The Biggest Unanswered Questions From Edens Zero Season 1
For fans of "One Piece" and other binge-worthy animes, the arrival of "Edens Zero" on Netflix last year was a godsend. Based on a series by best-selling manga author Hiro Mashima, the science fantasy anime follows Shiki, his friend Rebecca, and Rebecca's cat Happy as they chart a time-bending odyssey through the cosmos in search of friendship and adventure.
Shiki may be an awkward adolescent boy raised by robots, but as the story unfolds, we discover that he possesses an ancient power called "Ether Gear" that gives him the ability to wield the forces of gravity to his own advantage. This comes in handy as the trio encounters untold dangers, including parasitic aliens and time-eating monsters, on their quest to find a mythical space goddess called "Mother."
Like its predecessor "Fairy Tail," another wildly popular Mashima series, "Edens Zero" has a simple premise and trades in classic shōnen anime themes like the power of friendship and the magic of adolescence. But what makes "Edens Zero" a standout is its rich storytelling and the intricacies of the universe it builds without sacrificing its fast-paced plot.
It's still unclear if fans will receive a second season of "Edens Zero," especially given the fact that its director, Yūji Suzuki, passed away before the season finale aired last September (via ComicBook.com). However, the finale of Season 1 — while epic — leaves more questions unanswered than not. Despite the show's commitment to lavish world-building, several unresolved plot holes and mysteries about the characters' origins remain.
Where does Shiki come from?
A theme at the heart of "Edens Zero" is belonging, which Shiki desperately pursues to the ends of space and time. Though Shiki is human, he is adopted by a grandfather figure called Ziggy the Demon King, an enigmatic robot on a lifelong mission to find the all-powerful Mother. Ziggy teaches the young Shiki to develop his Ether Gear powers, instilling in him the value of friendship as well as a drive to find Mother himself.
After surrendering to the android equivalent of "death," Ziggy leaves Shiki to be raised by an entourage of robot pals on the planet Granbell. Shiki does not encounter his first human until social media influencer Rebecca visits Granbell with Happy to record videos for her "B-cube" (a parody of YouTube) channel. After the robots on Granbell convince Shiki to leave with Rebecca and resume Ziggy's expedition, Shiki becomes even more desperate for connection and tries to befriend every human or robot he meets.
In Episode 7, "Warship of the Demon King," the space pirate Elsie bequeaths Shiki his grandfather's spaceship, the eponymous Edens Zero. We also discover that Shiki was not in fact born on Granbell, but found by Ziggy while adventuring through outer space with a cadre of androids called the Four Shining Stars. However, this information does little to shed light on Shiki's true origins. We still don't know who Shiki's parents are, what planet he hails from, the nature of his connection to Mother, or the root of his Ether Gear power.
Why do robots die?
Machines are an essential component of the "Edens Zero" universe. In Episode 2, we learn that Rebecca's companion, the talking cat Happy, technically died years ago during a traffic accident, but was later reconstituted into an android retaining Happy's memories and mannerisms.
Since this incident implies that being turned into an android confers some degree of immortality, it's unclear why the robots that raise Shiki "die" at the beginning of the series — especially since up to that point, Shiki the mechanic is able to fix them. Ziggy "dies" long before the action of the story takes place, and the leader of the bot rebellion explains that bots have a predictable "expiration date" of sorts. Later in the series, when the warrior Homura joins the "Edens Zero" crew, we learn that her mentor, the robot Valkyrie, "died" after becoming irreparably damaged in combat.
In the finale, Sister — one of the Four Shining Stars — exhorts the crew to try to bring Valkyrie back to life. Another Shining Star insists that if she were reconstructed, she wouldn't be Valkyrie — just a reassembly of data echoing Valkyrie's memories. This explanation suggests that the robot reincarnation of Happy is also just a soulless copy, which doesn't square with what we've learned of Happy's personality so far.
The series seems unable to explain why robots "die" in the first place, whether robots are closer to humans or machines, and what their mortality truly means in the context of the series' lore. This also begs the question: will Valkyrie ever return?
Who is Mother and how does Shiki know her?
Who, or what, is "Mother?" It's the burning question at the center of "Edens Zero." All we know is that Mother is an omnipotent goddess who lives beyond the reaches of the Sakura Cosmos, where most of the series' action takes place. According to legend, she can grant any wish, and all those who meet her will be "reborn" (though no one knows exactly what that means).
She is often depicted as a beautiful women of immense size, larger than any planet, with flowing tresses of turquoise hair and a jeweled tiara. However, this rendering is likely inaccurate given that no one in the universe has ever met Mother — except, possibly, Shiki himself. While admiring a statue of Mother at the Shooting Starlight Guild Headquarters, where he goes to register himself as an adventurer, he has the sneaking suspicion that he's met her before in a previous life. The theory causes everyone within earshot to laugh uncontrollably, since Mother — like God — is not a person whom any mere mortal "meets."
Ziggy the Demon King was formerly obsessed with finding her, creating the Shining Stars for the express purpose of fulfilling his mission. By regaling the young Shiki with stories of Mother's mythology, he inspires Shiki to take up the mantle and go adventuring through outer space in search of Mother as well. Given the pursuit of Mother is what drives the entire plot of "Edens Zero," it's unlikely that we'll discover who she is anytime soon.
What's Rebecca's story?
We first meet Rebecca filming segments for her vlogging channel on the planet Granbell. At first glance, the social media influencer seems shallow and image-obsessed, but her bubbly exterior conceals hidden depths of courage, kindness, and downright ferocity in combat.
She's a loyal friend to Shiki and fiercely protective of Happy, her companion since childhood. She's often moved to tears by the plights of others and is outraged by injustice, as evidenced by her reaction to the mistreatment of the robot Pino on Planet Norma. In addition to these traits, she's also an accomplished spaceship pilot and a fearless adventurer.
Though Rebecca has personality in spades, her past is just as mysterious as Shiki's. In Episode 3, "Adventurers," we learn that Rebecca was abandoned as a child on Bluegarden, the same planet that houses the Shooting Starlight Guild Headquarters. It's unclear if she is from Bluegarden or was simply dropped off there, since Rebecca appears to have little to no memory of her personal history beyond the day that she met Happy, who is also a stray.
In one scene, Rebecca describes her upbringing as solitary and destitute, recalling how she and Happy once lived "in the shadows on the edge of town." Like Shiki, she too has Ether Gear powers of unknown provenance. Given the unmistakable similarities between them, there's a strong possibility that Rebecca and Shiki have a shared identity. Could there be a connection between Rebecca and Shiki that runs deeper than friendship?
What happens to Madame Kurenai?
The latter half of Season 1 is concerned with the "Edens Zero" crew's trip to Planet Sun Jewel in search of the fourth Shining Star, the android Valkyrie. Sun Jewel is a harsh planet inhabited by enslaved laborers, who work ceaselessly to extract precious metals from subterranean aliens called Stones for the profit of Madame Kurenai, the planet's tyrannical leader.
Homura, a new crew member who was raised by Valkyrie, discovers that Valkyrie was slain while defending the laborers from Madame Kurenai. In a flashback, it's revealed that Madame Kurenai is Homura's biological mother and that she was formerly enslaved herself. Valkyrie heroically attempts to take Kurenai's place so that she can reunite with her daughter, but after Kurenai is freed, she usurps Sun Jewel's leader and appoints herself the ruler.
After Shiki and his friends defeat Madame Kurenai in battle, they hand her over to her daughter for judgment. Kurenai pleads for her life and Homura, though she doesn't love her mother, is merciful and lets her go. Kurenai escapes to a nearby forest, cackling and showing no remorse. Though Homura spares her life, Kurenai soon runs out of luck when she runs into a band of ex-laborers who were tormented by Kurenai for years and are looking for payback. We last see Kurenai being dragged off and screaming. Though the ending seems to leave her fate ambiguous, it's unknown if Kurenai dies and opens the possibility for a return in future seasons.