Zote

"A self-proclaimed Knight, of no renown. Wields a nail he carved from shellwood, named 'Life Ender.' Some rare creatures are so weak, so helpless, so inept and so irritating that hunting them gives no pleasure."

Zote the Mighty is an NPC in Hollow Knight.

Lore Zote is a traveller from outside Hallownest who came to the Kingdom to fulfill a promise. This is ultimately revealed to be a promise of glory for himself.

He named his nail "Life Ender" because names supposedly have power. Unfortunately, because it is made of shellwood, it cannot deal damage.

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 regards the Knight as beneath him and accuses them of constantly getting in his way.

In-game events Found along the path leading to Greenpath. He is held in the mandibles of a Vengefly King, and the Knight has the choice to either save him or leave him. If saved, he complains that the Knight got in the way between him and his "prey", he introduces himself and boasts about his supposed mighty deeds.

If he is not saved before acquiring the Mantis Claw, he dies in this location, with his nail and shell remaining. Hitting his shell here grants the 'Neglect' achievement.

If he is saved in Greenpath, Zote shows up in Dirtmouth, where he once again talks to the Knight in an arrogant fashion.

Zote can be found in a corridor leading back to the storerooms of the City of Tears. He has forgotten the Knight and introduces himself again. Found stuck in spider webs, presumably having been captured by the beasts of Deepnest. Once again the Knight has the choice to either save him or leave him, though this time leaving him does not result in his death. If saved, he once again complains about the Knight meddling in his supposed heroics.

If the Knight saves him both times, he is captured and can be found in the resting area of the Colosseum of Fools, where he brags 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. He simply has to be attacked until the fight is over. He is quite inept in combat and regularly messes up his jumps. Beating him grants the 'Rivalry' achievement. After the defeat, and after Bretta is rescued, he returns to Dirtmouth with the helmet of a Shielded Fool as a supposed "trophy" and claims that he is the new champion while slandering the Knight's reputation. Bretta falls for him, her drawings and dolls of the Knight are replaced by a single portrait of Zote. Here he recites "The Fifty Seven Precepts Of Zote".

While Zote alone is too weak a creature to partake in the Godseeker's ritual, his mind can still invade the Hall of Gods. The dream boss version Grey Prince Zote appears in the Pantheon of the Sage and the Hall of Gods. Additionally, in the Hall of Gods is found an endless gauntlet called The Eternal Ordeal which is an infinite number of dangerous Zotelings of various types.

Locations
Zote can be found in several locations across Hallownest after he is saved in Greenpath.

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."


 * One of the Kickstarter goals was for Zote to become a playable character, but that goal was not reached.
 * In the Colosseum of Fools, when Zote begins his battle, the audience laughs at him.
 * A charm called "Zote Charm" was an idea that never made it into the game. It would have made the Knight die in one hit.

Зот Могучий Zote_el_Todopoderoso Zote Zote Wszechmocny Zote le Redoutable