History Characters / MegaManX

** This stays true to his cameos in ''SNKVsCapcom: SVC Chaos'' and ''TatsunokoVsCapcom''.

*** And he went from [[DevilMayCry Nero]] [[JustForPun to Zero]].

* [=~I'll Kill You!~=]: ''X6''. THE BADDLE HAZ JUSD BEGUNN!

* BadassBeard: It doesn't look exactly like a goatee, but Colonel has one.

*** And he went from [[DevilMyCry Nero]] [[JustForPun to Zero]].

** HilariousInHindsight: He also voices [[CodeGeass another Zero...]]]

* HarsherInHindsight: At least in story order - while taking a beam saber through the chest in ''The Day Of Sigma'' cues a CrowningMomentOfAwesome, it's also reminiscent of...something more permanent that happened to him later on.
** Especially considering the parallels drawn by one character between Sigma and [[spoiler:Elpizo.]]
* HeroicSecondWind

* InstantAwesomeJustAddNinja: X6's Shadow Armor, complete with CeilingCling ability. Like Gaea Armor of X5, it provides immnunity to [[SpikesOfDoom spikes.]]

* TheProfessor: He use this title as an alias in X7.

Made up of the fast '''Bit/Vajurilla FF''' and the strong '''Byte/Mandarilla BB''', the Nightmare police were the law of Doppletown before Doppler's rebellion. They can combine to make the powerful '''Godkarmachine O Inary'''.

* DropTheHammer: Bit

* ColossusClimb: General's boss fight.

* FacePalmOfDoom: Gives Sigma one in ''The Day of Sigma''.

* BadassDecay: Especially in ''X6'', where he even decays literally.

* LaserBlade: Bit

** Given that X himself claims he [[HeWhoFightsMonsters descended into]] BloodKnight territory after Zero was sealed away, Fafnir and Levianthan's personalities make more sense than you might think.

* ThatOneBoss: General is huge, is only vulnerable in his head, and does a nasty amount of CollisionDamage. Zero can only use melee attacks. You do the math.

** GameplayAndStoryIntegration: Notice that during the chase, you can actually walk hike right into Sigma and suffer no worse than being knocked off the wall into the Non-OneHitKill lava.

** Especially considering the parallels drawn by one character between Sigma and Elpizo.

** Especially considering the parallels drawn by one character between Sigma and [[spoiler: Elpizo.]]

* AndTheFandomRejoiced: His inclusion in the ''TatsunokoVsCapcom: [[UpdatedRerelease Ultimate All-stars]]'' and, more recently, ''MarvelVsCapcom 3'' rosters briefly brought the ''X'' series characters off of the shelves where they've been since 200'''6'''.

* [[TakeUpMySword Take Up My Buster]]: After his HeroicSacrifice in ''X1''. A more literal, version occurs at the end of ''X5''.

* [=~What The Hell, Hero?~=]: In ''Command Mission'', he chastises X for being so trusting all the time, stating that it's because of such naivete that [[spoiler:Shadow managed to betray them.]]

** In the strictest sense, the only times where it seemed like his death might stick were in ''X3'', where he's first hit by a real anti-virus, ''X5'' where [[spoiler: Zero destroys him after most of the Sigma Virus has been eradicated from the Earth]], and ''X8'', where he is destroyed on the moon.

* DiscOneFinalBoss: At first there is no sign of [[spoiler: Sigma.]]

* BadassDecay

** ZELLLLLLO!!!

* SociopathicSoldier: Due to an irrepairable shortcut in Vile's brain, Vile has a rather... disturbing way of dealing with Mavericks (he seems to not only intensely love destroying Mavericks, but also causing as much damage as possible), which was one of the reasons why he ended up branded a Maverick and placed in the brig before Sigma released him for his revolt.

* AndTheFandomRejoiced: His inclusion in the ''TatsunokoVsCapcom: [[UpdatedRerelease Ultimate All-stars]]'' roster, and the cameos that resulted in it, briefly brought the ''X'' series characters off of the shelves where they've been since 200'''6'''.
** PanderingToTheBase: according to supplementary articles, Inafune ''personally'' chose Zero to be included in the game. Make something of that if you will.

** WritingAroundTrademarks: The reason for the name-change.

An Archeobotanist who discovered X and used his design to produce Reploids, robots able to think for themselves. When they started going Maverick, he helped to form the Maverick Hunters. He appeared in ''X2'' and ''X3'' and was mentioned in the backstory for ''X1'' and ''X4'', but [[BrotherChuck disappeared from the series after that]].

* ReplacementScrappy: In ''X7.'' Having the character he replaced back with him in future games helped take the edge off a little.

* ReplacementScrappy: In ''X7.'' Having the character he replaced back with him in future games helped take the edge off a little.

* ReplacementScrappy: In ''X7.'' Like [[NewSuperMarioBrosWii Bowser Junior]], having the character he replaced back with him in future games helped take the edge off a little.

*** The Guardians' personalities are based on aspects of X's personality, albeit amplified.

**** Given that X himself claims he [[HeWhoFightsMonsters descended into]] BloodKnight territory after Zero was sealed away, Fafnir and Levianthan's personalities make more sense than you might think.

* HeroWorshipper: According to character data. Never adhered to again.

* TagalongKid: in ''X7'' at least. He "grew up" before ''X8''.

* AbortedArc: [[strike: Slightly]] Hinted to be TheManBehindTheMan in ''X5'', and after that...[[strike:POOF! The end of the series.]] Even when PostscriptSeason kicked in, [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse he was never heard from again...]]

* HilariousInHindsight: The ''X3'' finale. X scrambles desperately away from Sigma to avoid possession and freaks out at a dead end, then Dr. Doppler [[MultipleEndings (or Zero) shows up and gives his life (minus the sacrifice in Zero's case) so that Sigma will not infect X with TheVirus and take over everything with all the wonderful armors and weapons and whatnot. It turns out, ''Sigma can't actually do any of this;'' the whole thing was pointless.

* WeaksauceWeakness: [[strike: All of]] his OneWingedAngel forms suffer this in one way or another. Worst possible contender? Splash Laser, a ''literal BubbleGun''.

* AffiblyEvil: Admits right up front that he's only interested in stalling the Hunters in X5.

* DiscOneFinalBoss: {{Inverted}}, '''Sigma''' is the DiscOneFinalBoss for ''X8''. ''MegaMan'' fans have never experienced such a ShockingSwerve.

** [=~Schrodinger's Cat~=]

* PowerCrystals: Seven of them, apparently meant to convey his importance.

* AbortedArc: [[strike: Slightly]] Hinted to be TheManBehindTheMan in ''X5'', and after that...[[strike:POOF! The end of the series.]] Even when PostscriptSeason kicked in, [[{{Ptitlecphpgf78}} he was never heard from again...]]

* AbortedArc: [[strike:slightly]] hinted at as TheManBehindTheMan in ''X5'', and after that...[[strike:POOF! The end of the series.]] Even when PostscriptSeason kicked in, [[{{Ptitlecphpgf78}} he was never heard from again...]]

* EpilepticTrees: ''everything'' about his existence. Here are a couple of popular ones:

** BodySurf: see the EpilepticTree about the X-Hunters below. Also, Isoc from ''X6''.

* HijackedByGanon: if the series' conflict (through TheVirus and Zero) can really be contributed to him, he easily beats the TropeNamer hands down for [[MostTriumphantExample the top contender...]]
* {{Irony}}: go ahead and guess. Even after all the damage his creation(s) have done, who's the one who eventually ''ended it all?''

* [[SinisterSilhouettes Sinister Silhouette]]: ''twice''. It occurs for the third time in ''[[CapcomVsWhatever Tatsunoko vs. Capcom]]''.

* VillainDecay: remember his previous character? [[SubvertedTrope Here he's just made the problems much,]] ''[[SubvertedTrope much]]'' [[SubvertedTrope worse]].

* {{BFG}} '''and''' {{BFS}}: usually employs either one, but not at the same time. Special mention to ''X8's'' {{BFS}}.

* BroughtToYouByTheLetterS: all the Mavericks [[HijackedByGanon directly]] [[DiscOneFinalBoss under]] Sigma would have his [[GratuitousGreek symbol]] somewhere on their person.
* ContinuityNod: his OneWingedAngel from ''X5'' is Gamma, the FinalBoss from ''Game/MegaMan 3''. And it was given to him by [[SarcasmMode surprise, surprise]], Dr. Wily.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: disapproval of Berkana's actions from ''Xtreme 2''.

* EyeScream: being a robot, the method he obtained his scars is less {{Squick}}-tastic than other examples.

* HilariousInHindsight: ''X3'' finale. X scrambles desperately away from Sigma to avoid possession and freaks out at a dead end, then Dr. Doppler shows up and gives his life so that Sigma will not infect X with TheVirus and take over everything with all the wonderful armors and weapons and whatnot. It turns out, ''Sigma can't actually do any of this;'' the whole thing was pointless.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: In the end, the leader of so many maverick revolutions is seemingly eliminated when the product of his Jakob Project, Lumine, decides to rebel against ''him.''

* [=~I'll Kill You!~=]: ''X6''. THE BADDLE HAS JUSD BEGUN!

* LargeAndInCharge: even before he goes OneWingedAngel.
* LargeHam: ''especially'' at the end of the ''Day Of Sigma'' {{OVA}}. He's no slouch in the other games, either.

* [[ManipulativeBastard Manipulative]][=/=]MagnificentBastard: pre-[[VillainDecay decay]], anyway. However, [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation some say]] that he's still this ''post''-decay.
* MotiveDecay: was once a [[InformedAbility (probably) charismatic]] revolutionary that wants the Reploids to reign over mankind (akin to [[XMen Magneto]]) before becoming obsessed with the defeat of the heroes.
* {{Narm}}: sounds like a stood-up prom date at the end of ''X3.''

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: happens ''twice'', and ''literally'' even, both involving Zero is some way.

* [[OrcusOnHisThrone Sigma On His Throne]]: he has rarely been directly involved during each "phase" of the Maverick War. The only exception to this was in ''X5''...and though it didn't stray Sigma off this trope too much, the consequences speak for themselves.

* SpikesOfVillainy: added these to his armor after his FaceHeelTurn. They frequently adorn his armor in his later incarnations.
* VillainDecay: taken somewhat literally in ''X6'', where he is a mere ''zombie'' in that game and has ''[[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere absolutely nothing]]'' to do with the plot, and in ''X8'' where he's just an UnwittingPawn for the game's real BigBad, Lumine.
* TheVirus: his true form.
* WeaksauceWeakness: [[strike:all of]] his OneWingedAngel forms suffer this in one way or another. Worst possible contender? Splash Laser, a ''literal BubbleGun''.

* WolverineClaws: his WeaponOfChoice for ''X2'' and ''Xtreme 2''.

* BadassBoast: in ''X1'':

* ChaoticEvil: grows into one of these as of ''X8'' (it's even unknown ''who'' he's working for by then). Another {{retcon}} made by ''Maverick Hunter X'' is that he is this ''right from the start''.

* TheDragon: {{lampshaded}} by Zero:

* TheFaceless: and this troper even wonders if there was atually ''any'' face underneath that helmet ''at all''...
* IconicItem: his shoulder cannon. His helmet might also count, although it's already iconic in appearance to [[ShoutOut someone else]]. On that note, in X8, his the colour of his armour/helmet is changed from purple to green, and he uses a jetpack during his encounters with the heroes.
* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: happens at the end of ''Vile Mode''.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: thanks to a possible {{Woolseyism}}. Really, HowDidWeMissThisOne when there was an inversion of [[MegaManZero someone]] [[CompleteMonster much worse?]]

** WritingAroundTrademarks: the reason for the name-change.
* WildCard: even as far back as ''X3!''

A trio of Mavericks who have dedicated themselves to defeating X. In ''X2'', they challenge X to one-on-one fights; with Zero's rebuilt body as the bait. Their members are '''Agile''', '''Serges/Sagesse''' and '''Violen'''.

* DiscOneFinalBoss: at first there is no sign of [[spoiler: Sigma.]]

* EpilepticTrees: that somehow, Serges is ''Dr. Wily'', because of his physical resemblance and strange interest towards Zero. An even more outlandish theory is that Wily somehow "lives on" in ''all three'' X-Hunters.

* MeaningfulName: All three, Agile and Violen are obvious, Serges's origional name, Sagesse, is french for wisdom, apt for a MadScientist.

* PrehensileHair: somewhat. Remember where Violen's EpicFlail comes from?

* SinisterSilhouettes: first appearance.

* LaserBlade

* [[ThatOneBoss Those Two Minibosses]]: they only appear randomly after a set number of stages were completed, and good luck if you don't have the right weapon against them.
* {{Woolseyism}}: The name change changing them from forgettable gibberish into something memorable.

* BeAsUnhelpfulAsPossible: they started a friggin' ''war'' because they refused to disarm and come in for questioning when their troops and equipment were found at the scene of an atrocity.

* CommissarCap: for Colonel.

* PuttingOnTheReich: the intro cutscene shows them performing a salute very similar to the Nazi salute.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath

Designed as one half of the Ultimate Soldier project, along with her brother Colonel. The project was a failure as the caring nature of Iris and the fighting spirit of Colonel could not be resolved into one body. The two halves were split into two reploids who were considered brother and sister. She is introduced in ''X4'' as Zero's girlfriend who gets caught in the middle of the civil war between her brother fighting for Repliforce and her lover fighting for the Maverick Hunters. She initially helps Zero as his MissionControl (she once had to break up a fight between him and Colonel). After Zero [[DeadlyEuphemism retires]] her brother, she goes insane and installs her brother's combat skills, completing Ultimate Soldier and forming a ride armour like body around herself. She challenges Zero and he is forced to kill her in self defence. With her body destroyed by the destruction of Final Weapon (not to mention her mind already being destroyed due to becoming Ultimate Soldier), she is DeaderThanDead. This doesn't stop her, however, from appearing in the [[{{Prequel}} chronologically earlier]] ''Xtreme 2'' or having a cameo appearance inside Zero's memories during ''X5''. [[TearJerker During his dying moments, no less...]]

* DieForOurShip: despite actually dying in canon, many fangirls still want to say this to her for "stealing" their Zero.
** StrangledByTheRedString: it doesn't help that she only appears in ''one'' game, only for said game to kill her off (there was the prequel, but there's not much in that game regarding their relationship, either), giving the fans the feeling of the whole thing being rushed.
* DoomedByCanon: in ''[[{{Prequel}} Xtreme 2]]''.
* {{Expy}}: Along with Colonel in the Battle Network series.

* ILetGwenStacyDie: her death remains a huge factor in Zero's life/lives. WhatWereWeFightingFor indeed...
* IronicEcho: Compare her desires to those of Elpizo from the ''Zero'' series. It either makes her seem less innocent or him more sympathetic; YourMileageMayVary.

* PlayerPunch: so the series finally allowed Zero to be fully playable? ''This'' happens.

* PoweredArmor: her OneWingedAngel, which suspiciously looks like a Ride Armor.

* FaceHeelTurn

* [[MeaningfulName Meaningful]][=/=]PunnyName: he's the '''double''' sized, '''double''' formed '''[[DoubleAgent double]]''' [[DoubleAgent agent]]: '''''Double!''''' And his weakness? '''[[BlowYouAway Double]]''' [[BlowYouAway Cyclone]].

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: after ''X6'', he's never heard from again...
* CoolShades
* DracoInLeatherPants
* GoldfishPoopGang: although he used to work for Sigma...
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: somewhat replaces Colonel's {{Miniboss}} status in ''X5''. In fact, Dynamo was also fought during the halfway points!

Oh, [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere then he gets]] [[HijackedByGanon Hijacked By Sigma]] who he brought back as a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot zombie.]] Whoops.

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: he was the subject of envy by his peers, ''including Alia''. Ouch.

* BigBad: only for ''X6'', even though he wasn't the FinalBoss. Still notable for being the ''first'' legitimate BigBad other than Sigma.

* FanNickname: his PoweredArmor? It was called the ''Zero Armor'' because of the source of his research, even though there's already [[InfinityPlusOneSword something else called the Zero armor]], as its ''official'' name no less.
* FoeYay: with Alia, as they were both on the reploid research committee.

* IGotBetter

* PlayingTennisWithTheBoss
* PuzzleBoss: a very rare example for the ''MegaMan'' series.
* ShipTease: With Alia in the ending credits.
* [=~What Happened To The Mouse?~=]: the ending of ''X6'' left his fate rather ambiguous. Was he spared by Alia and restored? Or did he really let himself succumb to his injuries?
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds

* ParentalSubstitute: he ''does'' think of Axl as something of a son.

* FinalExamBoss: his first form (see MegaManning below) also has him being vulnerable to whatever weakness of the Boss he's emulating.

* MeaningfulName: somewhat. Fans were quick to cite the similarity of his name to the original FallenAngel. For double points, it's also Latin for [[LightIsNotGood Light.]]

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: regarding Zero. Does he really have no idea as to who created Zero, or is he [[CannotSpitItOut just hiding it from him and/or X?]]

* CrazyPrepared: he manages to make the ''Zero Armor'', for a robot he probably doesn't ([[OrIsIt or maybe he does]]) even know exists in his own lifetime! And that's just ''one'' example...
** InexplicableTreasureChests: how ''did'' he hide all those upgrade capsules?

* ShootTheDog: ''X5's'' bad ending.

* TheAtoner: To a small degree, at least, compared to Zero. He was a painful subversion: ''[[NiceJobBreakingItHero every]]'' [[NiceJobBreakingItHero attempt he makes to rectify that mistake, only made things]] ''[[NiceJobBreakingItHero worse]]'': Repliforce, Dr. Doppler, and ''especially'' Sigma.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: his role diminishes over the course of the series.
** His most pronounced and significant appearance was only in ''X2'', where he's the one who ({{canon}}ically) ressurected Zero from the parts X stole from the X Hunters.

* NameOfCain: in the OVA ''Day of Sigma'', this is reinforced by the city attacked by Sigma's missile attack being called [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic Abel City.]]

* OCStandIn: Did not appear post-''X3'' - characterization only started to come up one game later. He's generally used as AFatherToHisMen - after all, it seems like [[HurtingHero X]] and [[TheAtoner Zero]] need it once the StuffBlowingUp stops.

* AllThereInTheManual: was apparently a private investigator before joining the Maverick Hunters.

* CommissarCap: not quite as blatant as Colonel's, but...
* ContinuityCameo: blink and you'll miss it, but he briefly appears in ''The Day of Sigma.''
* DemotedToExtra: not that he actually had a large role to begin with, but, in ''X8'', his ''only'' appearance is at the end of each mission to congratulate the heroes. That's it. [[EnsembleDarkhorse Isn't It Sad?]]
* {{Expy}}: he's remarkably similar, appearance-wise, to Colonel.

A [[VoiceWithAnInternetConnection navigator]] who appeared in ''X5'' and has appeared in every game since (not including [[GaidenGame Command Mission]]). Her role in the game is generally to [[CaptainObvious point out that spikes hurt]] and to [[StopHelpingMe pause the game at inopportune moments to tell you so]]. She gained more plot relevance in ''X6'', where her backstory was expanded and tied up with [[BigBad Gate's]] StartOfDarkness. [[ArtEvolution As with the rest of the cast]], she gained an [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean upgrade]] that was very [[FanservicePack well recieved]] among the fans.

* TheAtoner: for her involvement in Gate's StartOfDarkness.

* [=~Chekhov's Gunman~=]: first introduced as a simple Navigator in ''X5''. One game later, however, the motivations of one-time BigBad Gate is caused directly by that "simple" navigator. Oh, and there's a [[EpilepticTrees theory]] that they were even actually [[FoeYay romantically involved...]]

* HartmanHips: Even from before the "upgrade."

* ShipTease: With Gate in the ending credits of ''X6''.

Introduced in ''X5'', Lifesaver acts as the head medic for the Maverick Hunters. He becomes suspicious of Zero due to his unusual reactions towards the virus, his suspicions are one of the reasons X and Zero fight. Unlike the other hunters introduced in ''X5'', he does not return in any other game in the series.

* TheScrappy: three guesses why.
* TheStoolPigeon: of the Disgruntled Daria subtype.

* EnemyScan: her MissionControl specialty.
* HopelessSuitor: to Zero again. [[YourMileageMayVary If you squint long enough]], it's one of the few, genuinely funny scenes when these two interact.

* ItemCrafting: she manages the research and development department, which comes close to the trope.

* ShipperOnDeck: likes to tease Layer on her unrequited crush on Zero.

* OCStandIn: Absolutely nothing is known of his character. Lucas Gilbertson, the English voice of Zero in the later series, has expressed interest in voicing a prequel explaining his motives; this is at best highly unlikely to happen.

* CurbStompBattle: One beam-beam-slash combo from Zero is enough to do him in.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: especially popular among sprite fan artists.

* CallingYourAttacks: falls into {{narm}} when you realize he's calling them by the ''name of the weapon''.

* {{Expy}}: [[MegaManZX Mega Man Model A]], an expy of unclear origin. To some extent Axl himself might be considered one of [[Game/MegaMan Bass]], minus the near-defining hatred of the series lead of course.
* FireForgedFriends: has to work ''hard'' to earn X and Zero's trust and friendship. By ''X8'', he has earned it.

* FragileSpeedster: a variant; there's nothing wrong with his defense, but his attack power is relatively low in ''X8.''

* HeroWorshipper: according to character data. Never adhered to again.

* SequelHook: Involved in a big one in ''X8.'' It's [[LeftHanging never been settled, yet]]; [[WildMassGuessing theories abound.]]

* ToyShip: aside from Pallette (see below), another character that fans like to ship with Axl is Cinnamon from ''Command Mission'', another "young" character.
* UnnecessaryCombatRoll: in this case, it provides immunity to projectiles.

* BerserkButton: harm Zero, Axl or any other ally he has, and you'll be in for a world of hurt.

* ClimaxBoss: he'll do ''anything'' to prevent his friend from going Maverick. [[CaptainObvious Including]] ''[[CaptainObvious fighting him.]]''

* EpilepticTrees: After the "X is the original ''Game/MegaMan'' after an upgrade" theory got {{Jossed}}, more than a few fans have decided he might be [[TheRival Bass]] from the original series. Unlikely as all hell, but yeah.

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: in the bad ending in ''X5'', Dr. Light erases all of X's memories of Zero, and installs a program that will "reject" any information regarding Zero.

* SupportingProtagonist: unless ''[[ContinuityReboot Maverick Hunter X]]'' is taken into account.

* AndTheFandomRejoiced: his inclusion in the ''TatsunokoVsCapcom: [[UpdatedRerelease Ultimate All-stars]]'' roster, and the cameos that resulted in it, briefly brings the ''X'' series characters out of the shelves since 200'''6'''.

* BackFromTheDead: [[NeverLiveItDown and fans confuse him to do this at the drop of a hat, even though he's only done it twice.]]

** BadassLonghair: oh, ye of the mighty RapunzelHair!
** HeartbrokenBadass: although the circumstances are different from the norm.

* BerserkButton: Iris' death in ''X4''. After that, he didn't care ''who'' he's fighting [[HeroicBSOD until the end of the game...]]
* BigDamnHeroes: he manages to pull at least one ''per game'' before becoming a player character, the best example of which is his EstablishingCharacterMoment below.
* {{Bishounen}}: even {{lampshaded}}.

* CallingYourAttacks: started in ''X8'' to keep X company.
* [[CelibateHero Celibate]][=/=]ChasteHero: with Iris's tragedy still fresh in his mind, he believes he's not ready to have another romantic pursuit. This is seen with Layer, although he's ''also'' clueless to her advances.

* ClimaxBoss: alternative to the article that X also has above. It was all because of a little misunderstanding. [[XanatosGambit Most of it went according to Sigma's plan, though.]]

* SugarWiki/CrowningMusicOfAwesome: His ''many'' {{leitmotif}}s are usually among the most memorable tracks in a given game of the series. Especially true of the track from the first game.

* DeusExitMachina: before he became a playable character, he was only around when the plot needed his power. And then, later, ''Command Mission'' also puts him out of commission for a good portion of the game.

** BreakoutCharacter: and a successful one, at least...

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: X getting his ass handed to him by the ''very first HopelessBossFight'' in the series? Cue the [[SugarWiki/CrowningMusicOfAwesome awesome]] ThemeMusicPowerUp, an ArmCannon being charged, and then Vile goes OhCrap.

* FanNickname: "The Red Ripper" or "The Crimson Hunter." An odd inversion is his popular fan "full name," Zero Omega, based on [[ItWasHisSled something you should already know]] from the SequelSeries.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: the ending of ''X2'' has Zero ''easily'' destroy a weaker clone of himself. Hmm...

** To elaborate, it has the strange trait of dealing more damage the closer Zero stands to an enemy, and if he fires it from point blank, ''look out''.
* GratuitousJapanese: in the games where his Command Arts are not translated.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: due to MultipleEndings in some of the games.
* HeroicBSOD: part of his CharacterDevelopment in ''X4'' is the ending where he anguishes himself over not being able to save and/or protect all the people he ever cared about, and thinking what he could be fighting for. Although the JerkassFacade seems noticeable from previous games, this is most probably where it came to a head.

** In which he says he was fighting to protect the people he cared about. We sort of knew this already, even if the speech is utterly badass.
* HeroicSacrifice: if there's any story about Zero, this will ''always'' wind up happening to him. The two SequelSeries (''plus'' one [[AudioAdaptation drama track]], where Zero manages to pull off ''two'' sacrifices) can attest to that.
* HunterOfHisOwnKind: and he is the ''original of his kind'', in fact.

* TheLancer: while the ''X'' series has yet to form a distinctive FiveManBand (the {{secret character}}s of ''X8'' and the cast of ''Command Mission'' notwithstanding), Zero fits this archetype nonetheless.
* LaserGuidedTykebomb: his original purpose.

* [[SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan Manly Man]]: being the ''{{bishonen}}'' of the two, that's saying something.

** ImplausibleFencingPowers: one of Zero's recurring MegaManning skills is an upgrade to his sword that can block projectiles.
* MeaningfulName: the games only give vague allusions to what Zero really stands for, although {{fanon}} speculated that it has a similar meaning to X.

** MemeticOutfit: if anyone doesn't know Zero because of his {{badass}}ery, it would be because of his [[GagBoobs Booblights...]]

* NeutralGood: Sure, he works for the government, but he's really all about saving the people he cares about. His greatest failure had him bugging out for a time.

** HilariousInHindsight: he also voiced ''Proto Man...''
** RetroactiveRecognition: try to recognize Zero in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT4DDIKREt8 this]] clip from ''{{Clannad}}''. It will ''really'' boggle your mind.

* [[TakeUpMySword Take Up My Buster]]: after his HeroicSacrifice in ''X1''. A more literal, version occurs at the end of ''X5''.
* ThemeDeck: his signature attacks, the Z-saber (triple slash) and Z-buster (two buster shots + SwordBeam) combos, stand out of all of his other Command Arts since they are present in some form in all games. However, the latter was never used again from ''X7'' and beyond. As a CallBack, though, ''Omega'' Zero uses both attacks again in ''MegaManZero 3''.
* TooCoolToLive: subverted, of course.

* WeaponOfChoice: A LaserBlade.

* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy: in his [[InfinityPlusOneSword Zero Armor]].
* WolverinePublicity: aside from starring in two (arguably three) out of the 7 series, he was referenced ''and'' cameoed in two more (''[[MegaManLegends Legends]]'', ''[[MegaManBattleNetwork Battle Network]]'', with the latter even including a Main/{{Captain Ersatz}}/{{Expy}}) and finally, appearing in a roster in two games of the ''CapcomVsWhatever'' series. ''Whew...''

** ChickMagnet: One [[TheGwenStacy tragic girlfriend]], and ''two'' more "admirers". It doesn't seem impressive compared to other examples, until you realize that one of those admirers is ''[[InterspeciesRomance human]]''.

* MysteriousPast: He cannot remember anything from before his Red Alert days. [[AllThereInTheManual Drama tracks]] give some hints - he retains certain responses, such as his hatred for Mavericks and admiration of X, but he cannot remember ''why'' he feels that way. Red (see SelfMadeOrphan below) refuses to talk about how they met.