diff --git a/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_deferred_push.c b/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_deferred_push.c
index 13eba8b3f6..501c1b6e4e 100644
--- a/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_deferred_push.c
+++ b/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_deferred_push.c
@@ -438,9 +438,11 @@ static int deferred_push_cursor_manager_list_deferred_query_subsearch(
 {
    int ret                       = -1;
 #ifdef HAVE_LIBRETRODB
-   char query[PATH_MAX_LENGTH]   = {0};
+   char query[PATH_MAX_LENGTH];
    struct string_list *str_list  = string_split(info->path, "|"); 
 
+   query[0] = '\0';
+
    database_info_build_query(query, sizeof(query),
          info->label, str_list->elems[0].data);
 
diff --git a/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_ok.c b/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_ok.c
index 390ccf79ab..661d14517f 100644
--- a/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_ok.c
+++ b/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_ok.c
@@ -83,13 +83,15 @@ size_t core_len;
 
 static void cb_net_generic_subdir(void *task_data, void *user_data, const char *err)
 {
-   char subdir_path[PATH_MAX_LENGTH] = {0};
+   char subdir_path[PATH_MAX_LENGTH];
    http_transfer_data_t *data        = (http_transfer_data_t*)task_data;
    menu_file_transfer_t *state       = (menu_file_transfer_t*)user_data;
 
    if (!data || err)
       goto finish;
 
+   subdir_path[0] = '\0';
+
    memcpy(subdir_path, data->data, data->len * sizeof(char));
    subdir_path[data->len] = '\0';
 
@@ -1902,11 +1904,13 @@ static int action_ok_file_load_ffmpeg(const char *path,
 static int action_ok_file_load_imageviewer(const char *path,
       const char *label, unsigned type, size_t idx, size_t entry_idx)
 {
-   char fullpath[PATH_MAX_LENGTH]  = {0};
+   char fullpath[PATH_MAX_LENGTH];
    const char *menu_path           = NULL;
    file_list_t *menu_stack         = menu_entries_get_menu_stack_ptr(0);
    menu_entries_get_last(menu_stack, &menu_path, NULL, NULL, NULL);
 
+   fullpath[0] = '\0';
+
    fill_pathname_join(fullpath, menu_path, path,
          sizeof(fullpath));
    return generic_action_ok_file_load(NULL, fullpath,
diff --git a/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_start.c b/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_start.c
index e208c0ba8a..415c941208 100644
--- a/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_start.c
+++ b/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_start.c
@@ -314,7 +314,9 @@ static int action_start_video_resolution(unsigned type, const char *label)
 
    if (video_driver_get_video_output_size(&width, &height))
    {
-      char msg[PATH_MAX_LENGTH] = {0};
+      char msg[PATH_MAX_LENGTH];
+
+      msg[0] = '\0';
 
       video_driver_set_video_mode(width, height, true);
 
diff --git a/menu/drivers/zarch.c b/menu/drivers/zarch.c
index 722cd9f571..9a07d3a8c3 100644
--- a/menu/drivers/zarch.c
+++ b/menu/drivers/zarch.c
@@ -316,7 +316,7 @@ static bool zarch_zui_list_item(zui_t *zui, struct zui_tabbed *tab, int x1, int
 {
    menu_animation_ctx_ticker_t ticker;
    unsigned ticker_size;
-   char title_buf[PATH_MAX_LENGTH] = {0};
+   char title_buf[PATH_MAX_LENGTH];
    uint64_t *frame_count = NULL;
    unsigned           id = zarch_zui_hash(zui, label);
    int                x2 = x1 + zui->width - 290 - 40;
@@ -325,6 +325,8 @@ static bool zarch_zui_list_item(zui_t *zui, struct zui_tabbed *tab, int x1, int
    const float       *bg = zui_bg_panel;
    frame_count           = video_driver_get_frame_count_ptr();
 
+   title_buf[0] = '\0';
+
    if (tab->active_id != tab->prev_id)
       tab->prev_id         = tab->active_id;
 
@@ -512,10 +514,12 @@ static int zarch_zui_render_lay_root_recent(zui_t *zui, struct zui_tabbed *tabbe
 
       for (i = zui->recent_dlist_first; i < size; ++i)
       {
-         char rich_label[PATH_MAX_LENGTH]  = {0};
-         char entry_value[PATH_MAX_LENGTH] = {0};
+         char rich_label[PATH_MAX_LENGTH];
+         char entry_value[PATH_MAX_LENGTH];
          menu_entry_t entry                = {{0}};
 
+         rich_label[0] = entry_value[0]    = '\0';
+
          menu_entry_get(&entry, 0, i, NULL, true);
          menu_entry_get_rich_label(i, rich_label, sizeof(rich_label));
          menu_entry_get_value(i, NULL, entry_value,sizeof(entry_value));
@@ -562,10 +566,12 @@ static void zarch_zui_render_lay_root_load_set_new_path(zui_t *zui,
 static int zarch_zui_render_lay_root_load(zui_t *zui,
       struct zui_tabbed *tabbed)
 {
-   char parent_dir[PATH_MAX_LENGTH] = {0};
+   char parent_dir[PATH_MAX_LENGTH];
    settings_t           *settings   = config_get_ptr();
    core_info_list_t           *list = NULL;
 
+   parent_dir[0] = '\0';
+
    if (zarch_zui_tab(zui, tabbed, "Load", 1))
    {
       unsigned cwd_offset;
@@ -626,14 +632,16 @@ static int zarch_zui_render_lay_root_load(zui_t *zui,
 
             for (i = skip + zui->load_dlist_first; i < size; ++i)
             {
-               char label[PATH_MAX_LENGTH] = {0};
+               char label[PATH_MAX_LENGTH];
                const char        *path     = NULL;
                const char        *basename = NULL;
 
                if (j > 10)
                   break;
 
-               path = zui->load_dlist->elems[i].data;
+               label[0] = '\0';
+
+               path     = zui->load_dlist->elems[i].data;
                basename = path_basename(path);
 
                *label = 0;
@@ -703,7 +711,7 @@ static int zarch_zui_render_lay_root_downloads(
 
 static int zarch_zui_render_lay_root(zui_t *zui)
 {
-   char item[PATH_MAX_LENGTH]      = {0};
+   char item[PATH_MAX_LENGTH];
    static struct zui_tabbed tabbed = {~0U};
 
    zarch_zui_tabbed_begin(zui, &tabbed, 0, 0);
@@ -720,8 +728,9 @@ static int zarch_zui_render_lay_root(zui_t *zui)
    if (zarch_zui_render_lay_root_downloads(zui, &tabbed))
       return 0;
 
-   (void)item;
 #ifdef ZARCH_DEBUG
+   item[0] = '\0';
+
    snprintf(item, sizeof(item), "item id: %d\n", zui->active_id);
    zarch_zui_draw_text(zui, ZUI_FG_NORMAL, 1600 +12, 300 + 41, item); 
    snprintf(item, sizeof(item), "tab  idx: %d\n", tabbed.active_id);
diff --git a/menu/menu_displaylist.c b/menu/menu_displaylist.c
index e52b8df049..d7edc11af1 100644
--- a/menu/menu_displaylist.c
+++ b/menu/menu_displaylist.c
@@ -3061,7 +3061,9 @@ static int menu_displaylist_parse_options_cheats(
 
    for (i = 0; i < cheat_manager_get_size(); i++)
    {
-      char cheat_label[64] = {0};
+      char cheat_label[64];
+
+      cheat_label[0] = '\0';
 
       snprintf(cheat_label, sizeof(cheat_label),
             "%s #%u: ", msg_hash_to_str(MENU_ENUM_LABEL_VALUE_CHEAT), i);
diff --git a/menu/menu_setting.c b/menu/menu_setting.c
index 72892ccb40..b7795a2d0f 100644
--- a/menu/menu_setting.c
+++ b/menu/menu_setting.c
@@ -1963,12 +1963,14 @@ static bool setting_append_list_input_player_options(
 
    for (i = 0; i < RARCH_BIND_LIST_END; i ++)
    {
-      char label[PATH_MAX_LENGTH] = {0};
-      char name[PATH_MAX_LENGTH]  = {0};
+      char label[PATH_MAX_LENGTH];
+      char name[PATH_MAX_LENGTH];
 
       if (input_config_bind_map_get_meta(i))
          continue;
 
+      label[0] = name[0]          = '\0';
+
       fill_pathname_noext(label, buffer[user],
             " ",
             sizeof(label));
@@ -2098,7 +2100,9 @@ static bool setting_append_list(
          if (frontend_driver_has_fork())
 #endif
          {
-            char ext_name[PATH_MAX_LENGTH] = {0};
+            char ext_name[PATH_MAX_LENGTH];
+
+            ext_name[0] = '\0';
 
             if (frontend_driver_get_core_extension(ext_name, sizeof(ext_name)))
             {
diff --git a/menu/menu_shader.c b/menu/menu_shader.c
index 68cea2f5be..c8d910a64d 100644
--- a/menu/menu_shader.c
+++ b/menu/menu_shader.c
@@ -111,11 +111,13 @@ void menu_shader_manager_init(void)
          break;
       default:
          {
-            char preset_path[PATH_MAX_LENGTH] = {0};
+            char preset_path[PATH_MAX_LENGTH];
             const char *shader_dir            = 
                *settings->directory.video_shader ?
                settings->directory.video_shader : settings->directory.system;
 
+            preset_path[0] = '\0';
+
             fill_pathname_join(preset_path, shader_dir,
                   "menu.glslp", sizeof(preset_path));
             conf = config_file_new(preset_path);
@@ -214,9 +216,9 @@ bool menu_shader_manager_save_preset(
       const char *basename, bool apply, bool fullpath)
 {
 #ifdef HAVE_SHADER_MANAGER
-   char buffer[PATH_MAX_LENGTH]           = {0};
-   char config_directory[PATH_MAX_LENGTH] = {0};
-   char preset_path[PATH_MAX_LENGTH]      = {0};
+   char buffer[PATH_MAX_LENGTH];
+   char config_directory[PATH_MAX_LENGTH];
+   char preset_path[PATH_MAX_LENGTH];
    unsigned d, type                       = RARCH_SHADER_NONE;
    const char *dirs[3]                    = {0};
    config_file_t *conf                    = NULL;
@@ -225,6 +227,9 @@ bool menu_shader_manager_save_preset(
    settings_t *settings                   = config_get_ptr();
    menu_handle_t *menu                    = NULL;
 
+   buffer[0] = config_directory[0]        = '\0';
+   preset_path[0]                         = '\0';
+
    if (!menu_driver_ctl(RARCH_MENU_CTL_DRIVER_DATA_GET, &menu))
    {
       RARCH_ERR("Cannot save shader preset, menu handle"