Zen

Zen is a character from Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth.

Appearances

 * Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth: Playable Character
 * Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth -Roundabout-
 * Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth - Side:P3 / Side:P4: Major Character

Design
Zen is a young man with short, dark-brown hair, lime green eyes, and has a dark complexion. He wears the standard school uniform of Yasogami High with a spiked black collar, along with a worn out black cape. He wears a blue wristwatch on his left wrist.

As Chronos, he wore a black hooded robe with pocketwatch with dark chains around his neck.

Personality
Zen is calm and silent. He is overprotective of Rei and loses his collected facade when she is in danger, going so far as to threaten Teddie with his crossbows when he believes he is insulting her. This dedication towards Rei can be considered something of a father/daughter relation, and though it is never stated, it is mentioned by Teddie, noting that it is often heart-wrenching to see a father's daughter grow up so quickly.

As Chronos, he was originally cold and unemotional, however after interacting with the human girl Niko, he became interested as to why she was unable to speak, going so far as to create the school she wanted to go to, only to later be filled with heart ache when he heard her say that she wanted to die since she thought she had nothing to live for. In present time, Zen regrets his decision, considering locking away Rei's memories as "covering up a mistake".

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
Twelve years prior to the game, Zen was originally a being from the Sea of Souls named Chronos, an avatar of Death created by the collective will of humanity. In the course of his duties, he appeared to the ghost of a girl named Niko, informing her of her demise and her need to come with him. To his confusion, however, Niko was silent, neither struggling against him or welcoming his presence. On a whim, he delved into her memories to see if he could make her speak, and after seeing her despair, used a fraction of his power to create an alternate Yasogami High for the sake of hearing her voice. However, as she examines a group of items she was buried with, she grows more and more distressed; a toy ring given to her by her mother, a lock of hair preserved from her cranial surgery, a stuffed rabbit given to her by a nurse, and a handwritten note from a friend of hers who recovered from her own illness and left the hospital alive and happy. Niko experiences a mental breakdown, and exclaims that she had nothing to live for, and didn't have a reason to exist since she achieved none of her dreams.

At this point, Chronos was overwhelmed by this, and when Niko demanded to be killed, she was about to gouge out her eyes before him, without even thinking, he locked away her memories. Shortly afterward, Niko awakens, incapable of remembering herself, nor who Chronos is before asking for her own name. He calls her Niko, but then says that she deserves a better name, settling for Philei, or "Rei" for short. She asks for his name and he calls himself "Zhn" (greek for "living"), but is lost when she asks which kanji he uses to write it before suggesting it might be 善 ("Zen"; lit. good, virtue), because he seems like a good person. Chronos, having never experienced human emotions before, was confused as to why he felt so sad when he heard Rei tell him that, so long as she is with him, he won't be alone. Wanting to give Rei an answer to her question as to what her reason for living was, Zen separated his power into two parts and locked away one half in a clocktower, and sealed away his own memories inside treasure boxes that contained Rei's Personal Belongings. To ensure that Rei's items would remain untouched, Zen created guardians that would look after them in labyrinths.

The method required for the members of SEES and the Investigation Team to return to their respective timelines lies with Zen and Rei, however both have lost their memories. In the P4 Story, Zen and Rei encounter the party inside You in Wonderland, considering them hostiles at first before realizing that they are friendly. In the P3 Story, Zen and Rei stop SEES from entering the labyrinth, warning them of the presence of Shadows, though later accompany them under the speculation that whoever trapped them within the alternate school is also the one who took their memories. Over the course of the game, Zen openly displays his feelings of protectiveness towards Rei, though he is dense and unaware that Rei harbors feelings for him, and is often clueless towards the group's jokes. He also grows to trust the group a great deal, placing his faith in the protagonist in protecting Rei alongside him.

However, whenever Zen opts to open one of the chests that contains Niko's belongings, he is stopped by Rei either through reluctance or yelling for him to stop. Zen is undeterred by these attempts, however, and slowly regains his memories. Eventually, after having regained them, he falls into despair once more after recalling his true identity as Chronos, having been unable to find the answer to Rei's question for living, even openly distraught when he informs the party that Rei is, in truth, the soul of a deceased girl named Niko. Once his other half captures Rei in an attempt to force Zen into resuming his role, he opts to save Rei himself, and tells the group to go back to their world, otherwise their existence will be erased completely, however he is shocked to see that they will not leave without retrieving Rei. Zen thanks them, and they enter the tower.

He gains all her healing skills after revealing they originated from him and bestowed them on her so she could fight. At the top of the tower, they face the Clockwork God, who vows to bring an end to all of time after making Zen see the error of his ways. Defeated, Zen releases his other half from it's burden, then convinces Rei that she had purpose in her short life along with the others. After spending a final time together at the Culture Festival, now free of Shadows, they go to the Velvet room one last time, and Zen and Rei depart together for the Sea of Souls. During the credits, they are seen walking together, and as the credits end, they fade away as a cloud of golden sparks.

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
Level 1=

Level 99=

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth

 * "Ha!" (When attacking)
 * "Hugh!" (When attacking)
 * "Ta!" (When attacking)
 * "Are you alright?" (When using Item)
 * "Rei... Rei...!" (When defeated after clearing "Inaba Pride Exhibit")
 * Rei: "We can do things without him getting mad now?"
 * "Yes... Exactly..." (When Merciful Clergyman's Vow is lifted)

Etymology
The kanji "善" serves as the syllable for many phrases which are mostly related to "good" and is the direct antonym of "bad" (悪). The name contrasts Zen's merciless counterpart.