diff --git a/rcl/src/rcl/node.c b/rcl/src/rcl/node.c
index dc71eb6b0..fa09fe77e 100644
--- a/rcl/src/rcl/node.c
+++ b/rcl/src/rcl/node.c
@@ -119,6 +119,7 @@ rcl_node_init(
   rcl_ret_t ret;
   rcl_ret_t fail_ret = RCL_RET_ERROR;
   char * remapped_node_name = NULL;
+  const char * local_namespace_ = NULL;
 
   // Check options and allocator first, so allocator can be used for errors.
   RCL_CHECK_ARGUMENT_FOR_NULL(options, RCL_RET_INVALID_ARGUMENT);
@@ -157,7 +158,6 @@ rcl_node_init(
   }
 
   // Process the namespace.
-  const char * local_namespace_ = NULL;
   if (namespace_[0] == '\0') {
     // If the namespace is just an empty string, replace with "/"
     local_namespace_ = rcutils_strdup("/", *allocator);
@@ -177,24 +177,21 @@ rcl_node_init(
   ret = rmw_validate_namespace(local_namespace_, &validation_result, NULL);
   if (ret != RMW_RET_OK) {
     RCL_SET_ERROR_MSG(rmw_get_error_string().str);
-    goto cleanup;
+    goto fail;
   }
   if (validation_result != RMW_NAMESPACE_VALID) {
     const char * msg = rmw_namespace_validation_result_string(validation_result);
     RCL_SET_ERROR_MSG_WITH_FORMAT_STRING("%s, result: %d", msg, validation_result);
 
     ret = RCL_RET_NODE_INVALID_NAMESPACE;
-    goto cleanup;
+    goto fail;
   }
 
   // Allocate space for the implementation struct.
-  node->impl = (rcl_node_impl_t *)allocator->allocate(sizeof(rcl_node_impl_t), allocator->state);
+  node->impl = (rcl_node_impl_t *)allocator->zero_allocate(
+    1, sizeof(rcl_node_impl_t), allocator->state);
   RCL_CHECK_FOR_NULL_WITH_MSG(
-    node->impl, "allocating memory failed", ret = RCL_RET_BAD_ALLOC; goto cleanup);
-  node->impl->rmw_node_handle = NULL;
-  node->impl->graph_guard_condition = NULL;
-  node->impl->logger_name = NULL;
-  node->impl->fq_name = NULL;
+    node->impl, "allocating memory failed", ret = RCL_RET_BAD_ALLOC; goto fail);
   node->impl->options = rcl_node_get_default_options();
   node->impl->registered_types_by_type_hash = rcutils_get_zero_initialized_hash_map();
   node->impl->get_type_description_service = rcl_get_zero_initialized_service();
@@ -215,16 +212,19 @@ rcl_node_init(
     &remapped_node_name);
   if (RCL_RET_OK != ret) {
     goto fail;
-  } else if (NULL != remapped_node_name) {
+  }
+  if (NULL != remapped_node_name) {
     name = remapped_node_name;
   }
+
   char * remapped_namespace = NULL;
   ret = rcl_remap_node_namespace(
     &(node->impl->options.arguments), global_args, name,
     *allocator, &remapped_namespace);
   if (RCL_RET_OK != ret) {
     goto fail;
-  } else if (NULL != remapped_namespace) {
+  }
+  if (NULL != remapped_namespace) {
     allocator->deallocate((char *)local_namespace_, allocator->state);
     local_namespace_ = remapped_namespace;
   }
@@ -235,11 +235,14 @@ rcl_node_init(
   } else {
     node->impl->fq_name = rcutils_format_string(*allocator, "%s/%s", local_namespace_, name);
   }
+  RCL_CHECK_FOR_NULL_WITH_MSG(
+    node->impl->fq_name, "creating fully qualified name failed",
+    ret = RCL_RET_BAD_ALLOC; goto fail);
 
   // node logger name
   node->impl->logger_name = rcl_create_node_logger_name(name, local_namespace_, allocator);
   RCL_CHECK_FOR_NULL_WITH_MSG(
-    node->impl->logger_name, "creating logger name failed", goto fail);
+    node->impl->logger_name, "creating logger name failed", ret = RCL_RET_ERROR; goto fail);
 
   RCUTILS_LOG_DEBUG_NAMED(
     ROS_PACKAGE_NAME, "Using domain ID of '%zu'", context->impl->rmw_context.actual_domain_id);
@@ -247,20 +250,19 @@ rcl_node_init(
   node->impl->rmw_node_handle = rmw_create_node(
     &(node->context->impl->rmw_context),
     name, local_namespace_);
-
   RCL_CHECK_FOR_NULL_WITH_MSG(
-    node->impl->rmw_node_handle, rmw_get_error_string().str, goto fail);
+    node->impl->rmw_node_handle, rmw_get_error_string().str, ret = RCL_RET_ERROR; goto fail);
+
   // graph guard condition
   rmw_graph_guard_condition = rmw_node_get_graph_guard_condition(node->impl->rmw_node_handle);
   RCL_CHECK_FOR_NULL_WITH_MSG(
-    rmw_graph_guard_condition, rmw_get_error_string().str, goto fail);
+    rmw_graph_guard_condition, rmw_get_error_string().str, ret = RCL_RET_ERROR; goto fail);
 
   node->impl->graph_guard_condition = (rcl_guard_condition_t *)allocator->allocate(
     sizeof(rcl_guard_condition_t), allocator->state);
   RCL_CHECK_FOR_NULL_WITH_MSG(
-    node->impl->graph_guard_condition,
-    "allocating memory failed",
-    goto fail);
+    node->impl->graph_guard_condition, "allocating memory failed",
+    ret = RCL_RET_BAD_ALLOC; goto fail);
   *node->impl->graph_guard_condition = rcl_get_zero_initialized_guard_condition();
   graph_guard_condition_options.allocator = *allocator;
   ret = rcl_guard_condition_init_from_rmw(
@@ -280,7 +282,7 @@ rcl_node_init(
     goto fail;
   }
 
-  // The initialization for the rosout publisher requires the node to be in initialized to a point
+  // The initialization for the rosout publisher requires the node to be initialized to a point
   // that it can create new topic publishers
   if (rcl_logging_rosout_enabled() && node->impl->options.enable_rosout) {
     ret = rcl_logging_rosout_init_publisher_for_node(node);
@@ -289,77 +291,63 @@ rcl_node_init(
       goto fail;
     }
   }
+
   RCUTILS_LOG_DEBUG_NAMED(ROS_PACKAGE_NAME, "Node initialized");
-  ret = RCL_RET_OK;
   TRACETOOLS_TRACEPOINT(
     rcl_node_init,
     (const void *)node,
     (const void *)rcl_node_get_rmw_handle(node),
     rcl_node_get_name(node),
     rcl_node_get_namespace(node));
-  goto cleanup;
+
+  allocator->deallocate(remapped_node_name, allocator->state);
+  allocator->deallocate((char *)local_namespace_, allocator->state);
+
+  return RCL_RET_OK;
+
 fail:
   if (node->impl) {
-    if (rcl_logging_rosout_enabled() &&
-      node->impl->options.enable_rosout &&
-      node->impl->logger_name)
-    {
-      ret = rcl_logging_rosout_fini_publisher_for_node(node);
-      RCUTILS_LOG_ERROR_EXPRESSION_NAMED(
-        (ret != RCL_RET_OK && ret != RCL_RET_NOT_INIT),
-        ROS_PACKAGE_NAME, "Failed to fini publisher for node: %i", ret);
-      allocator->deallocate((char *)node->impl->logger_name, allocator->state);
-    }
-    if (node->impl->registered_types_by_type_hash.impl) {
-      ret = rcl_node_type_cache_fini(node);
+    if (NULL != node->impl->registered_types_by_type_hash.impl) {
+      fail_ret = rcl_node_type_cache_fini(node);
       RCUTILS_LOG_ERROR_EXPRESSION_NAMED(
-        (ret != RCL_RET_OK),
-        ROS_PACKAGE_NAME, "Failed to fini type cache for node: %i", ret);
-    }
-    if (node->impl->fq_name) {
-      allocator->deallocate((char *)node->impl->fq_name, allocator->state);
-    }
-    if (node->impl->rmw_node_handle) {
-      ret = rmw_destroy_node(node->impl->rmw_node_handle);
-      if (ret != RMW_RET_OK) {
-        RCUTILS_LOG_ERROR_NAMED(
-          ROS_PACKAGE_NAME,
-          "failed to fini rmw node in error recovery: %s", rmw_get_error_string().str
-        );
-      }
+        (fail_ret != RCL_RET_OK),
+        ROS_PACKAGE_NAME, "Failed to fini type cache for node: %s", rcl_get_error_string().str);
     }
+
     if (node->impl->graph_guard_condition) {
-      ret = rcl_guard_condition_fini(node->impl->graph_guard_condition);
-      if (ret != RCL_RET_OK) {
-        RCUTILS_LOG_ERROR_NAMED(
-          ROS_PACKAGE_NAME,
-          "failed to fini guard condition in error recovery: %s", rcl_get_error_string().str
-        );
-      }
+      fail_ret = rcl_guard_condition_fini(node->impl->graph_guard_condition);
+      RCUTILS_LOG_ERROR_EXPRESSION_NAMED(
+        fail_ret != RCL_RET_OK, ROS_PACKAGE_NAME,
+        "failed to fini guard condition in error recovery: %s", rcl_get_error_string().str);
+
       allocator->deallocate(node->impl->graph_guard_condition, allocator->state);
     }
-    if (NULL != node->impl->options.arguments.impl) {
-      ret = rcl_arguments_fini(&(node->impl->options.arguments));
-      if (ret != RCL_RET_OK) {
-        RCUTILS_LOG_ERROR_NAMED(
-          ROS_PACKAGE_NAME,
-          "failed to fini arguments in error recovery: %s", rcl_get_error_string().str
-        );
-      }
+
+    if (node->impl->rmw_node_handle) {
+      fail_ret = rmw_destroy_node(node->impl->rmw_node_handle);
+      RCUTILS_LOG_ERROR_EXPRESSION_NAMED(
+        fail_ret != RMW_RET_OK, ROS_PACKAGE_NAME,
+        "failed to fini rmw node in error recovery: %s", rmw_get_error_string().str);
     }
+
+    allocator->deallocate((char *)node->impl->logger_name, allocator->state);
+
+    allocator->deallocate((char *)node->impl->fq_name, allocator->state);
+
+    fail_ret = rcl_node_options_fini(&(node->impl->options));
+    RCUTILS_LOG_ERROR_EXPRESSION_NAMED(
+      fail_ret != RCL_RET_OK, ROS_PACKAGE_NAME,
+      "failed to fini node options: %s", rcl_get_error_string().str);
+
     allocator->deallocate(node->impl, allocator->state);
   }
-  *node = rcl_get_zero_initialized_node();
 
-  ret = fail_ret;
-  // fall through from fail -> cleanup
-cleanup:
+  allocator->deallocate(remapped_node_name, allocator->state);
+
   allocator->deallocate((char *)local_namespace_, allocator->state);
-  local_namespace_ = NULL;
 
-  if (NULL != remapped_node_name) {
-    allocator->deallocate(remapped_node_name, allocator->state);
-  }
+  *node = rcl_get_zero_initialized_node();
+
   return ret;
 }