The Zeti (ゼティ Zeti?) are creatures that appear in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. They are a fabled race of demons native to the Lost Hex that is led by their strongest specimen, Zavok.[1] For a scheme, Doctor Eggman enslaved a group of Zeti known as the Deadly Six, only for them to rise up against him due to Sonic the Hedgehog foolishly deposing of the cause of their enslavement. However, the Zeti were defeated by Sonic before they could achieve their goal of destroying Earth.
Concept and creation[]
Zeti are based off of oni, a type of demon from Japanese folklore. Takashi Iizuka has stated that in the early planning stages of Sonic Lost World, the Zeti were originally referred to simply as "oni," and that he wanted the species to be called as such in the final game but was opposed by Sega of America.[2]
Description[]
Anatomy[]
The Zeti are humanoid in terms of overall physical appearance, but possess some unique key features. Common physical characteristics Zeti share are hands with five digits that each have a claw-like nail, two-toed feet with a claw-like appendage on their heels and animalistic tails. Each Zeti also possesses a number of striped horns on their head, with the number of the horns differing between each individual, though two appears to be the most common. The average height for a Zeti is about 118 centimeters (~3'10").
The skin color of the Zeti comes in vastly different varieties, which has been seen so far to be red, neon pink, orange-yellow, sky blue, lime green and white. They also possess equally distinct hair colors, which can range from between cyan, purple and bright green, though it can turn white from aging. Common color characteristics Zeti share are the remainder of their skin from the waist down being black and their eyes having yellow sclera.
The individual Zeti can have their own unique physical proportions and features; Zavok is muscular and bulky with a fairly standard humanoid shape, Zazz is very lanky and thin, and Master Zik's head and body come together in an indistinguishable spherical shape. Additionally, the Zeti's tails and horns can come in different sizes and shapes as well, and Zeti like Zavok and Zazz can have spikes on their bodies.
Characteristics and culture[]
The Zeti are a sinister and scary race.[1][3] If the Deadly Six are representative of the race as a whole, it appears that the Zeti are an extremely malevolent and violent race of beings. Inherently malicious by nature, they find enjoyment and pride in performing hideous acts of violence, to the extent of destroying the occupants of entire planets without the slightest pangs of remorse for their atrocities. The only beings that Zeti do not seem to enjoy destroying are their own kind; Zavok seems to hold a great deal of respect for his fellow Zeti, even calling Zazz and Zomom "brothers". They also appear to be quite vengeful, given that as soon as Doctor Eggman lost his means of control of the Deadly Six, all the Zeti promptly retaliated violently to avenge their abuse.
Almost nothing of Zeti culture is known. In fact, the only Zeti culture implied is the apparent custom of naming with the first letter "Z," as every member of the Deadly Six has a name beginning with said letter. Zazz's threats toward Sonic, Tails, and Eggman in the Japanese version implies that the Zeti believe in an afterlife, such as Hell.
Powers and abilities[]
The Deadly Six taking control of Eggman's Badniks, from Sonic Lost World.
All Zeti possess an innate ability to manipulate magnetic fields, which allows them to control electronics. This ability lets them take control of robots and similar kinds of machinery.
In terms of physical abilities, the Zeti are a very powerful race, possessing superhuman strength, speed, durability and agility. They are capable of leaping incredible distances through mid-air, lifting high amounts of weight and smashing very sturdy substances, and even running at speeds high enough to keep up with Sonic the Hedgehog. Most Zeti have also displayed the ability to project harmful forms of energy from their hands. In some cases, the Zeti are also shown being capable of flight. Additionally, all Zeti have demonstrated abilities unique to themselves: Zavok can breath fire and shoot a laser out of his mouth, as well as increasing his size; Master Zik can move objects around telekinetically; Zazz can create exploding, jack-shaped energy bombs; Zeena can create energy tethers; Zomom can consume unlimited amounts of food and burrow through the ground; and Zor can manipulate darkness.
The Zeti are shown to have very long lifespans, which can be over a thousand years of age. Even when over a century old, a Zeti's appearance is that of a young adult.
All Zeti are susceptible to the sounds from a Cacophonic Conch. When the Zeti hear a Cacophonic Conch's sound, their powers are inhibited; also, its effect is very excruciating to the Zeti, causing them great pain.
Known Zeti[]
- Deadly Six
- Zomom's unnamed mother
In other media[]
Archie Comics[]
The Deadly Six, a group of Zeti, under the control of Sigma, from Sonic Universe #76.
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the only known Zeti are, like in the games, the Deadly Six. These Zeti were enslaved by Dr. Eggman when he conquered the Lost Hex, until Sigma freed them to serve his plans. The Deadly Six later tried to betray Sigma, but the Reploid instead took control over the group using the special armor he gave them.
Trivia[]
- It is implied that there might be more Zeti than just the Deadly Six. In the Wii U/PC version of Sonic Lost World, Zavok mentioned in Sky Road Zone 2 that the Deadly Six "should have to find more Zeti to replace the others on his team," and in Lava Mountain Zone 1, Zomom mentioned having a mother, though it is unknown whether the latter is still alive.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sega (23 June 2016). Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Wii U. Nintendo. "tristan: Zavok is the leader of the Zeti, a race of scaaary demons! He's also their strongest warrior!"
- ↑ Inamoto, Tetsuya (26 October 2013). Interview with Takashi Iizuka, Producer of Sonic Lost World (Japanese). Archived from the original on 27 October 2031.
- ↑ Sega (23 June 2016). Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Wii U. Nintendo. Area/level: Collectibles (Flags). "Zavok is the strongest of the sinister Zeti and the leader of the Deadly Six. As the last disciple of Master Zik, he's a certified force to be reckoned with. Along with his formidable physical prowess, a calm demeanor and penchant for quick-thinking makes his well-suited to leadership. His greatest joy is in improving his skills, which makes the straight-forward competitive nature of the Olympic Games quite appealing."