Zer0

Zer0 is the playable Assassin class character in Borderlands 2.

He was revealed on February 21, 2012, in the Borderlands 2 Launch Date Trailer. His origins and real name are as of yet unknown. He works as an assassin, as much for the challenge as for the money; he even tells targets to fight back and give him a challenge. He is simply called "Zer0" because when he dispatches an enemy it displays a "0" on his faceplate. Other emotes, such as a "smiley face," pop up on his faceplate during different actions.

Background
Zer0 is a political assassin for hire as stated by his wanted poster. It seems like he is from a Japanese decent because of his accent and that a letter from the Japanese kanji, "勝" is shown when he accepts a trade. In his ECHO recording that he starts out with in the game, he is about to kill one of his targets. He remarks on how he wants the "Poor Shmuck" to fight back and proceeds to say he wants a challenge.

Skills
Action Skill: Decepti0n

Decepti0n grants Zer0 the ability to deploy a holographic decoy of himself and enter an invisible "stealth mode." While cloaked, he can maneuver about the battlefield dealing amplified damage on his next attack. The longer Zer0 stays cloaked the more damage he can inflict to enemies; however, the shorter Zer0 stays cloaked, the sooner he is able to use the skill again. Zer0 does not enter a separate dimension like Lilith when she Phasewalks, and can still take damage from grenades and other forms of splash damage while cloaked.

Decepti0n has a base cooldown of 15 seconds and gives up to +650% Melee Damage or +200% Gun Damage and +250% Gun Critical Hit Damage.

Sniping
This tree focuses on guns, particularly sniper rifles.

Cunning
This tree focuses on improving Decepti0n, and abilities that benefit both ranged and melee combat.

Bloodshed
This tree focuses on melee attacks.

Melee Weapon
Zer0's basic melee attack uses his sword. The sword is not an equippable item but its effectiveness in combat can be enhanced. The sword's hilt "exists" but the blade digistructs when the hilt is pulled from its sheathe.

Quotes
Idle

Entering Decepti0n Scoring a critical hit Affected by an elemental attack Spotting items Comparing items in the menu Reviving a downed ally
 * I am bored. / I would like to kill things. / Can we go?
 * What's the hold up? / Is someone in the bathroom? / Are you on the phone?
 * What is going on? / Why have my limbs stopped moving? / Has my heart stopped?
 * Bored!(repeated numerous times) / I am really BORED!!
 * Boredom is my taunt, / As I lack autonomy / To move my own feet.
 * An idle mind is / A very dangerous thing. / I think of violence.
 * Your eyes deceive you; / An illusion fools you all. / I move for the kill.
 * How hilarious. / You just set off my trap card -- / Your death approaches.
 * The true world revealed -- / Weakness is now known to me. / Time to go to work.
 * And I disappear; / A ghost amidst the combat, / Preparing to strike.
 * A critical hit; / So very satisfying. / I live for such kills.
 * Critical killing / Is an art unto itself; / And I am Rembrandt.
 * I enjoy that.
 * Sucker.
 * Hee hee.
 * I feel the burning / Eating through my equipment! / Must stop, drop, and roll.
 * I'm covered in slag! / I must seek cover quickly, / or pain is coming.
 * A new instrument, / Waiting for a sonata / That I will conduct.
 * I want that.
 * Comparisons made, / But which is superior? / A tough decision.
 * I have you.
 * Keep shooting!

Emotes
Zer0 often displays holographs from his faceplate, revealing his emotions through this. Known ones include:
 * :) - an emoticon smiley face, displayed randomly
 * 0 - a large zero, displayed when an enemy is killed
 * :D - an emoticon smiley face, displayed when constructing and/or entering a vehicle at the Catch-A-Ride
 * WTF BRO - an acronym for "what the fuck, bro", displayed when crashing into something in a vehicle
 * <3 - an emoticon heart, displayed while reviving a friendly player
 * FML - an acronym standing for "fuck my life", displayed while downed
 * ? - a question mark, displayed when pending actions (such as switching seats with a player in a vehicle)
 * ! - an exclamation mark, displayed when seeing a downed friendly player
 * $ - a dollar sign, displayed when completing a mission
 * && - twin ampersands, displayed when inspecting items in the menu
 * 勝 - A kanji character meaning "victory", displayed when receiving items by either picking them up or via trading
 * ... - ellipsis, displayed when either inspecting menu items or after killing an enemy

Trivia

 * Gearbox concept designer, Scott Kester, credits Zer0's inspiration to "loner characters" like Snake Eyes from G.I. Joe and Gray Fox from the Metal Gear video game series.
 * Zer0's Class Mod is represented by an attachment on his elbow.
 * The bounty on Zer0's head is $32,000,000,000.00
 * One of Zer0's dialogue lines when using Decepti0n, "How hilarious, you've just set off my trap card," is a reference to the anime Yu-Gi-Oh where characters would often say the same thing when revealing a trap card. The term is also used as an internet meme, usually said after a successful deception of someone else.
 * Most of Zer0's taunts are spoken as haikus, somthing that is noticed by Handsome Jack in an ECHO recording.
 * One of Zer0's heads, known as "Alienati0n" is a reference to the Alien franchise.
 * One of Zer0's skins, called "Why so Serious?"(a black and green color swap of his default costume) is a reference to an iconic line in the movie The Dark Knight.
 * One of Zer0's skins, called "Mutant" (a green and yellow color swap of his default costume) is a reference to the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. The blue highlight on some of his faceplates is a reference to Leonardo, the de-facto leader of the turtles who is also known for his katana.
 * In the doomsday trailer, Zer0 says "September 18, 2012," The release date of Boarderlands 2. He also says it again, later in the video.
 * Another of Zer0's skins, Toad of Battle, shares the color scheme of the main characters of the game Battletoads, possibly a reference to the popular game made by Rare.
 * Zer0's helmet almost bears a resemblance to Rinzler from Tron Legacy.