Zetsubou No Shima — Black Ops 3 Zombies Easter Egg Guide

In this guide: full main-quest walkthrough, map layout, recommended loadout, best GobbleGums, interactive solvers, side Easter eggs & songs, boss strategy · Very Hard, ~60–95 min.

Open the interactive guide →
DIVISION 9
Black Ops 3 · 2015

Zetsubou No Shima

A Pacific island hiding a Division 9 bio-lab that dosed plants, animals and men with Element 115. Grow the KT-4, cleanse the Skull of Nan Sapwe, and free the original Takeo from a monstrous plant-Thrasher.

Released 19 Apr 2016 Wonder Weapon: KT-4 → MasamuneBoss: the ThrasherPlant-growing island
Very HardEst. time60–95 minPlayers1–4 (solo-capable)Updated8 Sep 2026
Documented here11 walkthrough steps · 11 side Easter eggs (incl. 2 songs, 2 free perks) · 1 interactive solver · 3 weapon builds · 6 named areas · 3 sources cross-checkedCounted from this page, not estimated. We publish what is documented rather than a percentage of what might exist — nobody can honestly claim to know the full list.

Quick answers

How do you complete the Zetsubou No Shima Easter egg?

It is rated Very Hard and takes about 60–95 min. The run breaks down like this:
  1. Fill the generators + bunker Power Room for power
  2. Build the Zombie Shield
  3. Build the Gas Mask
  4. Repair 3 valves → Pack-a-Punch
  5. Grow/gather 3 parts → the KT-4
  6. Cleanse the 4 skulls → Skull of Nan Sapwe
  7. Complete the ritual trials → altar lightning
  8. Upgrade the KT-4 → Masamune
Each stage is written out in full — with the exact locations, the order things must be done in and what to do when a step refuses to trigger — in the walkthrough below.

What is the Wonder Weapon on Zetsubou No Shima?

KT-4 → Masamune. How you get hold of it — the parts, the crafting steps and the upgrade if it has one — is covered step by step in the walkthrough, along with whether it is required for the main quest or simply worth the detour.

Who is the boss on Zetsubou No Shima?

the Thrasher. The walkthrough covers the whole encounter: how the fight is structured, where the damage goes, what the arena throws at you between phases, and the loadout worth bringing before you commit to it.

How long does the Zetsubou No Shima Easter egg take?

About 60–95 min for a run that already knows the steps, and we rate it Very Hard. A first attempt takes considerably longer — almost all of the time goes on setup rather than the finale, so knowing the order in advance is what shortens a run.

Can you do the Zetsubou No Shima Easter egg solo?

Players: 1–4 (solo-capable). It is solo-capable. Co-op mainly helps with the timed steps, where a second player can hold a zombie or cover a second position, and it makes the ending far more forgiving.

What are the main areas on Zetsubou No Shima?

6 are documented: Spawn / Lab A, Lab B, The Bunker, Operations Room / PaP, Underwater caves and Spider Lair / AA Platform. Knowing the names matters more than it sounds — most guides, including this one, describe locations by area name rather than by direction.

How many side Easter eggs are on Zetsubou No Shima?

11 are documented here — song, free weapon, reward, free perk and mechanic. Each one has its own steps rather than a one-line mention, so they can be followed mid-game.

Are there solvers for the Zetsubou No Shima puzzles?

Yes. Zetsubou No Shima has randomised puzzles whose answer changes every match, so there is nothing to look up — this guide ships 1 interactive solver that take what your own game is showing you and return the answer for that run. They are embedded at the step that needs them and listed together in the solvers section.

When was Zetsubou No Shima released?

19 Apr 2016.

Map & Key areas

The map layout first, then the areas worth knowing by name. Map imagery © Activision, self-hosted.

Zetsubou No Shima — Layout
Layout

Spawn / Lab A

Blue irradiated pool, a generator, the water Bucket, Speed Cola and the spider-cage terminal.

Lab B

Second lab with its own generator, green water, an electric panel and upper rooms.

The Bunker

Underground Division 9 facility — power switch, flooded sections, the workbench and sewers.

Operations Room / PaP

Drained by repairing three valves — the skull altar and Pack-a-Punch.

Underwater caves

Past Mule Kick — shoot orange spores for oxygen; holds the KT-4 plant part.

Spider Lair / AA Platform

Web-sealed spider den (opened with the KT-4) and the anti-aircraft gun.

Steps at a glance

  1. Fill the generators + bunker Power Room for power
  2. Build the Zombie Shield
  3. Build the Gas Mask
  4. Repair 3 valves → Pack-a-Punch
  5. Grow/gather 3 parts → the KT-4
  6. Cleanse the 4 skulls → Skull of Nan Sapwe
  7. Complete the ritual trials → altar lightning
  8. Upgrade the KT-4 → Masamune
  9. Collect the 3 cogs
  10. Repair the elevator, descend
  11. Destroy the Thrasher's 4 arms
Manage water and air. Keep the Gas Mask built before diving — surface at air pockets and shoot orange spores for oxygen. To grow a plant, drop a Seed into a pod and water it from the right pool (Blue/Green/Purple/Rainbow) once a round for three rounds. For the boss, ignore the body and only shoot each arm's spore when it glows orange with the Masamune.

Before you start

What to have in hand before step 1 — from the loadout notes, from the walkthrough itself, and from the map's own quest documentation where the gate is never stated in a step.

Items to bring / craft first
  • Cog 1 needs the Anywhere But Here! GobbleGum equipped before you start — without it in your pack the quest cannot be completed and you must restart. — step 9
  • The Gas Mask (cable, mask, filter) is required for the underwater sections — build it early. — step 3
Round and timing gates
  • Rainbow Water for the rainbow plant must be applied once a round for three rounds running — start it early rather than late. — step 8
  • Non-lethal lightning strikes the altar only every ~2 minutes, so have the Zombie Shield built and ready to catch it. — step 7
  • Growing a Flak Shell for cog 3 is a chance drop from shooting the blue-water plant once a round for three rounds — grow two plants in parallel to hedge the odds. — step 9
Point of no return / one-attempt steps
  • Cog 2's zipline route drops you at a one-way exit — melee immediately on arrival to land on the small dock rather than overshoot. — step 9
Solo vs co-op
  • The skull cleansings are all soloable. — step 6
  • Ritual trials: solo runs all three yourself, co-op does everyone's. — step 7

Set aside 60–95 min · 1–4 (solo-capable) · the full loadout is further down this page

Where your run will differ

Gathered here so you meet them before they cost you a run rather than after — quoted word for word from the guide below, or researched from the map's own quest documentation.

Solo or co-op

What changes with your player count. The rest of the guide is the same either way.

  • The skull cleansings are all soloable.

Full walkthrough

0% complete

The quest in the order this guide runs it — tap any step to jump to it, and it fills in as you tick steps off.

1
Lab A · Lab B · Bunker

Power on

+

Grab the water Bucket at spawn, fill it from Lab A's blue pool and pour it into Lab A's generator; repeat at Lab B. Enter the bunker Power Room, swim to clear the webbed fan, survive the lockdown and flip the main switch.

2
Lab A · Lab B · AA Platform

Build the Zombie Shield

+

Three parts — around Lab A (by the 115 canister/Kuda wall-buy), the Lab B tree area, and the upper AA Platform by the Mystery Box. Craft at a lab workbench. The shield later catches lightning to electrify panels.

3
Plane crash · Lab B · Docks

Build the Gas Mask

+

Collect the cable (plane crash by the Propeller Trap), the mask (Lab B rear, by the green water) and the filter (Docks past the Power Room); craft at a lab bench. Required for the underwater sections.

4
Operations Room

Repair the valves → PaP

+

Collect three drain parts from the flooded areas — the flooded turbine room, the purple-water cocoon chamber, and the submerged cave/body-bag route — and fit them to the three valves around the chamber to drain it; Pack-a-Punch unlocks.

5
Lab A cage · Lab B · underwater cave

Build the KT-4

+

Three parts, then craft at the workbench:

  • Spider venom — on a Spider round, use Lab A's cage terminal to trap a spider, then take the extracted canister
  • Green vial — kill a random green-glowing zombie in the Lab B area
  • Red plant — past Mule Kick, dive the underwater cave (shoot spores for air) and pick the plant at the dead end
6
Four altars

Cleanse the 4 skulls

+

Read each skull's symbol, carry it to the matching altar (spawn, plane wreckage, Docks, Operations Room) and defend until cleansed. A cave then opens beneath the central altar — survive the Keepers to claim the Skull of Nan Sapwe (a scan/melee tool).

Skull Cleansing Router

Zetsubou No Shima — the four skulls on the altar and the four cleansing pedestals

The four skulls and their four symbols are the same every game; the four cleansing pedestals never move either. What is randomised per match is which symbol each pedestal shows. Tell it what each pedestal is showing this game and it writes the route card — which skull goes where, and what spawns while you defend each one.

What this is based onBuilt from the sources listed on this page · 3 sources cross-checked · guide last reviewed 8 Sep 2026.Not matching your game? This puzzle is randomised per match — read the values your own game is showing you, then see the walkthrough step.
7
Central altar

Ritual trials → lightning

+

Complete your 3 randomised trials (eat fruit, grab power-ups, water plants, kill spore zombies, etc. — solo does 3, co-op does everyone's). Non-lethal lightning then strikes the altar every ~2 minutes — catch it on your Zombie Shield for an electrified shield.

8
Lab B · Spider Lair · sewer

Upgrade to the Masamune

+

Three parts: a rainbow plant — plant a seed and water it with Rainbow Water once a round for three rounds (get Rainbow Water from the sewer-pipe fast-travel: spam interact on the right side as you're pulled through); a vial from Lab B's electric cage (strike the panel with the charged shield — in co-op a second player must re-electrify the Lab B cage panel to raise/lower the vial collector); and a spider fang (burn the webs by Speed Cola with the KT-4 and beat the giant spider). Craft the Masamune.

9
Dragon room · zipline · AA gun

Collect the 3 cogs

+

Cog 1 requires the Anywhere But Here! GobbleGum — without it in your pack the quest cannot be completed and you must restart, so equip it before you begin. Stand in the sealed bunker chamber below Lab A and use the gum to teleport into the secret room above Lab A, then grab the cog before the one-way exit. Cog 2: electrify Lab A's zipline panel, then ride the zipline up from the Docks toward Lab A and melee immediately to drop onto the small dock (the safer route). Cog 3: grow a Flak Shell on Blue water — a chance drop (shoot the blue-water plant with the KT-4 once a round for three rounds; grow two plants in parallel to hedge) — load the AA gun, shoot a passing plane and grab the smoking cog (it can land at one of three smoking spots).

10
Bunker (rusted wall)

Repair the elevator

+

With the Skull of Nan Sapwe, mesmerise (scan) two hidden spots: the half-poster left of the purple water in the Living Quarters / body-bag room to reveal its other half, and the wall right of the bunker entrance (left of the yellow danger sign) to open the hidden generator room holding the broken elevator machinery. Place all three cogs in that machinery and ride the elevator down — clear the vines in the shaft with the KT-4.

11
Boss chamber

Defeat the Thrasher

+

Shoot an arm's spore with the Masamune to wake the caged Giant Thrasher (the mutated Takeo). Survive constant Spiders and Thrashers, and destroy each arm only when its spore glows orange. All four arms down ends the quest.

Reward: Seeds of Doubt complete — the original Takeo is freed and the ending cutscene plays.

Side Easter Eggs & extras

Everything beyond the main quest. Tap any entry to open the full how-and-where breakdown.

Song

“Dead Flowers”

+

Kevin Sherwood ft. Malukah. Interact with the 3 plush toys: Lab A (on a generator left of the blue pool), Lab B upper floor (small top room), and the bunker Test Subjects area (table beneath the flooded section).

  1. Interact with 3 plush toys, in any order (a space-age chime confirms each)
  2. Lab A — on a small generator to the left of the blue irradiated pool
  3. Lab B upper floor — on a table in the small top-floor room before the broken-ladder balcony
  4. Bunker Test Subjects area — on a table beneath the flooded section, far-left (needs power in both labs)
  5. 'Dead Flowers' by Kevin Sherwood ft. Malukah plays
Song

“Samantha's Lullaby” (melody bulbs)

+

Fill the row of purple-water bulbs underground in the sequence 1-3-5-6-7-5, then activate the play bulb. (Sequence widely reported but treat as approximate.)

  1. Fill your bucket with Purple 115 water (underground bunker cocoon room)
  2. Go to the wall of 7 glowing bulbs beside the purple pool; number them 1-7
  3. Pour purple water into the note bulbs in order: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 5 (a mistake resets the row)
  4. Interact with the activation bulb to play the Samantha's Lullaby mix
  5. (The exact 1-3-5-6-7-5 order is widely reported but single-sourced)
Free weapon

KT-4 → Masamune

+

The map's plant-based acid Wonder Weapon — built from three parts and upgraded to the Masamune, the only reliable way to kill the boss's arms.

  1. KT-4 bench is in the underground formula room near Mule Kick (past Pack-a-Punch)
  2. KT-4 part 1: on a spider round in Lab A, lure a giant spider into the purple goo via the cage, then take the container
  3. KT-4 part 2: from ~round 8, kill a green-glowing zombie (around Lab B) for the test tube
  4. KT-4 part 3: swim the flooded passage by Mule Kick to the blue-crystal dead end for the red plant; build at the bench
  5. Masamune: clear the Lab A cobwebs with a charged KT-4, beat the Giant Spider and loot it; take a vial from Lab B's electric chamber; grow a Masamune plant on Rainbow water
  6. Craft the Masamune at the upgrade machine beside the KT-4 bench
Reward

Skull of Nan Sapwe

+

Cleanse the four altar skulls and beat the Keepers to earn the skull — a scanner and melee tool used to reveal hidden walls.

  1. Take a skull from the hilltop altar's four pillars — an Apothicon symbol appears on it; memorise it
  2. Carry it to the cleansing pedestal bearing the matching symbol (near spawn, the docks, the plane wreck, and the lower Communications area)
  3. Place it and defend it through the event (skull 1 zombies, 2 adds spiders, 3 Thrashers, 4 all types)
  4. Cleanse all four to crumble the central altar and open an underground chamber
  5. Kill the Keeper phantoms to charge the weapon, then collect the Skull of Nan Sapwe
  6. Use: Vaporize (levitate & explode) and Mesmerize (hold enemies); its blast also reveals hidden walls for later steps
Free perk

Perk fruit plants

+

Grow perk fruit in a pod and eat it for a random free perk (Enhanced Fruit improves the odds).

  1. Pick up a seed (blue power-up drop) and plant it in a mud planter
  2. Water it once per round for three rounds — for perk fruit, use Blue, Green and Purple water across the three rounds (no fertiliser)
  3. When mature, eat the fruit for a random free perk
  4. Only eat with an empty perk slot — a full loadout makes you vomit and wastes it
  5. Enhanced: also fertilise with the KT-4/Masamune after each watering to raise the perk odds
Mechanic

Seed & water growing

+

Plant Seeds and water with Blue/Green/Purple/Rainbow (fertilise with the KT-4) to grow loot pods, weapons, Cymbal Monkeys, an Empty Perk Bottle and more.

  1. Seeds drop from zombies (blue power-ups); plant them in mud planters (some hidden ones need the Skull of Nan Sapwe to reveal)
  2. Fill a bucket at a water tap and pour on the seed once per round for three rounds
  3. Taps: Blue (Lab A spider-pond), Green (behind Lab B by the sewer exit), Purple (bunker cocoon room); Rainbow needs a tight 115-rock interaction with the Gold Bucket
  4. Outcomes: Blue×3 = loot pod, Green×3 = a plant that pins a zombie, Purple×3 = a carnivorous plant, all three mains = best perk fruit, Rainbow×3 = the Masamune plant
  5. Fertilising with the KT-4/Masamune after each watering boosts the reward and enables the enhanced options
Free perk

Giant Spider — free Widow's Wine

+

Burn the web by Speed Cola with the KT-4, beat the giant spider and finish the cave interaction for a free Widow's Wine (the same fight yields the Masamune fang).

Reward

Imprint plant

+

Grow the right plant to store a player's weapons, perks and state — after death you respawn from the plant with your loadout intact.

Reward

Golden Bucket

+

Complete the long plant/water interaction chain to upgrade the water bucket so it holds every water type for repeated use.

Mechanic

Spider Bait & Friendly Thrasher

+

Complete the cocoon/transformation steps to temporarily play as a Spider, or grow the right mutation and feed a zombie to spawn a temporary allied Thrasher — both optional.

Mechanic

Doppelganger scare

+

Use the Skull of Nan Sapwe on the hidden portrait trigger to reveal the character-double jump-scare.

Interactive solvers

Every solver for Zetsubou No Shima, in the order you meet them. Each also appears inside its step in the walkthrough above — use whichever is handier. Browse every Zombies solver →

Skull Cleansing Router

Zetsubou No Shima — the four skulls on the altar and the four cleansing pedestals

The four skulls and their four symbols are the same every game; the four cleansing pedestals never move either. What is randomised per match is which symbol each pedestal shows. Tell it what each pedestal is showing this game and it writes the route card — which skull goes where, and what spawns while you defend each one.

What this is based onBuilt from the sources listed on this page · 3 sources cross-checked · guide last reviewed 8 Sep 2026.Not matching your game? This puzzle is randomised per match — read the values your own game is showing you, then see the walkthrough step.

GobbleGum reference — Black Ops 3

All 63 Black Ops 3 GobbleGums by tier — Classic (free, packs of 5), Mega, Rare Mega and Ultra-Rare (Black-Market / Liquid Divinium). Filter by tier. Some seasonal/Chronicles gums are grouped as compiled.

Always Done Swiftly

Classic

Faster ADS walk and raise/lower for 3 rounds.

Arms Grace

Classic

Respawn with the guns you bled out with.

Coagulant

Classic

Longer bleedout time.

In Plain Sight

Classic

Zombies ignore you (2×, 10s each).

Stock Option

Classic

Ammo drawn from your stockpile, not the magazine (2:30).

Impatient

Classic

Respawn near the end of the current round.

Sword Flay

Classic

Melee does 5× damage (2:30).

Anywhere But Here!

Classic

Teleport to a random location with a concussive blast (2×).

Danger Closest

Classic

Zero explosive self-damage for 3 rounds.

Armamental Accomplishment

Classic

Faster weapon switch, melee and item use for 3 rounds.

Firing On All Cylinders

Classic

Fire while sprinting for 3 rounds.

Arsenal Accelerator

Classic

Charge your special weapon faster for 10 min.

Lucky Crit

Classic

Better Alternate Ammo Type proc for 1 round.

Now You See Me

Classic

All zombies chase only you (2×, 10s).

Alchemical Antithesis

Classic

Every 10 points earned becomes 1 reserve ammo (2×, 60s).

Aftertaste

Mega

Keep perks on revive (3 rounds).

Burned Out

Mega

Your next hit ignites nearby zombies (2 hits).

Dead of Nuclear Winter

Mega

Spawns a Nuke (2×).

Ephemeral Enhancement

Mega

Held gun becomes Pack-a-Punched for 60s (2×).

I'm Feeling Lucky

Mega

Drops a random power-up (2×).

Immolation Liquidation

Mega

Drops a Fire Sale (3×).

Licensed Contractor

Mega

Drops a Carpenter (3×).

Phoenix Up

Mega

Revive all team-mates with perks.

Pop Shocks

Mega

Melee electrocutes (5×).

Respin Cycle

Mega

Re-spin the Mystery Box (2×).

Unquenchable

Mega

An extra perk slot when at 4.

Who's Keeping Score?

Mega

Drops Double Points (2×).

Idle Eyes · Flavor Hexed · Board Games · Board To Death · +8 more

Mega

12 further Megas incl. Crawl Space, Fatal Contraption, Unbearable, Disorderly Combat, Slaughter Slide, Mind Blown (DLC/Chronicles).

Cache Back

Rare Mega

Drops a Max Ammo.

Kill Joy

Rare Mega

Drops an Insta-Kill (2×).

On the House

Rare Mega

Drops a Random Perk Bottle.

Wall Power

Rare Mega

Your next wall-buy comes Pack-a-Punched.

Undead Man Walking · Fear in Headlights · Temporal Gift · Crate Power · Bullet Boost · Extra Credit · Soda Fountain

Rare Mega

7 further Rare Megas (DLC/Chronicles).

Killing Time

Ultra-Rare

Freeze all zombies for 20s; shot ones die.

Perkaholic

Ultra-Rare

Every perk on the map.

Near Death Experience

Ultra-Rare

Proximity revive with perks (3 rounds).

Reign Drops

Ultra-Rare

All core power-ups at once (2×).

Shopping Free · Round Robbin' · Head Drama · Secret Shopper · Profit Sharing · Self Medication · Power Vacuum

Ultra-Rare

7 further Ultra-Rares (DLC/Chronicles).

Projectile Vomiting · Newtonian Negation · Eye Candy · Tone Death

Classic (Whimsical)

4 cosmetic-only DLC classics.

Dark Ops & prestige cards (Black Ops 3)

Black Ops 3 has few Zombies calling cards and mostly no per-map cards; its main-quest cards are on the maps themselves.

Primis Rulz calling card

Primis Rulz

Dark Ops

Complete all the Zombies story quests.

Prestigious Protagonist calling card

Prestigious Protagonist

Prestige

Enter Prestige after reaching Deresurrectionist (Zombies rank Lv 35).

When it isn't working

The stalls that actually cost people runs on this map, and what to do about each.

TroubleshootingEach of these is quoted from the step it belongs to, derived from a gate the guide already states, or researched from the map's own quest documentation — nothing here is guesswork about what might be going wrong.

Copied an answer from another guide and it did not work?

Some of this map is randomised per match — the answer you were given was correct for somebody else's game and cannot be correct for yours. Read the value your own game is showing you, then use the solver on this page: Skull Cleansing Router.

Common Zetsubou No Shima questions

Direct answers to the specific things players look up mid-game — part locations, puzzle steps and more.

How do I grow a plant?

Drop a Seed into a pod, then water it from the right pool — Blue, Green, Purple or Rainbow — once a round for three rounds. The water type decides what you get, so know what you are growing before you start rather than after.

How do I not drown?

Build the Gas Mask before you dive. Underwater, surface at the air pockets and shoot the orange spores for oxygen. The KT-4 part in the caves past Mule Kick is the reason you go down there in the first place.

How do I open Pack-a-Punch on Zetsubou No Shima?

Repair the three valves to drain the Operations Room. Pack-a-Punch is inside, alongside the skull altar.

How do I actually damage the Thrasher?

Ignore the body entirely. Only the spores on its arms take damage, only while they are glowing orange, and only from the Masamune. Everything else is wasted ammo.

How do I get a free perk from a plant?

Grow perk fruit in a pod and eat it for a random free perk — Enhanced Fruit improves the odds. There is a separate free Widow's Wine too: burn the web by Speed Cola with the KT-4, beat the giant spider behind it and finish the cave interaction.

What is the Imprint plant?

Grow the right plant and it stores a player's weapons, perks and state. If you die you respawn from the plant with your loadout intact — the closest thing this map has to insurance on a long run.

What is the Golden Bucket?

An upgrade to the water bucket, earned through the long plant-and-water interaction chain. It holds every water type at once, so you stop running back and forth between pools.

What does the Skull of Nan Sapwe do?

It is a scanner and a melee tool. Cleanse the four altar skulls and beat the Keepers to earn it, then use it to reveal hidden walls — and on the right portrait, to trigger the character-double jump scare.

Where are the three plush toys for the song?

Lab A, on a generator to the left of the blue pool; the small top room on Lab B's upper floor; and the bunker Test Subjects area, on the table beneath the flooded section.

Visual guides & sources

Screenshots and exact part locations live in these — open one on a second screen.

GameRant — Seeds of Doubt
Full 10-step walkthrough
SegmentNext — KT-4 guide
KT-4 & Masamune parts
Zombified — Dead Flowers
Song & plush locations

Map discussion

A shared community board for Zetsubou No Shima — posts are public, saved on the server and visible to everyone across devices. Handy for strategies, spawn variations you've noticed, or steps to double-check. Please keep it civil and on-topic.

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Part of the Zombies Easter Egg Codex — step-by-step Call of Duty Zombies Easter egg guides for every map. Open Zetsubou No Shima in the interactive codex for the solvers and map discussion.