How to use Zato=One in Guilty Gear Strive

In an already relatively complex game like Guilty Gear Strive, one character that is notorious for being ridiculously technical and difficult to utilize, let alone master, is Zato=One.

The character is one of the best looking in Guilty Gear Strive, with an overly eccentric move-set and vanta-black/maroon color palette. He will almost always overwhelm under-prepared players with his combos.

This guide will help new players of Guilty Gear Strive find some ground to stand on while attempting to use Zato=One and help set up the fundamentals required to master him. It will explain all his tools, link other resources, and help understand the basic gameplan Guilty Gear Strive players use.

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A guide to using Zato=One in Guilty Gear Strive

What makes him challenging?

Zato=One comes under an archetype of characters called “puppet characters,” as he possesses the feature of being two characters at once.

When players push buttons or move, the controls help get a grip of him and the creature in his shadow known as Eddie at the same time. The first thing players have to grasp is the idea of controlling two characters at once.

It takes great awareness to control and use Eddie to his fullest extent whilst also keeping Zato active. The mechanisms via which Eddie moves and acts will be explored later on in this guide.

Firstly, players must understand that Zato is a regular character only until Eddie is summoned and the many ways in which he can be summoned.

Zato’s kit & the many ways he summons Eddie

The primary game plan as Zato=One in Guilty Gear Strive is to summon Eddie and get a full combo with his support via good placement and coordination.

Assisting players with these objective are:

His movement tools

Zato glides as Eddie attacks on the ground. (Image via Arc System Works)

Zato can glide in the air for a brief period when he jumps and air-dashes. This is the main escape and mix-up tool for Zato. He is; however, more vulnerable to air-grabs as he glides.

This aside, Zato can also hide and move in his shadow on the ground, making him invincible for a brief time using Break The Law [214K]. Use this to avoid some attacks and possibly cross-up the opponent.

Eddie’s summons

Eddie can be summoned in various ways. Which way he should be summoned depends on the circumstances of that particular moment in the match.

The ways to summon him are:

• Regular Summon [214H]
• Pierce [236P]
• That’s A Lot [236K]
• Leap [236S]
• Oppose [236H]
• Drunkard Shade [214S]

Each summons serves a certain purpose. For example, Leap can be used as an anti-air whilst also putting Eddie on the screen. This guide will not go into depth on the utility of each one; however, below is a video exploring Zato in Guilty Gear Strive, in which they are explained well.

Zato’s Moves

In Guilty Gear Strive, the moves Zato can perform without Eddie are his vanilla normals, and two specials.

• Damned Fang [623S]
• Invite Hell [22H]

Damned Fang is a command grab and a good way to diversify Zato’s pressure on the enemy, whereas Invite Hell is one of his staple pokes as it’s hard to react to and also knocks down the enemy

Remember that these moves can be done without Eddie and that they can also be done simultaneously alongside Eddie’s moves and are Zato’s way of contributing to the offense.

Eddie’s rules & Negative Edge

In Guilty Gear Strive, Zato has an additional meter representing Eddie’s stamina, and Eddie can only stay on the screen as long as he has stamina and is not hit by the enemy.

Every action Eddie performs, including movement, depletes his stamina, and this stamina is only restored upon Eddie’s withdrawal into Zato’s shadow. Make sure to manage stamina and control Eddie accordingly.

While Eddie is summoned, it’s important to note that one set of buttons move both him and Zato. If Zato moves, so does Eddie, but vice versa is not true.

While crouching, players can move Eddie alone whilst keeping Zato in place. When they both move simultaneously, Eddie will always move faster than Zato. Eddie can also reach almost any part of the screen.

Eddie has extremely impressive reach (Image via Arc System Works)

Attacks; however, are far more complicated and challenging to the player's muscle memory, and their implementation separates Zato from other characters in Guilty Gear Strive.

When Eddie is on the screen, and a button is pressed, Zato does whatever move is associated with that button. When the same button is released, Eddie does the move associated with that button.

This is called Negative Edge and allows players to delay attacks between Zato and Eddie by holding and releasing buttons late. Only by using Negative Edge, is it possible to string together good Zato=One combos.

The first boundary a player must cross is to be able to willingly let go of the intended buttons and hold down other buttons upon will.

Below is a wonderful guide by Novril Tataki to mastering the Negative Edge:

General gameplan & super moves

Zato has the most unique and adaptable offense in all of Guilty Gear Strive. Summon Eddie, mix up his and Zato’s moves, and overwhelm opponents.

The standard way to poke in Guilty Gear Strive is by using Pierce on grounded opponents and Leap on airborne ones. Make sure to mix this up in the middle with Damned Fang.

When Eddie is recovering, use flight to run away or Invite Hell to keep the opponents away from Zato.

As for super moves, there are two of them in Guilty Gear Strive:

• Amorphous [632146H]
• Sun Void [632146S]

Use Amorphous as an anti-air or combo finisher and surprise opponents when Eddie becomes a homing projectile upon activating Sun Void either on the ground or in the air. Remember, both these moves use 50% tension, just like every other super in Guilty Gear Strive.