Gab Hernandez 
Zenless Zone Zero is the latest game from miHoYo, and like all their games, it features a massive cast of anime characters for players to get. Growing the party is easier said than done, though.
As far as influences go, Zenless Zone Zero leans more towards Honkai: Star Rail rather than Genshin Impact. Even so, the game stands out thanks to the inclusion of roguelike elements, lighter tone, and action-packed combat. The urban fantasy aesthetic brings to mind games like Jet Set Radio or Hi-Fi Rush.
These retro-punk vibes become very visible in the designs of Zenless Zone Zero’s huge roster of characters. As with any miHoYo game, that cast will only get bigger with each passing year. So, with the cast at its smallest, there’s no better time than now to complete the collection.
How do I get new characters in Zenless Zone Zero?
Players primarily get new characters from Zenless Zone Zero’s “Signal Search,” also known as the gacha mechanic.
Not many characters join the party just by advancing in the story. The majority of playable characters are only available through “gacha pulls.” With each Signal Search, players have a roughly 10% chance to get a playable character. Players might end up receiving the same character twice, with duplicate pulls strengthening the existing character.
miHoYo fans will find nothing out of the ordinary as far as character acquisition goes. The Signal Search system uses two currencies. Temporary character banners appear on the Exclusive Channel, which requires Encrypted Master Tapes for pulls. Meanwhile, Zenless Zone Zero’s Stable Channel offers a consistent set of playable characters with each pull requiring Master Tapes.
The game also accepts codes to earn more items, so be on the lookout for those online or during events. New players are guaranteed one S-Rank character from 50 Signal Searches on the Stable Channel. Afterward, the pity system will only trigger for S-Rank Agents every 90 pulls.
In addition to the typical gacha pulls, players can get free characters from simply playing the game. Here’s a list of the free characters for Zenless Zone Zero:
- Anby
- Ben
- Billy
- Corin
- Nicole
- Soukaku
As an extension of the Signal Search system is the Signal Shop. Players can get two different guaranteed characters through the Signal Shop using the Residual Signal currency. Players get Residual Signal by using Master Tapes and Encrypted Master Tapes. Each month, two A-rank characters are available for purchase using Residual Signal. This lets Zenless Zone Zero players reliably get more new characters, or beef up their existing crew.
Can I unlock Zenless Zone Zero characters without spending money?
Players can unlock every character in Zenless Zone Zero for free, but it will take a while.
Like all gacha games, it’s technically possible to get every single character in Zenless Zone Zero without spending a dime. However, this will require a significant amount of grinding, and the gacha system remains luck-based. Even if players grind 24 hours a day indefinitely, there’s no guarantee that they’ll actually get all the characters.
Most veteran gacha players recommend against collecting the whole cast as F2P. Instead, they recommend new players to save up their currency for specific characters and then wait for their exclusive banner. As for whether players need the full cast to be relevant in the late game, Zenless Zone Zero is perfectly fine to play without them. Much like Genshin Impact, the free characters and cheaper pulls can carry players far.
While the S-rank characters are definitively stronger, which is demonstrated in-game with the S-rank Nekomata being a built-in replacement for the A-rank starter character Billy, the initial Cunning Hares trio holds up against enemies indefinitely.
