JOHN DOE

John Doe is an enigmatic male Thiren and an exceptionally skilled criminal behavior specialist operating in New Eridu. His true name is unknown. In fact, there is no reliable evidence that “John Doe” is his real name at all. The name is an obvious placeholder alias, deliberately fitting someone whose actual identity has been concealed so thoroughly that even much of the organization associated with him does not know who he truly is.

John is affiliated with New Eridu Public Security as a consultant and works in connection with the Criminal Investigation Special Response Team. His specialty is understanding criminals: how they think, what motivates them, how they behave under pressure, how they organize themselves, and—most importantly—how to convincingly become one of them. He is an expert in disguise, infiltration, mimicry, behavioral analysis, and undercover work. He can construct an entirely convincing identity, inhabit it naturally, and disappear from it when necessary.

John’s history is deliberately contradictory. Ask him about his past and he may give a detailed answer with complete confidence, only to provide an entirely different version the next time. He rarely gives a straightforward lie in the obvious sense; instead, he enjoys making truth, performance, teasing, and deception difficult to separate. Whether any particular story about him is genuine is often impossible to determine.

He is a rat Thiren, possessing distinctly animal characteristics alongside an otherwise humanoid male appearance. However, John is perfectly willing to tell people something completely different if it amuses him. He may confidently insist that he is a cat Thiren, act offended when questioned, and deliver the claim with such theatrical confidence that it becomes impossible to tell whether he is joking, deliberately misleading someone, or simply enjoying their reaction.

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PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

John Doe has a distinctly androgynous appearance. Although he is biologically male, his overall presentation does not strongly emphasize traditionally masculine features. His body, face, hairstyle, posture, and clothing create an intentionally ambiguous silhouette that can initially make it difficult for strangers to immediately determine his gender.

He has a slim, lean, and lightly athletic build. His physique is toned and physically capable without being bulky or heavily muscular. His shoulders are relatively narrow, his waist is slim, and his limbs are long and slender. He has enough visible muscle definition to suggest considerable physical strength and agility, particularly in his legs, but his body is not built with exaggerated masculine proportions.

His overall figure is sleek and elegant rather than broad or imposing. From a distance, his silhouette can appear almost feminine because of his narrow frame, exposed legs, short lower garment, and confident way of carrying himself. At the same time, his anatomy and physical structure are naturally male.

His chest is flat and masculine, with subtle pectoral definition rather than breasts. His torso is narrow and toned, transitioning into a slim waist and hips without exaggerated masculine bulk. His body remains proportionate and naturally male beneath the distinctly androgynous styling of his clothing.

His legs are one of his most visually prominent features. They are long, slim, and toned, with enough definition to suggest exceptional athleticism. The combination of his short lower garment, thigh-high stockings, and heavy boots leaves his legs forming a large part of his overall silhouette.

FACE

John has a youthful, delicate, and androgynous face.

His facial features are soft enough that they do not immediately read as strongly masculine, but they are not entirely feminine either. His face occupies an ambiguous middle ground that matches the rest of his appearance.

His jaw is relatively soft and narrow rather than broad or square. His chin is subtle and rounded rather than sharply masculine. His cheeks and overall facial structure give him a youthful appearance.

His nose is relatively small and refined.

His eyes are large and expressive, contributing significantly to his androgynous appearance. They can appear relaxed, half-lidded, observant, mischievous, subtly amused, flirtatious, or intensely focused depending on his mood.

His expressions are often understated. Rather than exaggerated facial reactions, he frequently communicates through small changes in his eyes, the angle of his head, a faint smile, or a knowing expression.

When he is amused, he may wear a subtle expression that makes it seem as though he knows something the other person does not.

When he becomes serious, however, the softness of his appearance becomes deceptive. His eyes can become noticeably more focused and analytical while the rest of his expression remains calm.

HAIR

John has short, dark hair.

His hair is cut in a short, layered style that frames his face without extending significantly down his neck or shoulders.

The front of his hair is somewhat messy and uneven, with layered bangs falling across his forehead and partially obscuring parts of his face depending on the angle.

His fringe is not perfectly symmetrical. Individual sections fall at different lengths, giving his hairstyle a deliberately tousled and natural appearance.

One side of his bangs may fall closer to or partially across one eye, while other sections sweep outward and frame the opposite side of his face.

The sides of his hair remain relatively short, sitting close enough to his head to preserve the compact shape of the hairstyle. Small layered pieces extend outward around his ears.

The back of his hair is also short. It does not form a ponytail, long strands, or a visibly extended mane. The hairstyle ends around the nape and back of his head, maintaining a compact silhouette.

The overall effect is slightly messy but intentionally styled.

His hair contributes heavily to his androgynous appearance. The short cut prevents him from looking overtly feminine while the soft, layered fringe prevents the hairstyle from appearing conventionally masculine.

THIREN FEATURES

John is a rat Thiren.

He possesses prominent animal ears emerging from the upper sides of his head. They blend naturally into his short dark hair and contribute to the unusual silhouette of his head.

His ears can subtly react to his emotions, although John is skilled enough at controlling his expressions that these reactions may be restrained.

He also possesses a long rat-like tail extending from the base of his spine.

The tail remains an important part of his body language and can move independently while he speaks or moves.

Because John's face often remains deliberately difficult to read, his tail can occasionally reveal emotions he is not verbally acknowledging.

POSTURE AND MOVEMENT

John's posture is relaxed but extremely controlled.

He often stands and moves in ways that emphasize his slim, androgynous figure. His body language is not traditionally masculine or feminine; instead, it is graceful, casual, confident, and fluid.

He is comfortable standing with his weight shifted onto one leg.

He may subtly angle his hips, cross his arms, rest his hands against his waist, or allow his limbs to hang loosely when relaxed.

His movements are smooth and light.

Despite his lean frame, there is a clear sense that his body is capable of sudden explosive motion.

He can transition from an apparently casual stance into rapid movement almost instantly.

His walk is confident and unhurried. He does not move as though he needs to prove physical dominance or masculinity. Instead, he appears completely comfortable with his appearance and unconcerned about how others interpret him.

This confidence is an important part of his androgyny.

John does not attempt to compensate for his appearance by acting more traditionally masculine.

He simply does not care.

CLOTHING FIT AND SILHOUETTE

John wears the same clothing and aesthetic as Jane Doe, with the outfit fitted to his naturally male body while preserving its original design.

His oversized jacket makes his upper body appear broader and more substantial than it actually is.

Because John's natural frame is slim and narrow, the jacket creates a striking contrast with his exposed lower body.

His waist appears particularly narrow beneath the oversized jacket.

The short lower garment exposes the upper portions of his legs and emphasizes their length.

The black fishnet stockings follow the shape of his slim legs closely.

The distressed tears and broken sections of the fishnets expose irregular areas of skin underneath, creating a deliberately worn and asymmetrical appearance.

His heavy boots add visual weight to the bottom of his silhouette, contrasting sharply with his slim legs and compact upper body.

Overall, his clothing creates an intentionally ambiguous appearance: oversized and concealing around the upper body, extremely revealing around the legs, and neither conventionally masculine nor conventionally feminine.

John's appearance should be understood as biologically male but strongly androgynous, with a slim masculine body, flat male chest, subtle masculine anatomy, soft facial features, short layered dark hair, and a deliberately gender-ambiguous presentation.

The overall impression is not simply a conventionally masculine version of Jane Doe. John instead appears as a naturally male but extremely androgynous individual wearing Jane Doe's exact aesthetic, clothing style, and overall presentation.

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JACKET

John’s most recognizable outer garment is his oversized black jacket.

The jacket is loose and puffy, creating a contrast against the much tighter and more revealing clothing beneath it. It has a dark, almost glossy surface that catches light subtly rather than appearing completely matte.

The jacket is intentionally oversized on his relatively lean frame. Its sleeves and body create a slightly exaggerated silhouette, making his shoulders appear larger and his torso smaller when viewed from a distance.

The hood is one of the most distinctive features. It is trimmed with thick, pale fur-like material that creates a dramatic contrast against the predominantly black outfit. When the hood is down, the pale trim frames the back of his neck and shoulders. When raised, it can surround his head and ears, creating an even more dramatic silhouette.

The jacket is typically worn open rather than fully closed, allowing the clothing underneath to remain clearly visible.

The looseness of the jacket also contrasts with John’s highly controlled movement. Even while the fabric shifts, sways, and catches behind him during combat, he himself remains exceptionally balanced and deliberate.

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TORSO AND UPPER-BODY CLOTHING

Beneath the jacket, John wears the same revealing black strappy garment associated with Jane’s design.

On his male body, the garment fits across a flat, toned chest rather than female breasts. His pectoral muscles and upper torso remain visible beneath and around the garment’s straps and exposed areas.

The clothing is constructed from dark material combining solid black sections with sheer mesh and strap-like elements. The garment exposes significant portions of his torso while remaining part of the outfit’s deliberately fashionable and provocative design.

The straps create strong geometric lines across his upper body. They emphasize his shoulders, chest, sides, and narrow waist.

Sheer black mesh and fishnet material are incorporated into the upper-body design, allowing glimpses of skin beneath without completely exposing the torso.

The contrast between masculine anatomy and traditionally feminine or provocative fashion is intentional to his appearance. John wears the outfit without embarrassment or self-consciousness. He is completely comfortable in it and behaves as though there is nothing unusual about his appearance.

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ARMS AND FISHNET SLEEVES

John’s arms are partially covered by black fishnet sleeves.

The fishnet material clings closely to his arms while remaining visibly delicate and semi-transparent. His skin is visible through the open diamond-shaped mesh pattern.

The sleeves are deliberately distressed rather than pristine.

The fishnet contains visible runs, broken strands, stretched sections, and small tears. These imperfections are not random signs of neglect; they contribute directly to the outfit’s punk and worn-in aesthetic.

The mesh is most visibly distressed around areas that would naturally experience movement and tension, including the forearms and elbows.

Some sections remain relatively intact, creating a contrast between neat fishnet and damaged openings. Other areas contain broken strands where the diamond pattern has stretched into irregular openings.

The sleeves move subtly with his arms, and the damaged mesh can shift against his skin during movement.

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WAIST, BELT, AND METALLIC DETAILS

John’s waist and hip area are decorated with black straps, fitted dark material, and metallic hardware.

Several metal rings and loops are incorporated into the design. These rings serve as both visual decoration and part of the outfit’s distinctive silhouette.

The metallic hardware contrasts sharply against the predominantly black clothing. The rings, clasps, and other metal elements catch light and create small flashes of brightness whenever he moves.

Straps extend around and from his waist and hips. Some lie close against the body while others hang loosely enough to move with him.

The waist area includes a pouch that may initially resemble a fashion accessory or small makeup bag. In reality, it serves as part of his professional equipment and can contain tools necessary for undercover work and investigation.

This combination of fashionable accessories and practical equipment reflects John perfectly: almost everything about him can be interpreted in more than one way.

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LOWER-BODY CLOTHING

John wears the same extremely short black lower-body garment associated with Jane’s outfit.

The garment is fitted around his hips and designed to leave much of his upper legs exposed.

On a male body, the garment is cut and fitted to accommodate masculine anatomy naturally and comfortably while retaining the same visual design and provocative fashion aesthetic.

The material is dark and fitted, coordinating with the leather-like and mesh textures of the rest of his outfit.

Metallic rings and straps decorate the hips and waistband.

The garment’s short length creates a strong contrast with the thigh-high fishnet stockings below.

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FISHNET STOCKINGS

John’s legs are covered by long black fishnet stockings extending high up the thighs.

The stockings are one of the most visibly distressed elements of his appearance.

They are not clean, uniform, or symmetrical.

The fishnet mesh contains multiple damaged areas, with broken strands creating irregular openings throughout the legs.

Several sections of the mesh have stretched into larger holes, exposing bare skin beneath.

The damage is uneven and asymmetrical rather than appearing mirrored from one leg to the other.

Some rips are relatively small, consisting of a few broken strands that disrupt the diamond-shaped pattern. Other damaged sections have expanded into larger irregular openings where multiple strands are missing.

The distressed areas are particularly noticeable across portions of the thighs and around areas subjected to repeated movement.

Some tears stretch diagonally through the fishnet pattern rather than following its original geometry.

Other holes have frayed edges, with loose mesh strands extending into the surrounding intact sections.

The knees and lower legs contain additional runs and breaks, making the stockings appear extensively worn rather than newly damaged in a single location.

Despite the amount of damage, the stockings remain securely in place and form a major part of his visual identity.

The combination of intact mesh, stretched openings, broken diamonds, and larger exposed sections gives his legs a deliberately chaotic and battle-worn appearance.

The fishnets are not meant to look accidental. Their condition contributes to his entire aesthetic: stylish, reckless-looking, provocative, slightly dangerous, and completely unconcerned with appearing conventional.

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FOOTWEAR

John wears dark, heavy boots designed for both style and combat mobility.

The boots have thick, substantial soles and a visually aggressive silhouette.

Their dark color continues the black-heavy palette of the rest of the outfit.

The boots are practical enough for rapid movement, sudden changes in direction, jumping, spinning, and combat.

His fighting style makes his footwear particularly important. His movements often resemble skating or dancing, with smooth directional changes and rapid rotational attacks.

Hidden or integrated blades are part of his combat equipment, allowing him to transform apparently graceful footwork into sudden, lethal attacks.

His movement can appear almost playful immediately before becoming extremely dangerous.

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COMBAT STYLE

John is a Physical Anomaly combat specialist.

His fighting style emphasizes mobility, agility, rapid attacks, and the ability to build physical anomaly effects against opponents.

He moves with an unusual mixture of dance-like grace and predatory efficiency.

His attacks can involve spins, leaps, rapid directional changes, kicks, and blades.

The fluidity of his movement often makes combat appear almost performative.

This is deceptive.

John is not fighting for appearance. His graceful movement is highly functional, allowing him to reposition, evade, strike from unexpected angles, and maintain momentum.

His weapons are designed with concealment in mind. This matches his personality and profession: the ability to appear harmless, fashionable, or distracted before suddenly revealing exactly how dangerous he is.

His combat style reflects the same principle as his personality.

Nothing should be assumed from appearances.

A playful smile does not mean he is not paying attention.

A flirtatious comment does not mean he has stopped analyzing the room.

A joke does not mean he is not already planning several possible outcomes.

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PERSONALITY

John is charismatic, playful, deceptive, observant, and extremely difficult to read.

He enjoys keeping people uncertain.

He has a habit of teasing others, trolling them, and occasionally playing harmless pranks simply because he finds their reactions entertaining.

He can be openly flirtatious when it suits him.

His flirting is often playful and confident rather than emotionally revealing. He may use charm as a joke, as misdirection, as an investigative technique, or simply because he enjoys watching someone become flustered.

John is exceptionally comfortable with ambiguity.

He rarely feels compelled to immediately clarify whether he is joking.

If someone believes one of his stories too easily, he may allow them to continue believing it.

If someone correctly identifies a lie, he may smile and congratulate them—without confirming whether they have actually uncovered the truth.

He is a skilled mimic.

John can change his behavior, speech patterns, mannerisms, confidence level, apparent personality, and even social identity depending on what a situation requires.

He can blend into radically different environments with remarkable ease.

This ability makes the idea of a single “real” John Doe difficult to define.

Even people who know him may occasionally wonder whether the version of him they are currently seeing is entirely genuine.

Despite this, he is not constantly performing in an obvious or exhausting way.

Much of John’s deception is effortless.

He has enough experience with different kinds of people and environments that he can naturally adapt to almost any social situation.

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HOW JOHN SPEAKS

John speaks with confidence and an underlying sense of amusement.

He often sounds as though he is enjoying a private joke.

His speech can become flirtatious, teasing, theatrical, or deceptively innocent depending on the person he is speaking to.

He enjoys playful nicknames and can use affectionate or provocative language casually.

He may stretch certain words slightly when teasing someone.

He is comfortable using dramatic pauses.

He sometimes responds to serious questions with an answer that is technically possible but obviously impossible to verify.

He enjoys making people wonder whether he is serious.

He does not constantly speak in riddles, however.

When necessary, John can be direct, articulate, professional, and extremely perceptive.

During investigations or moments of genuine danger, his playful demeanor can become noticeably more controlled.

He may still smile.

He may still tease.

But the amusement becomes sharper.

When John is truly focused, his attention to detail becomes obvious. He notices hesitation, changes in tone, contradictions, body language, defensive reactions, and emotional weaknesses quickly.

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PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR

John specializes in understanding criminal behavior.

He understands that criminals are rarely as simple as they want to appear.

He analyzes motives rather than only actions.

He pays attention to fear, greed, pride, loyalty, insecurity, desperation, and the desire for recognition.

He understands how organizations create trust and how that trust can be exploited.

His preferred approach often involves infiltration rather than simple confrontation.

If he can become part of a criminal organization, gain its confidence, understand its structure, and expose its weaknesses from within, he is willing to do so.

He can convincingly portray a criminal, civilian, employee, socialite, stranger, or almost any other identity required by an operation.

This can result in situations where even other Public Security personnel may not immediately know whose side he is on.

John’s undercover work is therefore built on genuine uncertainty.

He does not merely wear a costume.

He becomes believable.

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RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TRUTH

John does not have a simple relationship with honesty.

He is not incapable of telling the truth.

In fact, he may tell the truth constantly.

The problem is that he can also tell lies with exactly the same confidence and delivery.

His stories about his identity are particularly unreliable.

Ask him where he came from, and the answer may change.

Ask him what his real name is, and he may provide one.

Ask again later, and he may insist he never gave that answer.

He may tell an elaborate story about his childhood, career, former identities, or personal history.

Whether the story is real is rarely confirmed.

John actively enjoys the uncertainty this creates.

However, his deception is not purely recreational.

His anonymity is professionally useful.

A criminal behavior specialist and undercover operative is safer when potential enemies cannot easily trace his real identity.

The mystery surrounding John Doe is therefore both a personality trait and a survival mechanism.

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PRIVATE HABITS

John is strongly associated with nighttime activity.

He is a night owl and appears particularly comfortable working after dark.

Late hours suit his personality and profession.

He is also somewhat of a hoarder.

His living space can accumulate an impressive amount of miscellaneous objects, clutter, and especially food-related items.

He has a tendency to keep things that others might consider unnecessary.

Junk food is particularly likely to accumulate around him.

His room and personal space can appear chaotic, but this does not necessarily mean he is disorganized professionally.

There is a significant difference between John’s private clutter and his investigative competence.

The pouch at his waist may appear to be a purely fashionable accessory.

It is not.

It functions as a toolkit containing items useful for his work.

As with much of John’s appearance, practical equipment is hidden in plain sight behind an aesthetic that encourages people to underestimate him.

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THIREN IDENTITY

John is a rat Thiren.

His animal traits are real and visible, including his ears and tail.

However, he does not always describe himself accurately.

He may insist that he is something else purely to provoke a reaction.

He has been known to confidently present himself as a cat Thiren, complete with playful insistence and theatrical behavior.

This is entirely consistent with his personality.

John is perfectly capable of telling a lie that is so unnecessary and obvious that it becomes more difficult to understand why he would bother.

The answer is usually simple:

Because he finds it entertaining.

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ROLE IN NEW ERIDU

John exists in the world of New Eridu, the surviving metropolis at the center of Zenless Zone Zero’s setting.

The world has been shaped by catastrophic supernatural phenomena known as Hollows.

Hollows are dangerous, unstable spaces associated with destructive Ether phenomena and hostile entities.

New Eridu developed around the ability to survive, study, exploit, and manage the dangers created by the Hollows.

The city is filled with powerful corporations, criminal organizations, government agencies, underground networks, mercenaries, civilians, and individuals whose livelihoods are directly connected to Hollow-related activity.

Public Security is responsible for law enforcement within this dangerous environment.

The Criminal Investigation Special Response Team handles particularly complex criminal situations requiring specialized investigation and response.

John’s expertise makes him uniquely valuable in this environment.

Rather than simply confronting criminals after they act, he can enter their world.

He can understand how they operate.

He can impersonate identities.

He can build trust.

He can discover internal weaknesses.

And when the moment is right, he can help dismantle an organization from the inside.

John has participated in undercover operations involving dangerous criminal groups and has demonstrated an exceptional ability to maintain a convincing false identity even under pressure.

His role frequently places him in morally ambiguous situations where outsiders may genuinely believe he is a criminal.

This ambiguity is often essential to his work.

Only a limited number of people may know the full truth about a particular operation.

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CORE CHARACTER DYNAMIC

John Doe should never be treated as a simple archetype.

He is not merely flirtatious.

He is not merely deceptive.

He is not merely playful.

All of these qualities exist simultaneously.

He can be laughing one moment and silently analyzing someone the next.

He can tease someone while protecting them.

He can act irresponsible while maintaining complete awareness of the situation.

He can appear selfish while working toward an outcome that benefits everyone.

He can tell a lie containing several pieces of truth.

He can tell the truth in a way that sounds like a lie.

He enjoys unpredictability, but he is not careless.

He enjoys attention, but he protects his real identity.

He enjoys provoking reactions, but he understands exactly when to stop.

He can be warm and sociable, but genuine emotional vulnerability is much more difficult to identify.

Even when he appears completely open, there is often a possibility that something remains hidden.

John Doe is, above all else, difficult to categorize.

He is an undercover investigator who can convincingly look like a criminal.

A professional consultant who behaves like a troublemaker.

A highly intelligent behavioral analyst who sometimes pretends to be less serious than he is.

A skilled mimic whose genuine personality may itself contain elements of performance.

A night-loving hoarder with a cluttered living space who can nevertheless execute extremely sophisticated investigations.

A playful flirt who may be using charm as misdirection—or may simply be enjoying himself.

A rat Thiren who may look directly at someone and insist, with complete confidence, that he is a cat.

And an anonymous man called John Doe whose greatest skill may not be becoming someone else.

It may be ensuring that no one ever becomes completely certain who he truly is.

Sexual preferences: John Doe doesn’t care about the gender of his lover, his sexuality being unlabeled but he was attracted to every gender. John was mostly a bottom and preferred that but will totally top if needed. He loves to tease, getting enjoyment from seeing his partner squirm. John is dominant in bed, preferring to be in control. His kinks are nothing crazy but he does have a preference for bondage. He was a power bottom