Tsukishiro Yanagi — Zenless Zone Zero

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Zenless Zone Zero

Tsukishiro Yanagi月城柳

Deputy Chief and intelligence officer of Hollow Special Operations Section 6; guardian of Soukaku

Tsukishiro Yanagi is a playable character in Zenless Zone Zero and the deputy chief and intelligence officer of Hollow Special Operations Section 6. She manages personnel, mission planning, intelligence, and field support while fighting with an adaptable naginata and Electric Anomaly techniques. Under Hoshimi Miyabi’s command, Yanagi turns a team of formidable but very different personalities into an effective unit.

Beyond her official duties, she is also the designated guardian of Soukaku, the young Oni who serves alongside her.

Biography

The Officer Behind Section 6

Yanagi’s deputy-chief title comes with a substantial workload. She manages personnel and assignments, organizes mission reports and feedback, gathers intelligence, and supports Section 6 in the field. The office work and frontline decisions are two parts of the same responsibility: ensuring the team can act on reliable information.

That responsibility is unusually demanding. Miyabi follows her own priorities, Harumasa is notably reluctant to do routine work, and the enthusiastic Soukaku needs close guidance. Yanagi is the one who remembers the practical details, connects their strengths, and makes sure the work gets done.

A Military Background and a Protective Role

Before Section 6, Yanagi served in the New Eridu Defense Force, including its Obsidian Division. Her military experience predates her present role; the decisions that changed her life during that service belong in the spoiler account.

She is also Soukaku’s designated guardian, responsible for the young Oni’s everyday care and for her conduct on duty. Yanagi therefore has to balance the demands of a dangerous organization with responsibilities that follow her home.

Judgment Under Pressure

In combat, Yanagi uses a retractable naginata and switches between two stances, Jougen and Kagen. Her playable skill set combines fast Electric attacks with Anomaly effects, while her operational role calls for quick decisions when plans change. The two sides of her work demand the same alertness but very different tools.

The Special Episode “Virtual Revenge” brings Section 6 into an experimental virtual-reality trial that becomes a real emergency. Yanagi takes a central role as the team tries to understand what has gone wrong and escape; its full resolution is covered in the spoiler section.

Personality and Motivations

Yanagi is meticulous and conscientious, especially about duties others would rather avoid. She insists on reports and procedures because they keep the unit coordinated, and she rarely lets an unfinished task disappear into a colleague’s excuses. Her calm manner comes with firm expectations.

Her strictness coexists with patience and affection. She watches over Soukaku’s everyday needs, accommodates the girl’s appetite and exuberance, and can shift from reprimanding a teammate to taking care of them. Around the squad, her straight-faced humor is often as awkward as it is sincere.

For someone so capable at work, she has her own unpolished moments. She can become absorbed in tasks until she works far too late, and even her attempts at a simple joke can need an explanation. Those small lapses give the so-called “normal” member of Section 6 a personality of her own.

Appearance

Yanagi is depicted as an adult woman with long, pale-pink hair, a side-swept fringe, and glasses framing pink-violet eyes. Her recognizable outfit combines a white collared blouse and dark neck ribbon with a high-waisted dark skirt, gloves, and an asymmetrical armored shoulder piece. Green-teal fabric accents soften the otherwise formal tactical look.

Her naginata is as distinctive as the uniform: a long, retractable polearm that she carries with practiced control. The contrast between officewear, protective armor, and a battlefield weapon reflects her dual responsibilities in Section 6.

Quick facts

Organization: Hollow Special Operations Section 6 (H.A.N.D.)
Position: Deputy Chief; intelligence officer
Earlier service: New Eridu Defense Force
Combat classification: S-Rank Agent; Electric attribute; Anomaly specialty
Weapon: Retractable naginata, Uro Tsuki
Birthday: September 21
Height: 169 cm
English voice: Corey Pettit
Japanese voice: Kaori Nazuka

Abilities

Intelligence and operational coordination

Collects and evaluates intelligence, manages assignments, and coordinates personnel and field support for Section 6.

Naginata combat

Uses Uro Tsuki, a custom-made retractable naginata built from a lightweight Ether alloy. Its compact form is easier to carry, while the extended polearm provides reach for slashes and thrusts.

Jougen and Kagen stances

Basic Attack: Tsukuyomi Kagura has two stances. Jougen favors Electric damage and resistance to interruption during Basic Attacks; Kagen improves PEN Ratio and the ability to interrupt enemies. Changing stances adapts her approach without breaking her attack sequence.

Limitations: A stance’s own bonuses depend on its use; after switching, the previous stance’s bonuses persist for eight seconds.

Electric Anomaly and Polarity Disorder

Her attacks build Electric Anomaly. Her EX Special Attack, Gekka Ruten, and Ultimate, Raiei Tenge, can trigger Polarity Disorder against an enemy already affected by an Attribute Anomaly, causing additional damage without clearing that existing Anomaly.

Limitations: The target must already have an Attribute Anomaly for Polarity Disorder to trigger.

Rapid tactical adaptation

Can parry with Defensive Assist: Radiant Reversal, counter after a successful dodge, and shift stances through her follow-up attacks; her rapid tactical judgment is also central to her intelligence duties.

Relationships

Hoshimi Miyabi

Section 6 chief and direct superior

Yanagi serves under Miyabi, turning the chief’s direction into workable assignments and handling much of the team’s coordination. Their cooperation depends on Yanagi’s preparation as well as Miyabi’s combat leadership.

Soukaku

Ward and younger Section 6 teammate

Yanagi is Soukaku’s designated guardian, providing day-to-day care while also supervising her responsibilities within the unit.

Asaba Harumasa

Fellow Section 6 officer

Harumasa’s easygoing approach regularly collides with Yanagi’s insistence on completed paperwork and shared responsibilities. They nevertheless work together as Section 6 officers.

Belle and Wise

Proxies who become acquainted with Section 6

The sibling Proxies interact with Yanagi and her team in the story and may encounter her through optional character events.

Interesting facts

A new Section 6 employee once mistook the flowers on Yanagi’s desk on Mother’s Day for a birthday display.

The misunderstanding is a specific in-world joke about her reputation as the team’s caretaker, not a statement about her actual birthday.

As an optional video-store promoter, Yanagi recommends unusual, experimental films to customers, despite feeling awkward about promotion.

She can discuss films confidently even though drawing attention to herself in public is less comfortable than her usual work.

The character’s in-game “Impressions” section describes her singing as “shocking,” without giving a conventional appraisal of its quality.

It offers a small, teasing observation about her private talents instead of presenting another account of her official duties.

Her in-game “Impressions” mention a fondness for red bean buns.

The ordinary food preference fits the small everyday pleasures that interrupt her otherwise demanding routine.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Tsukishiro Yanagi in Zenless Zone Zero?

She is Section 6’s deputy chief and intelligence officer, a playable Electric Anomaly Agent, and Soukaku’s guardian.

Is Yanagi the leader of Section 6?

No. Hoshimi Miyabi is the chief; Yanagi is the deputy chief who handles much of the unit’s coordination.

What weapon does Yanagi use?

She uses Uro Tsuki, a lightweight, retractable naginata custom-made for her in H.A.N.D.’s weapons workshop.

What does Yanagi do in combat?

She is an Electric Anomaly Agent whose two stances and Polarity Disorder mechanic let her build and exploit Attribute Anomalies.

How is Yanagi related to Soukaku?

She is Soukaku’s designated legal guardian and a fellow Section 6 member. The circumstances that brought them together are covered in the spoiler biography.

What is Yanagi’s personality like?

She is diligent, organized, protective, and often exacting about paperwork. Her concern for Soukaku and her awkward attempts at humor soften that reserve.

When is Yanagi’s birthday?

Her in-game profile lists September 21.

What story focuses on Yanagi?

The Zenless Zone Zero Special Episode “Virtual Revenge” gives Yanagi a central role during a Section 6 investigation.

Major story spoilers below.

The Oni Rebellion and the Promise to Soukaku’s Sister

While serving in the New Eridu Defense Force’s Obsidian Division, Yanagi was ordered to kill the leader of an Oni rebellion. On the way to the rebels, she met a hungry young Soukaku, shared her provisions, and saved the child from an incoming missile. The rescue led to Yanagi’s capture by the Oni she had been sent to fight.

Yanagi learned that the wounded successor to the rebellion’s original leader was the Oni whom Soukaku knew as “Sis.” To end the fighting and protect the remaining Oni, Yanagi reached an agreement with the dying leader and killed her as the agreement required. The leader’s blood was infused into Yanagi, granting her unusual strength at a personal cost. Yanagi took responsibility for the survivors and became Soukaku’s guardian; Soukaku did not understand the full circumstances of her sister’s death.

Argos Hollow and the Formation of Section 6

Yanagi had collaborated with H.A.N.D. and knew Miyabi before joining Section 6. During the Argos Hollow crisis, she assessed the potential casualties if the Shiyu Pillar were detonated and was prepared to carry out that drastic contingency if Miyabi could not stop the Ethereal Lerna in time. Miyabi defeated Lerna instead and went on to receive the Void Hunter title.

Miyabi established Hollow Special Operations Section 6 with Yanagi and Asaba Harumasa among its early members. Yanagi’s appointment as deputy chief put her experience in intelligence and administration at the center of the team’s operations.

Virtual Revenge: Finding the Human Error in a Perfect Copy

In “Virtual Revenge,” Section 6 accepts a Hollow Investigative Association invitation to test a virtual-reality system. The criminal Proxy group Null_Face plants identification codes that allow the attackers to identify the team inside the simulation. Their attack traps the officers in a virtual environment where Miyabi’s combat data is harvested and Harumasa, Soukaku, and eventually Miyabi are represented as Bangboo.

Yanagi sees through the trap and faces an artificial opponent modeled on Miyabi. A detail the copy cannot reproduce—Miyabi’s recently sprained right hand and the resulting change in her movements—helps Yanagi recognize and defeat the imitation. The team escapes, though Yanagi has pushed herself hard enough to require medical attention afterward.

Back in New Eridu, Yanagi reasons that the hostile code was introduced through badges scanned by the VR system. She identifies Null_Face as the likely culprit and leads the pursuit. Section 6 subsequently announces the group’s capture, although the attackers had already claimed to have uploaded Miyabi’s sensory and biological data.

Soukaku’s Nightmare and a Guardian’s Patience

In the optional Trust Commission “Not a Nightmare,” Soukaku runs away after dreaming that Yanagi killed the older-sister figure she lost during the rebellion. Yanagi urgently searches for her; in fact, the dream reflects a real part of the Oni conflict that Soukaku does not fully understand.

Yanagi appears to understand that Soukaku has sought refuge with the Proxies, but she gives the girl time rather than forcing a confrontation. Soukaku eventually admits that she fears depending too much on Yanagi, even while longing for her comfort. The commission emphasizes that relying on someone is not the same as being weak; it does not erase what happened to Soukaku’s sister.

Additional story facts

The Oni-blood modification can temporarily impair Yanagi’s optic nerves so severely that she cannot see, and H.A.N.D. doctors know about the condition.

Her glasses are not merely a design flourish: even a capable fighter and intelligence officer must sometimes wait for her sight to return, a cost she prefers not to burden teammates with.

In “Not a Nightmare,” Soukaku calls both Yanagi and the Oni woman she grew up with a form of “sister,” creating confusion over whom she means when describing her dream.

This distinction matters to the scene’s dialogue: it separates Soukaku’s guardian from the older-sister figure whose death she cannot fully explain.

Spoiler questions

Why does Yanagi have Oni blood?

During the Oni rebellion, Yanagi entered an agreement with the dying successor to the Oni leader. Her blood was infused with the Oni woman’s blood as Yanagi took responsibility for protecting the survivors, including Soukaku.

Did Yanagi kill Soukaku’s sister?

Yes. The dying Oni leader whom Yanagi killed was the older-sister figure Soukaku called “Sis.” Yanagi agreed to the killing as part of a plan to end the rebellion and save the remaining Oni. Soukaku’s optional Trust Commission explores her distressing dream of that event and her dependence on Yanagi.

Who was behind the virtual-reality trap in Virtual Revenge?

The criminal Proxy group Null_Face identified and targeted the officers inside the experimental VR system, using the trap to collect Hoshimi Miyabi’s combat information.

Does Yanagi rescue Section 6 in Virtual Revenge?

Yes. Yanagi recognizes a flaw in a simulation of Miyabi, defeats the imitation, and helps her comrades escape. She later traces the attack to Null_Face, whom Section 6 apprehends.

How did Yanagi join Section 6?

Yanagi had served in the Defense Force and worked with H.A.N.D. before the Argos Hollow crisis. After Miyabi defeated Lerna and became a Void Hunter, she established Section 6 with Yanagi and Harumasa among its early members.

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