While Drakken Joe has been an overarching antagonist since season 1 of Edens Zero, he finally enters the scene as a major adversary in season 2 and cements himself as a criminal mastermind of the underworld. Drakken Joe’s name has been making rounds ever since the crew’s impromptu visit to planet Digitalis, yet he was never formally introduced to Shiki and the Edens Zero crew.
Much still remains unknown about this villainous character, though one thing is clear that he’s no ordinary human being. It has been explicitly stated that Drakken Joe is immortal, with his lifespan rumored to be well over 200 years. Despite several characters attesting to this fact, none could explain how a regular Ether Gearist could prolong his life to such an extent. However, the latest episode of season 2 has finally revealed Drakken Joe’s biggest secret, which, ironically, is also his greatest weakness.
Drakken Joe’s Immortality
Drakken Joe’s appearance portrays him as someone in their late twenties, yet his actual age is beyond two hundred years. While these are only rumors, accounts of his existence predate all existing characters, meaning it is likely that he could be much older than this tentative number. Over the years, Drakken became known by many names and aliases, with the prominent ones being ‘DJ Zombie’ and ‘Undead Joe,’ referring to the eerie nature of his unaging body.
He has existed long enough to form a criminal empire and accumulate a colossal wealth, turning him into one of the biggest names in the Sakura Cosmos’ underworld. While his name made rounds in almost every planet within the cosmos, none could decipher the secret behind his immortality, especially since sustaining one’s life to an extent of more than two hundred years was beyond medical technology.
It was initially believed that his unaging body is a result of his Ether Gear Alchemy, which could have possibly allowed him to restructure his elemental composition to retract the aging process and maintain a youthful appearance. However, the true nature of his ominous permanence has nothing to do with his power, as his youthful glow comes at the cost of cutting down other’s lifespans.
The Life Support Device
The secret behind Drakken Joe’s immortality is a mysterious device known as the Life Support Device. The origins of this machine remain unknown, and its existence alone is quite baffling considering it was built almost two hundred years ago, a time when technology had yet to evolve to its current state. The series is yet to reveal how long Drakken has had access to this machine, although it was mentioned that he utilized this machine during his time on planets Norma and Guilst.
The machine operates by absorbing the life force of people around Drakken Joe, which is then used by him to revitalize his body and restore any damage done to it by aging. His vitality is also restored by the machine seeing how his appearance isn’t the only aspect that doesn’t age. Aging normally results in loss of vitality and cognitive functions, yet the machine restores these critical elements, allowing Drakken Joe to maintain his optimal strength at all times.
However, the Life Support Device alone isn’t capable of depleting other’s life force and replenishing Drakken’s vitality. The machine works in combination with his Dark Alchemy, as his power allows him to assimilate the stolen life force into his own body with ease. This indicates that only Drakken is capable of harnessing the power of the machine, and no other human could become immortal through this method.
Reversing Drakken Joe's Immortality
Until now, Drakken Joe was able to maintain his youthful appearance and inexplicable power through the machine’s help. However, the Edens Zero crew discovers the Life Support Device and Hermit tries to reverse the life force absorption process, in-turn reversing Drakken’s eternal life. While the crew states that even if the machine is reversed, Drakken won’t instantly age and wither away, indicating that they would still have to go through the long-hauled process of defeating Drakken Joe.
Nothing is set in stone, however, as the series has hinted at Drakken Joe possibly withering away if he doesn’t replenish his life force regularly. In one scene that shows Drakken immersed within the fluids of the Life Support Machine, the skin on his hand starts to shed away for a brief moment. Although the skin regenerates right after, the scene proved that he is likely to instantly age at the loss of this machine, withering away from instant aging. While this is yet to be revealed in the series, it's highly plausible that he might undergo rapid aging if he were to lose the machine, as evident from this subtle hint.