I said "there's no need to debate this again", but since you ignored that: There are significant differences between versions of games, especially Sonic Colors, whose DS version has Mother Wisp, which is referenced in Sonic Runners, but the Wii version doesn't have her, so either the two versions of Colors are parallel continuities with Runners taking place in one, or the DS version AND Runners are non-canon. And again, the two versions of Lost World, the Wii U version shows four of the Zeti exploding in a puff of smoke, and the other two falling into lava, where they retreat in the 3DS version. That makes QUITE a big difference to them.
Why is this so hard for you to grasp? It's like talking to a wall, no matter how clearly I try to explain something you just don't get it! Even with the thing about the 06 split timeline theory, a lot of our heated debate could have been avoided if you'd mentioned Shadow's first scene in Last Story, which I overlooked coz I didn't look past Mephiles absorbing Iblis on my transcript until recently, forgetting it showed where each character was before Solaris started consuming the timeline.
If any of them are still alive it's Zavok, since his giant form could potentially grant him resistance to lava. End of story. Zor mentioned "death's cold embrace" as if welcoming his oncoming death, and the other four lay still and exploded in a puff of smoke (none having displayed teleportation abilities before), and I must admit I wasn't 100% sure Zavok was dead since Bowser was killed by lava in New Super Mario Bros. but is immune to it in giant form (New Super Mario Bros. Wii).
If anything I think you're trying to go out of your way to take away satisfying moments for me and I really don't appreciate it. Already my other two favorite series are running the risk of undoing stuff, and satisfaction for me is in critical short supply these days. And I'm suffering from mild depression, which can flare up at the slightest thing, so I need anything I can get that can make me feel CLOSE to positive. Is there a single villain you think IS dead in ANY series? Palpatine? Voldemort? Joffrey? Dimentio? G1 Tirek? Naraku? Myotismon? Jack Nicholson's Joker?
At LEAST this time there's proof to back it up, unless there's more to it like in Forces.
And btw, Zero? Don't you mean Zeti?