Zapan makes his first appearance when Daisuke Ido and Alita, in her new Berserker Body, visit Bar Kansas. Among the many hunter-warriors present, Zapan is the only one named, revealing he was once Ido's patient. When Ido suggests the hunters unite to confront the notorious criminal Makaku, Zapan objects, asserting that hunter-warriors are lone wolves and Makaku is none of his concern. He claims professionalism involves carefully selecting prey and minimizing risk. This rationale infuriates Alita, who accuses Zapan of hiding cowardice behind his words. This provokes a fight with the hunter-warriors, as Alita refuses to back down. During the skirmish, Alita grabs Zapan from behind, manipulating his limbs to slice up other warriors before tossing him and the others out of the bar. Zapan manages to escape when Makaku arrives at Bar Kansas.
Zapan reappears after Hugo leaves Ido's clinic post-repairs. He warns Hugo about Alita, then swears vengeance on her for humiliating "the great Zapan" at Bar Kansas. While surveilling Hugo's place, he sees Vector drop Hugo off, leading him to suspect Hugo might be involved in recent spinal column thefts due to Vector’s position in the black market. Disguised, Zapan arranges a lube job with Hugo and catches him just as Hugo prepares to paralyze him. Zapan quickly subdues Hugo's accomplices but misses Hugo, who escapes by throwing a fire bottle. When delivering heads for bounty, Zapan encounters Alita and Ido at the same factory. Initially unrecognized, he informs Alita that Hugo will soon be a bounty. After Alita rushes off to find Hugo, Zapan collects his chips and taunts Ido, initiating a fight resulting in Ido being knocked out. Zapan alerts other hunter-warriors and a netman, setting a trap for Alita using Ido as bait. Shocked to find Alita apparently killing Hugo, Zapan investigates and discovers she has hooked her life support system to Hugo's head. However, his actions appear to the netman as an attempt to steal Alita's bounty, violating Factory Law. Alita retaliates, slicing Zapan's face off, causing him to fall from the building, presumed dead.
