Former Smash Bros pro ZeRo reportedly in hospital after suicide attempt

Michael Gwilliam

Retired Super Smash Bros pro and content creator Gonzalo ‘ZeRo’ Barrios is reportedly in the hospital after he attempted to take his own life.

ZeRo’s former partner, Vanessa, took to Twitter on March 25 to reveal that two days prior on March 23, he had attempted suicide.

Vanessa uploaded a photo with paramedics and an individual on a stretcher, supposedly ZeRo, with her tweet.

According to the Smash star’s ex, after being treated in the hospital he was sent to further care.

“Humans are more than their mistakes, especially when they’ve put out more good into this world,” she wrote. “I’ll always love u even if we’re not together and I’ll pray that you see the light.”

Other names in the Smash scene responded to the incident. “Really sad to hear that. Hope he gets the help he needs,” wrote Melee legend William ‘Leffen’ Hjelte.

“I’m so sorry, I hope things get better with the help he gets. No one deserves to go through this,” commentator VikkiKitty replied to Vanessa’s tweet.

The Smash icon became a household name in the esports scene for his 56 tournament win streak back in Smash 4 on Wii U.

He would retire before the release of Smash Ultimate on Nintendo Switch, but had transitioned into full-time content creation.

However, in the summer of 2020, allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced, leading to Barrios admitting to his mistakes.

As Dexerto reported, he confessed that he had sent “horrendous” messages to girls as young as 14, blaming his “social awkwardness” at 19 for his misconduct.

After this, Twitch proceeded to ban the content creator from his platform and he was subsequently dropped from Tempo Storm.

While YouTube did not ban him, the pro did state he would no longer be uploading or making content. Additionally, he dropped any ties with sponsors.

So far, the status of ZeRo’s condition is unknown.


If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, or know anyone that is, and you would like to talk to someone, please reach out and call the Suicide Prevention Helpline 1-800-273-8255 (USA) or the Samaritans 116-123 (UK).

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About The Author

Michael Gwilliam is a senior writer at Dexerto based in Ontario, Canada. He specializes in Overwatch, Smash, influencers, and Twitch culture. Gwilliam has written for sites across Canada including the Toronto Sun. You can contact him at michael.gwilliam@dexerto.com or on Twitter @TheGwilliam