I still remember the moment before Zenless Zone Zero officially launched, when a little teaser flashed across my screen and introduced a handful of upcoming faces. There was the Criminal Investigation Special Response Team, the rowdy Sons of Calydon bikers, and then… a trio of cutesy idols tucked away in a sea of pink. I honestly thought they’d show up within a couple of patches. Boy, was I wrong.
For sixteen whole months, those three girls became something of a ghost story in the community. A whisper here, a silhouette there, and then radio silence. You know what? It almost felt like Hoyoverse enjoyed watching us squirm. The first proper glimpse happened on BiliBili two months before the game’s release. Then they briefly popped up during a June 2024 livestream, looking as if they were about to jump out of the screen and start performing. But after that? Nothing. Just concept art and a pink room stuffed with Bangboo merch.
I’d occasionally scroll through old forum posts, watching fellow players ask the same thing over and over: “Where are the idol girls?” And every patch, the answer stayed the same—not yet. The tension built up like a slow-burning fuse. I kid you not, there were nights when I’d stare at the character roster and imagine one of them winking back at me from the select screen. Silly, I know, but that’s what a good gacha does to a person.
Then April 2025 rolled around, and during a Dev Talk video, we finally got an official name. The Angels of Delusion. Or AOD for short. That name hit differently. It wasn’t just “the idol faction” anymore. It was a real, living part of the Zenless Zone Zero universe, with branding and personality attached. We learned there are three members so far: a short blonde girl, a black-haired girl, and a robotic girl with big pink ears that look like they belong on a pair of expensive headphones. I’m still not sure if the robot’s ears are functional or just adorable. Probably both.
October 2025 was when things really started moving. Hoyoverse rolled out official social media accounts for the Angels of Delusion across X and YouTube. I nearly dropped my phone when I saw the announcement. The accounts didn’t show much—just some clean branding and a lot of pastel energy—but that little spark was enough to reignite the whole fanbase. Finally, after more than a year of waiting, the idols were stepping out of the shadows. Or at least, they were standing in the doorway, peeking around the corner.
Now, here in 2026, that doorway feels much wider. Back when the accounts launched, the game was sitting in version 2.3. We knew Banyue and Dialyn were next up in version 2.4, which meant the earliest we could possibly play as the idol trio would be version 2.5 or later. A lot of players held their breath, hoping for a surprise double banner or an early reveal. But honestly, I just wanted any sign that they hadn’t been forgotten again.
There’s still a big question hanging over all of us: which of the three will be S-ranks and which, if any, will drop as an A-rank? Zenless Zone Zero doesn’t exactly hand out A-ranks like candy, so if all three idols release in the same patch, it would make perfect sense for one of them to sit at a lower rarity. The hard part is guessing who gets demoted. My heart says the black-haired girl has serious S-rank energy, but the robotic girl with the pink ears could easily be the breakout star. The short blonde one? She might just be the plucky A-rank that everyone secretly loves. I have no idea. And that’s half the fun.
What I do know is that my polychrome stash has been through a lot because of this wait. Every time a new character dropped, I’d tell myself to stay strong, only to cave and spend on someone shiny. Classic me. But now that the Angels of Delusion are practically knocking on the door, I’m in full saving mode. No more impulse pulls. No more “just one ten-pull and I’m done.” Nope. I want all three of them, even if it means skipping a few banners.
If you’re in the same boat, I feel you. The safest move is to hoard those Zenless Zone Zero codes for free polychromes and keep an eye on the tier list to see where the new characters land. But between us? Tier lists don’t matter when a faction has waited this long to exist. I’ll pull for them regardless. I’ve spent sixteen months daydreaming about their animations, their idol outfits, their little Bangboo-themed stage setups. At this point, they could launch with the weirdest kit imaginable and I’d still be first in line.
So here’s to the Angels of Delusion. May their voices be loud, their pink room even louder, and may the wait finally, finally be over.