The clock struck May 27th, 2026, and the New Eridu streets practically buzzed with a frenzy of pre-pull rituals. It was that long-awaited moment—Hoshimi Miyabi’s biggest fan, the motor-mouthed Billy, had finally leveled up. Not just any rerun, mind you, but the real deal: Starlight Billy, the S-rank variant that turned our scrappy day-one A-rank into a full-blown legend. And he brought his own W-Engine along for the ride, debuting right alongside Orphie and Magus' rerun in the second half of update 2.8.

To say the hype was real would be the understatement of the century. Ever since that cryptic teaser back in March, the community had been losing its collective mind. Would he keep his dual pistols? How wild would the 'Starlight' glow-up get? The answers dropped like a bag of sucker punches, and they were glorious.

From the get-go, Billy's new threads hit different. Sure, he's still rocking that unmistakable silver hair and those cyborg limbs, but now there's a whole lot more going on. The old Cunning Hares jacket with the pig motif? Retired. He's swapped it for a slick, battle-worn look accented by a bold red scarf—not unlike the one ZZZ's Lighter sports, which is a cheeky nod to his Sons of Calydon past. But make no mistake, this form is 100% Cunning Hares, through and through. His arms have transformed into legitimate pieces of hardware: cannons, machine guns, you name it, all ready to unleash a world of hurt. As the Proxy folk say, “Billy went and got himself a real upgrade, capisce?”

Combat-wise, Starlight Billy flips the script. Unlike his A-rank attacker self, this S-rank version is a Physical Rupture unit. That’s right—he’s ditched the straight-up DPS role to become a specialist who tears through enemies by shredding their defenses. The Rupture meta has been simmering since 2.6, and Billy just turned up the heat to maximum. Pair him with top-tier supports like Dialyn or Lucia, and you’ll be watching health bars evaporate faster than a milkshake in a Phaethon summer. The best Proxy tacticians already have their spreadsheets out, and the consensus is clear: this boy is a game-changer. If you’ve been hoarding those Zenless Zone Zero codes, now’s the time to cash them in.

But what’s a hero without his voice? The same talented cast from his A-rank days returns to deliver Starlight Billy’s signature snappy one-liners. Clifford Chapin (English), Chen Runqiu (Chinese), Hayashi Yū (Japanese), and Lee Joo-seung (Korean) all reprise their roles. You’ll still get that classic Billy sass, but now it’s layered with a little more grit—like he’s seen some stuff, and he’s ready to talk your ear off about it while reducing a Dead End Butcher to scrap metal.

Rumor mills are already churning with tales of Billy’s backstory deepening in the event that launched alongside his banner. The red scarf and the Sons of Calydon connection are getting whole threads of lore, and long-time fans are eating it up. One thing’s for damn sure: Billy isn’t just a Starlight Knight cosplayer anymore; he’s flat-out stepped into a legend of his own making. So, if you haven’t already, kiss your polychrome reserves goodbye and pull for the kid. It’s going to be one hell of a ride.