Zote

While he claims to be the strongest warrior in the land, he is found trapped by weak enemies or claiming the glory of another bug's deeds. He disregards The Knight as beneath him, and accuses them of constantly getting in his way.

For the Dream Boss variant, see Grey Prince Zote.

First Encounter, Greenpath
Found along the path leading to Greenpath. He is held in the mandibles of a Vengefly King, and the player will have the choice to either save him or leave him. If saved, he will complain that the player got in the way between him and his "prey", he will introduce himself and boast about his supposed mighty deeds.

Second Encounter, Dirtmouth
He will show up in Dirtmouth, where once again he will talk to the player in an arrogant fashion.

Third Encounter, City of Tears
Zote will be found in a corridor leading back to the storerooms of the city. He will have forgotten the player and will introduce himself again.

Fourth Encounter, Deepnest
Found stuck in spider webs, presumably having been captured by the beasts of Deepnest. Once again the player has the choice to either save him or leave him, though this time leaving him will not result in his death. If saved he will once again complain about the Knight meddling in his supposed heroics.

Fifth Encounter, Colosseum of Fools
If the player saved him both times, he will be captured and found in the resting area of the Colosseum of Fools, where he will brag about his skills and how his capture was part of his plan. He then becomes the final boss of the first trial. As a boss, he deals no damage due to his nail being made of shellwood (a material normally meant for shields), the player simply has to whack him until the fight is over. He is quite inept in combat and regularly messes up his jumps. Beating him will reward the player with the 'Rivalry' achievement.

Final Encounter, Dirtmouth
After defeat he will return to Dirtmouth with the helmet of a Shielded Fool as a supposed "trophy" and claims that he is the new champion, while slandering the player's reputation. Bretta falls for him, her drawings and dolls of the player replaced by a single portrait of Zote. Here he will recite "The Fifty Seven Precepts Of Zote".

Trivia

 * Zote was the first character revealed in a Kickstarter update:
 * "Times are hard for Dirtmouth, the small town built above the ruined underground kingdom of Hallownest. The townsfolk are slowly disappearing; savage creatures prowl beneath the surface and a strange poison in the earth refuses to let any vegetation grow. But lo! From the mists a proud figure emerges, ready to defeat the formless evil that plagues the populace. With his sword held aloft and a fiery determination to protect the helpless, this giant of bugkind strides confidently into the light and..."
 * "Oh, it's Zote. False alarm everybody."
 * "Zote, self-proclaimed "Knight of the People", recently turned up in Dirtmouth and started demanding free lodgings, food and attention from the townsfolk. Claiming to be a rival of the Hollow Knight and his superior in every way, Zote has supposedly come to Dirtmouth to defeat the evil creatures lurking in the depths and find the source of the poison."
 * "When he isn't having one of his frequent rest stops in town, Zote will be exploring the depths of Hallownest with his unique, home-made nail in hand. He favours caution and patience above all else, so he doesn't always make the same kind of progress as the Hollow Knight. Nor does he have the same successes due to what he calls his "atrocious, appallingly unfair bad luck"."
 * "If you see him during your travels, Zote will be more than happy to stop and chat, pointing out everything you've been doing wrong during your adventure so you can learn from his example."


 * If the player fails to save Zote in Greenpath, after some time, revisiting the location will reveal Zote's cracked shell along with his Nail and cloak. Hitting the shell rewards the player with the 'Neglect' achievement for letting him die. Once Zote is in Deepnest, he cannot die.


 * Hitting Zote with the Dream Nail throughout the game implies that he is trying to fulfill some nebulous "promise". However, hitting him with the Dream Nail when he's talking to Bretta will reveal that all along it was just an arrogant promise of glory to himself, even though his Dream Nail dialogue during the Colosseum fight reveals "Are you proud of me now father?" and "I'll kill a thousand more... Will that be enough, father?"


 * Several of the Fifty Seven Precepts of Zote corroborate this, such as "Mothers Will Always Betray You" and "Beware the Jealousy of Fathers". It is unclear, however, whether Zote's parents' neglect is what caused his personality to twist, or whether he is simply exaggerating the mistakes of his parents in the same way as he exaggerates his deeds.


 * Zote named his Nail "Life Ender" because names supposedly have power. Unfortunately, because it is made of shellwood, a material used to make shields, it is worthless.
 * It is highly unlikely that Zote is or was a Vessel, as Vessels were specifically designed to have no personality and no ability to speak (while Zote has an excess of both). He seems to be purely a comedic foil, having a similar but more haphazard outfit and a presence and mindset completely opposite of the Knight's.


 * One of the Kickstarter goals was for Zote to get his own DLC, but the goal was not reached.
 * The Fifty Seven Precepts of Zote is reminiscent of the real world Thirty Six Strategems authored by Wáng Jìngzé, and The Book of Five Rings authored by Miyamoto Musashi. The structuring of his lessons are similar to the former, while his quote of, "this precept explains itself," is akin to Musashi's repetition of, "you must research this well," in the later.
 * In the Colosseum of Fools, when Zote begins his battle, the audience laughs at him.

Зот Могучий Zote_el_Todopoderoso