The Origin of Zenny

Did you ever play a Mega Man game — perhaps Mega Man Legends, or Mega Man Battle Network, or even one of the more obscure Classic series titles — and notice the currency shared between all of them, the Zenny?

Maybe then you played another Capcom title, such as Breath of Fire or Monster Hunter, and noticed that it’s not unique to the worlds of Mega Man.

If you’re like me, you’ve noticed. Then you might also have noticed that in Dragon Ball, the currency was also Zenny (actually “Zeni”, but unless you saw it written out, you wouldn’t know the difference). You might have started to wonder what was going on.

Here’s a currency that spans not only different iterations of a franchise, but practically an entire video game company and beyond. Just how far does this rabbit hole lead? Perhaps it’s something even more transcendent, something that’s spanned generations as artists pay homage to their contemporaries and their predecessors alike, following a chain that goes all the way back to the mid-20th century, or even —

Nah, it’s nothing that deep.

I was kind of, sort of hoping it was when I came up with the idea for this article. The simple truth is, however, that it’s really a whole lot simpler.

“Zeni” is a term which has a few meanings when in Japan, most of which involve currency. One cited by Jisho.org is simply “money,” while others get more specific. Another definition given there refers to a coin made of non-precious materials (Dragon Ball Wiki calls out bronze, specifically), and a third refers to round coins with a square hole in the center.

The Capcom Database goes further, describing it as “an Edo-era (1603 to 1867) designation for ‘common’ coinage that eventually became a byword for all forms of cash and an inspiration for a number of fictional currencies.” Including, of course, those in our beloved Mega Man titles.

For some fun extra trivia, user Lio Franklin Kemit on Quora says that the holes were used to keep the coins together on a straw rope called a Zenisashi:

Another user there, going by the name of “Geno Martinez,” also adds an interesting bit of trivia. They point out the use of zeni on the crest of the Sanada clan:

Via Wikipedia

The name of that crest?

“Rokumonsen.”

Sound similar to the name of anyone we know?

Anyway, this wasn’t quite the rabbit hole or iceberg that I hoped it was, but I hope you enjoyed what I was able to find about our universal Mega Man currency.

Thanks for reading!

Mega Man images via Mega Man Knowledge Base.

LBD "Nytetrayn"

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

For a full list of places to find him online, click here.