- For other smashers with similar names, see Smasher:Zero.
| ZeRo "PersistentBlade" | |
|---|---|
| |
| Character info | |
| Smash 64 main | Fox |
| Melee main | Fox |
| Brawl main | Meta Knight |
| Smash 4 main | Diddy Kong |
| Other Smash 4 character | Cloud |
| Retired Smash 4 characters | Sheik, Lucina |
| Ultimate main | Cloud |
| Other Ultimate characters | Diddy Kong, Wolf, Mario |
| Project M mains | Pit, Fox |
| Team info | |
| Former sponsor(s) | vVv Gaming, CLASH Tournaments, Team SoloMid, Tempo Storm |
| Former crews | Leap of Faith |
| Rankings and results info | |
| Most recent ranking |  Panda Global Rankings 100: 1st |
| Winnings |  ~$3,735.30 ~$171,320.02  ~$6,377.22 |
| Personal and other info | |
| Real name | Gonzalo Barrios |
| Birth date | |
| Location | Florida 
|
| Miscellaneous info | |
| Skill |  Top professional Template:Banned Top professional Template:Banned Top professional Template:Banned  Professional Template:Banned Top professional Template:Banned
|
ZeRo is a former smasher from Chillán, Chile who currently resides in Florida.
In Smash 4, ZeRo is widely considered to be the best player of all time, being a dominant player up until his retirement from the game in January 2018. 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. 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 is ranked 1st on the Panda Global Rankings 100, and was formerly ranked at the 0 position on both the Chicago Smash 4 Power Rankings and SoCal Smash 4 Power Rankings and 1st on the New Jersey Smash 4 Power Rankings.
ZeRo also saw great success in other Smash games. He dominated the Chilean Brawl scene with his Meta Knight and Ice Climbers 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. In Ultimate, ZeRo did not have a set main but mostly used Cloud in tournaments. He was also a notable commentator prior to his retirement as he has commentated at tournaments such as CEO 2019, Overlords of Orlando: Ultimate Edition, and The Quarantine Series.
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, ESAM, and Larry Lurr.
On January 12th, 2018, ZeRo announced an indefinite hiatus from competitive Smash 4, citing disillusionment with the game and personal reasons. He since showed a renewed interest in Melee, and was active on Netplay on Anther's Ladder for some time. He also occasionally commentated for Smash 4, doing so at Midwest Mayhem 11 and Smash 'N' Splash 4 after his retirement. In addition, he regularly streamed Ultimate, Melee, and various other games on his Twitch channel and later Facebook Gaming after signing a deal with them in December 2019. ZeRo would return to competitive play for Ultimate at the end of 2018, where he replaced his sponsor TSM with Tempo Storm, but would once again go into hiatus after Smash Ultimate Summit, instead gravitating towards content creation and streaming. ZeRo would still make appearances at some tournaments for side events and commentary and participated in a few online tournaments during the COVID-19 pandemic, but would never return full-time.
Following accusations of sexual misconduct involving minors in July 2020, ZeRo would be banned from the Smash community and dropped by Tempo Storm.[1][2]
Tournament history
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2006: Early Beginnings
ZeRo has played Smash since the release of Smash 64 in 1999 when he was 4 years old and has had "ZeRo" as his gamertag since 2005. He began playing competitively in 2006 with Melee. Not much about his career during this 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 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.
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.
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. Nevertheless, he continued to win several SSB4 tournaments, including GENESIS 3, in which ZeRo solidly cruised through his round 1 pool without dropping a game and advanced to grand finals after several highly anticipated matches without dropping a set.
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.
2016: Post-Hiatus, Sudden Decline and Slow Resurgence
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). Many felt this was indicative of his dominance in the SSB4 scene finally starting to slip.
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 ended up on another losing streak 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, in which he lost to Ally 2-3 in winners quarters and MkLeo 0-3 in losers semis, placing 4th and perpetuating the 2GGT "saga curse".
Nevertheless, his results were strong enough to still earn him the #1 spot on the PGR v2.
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, and he took the tournament in a dominant fashion, defeating Larry Lurr 3-1 in winners finals and Dabuz 3-1 in grand finals.
After a close 2nd place finish at Frame Perfect Series 2, ZeRo went on to attend 2GGC: Civil War, a tournament highlighting his rivalry with Ally. However, perpetuating the "curse", he was upset twice, first by Xzax 1-2 in his pool, and then by Luhtie 2-3 in losers, and placed 49th, his lowest placement in his entire Smash 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).
After placing 9th at 2GGC: Greninja Saga and 3rd at MomoCon 2017, the latter in which he lost to Nairo in winners finals for the first time since MLG World Finals 2015, ZeRo attended Smash 'N' Splash 3. He 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 these losses, ZeRo managed to win 2GGC: SCR Saga, 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 and 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: First Retirement, Smash Invitational 2018, and Return
On January 12, 2018, ZeRo announced via a tweet[3] 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. After his retirement, ZeRo commentated for the Top 8's of Midwest Mayhem 11 and Smash 'N' Splash 4. On April 14, he released an update video [4] 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 Smash game being announced the month prior. He did, however, express interest in creating content with the new title, 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[5] 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.[6]
On December 25, 2018, ZeRo announced an update[7] to his competitive return, saying he will no longer be "chasing the rankings", preferring to create content for Ultimate and stream the game on Twitch instead of competing at tournaments to be ranked 1st, only choosing to compete at a few select major events like EVO.
2019-2020: Return to Competition and Second Retirement
ZeRo's first event back to competition was confirmed to be Smash Conference United on January 5th. At the tournament, ZeRo solidly made top 48 winners side, defeating everyone in his pool 2-0. After defeating Rideae 3-0, he lost to MuteAce 2-3 and Samsora 0-3, placing 9th. ZeRo also competed at the Smash Ultimate Summit, placing 13th in Singles and 5th in random 1v1's.
After Smash Ultimate Summit, ZeRo would not participate in another offline tournament, instead streaming on Facebook Gaming and creating content for his YouTube channel. However, ZeRo has made appearances at a few tournaments, most notably Super Smash Con 2019, where he won the Smash Masters side tournament over Larry Lurr. He has stated multiple times that he has no intention of returning to competitive play anytime soon, citing mostly the immense amount of hate he got during his reign in the previous installment as well as being intimidated by the high expectations that were expected of him due to him being the undisputed best player in Smash 4. However, he has commentated at a few events, most notably at CEO 2019.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, ZeRo began entering online tournaments after a year-long hiatus from competition, although he was more focused on enjoying the game rather than the actual competition [8]. In his first appearance in The Quarantine Series: Minor Tournament 1, ZeRo didn't drop a single game until top 96, where he lost to Tweek and Frawg, both 3-1, knocking him out of the tournament at 33rd place. He has since participated in 4 other online tournaments, placing 129th at Pound Online, 65th at both The Quarantine Series: Major Tournament 1 and King of WiFi Random Characters, and 257th at The Box. ZeRo stopped competing after King of WiFi Random Characters, stating that he didn't want to return to a competitive lifestyle and reiterating that he has no plans on competing at offline tournaments[9].
Sexual harassment allegations
On July 2nd, 2020, amidst a wave of sexual harassment allegations in the community, artist Jisu posted a tweet where she called out ZeRo for showing her hentai and explicit Craigslist ads when she was 15[10]. ZeRo later responded, admitting that he looked at hentai but denied that he had shown it to her, nor would he show it to an entire room of people. He also denied showing her the ads[11]. Following this defense, many people started to target Jisu for "clout-chasing", causing several players such as Leffen and iBDW to post TwitLongers in Jisu's defense[12][13]. Leffen also told his experience with ZeRo and how he would show people hentai in public, a statement that was backed up by a screenshot from an anonymous user later sent to Leffen[14]. Finally, Lima would also come out with his own statement accusing ZeRo for twisting the situation[15].
Around the same time, another user, Katie, came out with her own statement where she accused ZeRo for having sexually harassing her when she was 14 and ZeRo was 19[16]. ZeRo would make a response to that accusation on July 3rd, stating that, at that time, he didn't know Katie was 14, and when she told him he cut off contact with her immediately. However, later evidence came forward to reveal that this statement by ZeRo was a lie. He then addressed the hentai accusations and his awkwardness in handling the situation, stating that it was due to a rough childhood filled with abuse and bullying, and mentioning that he was permanently banning himself from the Smash scene[17]. Many people, however, pointed out that ZeRo failed to address the most explicit accusation. Eventually, on July 4th, ZeRo made a final TwitLonger confirming Katie's accusations, including the explicit accusation, as well as an experience he had with another underage girl[18].
The following day, Jisu posted a Google Document filled with evidence and screenshots from all of ZeRo's victims, including the girl brought up in ZeRo's final statement. She accused ZeRo of lying about her, Katie, and the third girl's situation[19].
Both Tempo Storm and Facebook Gaming have since cut ties with ZeRo[20]. Twitch also permanently banned ZeRo on July 22nd, 2020, with his channel and videos being permanently deleted from the platform.[21]
Mental health and attempted suicide
On March 25th, 2021, Vanessa posted a tweet stating that ZeRo had attempted suicide 2 days prior and was sent to the hospital.[22]
Following an outpour of support from the community, a month later, he posted an update on Instagram, stating that he felt guilty about what he had done.[23] He later made a followup during an interview with EE, where he discussed his history of mental health issues, stating that he had contemplated suicide several times at a young age, as well as talking about an injury involving a motocross bike around Fall of 2020, which was part of a driving point for his suicide attempt. He also stated that he originally planned to take his life the day that he posted his final message on Twitter.[24] However, despite the video saying that the interview had no intention of bringing ZeRo back into the Smash community, it received negative reception from the community, simply due to ZeRo's presence, which prompted EE to take it down the same day he uploaded it. However, it has since been reuploaded by other YouTube channels.
Challenges to the allegations
On June 25th 2021, Technicals made a YouTube video on Sky Williams where he challenged the vast majority of Jisu's allegations towards ZeRo.[25] In the video, he interviewed ZeRo, who stated that he did not remember anything that Leffen or Jisu had accused him of, and that he felt pressured to admit to the allegations, which created a false agenda that he was guilty. The specific part of the video received a polarizing reception in the community; several people praised him for scrutinizing Jisu's allegations, pointing out the hypocrisy in the Smash community, and providing another point-of-view to the allegations against ZeRo. Detractors, on the other hand, accused Technicals for building a narrative that manipulated the facts. In particular, a screenshot on a Discord DM between Technicals and ZeRo led many people to accuse the two for attempting to manipulate the narrative.[26] Both Jisu and Leffen have yet to publicly address Technicals's claims.
On November 16, 2021, ZeRo uploaded a video to YouTube, stating that he was returning to creating and uploading content the following day, and retracting his previous admission to the accusations, claiming he confessed under duress.[27]
On November 19, 2021, ZeRo filed a lawsuit against Jisu on the grounds of defamation and having lost his career due to Jisu's videos accusing ZeRo of sexual misconduct.[28] ZeRo's claims are that Jisu knowingly lied about the age difference between himself and Vanessa when the two started dating, about ZeRo physically abusing Vanessa (additionally claiming this to be libel), about her accusations of ZeRo seeking to fly a 14-year-old child to meet in a hotel for sexual activity (but did not deny similar sexting allegations), and about her claims that ZeRo showed her sexually explicit Craigslist ads and hentai.[29] ZeRo further claimed that Jisu is legally responsible for Tempo Storm and Facebook Gaming terminating their contracts with him, said to be worth over $2 million. The lawsuit seeks a currently unknown amount in damages for "defamation and emotional distress".[30]
On September 9, 2022, ZeRo published a video stating he along with Jisu made a joint statement stating that the lawsuit has concluded.[31] Both parties called for their audience to cease harassment towards each other based on the events in the Sky House and the parties' respective social media statements. Also, they have requested publications and any other YouTube commentary content creators referencing the event to respect the parties' wishes in that regard. After months of litigation, review of both parties' evidence, and sides of their story, both parties have come to an understanding of their shortcomings; ZeRo regrets his role in Jisu's experience in the Sky House as he had exacerbated it in online public discussions, while Jisu understands that the statements she made regarding ZeRo's wife "Vanessa" were not accurate and not based on events she had witnessed. She has apologized and since retracted those statements regarding Vanessa. Both parties has agreed to resolve the litigation and move forward from it rather than to waste further time, resources, and emotional energy.
Also in the video, he stated that he plans on appealing his Twitch ban, and has reiterated that as he felt unwelcomed in the Smash community, he had no intentions to unretire from competitive Smash. Additionally, ZeRo has accused the community of maintaining an inconsistent bias and having a disregard for the law with its handling of these cases, noting that he felt the higher-ups of the community never liked him, and pointed out how they're trying to stop him from producing content by coercing other players and content creators from collaborating with him or acknowledging him in any capacity, with the threat of being banned from Smash events or losing their sponsor (as ZeRo alleges happened to a close friend of his after they played Valorant together offstream), whilst allowing other controversial figures to be collaborated with without repercussion.
Lastly, he would go on to accuse Leffen as the biggest instigator during the allegations made against him amid the 2020 Summer Allegations [32], as he claims Leffen lied about a story regarding him sharing hentai with Leffen and Japanese players when they housed together for Apex 2013, with testimony from those Japanese players denying Leffen's claim, and pointed out how Leffen publicized an accusation of ZeRo exchanging hentai with fans without verifying their age [33], while after ZeRo talked to the accuser to testify on the matter, she would retract her accusation and clarified she was not a minor[34]. He would also accuse Leffen of exploiting the situation for his own benefit[35], tarnishing[36] ZeRo's name with his own videos he had made during the allegations while profiting off it.
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.
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 Placement | 2v2 Placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thanks for Playing 4 | December 21st, 2013 | 2nd | — | — |
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 | — | — |
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 | — | — |
| Elite Four Unova: 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 | — | — |
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 Nintendo 3DS
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 Placement | 2v2 Placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Xanadu Smash 4 Invitational  |
November 6th, 2014 | 7th | — | — |
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 1 | 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. Ultimate
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018 | June 12th, 2018 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Conference United | January 5th-6th, 2019 | 9th | 3rd | Mew2King |
| Smash Ultimate Summit | March 8th-10th, 2019 | 13th | — | — |
| The Quarantine Series: Minor Tournament 1 |
April 18th-19th, 2020 | 33rd | — | — |
| Pound Online |
April 24th-26th, 2020 | 129th | — | — |
| The Quarantine Series: Major Tournament 1 |
May 2nd, 2020 | 65th | — | — |
| The Box |
May 8th, 2020 | 257th | — | — |
| King of WiFi Random Characters |
May 30th, 2020 | 65th | — | — |
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[37]. He, 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[38]. 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.
- This joke has spread even to the point of PersistentBlade having their own Twitter account.
- ZeRo is the only Smash 4 player to have made more than $100,000.
- 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.[39]
- ZeRo was the first top professional Smash Bros. YouTuber to gain a million subscribers on YouTube. However, he has since dropped under one million.
- He also was the second overall Smash-centered YouTuber to reach one million subscribers, the first being Alpharad.
- ZeRo has become infamous in the community for discovering Smash Bros. prodigies and playing with them in several of his videos, which has become a running joke in the community where he would be called a 'father figure' to them.
- He played with a 13-year-old Pokémon Trainer player named DDee, who has secondaries such as Pac-Man and Banjo & Kazooie; a 12-year-old Pichu player named rat; a 15 year old named GamingHI9x9 and a 13 year old named Sparg0, who play Luigi and Cloud, respectively.
Gameplay videos
Melee
Brawl
- Forest Temple - CT LoF NAKAT vs CT ZeRo - Singles Grand Finals Set 2
- Super Smash Bros Brawl Top 8 CT ZeRo vs CT EMP Mew2King - Apex 2014 Tournament
- Shuffle V - Vinnie (Ice Climbers) Vs. ZeRo (Meta Knight) - Grand Finals - SSBB
Project M
- WHOBO MLG - CT ZeRo vs Sethlon - Grand Finals - Project M
- GF: CEO 2014 - Wizzrobe (Sonic) vs. Zero (Pit/Fox)
- Zenith 2014 Project M Grand Finals - ZeRo vs Junebug)
- TBH4 - ZeRo (Pit, Fox) vs Professor Pro (Snake) - Project M Grand Finals - Smash PM
Smash 4
- E3 Nintendo Smash Bros Invitational Grand Finals - ZeRo vs Hungrybox
- Apex 2015 Smash Bros Wii U Grand Finals - ZeRo vs Dabuz
- Evo 2015: Smash 4 Grand Final - Zero vs LLL Mr R
- The Big House 5 - Nairo (Zero Suit Samus, Meta Knight) Vs. ZeRo (Sheik) - Grand Finals
- GENESIS 3 - TSMZeRo (Sheik) vs Ranai (Villager) - Smash 4 - Winners Finals
- TBH6 GRAND FINALS - TSM ZeRo (L) (Diddy Kong) vs IMT ANTi (W) (Mario, Charizard, Cloud) - Wii U
- Frostbite 2017 GRAND FINALS - tsu (W) (Lucario) vs TSM ZeRo (L) (Diddy Kong)
- Smash 'N' Splash 3 - Wii U Grand Finals - ZeRo vs. Ally
References
- ^ ZeRo admitting his fault.
- ^ Tempo Storm drops ZeRo.
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20180113024934/https://twitter.com/TSMZeRo/status/951914839709974529
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_zzVpIJo4k
- ^ https://twitter.com/TSMZeRo/status/994201909379633152
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20200131153021/https://twitter.com/zerowondering/status/1060231579207909379
- ^ https://twitter.com/zerowondering/status/1077669590589689858
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20200505020317/https://twitter.com/zerowondering/status/1254927085614833667
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20200527045419/https://twitter.com/zerowondering/status/1265436404642963456
- ^ Jisu's statement.
- ^ ZeRo's response to Jisu.
- ^ Leffen's first statement.
- ^ iBDW's statement.
- ^ https://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sra9ee?new_post=true.
- ^ Lima's statement.
- ^ Katie's statement.
- ^ ZeRo's second statement.
- ^ ZeRo's final statement.
- ^ Jisu's Google Document.
- ^ Facebook Gaming cut ties with ZeRo.
- ^ StreamerBans bot announcing ZeRo's ban from Twitch.
- ^ Vanessa confirms that ZeRo has attempted suicide (archive).
- ^ ZeRo's Update.
- ^ Wellness Interview with EE.
- ^ Technicals's video.
- ^ Discord screenshot between Technicals and ZeRo.
- ^ "I've made a tremendous mistake:" ZeRo speaks up about grooming allegations and his future on YouTube (en) (2021-11-16).
- ^ Technicals screenshot of Jisu announcement.
- ^ ZeRo sues accuser Jisu for defamation over sexual misconduct allegations.
- ^ Former Super Smash Bros. Player ZeRo is Suing His Roommate.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADUYFK-KJng&t=248s&ab_channel=ZeRo
- ^ https://www.ssbwiki.com/2020_Super_Smash_Bros._sexual_misconduct_allegations#Timeline
- ^ https://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sra9ee?new_post=true
- ^ https://twitter.com/SHSLRuby/status/1408539105743474692
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y9Mfch7XXg&ab_channel=TSMFTXLeffen
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3gfNyWb6HY&ab_channel=TSMFTXLeffen
- ^ http://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/17506693/zero-featured-guiness-book-world-records-gamers-edition
- ^ https://twitter.com/NessaNessa0/status/847468534380843010
- ^ https://compete.kotaku.com/worlds-best-smash-4-player-is-worn-down-by-haters-and-h-1819677035