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Xionic Madness

"I'll be meeting them finally tonight."

An animated web original by Xionico that began on Madnessday 2007 on newgrounds.com

, a day dedicated to celebrating Matt Jolly's, AKA "Krinkels" original series, Madness Combat. Xionic Madness uses the same basic design; i.e., cross-faced people with disembodied hands and feat, (other than Kary-08 that is) but uses its own style of action. It's also notable in that the series has voice acting in later episodes, in contrast to its inspiration.

The story follows our cyborg heroes (other than Kary-08, who is entirely robotic) over on the right. Going left to right, Xero, the blue guy, is the hot blooded, bladed weapon handler. Omega, the red one, is the leader of the group, and his fancy is guns. Kary-08, the green girl, is the childish, energy wielder. Askad, the yellow fellow, is the brainy, explosive user. The four of them are sent on a mission, that is considered to be a suicide mission, by the company that created them. Their objective: wreak as much havoc on a rivaling company that has been prying into their secrets as they can. Needless to say, they do just that.

They slaughter everything they see without a single thought. However, the mission retaliates by increasing its difficulty as the four progressively go deeper into it. In addition, they encounter XV, an experimental weapon developed by the company they are wreaking, which just so happens to be on the top of their "things to kill" list. They end up having to split up, and deal with the trials alone. (Though this still doesn't stop them from destroying everything.) Through all the difficulties, they manage to escape just before the N8 goes off.

And although they completed their mission, the true battle has only just begun.

Tropes include:

Abnormal Ammo: At one point, Omega uses his own blood as miniature missiles using a syringe-like gun.
Action Girl: Kary-08 can hold her own better than any of the others, in fact, Omega even admits that she could kill him in a fight.
All There in the Manual: Some of the episodes have extra features that contain information on the characters, weapons, and backstory.
An Axe to Grind: In the later half of the series, Xero acquires a bladed weapon that resembles an axe. However, it's primary function is to use the blood it absorbs as an energy blade.
Anti-Heroes: Although they are the protagonists, they are all ruthless killers.
Applied Phlebotinum: Many of their weapons have bizarre mechanics behind them; i.e., using blood as projectiles, converting human mass into pure energy, and cutting people with wind.
Art Evolution: Although subtle, the style and animation quality does increase.
Art Shift: In the scene showing the events that occur directly after the initial mission, there is a noticeable difference in art and animation style.
Back from the Dead: Askad comes back as a robot to save the others just in time.
Badass: All four of the main characters display incredibly high levels of badassness.
Badass Normal: Before Omega and Xero became cyborgs, they apparently were able to keep up with the cyborgs as normal humans.
- Omega's old squad, which is composed of regular humans, proves that they can hold their own against an army of zombies.
BFG: In Omega's arsenal of guns, there are of course at least a handful of these.
BFS: In the second half of their initial mission, Xero acquires a massive blade that literally cleaves people in half.
Big Damn Hero: Askad arrives to save the guys right before they are about to be killed.
Bottomless Magazines: The squad may have to reload frequently, but they are not going to run out of ammo anytime soon. Their support network can send them more ammunition from an orbiting satellite.
Body Horror: Anything infected with the XV virus, and XV itself, grow such things.
Bolivian Army Ending: Xero finally "dies in the heat of a glorious battle" after everyone else had already bit the dust.
The Cameo: Hank from the original Madness Combat makes an appearance to body slam a mook.
- Also, he, along with Jebus and Tricky, appear on a computer screen during the first mission.
Character Development: With every passing episodes, more information is revealed about the characters.
Chekhov's Gun: The XV virus, which was introduced in the first mission, makes one final appearance before the ends to help defeat the final boss. But it also kills off Omega and Xero.
- It actually makes Xero kill Omega and, in the end, him (Xero) dying on purpose "In the heat of a glorious fight".
Color Coded Characters: The four protagonists each have their own color scheme, if that hasn't already been figured out.
Comm Links: The team seems to have this built into their bodies so that they can keep in touch at any time.
Cool Helmet: Omega is almost always seen sporting one of these
Cool Mask: Xero also always has his headgear on.
Deflector Shields: Kary can use her energy abilities to create force fields that are practically impenetrable.
- Apparently, Omega can create force fields as well.
Elite Mook: Some of the mooks are of significantly higher rank than others. However, this doesn't make them any less susceptible to being effortlessly killed.
EMP: Askad uses this against Kary after he comes back as a robot in order to give his allies a fighting chance.
Face Heel Turn: By the end of the first mission, it is revealed that Kary has been working against the team for some time now, and she attacks them while they are returning to base.
Gatling Good: Omega uses a Gatling gun to battle against the Big Bad during the first mission.
- Later on, there are ball-like robots with gatling guns attached to them.
Genre Savvy: Xero expects the "final boss" to be a challenge.
Giant Mook: While battling an army of undead soldiers, Omega and Xero face what seem to be zombies that mutated into behemoths.
Goggles Do Nothing: Kary always has a pair of goggles resting on her head, but she never actually puts them on.
Gone Horribly Right: The whole team becomes (thanks to extensive cybernetic modification, prototype weaponry, and training) nigh-unkillable to their former employer and would-be master.
Gun Fu: Naturally, Omega displays his gun fu expertise all throughout the series.
Guns Akimbo: Once again, Omega sometimes enjoys having a firearm in each hand.
Heroic Sacrifice: When rendered inoperable during the first mission, Askad self-destructs in an attempt to clear the path.
- When battling the final antagonist, Askad comes back and self-destructs again to give Omega and Xero a chance against Kary.
Humanoid Abomination: XV usually takes on monstrous forms, but it sometimes morphs into deformed humanoids.
Humans Are Bastards: Kary was created solely to kill people from the day she was "born". Her power source can only function off of the bioelectricity she sucks up from those she kills. She notes this later on in the series.
Hyperspace Arsenal: Omega and Zero are equipped with this thanks to their employer's technology. It involves a satellite teleporting weapons and ammo to them on demand.
I Like Swords: One could infer that Xero feels this way, since he uses primarily bladed weapons.
Imagination Based Superpower: Kary can use the energy she collects however she wants. Though she mostly uses it in the form of projectiles or blades (or just converting living humans into raw energy.)
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Xero constantly argues with Omega, and swears at practically everything, but he would rush into the face of danger to save a companion without a second thought.
Jet Pack: Xero receives an upgrade that gives him rocket boots. Unfortunately, he isn't allowed to keep them.
Katanas Are Just Better: Xero uses katanas in the beginning of the series. Though his arsenal later on consists of more unique weapons.
Metal Slime: Full metal robots soon get sent to face against Omega and Xero. Though they only last a little longer than the humans.
Mooks: The guys constantly have wave after wave of nameless men thrown at them.
More Dakka: This was how Omega planned to destroy XV.
Nerd Glasses: Askad, the team Smart Guy/explosives guy always has his yellow glasses on.
Ninja: Xero is a dead ringer. He is built for speed and accuracy, teleports frequently, and has semi-traditional accessories.
One-Winged Angel: In an attempt to make sure Omega and Xero absolutely die, Kary puts on a power mask and turns into one of these.
Revolvers Are Just Better: When Omega's favorite handgun, Joy, is rendered unusable, he requests for its replacement to be built as a revolver.
Pistol Whipping: Occasionally, Omega has to give his trigger finger a rest, and go melee.
Psycho Rangers: When Omega and Xero are making their escape at a train station, they are pitted against robotic copies of themselves.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Ironic in that Omega(colored red) is the blue oni, and Xero(colored blue) is the red oni.
Retcon: Askad's original story, in which he was an explosives maniac who got betrayed by his allies, was changed to be more deep and meaning full.
- Though given the fact that his original character bio was "written" by the company he worked for, which was forcing him to work for it, and eventually had him killed, it could be that his original story was fabricated.
Ruleof Cool: Many of the weapons seem to be based around this.
Scarfof Asskicking: Xero usually sports one, barring Clothing Damage.
See You In Hell:
Xero: See you in hell..."
Omega: *chuckle* We'll all be waiting for you...
Shout Out: There is a multitude of shout outs that the animator added.
- Omega and Xero share a certain battle cry: "Heaven or Hell? Let's Rock!"
Swords Akimbo: With a sword in each hand, Xero can kill things with twice the efficiency.
Took a Level in Badass: During the first mission, Askad could be considered the weakest. But during the final fight, his robot form is able to fight on par with Kary.
Throwing Your Sword Always Works: During the later half of the first mission, Xero throws his BFS at an infected person(who was running away).
- During the final battle, Xero throws the pole he's been using as a blunt weapon at the giant, flaming monster clown that's made of energy.
Weak, but Skilled: Askad considerably weaker than the rest, but is especially intelligent, as well as having explosives knowledge. His robotic duplicate admits to being weaker than Kary, but has the ability to render her normal defenses useless, as well as being able to anticipate most of her movements.
What Could Have Been: In the extras of the final episode, Xionico includes the original version of Xionic 3, which was abandoned due to computer troubles.
With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Kary is the strongest of the four, but she needs to have regular check ups in order to keep her personality under control. So when Askad dies, him being the one who gives her the check ups, Kary ends up going insane.