Zoda (GP Legend)

Zoda's human form

In the anime-based media, Zoda's backstory is drastically different from his mainline incarnation. In the year 2051, Zoda Strawberry was a criminal being chased by detective Rick Wheeler. He caused Rick to be in a devastating accident that caused him to be put in stasis for 150 years. He was known as the Prince of Crime back then. What became of Zoda afterwards is at first unknown, but he was later revived by Black Shadow as his second-in-command of the Dark Million; it's soon revealed he was exposed to a Dark Reactor Might upon his awakening, transforming him into his new inhuman body.

In Lap 33, it was revealed in the ancient diary that after he had fatally injured Rick, he headed to the deserted East Bank where he was eventually cornered by ice beam bots. Rose and her team set up the ambush, but Zoda and Haruka were at the center of the scrimmage. They were both simultaneously frozen from the icy mist and were then sent to Alcatrand where they received permanent cold sleep.

Zoda was resurrected 145 years later, and after the raid on Alcatrand, he orchestrated a shootout in Mute City which caused a fatal explosion resulting in Jody Summer to become half-cyborg, and her brother, Andy, presumed dead. This resulted in Jody awakening Rick, even though he was planned to be awakened in 2251, as they both know Zoda well as revealed in Lap 6, Chain Reaction.

He often hires the sniper, Pico to do his bidding, but he often dominates over low-class cronies like Octoman, Bio Rex, Baba, and the Dark Soldiers even though he often destroys them for spare parts. Often times, he would strike fear into his cronies and miss his shot deliberately. At times, he rebels against Black Shadow, especially when he shifts his attention to Miss Killer; a perfect example was in Lap 10, Double Jeopardy as he engineered a meteor shower unto Outer Space in an attempt to rule over them and become the new head of Dark Million. He also failed to convince Antonio Guster to join his ranks as revenge against Samurai Goroh, impressed by his work on destroying his space transport.

During the saga of the Reactor Might, Zoda metamorphosed into a new form and became Hyper Zoda during Lap 26, after Black Shadow forced a Reactor Might into Zoda's stomach.

Several episodes after his transformation, he started driving a new version of his vehicle Hyper Death Anchor. He actually grew more in power during the episode, Scream from the Darkness, in which he was imprisoned in Dark Space by Black Shadow. After Rick and Falcon entered the dark void, Zoda absorbed all the Blood Hawks' power and used Death Fire, along with the Dragon Bird and the Blue Falcon, to break free from Dark Space. At first he was weakened by his new powers, but adjusted to them, so much so that he was able to manipulate the thoughts of Haruka Misaki, awakening her past, and labeling her as a traitor.

Hyper Zoda

In The 150-Year Decision, Hyper Zoda was close to killing Rick a second time, even creating the same sequence in shattering his Dragon Bird after hammering it so many times. But after a flashback, he used a Full Power Boost Fire to keep the Hyper Death Anchor at bay.

It was revealed late that Black Shadow went back in time and brought Zoda with him; it was soon told that he was afraid of the savior's coming, which actually turned out to be Rick, and as revealed by Falcon, they had a common link going back 150 years. In the end, Zoda was imprisoned inside the Reactor Core at Dark Star after he lost a scrimmage against the emperor and persuaded Rick to use all his hate on him and destroy the Core. Rick and Falcon succeeded in destroying the core, and seemingly killin Zoda along with it. In 2207, Zoda returned alive and well, having been restored to his original post-mutation form, as a last-minute entry during the latest Grand Prix, leaving Baba and The Skull in a sense of dread.

Trivia

• During Lap 32, his anime counterpart's full name is revealed to be Zoda Strawberry.
• Zoda was born on May 19, and is currently 42 years old. He also has a blood type O and he was born in Mute City (formerly NY) 150 years prior.
• He loves sweet treats, mostly ones with strawberries, and his hobbies include travel and fashion.
• Black Shadow would often punish Zoda's failures by ripping off the tubing leading into his head, something which caused him intense agony.
• In Lap 45, it is revealed that Zoda gets chocolates for his birthday and Bart reveals that Zoda used to work in a cake factory 150 years ago. It was then that he was fired for stealing and eating the food, which is why he always had a sweet tooth and soon became a criminal. As Hyper Zoda, his cravings seem to have intensified, leaving him constantly demanding sweeter cakes.