Powers and Abilities
In addition to his wiry-yet-tall physique, Zsasz is an extremely agile and flexible man, able to go toe-to-toe with even Batman for brief bouts. Though he favors slitting his victims' throats with knives, he has no reservations about tossing blades at opponents if the occasion calls for it, and even carries several spare knives for this purpose.
Though he personally dislikes them for being "unreliable", Zsasz is known to occasionally carry guns in order to coerce his selected victims.
Even barehanded, Zsasz is a formidable opponent; as he is locked away in an enormous steel containment unit for sixteen hours a day, he has made a habit of practicing isometrics in the cramped space to strengthen his body.
Zsasz is an incredibly intelligent man, and is described as having "a brilliant criminal mind". He is constantly thinking quickly both while incarcerated and active, and some of his escapes have been a result of his cunning schemes.
Zsasz is completely unpredictable, having no qualms about who he kills, when and where. Thus, he is almost impossible to track, even if signs of his modus operandi appear evident, as there is no motive or clue trail to follow. Such unpredictability also renders him a danger to anyone and everyone who may encounter him.
During the Streets of Gotham story arc, it is learned that- as a possible effect of his insanity- Zsasz visually sees the world as red and everyone as a victim he has murdered. These visions hold no prejudice on who he sees, showing him envisioning both friend (Black Mask) and foe (Dick Grayson) as having been killed by his hand with their throats slashed- a play to his reference of victims as 'zombies'. During his battle with Damian, as Damian started gaining the upper hand, Zsasz begins to lose his composure when he can no longer see Damian Wayne as a 'murder victim' and now only sees him as a legitimate human being, believing that Damian would not only avoid becoming a victim but may invariably be the one to finally kill him.
Unlike most Batman villains, who commit other crimes such as theft and only kill if it suits their interest, Zsasz's only goal is body count and "liberating" as many people as possible.
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