuing this success, he defended his title at Shine 2017, defeating Nairo 3-1 in winners finals, and Tweek 3-1 in grand finals.

ZeRo was invited to PAX Arena at PAX West 2017 where he won the tournament in a dominant fashion, winning every set in his round robin pool (only dropping one game to Ally) to be seeded in winners semis of top 8, then defeating Salem 3-2 and Nairo 3-0 in both winners finals and grand finals.

At GameTyrant Expo 2017, ZeRo was upset by Darkshad 1-2 in his pool, entering top 48 losers side. He went through the bracket, defeating Z and CaptainZack 3-0 each, then Tweek 3-1, Raito 3-0 and qualified to Top 8 losers after defeating Salem 3-1. ZeRo then defeated Darkshad 3-0 in a runback, ANTi 3-1 in losers quarters, Larry Lurr 3-0 in losers semis but lost to MkLeo (using Meta Knight) 1-3 in losers finals for the first time since 2GGT: ZeRo Saga, placing 3rd.

At The Big House 7, ZeRo solidly took his pools and made top 32 winners after defeating Umeki 2-0. In top 32 he was upset by Cosmos 0-3 and sent to the losers side. ZeRo however went through the bracket defeating Javi and Zinoto both 3-0, then qualified for top 8 losers after narrowly defeating Nairo 3-2. He beat Larry Lurr and Salem 3-1 each, but lost to Marss 0-3 in losers semis, placing 4th.

At 2GGC: MkLeo Saga ZeRo solidly took his pools without dropping a single game defeating Kameme 2-0 on the way. In Top 32 he was upset by WaDi 1-3 and sent to the losers bracket. He went through the losers bracket defeating HIKARU 3-1 but narrowly lost to Mr.R 2-3 in a close set placing 13th.

At the 2GG Championship, ZeRo solidly won in his group, defeating Elegant 3-1, Larry Lurr 3-2 and Fatality 3-0 to qualify for the championship bracket. In winners quarters, he defeated Dabuz 3-0 but fell to MkLeo 0-3 in winners semis. ZeRo however managed to make it out of the losers side, defeating KEN and Dabuz both 3-0 and Salem 3-1 in losers finals. In Grand Finals ZeRo did a bracket reset to MkLeo 3-2 in an extremely close set but lost in the second set 1-3 placing 2nd.

ZeRo was invited to attend Smash 4 Boot Camp where after winning to MVD and VoiD both 2-1, he lost to Larry Lurr 0-2 and qualifying to the Top 16 losers. ZeRo however went through the losers bracket defeating Elegant, Tweek both 3-0, Cosmos 3-2, Light 3-1 but lost to Salem 0-3 placing 4th.

2018: Retirement and Smash Invitational 2018

On January 12, 2018, ZeRo announced via a tweet[1] that he would no longer be competing in Smash 4 tournaments, in order to focus on other life goals. In said tweet, ZeRo said he would return to competitive Smash when a new trend surfaces on the Smash scene. Since his retirement, ZeRo has commentated for the Top 8's of Midwest Mayhem 11 and Smash 'N' Splash 4. On April 14, he released an update video [2] addressing his satisfaction with his retirement, and said his days as a full-time competitor were very unlikely to be revived, even with the new game being announced the month prior. He did, however, express interest in creating content with the new smash iteration, including tutorials and stream highlights.

On May 9, 2018, ZeRo was revealed to be one of the players invited to Nintendo's invitational for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at E3 2018, expressing in a tweet[3] that he would be coming out of retirement solely for the tournament. At the Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018, ZeRo first teamed with Armada and defeated Abadango & Plup with Mario to advance to winner semis. ZeRo then beat Armada's Pokemon Trainer with Ike to advance to winners finals, where he faced MkLeo. ZeRo clutched out the match with Sheik over MkLeo's Solid Snake to move on to grand finals, which was best of 3. ZeRo would face MkLeo again but this time he lost 0-2 in the first set to MkLeo's Bayonetta and Sonic. However, ZeRo managed to win 2-1 in the second set with Mario over MkLeo's Sonic to take his second invitational win, defending his title from E3 2014.

On November 7, 2018, ZeRo announced that he was signed by Tempo Storm and would be coming out of retirement to compete in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.[4]

Playstyle

Across all Smash games, ZeRo is a very methodical and theoretical player, focusing on having solid fundamentals and a commanding neutral game that can allow him to completely control the match after one mistake from his opponents. Due to this, he is considered to have the strongest neutral game in the world in Smash 4, and is one of the most adaptive players in all games. He is known to memorize percents, setups, and any other info that can improve his gameplay. In Smash 4, his playstyle varies depending on whom he is facing. At times, ZeRo plays very proactively, inducing pressure on his opponents with precise hits, simple but effective punishes, and strong stage control. At other times, ZeRo plays more reactively and will not approach at all, preferring to camp most of the time and bait out mistakes from his opponent. In Melee, ZeRo plays very defensively overall, preferring to camp opponents with Fox's Blaster and only approach when provoked to in the beginning of the set. This is to gain information on the opponent so that he can adjust his playstyle according to the habits that he picks up from his opponents during the course of the match.

In addition, his ledge pressure is very overwhelming, often being able to inflict large amounts of percent while the opponent is trying to recover or even kill early. His spacing in these interactions also makes it very difficult for his opponents to attempt a reverse edge guard.

However, ZeRo's tendency to resort to defensive play can hurt him sometimes, as he will play too safely and will not go for kill confirms on the verge of overextending. Although he is one of the most adaptive players across the span of a set, he can still struggle to bring back a set where his opponent has overwhelmed him, which is more prevalent in Melee where the micro-adaptations that are necessary within a game are far more emphasized.

Tournament placings

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Tournament Date 1v1 Placement 2v2 Placement Partner
Torneo Nacional 2 January 8th-9th, 2011 1st 1st Iori
Torneo Hawaiano February 19th, 2011 1st
Showdown II July 23rd, 2011 1st 1st Nekokatsu
The Spirit of Smash Tournament August 20th, 2011 1st
Tujo pasó Agosto 2011 iiiiesh! August 27th, 2011 1st
The Hedgehog's Lair September 10th, 2011 1st
Showdown III October 29th, 2011 1st 1st Nekokatsu
PQDD November 19th, 2011 1st
Tujo Express November 26th, 2011 1st
Apex 2012 Practice Round Robin December 31st, 2011 1st
Apex 2012 January 6th-8th, 2012 17th 9th Kadaj
Winter Shore Smashing January 14th, 2012 1st
Tujo Brawler January 21st, 2012 1st
Ryuuko's Got Talent April 21st, 2012 1st
Por eso la gente se va May 19th, 2012 1st
Neko Empire 3 June 16th, 2012 1st
Karma Invierno August 4th, 2012 1st
FrikiGen Con 3 August 25th, 2012 1st
Neko's Ranch or Empire? August 31st, 2012 1st
Torneo Dominguero del Rollo September 16th, 2012 1st
Neko's Fonda September 21st, 2012 1st
Neko Strikes Back! October 13th, 2012 1st
Forever [Censored] Slowpoke Turnament 2 November 3rd, 2012 1st
Haru wa Yakusoku November 10th, 2012 1st
My Waifu Asuna November 17th, 2012 1st
XSmash December 22nd, 2012 1st 4th Dabuz
Uprise 11 December 29th, 2012 2nd 2nd Anti
Collision VI January 5th, 2013 7th 3rd quiKsilver
United 1 January 6th, 2013 2nd 3rd quiKsilver
Apex 2013 January 11th-13th, 2013 9th 13th quiKsilver
Sa2vation January 26th, 2013 1st 2nd Tantalus
KOTC February 2nd, 2013 1st
E4U: Remix 3 February 9th, 2013 1st 1st FOW
Xanadu Games Harlem Shake Edition February 23rd, 2013 3rd 1st ESAM
Winter Brawl 7 February 23rd-24th, 2013 3rd
Rescue 2 March 2nd, 2013 1st 3rd Chibo
Outrage March 9th, 2013 1st 1st Ally
René Descartes Tournament March 16th, 2013 1st 1st Megu
Boku no Tournament May 4th, 2013 1st 1st Kross
Erizo con Tuberculosis Tournament May 25th, 2013 1st Rody
La Pocilga de los Pikmins III July 6th, 2013 1st 1st Rody
Shockwave July 20th, 2013 1st 1st Anti
Rescue 3 July 27th, 2013 1st 3rd Chibo
SKTAR 2 August 3rd-4th, 2013 5th 4th Ally
El Torneo de la Fa August 10th, 2013 1st 4th Megu
La Fonda del Warén Tournament September 19th, 2013 1st 1st Nekokatsu
La Jefa Me Dio Permiso Tournament September 21st, 2013 1st 1st Snake
Showdown IV October 26th, 2013 1st 1st Snake
Smashacre Frostbite December 7th-8th, 2013 5th
Thanks for Playing 4 December 21st, 2013 1st
Seagull Joe's Bad Karma @ Xanadu Games December 22nd, 2013 1st
KTAR 8 December 28th, 2013 2nd 3rd Salem
Smash Factor 2 January 3rd-5th, 2014 1st 1st Mew2King
Forest Temple January 11th, 2014 1st 1st FOW
Apex 2014 January 17th-19th, 2014 2nd 5th Chibo
Shuffle V February 22nd-23rd, 2014 1st 7th Chibo
First Date March 1st, 2014 1st 1st Izumi
Collision 9 March 15th, 2014 1st 2nd Vex Kasrani
KTAR 9 March 22nd, 2014 1st 3rd Seagull Joe
Smash Brothers University 2.5 April 12th-13th, 2014 1st
WHOBO MLG May 3rd-4th, 2014 1st 2nd Denti
Hitbox Arena Warm-Up Welcome May 10th, 2014 1st
Smash @ Xanadu Tuesday 5/13 May 13th, 2014 1st
Super Smash Sundays East Coast # 4 May 18th, 2014 2nd
SKTAR 3 May 31st-June 1st, 2014 4th 4th Vex Kasrani
Salt Lake Comic Con September 4th-6th, 2014 1st
GUTS 3 September 19th-21st, 2014 1st

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Tournament Date 1v1 Placement 2v2 Placement Partner
Thanks for Playing 4 December 21st, 2013 5th
Seagull Joe's Bad Karma @ Xanadu Games December 22nd, 2013 7th
AGDQ 2014 January 5th-11th, 2014 4th
Shuffle V February 22nd-23rd, 2014 13th 3rd Nintendude
First Date March 1st, 2014 5th
Revival of Melee 7 March 8th-9th, 2014 17th 9th Vex Kasrani
Collision 9 March 15th, 2014 3rd 1st Mew2King
Game Over VII March 18th, 2014 5th
KTAR 9 March 22nd, 2014 7th 1st Mew2King
Xanadu Legends April 5th, 2014 4th 2nd Bones
Smash Brothers University 2.5 April 12th-13th, 2014 7th
Fighters' Edge April 26th-27th, 2014 5th
WHOBO MLG May 3rd-4th, 2014 4th
Smash @ Xanadu Tuesday 5/13 May 13th, 2014 2nd
Super Smash Sundays East Coast # 4 May 18th, 2014 1st
Smash @ Xanadu Tuesday 5/20 May 20th, 2014 3rd
Pat's House 2 May 24th-25th, 2014 17th 7th Westballz
SKTAR 3 May 31st-June 1st, 2014 9th 5th s0ft
Mayhem 6-7-2014 June 7th, 2014 7th 3rd DEHF
SSS Lock-In June 14th-15th, 2014 9th 3rd S2J
MLG Anaheim 2014 June 20th-22nd, 2014 17th 13th DEHF
CEO 2014 June 27th-29th, 2014 17th 4th ESAM
Kings of Cali 4 July 5th-6th, 2014 13th 5th Westballz
EVO 2014 July 11th-13th, 2014 17th 5th KoreanDJ
Gameguys Intergalactic Kegger July 26th-27th, 2014 5th
Zenith 2014 August 2nd-3rd, 2014 7th 2nd Axe
Mass Madness CE August 23rd, 2014 5th 1st Hax
Summer Jam 8 August 30th-31st, 2014 1st
Salt Lake Comic Con September 4th-6th, 2014 1st
GamerByte October 25th, 2014 1st

Project M

Tournament Date 1v1 Placement 2v2 Placement Partner
Thanks for Playing 4 December 21st, 2013 1st 1st Salem
Seagull Joe's Bad Karma @ Xanadu Games December 22nd, 2013 1st
KTAR 8 December 28th, 2013 17th
Shuffle V February 22nd-23rd, 2014 13th 1st Denti
First Date March 1st, 2014 5th
Collision 9 March 15th, 2014 4th
Smashing Grounds 5 March 20th, 2014 3rd
KTAR 9 March 22nd, 2014 9th 2nd Seagull Joe
Xanadu Legends April 5th, 2014 2nd 2nd Seagull Joe
Smash Brothers University 2.5 April 12th-13th, 2014 2nd 5th PB&J
Fighters' Edge April 26th-27th, 2014 2nd
Infinity and Beyond 5 May 1st, 2014 1st 1st Denti
WHOBO MLG May 3rd-4th, 2014 1st 1st Denti
Hitbox Arena Warm-Up Welcome May 10th, 2014 1st
Smash @ Xanadu Tuesday 5/13 May 13th, 2014 1st
Project M Showdown 3.02 May 17th, 2014 1st 1st ChuDat
Super Smash Sundays East Coast # 4 May 18th, 2014 1st
Smash @ Xanadu Tuesday 5/20 May 20th, 2014 1st
SKTAR 3 May 31st-June 1st, 2014 9th 1st Rolex
Mayhem 6/7 June 7th, 2014 2nd 1st DEHF
Super Smash Sundays 6/8 June 8th, 2014 3rd 1st DEHF
CEO 2014 June 27th-29th, 2014 1st 2nd Mew2King
EVO 2014 Day 2 Side Tournament July 12th, 2014 1st
Gameguys Intergalactic Kegger July 26th-27th, 2014 1st 1st Mew2King
Zenith 2014 August 2nd-3rd, 2014 1st 1st Mew2King
Summer Jam 8 August 30th-31st, 2014 1st
Salt Lake Comic Con September 4th-6th, 2014 1st
GUTS 3 September 19th-21st, 2014 1st 1st Emukiller
The Big House 4 October 4th-5th, 2014 1st 1st Mew2King
NorCal Regionals 2015 April 3rd-5th, 2015 1st
MSS 1 July 25th, 2015 1st

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Tournament Date 1v1 Placement 2v2 Placement Partner
Super Smash Bros. Invitational June 10th, 2014 1st
Sky's Smash 4 Invitational November 20th-22nd, 2014 3rd 5th Mr. R
UGC Biweekly #17 November 29th, 2014 1st 1st Tyrant
Triumph or Die 2014 November 30th, 2014 1st
Super Smash Weekend 12-6-2014 December 6th, 2014 1st 1st Tyrant
Super Smash Saturdays 12-20-2014 December 20th, 2014 1st 1st Tearbear
UGC Biweekly #18 December 21st, 2014 1st 1st Xzax
Double Vegas Down Attack 5 December 22nd, 2014 1st 1st Tyrant
SkillCon December 26th, 2014-January 2nd, 2015 1st
UGC Smash v2.2 Road to Final Battle! January 3rd, 2015 1st 1st Tyrant
Warriors Path 1/4 January 4th, 2015 1st 1st Xzax
CLASH Online Invitational Finals January 11th, 2015 1st
Double Vegas Down Attack 6 January 12th, 2015 1st 1st Xzax
Final Battle January 17th, 2015 1st 2nd Tyrant
Smash 4 Worldwide January 18th, 2015 1st
COTU VI January 24th, 2015 1st 1st Larry Lurr
Apex 2015 January 30th-February 1st, 2015 1st 1st Mew2King
Showdown VI March 1st, 2015 1st
Cyberzone 3/14 March 14th, 2015 1st 1st SS
The Gaming Zone 3/21 March 21st, 2015 1st 1st SS
Shockwave 22 March 27th, 2015 1st 1st Dabuz
Aftershock March 28th-29th, 2015 1st 1st Dabuz
Double Vegas Down Attack 8 March 30th, 2015 1st
Come on and Ban #13 April 2nd, 2015 1st
NorCal Regionals 2015 April 3rd-5th, 2015 1st 1st Zex
MVG Sandstorm April 18th-19th, 2015 1st 1st Mew2King
Chokaigi 2015 April 25th-26th, 2015 1st 1st Mew2King
Fire & Dice Thur #9 April 30th, 2015 1st 2nd K9
Smash 4 Oomba 5/1 May 1st, 2015 1st 1st Mr. ConCon
Fire & Dice Sundays #16 May 3rd, 2015 1st 1st Xzax
Oblivion Tournaments Biweekly 5/5 May 5th, 2015 1st 1st K9
Fire & Dice Thur #10 May 7th, 2015 1st
Fire & Dice Thur #11 May 14th, 2015 1st
Smash 4 Oomba 5/15 May 15th, 2015 1st
BESST 2015 May 17th, 2015 1st 1st K9
Double Vegas Down Attack 9 May 18th, 2015 1st
Combo Breaker 2015 May 22nd-24th, 2015 1st
Double Vegas Down Attack 10 May 30th-31st, 2015 1st 1st FOW
LA PARADISO June 13th-14th, 2015 1st 1st Stingers
CEO 2015 June 26th-28th, 2015 1st 3rd Hungrybox
FC Smash 15XR: Return July 4th-5th, 2015 1st 2nd Hungrybox
EVO 2015 July 17th-19th, 2015 1st Top 16 ANTi
MSS 1 July 25th, 2015 1st
Top Cut Comics 7/28 July 28th, 2015 1st
Poplar 7/30 July 30th, 2015 1st
Low Tier City 3 August 1st-2nd, 2015 1st 2nd Mew2King
Super Smash Con 2015 August 6th-9th, 2015 1st 1st Nairo
PAX Prime 2015 August 28th-30th, 2015 1st 1st MVD
Top Cut Comics 9/12 September 12th, 2015 1st 5th HoRi
Sunday Smash 34 September 13th, 2015 1st
Top Cut Comics 9/15 September 15th, 2015 1st
Poplar 9/17 September 17th, 2015 1st 1st Shevy
Rebirth V September 19th, 2015 1st 1st V115
Smash 4-Ever #26 September 30th, 2015 1st
The Big House 5 October 2nd-4th, 2015 1st 1st Nairo
MLG World Finals 2015 October 16th-18th, 2015 2nd 1st Nairo
E2C19 October 24th, 2015 1st 1st Zinoto
Tipped Off 11 November 7th-8th, 2015 1st 1st 6WX
iBUYPOWER November 14, 2015 1st
Northwest Majors: Drop Zone November 21st-22nd, 2015 1st 1st Viviff
E2C20 November 28th, 2015 1st 1st ANTi
2GGT: Fatality Saga December 5th, 2015 1st 2nd Xzax
2GGT: ESAM Saga January 9th, 2016 1st 2nd ESAM
GENESIS 3 January 15th-17th, 2016 1st 2nd Nairo
PAX Arena January 29th-31st, 2016 1st 3rd Nakat
Mashfest 2 February 6th, 2016 1st
2GGT: EE Saga February 27th, 2016 1st 2nd Gunblade
Get On My Level 2016 May 20th-22nd, 2016 2nd
2GGT: Mexico Saga June 4th, 2016 2nd 5th VoiD
Wednesday Night Fights 2016 2.5 June 8th, 2016 2nd
Smash 'N' Splash 2 June 11th-12th, 2016 2nd 2nd Abadango
Low Tier City 4 June 18th-19th, 2016 1st 1st Nairo
CEO 2016 June 24th-26th, 2016 9th 3rd Nairo
WTFox 2 July 1st-3rd, 2016 3rd 1st Mr. R
EVO 2016 July 15th-17th, 2016 3rd
Super Smash Con 2016 August 11th-14th, 2016 13th 2nd Nairo
Endgame August 20th-21st, 2016 1st 1st Ally
Shine 2016 August 26th-28th, 2016 1st 2nd ESAM
Collision XIV September 3rd, 2016 4th 1st Nairo
2GGT: Abadango Saga September 24th, 2016 1st 1st Komorikiri
The Big House 6 October 7th-9th, 2016 1st 1st Nairo
KTAR XIX November 19th, 2016 1st 1st Nairo
UGC Smash Open December 2nd-4th, 2016 1st 1st Nairo
Smash City LA December 11th, 2016 1st
2GGT: ZeRo Saga December 16th-18th, 2016 4th 1st Nairo
2GGC: GENESIS Saga January 14th, 2017 1st 3rd Tweek
GENESIS 4 January 20th-22nd, 2017 3rd 4th Nairo
2GGC: Midwest Mayhem Saga February 11th, 2017 1st 7th 6WX
Frostbite 2017 February 25th-26th, 2017 1st 4th Nairo
PAX Arena at PAX East 2017 March 12th, 2017 1st
Frame Perfect Series 2 March 18th-19th, 2017 2nd 1st Tsu-
2GGC: Civil War March 24th-26th, 2017 49th 2nd Nairo
Ignition #76 March 29th, 2017 1st
KTAR XX April 1st-2nd, 2017 1st 1st MkLeo
Ignition #77 April 5th, 2017 1st
Midwest Mayhem 8: North American Tour April 8th, 2017 1st 1st Ally
Ignition #78 April 12th, 2017 1st
CEO Dreamland April 14th-16th, 2017 1st 1st Nairo
Ignition #79 April 19th, 2017 1st
Ignition #80 April 26th, 2017 1st
DreamHack Austin 2017 April 28th-30th, 2017 1st 1st MkLeo
Ignition #81 May 3rd, 2017 1st
Ignition #82 May 10th, 2017 1st
Royal Flush May 12th-14th, 2017 1st 1st Nairo
2GGC: Greninja Saga May 20th, 2017 9th 17th Nairo
MomoCon 2017 May 25th-28th, 2017 3rd 4th Nairo
Smash 'N' Splash 3 June 2nd-4th, 2017 1st 2nd Tweek
Ignition #86 June 7th, 2017 1st 1st Tyroy
2GGC: Nairo Saga June 10th-11th, 2017 1st 2nd Nairo
Ignition #87 June 14th, 2017 1st 1st Tyroy
CEO 2017 June 16th-18th, 2017 1st
Ignition #88 June 28th, 2017 1st
Midwest Mayhem 9: Old vs New July 1st, 2017 1st
Ignition #89 July 5th, 2017 1st
2GGC: ARMS Saga July 8th-9th, 2017 2nd 2nd Tsu-
Mega Smash Mondays 104 July 10th, 2017 9th
EVO 2017 July 14th-16th, 2017 2nd
Ignition #91 July 19th, 2017 1st
DreamHack Atlanta 2017 July 21st-23rd, 2017 9th 3rd Nairo
Ignition #93 August 2nd, 2017 1st
Low Tier City 5 August 5th-6th, 2017 2nd 2nd Mistake
Ignition #94 August 9th, 2017 1st
Super Smash Con 2017 August 10th-13th, 2017 2nd 3rd Nairo
Ignition #95 August 16th, 2017 1st
2GGC: SCR Saga August 19th-20th, 2017 1st 3rd Nairo
Shine 2017 August 25th-27th, 2017 1st 3rd Nairo
PAX Arena at PAX West 2017 September 1st-4th, 2017 1st
2GGC: West Side Saga September 9th, 2017 1st 1st Nairo
GameTyrant Expo 2017 September 29th-October 1st, 2017 3rd 2nd Nairo
The Big House 7 October 6th-8th, 2017 4th 1st Nairo
DreamHack Denver 2017 October 20th-22nd, 2017 1st
Clutch City Clash 2 October 28th-29th, 2017 1st 2nd Trela
2GGC: MkLeo Saga November 4th, 2017 13th 1st Nairo
Ignition #109 November 22nd, 2017 1st
Midwest Mayhem 10 November 25th, 2017 2nd 2nd Cosmos
2GG Championship December 1st-3rd, 2017 2nd
Smash 4 Boot Camp December 7th-10th, 2017 4th 2nd Nairo

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

Tournament Date 1v1 Placement 2v2 Placement Partner
Xanadu Smash 4 Invitational November 6th, 2014 7th

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Tournament Date 1v1 placement 2v2 placement Partner
Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018 June 12th, 2018 1st

Trivia

  • ZeRo says "So a lot of people have been wondering..." at the beginning of many of his YouTube videos, with said phrase having become a meme in the Smash 4 community.
  • At EVO 2015, ZeRo did not lose a single game, making him the first competitor to do so for any game at EVO.
  • The only players that ZeRo holds a negative record against in Brawl are ADHD (3-5), Dabuz (0-1), and Mikeneko (0-1).
  • The only players that ZeRo holds a negative record against in Smash 4 are Prince Ramen, Brood, Luhtie (all 0-1), and Kirihara (1-2).
  • When both Melee and Smash 4 were announced to be at EVO 2015, ZeRo announced that he would shift his focus on Melee exclusively for at least one year if he won Smash 4 at that tournament, citing Leffen as his inspiration. He eventually decided against it despite taking EVO 2015 without even dropping a game, stating "when I feel like playing [Melee], I'll play it. That's all there is to it." ZeRo has not attended a single Melee tournament since then. However, he competed in a Melee event for the first time in years at Super Smash Con 2017's Smash Masters event.
  • ZeRo learned English by playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time when he was four years old by using a dictionary with the help of his mother.
  • His mother gave him his signature white scarf when he left Chile.
  • ZeRo is an avid fan of Xenoblade Chronicles, having a pocket Shulk and desiring a high-quality replica of the Monado for himself. Various songs from the game occasionally serve as the background music in his videos, and he has featured gameplay of its sequel, Xenoblade Chronicles X, on his YouTube channel as well.
    • On April 1st 2016, ZeRo made an April Fools' Day video called My New Tournament Main where he "announced" that he would be maining Shulk and using him in tournaments.
  • ZeRo never placed below 2nd at any Smash 4 singles tournament he entered for nearly two years. However, this ended with his 9th place finish at CEO 2016.
    • 2GGC: Civil War is currently his worst Smash 4 tournament and his worst tournament overall across all games, placing 49th after both Xzax and Luhtie defeated him in dramatic upsets.
    • Similarly, 2GGC: Greninja Saga stands as ZeRo's worst Smash 4 doubles tournament and his worst doubles tournament overall across all games, winning a single set and placing 17th with Nairo.
  • In 2016, ZeRo was entered into the Guinness World Records for Video Games 2017 because of his winning streak of 53 consecutive victories between 2014 and 2015[5]. ZeRo, however, claimed that he had 56 consecutive wins.
  • Similarly to Mango's "Scorpion Master" alter ego, ZeRo developed one named PersistentBlade, a "Wi-fi warrior" Lucina main who was at the highest rank on Smash Ladder. After attending and winning Ignition #76 using almost exclusively Lucina, it was revealed that he was, indeed, PersistentBlade[6]. Following this revelation, PersistentBlade has officially become an alter ego for ZeRo in the Smash community, in which fans and even ZeRo jokingly insist that they are separate people.
  • ZeRo is the only Smash 4 player to have made more than $100,000. The only other players who made more than that amount are all Melee players: Mew2King, Mango, Armada and Hungrybox.
  • ZeRo hired a bodyguard for whenever he goes to a tournament. This is because he has received personal attacks and at least ten death threats which are mainly associated with his near-perfect Smash 4 tournament record.[7]

Gameplay videos

Melee

Brawl

Project M

Smash 4

References

External links