I know Kaname fans often counter with statements such as “well Zero had all this time to declare his love for Yuki, why didn’t he take his chance when he had it?” etc but the point is that for those four years Zero has been hiding his pain from everyone around him, suffering in silence, tormented by the fear that he’ll eventually succumb to Level E. The poor guy feels he has no right to confess to Yuki. In Chapter 24, Zero’s thoughts: “I want these gentle hands…and this kind smile…even though I should not want such a thing.” Then in Chapter 44: “Those arms, which I have no right to seek are preventing me from leaving.” That kind of stuff makes me cry for him, I find it really heartbreaking. There’s just something about the star-crossed lovers thing that makes me want the underdog to overcome all the odds to get the girl

Someone mentioned Zero’s attitude to Chairman Cross, who fed, clothed, sheltered him etc. Yes, Zero is belligerent and shows no respect for authority most of the time, but if you read a bit deeper you will see he DOES have a great deal of affection for Cross, and those two get along extremely well (would make a great future father-and-son-in-law-relationship I think!). Also there is one point (the Shizuka/Maria arc) where Zero asks Cross if he knows more than he’s letting on. So yeah if you don’t trust someone’s motives you’re hardly going to be all loveydovey with that person, are you? Rather, you would keep your distance and try to observe that person’s behaviour.

I love rebellious characters, and Zero is one of the few who doesn’t suck up to Kaname (Yori is the only other I can think of right now). Don’t forget the many injustices done to Zero; I can think of a lot which were done by Kaname. The one I feel most indignant about is Kaname letting Zero take the fall for Shizuka’s (–spoiler-free–) even though Kaname was the perpetrator. I was disgusted at how dishonorably Kaname behaved, not saying Zero is innocent, that was so low! I don’t want to badmouth Kaname’s character (because both guys have devoted fans), but I feel I can’t like or respect him because of the way he treats Zero, simply the unfairness of it all. I find his manipulative streak quite creepy and untrustworthy. I am all for social equality and find Kaname’s superior “I’m a high and mighty pureblood” attitude really off-putting.

Also I don’t get why many people seem to think Zero is emo…they really need to understand what the term actually means before labelling him as such. Zero never, ever, shows his innermost feelings to the world at large. We, the readers only know he is suffering because the author makes us privy to his background, his past, his inner thoughts. That in no way makes him emo! He never mopes around or walks around with a “woe is me” attitude. On the contrary, he has this scary aura which keeps most people away, yet he has a great deal of tenderness and protectiveness for people, even strangers (Chapter 50 was kyaaa-worthy for sure), which he keeps hidden; therefore if Zero must be labelled, then he’s tsundere. Do you think any of Zero’s classmates have any idea that his life is full of one tragedy after another? If he was all emo then they would, for sure. But he’s not! He’s the classic tsundere guy; bad-tempered, hotheaded, but loving, with genuine emotion for those he ‘lets in’ to see the ‘real Zero.’. He doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, sure, but that’s another part of his appeal.

And I can’t go away without mentioning his looks *V* Since this is Zero vs Kaname I’ll state that I don’t find Kaname’s looks too appealing, mostly because of his longish hair, which seems to verge on the mullet side sometimes, then that lovesick look in his eyes makes me cringe.

Well OK, on to Zero now! The mangaka really knows how to make a girl swoon. I love his silver hair…his tattoo…his piercings…the way he wears his uniform like he doesn’t give a damn…the way he holds his gun is so cool and badass! and his violet eyes…those beautiful, expressive eyes, that show Zero’s pain and heartfelt emotions, ahhhh!! I can’t take it anymore! I just want to hug him and take all his pain away! I want so much for him to survive, overcome all his troubles, experience peace and have some happiness in his life at last…if he doesn’t then all his sufferings become meaningless and I will feel incredibly let-down and depressed, and most likely unable to read anything by Hino again.

Oh! One other thing re: Zero/Kaname’s popularity in Asia/Euro/US. Ethnically I’m Asian, born and raised in the UK…I don’t know if any of that has any bearing on why I feel the way I do or not *shrugs* and even if Kaname is super popular in Japan/rest of Asia, I’ll always remain a fervent Zero fan XD.

Well, sorry this was so long but I had to express my love for Zero…my hero

kaname on the other hand is different. he’s the more defined character. although many believe he’s perfect, he’s far from it. he only handles himself better than zero. the reason why people probably dislike kaname more than zero is because he often seems emotionless, aloof, and indifferent.
yet recent chapters have shown that kaname’s only like that because of his goal. kaname’s past is very twisted (not saying zero’s isnt) and his life has been devoted to making sure yuuki will be safe.
i dont want to put spoilers (though i probably hinted a few things already) but i think kaname is a much better choice than zero. kaname definitely loves yuuki and his almost cold character is due to the heavy ties as to what he is.

in short, i think both zero and kaname need yuuki. zero needs her as someone to trust, to help release his burdens on. kaname needs yuuki just for the sake of needing her, just because he loves her.

and in the end, yuuki almost returns brother like feelings to zero but needs kaname for the same reason he needs her. kaname and yuuki both love each other since forever and it would be a shame to see that long time devotion lost.

In the anime, I immediatly loved Zero. I don’t know way, but you just like him a lot more in there.

In the end, Zero’s my man.

also, badmouthing kaname iz a stupid thing in mi eyez. hez a great character, n i like him. but i didn’t choose him cuz sumwhere along the linez i felt hiz affection turn frum love to obbsession.

ugh.

I mean, no wonder all these American emo/scene kiddies are so into Zero. (the Japanese seem to like Kaname more) and they just happen to be very noisy (dominating most of the polls and forums with cries of “ZoMg Zero is, like, HOTT!!!” without proper analysis) and EXTREMELY RUDE to kaname fans.
I also notice that a lot of them don’t seem to know the manga quite well yet make such passionate accusations. It’s painful to watch.

sorry if I offended anyone. I usually don’t talk this way, but I’m tired of how people badmouth just Kaname and conveniently forget about these aspects of Zero’s character.