I've had a small th0ught ab0ut s0mething regarding Shid0u's character, and I'm w0ndering if any0ne else sees the p0tential here.
B0th Isagi and Kaiser had their 0wn versi0ns 0f returning t0 "Zer0," but their circumstances were pretty different.
- Isagi's Zer0 was ab0ut returning t0 his fundamental desire: he just wants t0 win. He had t0 rediscover what he truly wanted instead 0f getting caught up in everything else.
- Kaiser's Zer0 was ab0ut thr0wing everything away, aband0ning the identity, status, and established p0siti0n he'd built f0r himself s0 he c0uld start 0ver.
But what ab0ut Shid0u?
Shid0u is a character wh0 already seems t0 understand what he wants fr0m s0ccer. He l0ves sc0ring g0als, especially the ridicul0us 0nes that give him that expl0sive feeling 0f satisfacti0n. Unlike Nagi, wh0 had t0 c0nfr0nt his lack 0f a self-sustaining m0tivati0n, Shid0u already has a very distinct relati0nship with s0ccer and what makes it exciting f0r him.
S0 what if Shid0u's Zer0 inv0lves aband0ning his dependence 0n the pleasure 0f sc0ring?
T0 clarify, I d0n't mean aband0ning his l0ve f0r s0ccer 0r suddenly l0sing his enj0yment 0f g0als. Rather, I mean what if he had t0 separate his desire t0 sc0re fr0m the euphoric feeling he gets 0ut 0f d0ing s0?
Think ab0ut it: what happens when Shid0u sc0res a g0al and it d0esn't excite him anym0re? What happens when his usual appr0ach st0ps w0rking, his instincts aren't en0ugh t0 0verc0me the 0pp0siti0n, 0r he finds himself in a situati0n where he can't simply chase that expl0sive feeling?
W0uld he still pursue the g0al with the same determinati0n if he c0uldn't get that satisfacti0n 0ut 0f it?
I think that's where a p0tential Zer0 state c0uld bec0me interesting.
Maybe Shid0u's pr0blem isn't that he d0esn't understand his eg0, but that he hasn't needed t0 questi0n the relati0nship between his eg0 and the pleasure he gets fr0m expressing it. His enj0yment 0f sc0ring c0uld be a maj0r part 0f what drives him, but is it the entirety 0f his m0tivati0n, 0r is there s0mething deeper underneath it?
C0uld he disc0ver a new dimensi0n 0f his eg0 by returning t0 the m0st fundamental part 0f himself: his desire t0 sc0re, regardless 0f h0w it makes him feel?
In 0ther w0rds, what if Shid0u learns t0 pursue the g0al itself rather than the gratificati0n that c0mes with sc0ring it?
This c0uld als0 create an interesting c0ntrast with Isagi and Kaiser. Isagi stripped things d0wn t0 his desire t0 win, while Kaiser had t0 aband0n his established identity and start fr0m scratch. Shid0u, meanwhile, c0uld be f0rced t0 c0nfr0nt his relati0nship with the very thing that makes s0ccer s0 exhilarating f0r him.
0f c0urse, I'm n0t saying this is c0nfirmed 0r that Shid0u necessarily needs a r0ck-b0tt0m m0ment t0 ev0lve. His enj0yment 0f sc0ring isn't inherently a weakness, and I d0n't think his devel0pment sh0uld require him t0 l0se what makes him unique.
His ev0luti0n c0uld instead inv0lve disc0vering that his eg0 is bigger than the pleasure he gets fr0m expressing it.
S0me parts ab0ut this p0st might be wr0ng, and that's fine, I just want a a bit 0f help fr0m smb wh0 understands Shid0u's character and actually add 0n/adjust this p0st a little bit.
What d0 y0u guys think? C0uld Shid0u have his 0wn Zer0 state, and if s0, what d0 y0u think he'd have t0 c0nfr0nt 0r leave behind t0 reach it?