Zofis and Koko

Overview

Gallery

Mamodo Partner Zofis Koko ゾフィス Zofisu ココ Koko

Mamodo Partner Age: 14 18 Gender: Male Female English Actor: Susan Silo Lara Jill Miller Japanese Actor: Toshiko Fujita Chinami Nishimura

Mamodo Team Stats The Dark Red Violet Book Evil Book Burned In Episode 88 And In Chapter 162. Debut Episode: 12 Debut Chapter: 54 Explosion Energy Book Burned By: Brago and Sherry Belmont

Zofis (ゾフィス, Zofisu, sometimes unofficially translated as "Zophise") and Koko (ココ Koko) are characters in the manga and anime series Zatch Bell!/Konjiki no Gash Bell!!. They are the main villains in the Ancient Mamodo Arc, as well as the first major villain team in the story. While Zofis is tremendously skilled in various non-verbal magic like controlling people's hearts, his main type of magic is Explosion Magic where he attacks enemies with explosive energy.

Their initial appearance is during one of Sherry's flashbacks, but they make their first in-person appearance in the Ancient Mamodo Arc, as the main antagonists. Zofis is a heartless, intelligent, powerful, and dangerous Mamodo who wants to become king at any cost, and takes joy in the suffering of others, as seen when he tortured Sherry with her dark past with Koko's actions. Due to his hidden fear of him, Zofis is obsessed with becoming stronger than Brago, even if he has to cheat in the battle.

Koko is a teenager who always was discriminated against by other people for being poor. Sherry has become her best friend because she saved the rich teenager from death and gave her a reason to keep living while they were children. However, when Zofis manipulated Koko's heart to help him on the Mamodo Battle, Sherry entered the battle with the sole intention of rescuing her.

Overview

Zofis

Milordo-Z & Koko

He was introduced in the series under the alias Milordo-Z (ロード Rōdo, "Lord" in Japanese) and his real name Zofis was revealed later in the series. Zofis is a heartless, evil mamodo who desires to become king of the Mamodo World and rule with an iron fist. Being a cunning mamodo, he often uses his powers in ingenious ways, like manipulating the hearts and minds of others through their desires, sadness, or fears, including his human partner, making them fight his battles for him, giving him an edge on defeating others and becoming King. It is also seen that he takes a certain sadistic pleasure in the misery of others, as shown from how he laughed at Sherry's pain and stated that he always smiled at the destruction of a human's heart. He is also a genius and master tactician, as he was able to effectively lead the army of Ancient Mamodo that he assembled and create the mysterious Stone of Moonlight to enhance his heart-controlling powers.

Zofis' gender was originally questioned due to the Japanese language not having specific pronouns for gender. But in an interview, creator Makoto Raiku has confirmed that Zofis was always intended to be male. In the English dub of Zatch Bell!, Zofis is referred to as a male.

Storyline

Introduction

"This is an enjoyable game - manipulating the human heart." —Zofis, while speaking to Sherry about Koko and the battle

Zofis's first appearance

Zofis first met Koko at her village, right before the day that her acceptance letter to a local, prestigious university arrived. He told her about the battle for Mamodo King and offered the book to her as his partner, but she refused his offer, as she wasn't interested in power or glory. Zofis then used her hidden pain and suffering to brainwash her and turn her into the ideal partner for him: one that enjoyed others' pain as much as he did. Together, they burned down Koko's village, drawing Sherry's attention. She immediately blamed Zofis for the change in her best friend's behavior, but Zofis explained that all he did was free her heart and allow the misery she always felt to surface, permitting Koko to take pleasure in others' pain and that it wasn't difficult to do with his powers. He also explained that was trying to become king of the Mamodo World and that he needed Koko for the battle, which he explained to Sherry. After that, they tried to eliminate her by launching a Radom spell at her, then fled while ignoring the immediate arrival of Brago.

Ancient Mamodo Arc

"They're merely pawns in this game. They have no control over what they're doing - they're merely our minions."

—Zofis while speaking to Zatch and Kiyo regarding the Ancient Mamodo.

Zofis disguised as Milordo-Z

Months after the aforementioned incident, Zofis appeared again, under the alias of a Mamodo named Milordo-Z (Lord in the Japanese version) and was collecting mysterious Stone Tablets from around the world with the help of a new subordinate of his: the frog Mamodo Byonko. He had received word of a powerful team, Zatch Bell and Kiyo Takamine, and figured that they could be of use to him. So he set up a masquerade ball and hypnotized Suzy into delivering the invitation/ At the ball, he tried to recruit Zatch (whom Zofis referred to as "Lightning Blonde") and Kiyo as their allies by lying to them, saying that they too believed that the Mamodo who won the battle and became king should be good and noble of heart, but Zatch and Kiyo refused the offer upon seeing that the Mamodo and partners that were with him were being manipulated, just as Suzy was when she offered the invitation. After seeing that they wouldn't help and assuming that they had overestimated them, Zofis fled and attempted to get rid of Zatch and Kiyo, but failed (This part is Anime-exclusive).

Zofis meets Penny and talks about the Ancient Mamodo

Later, Byonko introduced Penny to Zofis after her battle with Zatch, and she was told the truth behind Zofis' scheme. The stone tablets held within them the candidates of the battle for Mamodo King from one thousand years ago, who were defeated and left imprisoned in the tablets up until the current point in time. He explained that he researched each of the battles and learned that all of the Mamodo were defeated by the same opponent (Goren of the Stone) with the same spell without their books being burned, and that they were still alive despite being trapped. After being questioned by Penny, he also explained that because they were trapped for so long, unable to die, live in the human world, or return to the Mamodo World for a thousand years, they were obviously angry and willing to vent that anger and hatred on any Mamodo they were told to as retribution for their imprisonment Zofis told Penny he had brought her there because Zofis was looking for current Mamodo comrades that could relay his orders to the Ancient Mamodo and keep them in line, and Penny and Byonko fit the description. With everything said, he used his special creation – The Moonlight Stone, a stone crafted with magical properties that emitted a glow similar to the human world's moonlight – to free the Ancient Mamodo from their stone prisons, and Penny accepted his offer.

Zofis manipulating the hearts of humans

Following their release, Zofis learned the names and birthplaces of the Ancient Mamodos' original human partners and sent Byonko to their homelands in order to locate their descendants. Zofis captured every person he could find that the spellbooks reacted to and locked them away, then experimented on their hearts. However, he discovered that even though they were descendants, they couldn't read the books because the wavelengths of their hearts and the spellbooks were incompatible. To remedy this, Zofis used his manipulative powers to alter their hearts and minds until they matched the spellbooks and erased all of the humans' emotions except for their anger and will to fight, turning them into perfect fighting machines that could make full use of the power the Ancient Mamodo needed to release their hate.

Koko

Koko is an 18-year old poor girl and the Book Keeper of the Mamodo Zofis. Koko is a warm-hearted person and has been Sherry Belmont’s best friend since childhood.

Early Life

"If you die now, what'll happen to your happiness when you're older!? It may be painful right now... it might feel like the inside of a pitch black tunnel... but you must keep walking and look for the light! Isn't that right? Every tunnel has an exit, right? That's why as long as you keep trying, you'll eventually find the light! That's why you can't die; if you die now, you won't be able to find that happiness when you're older!"

—Koko telling Sherry not to give up on life.

Koko as a young child

When Sherry suffered heavy abuse from her strict mother and attempted suicide because of it by jumping off a bridge during a rainstorm, Koko saved her life by jumping into the river and pulling Sherry out. Koko then gave Sherry the will to live on when she told her to not throw her life away. She explained that if she died when times were harsh, she would never find the happiness waiting for her when she got older, and that there was always light at the end of the darkness. From then on, the two were each other's best friends, vowing that someday they would both find happiness in life.

Koko as a young adult

Koko and Sherry managed to maintain to their friendship over the years, even with the respective trials they faced lives. However, throughout her life, Koko was the target of immensely harsh treatment from her fellow villagers due to her financial status; Because they were poor, her family was forced to steal in order to gain the little food and comfort they had, and Koko herself was labeled as a thief because of it, even though she was innocent. Realizing that she would never be worthy in their eyes, Koko chose not to give in to despair and focus all of her energy into her work and studying for school.

Meeting Zofis

"Sherry, you must not stand in my way because if you do, I will destroy you. I'm telling you, I won't lose this power!"

—Koko, brainwashed by Zofis.

When Koko's efforts were finally recognized and she was granted entry into a prestigious college, Zofis appeared before her. He told her about the battle for Mamodo King and offered to help her get revenge on the city where she suffered in return for her assistance in the battle. However, Koko, being the gentle person she was, refused to join Zofis in battle, as she was incapable of hurting others. With this, Zofis unleashed his manipulative powers in order to control Koko's mind by bringing all of her painful memories to the forefront and transform her once warm heart into a cold one; With this, the once-kind Koko unwittingly teamed up with Zofis, now just as cruel as him.

Koko brainwashed by Zofis, unwilling to give up her "power"

Koko's first act of evil was using her spellbook to take revenge on everyone who has ever been cruel to her by destroying her own village. In the early stage of Zofis' control over Koko, Koko displayed a degree of insanity, as she could do nothing but smile and laugh over her newly acquired "power" and at the destruction of her town. The only thing her mind was focused on was avenging herself for all the cruelty she suffered throughout her life.

When Sherry appeared before her and tried talking with her, Koko stated that as long as she had the power Zofis gave her, her old dreams of a better life no longer mattered, as she could now take the happiness she wanted by eliminating those who mocked her. She warned Sherry that if she stood in her way, she would share the same fate. After a failed attempt on Sherry's life, Zofis took Koko with him to aid him in his plot to become Mamodo King. From then on, Sherry's main purpose for fighting was to find Koko and defeat Zofis, so Koko could be released from Zofis' mind control and turn back into the friend that Sherry once knew.

Ancient Mamodo Arc

"Hurting those who are weak, and destroying that which is beautiful...is so enjoyable."

—Koko, during her battle with Sherry.

Koko's appearance as of the Ancient Mamodo Arc

Koko appeared again months after she received the spellbook, along with Zofis (disguised as Milordo-Z), collecting the stone tablets that held the Ancient Mamodo, as well as present-day Mamodo to lead them. At this time, Koko appeared to act more in control compared to when she was first brainwashed, but because Zofis' control on her was still in effect, Koko was completely cold-hearted; She continuously supported Zofis in his plot to use the Ancient Mamodo to eliminate the remaining competitors in the present-day battle for king, usually by hiding in the shadows while unleashing Zofis' spells on their enemies. She also received new clothes that reflected the lavish lifestyle she wished to lead.

Eventually, she came face-to-face with Sherry again, and explained that Zofis wasn't controlling her heart in order to make her do bad things, but instead she performed those cruel actions of her own free will and that she enjoyed being with Zofis, because he gave her a chance to change and become the person she really was. Koko revealed to Sherry that for all the time they knew each other, no bond of friendship ever existed between the two of them, that Koko always hated Sherry because of their opposing positions in life - Koko being poor and Sherry being rich. To compensate for this, Koko continuously sought out her own special talent, something that she could always beat Sherry at, but Sherry always proved to be better than Koko in whatever activity they performed, further increasing Koko's hatred of Sherry and her life. Koko then claims that during Sherry's tenth birthday party, in an attempt to make Sherry miserable, she stole a priceless heirloom necklace and left a clue - Sherry's handkerchief - to make it look like Sherry was responsible; the scheme worked, as the police viewed Sherry as the only suspect, believing her actions to be stemmed from rebellion against her overbearingly strict parents. Sherry, at first, refuses to believe Koko to be responsible for the theft, as the real Koko was incapable of something so evil, but it is proven true when Koko show the necklace, leaving Sherry's spirit broken and Sherry herself unable to cast spells, giving Zofis the advantage.

Sherry continuously tries to deny that Koko stole the necklace and that she had carried a grudge against her for all the time they knew each other but finds herself less convinced with every second, not knowing what basis she has to say it's a lie. (Zofis is surprised, and mentally reviews the forged necklace to try and remember where he might have erred in its creation.) As she cries, her tears land on one of her rings, cracking it; this allows her to faintly hear Koko's voice and remember back to her tenth birthday party. Koko gave the ring to Sherry as a present telling her that there is an old legend stating that when people are going through hard times, it was the work of unseeable evil spirits playing tricks on them. The rings, which were carved out of wood and painted, could chase away those evil spirits because it was said that wood had the power to repel them, and the sun and the moon symbols painted on them represented the light of the real sun and moon that would shine on and protect them during hard times. Sherry then realizes that when Koko showed her the necklace, she actually wanted Sherry to look at the earrings she wore, which were created and decorated in the same style as Sherry's rings, the sun, and the moon symbols crafted just the same. Sherry then hears the voice of the real Koko, begging Sherry to save her; with this, Sherry becomes free of her doubts and vows to save Koko once again. Despite Koko's harsh words, Sherry is convinced of the real Koko's kindness and eventually wins the battle.

Koko's two personalities: the good Koko and the evil Koko

With Zofis' defeat, Koko is reduced to a temporary comatose state, but Zofis laughs, explaining that for his final revenge on Sherry and Brago, Koko will never find happiness. He explained that he implanted strong darkness in Koko's heart that, when mixed with her painful memories, resulted in the creation of an alternate, fiendish personality for Koko, the one that assisted him for so long. The evil Koko would disappear when Zofis' book was burned, and Koko would return to her original, kind-hearted self; however, because Koko received a special form of mind control that allowed her to retain her free will, she would also retain the memories of her evil self and all the numerous crimes she committed along with Zofis. Because Koko was a gentle person, it was inevitable that when she remembered everything, Koko would be so overcome with guilt that she would eventually lose the will to live on, but after Brago called Zofis out on being afraid of him and threatening to hunt him for the rest of his life, Zofis submitted to Sherry's demands and erased Koko's memories of the battle for Mamodo King.

The real Koko, returned

Koko was then taken to a general hospital in France; after awakening, she was told a cover-up story: that when her village was attacked by an evil person, she fainted from shock and was left unconscious for several months. Sherry then met with her, and after telling Koko that she submitted a leave of absence and that Koko could go to college when she got out of the hospital, and that the evil person that attacked her village was gone forever, Koko confronted Sherry, asking if Sherry had saved her again. Koko admits that even though she didn't remember anything, she knew that Sherry saved her from the evil one because she had always saved her and helped her through hard times even though Sherry was suffering a great deal more. Koko thanks Sherry for this, and the two friends tearfully embrace each other.

Koko is not seen or mentioned again for the remainder of the series in both the anime and manga, but it is assumed that she is now in college and beginning her new life.

Zofis is seen again in either series; in the Manga, in spite of everything Zatch and the others put him through, he is seen helping him in the final confrontation with Clear Note, proving he puts his own survival before anything else. His last appearance is when he is seen nervously lingering in the doorway of a school in the Mamodo World after seeing that his classmate is Brago. In the Anime, however, he is seen in Ted's flashback, having destroyed Cherish's home, severely hurt her parents, and framed Ted for it out of sheer malice after seeing the two of them, Ted and Cherish, so happy together.

Spells

Radomu (ラドム)
Explosion
Japanese Name: Radom
Type(s): Attack		Episode: 12	Chapter: 54
Description: A small explosive sphere is fired from the hand.
Known user(s):

Teoradomu (テオラドム)
Explosion
Japanese Name: Teoradom
Type(s): Attack		Episode: 85	Chapter: 158
Description: A larger and faster version of Radom.
Known user(s):

Rondo Radomu (ロンド・ラドム)
Explosion
Energy
Japanese Name: Rond Radom
Type(s): Attack/Assist		Episode: 51	Chapter: 157
Description: An energy whip that explodes on contact. Also used it to break boulders into small meteorites, simulating Radom's effect.
Known user(s):

Gigano Radomu (ギガノ・ラドム)
Explosion
Japanese Name: Gigano Radom
Type(s): Attack		Episode: 85	Chapter: 158
Description: Larger, more powerful version of Teoradom.
Known user(s):

Gigarado Shirudo (ギガラド・シルド)
Explosion
Shield
Japanese Name: Gigarado Shield
Type(s): Defense		Episode: 83	Chapter: 148
Description: A round, flaming shield that appears in front of the user. Capable of stopping Dioga class spells.
Known user(s):

Dioga Teoradomu (ディオガ・テオラドム)
Explosion
Japanese Name: Dioga Teoradom
Type(s): Attack		Episode: 85	Chapter: 157
Description: The largest version of Radom, and Zofis' strongest spell.
Known user(s):

Oruga Radomu (オルガ・ラドム)
Explosion
Energy
Japanese Name: Oruga Radom
Type(s): Attack		Episode: 85	Chapter: 158
Description: A large, spiraling, manipulatable energy laser.
Known user(s):

Digan Teoradomu (ディガン・テオラドム)
Explosion
Energy
Japanese Name: Digan Teoradom
Type(s): Attack		Episode: 51	Chapter: 159
Description: Multiple shots of Teoradom at once.
Known user(s):

Known Spell Books Burned

• Goramu (Ancient Mamodo), at an old mansion (episode 51, Anime only)
• Pamoon, in the Devolo Ruins (episode 76)

Appearances

Zofis

• Manga Chapters:54-55, 103, 106, 109, 127-129, 131, 139, 141-145, 149, 154, 157-162, 319, 323 (don't speak in 106, 131, 139, 162, 319, 323).
• Anime Episodes:4, 12, 48, 51-59, 61, 68-71, 74-81, 83-88, 107, 145.
• Anime Openings and Endings: Opening 2 51-100 (51-57 as Milordo Z), Ending 4 76-100
• Games:
  • Konjiki no Gash Bell!! Makai no Bookmark
  • Zatch Bell! Mamodo Fury
  • Konjiki no Gash Bell!! Unare! Yūjō no Zakeru 2 (Playable)
  • Zatch Bell!: Mamodo Battles (Playable)
  • Konjiki no Gash Bell!! Go! Go! Mamono Fight!! (Playable)
  • Golden Gashbell
  • Konjiki no Gash Bell!! Golden Memories. (Playable. He was added to the game on 1 August 2019.)
  • Kotodaman (Playable)
• Konjiki no Gash Bell!! The Card Battle
  • Ex-076  ゾフィス
  • Ex-076  ゾフィス
  • M-022  ゾフィス
  • M-061  ゾフィス
  • M-100  ゾフィス
  • M-163  ゾフィス
  • M-172  ゾフィス
  • M-185  ゾフィス
  • M-203  ゾフィス
  • M-212  ゾフィス
  • M-225  ゾフィス
  • M-272  ゾフィス（シールド発動時）
  • M-424 ゾフィス
  • M-081  ロード
  • M-090  ロード
  • S-039  ラドム
  • S-173  ラドム
  • Ex-088  ラドム
  • S-314  ラドム
  • S-322  ラドム
  • S-305  テオラドム
  • S-324  テオラドム
  • S-315  ロンド・ラドム
  • S-323  ロンド・ラドム
  • S-308  ギガノ・ラドム
  • S-316  ギガラド・シルド
  • S-326  ギガラド・シルド
  • S-306  ディオガ・テオラドム
  • S-325  ディオガ・テオラドム
  • S-307  オルガ・ラドム
  • S-309  ディガン・テオラドム
  • S-309  ディガン・テオラドム
  • M-201  ブラゴvsゾフィス
  • M-219  ガッシュ・ベルVSゾフィス
  • E-079  最強×最凶
  • E-090  月の石
  • E-103 決戦
  • EX-000  1000年に１度の戦い
  • PR-021 紫紺の千年闘争

Koko

Trivia

• Of the three main antagonists, Zofis is the only one whose book was not burned by Zatch and Kiyo.
• In the dub of Episode 67, Kiyo mentioned Zofis' name before Dr. Riddles revealed that Milordo-Z was really Zofis.
• In the Faudo Arc, when Cherish/Ted has a flash back to Cherish's parents' death in a house accident, she believed it was Ted who caused it. In fact Zofis was the culprit, as he was shown escaping into the shadows.
• In the scene with the first meeting of Zofis and Koko, Zofis shown in Koko's house, standing on her table.
• Zofis' favorite foods are fish, sheep and raspberry cake.
• Zofis' hobbies are chess, shogi, commanding and playing with human hearts.
• Zofis appears as a guest in Gash Café 10. He ordered Oronamin C (Japanese carbonated drink with vitamin C), rum raisin and apple gâteau invisible and raw ham rolls on melon figs.
• Zofis' legs are always hidden under his coat and never visible in the both manga and anime. In an interview Makoto Raiku has confirmed Zofis have legs. In Zatch Bell!: Mamodo Battles Zofis' legs are visible.
• The topic of Zofis' head has become a running gag among the fanbase, including the author:
  • In an interview, a fan asked if Zofis' hat is actually his head. Raiku replied "It's a hat. But his head is big."
  • In Makoto Raiku's blog a fan asked what is going on with Zofis' head, what's hidden under his hat, is his hair long or short. The reply was "And Zofis... the contents of his head.... everything is a mystery... fufufu... fufufu... fufufufufu... but Zofis has a big head, fufufu..."
  • Makoto Raiku mentioned Zofis' big head again in his twitter.
• Makoto Raiku wanted to make the cover of volume 6 of digital re-release with Zofis and Koko but chose to make it with Victoream because he is more popular.
• In the cover of volume 16 of digital re-release, Zofis stands with Koko together while in the older pictures with all characters Koko always was with Sherry and Zofis was very far away from them.
• In the dub of Episode 69 the drink in Zofis' glass was censored.
• In the manga, the trim on the Zofis' clothes has a paisley pattern (it's probably IC Screen S-761).
• In am interview, Makoto Raiku used Zofis as an example of his favorite evil mamodo.
• In Konjiki no Gash Bell!! Secret Story File: Stone Tablet Mamodo Edition, Zofis was defeated by Brago's Dioga Gurabidon and Koko was returned to her normal state right after his defeat.
• Koko's birthday is on January 8th. Her star sign is Capricorn.
• Koko's blood type is A.
• Koko's height is 165 cm.
• Koko's favorite foods are omelette and apple pie.
• Koko's hobbies are mending and accessory making.
• Koko's favorite type is a hard-working person.
• Despite "Lord" being a fake name and not a title, Byonko calls Zofis "My Lord" (マイ・ロード Mai Rōdo). In the dub, even though his fake name was translated as "Milordo-Z" Byonko still calls Zofis "My Lord".
• Zofis' name in Thai is "โซฟีส". His alias Lord is "ลอร์ด".
• Zofis' name in Korean is "조피스". His alias Lord is "로드".
• In the French translation on the manga by Kana Zofis' name was translated as "Zofisu" in the chapters 54-55, but in later chapters it was changed to "Zofis". His alias was translated as "Lord".
• In the English localization of Zatch Bell: Mamodo Battles, when Zeno encounters Zofis, Zeno mentions that Zofis is an outcast in the Mamodo world. This is possibly due to his mind controlling power.
• Like many Zatch Bell characters, Zofis likes to sing. It is never directly shown in the series, but Laila heard him singing.
• Zofis' starting location in the Human World was in France.
• Zofis took first place in the survey by Goo Ranking "Most hated mean anime character" on 26 January 2020.
• Zofis took 8 place in the survey by MyNavi "Who is your favourite mamodo child?" on July 2023.
• Zofis and Koko cosplay appeared in Japanese TV show Guru Guru Ninety Nine (ぐるぐるナインティナイン) on 26 December 2024. They were cosplayed by sisters Yuna and Yuina Kogawa and singed song White Love by SPEED.

References

• Absolute Anime