Revision 12

Overview

Esper Zero is the player-controlled protagonist of Neverness to Everness. During character creation, players choose between a male and female version of the character. Both versions are mechanically identical; the choice affects only the character's appearance, voice lines, and how NPCs address them in dialogue. Classified as an S-Class Cosmos element character, Esper Zero wields a sword and fills the DPS role on any team.

As a free starter character given to every player, Esper Zero is designed to be strong enough to carry through the early and mid game without issue. The character's kit revolves around fast sword combos, Cosmos-element damage, and the ability to rapidly fill the Esper Cycle Meter for powerful team reactions. Unlike gacha characters, Esper Zero is always available and cannot be missed.

Profile

Story

Esper Zero is the first "unlicensed" Anomaly Hunter in Hethereau. The city's anomaly response system is typically run through licensed branches, each operating under official oversight and receiving government funding. Eibon is an exception. Severely underfunded and operating out of a struggling antique shop in Bridge Crossing, the branch takes on anomaly commissions from the public that the larger, better-equipped branches ignore or deprioritize.

As an Appraiser, Esper Zero's job is to investigate and resolve supernatural anomalies threatening the city. The role involves tracking down reports of anomaly activity, assessing the threat level, and neutralizing whatever is causing the disturbance. Unlike other Anomaly Hunters who follow strict protocols, Esper Zero and the Eibon crew take a more improvisational approach, partly out of necessity (limited resources) and partly because of the protagonist's unorthodox abilities.

The main story follows Esper Zero as they build up Eibon from a struggling operation into a legitimate force, uncovering deeper conspiracies about the nature of Anomalies in Hethereau along the way. The supporting cast includes fellow Eibon members like Nanally, Hotori, Sakiri, Adler, and Daffodil, each with their own personal storylines and motivations.

Gender Selection and Swapping

At the start of the game, players choose between a male and female version of Esper Zero. Both versions share the same stats, abilities, and combat animations. The choice determines the character's appearance, voice acting, and minor dialogue variations where NPCs use gendered forms of address.

After progressing through the main story, players unlock the side quest "In the Reflection," which allows them to swap between the male and female forms at will. Completing this quest adds a gender-swap option to the character menu. The swap is purely cosmetic and can be done at any time outside of combat. This feature was confirmed during the Co-Ex Test and received positive feedback from the community for letting players change their mind without starting a new account.

Esper Cannon

Esper Zero's signature weapon is the Esper Cannon, a versatile armament that can shift between a sword configuration for close-range combat and an energy projection mode for ranged attacks. The Esper Cannon is unique to the protagonist and cannot be equipped by other characters. Its Cosmos-element infusion is what enables Esper Zero's fast attack chains and the Cycle Surge ability that instantly fills the Esper Cycle Meter.

Lore-wise, the Esper Cannon is described as an experimental prototype developed by the Bureau of Anomaly Control but never put into mass production. How it ended up in the hands of an unlicensed Anomaly Hunter at Eibon Antique Shop is one of the early story mysteries. The weapon responds to Esper Zero's Cosmos element attunement, suggesting a deeper connection between the protagonist and the anomaly phenomena they investigate.

Combat Abilities

Esper Zero's combat kit is built around speed and Cosmos-element damage. The character excels at sustained DPS through rapid sword combos and has tools to accelerate the team's Esper Cycle reactions.

The combination of fast normal attacks for sustained damage and the 100 Cycle Rate skill for instant reaction triggers makes Esper Zero versatile in both solo and team contexts. In the early game, Esper Zero often is the primary on-field DPS, with the other three team members rotating in for their skills and ultimates before switching back.

Role as Protagonist

As the player character, Esper Zero is an Appraiser investigating Anomalies throughout Hethereau. Unlike other characters who have fixed personalities and storylines, Esper Zero acts as the lens through which players experience the world. Dialogue choices occasionally appear during story quests, but these are primarily flavor choices that affect NPC reactions rather than branching the plot.

The Appraiser role places Esper Zero at the center of every major story beat. While teammates like Nanally, Hotori, and Sakiri have their own character Arcs that can be played independently, the main story missions always feature Esper Zero as the lead. This design ensures the protagonist remains relevant regardless of which gacha characters a player has acquired.

Availability

Esper Zero is given to all players at the start of the game during the tutorial prologue. No gacha pulls are needed and no special conditions must be met. The character is part of the initial roster alongside Haniel (obtained as a pre-registration milestone reward). This guarantees that every player begins with a functional two-character core regardless of gacha luck.

Because Esper Zero is a guaranteed character, the game is balanced around having this character available. Early story content and tutorials are designed with Esper Zero's kit in mind. The character remains competitive in late-game content, though most players eventually shift them to a sub-DPS or reaction enabler role as they acquire more specialized gacha characters.

Tips

• Esper Zero's 5-hit combo deals the most damage on the final two hits. Try to complete full chains whenever possible rather than canceling early.

• The 100 Cycle Rate skill is Esper Zero's most unique tool. Use it to trigger Esper Cycle reactions exactly when you need them, especially during enemy break windows.

• Divide by Zero hits multiple times. If used during an enemy's broken state, the total damage is massive.

• Pair Esper Zero with characters from adjacent elements on the Esper Cycle wheel (Cosmos neighbors) for the best reaction synergy.

• Even after pulling stronger DPS characters, Esper Zero remains useful as a Cycle Meter filler. Do not stop investing in the character entirely.

• Rift Blossom is good for hitting enemies that like to back away. Use it to maintain pressure without chasing.

Skills Overview

These are the in-game skill names for this character. Skill effects are described elsewhere in the article.

Skill Details

Each skill block lists the in-game slot it occupies, the official skill name, and the short description shown on the character menu, followed by the named sub-actions of that skill. Sub-action descriptions are quoted from the in-game tooltip text.

Normal Attack: Appraisal

Deals Cosmos DMG.

Skill: Appraise and Engrave

Deals Cosmos DMG, dealing an additional instance of Cosmos DMG to the first enemy hit that is not higher level than the caster.

Ultimate: Divide by Zero

Deals Cosmos DMG.

Chain Skill: Rift Blossom

Deals Cosmos DMG.

Compatible Arcs

Zero has 11 Arcs flagged as a thematic match by the in-game character recommendation panel. Refinement effects below are quoted from each Arc's tooltip and do not represent a tier ranking.

Ascension Materials

Ascension lifts Zero's level cap one step at a time. Each phase requires the listed Coins (the world currency) plus a fixed list of materials. World Level shown is the minimum required to access the breakthrough.

Stat Curve

Zero's base HP, ATK, and DEF at key level milestones. These numbers are the raw character base values before Awakening, Console Modules, Cartridges, or Arc bonuses modify them.

Awakenings

Awakenings unlock through duplicate copies of the character. Each tier from A1 to A6 grants a named upgrade.

Resonance Effects

Resonance bonuses unlock at specific Awakening milestones, not from additional duplicates. R1 activates when the character reaches A3, and R2 activates at A6. Both stack on top of the named Awakening node effects.

Console Passive

Each character has a Console passive that activates when the matching Module type is equipped on their Console grid. This is a flat passive that scales linearly with the count of matching Modules and is the strongest reason to commit to a single Module type when building this Esper.

Type III Specialization: Increases ATK by 10% for each Type III Module equipped.

Life Skills

Life Skills are out-of-combat benefits that activate while the character is assigned to the relevant non-combat activity (Eibon Antique Shop owner duty, Sea Angler trips, City Tycoon shifts, and similar passive systems). Each level unlocks an additional or stronger benefit and stacks with the previous levels.

Five-Star Paragon

Voice Actors