Phaethon

Phaethon is a faction in Zenless Zone Zero.

Phaethon is the alias of a legendary Proxy in New Eridu, who in actuality is a team comprising Wise and Belle. The siblings are commonly referred to as "Proxy" or "Manager" by people they know, the latter referring to their public business as the managers of Random Play.

This wiki will mainly refer to the protagonist as Phaethon when referring to lore (alongside representing the sibling duo), due to both Wise and Belle holding the title individually; for example, Vivian Banshee addresses either member of the duo (notably the protagonist) as "Lord Phaethon" once she learns of their identities, even if only one of them is present.

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Wise and Belle utilize their exclusive Hollow Deep Dive System, a device constructed from ancient technology found in the Hollows.^[2] The copyright for this system is later revealed to be owned by the Helios Academy,^[3] and one of the many achievements of Carole Arna.^[4]

Using the H.D.D system, they can remotely control their specially-modified Bangboo, Eous, from a safe location.^[5] This capability has significantly contributed to their popularity, earning them a reputation as a "Proxy who doesn't enter the Hollows themselves, but manages real-time communication from the outside," a feat previously thought impossible due to how the Hollows interfere with communications. Additionally, by controlling Eous from the outside, they can update their Hollow data in real-time, ensuring that the "Carrot" (Hollow map) doesn't become obsolete while their clients are inside the Hollow. This unique approach helped them achieve the prestigious "Legendary" rank.^[6]

During the events of the prologue, the Phaethon Inter-Knot account was hacked by White Noise. Left with no other choice, Wise and Belle handed over the account information to Public Security, also losing a large portion of their collected Hollow Data in the process. Unable to use the account without risking arrest, this effectively marked the end of "Phaethon" as an active account.^[7]

Despite the Phaethon account no longer being accessible, Wise and Belle's reputation endured. Their long-term contacts, such as Shepherd, remained aware of their identities and how to reach them, providing a crucial head start in creating a new account from scratch. The subsequent addition of the AI Fairy, with her ability to access any and all connected devices within New Eridu, ensured they always had the most up-to-date Hollow data. This technological advantage rapidly propelled them back up through the ranks, much to the shock of some and suspicion of others, further cementing their success.

Members

Playable Members

Agent Members

Belle

Belle

Pyrois

Pyrois

Wise

Wise

Non-Playable Members

• Eous
• Fairy
• Helios

Trivia

• The artwork composition of Vivian's vision might be a reference to the 1588 Dutch engraving of the fall of Phaethon, with the protagonist in the same pose as the mythological Phaethon.
• The addition of wings might be a reference to the fall of Icarus, another Greek mythological figure who fell from the sky. He escaped the labyrinth of Crete with wings made of beeswax and bird feathers, but ignored his father's warnings and flew too close to the sun, the warmth of which melted the wax, making the feathers fall out and leaving Icarus with bare arms, plummeting into the sea while his feathers danced in the air like snowflakes.
  • Both myths are meant to be a warning towards hubris, the arrogance to dare go against natural order and try to be at the same level of the gods.
• It is implied that "Phaethon" was a name given to the siblings by Carole Arna, prior to their careers as Proxies.^[8]

Etymology

• Phaethon was the son of Helios, god of the Sun, who tried driving his father's Sun chariot with such disastrous results that he died: sources differ if he fell to his death into the river Eridanus or was struck by Zeus as a punishment.
  • Interestingly, the Lore Teaser - "Where the Miracle Began" quotes in the background "Here lies Phaethon who in the Sun-God chariot fared. And though greatly he failed more greatly he dared," which is the translation by Edith Hamilton in Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes of the epitaph on Phaethon's tomb, as told in Ovid's version of the myth, lines 327-328.

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