| Overview |
Zoboron (ゾボロン) and Hige (ヒゲ) are a mamodo team that ally with Purio and Lupa in the battle. Zoboron's spells are based on energy spheres.
Appearance[]
Zoboron resembles a cartoonish green lizard standing upright like a human, with large, round eyes and a perpetually worried or confused expression. His simple body is light green with a lighter underbelly, and he has a blue teardrop mark on his chest. She generally walks on all fours legs, but when she becomes emotional, she sometimes stand up on two legs.
Hige is a tall, burly man with a thick beard, heavy brows, and a solemn demeanor. His attire resembles ancient Mesopotamian or Greek-style clothing, including a white toga with zigzag patterns and gold trim, paired with sandals. He wears a golden headband with a single decorative dot on his forehead. A leash tied to Zoboron’s wrist completes the odd pairing.
Personality[]
Zoboron is a quiet, lizard-like Mamodo who initially appears distant from her partner, Hige, largely because she never speaks throughout the story. Despite this, she is shown to get along well with Purio, and the two share a friendly bond. Since Zoboron never utters a single line, her true character remained a mystery for a long time. There are, however, moments that hint at her emotional depth: she is moved to tears when she believes she has defeated Zatch, and she reacts visibly when Lupa and Hige begin to argue. At the Gash Café, it is revealed that Zoboron is not only capable of speech but is, in fact, female—a revelation that shocks Hige, Purio, and Lupa. According to Zoboron herself, the reason she never spoke during the main story was because, upon meeting Hige, she quickly realized she had no chance of winning the Mamodo Battle and gave up on becoming king. It is implied that her silence was not due to cruelty or apathy, but resignation—especially given that Hige was hardly an ideal book owner.
Hige is Zoboron’s human partner, characterized by his selfish and careless attitude toward others. He often prioritizes his own comfort and amusement above all else—such as when he refuses to let Zoboron share his amusement park ride because he paid for it, or when he uses Purio as a shield against an incoming spell. Despite this, he manages to cooperate enough with his fellow mamodo team to function alongside them in battle. Hige’s personality could be described as free-spirited yet impulsive, with a streak of violence and self-interest. While he displays moments of rational thought, his composure crumbles easily under pressure. During his fight against Zatch, for instance, he loses his temper and yells, “What combination?!” and “Your abilities are useless!”, betraying the teamwork he had supposedly practiced with Purio and the others—an emotional outburst that directly led to his defeat.
Although Hige does not appear to harbor any strong dislike toward Zoboron, his treatment of her suggests a lack of respect or empathy. He keeps her on a leash like a pet, making their relationship resemble that of “owner and animal” rather than the typical partnership between mamodo and book owner. Hige also has a notable fondness for sweets. He is seen licking soft-serve ice cream at Mochinoki Amusement Park, enjoying candy during the scene where he receives a letter in the final episode, and again when meeting the original Mamodo owners before the battle with Clear.
Biography[]
Background[]
During a journey on a snowy mountain, they meet the arrogant Purio and insult each other, causing them to start fighting. Eventually, they realized that they could team up, as their powers complemented each other; Zoboron's extremely powerful but extremely slow exploding spheres work best when his opponent is held in place, something Purio can do with his saliva. They start training with together to work coordinated with their spells and their abilities to become the ultimate team.
Part I[]
Zoboron working with Purio
They visit Mochinoki Amusement Park in Japan with Purio and Lupa, and find Zatch and Kiyo as enemies. After Purio uses Dareido on him, he decides to end the battle with Dogurak. Thinking they've won, the group cheer in happiness of their success. But when Zatch interrupts them, Purio and Lupa manage to cast Poreido on him and when Lupa throws Kiyo toward him, Hige casts Dogurak toward Kiyo, but misses. Then he uses Oru Dogurak, which Zatch cancels with Rashield. He casts the spell again with all his energy to finally win, with Purio's Poreido spell taking effect, but Tia interrupts it with Ma Seshield. They use Formation 2, which Hige and Lupa switch mamodo and run toward opposite sides of Zatch and Tia and attack. When Tia counterattacks, Hige uses Purio as a shield from her attack out of desperation.
Lupa, angry at what Hige did, throws Zoboron toward the floor and yells at Hige. He casts Dogurak toward Tia and prepares Purio as a shield in case of a counterattack, but Lupa grabs Hige and uses him as a shield for almost using Purio again while Zatch attacks both of them. Zoboron carries her book back to her owner, and an enraged Hige decides to work with Zoboron without any help from the others. After Zoboron casts the spell, Hige charges through the spells and prepares to attack Tia with his fist, but Zatch takes the hit. Zatch and Tia then attack the team and burns Zoboron's book, but Purio and Lupa are able to get away due to their new spell, Mokerudo.
Clear Note Arc[]
Zoboron is seen among the Mamodo who assist Zatch during his final attack on Clear Note. Back in the Mamodo World, she later appears dancing alongside Yopopo and other mamodo. She is also visible in the group photo of all Mamodo that Zatch gives to Kiyo.
Part II[]
Years later, Hige appears as a laborer helping Kiyo develop a tourist village. True to form, he’s seen carrying wood while licking soft-serve ice cream. Without his spellbook or Zoboron, Kiyo fails to recognize him and thinks to himself, “Who was that guy again?”, while Hige replies, “Do you still have that book?”—suggesting he’s unaware the Mamodo Battle has ended, likely because Zoboron never sent letters from the Mamodo World.
Spells[]
Quotes[]
Hige[]
- "Those aren't real penguins. They're just stuffed toys, supposed to make this dumb place look cold."
- "I wish I could have imagined us you weren't here."
- "Yeah, now that you've mentioned it."
- "I guarantee my mamodo will be king before you will."
- "Oh yeah? Well like rubber, you're glue! Anything you say bounces off me and sticks that crazy hairdo of the owner of your book! What do you think she is 1973?"
- "Well my mother made this dress in fact, it used to be hers!"
- "Dogurak!"
- "This guy, does that mean it's pretty quite and simple. He hit me and he quite even simply done for..."
- "Hahahaha... And you're not bad for a little kid."
- "And now that I've gotten to know you, I feel like we've been friends forever."
- "This kid has the kind of power I'm always dreped about. If I combine with him, I can beat anyone I come up against."
- "If we teamed up, we'd be more power than anyone."
- "Not to mentioned all the training we've done to become the most powerful combination ever to fight for the crown of the mamodo world."
- "See, his problem is he has no focus. You have to teach him disipline."
- "Why you little brat, you know I'm not afraid of anything except swimming and hour after I eat!
- "Hah! Come on, Zoboron let's get some ice cream."
- "Oh stop acting like a little brat."
- "Don't you realise everybody's watching? You're embarassing yourself."
- "For your information, Zoboron likes to walk. It's the only exercise he gets when we're not training."
- "Let's go Zoboron!"
- "I think you guys are forgetting that we're a team."
- "I see you're scared. Well I would be too if I had to go up against the most powerful team ever to fight for the crown of the mamodo world."
- "We... won."
- "We won!"
- "What? They dodged our attack?!"
- "Grrr... Dogurak!"
- "Hahahaha... The thought of losing must have driven them mad! We might as well finish them already! Oru Dogurak!"
- "Now don't panic guys. Just watch carefully."
- "See? I told you so."
- "Yeah, and I'm going to launch with even more energy than the last one. Their shield won't even be able to slow it down this time. Oru Dogurak!"
- "Before our other opponents are like this, we're gonna beat em all in no time!"
- "AAAAAAH!!! I'M THE ONE TRYING TO WORK AS A TEAM! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO ATTACKED ME!!!"
- "We'll fight them ourselves! Dogurak!"
- "He can move the effect wore off."
- "Lupa, why didn't you tell me that the effect was going to wear off soon?"
- "I AM GOING TO GET YOU TWO!!"
- "You know what you have a new spell, now will be a good time to use it! Are you holding out on me?
- "This is all Lupa's fault!"
- "Zoboron! Zoboron!"
- "Hey wait for me! Just because Zoboron is gone, doesn't mean I quit the team! Waaait!""
- "Hey! You're that guy I met in Japan! Ha hah! Ya still got that book a' yours now? Ha! Didn't think so."
Other Media[]
Video Games[]
Zoboron and Hige are a playable team in the following video games:
| Game | Japanese Release | English Release |
|---|---|---|
| Konjiki no Gash Bell!!: Friends of Eternal Bonds |
Trivia[]
- In the Viz translation, Zoboron’s gender is mistranslated as male. Zoboron is actually a female in the original Japanese version.
- Zoboron's starting location in the Human World was in Greece.
- After the release of Chapter.7, Makoto Raiku addressed why Hige was working in Egypt on Twitter, humorously admitting: "“Hige is wearing ancient Egyptian clothing, so I drew him wandering around nearby. But after submitting the manuscript, I looked at the Marukajiri Book and realized he was from Italy.” (Posted on October 14, 2022)