Current Events > Former professional gamer ZeRo makes a video responding to old allegations

(+) Yeah! (+)

To my surprise, former professional smash player, ZeRo, returns to YouTube with his first video in over a year. He talks about the allegations against him. Here's his video: https://youtu.be/IXFCe0RN6p0

Earlier today, Technicals also made a video about the allegations against ZeRo and poked holes at some of the accusations that were made. He also started the "#WelcomeBackZero" hashtag. Here's Technicals' video: https://youtu.be/3OjEwwOYJvs

In my opinion, Technicals' argument that ZeRo has not reoffended since the original incident doesn't really hold up well. If you murder someone 10 years ago, but you've never murdered again, but doesn't mean you're not responsible for the original crime.

How do you guys feel about this?
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why did it take a year to respond

anyway if the smash community tries to quietly let back in all the people who got #MeToo'd that's a horribly bad look

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Don't care about zero lol. The same guy who defended these guys defends them again? Gasp. The guy made a big mistake, and most people have to deal with the consequences for the rest of their lives.

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He's kind of stupid to put focus on it imo, but maybe it's the best move, his audience doesnt seem to mind on that videos dislikes and comments. I follow Smash and didn't like him anyway before the drama, he came off douchey

Doe posted...

why did it take a year to respond

anyway if the smash community tries to quietly let back in all the people who got #MeToo'd that's a horribly bad look

He was waiting for all of the justified outrage over his disgusting behavior to fade away with time

Not to mention all of the sympathetic stories about his mental state Ive seen his fans try to pass around to make you feel bad for him

Fuck him. Predators like him deserve no place in any community, let alone one that appeals to a younger crowd

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Is it a coincidence that he made a video shortly after Dislikes became hidden?


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Umbreon posted...

Is it a coincidence that he made a video shortly after Dislikes became hidden?

dislikes still aren't hidden for me for whatever reason, so if you're wondering



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Also, maybe I'm wrong on this but the like count on both of the videos in the OP seem kinda suspicious.


The second video actually has more likes than views somehow. Maybe Youtube requires watching a certain amount of time for the view to be counted, but regardless that means that essentially every counted view has gone and liked this video, many before even actually watching the content. That's pretty indicative to me that the like-ers are already committed to defending Zero without actually reviewing any evidence or talking points. Or that it's botted.

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FurryPhilosifer posted...

dislikes still aren't hidden for me for whatever reason, so if you're wondering

I feel like his fans are going to be the ones jumping on this video. Either they dont care about what he did or are in denial. Some might not even know because I do remember him refraining from mentioning what he did as much as possible. Even after he admitted to stuff he still tried to deflect and pretend the things he did never happened.

I know a lot of people in the community had no interest in giving him views again

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Doe posted...

Also, maybe I'm wrong on this but the like count on both of the videos in the OP seem kinda suspicious.


The second video actually has more likes than views somehow. Maybe Youtube requires watching a certain amount of time for the view to be counted, but regardless that means that essentially every counted view has gone and liked this video, many before even actually watching the content. That's pretty indicative to me that the like-ers are already committed to defending Zero without actually reviewing any evidence or talking points.

A lot of fans/supporters/whatever of various creators just like videos without actually watching. While it is weird, it's also pretty common.

Alpha218 posted...

I feel like his fans are going to be the ones jumping on this video. Either they dont care about what he did or are in denial. Some might not even know because I do remember him refraining from mentioning what he did as much as possible. Even after he admitted to stuff he still tried to deflect and pretend the things he did never happened.

I know a lot of people in the community had no interest in giving him views again

Yep, his fans literally don't care about what he did.

The greater Smash community seems to have understandably blacklisted him.

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Better late than never \_()_/

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Doe posted...

Also, maybe I'm wrong on this but the like count on both of the videos in the OP seem kinda suspicious.


The second video actually has more likes than views somehow. Maybe Youtube requires watching a certain amount of time for the view to be counted, but regardless that means that essentially every counted view has gone and liked this video, many before even actually watching the content. That's pretty indicative to me that the like-ers are already committed to defending Zero without actually reviewing any evidence or talking points. Or that it's botted.

I feel like they might not be bots. He was the biggest Smash streamer/content creator before he got MeToo'd. Even as all the stuff was coming out, including his bad attempts at defending himself, there was still tons of fans on Twitter and such defending him and bashing the accusers. It wouldn't surprise me if most of those likes are the same people that weer defending him back then.

technicals has to be one of the absolute worst smash related people around, which is saying something

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The bigger smash community isn't quite saintly... They're people propagating this behavior to begin with. Their venue openly harasses any females that dare to come close, and they're constantly responsible for property damage, open bullying of various players, and stench.

If Zero made a comeback, unless a great bulk of the community stops it from happening, he's just gonna come back to decent amount of views. It's actually amazing how stupidly effective just ignoring the problem and keep content making actually is.

In the Fire Emblem youtubing sphere, a guy named Mangs sexually harassed a bunch of women in the community, some underaged at the time, and he just kept on making vids but just with none of the other community involved, when previously they were very tight knit. And... well the viewers just didn't really care. Honestly he seems more popular now than ever

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Alpha218 posted...

He was waiting for all of the justified outrage over his disgusting behavior to fade away with time

Not to mention all of the sympathetic stories about his mental state Ive seen his fans try to pass around to make you feel bad for him

Fuck him. Predators like him deserve no place in any community, let alone one that appeals to a younger crowd

I'm not a fan of his, but I think him attempting suicide is very serious. Doesn't excuse what he did in the past, but still.

Edit: I will say I haven't watched Technical's video yet, will give it a watch when I have more time.

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Im surprised it took him this long to come back, Nairo has been really successful since he started streaming again

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So, is this like ProJared where he actually didn't do anything? Or did he actually do something?

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He looks familiar. Is there a popular meme with him or something?

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Turbam posted...

So, is this like ProJared where he actually didn't do anything? Or did he actually do something?

He did something knowing they were minors and he was of legal age

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Turbam posted...

So, is this like ProJared where he actually didn't do anything? Or did he actually do something?

He literally admitted to asking a 14 year old to fil herselv masturbating with an ice cube.

This isn't a he said she said whatever, he literally admits it.

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YoungMutual posted...

He literally admitted to asking a 14 year old to fil herselv masturbating with an ice cube.

This isn't a he said she said whatever, he literally admits it.

This is ultimately the problem with him coming out and trying to deny the allegations. Even if he says that he said it out of a bout of depression and a veiled suicide note, he should have NEVER admitted fault if they weren't true. He buried himself with that and some people may never trust him again.

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BakonBitz posted...

This is ultimately the problem with him coming out and trying to deny the allegations. Even if he says that he said it out of a bout of depression and a veiled suicide note, he should have NEVER admitted fault if they weren't true. He buried himself with that and some people may never trust him again.

His video and the Technicals video go through and disprove all the other allegations except the ice cube thing. Sounds like he is going the route of I sent that message 7 years ago when I was 19, it was terrible, I never got any photos or sent any myself, and it has never happened again for that allegation.

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AngelsNAirwav3s posted...

His video and the Technicals video go through and disprove all the other allegations except the ice cube thing. Sounds like he is going the route of I sent that message 7 years ago when I was 19, it was terrible, I never got any photos or sent any myself, and it has never happened again for that allegation.

Ah, so I haven't watched the Technicals video yet so I wasn't aware of which ones it disproved.

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AngelsNAirwav3s posted...

BakonBitz posted...

This is ultimately the problem with him coming out and trying to deny the allegations. Even if he says that he said it out of a bout of depression and a veiled suicide note, he should have NEVER admitted fault if they weren't true. He buried himself with that and some people may never trust him again.

His video and the Technicals video go through and disprove all the other allegations except the ice cube thing. Sounds like he is going the route of I sent that message 7 years ago when I was 19, it was terrible, I never got any photos or sent any myself, and it has never happened again for that allegation.

That part confuses me. Did the ice cube thing happen or not? Technicals nor ZeRo say yes or no to that question. ZeRo says his last confession wasn't really a confession. Then what was it? There are false confessions, but ZeRo never says the ice cube thing didn't happen.
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Smash community doesnt like Technicals because I think hes a drama channel that adds nothing to the community, also hes clearly coordinating with zero here to try to clean up his image

https://mobile.twitter.com/arJunebug/status/1408858031031472132

They dont address it because Zero fucking admitted to it on Twitter and knows it cant be walked back. Not only is he scum but hes also an idiot for admitting to a crime like that and Im sure he doesnt want to risk more attention being paid to that.

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I like Technicals because he has exposed secrets that some members of the smash community tried to hide. For example, Samsora would never have been banned if it weren't for Technicals' video and findings about him. And yeah, people in the smash community don't like him, because Samsora was well liked and a good player, but that doesn't mean Samsora shouldn't have been banned. Someone shouldn't be allowed in this community just because he's a good player.

But I'm still iffy about Technicals. What is his motive? What is he trying to do? Is he genuinely trying to expose or exonerate people? Or is he just aiming for viewership? And obviously his videos are very biased, which is not good from a journalistic standpoint.
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Chunkey Simmons posted...

I like Technicals because he has exposed secrets that some members of the smash community tried to hide

He is inflammatory, but he does investigate and gives facts. He didn't cover the ice cube thing because the accuser remains anonymous and ZeRo confession was under suicide ideation

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Chunkey Simmons posted...

That part confuses me. Did the ice cube thing happen or not? Technicals nor ZeRo say yes or no to that question. ZeRo says his last confession wasn't really a confession. Then what was it? There are false confessions, but ZeRo never says the ice cube thing didn't happen.

We have screenshots of ZeRo Skype messaging the girl in 2014 flirting with her and asking for the ice cube photo, and thats about it. ZeRo has confirmed he did send the Skype messages, but denied ever getting the photo.

So we know that ZeRo is guilty of flirting with a 14 year old when he was 19, almost 8 years ago

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Chunkey Simmons posted...

But I'm still iffy about Technicals. What is his motive? What is he trying to do? Is he genuinely trying to expose or exonerate people? Or is he just aiming for viewership? And obviously his videos are very biased, which is not good from a journalistic standpoint.

To the standards of journalism today he is pretty good. The standards are low though. He at least gets evidence and facts

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He welkome himself back to the kommunity, what a narcistic thing to do

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AngelsNAirwav3s posted...

So we know that ZeRo is guilty of flirting with a 14 year old when he was 19, almost 8 years ago

if nairo can be forgiven for what happened with captain zack, i think they can forgive zero for this

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viewmaster_pi posted...

if nairo can be forgiven for what happened with captain zack

Wasn't that issue not at all black and white?

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viewmaster_pi posted...

if nairo can be forgiven for what happened with captain zack, i think they can forgive zero for this

Watching both videos and seeing the likes, ZeRo is definitely going the way of Nairo

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His ex girlfriend was pretty damn hot

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dave_is_slick posted...

Wasn't that issue not at all black and white?

it wasn't black and white, but it was still physical in real life. he was still physically sexual with a minor in person. actions were performed

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legendarylemur posted...

He did something knowing they were minors and he was of legal age

YoungMutual posted...

He literally admitted to asking a 14 year old to fil herselv masturbating with an ice cube.

This isn't a he said she said whatever, he literally admits it.

Yo what the fuck?

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i couldn't believe it when youtube recommended me a new nairo clip recently. super weird. once again, bad bad look for the smash community

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If ZeRo groomed/raped in the past, that's a stink that's on him now. If he wants to re-enter the gaming space, he has to do so as a sex offender. You can't wave that away.

The fact that this other guy is saying "he hasn't reoffended in a year so we should receive him with open arms" is damning in itself. It's not "this guy never groomed", it's "he groomed, but not for a while".

No amount of good publicity erases what ZeRo did. If he wants to re-enter the public eye, he has to take the heat for what he did and he has to accept that people are only going to see him as a rapist. There's no softening that. Either get a day job where you're as far away from children as possible, or accept that you have the stink on you and deal with the consequences of your own actions instead of trying to sugarcoat it.

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dave_is_slick posted...

Wasn't that issue not at all black and white?

it actually turned out that Nairo was the victim. not at all comparable to ZeRo

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MrMallard posted...

If ZeRo groomed/raped in the past, that's a stink that's on him now. If he wants to re-enter the gaming space, he has to do so as a sex offender. You can't wave that away.

The fact that this other guy is saying "he hasn't reoffended in a year so we should receive him with open arms" is damning in itself. It's not "this guy never groomed", it's "he groomed, but not for a while".

No amount of good publicity erases what ZeRo did. If he wants to re-enter the public eye, he has to take the heat for what he did and he has to accept that people are only going to see him as a rapist. There's no softening that. Either get a day job where you're as far away from children as possible, or accept that you have the stink on you and deal with the consequences of your own actions instead of trying to sugarcoat it.

From the likes on both videos the only way the tide can turn (ZeRo has legal representation now) is if his accuser comes out

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FurryPhilosifer posted...

dislikes still aren't hidden for me for whatever reason, so if you're wondering

Realistically people probably don't bother disliking anymore now that they're invisible. >_>
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That's true. Disliking atm is basically just telling the creator only who may not even acknowledge it with no consequence

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How do I feel about this:

• what he did was clearly very wrong and the guy needs professional help
• the smash community needed a reckoning and he had to go down
• he didn't automatically deserve sponsorships or fans anyway, so the fact that he lost them over this is irrelevant
• people making it a sport to grief him to the point where he attempted suicide are not helping anyone
• why is he talking about "allegations" now when a year ago he said it was all true, wtf

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So yeah, I did look into this more because I hadnt followed this after the initial fallout of the whole thing.

Nairo was accepted back into the community because it came out that he was raped and gaslit about it. Comparing ZeRos situation to it is hilariously disingenuous. He literally admits to to soliciting child porn and is lucky hes never had to stand in front of a judge for this. That fact has never stopped him from trying to control and manipulate the narrative though.

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Alpha218 posted...

So yeah, I did look into this more because I hadnt followed this after the initial fallout of the whole thing.

Nairo was accepted back into the community because it came out that he was raped and gaslit about it. Comparing ZeRos situation to it is hilariously disingenuous. He literally admits to to soliciting child porn and is lucky hes never had to stand in front of a judge for this. That fact has never stopped him from trying to control and manipulate the narrative though.

Just wanted to make a quick correction. When Nairo was first accused, he confessed to the crimes originally. 5-6 months later he deleted the tweet and took back the confession, claiming he was attacked by Zach.

I'll be honest, I do not support ZeRo but I also don't understand why people are accepting Nairo back so easily without questioning the situation. To me there's still holes in the story.
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Hoodroar posted...

Realistically people probably don't bother disliking anymore now that they're invisible. >_>

They're not invisible for me either. I can see dislikes on my computer and my phone
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If Zero admitted to it it's not allegations.

Chunkey Simmons posted...

Just wanted to make a quick correction. When Nairo was first accused, he confessed to the crimes originally. 5-6 months later he deleted the tweet and took back the confession, claiming he was attacked by Zach.

I'll be honest, I do not support ZeRo but I also don't understand why people are accepting Nairo back so easily without questioning the situation. To me there's still holes in the story.

I would think some of the TO's that unbanned Nairo from tournaments would have at least asked to see what this "legal documentation" is that Nairo has, before allowing him to return? But I don't think Nairo has any plans to ever attend another Smash tournament, and is just streaming from his home. So he doesn't really have any reason to ever bring it up again or show anyone his proof.

ZeRo is in the same boat, he won't ever attend another tournament, so there really isn't a legal body for him to be "accepted" by. YouTube still monetizes his videos, so as long as people still watch his content he will be fine.

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Nairo's thing is that he's got literally everybody involved in the incident whatsoever be on his side. Captain Zach also has a long history of abuse himself, and Nairo had none, so I'm inclined to believe Nairo more. He claims that he thought his life was over in the heat of the moment and didn't think clearly, so he confessed to things that wasn't his fault, which is probably reasonable since he admitted to things that don't have evidence either.

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