ZYX

ZYX (ジックス, Jikkusu, pronounced zicks) was a short-lived Japanese pop group made up of five Hello! Project Kids led by Yaguchi Mari, a second generation member of Morning Musume. Yaguchi acted as a mentor to the Hello! Project Kids, showing them the ropes of being a performing member of Hello! Project. ZYX is important in that it is the first unit that Hello! Project Kids officially joined, the second being Aa! formed in 2003, the third being Berryz Koubou in 2004, and the fourth being °C-ute in 2005. As Shimizu Saki and Tsugunaga Momoko were selected to become members of Berryz Koubou in 2004, the activity of ZYX virtually ended.

In 2009, ZYX was briefly revived as ZYX-α for the Chanpuru 1~Happy Marriage Song Cover album~ album.

Original ZYX (2003)

 * Yaguchi Mari (L)
 * Umeda Erika
 * Shimizu Saki
 * Yajima Maimi
 * Tsugunaga Momoko
 * Murakami Megumi
 * ( Sugaya Risako )

ZYX-α (2009)

 * Niigaki Risa (L) (Graduates Spring 2012)ZYX.jpg
 * Kusumi Koharu (Graduated Autumn 2009)
 * Tsugunaga Momoko
 * Tokunaga Chinami
 * Sudou Maasa
 * Umeda Erika (Graduated Autumn 2009)
 * Wada Ayaka
 * Ogawa Saki (Graduated Summer 2011)

Complications

 * [2003.12.17] Hello! Project Petit Best 4 (#6 Iku ZYX! Fly High)

Trivia
The name ZYX is a kind of acronym using a somewhat intricate play in notation. "Z" and "Y" are taken from the phrase "Zettai Yume o Bai ni." (絶対、夢を倍に, We hope that you will definitely accomplish your dreams double in size.) "Bai ni", meaning "[to accomplish] double in size", is represented not as "B" but as a multiplication mark "×" which was then identified with letter "X" in its formal resemblance. Also, it is strongly conscious that the letters ZYX are the last letters of the English alphabet in reverse order. In Hello! Project, this inverted order naming is followed by the groups W created in 2004, v-u-den in 2005, The Possible in 2006 and SI☆NA in 2008. This line-up of groups continues the reverse alphabetical naming (ZYX-W-VU-T-S).

Umeda Erika and Tsugunaga Momoko are the only members to be in both the original ZYX and ZYX-α.