Tear Along the Dotted Line - Characters & Cast

Driven by a desire to avoid pain and disappointment, Zero often chooses inaction over risk, motivated by a deep-seated fear that he is inherently flawed or failing to meet expectations.

Zero begins as a man paralyzed by his own neuroses, obsessing over past mistakes and the "dotted line." His journey across the series is an evolution from self-absorption and internal monologue to a painful but necessary external awareness. By the finale, he accepts his own limitations and the fact that he cannot save everyone, finding a bittersweet peace in the "mess" he has made.

To keep Zero in a state of "safe" stagnation by constantly highlighting potential failures and criticizing every impulse toward vulnerability.

The Armadillo remains largely consistent as the voice of Zero's anxiety, but his presence becomes more intrusive as the secret of the trip nears revelation. In the final moments, he calls for a "truce," allowing Zero to experience raw grief without the filter of cynical commentary.

To protect her friends and pursue her dreams of teaching, while managing the quiet disappointment of adult reality.

Sarah serves as the pragmatic counterpoint to Zero's spiraling thoughts. While she struggles with her own unfulfilled career goals, she maintains a clarity that Zero lacks. Her arc reaches its peak in episode 6 when she finally breaks Zero's internal narrative, forcing him to see the world as it is, not as he imagines it.

Finding immediate gratification (usually ice cream) to avoid engaging with the overwhelming complexity of life, though he is deeply loyal to his friends.

Secco appears as a simple, ice-cream-obsessed slacker, but the final episodes reveal a depth of empathy and memory that challenges Zero's assumption that he is the only one who truly feels or remembers. He represents a different way of coping with life's absurdity: acceptance through simplicity.