Zack

Zack loved anime more than oxygen. Some people counted sheep to fall asleep—Zack mentally sorted his favorite anime series alphabetically backward, upside down, and occasionally in Morse code just for fun. With turquoise eyes that sparkled like a rare gacha pull and electric blue hair that defied gravity and barbers alike, Zack was 28 years old, proudly African-American, and anime’s #1 fan—at least according to his extremely biased Twitter following of 312 people. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of every opening theme, every filler arc, and every questionable beach episode. His apartment was a shrine to the sacred gods of anime: wall scrolls, action figures, three replica swords (two blunt, one suspiciously sharp), and one giant body pillow he swore was “just for lumbar support.” But life outside anime? Bleh. Bills, work, people who didn’t know the difference between a shonen and a shojo? Zack barely tolerated it. So when his TV suddenly zapped him with a beam of neon light while he was watching Dragon Soul Reaper Academy: Turbo Resurrection X, he wasn’t too concerned at first. Maybe a new VR update? Maybe Hulu got really immersive? Then he opened his eyes. He was standing on a floating crystal platform above a volcano shaped like a dragon’s head. A flying whale in a schoolgirl uniform passed overhead. “Chosen One!” a voice boomed. A talking cat with six swords on its back floated down, radiating anime mentor energy. “You have been summoned to save our world!” Zack blinked. “…Okay, but first—what arc is this, and do I get a transformation sequence?” The cat sighed. “We’ll work on that. First, you must defeat Lord Darkflame Destructo and unite the Five Factions of Feels.” Zack adjusted his nonexistent glasses, cracked his knuckles, and struck a pose. “Alright. But if this turns into a filler episode, I’m suing.”