Edens Zero Chapter 267 Review/Recap
Edens Zero has been full of moments that have shocked readers (IE me) several times over. Shiki’s death in the first timeline; Witch’s death in the Aoi War; the reveal that Ziggy was an alternate, future version of Shiki. All of it is insane and it only seems to get crazier. Instead of being a generic, evil AI, this chapter reveals the bizarre connection he has to Shiki and Rebecca. The bond between a mother and child can work in strange ways.
That will make sense in a moment.
Recap
Even as he proceeds to trade blows with the likes of Void, everyone’s shocked at Ziggy’s surprise return (again.) However, Ziggy reminds them of how the King of Granbell told them he invented that Ether Recycling machine, meaning he never went offline. Universe Zero is one where everyone can be happy, it seems.
Ziggy says that none of that will matter, though, if Shiki doesn’t reach Mother. Even if Void doesn’t get to her, Mother’s life is already fading away, and with it, all life in existence. Despite wanting to fight alongside his adoptive grandpa/himself, Shiki and the others get a move on to Mother. Ziggy remains behind to face Void, or rather…his son?!
As it turns out, Void is more than a mere AI. He’s the unborn son of Shiki from the future who came back in time to kill Mother and used the power of the Edens One to create himself a body to do so. As for how he did so, it’s because he got gravity ether from his father…and time ether from his mother, Rebecca.
Review
I don’t know how to say this, so I’m using this clip of Cell from DBZ Abridged.
Firstly, that was a nice touch of Mashima, using the altered fate of Granbell Park to change the initial fate of Ziggy. In hindsight, it makes sense that if Granbell Park wasn’t about to run out of Ether, then Ziggy wouldn’t have gone offline the first time around. However, if that’s true, then why didn’t he say anything when Shiki left Granbell with Happy and Rebecca this time around? Some might argue it was to preserve the timeline, but it still feels like a bit of a plot hole. That, and it also doesn’t explain how Ziggy showed up 20,000 years in the past…or does it?
This chapter re-affirms the fact that Mother’s already dying, with or without Void’s attempts to kill her. What does that have to do with the flashbacks, though? Here’s where that theory I mentioned comes into play: when Hermit and Killer’s past counterparts proposed having their dying world Overdrive, Mother could’ve been the end result. It’s not certain, but enough hints have dropped that imply it. Or, I could be wrong about all this.
How Was Void Created?
The big thing, though, is about Void, the (apparent) future son of Rebecca and Shiki. According to Ziggy, when the events that flung him and Rebecca into the future took place, Rebecca was carrying their child within her. That child, despite having no body, inherited his parent’s powerful Ether, letting him return to the past and create a body for himself.
That, though, raises a lot more questions. If what Ziggy and Void’s saying is true, then when could he have been conceived? And why was this never brought up before? Rebecca being pregnant with her and Shiki’s child is a big deal that everyone would mention. It’s possible that Ziggy’s timeline diverged from the main one earlier than originally depicted, but I’m just speculating.
Fans also seem to be divided as to how Void could’ve been concieved. On the one hand, there’s the idea that Rebecca and Shiki got together in one timeline, which many shippers would love. However, one fan theory on Reddit speculates that Void wasn’t made the natural way. Instead, he was created from the merger of their ether when they got flung into the future. That would explain why he could live without a physical body. As a being of ether, he wouldn’t necessarily need one. It doesn’t explain why he’s determined to kill Mother and end all life, though!
Regardless of how this came about, I’m more curious than ever as to what Mashima has up his sleeve. This connection of mother and child could either be his most audacious idea ever…or his craziest. Either way, Shicca shippers just won.