Zako psychology (3 Viewers)

[Ezzy]

there's something freeing and transgressive in rooting for them despite it all.

Well said. Usually, the good guys win, and it means that the zako women, even the most evil of them, are, in fact, harmless. Their evil plans will never be completed and even if some of them killed somebody, you know that they will pay for this. In a way, they are innocent and they deserve to win battles sometimes.

 

[Darkling19]

Well said. Usually, the good guys win, and it means that the zako women, even the most evil of them, are, in fact, harmless. Their evil plans will never be completed and even if some of them killed somebody, you know that they will pay for this. In a way, they are innocent and they deserve to win battles sometimes.

May be they are harmless to most good guys. But they are not harmless to their others victims. It is one of the hottest aspects of zakos that this evill beauties will pay for this.

I recently started to really like the idea of sending henchwomen to prison, and the good guys or the audience making fun of the excessive length of their terms. (Zipgun/Shadono often has arrests on his pictures, and sometimes mentions in the comments that the bad girls will spend at least twenty years behind bars.) So it can be fun to watch the arrested women's facial reactions when the heroine casually mentions that the judge will estimate all their crimes.

In fact, I rarely like it when the villainess is killed at the end of the story. It is much more interesting when, for example, one female drug dealer-zako is killed in a shootout, and her accomplices are arrested, handcuffed and convicted. In the end, we see the villainesses sitting in cramped prison cells, in ugly overalls, possibly chained. It would be interesting if readers would have the opportunity to decide their fate after their arrest, for example, as a jury in court. Will a criminal girl decorate a gallows or an electric chair, or rot in a cell for the rest of her days?
From my point of view, for this plot to work well, several points must be fulfilled:

1) a woman must be attractive.

2) she must be a real villain, not a prostitute, not a thief, but a murderer, robber, rapist,drug dealer and so on

3) her punishment should be severe, on the one hand, arousing sympathy for her, on the other hand, a feeling of satisfaction and joy that evil is punished.

 

[KunoichiLover]

Tenchu did it for me. Still obsessed with the kunoichis (obviously). I think they're design's perfect, both visually and narratively. They aren't really given any special treatment, nobody stops to even give them a second thought. They're there, they are in the way and go down just as brutally as any other male enemy. Then there's the more subtle visual cues that make them unforgettable, like how the kunoichis in Wrath of Heaven/Fatal Shadows have these full red eyes. They aren't supernatural in any way but that adds a layer of intrigue. Or their thigh tattoo, a taboo in japanese cultural norms but a great visual indicator of their allegiance, societal standing. They are clearly dangerous, never to be underestimated, willing participants. Same goes for Tenchu Z, although the kunoichis are different, the design language stays. They can mess you up and will taunt you but they aren't comic book levels of evil. They're well trained and could pose a challenge but are just simply never given the chance of a fair fight. You treat them with the same efficient indifference as the rest. Love that.

 

[The Predator]

Hey, man. One thing busies me already for long. I really would like to know whether this with the death-fetish is a pure male-thing or there are mad little badgirls out there that feel the same. :-) I know this site for years and also was a reader at the vanished Deadskirts-site. There were some rare females but as it seems they all were lesbians and also liked to see other women suffer. And there is at least a theory that lesbians or some of them are men in the wrong bodies - and the other way around. But are there girls/women that enjoy seeing (bad)boys die? Then the film- and game-industry must be a paradise for them...

I personally get horny if the badgirls get punished - just simulated of course. And it's the same like with my sock/feet-fetish. It works with badgirls and with myself. I made several image-series where I disgusting loserbadboy get shot from my wet socks. :-D My own death is so sexy and I really could imagine to get shot side by side with a disturbed female version of me, sliding down the wall and whispering some last words into our ears before we turn into wormfood. Then we get thrown into a dirty grave like junk. Yes, I actually already did it (...) on my own images. ;-D In rare cases both fetish also work with teenboys that look a little bit female. But I noticed that the sounds of demise are also important. Then in some also rare cases I even find it a little bit sexy with men if they wear the right things and look adequate - but of course not as much as with female targets. But they must behave evil and hostile. Thats the Predator-principle... 8-)

 

[Kristopher Prime]

Hey, man. One thing busies me already for long. I really would like to know whether this with the death-fetish is a pure male-thing or there are mad little badgirls out there that feel the same. :-) I know this site for years and also was a reader at the vanished Deadskirts-site. There were some rare females but as it seems they all were lesbians and also liked to see other women suffer. And there is at least a theory that lesbians or some of them are men in the wrong bodies - and the other way around. But are there girls/women that enjoy seeing (bad)boys die? Then the film- and game-industry must be a paradise for them...

I personally get horny if the badgirls get punished - just simulated of course. And it's the same like with my sock/feet-fetish. It works with badgirls and with myself. I made several image-series where I disgusting loserbadboy get shot from my wet socks. :-D My own death is so sexy and I really could imagine to get shot side by side with a disturbed female version of me, sliding down the wall and whispering some last words into our ears before we turn into wormfood. Then we get thrown into a dirty grave like junk. Yes, I actually already did it (...) on my own images. ;-D In rare cases both fetish also work with teenboys that look a little bit female. But I noticed that the sounds of demise are also important. Then in some also rare cases I even find it a little bit sexy with men if they wear the right things and look adequate - but of course not as much as with female targets. But they must behave evil and hostile. Thats the Predator-principle... 8-)

"Some lesbians are men in the wrong bodies...'? what the heck is this nonsense? I don't mean to sound briefly political, dude, but being a lesbian is tied to being a born female (trans women, on account of being men, cannot be lesbians). but yes, I do agree that it seems quite common for even lesbians to get turned on by this. for dudes like myself: there's something kinda hot about the 'inferior sex' or 'the fairer sex' being THE expendable gender. and as for lesbians, who are ALREADY attracted to women... it's o surprise to me that many would be turned on by a dominant female savoring a 'weaker' attractive woman's expendable demise.

 

[The Predator]

Whatever, "Dude". Remains the question why it looks so as if just lesbians share the fetish and no "common" women who like to see badboys suffer. 8-)

 

[Zako Mezmerizer]

I think in the end for me, zako is used to hype up a later fight when the heroine faces a tougher opponent. The more a heroine wins easily, the more cocky she'll seem (even if she doesn't act that way), which kind of gives fans permission to put her into ryona situations.

I never came at it from that perspective(for zakos), but that is a pretty neat take. Especially if you like seeing the protag tag a beating.

-

As for my own views on zakos, there are a few reasons I like them.
First, every organization needs henchmen(not every villain, every org). Someone to do the grunt work. Zakos fill out those ranks, giving the organization numbers and making it seem plausible logistically.
Second, they allow lower stakes fight. While not every major character needs to have super important fights, zakos can be knocked unconcious in decently sized groups, without derailing the plot. Meanwhile, taking out a singular important villain could be an episodes work!
Third, I like women. Big fan.
Fourth, I enjoy combat scenes.
Firth, not a reason why, but I always prefer non-fatal. See point three. But also because zakos are usually very weak, so killing them usually feels wrong. I'm not against it ever, if the scene or story justifies it(via evil or a real threat). But I never liked Space Cobra because the MC seemed to mostly take glee in torturous killing of enemies who could barely scratch him. My favorite zako anime is Aika for this reason, and one more.
Sixth, I prefer more militarized/professional zakos. What I mean by this are zakos who seem coordinated, with organization structures, following commands, etc. I also like some sort of uniform. Agent Aika is great, especially with the bridge crew(which sounds so professional it was like I was watching Macross again!!). And Aika is also good with uniform styles, and providing logistics zakos!

As for fates, I'm usually a "zakos beaten and hero moves on person", but for resolving a scene, having them bound and/or arrested is great. That probably comes from the part of me who likes Spiderman.