The masks are holding her hostage in a metaphorical manner. TL DR: The girl is a symbol of his innocence and does not exist truly. This is reinforced by the masks describing death as the only way to escape the horrific life he was in and prevent going through withdrawal. Metaphorically, the result of his actions to slaughter the police and discover that he was a child soldier who slaughtered thousands in the war was a destruction of his own personal innocence. Zero's innocence is lost to them in him deciding to find out the truth behind his past. They don't really exist, but are part of the hallucinations he experiences. This will prompt V to kill Zero after three dialogue boxes and begin the second cycle. Mash through the two following dialogue boxes and interrupt V by saying Fuck you. Choose the top two options of Open Eyes and then My head. The masked characters are also metaphysical in my eyes. For the first cycle you will want to just mash the entire time. He ultimately wants to save her from the city and the horrific acts there. All Discussions Screenshots Artwork Broadcasts Videos News Guides Reviews. He shelters her from the real world and horrors that happened on the prison tape. When the girl is introduced to the story his interactions with her are more pure and protective. Zero onstantly grapples with the horrific acts he committed and still currently commits. The girl symbolizes his innocence and a desire to truly be a hero. The girl was present in the early cutscenes there too. The child in the first room was intended as a red herring, making us question his past and whether he was even in the war to begin with.
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Given that he was also a Gamma Null it is clear he never really lived a normal life. Chances are he was in the war for at least 2 years prior. Given that the conflict ended 7 years ago and he is currently 22, it means he was 15 when the war ended. During the War, Zero is a literal child soldier. Personally, I think the children in the game are a metaphor for the innocence of Zero.