Gearbox’sBorderlandsuniverse continues to expand outside the main numbered entries, with the recent release ofTiny Tina’s Wonderlands, the upcoming release ofNew Tales from the Borderlands, and aBorderlandsmovie in the works. With all of this, there are certainly story threads that need to be expanded upon. For example, many fans were upset when Gearbox confirmedSasha and Fiona weren’t inNew Tales from the Borderlands, but the good news is that Gearbox does have plans for them (saying they shouldn’t just be side characters, which makes sense).
However, perhaps one of the longest-lasting mysteries/stories goes all the way back toBorderlands 2and the assassin character Zer0. It was mysterious enough on its own, and thenBorderlands 3came in and introduced several new factors like Fl4k. There is a hugemystery surrounding Zer0 and Fl4K, as well as a few others in the franchise, andNew Tales from the Borderlands' Lou13 may just hold the answer.
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The Ongoing Zer0-Fl4K Mystery
WhenBorderlands 2was released, fans realized that Zer0 didn’t breathe and had an odd number of digits. Combined with the way he spoke in Haikus, his robotic sound voice, and his mask display, many quickly deduced Zer0 was a robot. Now, that could have been swept under the rug as unnecessary background information, but one DLC introduced another character named 0ne. Thus began the stories that there were some super powerful robots out there, perhaps with numbers in their names as generation designations, andBorderlands 3kept that trend up.
Borderlands 3’s Fl4kis highly comparable to Zer0. Not only do they have skills with similar names and numbers in their name, but Fl4K and Zero have the same number of fingers and the ability to cloak. FL4K’s character model without their coat has a frame very similar to Zer0’s as well. Fl4k will even comment on Zer0 being familiar when they meet in the game. There’s no doubt some connection between the two, but this also means there’s a bigger outside mystery too. That’s also somethingBorderlands 3teases very well too. Zer0 will be confused as to howKatagawa Jr. copied his technology, mentioning a mysterious “she” in the process.
Lou13 Adds to the Mystery, but Could Potentially Resolve It Too
So, with Gearbox introducing a new robotic character named Lou13 inNew Tales from the Borderlands, the mind immediately makes the connection between Lou13, Zer0, and Fl4k. There’s obviously something there. After all, Lou13 isn’t even described as one ofNew Tales from the Borderlands' main charactersand yet somehow graces the cover art of the game. Lou13 is obviously important, and their name alone carries some implication. It could be that it ties into the generation number theory, suggesting there are actually 13 generations and not 4 (FL4K), or it could perhaps be some other sort of designation, of which Lou13 carries a 1 and a 3 for.
At the same time, Lou13 is a unisex name and so Lou13 could also be the “she” Zer0 was referring to. If so, the new game could explain a lot about the creation of Zer0, Fl4k, and others like them. And withNew Tales from the Borderlandsexploring Tediore lore, perhaps all of these beloved robotic characters somehow tie into this manufacturer. There’s a lot left unsaid and a lot of potential story directions here, of course, but fingers crossed Lou13 finishes what Zer0 and Fl4K started beforeBorderlands 4rolls around.
New Tales from the Borderlandslaunches October 21 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
