The Zako's personal background (1 Viewer)

[Stuelpner_Karl]

Having a crush on minor henchwomen, they, not the main characters, are often the persons to empathize with for me.
So it's important that they are distinguishable. There should be old and young, big and small, beautiful and ugly, elegant and sloppy, etc., Zakos. And they should have names, different personalities (from extremely nice to being a complete prick), skills, flaws and quirks. I don't see them as some sort of clones.

Like anyone else, they were born, grew up and lived their life until the fateful day when we (and the heroes) see them the first time. And they plan to continue to live their life. I hate it when they sacrifice theirselves. They are selfish bad girls.

For example, in "Geheimcode Death-Force" a bunch of bikini clad henchgirls gets mowed down:

But earlier on, we see them work on computers:

The way I see them, they are no stupid cannon fodder. They may be their parents' pride and joy, straight "A" students in areas were women haven't been seen too often back then. And they work for the evil mastermind's project because he paid their student loans, it's a challenging job and they draw a fine salary.

Nonetheless they know what they are doing and for whom they voluntarily work. Unfortunately, they only had rudimentary combat training. What a waste!


How do you see the Zakos? Where do they come from and what drives them?

 

[KeiBree]

Oh, love this subject! I RP a lot of Zako scenarios on secondlife and I always have a background in mind. I love to think of what they were doing before the fight. Chatting with their boyfriend on the phone? Thinking about going back to school etc? Or on their way to the fight, excited? Nervous?

Their actual motivation varies depending on the scenario though. If it's a beat'em up game style one I look at them a few ways:
- Thinking the gang is cool,
- Trying to impress some guys in the gang
- Rich girls rebelling, trying to play bad girl.

If it's like the pictures above it's generally:
- They really believe they are on the right side
- A friend recruited them, they needed the money for college.

I wouldn't have them as straight A students, after all they aren't too smart to join a hopeless cause :P

 

[DynamiteFetish]

Great thread idea. I often feel the same way about the zakos in films (and especially games).

I really love thinking about the background that drives them to become zako, bad, etc.. ! Is it the money, power or gang-driven, wanting to hurt people .. etc, in the case of a zako in a game like Die Hard Arcade I am thinking of writing some fan-fiction around these points.

 

[Amazon Shark]

Cool topic.

Usually, watching a good zako scene, what usually gets me off is just the fact that they're evil, get shot or KO'd (most of my favorites involve shooting or KO) and are lying KO'd or dead while the action continues around them. No one cares about them, no one tries to check on them, they just need to be mowed down so the heroes can eventually save the day.

However, this board and the evil babes board have got me to fantasize about the individual zako's history leading up to their demise. I don't look at any of them as good people, or good people turned bad. They were always kind of bad, or mean, and found an organization to hire them to do whatever (like doing computer work, but also act as security, thus why they're always armed). If they knew the organization was bad and didn't agree with its desires, they wouldn't sign up to be a henchwoman. They're like male henchmen. Probably doing it for the money, maybe their leader promised them something once the heroes are disposed of. None of them are in school or came from a hard life, I like to imagine they came from middle class families or something like that. They know good and well that they are on the evil side, and don't care that they're evil. Thus, when they get their just deserts, it's completely deserved. But it's the fact that there's many of them getting killed or knocked out while the action continues around them with no one's worry that excites me. When female zako are mixed with male zako, it's more exciting, maybe because it's more realistic.

 

[NNin]

You guys have a heart of gold, thinking about a henchwomen of an evil organization. T T

Well, I do too. Sometime I wonder why they work for the group. What makes they think it's a good ides?
Like mentioned above, the payment is good enough and they need it. Maybe they had a hard life and want to do something to people who has better life? Or they are just evil.

For me I think many of them are trained to be the zako. Some organizations don't appear out of thin air and need preparation. So they may hire a mercenary. Train child (of their members or via kidnapping) to be their zako.
The example is kunoichi, female ninja, that be trained since young age to work as one.

 

[aesopn]

first time for replying... kind of nervous haha

that's actually the topic I've been thinking about for years.
In fact, I love those games with further description with zako's backgrounds
(sorry but personally I love zakos in beat em up games more than anything else:D)

for example my favorite zako is the dancers in double dragon iPhone version
probably you guys have seen it in the zako fetish thread...
There is a section in the game called MY DATA which talked quite a bit in zako's personal information.

[SIZE=+2]ERICA[/SIZE]
Age: 20. Height: 163cm. Weight: 54Kg. Hobbies: Flower arrangement. Another classmate of Dina's. She became part of Dina's clique at Libby's urging.

[SIZE=+2]ISABELLA[/SIZE]
Age: 19. Height: 164cm. Weight: 53Kg. Hobbies: Dancing, cooking. A fellow classmate of Dina's. She's Kent's blushing bride who has to hide the fact that she's stronger than him.

[SIZE=+2]LIBBY[/SIZE]
Age: 19. Height: 165cm. Weight: 52Kg. Hobbies: Dancing, shopping. Goes to Dina's university and took up dancing through her idolization of Dina.

Furthermore, since those dancers are the youngest and shortest character in the game
I just can't stop thinking some problems like:
Why would a young university girl will become gangsters and fight against the heroes?
For wage? in other to have more money for shopping if you are talking about one of the dancer whose interest is shopping.
Where did they learn fighting as they are one of the strongest zako in the game.
Or I will start thinking stuffs like:
How's their own life outside the fight?
How's their school life?

I mean that's too much you can think about.
That's how wonderful it is about the zakos
because they will not mention much in scenes but they are actually paying their effort for one target

well...those are just my point of view

 

[NNin]

After all, would YOU wear such a silly outfit if the pay wasn't good? =P

It's good for distraction. :P

Good info anyway, Idoro. Hope I can do that to my Petal soon.

 

[Stuelpner_Karl]

Train child (of their members or via kidnapping) to be their zako.
The example is kunoichi, female ninja, that be trained since young age to work as one.

This may be a realistc scenario. Poor families with too many mouths to feed give a child to a master who teaches them something. Or he collects orphans or street kids.
It's often used in movies where the hero finally realizes the evilness of his master, breaks away and has to fight his former friends.

The problem is that these Kunoichi are not really bad girls who pay the price. They are victims too and if you think about it, the whole light-hearted "beat 'em up" or "hack and slash" turns into a tragedy.

I don't look at any of them as good people...
I like to imagine they came from middle class families or something like that. They know good and well that they are on the evil side, and don't care that they're evil. Thus, when they get their just deserts, it's completely deserved. But it's the fact that there's many of them getting killed or knocked out while the action continues around them with no one's worry that excites me.

That's better. They had a choice and for completely selfish reasons, they chose the evil side.

The pay is good, so it easily attracts young women who are looking to support themselves while in school, trying to pay off a debt, strike out on their own, young mothers trying to support their kids, kids who are trying to support their family or women who are just looking for a decent job in general.

I love to think of what they were doing before the fight. Chatting with their boyfriend on the phone? Thinking about going back to school etc? Or on their way to the fight, excited? Nervous?

Telling their mother that they love them? Buying (or stealing) something nice for their children? Thinking about how to spend the money? Thinking about how to explain an injury to other people? Hoping that they finally will have to chance to kill somebody by themselves? How will this feel? Or hoping that somebody else will do the dirty work?

I love to see (some of) them as likable persons who are not evil 24/7. Their fate means something to somebody.
To the hero however, as well as to the downtrodden people who gladly watch the hero saving them from the forces of evil, it means absolutely nothing.

"You have a family? So what? Do you think your victims have none?"

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[Dan Druff]

ƒ_ƒCƒiƒ}ƒCƒgŒYŽ-
Click on a few screens until you see some of the Dynamite Deka characters bowing in front of you. Type ALIENBURGER in the text field to access a page with all the zako profiles in Japanese.

 

[Stuelpner_Karl]

The pay is good, so it easily attracts young women who are looking to support themselves while in school, trying to pay off a debt, strike out on their own, young mothers trying to support their kids, kids who are trying to support their family or women who are just looking for a decent job in general.

For me, part of the Zakos' mindset is that they reckon that whatever happens will happen anyway, since it's not in their power to do anything against it. "Someone will hurt these people. It could be someone more cruel than me. Someone will do it and take the money. So why not me? I have bills to pay." After a while they enjoy "fighting" people who are, because they know that someone more cruel and dangeous may take over the job indeed, afraid to fight back.

The main villain knows that they know and calculates that they will not take a risk. Plus, these Zakos are cheaper than real professionals and better to control than real psychopaths. But when there is an uprising, he will gladly sacrifice them, just to buy a little time until the professionals and the psychopaths arrive. Some Zakos may see this too, but most probably develop an overconfidence that makes them continue to fight when they better run.


From "Zako Artwork" thread:

Another batch of uniform, this time all-female, cannon fodder. T.H.U.N.D.E.R Agents #8-9.

Basically good girl has super-villain mum. Good girl goes after her super-villain mum in her evil HQ. Which appears to be a converted prison. Complete with corrupt female guards? Can't say I followed the plot too closely!

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Corrupt prison guards fit perfectly in my fantasy. When they finish their shift, they put the uniform into the locker, jump into their cars, return to their houses (both a little too big for a mere prison guard), their families, dogs, flower gardens. They play hockey or violin, drink beer or champaign, watch TV or go out dancing. They enjoy (or endure) an absolutely normal life, courtesy of the money they get for ruining that of, for example, political prisoners.

 

[Stuelpner_Karl]

Here is a nice tool to create personal backgrounds for Zakos.

 

[Ezzy]

But it's the fact that there's many of them getting killed or knocked out while the action continues around them with no one's worry that excites me.

I agree with this. It's nice to see that many zako girls is only dead meat under the feet of their killers. And as for background. I like to imagine that some of dead girls is evil bitches, who deserved their bullet. I like to imagine that sexy bitch takes her bullet and screaming and falling. And I like to imagine that the good zako girl takes her bullet or sword or arrow and dying. Her body falling near the body of bitch and their blood flows on the ground. I give my imagined zako different background. And their lives have no value for their boss (sometimes it's me in my imagination). They are only some tender meat for meat-grinder. And their uniform is an important part of backround for me. She may be shy pretty girl but now she lies with wide-open blouse or spread long legs with curvy thighs, and her killer looking at her and thinking: "This bitch deserved her bullet" And another dead girl may be real evil, but she looking like virgin, even in mini-skirt and her killer pity her. Zako girl may be bitch, and her enemy kill her with 5 or 6 bullets, she feeling the terrible pain and screaming, and the good cutie girl can be killed by only one bullet and die faster than her evil friend. And I like imagine that not all zako girls died in battle, some of them were in another place and they can be new enemies for good guys or good girls who massacred their friends.

 

[Secteur-X7]

Agree with this point of view too !!
In my (perv) mind, zako girls got masochistic mind to go at war with some impracticable outfits (high heels, unprotect bodies...) but they are convinced of their superiority.... I like to add a sexual aspect too.... It is like they want to obey the orders of their their evil leaders as lover want to please her sexual partner.... (and so, to be killed in the battle has no importance, the only important point is to please the leader...)
Well, english is not my first language so, I am not sure to be well understood but that is the way I imagine Zako babes....

SX 7

 

[cyke70]

The way I envision Zako girls is as conscript troops.
An evil organization rules a territory and takes over others by force. Peasants and civilians are forced to join the ranks, or die.
They are subject to ruthless discipline and harsh punishments if they don't blindly obey orders.
The general idea is the army (of men, I know!) in the film "The Postman" with Kevin Costner.
The force is held together through fear, with death as the only punishment for infractions.
Officers are indeed evil, but the Zako are not: they cannot refuse to fight, nor retreat.
During battles, the "heroes" have no choice but to slaughter them, as many as possibile. They'll have to fight again those whose lives they'd spare!
On the other hand, WE are allowed to feel sad and pity for the massacre of innocent girls, whose only 2 choices are fall by the hand of the heroes or their officers'!
As for the evil commanders, their consideration for their troops (and the supplied equipment) must be, quoting King Edward in Gibson's "Braveheart":
Weapons cost money. Use up the Zako. The dead cost nothing.

 

[Stuelpner_Karl]

I like to imagine that some of dead girls is evil bitches, who deserved their bullet. I like to imagine that sexy bitch takes her bullet and screaming and falling. And I like to imagine that the good zako girl takes her bullet or sword or arrow and dying. Her body falling near the body of bitch
...
and her killer looking at her and thinking: "This bitch deserved her bullet" And another dead girl may be real evil, but she looking like virgin, even in mini-skirt and her killer pity her.

This are some interesting aspects. No matter if they wear one, the Zakos are uniform. Virtually no one sees them as individuals. Most stories or movies are told just from the hero's point of view. Some also look at it from the side of the main villain. Some may take the view of an innocent victim or a minor good guy. But a minor baddie?

For example: In "Kill Bill", we learn a lot about the Bride and O-Ren Ishii, who they are and why they do what they do. But not only do we learn absolutely nothing about the masked Crazy 88, we also don't know much about Gogo Yubari. The Bride offers to spare her, just because she looks so young. For the "nameless" Zakos, she has no compassion at all. She even denies the survivors the chance to get the cut off limbs re-attached.

 

[Ezzy]

Virtually no one sees them as individuals. Most stories or movies are told just from the hero's point of view. Some also look at it from the side of the main villain. Some may take the view of an innocent victim or a minor good guy. But a minor baddie?

This has a positive side. We ourselves can come up background for zakos. The movie can tell us that all zakos is dangerous evil, but, if movie don't told this, we can think all we want. And we can to give our zako more backgrounds, then 1, which movie gave them.

 

[zippgun]

I suppose we all have different things we like. From what they've written, maybe I'm closest to DynamiteFetish and AmazonShark.

One of the reasons I started doing stuff myself was there was such a dearth of material around that I liked. I don't really think much about a zako/henchwoman with reference to personal background or rounded personalities. But her motivation has to be greed and often an enjoyment in hurting people and bullying them. They consciously chose evil, not thru force of circumstances, ideology or from being misled/brainwashed etc. There's no poignant background involving grinding poverty or getting vengeance for wrongs. The woman consciously chooses evil because she is evil - ruthless, can't empathize, only looks after number one, is pursuing the quick and criminal road to getting money over which any methods, no matter how vicious, are okay. These are not women who can be reformed, they're mean right thru and stay that way. If the female hench is somewhat sympathetic or has decent feelings, that turns it off for me. Any background check would identify these types as having been not particularly bright, shallow and materialistic gold digging girlfriends of mobsters, call girls etc. Glamorous and sexy, cold eyed and mean - probably not too young, mid to late 20s, so there's not an issue of them being inexperienced "kids" gone off the rails.

She's not much good as a fighter, isn't trained, is no amazon or kunoichi - and not even up to much with the weapons she invariably carries, but relies on the firepower and superior numbers. Basically a coward she'll run away in any fair fight or quickly give up; she'd never be so brave as to fight to the death, committing suicide has no appeal. She's not "loyal" to whatever outfit she's involved in, but there for what she can get out of it and would sell out her own side if it was safe to and to her material advantage. In her view, she's not there to fight, but to get rich by forwarding the enjoyable criminal activities undertaken by murdering or capturing easy prey, robbing etc. Then she ends up in what she thinks is such a situation, where all the odds seem overwhelmingly with her, and what happens is something she never figured on - she gets a final, possible fatal shock. The tables get turned against her and the others by an opponent or opponents who looked doomed, but prove too skilled and courageous for them. One of my favorite moments is when the woman loses her weapon - or she is stunned to discover the weapon isn't helping her kill her opponent. At that moment all her self confidence vanishes to be replaced by fear and panic. We don't care what happens to people like this, as they richly deserve whatever bad things befall them and the world is a bit better place when they're removed from it by death or incarceration.

 

[Stuelpner_Karl]

When I look at your typical baddie...

I imagine the personality of a woman who was part of a bullying clique at school, achieved success with these tactics and decided to make a living from it. Off-duty, her life consists of shopping and partying. Her neighbours probably think she is a rich man's mistress or something alike. She may be adored by many, loved only by her mother and liked by nobody.

I imagine the off-duty life of "my" henchwomen, like these from Chuck, a bit different. They live normal lifes and their neighbours think they have regular jobs. Likeable women, loved by their husbands and children, but rather uninteresting.


But they are pretty similar to your's.

But her motivation has to be greed and often an enjoyment in hurting people and bullying them. They consciously chose evil, not thru force of circumstances, ideology or from being misled/brainwashed etc. There's no poignant background involving grinding poverty or getting vengeance for wrongs. The woman consciously chooses evil ...
Basically a coward she'll run away in any fair fight ...
Then she ends up in what she thinks is such a situation, where all the odds seem overwhelmingly with her, and what happens is something she never figured on - she gets a final, possible fatal shock. The tables get turned against her and the others by an opponent or opponents who looked doomed, but prove too skilled and courageous for them. One of my favorite moments is when the woman loses her weapon - or she is stunned to discover the weapon isn't helping her kill her opponent. At that moment all her self confidence vanishes to be replaced by fear and panic.
... they richly deserve whatever bad things befall them.

The world is a bit better place when they're removed from it, but there are some people weeping at their funeral.

 

[olala]

Uh its kind not important,but I'm really want to know what's zako means,I found this,and I noticed I'm usually love this:3,but I need to know what's zako mean more deeply also when this zako means first appears,anyway all this time I just ready know what's ryona mean,um actually not much,but barely understand it:),so can some bodies discrpyted more detail about zako pleaseThankyouDood:)

 

[horatiojones80]

When I look at your typical baddie...

I imagine the personality of a woman who was part of a bullying clique at school, achieved success with these tactics and decided to make a living from it. Off-duty, her life consists of shopping and partying. Her neighbours probably think she is a rich man's mistress or something alike. She may be adored by many, loved only by her mother and liked by nobody.

I imagine the off-duty life of "my" henchwomen, like these from Chuck, a bit different. They live normal lifes and their neighbours think they have regular jobs. Likeable women, loved by their husbands and children, but rather uninteresting.
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But they are pretty similar to your's.


The world is a bit better place when they're removed from it, but there are some people weeping at their funeral.

What chuck episode is that? my they look glorious