Zenless Zone Zero Leak Highlights Zhao’s Combat Style

The recent Zenless Zone Zero Zhao combat animations leaked online have created quite a bit of noise, mostly because the character wasn’t even properly introduced inside the game yet. Zhao, whom HoYoverse had only shown briefly through the Version 2.5 teaser materials, suddenly appears again in a handful of clips that slipped out from the closed test phase.

Zenless Zone Zero Zhao combat animations leaked

HoYoverse previously hinted at Zhao’s debut using the Zenless Zone Zero 2.5 drip marketing posts. The community already knew she belonged to the Krampus Compliance Authority and was categorised as an Ice-aligned Defense specialist. However, the newest Zenless Zone Zero Zhao combat animations leaked online offer a much broader look. Zhao appears surprisingly tiny compared to the huge broadblade she carries, creating a slightly odd yet memorable visual contrast.

Her strikes seem mostly vertical, almost as though she tries building weight behind each motion before dropping the blade downward. These downward swings leave an icy trail on the ground, which probably deals attribute damage to anything standing along its direction, but the values cannot be confirmed yet. Some parts of the clip show her infusing the weapon with additional Ice energy, making the follow-up hit appear stronger.

Zhao’s leaked animations give a rough idea of her expected combat style

The newly appeared materials include Zhao’s combat basics, idle behaviors, general movement set, and a few fragments of her skill transitions. Since Zenless Zone Zero Zhao's combat animations leaked through a third-party source instead of official media, some small deviations may exist, though most players believe the recordings are rather reliable.

Even though her attacks look heavy, the leaks still indicate her orientation remains on the supportive side. Instead of straightforward damage, she might be designed to increase daze output or amplify Rupture-focused agents. Yi Xuan appeared beside her in the preview, so her kit may support characters of similar categories. Since Zenless Zone Zero Zhao's combat animations leaked without full context, though, interpretations may vary.

Movement and sprint animations highlight Zhao’s unusual personality

One of the most noticeable things in the Zenless Zone Zero Zhao combat animations leaked footage ends up being her sprint movement, which feels a bit odd from the start. Instead of doing a usual forward dash like most agents do, Zhao suddenly goes into this almost hurried running pose, lifting her legs very fast in a way that comes across a little humorous, even though her fighting style is supposed to look more strict.

When the player stops moving her, she simply drops onto the ground for a moment, almost as if all her strength vanished right away. The sudden shift in tone makes her appear strangely expressive, although the motion doesn’t always match the harder, more disciplined look her design tries to present.

Some players even compared the quirky movement to the exaggerated motions often seen during the Zenless Zone Zero Data Bounty Combat Simulation Event, where certain animations intentionally lean toward playful exaggeration. Some of the idle poses and the transitions between them seem not fully tuned, and a few frames feel like they are slipping out of rhythm, but her personality still shows through quite clearly.

The animations make her seem both determined and slightly clumsy at the same time, giving her a mix of sharp intent and softer charm. Zenless Zone Zero Zhao's combat animations leaked much earlier than expected.

Zhao’s potential role in the release

Most of the footage more or less suggests that Zhao is meant to function as a sturdy Defense type, adding steadiness to a team instead of trying to dominate enemies through pure damage alone. Her Ice-based swings look fairly consistent, even though a few parts appear a bit stiff, and her Ultimate seems like it might work as a reasonable crowd-control option.

While the Zenless Zone Zero Zhao combat animations leaked online are clearly incomplete and do not always match the timing of each strike, the main ideas behind her kit still show through well enough to form an early picture of how she is supposed to play.