ZENONZARD THE ANIMATION Episode 0

The year 20XX. Humans called ＜Concodes＞ and ultra-high-performance AI called ＜Codeman＞ team up as buddies to compete in the card battle game ZENOZARD. People are going wild with excitement at the world championships, THE ZENON. One day, Sota Azuma, an average high school student, is challenged to a battle by a mysterious woman, Eilietta Lash. She reveals that she’s a Codeman and that her intent is to team up with Sota and participate in THE ZENON. Sota reluctantly agrees. Sota and Eilietta’s first opponent turns out to be the super-famous player Shion Saionji, who attends Sota’s school, and her buddy, Ash Claude.

Directed by Mitsuhiro Iwasaki, Kei Oikawa, Shin Tosaka, ZENONZARD THE ANIMATION Episode 0 leans on a strong ensemble — Saori Hayami, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Yuuichirou Umehara — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about action titles of 2019.