History YMMV / MegaManZero

* ContinuityLockout: The four games are so continuity-heavy that they only really make sense story-wise when played in order back-to-back. Both [[CompilationRerelease re-releases]] thankfully make this a lot easier.

** Dr. Weil, even from the start, had pretty warped ideas of right and wrong, [[FantasticRacism blaming the entire Reploid race for the crimes of the Mavericks]] and intending to make a way to control them all. It's entirely possible all the suffering and destruction around him at the time (going through the main ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series alone: [[VideoGame/MegaManX1 the Maverick]] [[VideoGame/MegaManX2Wars]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX3 the fall of Dopple Town]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX4 the Sky Lagoon Disaster, Repliforce's rebellion, Sigma hijacking Final Weapon]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX5 a colony drop]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX6 the emergence of yet another strain of the Maverick Virus]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX7 the Red Alert rebellion]], ''and'' [[VideoGame/MegaManX8 a large-scale rebellion by the New Generation Reploids]], all in his lifetime) left him severely unhinged.

** Dr. Weil, even from the start, had pretty warped ideas of right and wrong, [[FantasticRacism blaming the entire Reploid race for the crimes of the Mavericks]] and intending to make a way to control them all. It's entirely possible all the suffering and destruction around him at the time (going through the main ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series alone: the Maverick Wars, [[VideoGame/MegaManX3 the fall of Dopple Town]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX4 the Sky Lagoon Disaster, Repliforce's rebellion, Sigma hijacking Final Weapon]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX5 a colony drop]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX6 the emergence of yet another strain of the Maverick Virus]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX7 the Red Alert rebellion]], ''and'' [[VideoGame/MegaManX8 a large-scale rebellion by the New Generation Reploids]], all in his lifetime) left him severely unhinged.

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: Remember our fellow heroic X who we have been fighting alongside for over 8 games to protect the world? He got the short end of the stick and disappears to the Zero seems the CreatorsPet something that Inafune often admitted.

* TrueArtIsAngsty: The ''Zero'' series is by far the darkest of the series, and yet it's often held up as some of the finest the franchise has ever offered in terms of writing and characters, with little of the {{Narm}} that made some of the attempts in the ''X'' series fall flat.

** Likewise, the fate of [[spoiler:X and the Four Guardians]] as of the end of ''Zero 3''. The former indicates he's just about out of [[LivingOnBorrowedTime time]] thanks to the destruction of his body in the previous game, complete with a final TakeUpMySword speech; [[spoiler:Phantom]] is hanging out in Cyberspace after [[spoiler:his TakingYouWithMe moment in ''Z1'', having learned the truth about Zero and [[DareToBeBadass daring him to confront his destiny]]]]; and WordOfGod originally stated (via the ''Complete Works'' book) that [[spoiler:the other three Guardians [[HeroicSacrifice died shielding Zero from Omega's explosion]]]]...only for Creator/IntiCreates president Takuya Aida to later revise that answer: their names were removed from Neo Arcadia's register in the aftermath of the game's events, meaning the public believes them to be deceased, but it's possible they're now fighting for humans somewhere outside of Neo Arcadia's surveillance. [[note]]This version of events actually matches [[https://web.archive.org/web/20130917225900/http://www.capcom-fc.com:80/staffroom/archives/2005/06/_4_1.php U-CAPCOM's response to a fan letter in 2005]] ([[https://kobun20.interordi.com/2013/02/10/fate-of-the-four-guardians/ translated here]]), wherein the dev team noted that the Guardians more or less ended up as [[SequelNonEntity Sequel Non-Entities]] but probably were off somewhere protecting mankind from Weil's oppressive regime.[[/note]] Furthermore, "Vile's Incident"[[labelnote:*]]a story featured with the ''Remastered Tracks Rockman Zero: Physis'' soundtrack that recaps the events of ''Z3'' and ''Z4'' and serves as a WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue two years after ''Z4''[[/labelnote]] contains an image of [[spoiler:X and the Four Guardians]] seemingly observing [[ColonyDrop the fall of Ragnarok]] during the final moments of ''Z4''. While confirmed to be little more than an EasterEgg on the part of series illustrator Toru Nakayama and thus difficult to fit into the timeline, this led to the widespread {{Fanon}} assumption that [[spoiler:the Guardians [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence became]] [[EnergyBeings Cyber-elves]] just like X and live on in Cyberspace along with him]].

* PolishedPort: The ''Zero'' series has the fortune of receiving two great ''[[CompilationRerelease Collections]]''.

** Harpuia's voice is provided by Creator/MegumiOgata, a woman. Plus his name is derived from the legend of the Harpy, half bird, half-''women''. It does not help that he's wearing the exact same clothes as Leviathan (the lone female Guardian) with a PaletteSwap (what appears to be a [[BareYourMidriff midriff-baring shirt]] and panties).

* CommonKnowledge: Zero's drastically different design (and by extension, everyone's designs in the series) is not supposed to be a literal, canonical redesign of his armor from the ''X'' series. Instead, it's merely a different depiction of the same character. The team wasn't satisfied with how Zero's usual design looked in Toru Nakayama's ''Zero'' art style, so they let him completely revamp it.

* CommonKnowledge: Zero's drastically different design (and by extension, everyone's designs in the series) is not supposed to be a literal, canonical redesign of his armor from the X series. Instead, it's merely a different depiction of the same character. The team wasn't satisfied with how Zero's usual design looked in Toru Nakayama's Zero art style, so they let him completely revamp it.

** "[[DarkMessiah WARE WA MESSIAH NARI!!]] [[EvilLaugh HAHAHAHA!!]]" [[labelnote:Translation]]"I will be the Messiah!! Hahahaha!"[[/labelnote]] [[labelnote:Explanation (Spoilers!)]]Said by Omega when confronting Zero after the latter [[TomatoInTheMirror learns]] [[spoiler:his body is a copy of the original, which is currently possessed by Omega]]. [[EvilIsHammy The delivery of the line]] (courtesy of Creator/JunichiSuwabe) with the dramatic music is what sells it.[[/labelnote]]

** Another just as plausible interpretation for the above is that Copy X's programming ''was'' left intact...or at least [[CameBackWrong as intact as could be]]. Depending on how one views [[{{Necromancer}} Weil's expertise in DNA resurrection]], Copy X MK-II isn't so much the "real deal" as he is ''a copy of a copy'', meaning his data very well [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_loss could have degraded,]] leading to him being even more unstable than the Copy X of the first game. And considering ''that'' Copy X was already a naive PsychopathicManchild, it wouldn't be out of the question to say Weil deliberately chose to revive Copy X for this reason, knowing it'd make it even easier for him to play the EvilChancellor to a PuppetKing (with [[spoiler:the booby trap]] simply being extra insurance).

* CompleteMonster: [[Characters/MegaManZeroWeil Dr. Weil]], [[NamesToRunAwayFrom Dr. Vile]] in Japan, only appears in a few games, yet is notable for being one of the evilest characters in the entire franchise. Following the peaceful resolution of the Maverick Wars by the sapient super program, the Mother Elf, Weil decided that Reploids needed to pay for their crimes. Weil corrupted the Mother Elf and her children, triggering the Elf Wars, which resulted in the deaths of 90% of all Reploids and 60% of all humanity. Defeated, exiled, and transferred into an immortal mechanical body for his crimes, [[FateWorseThanDeath for no execution would sufficiently pay for the suffering Weil had caused]], Weil eventually returned 100 years later, consumed with a thirst for vengeance directed at all life for the perceived crimes against him. Weaseling his way into becoming the supreme ruler of Neo Arcadia, Weil turns it into a [[DystopiaJustifiesTheMeans dystopian hellhole]]. When he [[CrushingThePopulace breaks his citizens]] to the point where they're desperate enough to risk escaping into the wastelands to form their own colony, Weil decides to obliterate their new home with a KillSat called Ragnarok. When Ragnarok is disabled, Weil attempts to [[ColonyDrop drop it upon the colony]] so he can kill everyone in the region. Even death doesn't erase Weil's blight, as his spirit lives on in [[VideoGame/MegaManZX Model W]], manipulating both Serpent and Master Albert into subsequent campaigns of Armageddon.

* EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame: Some fans are taken aback by how NintendoHard it is, even by Franchise/MegaMan standards, but this series is generally considered to have the best story in the franchise. Luckily, the {{Compilation Rerelease}}s have the Casual Scenario mode which eliminates the difficulty altogether for those who just want to enjoy the story.

** Likewise, the fate of [[spoiler:X and the Four Guardians]] as of the end of ''Zero 3''. The former indicates he's just about out of [[LivingOnBorrowedTime time]] thanks to the destruction of his body in the previous game, complete with a final TakeUpMySword speech; [[spoiler:Phantom is hanging out in Cyberspace after his TakingYouWithMe moment in ''Z1'', having learned the truth about Zero and [[DareToBeBadass daring him to confront his destiny]]]]; and WordOfGod originally stated (via the ''Complete Works'' book) that [[spoiler:the other three Guardians [[HeroicSacrifice died shielding Zero from Omega's explosion]]]]...only for Creator/IntiCreates president Takuya Aida to later revise that answer: their names were removed from Neo Arcadia's register in the aftermath of the game's events, meaning the public believes them to be deceased, but it's possible they're now fighting for humans somewhere outside of Neo Arcadia's surveillance. [[note]]This version of events actually matches [[https://web.archive.org/web/20130917225900/http://www.capcom-fc.com:80/staffroom/archives/2005/06/_4_1.php U-CAPCOM's response to a fan letter in 2005]] ([[https://kobun20.interordi.com/2013/02/10/fate-of-the-four-guardians/ translated here]]), wherein the dev team noted that the Guardians more or less ended up as [[SequelNonEntity Sequel Non-Entities]] but probably were off somewhere protecting mankind from Weil's oppressive regime.[[/note]] Furthermore, "Vile's Incident"[[labelnote:*]]a story featured with the ''Remastered Tracks Rockman Zero: Physis'' soundtrack that recaps the events of ''Z3'' and ''Z4'' and serves as a WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue two years after ''Z4''[[/labelnote]] contains an image of [[spoiler:X and the Four Guardians]] seemingly observing [[ColonyDrop the fall of Ragnarok]] during ''Z4's'' endgame. While confirmed to be little more than an EasterEgg on the part of series illustrator Toru Nakayama and thus difficult to fit into the timeline, this led to the widespread {{Fanon}} assumption that [[spoiler:the Guardians [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence became]] [[EnergyBeings Cyber-elves]] just like X and live on in Cyberspace along with him]].

** The ''Zero/ZX Legacy Collection'' has almost all the same features as the aforementioned ''Zero Collection''. The lower screen artwork has been reworked into a dedicated Gallery menu. A new Save Assist system is introduced, removing the tedium of losing lives. The ''Legacy Collection'' also features original music and remixes of the most iconic tracks of the series ([[https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2008335805 with the PC version, allowing you to play the game with the Remastered and Mythos Versions, thanks to it gaining a small modding scene]]), as well as a speedrun mini-game in the form of Z-Chaser. Finally, you can switch between the Japanese and Western versions of the games as you like.

** Dr. Weil, even from the start, had pretty warped ideas of right and wrong, [[FantasticRacism blaming the entire Reploid race for the crimes of the Mavericks]] and intending to make a way to control them all. It's entirely possible all the suffering and destruction around him at the time (going through the main ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series alone: the Maverick Wars, [[VideoGame/MegaManX3 the fall of Dopple Town]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX4 the Sky Lagoon Disaster, Repliforce's rebellion, Sigma hijacking Final Weapon,]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX5 a colony drop]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX6 the emergence of yet another strain of the Maverick Virus]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX7 the Red Alert rebellion]], ''and'' [[VideoGame/MegaManX8 a large-scale rebellion by the New Generation Reploids]], all in his lifetime) left him severely unhinged.

** Dr. Weil, even from the start, had pretty warped ideas of right and wrong, [[FantasticRacism blaming the entire Reploid race for the crimes of the Mavericks]] and intending to make a way to control them all. It's entirely possible all the suffering and destruction around him at the time (going through the main ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series alone: the Maverick Wars, [[VideoGame/MegaManX3 the fall of Dopple Town]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX4 the Sky Lagoon Disaster, Repliforce's rebellion]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX5 a colony drop]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX6 the emergence of yet another strain of the Maverick Virus]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX7 the Red Alert rebellion]], ''and'' [[VideoGame/MegaManX8 a large-scale rebellion by the New Generation Reploids]], all in his lifetime) left him severely unhinged.

** The ''Zero/ZX Legacy Collection'' has almost all the same features as the aforementioned ''Zero Collection''. The lower screen artwork has been reworked into a dedicated Gallery menu. A new Save Assist system is introduced, removing the tedium of losing lives. The ''Legacy Collection'' also features original music and remixes of the most iconic tracks of the series ([[https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2008335805 with the PC version, allowing you to play the game with the Remastered and Mythos Versions gaining a small modding scene]]), as well as a speedrun mini-game in the form of Z-Chaser. Finally, you can switch between the Japanese and Western versions of the games as you like.

** The ''Zero/ZX Legacy Collection'' has almost all the same features as the aforementioned ''Zero Collection''. The lower screen artwork has been reworked into a dedicated Gallery menu. A new Save Assist system is introduced, removing the tedium of losing lives. The ''Legacy Collection'' also features original music and remixes of the most iconic tracks of the series (with the PC version gaining a small modding scene), as well as a speedrun mini-game in the form of Z-Chaser. Finally, you can switch between the Japanese and Western versions of the games as you like.

* HarsherInHindsight:
** The antagonists of the first three games in this series all have the Greek letter Omega [[BroughtToYouByTheLetterS as their symbol]]. Sure, most of them are {{Knight Templar}}s, but they still [[WellIntentionedExtremist mean well]], fighting for the sake of humanity. But later we're introduced to an actual character named Omega, who is everything that the antagonists (except one) ever stood against.
** In ''VideoGame/MegaManX2'', Zero, freshly BackFromTheDead, ''very easily'' destroys a weak clone of himself that the BigBad made. Cue the third game, where [[spoiler:Omega is the original body of Zero, while ''TheHero'' is the clone]].
** During the ''Alouette's Good Day'' audio drama, Rouge and Joan starting going at each other over the names they've chosen for the two baby elves. It's mostly meant to be funny, but during the discussion Joan points out that Rouge's simulation for Operation Righteous Strike would fall apart under even minimal scrutiny. Joan is proven tragically correct halfway into ''2'' where the entire operation gets every participant besides Elpizo killed, and [[TheParagonAlwaysRebels reduces Elpizo to]] [[LaughingMad something much worse]].
** In ''VideoGame/MegaMan7'', Mega Man gives serious thought to killing Dr. Wily (and, [[AmericanKirbyIsHardcore in the American version]], actually tries to go through with it), but is unable to [[ThreeLawsCompliant due to his programming]] before deciding to settle for simply capturing him again in later games. Likewise, Dr. Light's fear of X breaking the First Law of Robotics was why X was sealed before ''VideoGame/MegaManX1''. While ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'' reveals that Sigma's ego played a part in the events leading to his corruption and resulting wars, this series shows that Dr. Light was misguided: the first rule is important, but people like Dr. Weil or Dr. Wily just don't deserve that kind of protection--the robot hero killing the human villain is what finally ended the fighting here, and would've ended it 200 years sooner, but without the massive death and destruction from the Maverick Wars.

* ToughActToFollow: Not the games, but the music. The [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Classic]] and ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX X]]'' series became so remembered by their SugarWiki/{{awesome music}} that the music of the first game was perceived as forgettable because it could not measure up to those of the other series. The sequels sought to have better music and are generally agreed to have succeeded in that endeavor, especially by the time of ''Z3'' and ''Z4''.

* RonTheDeathEater: A rare example ''by the creator himself''. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Originally]], X himself [[RogueProtagonist was to become]] a tyrannical KnightTemplar dictator rather than just a clone of him, but ExecutiveMeddling prevented this at the last second, as Creator/{{Capcom}} thought it was too dark. Although Creator/KeijiInafune likely had a reason for X becoming bad, we can at least see the potential of it from the backstory for this game.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: One of the biggest criticisms of parts of the series, particularly with ''Zero 3'', is its strict adherence to sticking certain unlocks and the EX Skills behind an A rank or higher, which required mastery of the stage, no deaths and not using any Cyber-Elves, among other caveats. The ''Zero/ZX Legacy Collection'' adds Save Assist Mode, which creates extra checkpoints that work a lot like save states; if you die after triggering one, you're sent back to the last with full health but none of the damage afterwards counted against your rank. This effectively gives players infinite tries and eases the stress off of ranking scores significantly, though it does come with the issue that unskippable cutscenes ''will'' repeat each time as well.

* EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame: Some fans are taken aback by how NintendoHard it is, but this series has generally considered to have the best story in the franchise. Luckily, the ''Zero/ZX Legacy Collection'' has the Casual Scenario mode which eliminates the difficulty altogether for those who just want to enjoy the story.

* CompleteMonster: [[Characters/MegaManZeroWeil Dr. Weil]], known in Japan as [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Dr. Vile]], is notable for being one of the most evil beings in the entire franchise. Following the peaceful resolution of the Maverick Wars by the sapient super-program, the Mother Elf, Weil decided that Reploids needed to pay for their crimes. To this end, Weil corrupted Mother Elf by turning her into the Dark Elf, and triggered the Elf Wars. Weil used the Dark Elf and her children, the Baby Elves, to control Reploids and force them to fight each other in massive battles, which resulted in the deaths of 90% of all Reploids and 60% of all humans. Defeated, exiled and transferred into a mechanical body for his crimes, Weil eventually returned a hundred years later, consumed with a thirst for vengeance directed at all life for the perceived crimes against him. Weaseling his way into becoming the supreme ruler of Neo Arcadia, Weil turns it into a [[DystopiaJustifiesTheMeans dystopian hellhole]]. When he breaks his citizens to the point where they're desperate enough to risk escaping into the wastelands to form their own colony, Weil decides to obliterate their new home with a KillSat. When his KillSat is disabled, Weil attempts to [[ColonyDrop drop it upon the colony]], killing everyone in the region. Cruel, megalomaniacal and displaying an unprecedented level of sadism in the series, Weil reveled in the suffering of others and desired nothing less than to make human and Reploid alike feel like their existences were living deaths.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Dr. Weil]], known in Japan as [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Dr. Vile]], is notable for being one of the most evil beings in the entire franchise. Following the peaceful resolution of the Maverick Wars by the sapient super-program, the Mother Elf, Weil decided that Reploids needed to pay for their crimes. To this end, Weil corrupted Mother Elf by turning her into the Dark Elf, and triggered the Elf Wars. Weil used the Dark Elf and her children, the Baby Elves, to control Reploids and force them to fight each other in massive battles, which resulted in the deaths of 90% of all Reploids and 60% of all humans. Defeated, exiled and transferred into a mechanical body for his crimes, Weil eventually returned a hundred years later, consumed with a thirst for vengeance directed at all life for the perceived crimes against him. Weaseling his way into becoming the supreme ruler of Neo Arcadia, Weil turns it into a [[DystopiaJustifiesTheMeans dystopian hellhole]]. When he breaks his citizens to the point where they're desperate enough to risk escaping into the wastelands to form their own colony, Weil decides to obliterate their new home with a KillSat. When his KillSat is disabled, Weil attempts to [[ColonyDrop drop it upon the colony]], killing everyone in the region. Cruel, megalomaniacal and displaying an unprecedented level of sadism in the series, Weil reveled in the suffering of others and desired nothing less than to make human and Reploid alike feel like their existences were living deaths.

** Cubit Foxtar is based on a [[AsianFoxSpirit kitsune]], which can change genders, hence his androgynous appearance. Curiously, he is portrayed as a female in the original Japanese games.

** Cubit Foxtar is based on a {{Kitsune}}, which can change genders, hence his androgynous appearance. Curiously, he is portrayed as a female in the original Japanese games.

** Another point for Weil is that the ColonyDrop he was planning might be the only means he believes he has left to [[DeathSeeker to finally die]], and his VillainBall during the final act of the game is actually goading Zero into finishing him off.