You can use both for modeling and even Zbrush for some types of animations. Zbrush is the king of sculpting, while Maya can be used for various tasks, included animations.
If game development is your hobby or you want to do this for yourself, there is nothing that beats Blender. However, you should stick with Maya and Zbrush if you plan on working in one of the bigger studios one day.
Blender can do everything and is free for everyone, Maya and ZBrush are specialized tools, but they come at a price. If you want to spend the money on it then you should begin with Maya.