| 1 | [[center:[[WMG: [-'''''VideoGame/MegaManX ''''' | [[Characters/MegaManX Main Character Index]]\ |
| 2 | '''Heroes''' | [[Characters/MegaManXVillains Villains]] | [[Characters/MegaManXMaverickBosses Maverick Bosses]] | [[Characters/MegaManXSupportingCast Supporting Cast]] | ''[[Characters/MegaManXCommandMission Command Mission]]'' ]]]]-] |
| 3 | ---- |
| 4 | The three main playable characters of the X series: X, Zero, and Axl. |
| 5 | ---- |
| 6 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 7 | |
| 8 | [[folder:Mega Man X]] |
| 9 | !!Mega Man X (Rockman X) |
| 10 | !!!'''Voiced by''': Creator/MegumiOgata (''X1'', "Hadoken" clip), Creator/MichaelDonovan (EN, animated series) Creator/KentaroIto (JP, ''X4''), Ruth Shiraishi (EN, ''X4''), Creator/ShowtaroMorikubo (JP, ''X5''-''X7''), Peter von Gomm (EN, ''X7''), Creator/TakahiroSakurai (JP, ''X8'', ''Command Mission'', ''Maverick Hunter X'', ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'', ''VideoGame/{{Teppen|2019}}'', ''[=DiVE=]''), Creator/MarkGatha (EN, ''X8'', ''Command Mission'', ''Maverick Hunter X''), Creator/TedSroka (EN, ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'', ''VideoGame/{{Teppen|2019}}'') |
| 11 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mega_man_x_transparent_small.png]] |
| 12 | [[caption-width-right:250:[[Music/{{DMX}} X gonna give it to ya!]] ]] |
| 13 | [[caption-width-right:250:[-Click [[labelnote:here]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/megamanmmxcm.jpg[[/labelnote]] to see Command Mission X.]]-] |
| 14 | |
| 15 | The first of a new breed of robot with the ability to think and feel, [[InSeriesNickname X]] was the last creation of [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Dr. Thomas Light]]. Of course, Light had experience with about ten or so doomsday scenarios courtesy of one Albert Wily, and decided to give X a HyperspaceArsenal and an endless array of power ups in the expectation that, come the next one, X would become the world's new champion. In spite of his own pacifistic leanings, X did just that.\ |
| 16 | Throughout his many battles against Sigma and several other opposing Reploid organizations and individuals, X is always plagued by the many lives he has take to bring peace to the world and is no stranger to doubting if his actions are righteous. Though he may retire from the frontlines if he feels he is not achieving piece, he can always be counted to return to the fray if there's no other option. |
| 17 | ---- |
| 18 | * TenMinuteRetirement: In ''X7''. Of course, diplomacy never works in an action series, so he came back. |
| 19 | * EleventhHourSuperpower: |
| 20 | ** In the second Vile battle in the first game, after Zero's HeroicSacrifice to destroy Vile's [[MiniMecha Ride Armor]], all of X's energy is restored for some reason, ready to fight Vile on equal footing now. This was even lampshaded: |
| 21 | -->'''Vile''': "What the--? Where did that energy come from?!" |
| 22 | ** In the ''Day of Sigma'' {{O|riginal VideoAnimation}}VA, something similar happens, only X's attack looks suspiciously like the [[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam Shining Finger]]. |
| 23 | * TwentyFourHourArmor: More specifically his helmet. X is the ''only'' Mega Man not shown to have some kind of synthetic/artificial hair in the main titles, and one of the few who does not take off his helmet when the smoke goes down at the end of the adventure; this has led many to believe that X does not have hair, just a metal plate like ''Franchise/{{Robocop}}'' without his helmet. |
| 24 | ** In the manga ''Rockman X4'' in the few last pages near the end of the manga, it hints that X may actually have hair. |
| 25 | ** If you count them, X is shown to have hair in ''ComicBook/NovasAventurasDeMegaman'' and ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImlfK-1PeAI&t=1m Rockman X]] [[EdutainmentGame Math Tornado]]''. |
| 26 | * AbortedArc: In ''X4'', X worries about becoming a Maverick after fighting Colonel, and asks Zero to MercyKill him if it had come to that. This angle was never explored any further, and by the time of the ''Zero'' series, the one who was JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope was his copy. It ''was'' the intention, but ExecutiveMeddling changed this, resulting in the creation of Copy X. |
| 27 | * AdaptationalBackstoryChange: In the original ''X1'' story, he joins forces with the Maverick Hunters for the first time once Sigma's rebellion begins. The ''Maverick Hunter X'' reboot has him as a B-Class Hunter already by the beginning of the story, giving him more time to form relationships with Zero, Sigma, and Vile. |
| 28 | * AdaptiveAbility: This is the true reason behind his "limitless potential." He has the ability to learn and grow stronger according to his experience. |
| 29 | * TheAestheticsOfTechnology: Played with. He has a simpler-looking design than most bosses, but he is literally described as having unlimited potential, and throughout his series, developed abilities that were previously seen after he picked up armor parts or health upgrades; it's like the concept of Weapon Copy was taken to its logical conclusion and turned into an Ability Copy. Justified, he's a SuperPrototype. |
| 30 | * AIIsACrapshoot: Defied. Being a robot with 100% free will, Dr. Light makes sure that this trope doesn't happen by sealing him in a 30-year morality testing to ensure that he would do the right thing. Too bad the process to replicate X ''en masse'' skipped out on that part. |
| 31 | * AllThereInTheManual: According to the ''Rockman Zero Collection'' website, Dr. Light developed a perfect virus-countermeasure within him, in response to a virus of extraterrestrial origin (implied to be the Evil Energy from ''VideoGame/MegaMan8'') that caused all robots to go berserk. |
| 32 | * AlmightyJanitor: He's a B-Rank Maverick Hunter for most of the series because of his adherence to non-violence, despite stopping Sigma and saving the world multiple times. He eventually gets promoted to S-Rank, some time before ''Command Mission''. |
| 33 | * AmbiguousSituation: Whether or not X can be considered a reploid. The term means "Replicated Android" and various media describes the first reploid as something Dr. Cain created after studying Dr. Light's notes and reverse-engineering X. However, X constantly refers to himself as a reploid, and various pieces of media have indicated that in-universe, X's status as the template of reploidkind, or indeed, that there even ''was'' a template android in the first place is not common knowledge if not outright a state secret, going so far as to establish that as far as the public knows, the "replicated" part of "replicated android" refers to their human-like characteristics. |
| 34 | * AncestralWeapon: His X-Buster has gone through 16 previous iterations during its life as the Mega Buster, and its latest version is at least a hundred years old. |
| 35 | * AsskickingPose: He always does this after he teleports into a stage. |
| 36 | * ArmCannon: The X-Buster, aka the Mega Buster Mark 17. |
| 37 | * BadassBoast: |
| 38 | ** To Sigma, at the end of ''X6''. |
| 39 | -->'''X:''' I have to work for the reconstruction of the world... I have no time to waste on you. If you show up, I'll defeat you. |
| 40 | ** Has a nice one in ''X8'' to Vile. |
| 41 | -->'''X:''' As long as I'm standing, there's hope. I'll defeat both you and Sigma. |
| 42 | ** And an incredible one in ''Maverick Hunter X'', also to Sigma. |
| 43 | -->'''X:''' I'll finish this. Right here, right now! '''[[UnstoppableRage I WILL DEFEAT YOU, SIGMA!]]''' |
| 44 | * BagOfSpilling: Unsurprising for the series, but it doesn't seem to be for lack of trying: he keeps his dash ability permanently after the first game, and both ''X5'' and ''X6'' feature watered-down versions of the previous entry's powerups, with the implication that battle damage has detracted from their effectiveness. ''X7'' and ''X8'' also see X respectively regaining the air-dash and super charge shots, which were once armor exclusive powers, for his base form. |
| 45 | * BattleAura: His S-Class Hunter variant in ''[=DiVE=]'' has a constant golden aura. |
| 46 | * BeingGoodSucks: It's kind of his shtick. "How long must this war go on?" is a ''constant'' question he asks throughout the series. Him taking a break in ''X7'' only makes sense, considering the fact that he'd just lost (''X5'') and gotten back (''X6'') his best friend for the second time over the course of the last two games and seen nothing change for the better in comparison to the start of the series. However, that aside, he does continue to fight even after being disembodied in the ''Zero'' series, and [[Creator/KeijiInafune Inafune]]'s original plan for that was X hitting the DespairEventHorizon and reacting '''not''' by quitting on the fight altogether, but via FaceHeelTurn. |
| 47 | * BewareTheNiceOnes: The final boss of ''Maverick Hunter X'' shows that X can be downright terrifying when he gets mad. X's enemies tend to forget that he's a Maverick Hunter that's defeated countless opponents, and saved the world multiple times. |
| 48 | * BigLittleBrother: Can be considered this to his direct predecessor and Dr. Light's other "son", the [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic original Mega Man,]] given that the latter was built to resemble a child while X is taller and has the general appearance of a young adult. |
| 49 | * BigNo: Near the end of ''The Day of Sigma'' OVA in ''Maverick Hunter X'' as he could only watch Sigma launch missiles upon Abel City. |
| 50 | * BlackBox: His design and mechanisms are so hard to understand and looks complex even by the future's standards (i.e when they found him a century after his sealing). Dr. Cain notes that he couldn't replicate X completely due to this (that, and he was actually an archeobotanist). Only in the ''Zero'' series does someone manage to create the closest thing to a "perfect" copy of X, and even then it still has its flaws -- [[AIIsACrapshoot Dr. Light put X in a 30-year ethical testing for a reason]]. |
| 51 | * BlueIsHeroic: The Blue Bomber's next incarnation, pretty much. |
| 52 | * BoringButPractical: X as a whole can be taken as an example of this compared to the Reploids based on his design. He isn't as flashy or as [[MinMaxing Min-Max'd]] for combat as some of the later Reploids would become, but there's a reason why he is the the star hunter of his organization. His X-Buster is great for all combat situations, and his variable weapon system allows him to adapt to whatever the situation calls for. His ability to be upgraded with armor also allows him to keep up with later generation Reploids with upgraded designs. Even when presented with what could, for all intents and purposes, be considered a direct upgrade of his original design, X is still able to take them down due to his years of experience as a Maverick Hunter. |
| 53 | * BroughtToYouByTheLetterS: |
| 54 | ** Only in ''X8'', but there's an X on the sides of his helmet. |
| 55 | ** The new basic armor he sports in ''Command Mission'' has a white X on the chest. |
| 56 | ** His [=DiVE=] Armor variant in ''VideoGame/MegaManXDive'' projects holographic wings from his back forming an X. Taken even further with the ''Next'' [=DiVE=] armor, which projects ''two'' X-shaped wings. |
| 57 | * CallForward: Zero's ''X7'' ending. "[[HeWhoFightsMonsters Eliminate the Mavericks]]. [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment The Mavericks... eliminate...]]" Depressingly, this game marks the one time we see X actually try to escape his fate, so it packs a punch even though the writers botched it. |
| 58 | * CallingYourAttacks: In later games, and the remake of the first. |
| 59 | * TheCameo: |
| 60 | ** Appears briefly in Zero's ''Tatsunoko vs. Capcom'' ending. |
| 61 | ** He and the other Mega Men ([[VideoGame/MegaManLegends Volnutt]], [[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork EXE]], and [[VideoGame/MegaManStarForce Geo]]) come to aid the classic Mega Man in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' during his Final Smash. X also appears as a collectable trophy, and his armor is DLC that can be worn by Mii Gunners. |
| 62 | * CarFu: |
| 63 | ** In the opening of ''X2'', he jumps out from his speeding Ride Chaser, which then hits the Mechaniloid guarding the facility he's trying to infiltrate. |
| 64 | ** Can be done in-game as well, in Overdrive Ostrich's stage, as well as in ''X4'' and ''X5''. |
| 65 | * CharacterDevelopment: Subverted; his fall from the spotlight coincided exactly with the series' increased focus on characterization. It is only heavily displayed in the end of X5, X6, and through X8 do we see true examples of growth upon X's part beyond that point.[[note]]In taking up Zero's saber and leading the Hunters, telling off the revived Sigma as a minor nuisance in the face of more important tasks, and being an overall capable and determined leader of the S-Class Hunters throughout X8[[/note]] However, ''The Day of Sigma'' and ''Maverick Hunter X'' do cover his journey from WideEyedIdealist to MartialPacifist, and it's generally assumed that [[WhatCouldHaveBeen the scrapped remakes of X2 and X3]] would have followed up on this. |
| 66 | * CharacterTics: His "armor up" gesture (crossing his arms over his face and throwing them back), which he performs when warping in with armor equipped, when receiving capsule upgrades in ''Maverick Hunter X'', and any time he appears as a boss. [[VideoGame/MegaManZero Copy X]], his [[EvilKnockoff evil duplicate]] in the ''Zero'' series, seems to have inherited this gesture, performing it when equipping his Ultimate Armor. |
| 67 | * CharacterTitle: While he's no longer referred to in-universe as "Mega Man," the series is still named after X. |
| 68 | * ChargedAttack: One of his main features. Unlike his predecessor, X can also charge up his special weapons and fire an additional charged shot. |
| 69 | * ClassicalAntiHero: In the first game, where he has to shoulder the burden of being humanity's next champion, despite not being as powerful as Zero or their enemies. |
| 70 | * ClearMyName: The plot in ''X6'' starts with a PaletteSwap of Zero, called the Zero Nightmare, wreaking havoc. X decides to investigate the Zero Nightmare to clear Zero's name. For some reason, this is not part of the plot entirely, since defeating the Zero Nightmare is optional. And guess what? A SecretCharacter (not that Capcom was fooling anyone) will be unlocked upon defeating it. |
| 71 | * ClimaxBoss: In ''X5'' during the Zero Virus stage, he'll do ''anything'' to prevent his friend from going Maverick. Including ''fighting him''. |
| 72 | * ColorCodedCharacters: Blue, of course. |
| 73 | * CrossdressingVoices: |
| 74 | ** Hardly noticeable in ''X1'', since all he actually says is "Hadoken!" but only if he obtains it. |
| 75 | ** In ''X4'', actually having the same voice actress as the original Mega Man in ''VideoGame/MegaMan8''. |
| 76 | ** This trend continued on the Website/YouTube channel of Lucas Gilbertson (Zero). Here, X is voiced by Creator/CarolAnneDay. |
| 77 | * CutscenePowerToTheMax: The ''X3'' opening is entirely made of this trope. Blowing away two Bee Bladers in one shot? Dropping Launch Octopus's irritating mini-boss on him, destroying both? Switching between the armor sets of the first two games at will while fighting Sigma? Awesome. |
| 78 | * CynicIdealistDuo: He's the Idealist to Zero's cynic. The world isn't as rosy as X would like it to be, prompting Zero to warn him about being too trusting and naive. |
| 79 | * {{Deconstruction}}: In a sense, of the [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic original incarnation]]. That Mega Man was ThreeLawsCompliant, unable to actually harm Wily canonically despite actually being able to feel genuine rage and frustration at him, yet was always TheParagon that had a heart of gold and a spirit of justice that would always charge into the fray to stop Wily while being willing to always lend a hand to those that would befriend him. X is fully sentient and able to make his own decisions, intentionally holding himself back out of fear of collateral or getting others hurt as a ReluctantWarrior, but unlike his predecessor, the Maverick Wars and the constant cycle of war and death are far, ''far'' worse and genuinely wear away at X's psyche and morality. By the time this war [[VideoGame/MegaManZero and the one that followed some time after]] are over, it's implied that X was so exhausted and tired of endless conflict that he'd lost that "spirit" and simply [[ItGetsEasier stopped caring about the Mavericks he retired.]] |
| 80 | * DependingOnTheWriter: The horribly self-pitying loser of ''X7'' and the half-crazed macho warrior of ''Command Mission'' are the farthest extremes, but how willing he is to fight varies wildly from game to game. It generally remains constant within any given game; ''Maverick Hunter X'' is the exception that proves the rule, as his CharacterDevelopment actually matters for once. [[SpotlightStealingSquad Zero]] being dead probably helped. |
| 81 | * DemotedToExtra: In ''X7'' where he isn't playable from the start as people would instead play as Axl. He's playable later in the game if you've rescued 65 reploids or defeated all 8 maverick bosses. |
| 82 | * DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: In the end of ''X6'', after taking down the resurrected Sigma, who can at best be described as a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot nightmarish, half-lobotomized, giant parasitic bimechanical robo-zombie]], X has some ''very'' choice words for him. |
| 83 | --> '''X''': The most important thing now is restoring the Earth. I don’t have time to deal with the likes of you. If you ever show up, I’ll defeat you again, simple as that. |
| 84 | * DoomedByCanon: Attempts to stop the fighting in ''X7''... which came out while the ''[[VideoGame/MegaManZero Zero]]'' series was in full swing. FailureIsTheOnlyOption. |
| 85 | * DualBoss: With Zero in the last level of ''Maverick Hunter X''[='s=] Vile Mode. Aside from attacking in tandem in general, they have one attack where Zero fires a slow energy projectile, then X [[CombinationAttack fires onto that projectile]] and it results in a burst of energy that spreads out like ''X3''[='s=] combined buster upgrade. [[KillOneOthersGetStronger And If you take Zero down, X will get angry and unleash stronger attacks]]. The same goes if X is defeated, but with Zero. |
| 86 | * DudeWheresMyRespect: Despite being the reason Reploids exist, and the one with the most potential power, X is a B-class Hunter for most of the series, though those who know him realize this is ''entirely'' because he holds back and is reluctant to fight. By ''X8'' and ''Command Mission'', he's a Special A class hunter, having apparently gotten over those hang-ups. |
| 87 | * DullSurprise: He does this in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umYHweaJHZg opening cut-scene]] to ''X8'', whether from shell-shock or bad animation. Facing down an army of shapeshifting Reploids (let alone them taking form of ''Sigmas'') should yield a stronger reaction than, "did I leave the oven on?" |
| 88 | * TheEgo: In relation to his teammates Zero and Axl. Is usually the one who has deep thoughts about most things happening around. But on the other side, he's a pacifist who's quite emotional, especially about fighting, and frequently thinks about all the enemies he fights. |
| 89 | * EvenTheLovingHeroHasHatedOnes: As deeply empathic as X is, he holds no love for Sigma and will never try to talk him down from his actions. |
| 90 | * EverythingsBetterWithSamurai: His [[http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s158/clarklana05/megamanxbladearmor.jpg?t=1241052973 Blade Armor]] from ''X6'' resembles a samurai armor. |
| 91 | * EvolvingWeapon: Once you get a buster upgrade, almost every Maverick weapon. (Well, sort of. The second version counts as a ChargedAttack.) |
| 92 | * FacePalmOfDoom: Gives Sigma one in ''The Day of Sigma'', [[ShoutOut mimicking the]] [[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam Shining Finger]], no less. |
| 93 | * TheFettered: He's averse to violence, to the point that he refuses to bend his morals if someone he cares for is in danger. |
| 94 | * FightingTheLancer: If you don't get to fight the X-Hunters (and thus, gaining Zero's parts) before the Sigma fortress stages are unlocked in ''X2'', you'll have X fighting Zero in one of the stages, although he was BrainwashedAndCrazy at the time. Played straighter in ''X5''; no matter which scenario you took, one will end up fighting the other in the third fortress stage. |
| 95 | * {{Flanderization}}: X goes from being a reluctant, yet willing fighter to becoming more whiny as the series goes on. This becomes prominent in ''X7'', where he pulls a TenMinuteRetirement, so you started playing a ''Mega Man X'' game without playing as him. In ''X8'', though, he gets back to shape. |
| 96 | * {{Foreshadowing}}: |
| 97 | ** In his ''X4'' ending, X asks Zero that if he (X) ever goes Maverick, Zero should be the one "to take care of him". Because of the ContinuitySnarl between the two series, it falls into {{Fauxshadow}}. |
| 98 | ** When combined with the ending of ''X3'' stating that X will have to destroy Zero to protect mankind (LostInTranslation notwithstanding), this at least foreshadows that the two of them will fight in ''X5''. |
| 99 | * ForgottenFallenFriend: PlayedForDrama in ''X5'''s bad ending, where X loses his memories of Zero after being repaired by Dr. Light. |
| 100 | * GameplayAndStorySegregation: |
| 101 | ** Despite starting each new game without his previous powers, a memorable boss fight in ''X5'' suggests at the very least that X can recover old Maverick weapons somehow. There is, however, a leading theory that X doesn't ''want'' to have all that power, so he voluntarily gets rid of his weapons at the end of each game. |
| 102 | ** In Vile Mode and ''Day of Sigma'', his Charge Shot was shown to be extremely powerful, the former instance resulting in Vile getting critically wounded and also receiving a ''gaping hole'' in his chest, and the latter being powerful enough to knock down and temporarily knock out a renegade Maverick. In gameplay, although the Charge Shot is definitely more powerful than regular buster shots, it definitely isn't as strong as those cutscenes imply. |
| 103 | * GoldenSuperMode: His hidden Golden Armor power-up in ''X3''. |
| 104 | * GoneHorriblyRight: X was put through extensive morality testing (he was intended to be put through 30 years of morality training, but ended up with ''100 years''), and thus he's the only reploid who is fully immune to the Sigma Virus in addition to being one of the nicest people around. However, also because of his morality testing, he constantly doubts himself when it comes to having to fight (as compared to his closest peer, Zero, who just gets the job done with few complaints). |
| 105 | * GoodIsNotDumb: X, a ReluctantWarrior who lives in an increasingly CrapsackWorld infested with TheVirus, capable of turning even his best friend against him. Often referred to as 'too trusting' in-universe and 'emo' outside of it because he doesn't like killing people. He's also an [[SealedGoodInACan century-old creation]] [[SuperPrototype with an arsenal of]] [[OneManArmy limitless potential]] with lots of combat experience and what he can't handle, his aforementioned best friend will. He also ends up ruling the world, basically because he's the only person that could manage it. |
| 106 | * GratuitousEnglish: Applied to CallingYourAttacks above, with... interesting results. Generally better in ''X8, Maverick Hunter X'', and ''Command Mission''. |
| 107 | * GunsAkimbo: |
| 108 | ** ''X2'' and ''X3'' upgrades. By charging up enough, he fires a blast from one arm, then the other. |
| 109 | ** The ''Command Mission'' version of the Ultimate Armor has {{BFG}} akimbo! |
| 110 | * HealingFactor: X gets one in the third game, with either the enhanced helmet parts or the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Golden Armor]]. |
| 111 | * HeroicBSOD: He suffers a major one during Lumine's BreakingSpeech. It got so bad that Axl had to shoot Lumine with his gun and remind X that Lumine is their enemy to get him to at least put it aside long enough to manage to defeat Lumine. |
| 112 | * HeroicFatigue: A major part of his character. Even by the end of ''X1'' he's wondering when the fighting will stop, culminating in his TenMinuteRetirement in ''X7''. Even when he comes back to the front lines, his dialogue with his fellow Hunters and Maverick enemies shows that he's sick and tired of the conflict and wishes he could have some peaceful rest (something he only finds later in the ''Zero'' series). |
| 113 | * HeroicResolve: |
| 114 | ** In the fight against Vile in the first stage of Sigma's hideout in ''X1'', X loses the fight much like he did in the beginning of the game, left paralyzed and with little health. Zero makes a Heroic Sacrifice and destroys Vile's mobile suit with his remaining energy. Vile still thinks he has won, to which X breaks his bonds and restores his meter to full. |
| 115 | ** In the "Day of Sigma" animated prequel in the PSP remake Maverick Hunter X, [[BigBad Sigma]] stabs X through the gut with his beamsaber. After a brief {{Flashback}} of X swearing to Dr. Light that he will always fight for hope and justice, he comes back online and charges Sigma, digging his glowing hand into Sigma's face and giving Sigma his trademark eye scars before finally shutting down. |
| 116 | * HeterosexualLifePartners: With Zero. At one point in ''X5'', X claims Zero is not only his best friend, but his OnlyFriend. |
| 117 | * HunterOfHisOwnKind: A Reploid fighting against other evil Reploids. |
| 118 | * IAmNotLeftHanded: He taps into his unlimited potential out of sheer desperation in "The Day of Sigma". |
| 119 | * IconicItem: His X-Buster and his helmet. |
| 120 | * IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: In the infamous X vs. Zero battle in ''X5'', X tries to bring back the Maverick Zero to his, technically, "new self" (the "old self" is the Maverick Zero itself). |
| 121 | * TheImmune: Played with. Most Reploids will become the chaotic, rampaging Mavericks upon TheVirus's infection. But X, with his Suffering Circuit inside him, will instead get hurt upon infection, as the circuit's trying to prevent him from being rampaging and genocidal. |
| 122 | * InSeriesNickname: In the earlier games, other characters would call him anything from his full name ([[DubNameChange Rockman X, or Mega Man X]]) or even Mega Man, to just [[OneLetterName X]]. While he continues to be called Mega Man X or sometimes Mega Man in promotional materials, he is consistently called X in the games from ''X4'' onwards, creating a lot of confusion with people who thought Mega Man was just an ArtifactTitle. |
| 123 | * {{Infinite}}: X's most valuable trait, the one Sigma starts a war over in ''Maverick Hunter X,'' is his limitless capacity for growth. He has no limits, no set parameters, and no way of knowing just what he can become. His worrying more intensely and thinking more deeply than other Reploids from as early as the first game is a sign that his mind operates under this principle as well, but it manifests most clearly in gameplay. X seems to adapt the abilities of armors into his base form, such as the dash and stored charge shots, and across ''X1'' to ''X4'' he goes from dramatically inferior to Zero as a fighter to his equal, possibly even stronger than him. |
| 124 | * ItNeverGetsAnyEasier: X always feels grief and doubt about those who die in the Maverick Wars, even his own enemies, because he's at heart a MartialPacifist. It's even been argued that he deliberately does this so he always has sympathy for the enemy, because becoming callous is not the way to finding real peace. When he finally loses all sympathy centuries into the future, he retires. |
| 125 | * ItsPersonal: Sigma and Vile both hold this for X after he defeats them, creating series-long grudges, Vile at the end of ''X3'' vowing to haunt X till the day he dies. X on the other hand has a case for Sigma, in that he ''never'' debates or negotiates with Sigma; he'd sooner down the mad Reploid-turned-Virus yet again with his own two hands and move on than waste any more time or risk more innocent lives. ''Maverick Hunter X'' transforms this into a genuine burning '''[[UnstoppableRage fury]]''' after witnessing Zero's HeroicSacrifice, on top of Sigma having personally betrayed him previously to be able to nuke Abel City. |
| 126 | * JackOfAllStats: In ''X8'', relative to the other playable characters. He can be nudged towards different skill sets depending on which armor parts you go with. |
| 127 | * KnightKnaveAndSquire: Of the team of three that is him, Zero and Axl, he is the Knight. X is not only the main protagonist but also a warrior known for fighting for the sake of achieving peace in the world. Though not as optimistic as most examples: while he can be trusted to fight with no mercy when there are no other options left, he ends up feeling much grief for the many deaths in the Maverick Wars. |
| 128 | * KnightTemplar: Almost. X constantly straddles the line, being much more obsessed with achieving peace than his comrades Zero and Axl. He is willing to take down any Maverick in his path in order to achieve this dream, but his reinforced decision-making and true distaste for conflict limit him from ever going off the deep-end (though it is possible for him to take on Zero in ''X5'' because of these tendencies). His duplicate from the ''Zero'' series, on the other hand... |
| 129 | * LaserBlade: He can acquire Zero's saber in ''X3'' if Zero destroys a certain mini-boss in one of the fortress stages. Unlike his ''Street Fighter''-inspired secret moves, he can use the saber by charging his X-Buster all the way and he releases a beam when swung. He gets Zero's saber again in ''X6''; however, unlike Zero, he can only do a single slash, but with armor upgrades, its ability gets tweaked up. |
| 130 | * 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. |
| 131 | * LateCharacterSyndrome: Ironically despite his name as in the title, X isn't playable until about halfway in ''X7'' due to Axl being the one who you play as first. As a result it would be difficult to justify putting X in your party despite him being a Game Breaker because by then Axl and or Zero would receive half or more of the chip upgrades making X weaker in comparison even after getting the glide armor. But at the very least if you give him the remaining chip upgrades he can at least be able to fair much better towards the end. |
| 132 | * LegacyCharacter: Succeeds the [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic original Mega Man]] as the hero of this time period. |
| 133 | * LetsYouAndHimFight: An impending fight between him and Zero has been hinted upon ever since ''X2''. (Though in a non-canon process just before the final battle in that case.) It was again touched upon in ''X4'' before finally taking place in ''X5'', and by extension, ''X6''. |
| 134 | * LetXBeTheUnknown: Aside from being a BlackBox, his name represents limitless potential. It also carries connotations of danger, leading Light to apparently seal him because TheWorldIsNotReady. Then again, he might have been lying about the last part to spare X's feelings. |
| 135 | * LevelMapDisplay: In ''X3'', the head upgrade gives X access to a (very rudimentary) map of the level, dividing it into small sectors, and showcasing the special items of the level. |
| 136 | * LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards: X always starts out weaker than the other characters, but after collecting the game's armor upgrades he easily overpowers Zero and Axl. |
| 137 | * LongRangeFighter: Specializes in buster combat compared to Zero's sword-based gameplay. |
| 138 | * MagikarpPower: Really, X himself. No match for pretty much anything at the start of the first game, he is more or less a OneManArmy by the end. A more traditional example is Zero's saber in ''X6''. Oh, X can't wield it for crap (unlike in the third game, where it was ridiculously powerful and even useful at range in his hands), but the subsequently collected armors allow it to be used as a ChargedAttack, and [[EliteTweak a certain set of parts]] restore it to ridiculous levels of power. |
| 139 | * MagnumOpus: Of Dr. Light, who took great pride in creating a robot capable of making moral decisions for himself as well as complete independent human-like thinking to act for himself what he would choose to do within his implemented moral limits. Sadly, Dr. Light would not live long enough to see X completed as he wants, so he contained him in a capsule where X would undergo three decades of internal systems testing to make damn sure X wasn't going to be morally corrupt. |
| 140 | * MartialPacifist: X is a gentle-hearted soul by nature, the only character in the X setting who's naturally predisposed to deeper levels of introspection and compassion thanks to his century of stasis testing, and longs for the day that the Maverick Hunters are no longer needed. However, he knows full well, until that day comes, the Maverick Hunters are needed, and the Maverick Hunters need him. Make no mistake, if you bring X down on you, he will order once ''and '''only''' once'' that you ''stand down'' that your life may be spared. Refuse, and you've wrought the full fury of perhaps the most powerful being on Earth. |
| 141 | * MeaningfulName: X stands for an unknown variable (like in algebra) containing unlimited potential. This was elaborated upon in ''Maverick Hunter X'', where it is also mentioned that the letter "X" denotes danger, such as the tragic results that could occur if X was to violate the First Law of Robotics (cannot harm humans), hence his being kept in stasis before he could be safely released. |
| 142 | * MechanicalEvolution: He's apparently the key to this, as multiple in-game statements and the ''Day of Sigma'' origin short express. As he's forced to fight and evolve, all aspects of himself grow in turn. As such, in theory, the reploid race as a whole may be influenced or directed by his growth -- and Sigma is savvy enough to realize this, at least in the remake. |
| 143 | * MechanicallyUnusualFighter: From ''X4'' onward, X remains the only playable character who can get armor sets (and the resulting buffs and extra abilities) from Dr. Light's capsules, while Zero and Axl's alternate "[[PaletteSwap armors]]" are typically reserved as secret NewGamePlus content or only accessible via a cheat code (and even then X gets a secret Ultimate Armor alongside them.) |
| 144 | * MultiformBalance: The armors in ''X5''-''X6'', as well as Neutral Armor's upgrades in ''X8''. |
| 145 | ** ''X5'': All armors reduce damage taken by 50%. The Force/Fourth Armor has normal mobility, its charged shot being the multi-hitting Plasma Shot (but only on the first thing it hits), energy consumption for special weapons is reduced by 50% and is able to charge special weapons. The Falcon Armor has high mobility with its flight capability, it's invulnerable to collision damage and can hurt enemies by clashing at them while flying, its charge shot can pierce through walls but deals comparatively weak damage and has small hitbox, it cannot charge special weapons, and its Giga Attack is a full-screen blast that is good for clearing the screen. The Gaea Armor moves slowly, has a slow dash and cannot airdash, and it can't use special weapons, but it is invulnerable to spikes, will not slide down walls when wall-jumping, can push special blocks with his dash, and its Giga Attack is a short-ranged blast in front of X that causes massive damage to things in front of it, even bosses. His buster shot lacks range, but is very powerful, charges quickly, and can be used to dissipate other projectiles in its way and destroy special blocks. The Ultimate Armor is a more powerful version of the Force Armor in that its Plasma Shot will have effect on everything it blasts through and its Giga Attack, the Nova Strike, is not only useful for damaging but also moving around and avoiding damage, and its uses is unlimited (while the others' Giga Attack needs you to fill its gauge first). |
| 146 | ** ''X6'': All armors reduce damage taken by 50%. The Falcon Armor returns, but its capabilities are changed: It reduces weapon energy usage by 33%, it's no longer able to fly but instead has enhanced airdash with invulnerability, its charge shot is less powerful, but it now can charge special weapons. The Blade Armor can also reduce weapon energy usage by 33% and can charge special weapons, special weapons gauge is increased by 50%, it has longer 4-directional airdash with invulnerability on startup, and its Giga Attack is a SwordBeam that flies forward, dealing high damage to everything on its way. It has 2 charged shots: one that is the weaker version of the Plasma Shot above, and another that is an enhanced version of the Z-Saber swing that does more damage and has larger hitbox. The Shadow Armor cannot airdash or use special weapons, but it is invulnerable to spikes, lets him do a CeilingCling, an enhanced normal Z-Saber attack, and its Giga Attack is him doing a circular slash that causes 2 Sword Beams to encircle him for a short time, highly damaging everything in vicinity. Its normal shot is changed into him firing shurikens with randomized trajectory (like C-shot weapon in ''X5'') and its charged shot is a more powerful Z-Saber attack. The Ultimate Armor returns, and has the same capability. |
| 147 | ** ''X8'': The Neutral Armor is the same as X himself, [[MasterOfNone with no special capabilities.]] It then would become the basis for all his other armors. Icarus Armor (completed I-parts) is an armor system that focuses on attack power and aerial advantage capabilities. Hermes Armor (completed H-parts) is an Armor system that focuses on movement speed and mobility. The Ultimate Armor is similar to before, but it has some capabilities of both Hermes and Icarus armors, it can use both uncharged and charged special weapons infinitely, it's able to do a Shoryuken attack, and its Nova Strike is much more damaging (although isn't as spammy as before). |
| 148 | * MysteriousPast: In-Universe. Perhaps a major contributor to the ongoing case of UnderestimatingBadassery X is subjected to no matter how much time passes, is that nobody actually knows he's the first robot to truly replicate human-level free will, but rather the template the entire reploid race was built off of. The only two who are known to have this knowledge are Dr. Cain for obvious reasons, and Sigma himself -- and the former presumably took the secret to his grave while the latter was consumed by the Maverick Virus. Even after Zero's true nature is outed to the Maverick Hunters in the climax of ''X5'', X's origin is still one never disclosed to them. |
| 149 | * NeverBareheaded: In contrast to [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic his predecessor]], who frequently removes his helmet to reveal a head of synthetic hair, Mega Man X is never shown removing his own helmet, if indeed he even can. |
| 150 | * NiceGuy: As the ''Day of Sigma'' OVA and the series implies, X is a fairly caring, compassionate and kind-hearted individual, who takes the deaths of ''everyone'', Human or Reploid and even some of his Maverick foes, very personally. This wears on him over the course of the franchise, but he never quite gets broken of it. However, the moment you're a Maverick threat that needs to be taken down, he'll rarely hesitate - [[BerserkButton and god help you]] if you target his friends or intentionally incite mass genocide just to get at him and the Maverick Hunters. [[BewareTheNiceOnes He drops negotiations for immediately taking you down as soon as possible.]] |
| 151 | * {{Ninja}}: His Shadow Armor of ''X6'' is clearly modeled after one, with his buster shooting shurikens, being able to CeilingCling and provides immunity to [[SpikesOfDoom spikes]] like the Gaea Armor before it. |
| 152 | * OddFriendship: A pacifist becoming best friends with no-nonsense warrior? Not to mention that they're destined to fight each other... |
| 153 | * OlderHeroVsYoungerVillain: Aside from [[spoiler: Wily and Zero turned Maverick]], X is much older than any of the characters he fights against. |
| 154 | * OneHitKill: The Nova Strike from the Ultimate Armor (especially in ''X8'') and X's Z-Saber in ''X3'' qualify. The hidden [[Franchise/StreetFighter Hadoken]] move is a true one-hit-kill on anything it touches. |
| 155 | * OneManArmy: Especially in the first two games. |
| 156 | * OnlyFriend: As of ''X5'', Zero is this for him. [[JustifiedTrope There might be]] [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies good reasons]], especially after X5. |
| 157 | * OutOfCharacterMoment: X in ''X7'' where he turns into a cowardly {{Jerkass}} with a crybaby attitude who overreacts about violence. |
| 158 | * OutOfFocus: After ''X3'', and especially in ''X7''. Axl even lampshades it in the intro stage of ''X8'', threatening to steal the spotlight from him. Too late, buddy. |
| 159 | * PaletteSwap: |
| 160 | ** The golden variant of the Third Armor, obtained by collecting all of the pieces without any of the chips. This is more useful than the usual version, since it reduces energy usage for the Hyper Charge and makes Special Weapons recharge faster, but it isn't saved with passwords. |
| 161 | ** X's Ultimate Armor in ''X8'' is simply a palette swap of his normal armor set for the game. |
| 162 | * PerpetualFrowner: Not as much as Zero, but still qualifies. |
| 163 | * PersonalityChip: What makes X unique from [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic his big brother]] is the fact that X can actually feel and make decisions independent of any kind of hard programming. Dr. Light recognized there was an inherent danger to giving X free will, however, and put him into stasis for thirty years of ethics testing so he could better differentiate right from wrong. His personality chip is the basis for the ones in all other Reploids in the series; sans the thirty years of ethics testing, which had [[AIIsACrapshoot predictable results]]. |
| 164 | * PintSizedPowerhouse: Relatively, anyway. X's base frame measures at 5'5"[[note]]Initially 5'3", perhaps explainable in part by his AdaptiveAbility[[/note]] which is perfectly average for the young adult he's meant to physically be on a ''human'' scale, but by ''reploid'' standards, X is ''tiny.'' Official art shows comparatively, he only comes up to the chest of the likes of Alia, and she's not even ''made'' for combat purposes. |
| 165 | * PowerCopying: His Variable Weapons System, directly lifted from [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic his predecessor's]]. |
| 166 | * PowerCrystal: It blinks when his health is critical, projects the map in ''X3'', and when we see it glow full-stop in the OVA, he apparently develops NewPowersAsThePlotDemands. |
| 167 | * PoweredArmor: He has at least one per game. Later he gets two in ''X4''[[labelnote:*]]the Fourth and Ultimate Armor[[/labelnote]], and four in ''X5''[[labelnote:*]]the Fourth Armor (albeit damaged), Falcon, Gaea and Ultimate Armor[[/labelnote]] and ''X6''[[labelnote:*]]the Falcon Armor (albeit damaged), Blade, Shadow and Ultimate Armor[[/labelnote]]. All of them gives X different changes. |
| 168 | * PoweredArmor [[MechaExpansionPack Expansion Pack]]: |
| 169 | ** In ''X3'', you can ask Dr. Light to insert a special chip to one of the armor upgrade when you get the access to the capsule. You can only do this to one part of the armor, though. But there's a secret way to get all of them, and it comes with a nice touch of gold color, too! |
| 170 | ** The Neutral Armor's gimmick in ''X8''. With the exception of the Ultimate parts, the armor pieces can be switched for different combinations. Equipping a complete set would [[SetBonus grant a fifth ability exclusive to that armor]]. |
| 171 | *** Icarus Armor: access to the [[LimitBreak Giga Crush]], [[SmartBomb a full screen-explosion attack]]. Its power and duration depends on the amount of energy in the Giga Crush meter. |
| 172 | --->[[CoolHelmet Head]]: [[UseYourHead An upward helmet attack]]\ |
| 173 | [[BulletproofVest Body]]: Halves damage, [[ImmuneToFlinching negates knockback]], and prevents the Recovery Gauge from decreasing\ |
| 174 | [[ArmCannon Arms]]: WaveMotionGun as a fully charged attack. Lesser charge attacks are one less level than normal.[[labelnote:Example]]X's normal shots become Level-1 charged shots, and Level-2 charged shots become Level-3 charged shots. The maximum charged shot becomes a powerful laser[[/labelnote]]\ |
| 175 | [[TrickedOutShoes Legs]]: [[InASingleBound Increased jump height]] |
| 176 | *** Hermes Armor: Access to the [[SuperMode Hyper Drive]], which will increase your movement and charging speed, as well as upgrading the SpreadShot into 5 shots. Its duration depends on the amount of energy in the Hyper Drive meter. |
| 177 | --->[[CoolHelmet Head]]: Boosts weapon charge speed\ |
| 178 | [[BulletproofVest Body]]: Invincibility to weaker attacks\ |
| 179 | [[ArmCannon Arms]]: 3-way SpreadShot\ |
| 180 | [[TrickedOutShoes Legs]]: {{Invisibility}} while dashing, as well as increased movement speed |
| 181 | *** Ultimate Armor: The Nova Strike returns, which gives high damage to the opponent it crosses over, but unlike in the previous games, this attack can't be quickly spammed (one use will deplete its meter, and then the meter regenerates in a few seconds). Also, it's now a [[OneHitKill Two-Hit Kill]] to most Bosses. |
| 182 | --->[[CoolHelmet Head]]: Enabling the {{Shoryuken}} move\ |
| 183 | [[BulletproofVest Body]]: Same as Icarus Armor's\ |
| 184 | [[ArmCannon Arms]]: The multi-hitting [[SphereOfDestruction Plasma Shot]]; weapon energy consumption for special weapons (including charged attacks) will be reduced to zero\ |
| 185 | [[TrickedOutShoes Legs]]: A combination of Hermes and Icarus Armor's leg parts |
| 186 | * PowerStrainBlackout: Immediately after scarring Sigma in the OVA. As the latter is far from defeated, this is really, really bad timing. |
| 187 | * PrimaryColorChampion: Most of his armors often give out this vibe. |
| 188 | * PromotionalPowerlessPieceOfGarbage: Despite the rarity of the card, he's effectively useless in the trading card game, having the same stats as Bass. |
| 189 | * AProtagonistShallLeadThem: Between this and ''[[VideoGame/MegaManZero Zero]]'' series, X eventually becomes the leader of Neo Arcadia. |
| 190 | * PurpleIsPowerful: His Ultimate Armor in ''X8'' being something of a cross between the Icarus Armor (red) and Hermes Armor (blue) while having its own unique abilities. And of course, the same armor in the previous games. |
| 191 | * RageBreakingPoint: X reaches this in ''Maverick Hunter X'' after Zero's death, storming into Sigma's tower and giving him a piece of his mind (and his X-Buster). Of course, this was [[AllAccordingToPlan all part of Sigma's plan]]. |
| 192 | * RageHelm: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. The design on X's default helmet slightly resembles angry eyebrows, reflecting the more aggressive playstyle and [[DarkerAndEdgier darker tone]] of the games themselves compared to ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic''. |
| 193 | * RankUp: Despite his power and many victories over Sigma and his Mavericks, X stays as a B-Class Hunter for most of the series. It isn't until some time before ''Command Mission'' that he finally gets promoted to S-Class. |
| 194 | * ReadingsAreOffTheScale: His potential is unlimited. This is read by Cyber Peacock, and even his analysis shows that his potential cannot be measured. |
| 195 | * RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Zero's red. Much later on, though, the relation is inverted: X becomes the Red Oni as X become more emotional. |
| 196 | * ReducedManaCost: Many of his armor upgrades give him the ability to reduce the amount of energy needed for firing special weapons. |
| 197 | * RegeneratingHealth: His ''X3'' armor has an upgrade to his helmet that allows him to refill his health (and Sub-Tanks) by standing still and waiting. |
| 198 | * ReluctantWarrior: X tends to ponder whether he has to resort to decisive measures when the situation calls for it. Promptly shown in ''The Day of Sigma'' when he hesitates upon firing at a Mechaniloid when it has taken a hunter captive, which is later exploited by Sigma when he uses Zero against him. Dr. Cain believed that X's worrying are the source of his potential and greatest feature. |
| 199 | * RidiculouslyHumanRobots: The predecessor to all the sentient Reploids seen in the ''X'' series and beyond. |
| 200 | * RoboFamily: With [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Rock, Blues, Roll, and Auto]], but it's kind of moot because they never interact. Being the template from which all Reploids are designed, however, he's kind of everyone's father. This never actually comes up, even with [[VideoGame/MegaManZero the Guardians]], who are built directly from his DNA, but it's a little weird. |
| 201 | * TheRuinsICaused: In the first three games, he always gets to watch Sigma's fortresses going down from far away after he beats Sigma. |
| 202 | * ScarfOfAsskicking: Gets one in ''Command Mission''. It's not an actual scarf, but a device built into his back that projects a flowing, tattered scarf when he runs. It also comes in a variety of colors (depending on your game progress) and lengthens to a noticeable degree when he dashes. May or may not be a ShoutOut to "older brother" Proto Man and/or ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi}}'' for the [=PlayStation=] 2. |
| 203 | * SchematizedProp: You can see X's full blueprint in the opening cut-scene in the first game. |
| 204 | * ScreamingWarrior: |
| 205 | ** Spends much pre-fight dialogue [[SuddenlyShouting yelling at bosses]], especially after ''X7''. Reaches HamToHamCombat territory against [[LargeHam Sigma]]. |
| 206 | ** In ''Maverick Hunter X'', he starts off more or less calm and collected. When Zero dies, he goes into full-on UnstoppableRage, and he can't communicate in anything less than a shout. Considering he's voiced by ''[[HotBlooded Mark]] [[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam Gatha]]'', this is a very good thing. |
| 207 | --> '''Sigma:''' "Hmm... I see a new clarity in your eyes. You are no longer troubled."\ |
| 208 | '''X:''' "[[ThisIsUnforgivable What you've done is UNFORGIVABLE, Sigma!]]" |
| 209 | * ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: His death scream in ''X4'', thanks to the voice acting, and being voiced by the same woman who was Mega Man in ''VideoGame/MegaMan8''. |
| 210 | * SealedGoodInACan: By the start of the game. He ends up being the template for all kinds of evil, but then his best buddy has it even worse there. |
| 211 | * SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The Sensitive Guy to Zero's Manly Man. While both are powerful warriors capable of destroying armies of enemies by themselves, X is the only who displays grief for the casualties in the Maverick Wars as well as doubt on the validity of his actions. He is also the one who is more dedicated to peace, such as when he retires from the frontlines in ''X7''. |
| 212 | * SetBonus: In the second and third games, getting all the armor parts will give you the ability to reduce the energy usage of special weapons. In ''X5-X6'', you can't even use the armor parts individually -- you have to assemble them first. In ''X8'', you have the option of mixing and matching between the Hermes and Icarus parts, but if you complete a set of either Icarus or Hermes parts, then you can access their respective Giga Abilities. |
| 213 | * ShellShockedVeteran: When he becomes this is up to AlternativeCharacterInterpretation, but he is definitely this by the Zero series. |
| 214 | * ShortRangeGuyLongRangeGuy: His emphasis on gunplay and keeping his distance from the enemy contrasts Zero's melee fighting style. |
| 215 | * ShoutOut: His in-game attacks have included [[Franchise/StreetFighter the Hadoken and Shoryuken]] (the latter twice), and in the OVA he seems to pull off [[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam the Shining Finger]]... complete with the shared voice actor! |
| 216 | * SirSwearsALot: For some reason, in ''Maverick Hunter X'', "Damn it!" is one of his lines upon taking damage. Naturally, this will add up if you play badly. No one else swears in that game. |
| 217 | * SkilledButNaive: He's this, at first (especially apparent in ''The Day of Sigma'' OVA). He slowly loses his naivete over time, but is still apparently idealistic and pacifistic. |
| 218 | * StoryBreakerPower: He literally has unlimited potential, being designed with an ability that's frankly miraculous in an artificial lifeform: growing in all aspects from his experiences, mind and body alike, with no external modification or tampering required. In fact, the retelling of the first game, ''Maverick Hunter X'', has Dr. Light state that X can evolve as he fights, explaining how he retains certain powers and upgrades between games. The only reason he has problems in battle is his kindness causes him to hold back, but even then, by X5 he's become equals to Zero's [[PersonOfMassDestruction fully-regained strength]], and he only grows ''further'' from there. |
| 219 | * SuperPrototype: Though only because Cain did a really half-assed job duplicating his technology. Not that it's entirely his fault, mind you, Dr. Light was just that damn good, but basically the plot of almost every game is the result of his inferior skills. |
| 220 | * SuperiorSuccessor: To the original Mega Man. Notably, this has far less to do with power, not that X isn't immensely higher in that regard, but that X is the realization of Dr. Light's dream, a robot with perfectly human level thought, feelings and capabilities, whereas Rock for all his freedoms was still a robot bound by his programming. |
| 221 | * SupportingProtagonist: While X is typically the primary point of view for the games, his companions typically have roles that are much more intertwined with the events of the story. X will fight to keep the peace regardless, but Zero is more closely related to TheVirus plots in [=X5=] and [=X6=], while Axl's story of dealing with Red Alert and the New Generation Reploids is more personal. |
| 222 | * SwissArmyHero: In any game with multiple armor sets, but especially ''X5''. Drawing from the third game's opening, fandom sometimes takes this SerialEscalation and depicts him swapping through ''every armor set ever''. |
| 223 | * SwordAndGun: Some games have him using a saber alongside his buster, but he tends to fare more in the "Gun" department. |
| 224 | * TechnicalPacifist: Although in ''X3'', ''X4'', and ''X7'' he leaned more towards ReluctantWarrior. |
| 225 | * TookALevelInJerkass: After the optimistic note of rebuilding the world and the return of Zero helped bring X out of his funk at the end of ''X6'', he suddenly takes a 180 in personality by ''X7'' and retires to a leadership role out of [[ActualPacifist pacifism]]. This would be fine and all, but he's ''extremely'' abrasive towards Axl over the course of the story and constantly undermining the kid's earnest efforts to be a Maverick Hunter, even continuing to refuse it by the end of the game after being saved by him. The other Hunters think he's being too harsh and [[WhatTheHellHero call him out on it,]] but he rebukes them and doubles down. Subsequently TookALevelInKindness mid-game when they finally convinced him to get back in the field, and by the time of ''X8'' he's fully back to his proper self and seems to have personally inducted Axl into his FireForgedFriends. |
| 226 | * TransformationSequence: Going into a level, you'll usually see X summon his PoweredArmor before becoming playable (provided you've gotten it, of course). In ''X8'', even though he's already in the armor as he warps in, he performs the gesture anyway. |
| 227 | * TragicKeepsake: He keeps Zero's Z-Saber after Zero's death in ''X5'', up until ''X7''. |
| 228 | * TronLines: The [=DiVE=] Armor (and its upgraded form Next [=DiVE=] Armor) gives him luminous blue lines over the torso, arms and legs. |
| 229 | * UnconsciousObjector: In the OVA, he gets impaled with a light saber and given a BreakingSpeech, he has a flashback, finds some courage to keep fighting, and reacts for a brief moment, enough to pass ''through'' Sigma's Saber and cause him his signature scar. When Sigma reacts and was going to attack, he notices X is now immobile (he kind of stabbed him right into his energy generator or something like that), so he stops, satisfied as he witnessed the "Hidden Potential" Dr. Cain talked about. |
| 230 | * UnderestimatingBadassery: |
| 231 | ** Arguably the point of ''The Day Of Sigma'', and [[WhatCouldHaveBeen probably the entire]] {{retool}}. While he's already a badass at that point, he's still naive and hesitant. |
| 232 | ** To some degree in the actual games too. Being a centuries-old "robotic relic" who is also a TechnicalPacifist, many Reploids think he'd be a cinch to defeat despite the fact he's a famous Maverick Hunter. They're more than a little surprised when he destroys them. |
| 233 | * VideoGameFlight: His Falcon Armor from ''X5'' makes him able to do this. |
| 234 | * ViolenceReallyIsTheAnswer: He had always tried to be a pacifist, but he quickly concluded (or at least, decided before the first game) that fighting was necessary to bring about peace, to the point that he states that he is not afraid to fight his best friend Zero to stop him from getting corrupted in ''X5'', and his enemy Sigma if he keeps showing up to stop the reconstruction of the world in ''X6''. Then he suddenly made a decision to become an ActualPacifist in ''X7'', which everyone else hated him for, simply because he was tired of killing after having fought six wars and not seen any direct correlation to helping people in at least four of them. Once Zero and Axl rescued enough Reploids and/or beat all eight Mavericks, X realized there were a lot of people in the line of fire in what was essentially a custody dispute gone nuclear, and decided to fight to save them, bringing him back to his original conclusion that yes, violence is necessary whether he likes it or not. |
| 235 | * VocalDissonance: In the dub for ''X4'', he had the same voice actor as the original Mega Man in ''8''. It's more acceptable on Mega Man, who looks more like a teenager, but the adult appearance of X makes the voice feel unfitting. This happened because the voice actress wasn't informed that she was recording lines for both Mega Man and X for ''8'' and ''X4'' respectively in the same session. |
| 236 | * WalkingArmory: ''Command Mission's'' rendition of the Ultimate Armor, which gives X much bulkier armor and a larger arsenal of weaponry. |
| 237 | * WaveMotionGun: On occasion. ''X8'' features one as a Buster Part ''and'' FinishingMove. |
| 238 | * WeakButSkilled: He's almost always smaller and less technically able than the opponents he faces, but he's goddamn unstoppable once he starts. Add the fact that every game still manages to have ThatOneBoss even after he gets his 'Ultimate' armor. |
| 239 | * WorthyOpponent: Sigma views him as this as evidenced in ''X5'' and ''X6'', where in the former, during his boss fight, he'll readily acknowledge X as the strongest reploid and the best of the hunters and even admit that having Zero fight X was a waste. In contrast, if Zero confronts Sigma, Sigma will instead wonder if X or Zero is the strongest. In the latter, Sigma despite driven mad and barely coherent after his botched resurrection, will state fighting X gives him motivation to return again and again. Even during the time of X3, Sigma is astounded that X was able to destroy his battle body and attempts to possess him with the belief if he has X's body, then he'll be able to rule the world. |
| 240 | * XMakesAnythingCool: His name. |
| 241 | * YoungAndInCharge: Zigzagged. Even taking the century of stasis out of the equation, in the greater-expanded ''X'' series on one end of the ''Zero'' ContinuitySnarl, X has been around long enough for the world to experience both near-apocalypse when Eurasia fell and for society to be completely restored by ''X7'', then the shortly-following-''X8'' sidestory, ''Command Mission'', outright puts the date as another full century passed since the first game. Despite this, X still looks and sounds about as young as he did in the very beginning, ArtEvolution aside[[labelnote:*]]the original game's art and sprites depicts X as being of similar height to the original Rock but seems to get progressively taller with later installments[[/labelnote]], and the human age his AI personality mimics seems to have matured from the initial 14-to-15-year-old base, but only up to something more around 20-21; that said, he is still very near the top of the Maverick Hunter chain of command under Signas alone amongst much older-looking reploids. |
| 242 | * YoureInsane: ''Maverick Hunter X'' has the titular Azure Hunter pointing out that Sigma has completely lost it to his subordinates. None of them deny it, but rather believe that Sigma, despite his insanity, [[MechanicalEvolution has a good point]], and people would rather ignore it than deal with the implications. |
| 243 | -->'''Sigma''': "Our potential is limitless!"\ |
| 244 | '''X''': "You think you have potential?! You're insane, Sigma!" |
| 245 | |
| 246 | [[/folder]] |
| 247 | |
| 248 | [[folder:Zero]] |
| 249 | !!DWN-∞ Zero |
| 250 | !!!'''Voiced by''': Creator/RyotaroOkiayu (JP), Wayne Doster (EN, ''X4''), Jack Merluzzi (EN, ''X7''), Lucas Gilbertson (EN ''X8'', ''Command Mission'', ''Maverick Hunter X''), Creator/JohnnyYongBosch (EN, ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'', ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'', ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', ''VideoGame/{{Teppen|2019}}'') |
| 251 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/project_x_zone_zero_3.png]] |
| 252 | The beloved BreakoutCharacter of the series, Zero has been described by the series creator as "the other main character who gets all the good scenes."\ |
| 253 | \ |
| 254 | The final creation of [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Dr. Albert Wily]], Zero was created to destroy Mega Man once and for all, but a programming error in his system forced his creator to seal him away. After a violent rampage upon waking up, Zero was quelled following a fateful fight with Sigma, becoming a high-ranking Maverick Hunter and close friend to X. |
| 255 | ---- |
| 256 | * TheAce: In the original ''Mega Man X'', his portrayal boils down to "Here's Zero, he's infinitely cooler than you are, but if you DareToBeBadass you can be as cool as Zero". His later appearances take him down a few notches (or, more accurately, depict X as having caught up to him), but he's still consistently considered the highest rank Maverick Hunter and, in ''[=X5=]'', the best spaceship pilot on the roster. |
| 257 | * AdaptationalNiceGuy: He's remarkably cordial and polite towards his allies in ''Maverick Hunter X'' and the accompanying OVA ''Day of Sigma''; especially towards X. In fact X, of all people, is shown to have a surprisingly greater aggressive side in contrast to most of his portrayals (though not to AdaptationalJerkass levels). |
| 258 | * AIIsACrapshoot: An inverted version. According to the ''Zero Collection''[='=]s story, the reason he was berserk before he joined the Maverick Hunters was because a programming error occurred in Zero that caused him to become violent and uncontrollable, and it was for this reason that Wily had him sealed away (apparently he couldn't control him without risk of him being killed by him). Ironically, the Maverick Virus was the only reason Zero became somewhat pacified after being defeated by Sigma. |
| 259 | * AmnesiacDissonance: He was originally designed by a certain MadScientist for the express purpose of destroying all in his path before losing his memory. The only difference between then and now is he's one of the good guys. |
| 260 | * AntiAntichrist: Red body armor with pointy horns? Check. Aryan-esque [[IcyBlueEyes blue eyes]] and [[LightIsNotGood golden hair]]? Check. Destined to become a destroyer of Reploids everywhere? Check. Depicted to rival the power of the "Father of Reploids" and MessianicArchetype, X? Check. Heck, the only thing separating him from being TheAntichrist is IdentityAmnesia, as the bad end of ''X5'' can attest. |
| 261 | * AntiHero: In the early ''X'' games up to the confrontation with Iris in ''X4'', Zero is a well-meaning guy who is just a bit more willing to pull the trigger on a Maverick than X was. Once he has to kill Iris [[HeroicBSOD and effectively breaks down near-entirely afterwards]], he becomes a contrasting opposite to his best friend; cynical, blunt, and downright focused on doing his job with nary a complaint because ''someone'' has to do it, all the while gradually blaming himself more and more for everything wrong with the world thanks to his DarkAndTroubledPast. Notably, this lasts into the [[VideoGame/MegaManZero next series]], even with a severe case of LaserGuidedAmnesia, and becomes Zero's defining characterization in all extended media. |
| 262 | * ArmCannon: The Z-Buster is always there. We just can't use it sometimes because [[GameplayAndStorySegregation stuff]]. |
| 263 | * AscendedExtra: Somehow pushed his way from MauveShirt status to the co-protagonist role -- even after ''being killed!'' Invoked by WordOfGod, as Zero was Inafune's first design for X that got snubbed, so he decided to just [[WolverinePublicity have him overshadow the main protagonist]] instead. |
| 264 | * TheAtoner: He served the Maverick Hunters to stop what he started, i.e Maverick uprisings. It doesn't help that the original virus came from him by design. |
| 265 | * AxCrazy: Before his HeelFaceTurn, he was LaughingMad and sporting a SlasherSmile, cutting down anything in front of him. |
| 266 | * BackFromTheDead: He was killed in ''X1'' and ''X5'' but was later brought back in the following games. Justified since he's a robot, but noteworthy in that a sticking point in the X series is that generally there's no one around capable of rebuilding him or X if they go down, being far too advanced for anyone to rightly puzzle out. |
| 267 | * BadassBack: He pulled this out after teleporting in a stage, or after killing bosses. This was carried over to ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' and ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''. |
| 268 | * BadassBoast: |
| 269 | ** From ''X2'': |
| 270 | -->"You should have read the blueprints closer. There is only ''one'' Zero!" |
| 271 | ** In later games, if Zero finds the power-up capsules meant for X, Dr. Light will lament not being able to design any upgrades for Zero. Zero doesn't mind, since he's good enough that he doesn't ''need'' upgrades. |
| 272 | * BadassInDistress: |
| 273 | ** He was kidnapped by Vile as a bait for X in the first game. Then, after Vile gets his hands on X, Zero [[BreakingTheBonds breaks out of the cage]] and then he does the HeroicSacrifice to destroy Vile's Ride Armor. |
| 274 | ** Something similar happens in ''Maverick Hunter X'', where Zero is ''knocked out'' and Vile immediately captures him without battling him. Zero regains consciousness and then proceeds to do the aforementioned HeroicSacrifice. |
| 275 | * BarbarianLongHair: His ''very'' long hair is frequently used to make him look more badass. |
| 276 | * BattleAura: |
| 277 | ** In his SuperpoweredEvilSide. |
| 278 | ** Also when X (or himself) is beaten in Vile Mode's DualBoss fight in ''Maverick Hunter X'', he (or X) would emanate an aura, [[KillOneOthersGetStronger which tells the player that]] [[BerserkButton he's pissed]]. |
| 279 | * BerserkButton: Iris's death in ''X4''. After that, he didn't care ''who'' he was fighting [[HeroicBSOD until the end of the game...]] |
| 280 | * TheBerserker: '''Maverick Zero'''. Upon his release from his capsule, Zero goes on a rampage, massacring Reploids (presumably belonging to Gamma's unit in the Maverick Hunters) left and right. Sigma shows up, whips out his LaserBlade, and Zero holds his own with nothing more than [[PipePain a metal pipe]] and later ''his fists'', going LaughingMad once he corners Sigma and [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown starts tearing him limb from limb]]. In ''X5'', however, Zero's awakened form [[DissonantSerenity is far calmer]] and fights with his usual finesse, which arguably might make him ''scarier''. |
| 281 | * BigDamnHeroes: He manages to pull at least one per SNES game, with the last marking his debut as a player character. The best example is his EstablishingCharacterMoment below. |
| 282 | * BigBrotherMentor: Towards X in ''X1''. |
| 283 | * BlackBox: Same case as X, though not as pronounced. |
| 284 | * BloodFromTheMouth: The first game has him with blood/mech fluid/oil/some red substance running from the corner of his mouth after sacrificing himself to destroy Vile's Ride Armor. Notably, he does not bleed from anywhere else despite having been [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe torn in half]]. This also happens in his ending in ''X5''. |
| 285 | * BootstrappedLeitmotif: X's theme in the first game, "Variable X", became more associated with Zero, as it played when he talks to X after the opening stage and when he dies later on. As such, it was later used as the intro song to the US version of ''X5'', a game that focuses heavily on Zero's backstory, and when he is found by X in ''X6''. |
| 286 | * BreakoutCharacter: He was initially meant to be an example of everything X could become with enough hard work, dying at the end of the first game. The fans loved him so much, he became a series staple, even getting a SequelSeries dedicated just to him. |
| 287 | * BringMyRedJacket: He's a red robot, and he mainly uses melee attacks, and he's a GlassCannon. Do the math. |
| 288 | * BroughtToYouByTheLetterS: The stylized "Z" insignia on his shoulder(s). According to a certain {{flashback}}, Wily's own insignia can be found on his PowerCrystal. Also, in ''Mega Man Zero 3'', "DWN-∞" can be found in the background of one of the areas -- likely Zero's designation. His [=DiVE=] Armor in ''X [=DiVE=]'' also projects a pair of Z-shaped wings from his back. |
| 289 | * CallingYourAttacks: Started in ''X8'' to keep X company. |
| 290 | * TheCameo: He appears as a trophy in the Wii U version of the fourth ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'', and in the same game his armor and Z-Saber are DLC for Mii Swordfighters. |
| 291 | * CelibateHero: 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 just plain [[ObliviousToLove oblivious to her advances]]. |
| 292 | %%* CharClone: WordOfGod confirms it. |
| 293 | * CharacterDevelopment: Post-''X4'', in spades. After Iris' death, his character changes dramatically. His carefree personality turns into a grim, serious, no-nonsense one (as evidenced by his victory pose changing from a thumbs up to a simply head turn). He's still a good friend to X, but is less willing to hold his hand through tough situations, and is more than willing to [[WhatTheHellHero call him out]] for his naivete and idealism as seen in ''Command Mission''. His originally witty humor becomes dry, biting, and cynical. Even his ''theme music'' changes from energetic rock to slow, solemn, and even outright melancholic. |
| 294 | * ChickMagnet: One [[TheGwenStacy tragic girlfriend]] in ''X4'', and two more "admirers": ''VideoGame/MegaManX8'''s Layer and Ciel in the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series. It doesn't seem impressive compared to other examples, but the ''Mega Man'' franchise has few other romantic relationships, not to mention that ''[[InterspeciesRomance Ciel is human]]''. There's also Leviathan, who [[{{Yandere}} really]] [[InterplayOfSexAndViolence enjoy fighting Zero]], an e-Reader NPC in ''Zero 3'' who surprises Zero with a kiss, and Prairie, who loved Giro because he reminded her of Zero. |
| 295 | * ClimaxBoss: |
| 296 | ** Serves as the penultimate boss in ''X2''. Much of the game is spent building up Zero's return, and if you don't collect all his parts, he returns in the final stage BrainwashedAndCrazy. |
| 297 | ** Alternative to the article that X also has above. It was all because of a little misunderstanding. [[EvilPlan Most of it went according to Sigma's plan, though]]. In the path to the Bad Ending, however, [[SuperpoweredEvilSide the stakes are much, MUCH higher...]] |
| 298 | * CloseRangeCombatant: From ''X4'' on, he focuses on his Z-Saber rather than his Buster, to the point that he loses all ranged weapons entirely in ''X7'' and ''X8''. |
| 299 | * ColorCodedCharacters: {{Red|IsHeroic}}, of course. |
| 300 | * CounterAttack: His Gokumonken technique in ''X7''. He does a special stance that can reflect projectiles and automatically retaliates a close-range attack. |
| 301 | * CrutchCharacter: In his original playable appearance in ''X3'', Zero amounted to a potent MightyGlacier who, while incredibly useful early on, paled in comparison to a fully-upgraded X. In the RPG, ''Command Mission'', he is the strongest member of your party early on, but leaves for a long stretch of the game. When he returns, however, [[SubvertedTrope he's still very strong]]. |
| 302 | * CynicIdealistDuo: After the events ''X4'' he takes on a more jaded view of the world and forms this dynamic with X who still tries to see the best in everything. |
| 303 | * DarkAndTroubledPast: Zero was designed as the ultimate counter-piece to Mega Man X, and as all things seem to imply with his original virus, he was very much intended to mercilessly destroy ''all'' of Light's creations and everything that stemmed from them, Reploids included. What little he can remember comes as horrific nightmares to him in the present. When the virus transferred to Sigma, Zero's mind was cleansed -- at the cost of Sigma going KillAllHumans, which ties Zero's own creation into the eventual ''multiple apocalypses''. |
| 304 | * DarkIsNotEvil: As Black Zero, all the red parts of his armor turn black. |
| 305 | * DashAttack: Some of his acquired techniques, like the Shippuuga in ''X4'', F-Splasher in ''X5'' or Raikousen in ''X8''. |
| 306 | * 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. |
| 307 | * {{Deuteragonist}}: To the point where he got [[VideoGame/MegaManZero his own series]]. |
| 308 | * DifficultButAwesome: From ''X4'' onwards, Zero was balanced around fighting with the Z-Saber, making him a GlassCannon with high mobility and a very damaging melee attack, but also with weaker defense and very few ranged attacks. He's a lot harder to use effectively than X since you have to get close to enemies to attack, his special attacks require specific button inputs instead of just selecting them, and he just plain dies faster than X, but with fast enough reflexes and finger speed you can rip through enemies and bosses extremely quickly and stylishly. |
| 309 | * DistantFinale: Zero's ending in ''X6'' (where Zero seals himself to get rid of the virus within him) is stated to happen long after the end of the whole ''X'' series. |
| 310 | * DivergentCharacterEvolution: In ''X1'', Zero was essentially just a stronger X. It wasn't until ''X2'' that he got his signature Z-Saber, and following ''X3'', his Buster was de-emphasized in favor of the melee-oriented gameplay most associate him with. After losing his buster in ''X4'' only to get it back for the next two games, he completely drops ranged weaponry again in ''X7'' and ''X8'', and wouldn't pick up a gun again until [[VideoGame/MegaManZero his own series]]. |
| 311 | * DivingKick: Can use this attack in ''X8'' with the K Knuckle and the ''Enkoujin''. He also can use it as a boss in Vile Mode of ''Maverick Hunter X''. |
| 312 | * DoNotRunWithAGun: |
| 313 | ** Zero is the one who really takes it on the chin here; in several of the games, he puts away his Z-Saber after each attack or combo, and you can't move until he does this (you also can't move until his ''ponytail finishes falling''.) The [=PS2=] ''X'' games fix this by having him keep the saber out at all times. You can also slash while dashing in said games, but doing it while walking will instantly stop him. |
| 314 | ** In ''X5'' and ''X6'', his buster requires him to be still in the floor to work. |
| 315 | * DoppelgangerAttack: |
| 316 | ** In ''X5'', his Sougenmu (Twin Dream), gained from Spike Rosered, has him projecting a copy in front of him that mimics his attacks. His Hayate (W Shredder), gained from Spiral Pegasus is a lesser version, with his copy appearing mid-dash to slash the foe. |
| 317 | ** Has one of these in ''Command Mission'' thanks to his Heat Haze sub weapon, though boss enemy Ferham's (Crimson Shade) is stronger (or at least more durable). |
| 318 | * DoubleJump: In ''X4'' and ''X5'', Zero learns a move which allows him to do a double jump in midair (accompanied by the spinning attack mentioned below). It's part of his default skills from ''X6'' onward (like X's dash post-''X1''). |
| 319 | * DualBoss: With X in Vile Mode of ''Maverick Hunter X''. |
| 320 | * DualWielding: Rare, but some of the weapons he adquires in later games come in pairs. In ''X7'' there's the V-Hanger (twin daggers held in ReverseGrip), in ''X8'' the B-Fan (war fans capable of deploying an energy shield), and in ''[=DiVE=]'' his [=DiVE=] Armor variant wields a second Z-Saber. |
| 321 | * EarlyBirdCameo: Appears in Bass' ending in ''Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters'' in Dr. Wily's blueprints. |
| 322 | * ElementalWeapon: Some of his copied techniques involve giving an element to his saber. |
| 323 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: X getting his ass handed to him by the ''very first HopelessBossFight'' in the series? Cue an ArmCannon [[TwangHello being charged]], the [[AwesomeMusic/MegaMan awesome]] ThemeMusicPowerUp, and then Vile goes OhCrap |
| 324 | * EverythingsBetterWithSamurai: He's supposed to be a robot version of these feudal warriors, if his [[ExaggeratedTrope exaggerated]] SamuraiPonytail and [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana-esque]] LaserBlade didn't tip you off. Contrasts nicely with the kunoichi [[Characters/MegaManXCommandMission Marino]]. |
| 325 | * EvilKnockoff: Zero has been unfortunate enough to pick up a few of these over the years. The first was the fake Black Zero that appears in ''X2'' should X succeed in obtaining all of Zero's parts from the X-Hunters, followed by Nightmare Zero in ''X6'', an [[AxCrazy unstable and neurotic]] creation of Gate's using Zero's DNA. ''Zero 3'' would add Omega, though with a twist -- [[spoiler:Omega is a Cyber Elf personality program inhabiting Zero's ''original'' body (encased within what is essentially a self-healing PowerLimiter), with Zero (and his A.I./consciousness) revealed to be housed inside a supposedly inferior copy of said body]]. |
| 326 | * FirstEpisodeResurrection: Well, okay, he dies in the first game and is resurrected in the second, but he otherwise fits the trope entirely. |
| 327 | * FlashbackNightmare: In the beginning of ''X4'', Zero has a nightmare about the circumstances of his creation, as well as slaughtering several Reploids upon being reactivated. It's also implied that he's had this nightmare at least once before. |
| 328 | * {{Foreshadowing}}: A subtle one from ''X5'': part of the start menu theme is actually Zero's death theme from the first game. Guess what happens at the end of the game... |
| 329 | * GlassCannon: |
| 330 | ** He's a devastating fighter with his saber, and he takes lots of damage. Even more with his Black Zero upgrade in ''X8'', which doubles the damage he deals and takes. ''Even more'' with the Red Lotus Saber in ''Command Mission'', which adds his defense stats to his power stat, but sets the defense stats to zero. This stays true to his appearances in ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcomSVCChaos'', ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' and ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''. |
| 331 | ** ''X3''. He's far more powerful than X to begin with, and still on par with X even after upgrades. However, if Zero dies even ''once'' in the game, whether from losing all his energy or falling into a BottomlessPits, he can't be used again unless you restart from scratch (or use a password generator to get him back). |
| 332 | * GoodIsNotNice: He tends to shoot first, ask questions later when encountering Mavericks. What makes it worse is that those Mavericks sometimes [[VillainHasAPoint have a point about what they did]]. After his CynicismCatalyst, he gets even less nice. |
| 333 | * GoodOldRobot: In a similar way to X; he isn't truly a Reploid, as he was made with advanced high-level technology as X was, and due to being meant to be the original carrier of the Maverick Virus, he's strengthened by it instead of being weakened and/or crazy. It's a completely different story with the stronger Zero Virus strain however... |
| 334 | * GrandTheftMe: Subverted. The heroic personality we see isn't his original one. His original personality was an AxeCrazy maniac intent on destroying all he came across. After Sigma knocked him out hard enough to scramble his circuits, he awoke with the personality we know him by. |
| 335 | ** A few X series games subplots play on this by his original personality reappearing. [[spoiler:And it is a key plot point in the ''Mega Man Zero'' series, where his original personality regained full control, while his divergent personality was copied to a new body.]] |
| 336 | * GratuitousJapanese: His Command Arts list. Averted in X5's English dub, though written in Romaji in all the other games. |
| 337 | * GroundPunch: His Giga Attacks in the platformers are all this. In ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' he does so with a charged buster. |
| 338 | * GuestFighter: In ''VideoGame/ProjectG''. Prior to that, his ''Zero'' series incarnation appeared in ''VideoGame/OnimushaBladeWarriors'', alongside [[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork MegaMan.EXE]]. |
| 339 | * HeadsIWinTailsYouLose: In ''X5'', X vs Zero -- No matter what character you use and Zero's condition (being Maverick or not), your fight will end in a DoubleKnockout. |
| 340 | * HealingFactor: [[GameplayAndStorySegregation It's not utilized as a gameplay element]], but he has an auto-repair system that can regenerate entire body parts. This is apparently how he is revived in ''X6''. |
| 341 | * HeartbrokenBadass: In a variant, he lost his lover because she went berserk on her own merits and he has to [[KillTheOnesYouLove put her down himself]]. Zero can only blame Sigma for putting up the whole conflict in the first place. After ''X4'', because of those events, he becomes more serious and straight-laced. |
| 342 | * HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Starts off an uncontrollable Maverick, then becomes a Hunter to the day of his (first) death. A potential ending sees him ressurected but BrainwashedAndCrazy, but quickly returned to the side of the heroes after X beats him. And yet another potential ending sees him returning to his Maverick self. |
| 343 | * HeroicBSOD: |
| 344 | ** Part of his CharacterDevelopment in ''X4'' is the ending where he anguishes himself over not being able to save and/or protect '''any''' of the people he ever cared about, and wondering why he should bother continuing the fight. Although the HiddenHeartOfGold doesn't seem noticeable from previous games, this is most probably where it came to a head. |
| 345 | ** He experiences a relatively minor one in ''Command Mission'' when he learns that not only did Redips manipulate the entire events of the game to both get the Supra-Force Metal and get rid of Epsilon, but that Redips also posed as Spider for an undeterminant part of the game. While the others are rushing off to chase Redips, Zero is hesitant to go with them, and then tells X "Spider was actually just Redips?! How badly have we been duped here?!" before X snaps him out of it by reminding him that Redips is going to use the Supra-Force Metal, and that they can't let him do so. |
| 346 | * HeroicResolve: In the end of ''X5'', after he [[LastBreathBullet gets shot by Sigma]] while trying to defend X and loses his lower half, he retaliates and gives Sigma one final shot to kill him. |
| 347 | * 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. |
| 348 | * HesDeadJim: After he accidentally killed Iris, he realized she was dead after calling her name and trying to shake her back to consciousness. |
| 349 | * HiddenHeartOfGold: Deep down, he really ''is'' a very nice guy. Don't let his portrayal in ''Command Mission'' fool you. He blows up at X for letting "the dregs of Giga City" (Marino and Spider in particular) join his mission, saying they could betray the team at any time and go Maverick. As Cinnamon correctly points out, he acts this way because he's scared of trusting people, likely because of what happened with Iris. Lampshaded in the same game, when he actually apologizes for acting like a jerk at one point. |
| 350 | * HunterOfHisOwnKind: And he is the ''original of his kind'', in fact. |
| 351 | * HumbleHero: |
| 352 | ** This comes into play in ''X5'' during the Eurasia Crisis. See "MoreHeroThanThou" below. |
| 353 | ** In his ''X6'' ending, when he seals himself, he told the scientist who helped him in the sealing that his friend, X, will always be the better hero between them, and that the world would be fine with X still alive at the time. |
| 354 | * HyperspaceArsenal: Here are all of Zero's weapons in ''X7'' and ''X8'': |
| 355 | ** D-Glaive |
| 356 | ** Sigma's [[{{BFS}} Σ Blade]], made out of scrap much like Sigma's true body. |
| 357 | ** T-Breaker |
| 358 | ** [[PowerFist K-Knuckle]], with attacks that are [[ShoutOut nods]] to the ''Street Fighter'' series, again. |
| 359 | ** [[PaperFanOfDoom B-Fan]], which somehow projects a BeehiveBarrier (after Zero got the appropriate power from one boss). |
| 360 | * IAmWho: Zero struggles with various levels of amnesia in the this series. He keeps getting flashbacks of his creator, Dr. Wily, but remembers nothing else from before Sigma captured him. |
| 361 | * IaijutsuPractitioner: Even in the future, it looks cool. Zero starts and ends every combo with his Z-Saber sheathed on his back. Averted in X7 and X8. |
| 362 | * IconicItem: His Z-Saber. |
| 363 | * IdentityAmnesia: We learn in ''X4'' that he was an evil Maverick when Sigma first found him, and he lost his memory in the fight, waking up sane and sober. The bad ending of ''X5'' shows us what would happen if his Maverick self ever resurfaced, and it ain't pretty. |
| 364 | * {{Infinite}}: DWN-∞ is the serial number of Zero; it's implied that his creator sees Zero as having an unlimited potential. |
| 365 | * InformedAttribute: Ever since the second game, he's gained the position as the leader of the 0th Maverick Hunters Unit. Never does any of that help him in the games afterwards -- and worse, some of his subordinates also turn Maverick (like Blast Hornet) or otherwise leave the service (like Web Spider). |
| 366 | * IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: |
| 367 | ** He is on the receiving end of this in ''X2'' and ''X5'', should (in the former) you fail to collect Zero's parts or (in the latter) the shuttle mission failed and Zero goes Maverick. |
| 368 | ** His fight against Iris, as he tries to bring her back in self-defense. Unfortunately, just after she's going back to normal, she dies because of her injuries. Cue Zero's infamous agonizing scream about his (lack of) reason of fighting. |
| 369 | * ILetGwenStacyDie: Iris' death results in a more serious, [[TheStoic stoic]] Zero, and his ending in ''X5'' has him remembering her before he dies (again). |
| 370 | * TheImmune: He takes it one step further: he's immune to the Maverick Virus, and he even becomes stronger the more the virus infects him, as shown in ''X5''[='s=] gameplay (where he doesn't lose health upon coming in contact with the Sigma or Zero Virus and briefly turns invincible once fully "infected"). It has to do with Zero being not only the original source of the virus itself, but he is actually made to be able to use it as a power source. |
| 371 | * ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: His Raijingeki move in ''X4'' and Youdantotsu in ''X8''. |
| 372 | * {{Irony}}: His best friend happens to be the creation of his creator's nemesis. Yet, neither X nor Zero have any ill will towards each other. Of course, neither of them had any idea about each other's creators, not to mention Zero doesn't appear to ever comprehend who made him. |
| 373 | * ItGetsEasier: He's not totally heartless, though -- he just sees it from a different perspective. When Middy dies with Techno (because they shared a CPU) in ''Xtreme'', he told the upset X that he knew the consequences and he should honor his sacrifice instead of bemoaning it. However, when his love interest Iris dies in a cruel and pointless war, [[HeroicBSOD he didn't take it well]]. |
| 374 | * ItsPersonal: Very much so in ''X8''. Seems like he's taken way too long to hate Sigma's guts -- he's mainly angry about the events of ''X5'' (surprisingly, no mention of Iris) -- but other than that, it makes perfect sense. |
| 375 | * KatanasAreJustBetter: In the official arts, his LaserBlade is often depicted in a katana-like form. |
| 376 | * KilledOffForReal: ''X5'' supposedly has this happen to him, to ''end the series''. Of course, Capcom didn't make it stick... |
| 377 | * KnightKnaveAndSquire: The Knave to X' Knight and Axl's Squire. Zero is the more cynical and no-nonsense foil to the more straightforward and optimistic hero that is X. Though just as dedicated to achieving peace and justice, he shows little reservation with killing his opponents. |
| 378 | * 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. |
| 379 | * LaserBlade: Post-''X4'', his Z-Saber. He actually receives the Saber in ''X2'', but only uses single slashes in conjunction with Buster Shots until ''X4'', where the Saber becomes his primary. In later games he can also acquire a laser spear, laser pair of knives and laser CombatHandFan. |
| 380 | * LeakingCanOfEvil: The Maverick Virus was infecting Reploids long before Zero woke up. |
| 381 | * LaughingMad: How he reacted when fighting Sigma in ''X4'' (not to mention later [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beating Sigma to a bloody pulp]] when the latter was at his mercy). [[{{Narm}} Toned down]] in the English dub. |
| 382 | * LipLock: This is the reason for Zero's infamous "WHAT AM I FIGHTING FOOOOOOOOOOR?!" line in ''X4'', since his lip movements have his mouth open wide when he says it. (The lip sync matches the original Japanese lines.) |
| 383 | * MagnetHands: In the 3D games. |
| 384 | * MasterSwordsman: Starting with ''X4'', he begins wielding the Z-Saber with finesse rivaling a [[Franchise/StarWars Jedi Knight]], and with the skills he gains with each boss, he only gets better. |
| 385 | * MeaningfulName: |
| 386 | ** The games only gives vague allusions to what Zero really stands for, although {{Fanon}} speculated that it has a similar meaning to X, i.e. a fixed power that cannot grow, but is already beyond comprehension, neither positive nor negative. It can also mean limitless potential, just in a different way. |
| 387 | ** Another possible meaning is "Multiple by Zero," which is to say, [[OmnicidalManiac turn everything to nothingness]]. Given how fond he is of [[CleanCut slicing Reploids apart]], "Divide by Zero" is equally apt; meaning to destroy utterly. |
| 388 | ** Another possible meaning would be PatientZero. |
| 389 | ** His serial number, DWN-∞ (infinity), also hints at his own limitless potential. |
| 390 | ** In ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' at least, ComicBook/CaptainAmerica (a [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII WWII]] veteran) gives allusion to the famous Japanese fighter plane -- Mitsubishi [=A6M=] Zero -- if he encounters Zero. As both the plane and the robot are {{Glass Cannon}}s that fight up close and deal devastating damage, as well as being known for doing {{Suicide Attack}}s, it's pretty much apt. |
| 391 | * MeetMyGoodFriendsLeftyAndRighty: As Absolute Zero in ''Command Mission'', his sub and main weapons are his claws and feet. Since they need names on your attack panel, say hello to Killer Left, Brutal Right, and Crimson End. |
| 392 | * TheMentor: To X in ''X1''. |
| 393 | * MentorOccupationalHazard: He's watched over X from the beginning of the game, forcing Vile to retreat after X couldn't touch him. Obviously, he's the badass of the story, but he's not the title character, so he performs his HeroicSacrifice, leaving X to face Sigma alone, with no chance at a last second rescue. Incidentally, the placement of the Vile fight in the remake justifies the over the top dialogue X uses when he faces Sigma, as it happened at the end of the previous stage, and not at the start of the fortress, making X's fury still fresh. And even though Zero gets better, he's been surpassed by X by the time he returns, and they work as a team from ''X3'' to ''X8''. |
| 394 | * MoreHeroThanThou: In ''X5'', in order to stop the ColonyDrop, one of the heroes has to maneuver a shuttle into crashing into it. Zero volunteered himself, as he stated that, whether or not he (Zero) survives the crash, the world is still in danger, and X is needed more than he is. |
| 395 | * MultiMeleeMaster: In ''X7'' and ''X8'', where he can acquire other melee weapons. |
| 396 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: After he beats Iris. |
| 397 | * MyHeroZero: [[TropeCodifier Duh.]] |
| 398 | * MysteriousPast: Even after all this time, all Zero knows of his "father" is a ''silhouette''; but that didn't stop him from learning that he is the cause of most of the hardships in the world up to that point. |
| 399 | * NightmareSequence: Has one in at the start of ''X4'' and another at the end of ''X7''. |
| 400 | * NinjaPirateZombieRobot: He is a samurai robot who is also supposed to be some sort of TheAntichrist- though it canonically didn't happen. |
| 401 | * NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: In the {{flashback}} cutscene in ''X4'', in his fight against Sigma, [[PunchPunchPunchUhOh at first it seemed like Sigma is controlling the fight]], but Zero just keeps getting up, laughing, and finally winning a SingleStrokeBattle, ''fist to Beam Saber'', and then turns the tables completely and goes to brutally maim Sigma. Zero is only beaten when his head crystal glows, causing him a headache, and then Sigma punches it, rendering his opponent unconscious. |
| 402 | * NotSoStoic: His FreakOut in ''X4'' after Iris' death. |
| 403 | * OneManArmy: Same as X, he's capable of taking out entire opposing forces of Mavericks all by himself. |
| 404 | * TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: If you fail the stop the ColonyDrop hitting the Earth, Zero will remember his original programming, and remembers his objective to defeat X. |
| 405 | * OOCIsSeriousBusiness: In ''X6'', with some [[LostInTranslation loss in translation]] ([[BlindIdiotTranslation not that everything else wasn't]]): he speaks much more politely than he usually does when asking if Dr. Light knows anything about his UnexplainedRecovery. |
| 406 | * OverflowError: According to the [[https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BYwhpIs_hU8/WoBgauCF_iI/AAAAAAAAdrU/2l9z2osBGCItYb6qEJMfrzKhFrJzDk4qQCLcBGAs/s1600/DVwIdnmU8AARghX.jpg design timeline dock of the series]], this is why Zero is a good guy in the current events of the series. Zero was designed to be as evil as possible, back when he was originally designed by Dr. Wily, but a cognitive error made him incredibly violent (as in, he will destroy and kill everything in sight) and uncontrollable (Wily sealed him inside a capsule, as he cannot risk releasing him without getting brutalized by his own creation), and was forced to infect him with what would become the Maverick Virus. Because Zero was already designed to be evil, this created an overflow error that not only 'reset' his personality, but stabilized him into becoming rational. It also explains why he is so resistant to the virus. |
| 407 | * PaletteSwap: Several times. |
| 408 | ** In ''X2'', collecting all of Zero's parts meets you with a black replica of him in the final Sigma stage. You seem poised to fight, but the real Zero destroys him in one shot before you get the chance. |
| 409 | ** From ''X4'' onwards, excepting ''X7'', Zero's substitute for an ultimate armor changed his hair to a silver-white color and his armor to jet black, named Black Zero. The effects of this vary across games (Purely cosmetic in ''X4'', improved defense and some minor bonuses in ''X5'' and ''X6''), but most people accept the ''X8'' version of it as the standard version: Improved dash distance and doubled damage, but halved defense. |
| 410 | ** Zero Nightmare is an AxCrazy clone of Zero colored primarily with purple and green. Fortunately, he's much weaker than the real thing. |
| 411 | * TheParagonAlwaysRebels: Zero is the pinnacle of Dr. Wily's robotics career, and was originally intended as Wily's post-death revenge. Fortunately, Zero dedicated himself to fighting the Sigma virus and completely subverted Wily's intentions. |
| 412 | * ParryingBullets: One of Zero's recurring [[PowerCopying skills]] is an upgrade to his sword that can block projectiles. |
| 413 | * PatientZero: He (and arguably Sigma) was the very first robot to get infected by the Maverick Virus (stated to be [[LeakingCanOfEvil leaking out from Zero's hibernation capsule]]). Subverted in that he's TheImmune (see said entry above), but he is indirectly the source of the other viral infections of the series. |
| 414 | * PerpetualFrowner: After Iris dies, he not only stops smiling, practically at all, but loses essentially all of his {{Badass Boast}}ing personality and becomes TheStoic. |
| 415 | * PersonalityChip: In a series where every Reploid has free will, Zero is unique in that it's left ambiguous if he has the same level of free will as others or is following some form of hardcode Dr. Wily put in him. Since he was designed specifically to take down the original Mega Man it's hard to believe Dr. Wily would find reason in giving him truly free will since it wouldn't aid in that purpose outside of the old motive of [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter trying to prove himself better than Dr. Light in all ways possible]]. He does seem to display the same level of decision-making skills as other Reploids, yet he also isn't nearly as conflicted about taking down Mavericks with lethal force as X is, the sole exception being [[spoiler: Iris, who he was dating at the time.]] |
| 416 | * PersonOfMassDestruction: This was Zero's original purpose, [[spoiler:and when he rediscovers his full functionality both in the [[MultipleEndings Bad Ending]] of ''X5'' and when his body does as Omega in the ''Zero'' series, he more than has the power to prove it.]] |
| 417 | * PietaPlagiarism: In Iris' death scene, he [[CradlingYourKill carries the dead Iris]] as he screams in despair. |
| 418 | * PillarOfLight: His Giga Attack in ''X8''. Before that, in ''X6'', he can summon a screen-filling [[BeamSpam shower of beams]]. |
| 419 | * PopularityPower: He proved to be popular after his awesome deeds in ''X1''. |
| 420 | * PowerCopying: His Command Arts/Learning System. |
| 421 | * PowerGivesYouWings: The "[[AnIcePerson Absolute]] [[PunnyName Zero]]" armor from ''Command Mission''. He even resembles his brother's Treble Boost. Also seen with his [=DiVE=] Armor variant in ''X [=DiVE=]'' which gives him [[BroughtToYouByTheLetterS Z-Shaped]] energy wings. |
| 422 | * PragmaticHero: He's every bit as determined to achieve an everlasting peace as X is, but is more willing to fight than his friend is. Because of this, Zero often keeps X reassured of their goals when the toll of war starts to get to the latter. |
| 423 | * PredecessorVillain: Before his HeelFaceTurn, he was both the original Maverick and carrier of the virus. |
| 424 | * PrettyBoy: Even {{lampshade|Hanging}}d by Bass, who called him "too girly" to be the strongest robot, as Wily claimed it. |
| 425 | * PromotedToPlayable: In ''X3'' by pushing the L button on the pause screen. In ''X4'', he becomes fully playable. |
| 426 | * RedIsHeroic: Contrasting with X's blue, his armor is primarily red. |
| 427 | * RecurringBoss: ''X2'', ''X5'', ''X6'' ([[EvilKnockoff sort of]]), and ''Maverick Hunter X'' (Vile's route only, as a DualBoss with X), complete with SecretAIMoves. |
| 428 | * RedOniBlueOni: To X's Blue Oni, yet after certain time the relation is reversed: Zero is more cautious and always keep his head cool. Most likely have something to do with his CharacterDevelopment. |
| 429 | * {{Retcon}}: ''Rockman Perfect Memories'' states that Zero was the original host of the Maverick Virus and that it transferred from him to Sigma. ''Rockman Zero Collection Timeline'' changes this to the Maverick Virus being contained in Zero's capsule and infecting them both, curing Zero of his insanity and driving Sigma insane. |
| 430 | * TheRival: Colonel. Both are swordsmen who fight for what they want to protect. Zero is more concerned with getting the job done by any means necessary; Colonel is [[HonorBeforeReason so beholden to his honor]] that it gets in the way. |
| 431 | * RoboFamily: Sigma, at least, considers Dr. Wily to be Zero's father. Making [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Bass]] a crappy big brother [[EarlyBirdCameo before he was even born]]. His ending in ''Tatsunoko vs. Capcom'' gives a nod to this, where Dr. Wily actually calls Zero his son. |
| 432 | * SacrificialLion: In ''X1''. With the help of PopularityPower, he's [[BackFromTheDead revived]] in ''X2''. |
| 433 | * SamuraiPonytail: He has his hair styled this way. |
| 434 | * SatelliteCharacter: His role in the SNES games was little more than a source of inspiration to X, giving him the courage to grow stronger. As the two became equal in power, Zero started to deviate from this trope and became a fleshed-out character in his own right. |
| 435 | * ScrewDestiny: One of the most important character themes for Zero is how he gives destiny the middle finger and defies it every step of the way. Or tries to, anyway. As Colonel and Iris (and very nearly X) demonstrate, he's still a threat to those close to him under the wrong circumstances -- which Sigma is all too willing to provide. |
| 436 | * SealedBadassInACan: [[BookEnds Both at the beginning and the "end" of this series.]] |
| 437 | * SealedEvilInACan: In the beginning of the series. |
| 438 | * SecretAIMoves: |
| 439 | ** The iconic "two charge shots, then SwordBeam" combo; it's first used in an ''[=X2=]'' cutscene, and multiple times during his boss fights -- even [[spoiler:Omega Zero]] gets in on the fun -- but the player never gets to use the move in the main games playing as Zero. X can do it in ''X3'' if you find a way to take Zero's saber ''and'' get the arm armor, [[VideoGame/MegaManZX Model OX]] can do it as well, and this is one of Zero's Hyper moves in ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom''. |
| 440 | ** ''Awakening Zero'' has plenty of these. The shots from his Buster combo turn into halo-like disks that gain ''{{homing|Projectile}}'' capabilities, and he gets a OneHitKill attack that takes the SwordBeam up a notch. |
| 441 | ** In ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'', he ''does'' get ''that'' SwordBeam as a Level 3 Hyper...except that it does a lot of damage instead of being an instant kill. The player also gets to let him use it in ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'' as a Multi-Attack. |
| 442 | * SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Being the ''{{bishonen}}'' of the two, that's saying something that he is the Manly Man. In contrast to the more peaceful X, Zero has little compunction or hangups about killing his opponents. He is overall more cynical and pragmatic, not backing down from the frontlines like X does in ''X7''. |
| 443 | * ShellShockedVeteran: In the later games. |
| 444 | * ShortRangeGuyLongRangeGuy: His focus on rushing the enemy and point-blank strikes contrasts X's defensive fighting style. |
| 445 | * ShootTheDog: Zero does this in the manga version of Mega Man X4. During the Repliforce rebellion, Iris is working as a nurse treating both sides and has been severely injured and put in a stasis pod in her base due to a computer terminal blowup caused by Cyber Peacock. Zero gets the vaccine from Slash Beast to cure her of the bugs that are killing her. Colonel breaks military regulations to go to the base save his sister Iris and clashes with Zero, telling him it is their destiny to fight because of their irreconcilable ideals. Zero agrees and holds nothing back, slicing off Colonel's right arm. Zero then notices that Iris's right arm was suddenly corroded in her pod, and realizes that because Colonel and Iris are Reploid siblings, damage to one sibling is extended to the other. Colonel charges at Zero one last time with his remaining arm, and Zero, with a very pained look on his face ultimately kills Colonel by slicing him in half, despite knowing that Iris would die as well, and the fact that he could have been able to stop him without killing him. Sure enough, Iris does die a short time later, directly because of Colonel's death. Colonel himself did not die with hate and bitterness in his heart, and even smiled at Zero in the end, realizing that Zero did what he felt was necessary to stop a lethal opponent and to end the Repliforce war. |
| 446 | * ShoutOut: |
| 447 | ** Several of his recurring techniques are straight out of ''Franchise/StreetFighter''. His staple rising sword uppercut is also based on the {{Shoryuken}}. Equipping the K-Knuckle in ''X8'' will make his uppercut an actual icy Shoryuken, complete with CallingYourAttacks. |
| 448 | ** In ''Command Mission'' Zero can gain a second, incredibly powerful Hyper Mode armor. It has black bat-like wings, adds smaller bat wings to his helmet, claws on his hands and dark armor on his body and legs. It's a nod to his predecessor Bass and his power armor upgrade, the Treble Boost. |
| 449 | ** His Black Armor Mode turns him into a black ''clothed'' warrior that wields a green Light Saber. Someone clearly saw ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''. |
| 450 | * ShutUpHannibal: |
| 451 | ** In ''Maverick Hunter X'': |
| 452 | -->'''Vile:''' "Hmpf... Zero... Why would someone as powerful as you align yourself with X? He's just a B-Class Hunter, nothing more!"\ |
| 453 | '''Zero:''' "Vile... You're nothing but a Maverick now." |
| 454 | ** He delivers another to Vile at the top of the Jakob Orbital Elevator in ''X8''. |
| 455 | -->'''Vile:''' "Don't you ever get tired of the whole 'justice' thing?"\ |
| 456 | '''Zero:''' "Don't ''you'' ever get tired of being Sigma's lap dog?" |
| 457 | * SpamAttack: |
| 458 | ** His infamous "dash cancel saber" technique amounts to this. His first and second slashes wouldn't trigger a boss's MercyInvincibility and you can dashi after the second slash and then slash again after the dash. Do the math. [[note]]The exception of this is if you take the W-Shredder in ''X5'', which is actually optional, and in the 3D games.[[/note]] |
| 459 | ** Also his Renyoudan technique in ''X8'', done with his D-Glaive. |
| 460 | * SpectacularSpinning: In ''X4'' and ''X5'', Zero learns a move which allows him to do a spin-slash in midair, which replaces his normal air slash. ''X6'' somewhat keeps the technique, but only during the aforementioned DoubleJump, unlike Kuuenzan and Mikazukizan (Ensuizan would be the X6 version, but functions differently). And in ''X6'', ''X7'' and ''X8'', he still gets more spinning moves. |
| 461 | * SpotlightStealingSquad: Inafune wanted him to be ''the'' main character. Even after Capcom forced him to change his mind, [[WriterRevolt Inafune didn't change his plans]]. |
| 462 | * SpringJump: With an acquired ability in ''X6''. If he high jumps into the ceiling, [[CeilingCling he can cling to it]] and can [[AnIcePerson shoot icicles from his saber]]. |
| 463 | * TheSuperego: In relation to his teammates X and Axl. The coldest of the bunch, only concerned in missions, likes to take shoot-first-ask-questions-later approach. He's still a nice guy deep down, though. Oddly, he wasn't like this prior to ''X4'', being closer to The Id with his more spirited personality. |
| 464 | * SuicideAttack: Capable of one in ''X1'' which he uses to obliterate Vile's upgraded Ride Armor. It's clearly treated as a GodzillaThreshold, but it's never seen again in the series after the first game (and its remake). |
| 465 | * SuperpoweredEvilSide: Two of them: Maverick Zero, the state Sigma finds him in pre-X1 where his mind is still damaged without the Maverick Virus, is LaughingMad, AxCrazy, and strong enough to take down Sigma with a [[ImprobableWeaponUser lead pipe]]. Awakened Zero, made by overwhelming Zero's body with a new strain of the Sigma Virus found at Eurasia's impact point, is surprisingly sane, being a SoftSpokenSadist who's even more powerful than his Maverick state. It shows in gameplay too: If X takes too long to defeat Awakened Zero, he'll become UnwinnableByDesign and OneHitKill X. Ultimately, both invert the trope because, as Sigma points out, both of these states are achieved by following Wily's original plan and thus are his true self, making his normal state more of an Underpowered Good Side. |
| 466 | * TheStoic: Downplayed at first, being simply a confident, mellow guy who, while he didn't tend to raise his voice much, has some kind of spirited mentality to his fights. After ''X4'', however, this is played fully straight. |
| 467 | * SwordAndGun: Technically starting from ''X2'''s "bad" scenario where he's a boss, which gave birth to the famous "buster-buster-SwordBeam" combo of his. In the next game where he's playable, his buster is still more emphasized, with the saber only coming out for delivering a strong attack. On ''X4'' onward, as a DivergentCharacterEvolution, the saber gets emphasized more. |
| 468 | * SwordBeam: In ''X2'', he can do this during the boss fight with him after firing 2 busters (see above); also in ''X5'' and ''X6''. The latter games also introduce the infamous Genmurei (aka Genmu Zero). In ''X7'', we're then treated to ''4'' kinds of sword beams, including one that [[HomingProjectile homes in opponents]]. |
| 469 | * SwordPlant: Some of his acquired moves has him falling from above saber-first, such as Hyouretsuzan in ''X4'' or Rakukoujin in ''X6''. |
| 470 | * TakeUpMySword: After his HeroicSacrifice in ''X1''. A more literal version occurs in ''X3'' where the Z-Saber is an InfinityPlusOneSword ([[GuideDangIt if you meet the required conditions]]) and at the end of ''X5''. |
| 471 | * TechnicolorNinja: Implied. He's the commander of the 0th "Special Ops" unit, a squadron of what are essentially robot ninjas, but bright red armor and AnimeHair are hardly suited to not being noticed. As the leader, he must be that good regardless. |
| 472 | * TokenHeroicOrc: The only one of Wily's creations who turned good. |
| 473 | * TookALevelInCynic: [[spoiler:Iris' death changes his world view for the worse and his mannerisms become far less cheerful. This also serves to further contrast him with X as they form a CynicIdealistDuo dynamic]]. |
| 474 | * TooLongDidntDub: Probably done for RuleOfCool, all of Zero's moves were left untranslated in ''X4'', ''X6'', ''X7'' and ''X8''. Even most of his ''X5'' moves get this treatment whenever they appear in later media or crossovers. |
| 475 | * TyphoidMary: It is said that Zero unknowingly spread his virus around as he ventured around the globe. This leads to him sealing himself, to stop the spread, in his ending in ''X6''. |
| 476 | * VideoGameFlight: At least as a bug in ''X8''. Kinda funny, and it lets you bypass the worst parts of the final dungeon -- could you ask for more? Oh, and Layer can do it, too. |
| 477 | * TheVirus: He is the source of the Maverick Virus. |
| 478 | * WeCanRebuildHim: After he died in the first game, the second had the X-Hunters rebuild him, or at least the parts of it, which X had to steal for the Maverick Hunters to rebuild him. |
| 479 | * WhatTheHellHero: In ''Command Mission'', he chastises X for being so trusting all the time, stating that it's because of such naivete that Shadow managed to betray them. |
| 480 | * WhenHeSmiles: |
| 481 | ** He's also visibly glad to be reunited with X in ''X6'', highlighting just how strong a bond these two share. |
| 482 | ** One of the more notable instances of Zero actually expressing some degree of happiness in the post-''X4'' titles is when he gives a little grin while alone in his thoughts during the ending of ''X8'', wondering if the end of the New Generation Reploids' revolt means he ''finally'' will be able to lay down his sword. [[ForegoneConclusion Alas...]] |
| 483 | * WhiteHairBlackHeart: In his [[InfinityPlusOneSword Zero Armor]]. Played with; he's obviously one of the heroes, but he was created by Dr. Wily to be evil. |
| 484 | * WolverinePublicity: |
| 485 | ** Aside from starring in two (arguably three) out of the seven series, he was referenced ''and'' cameoed in two more (''[[VideoGame/MegaManLegends Legends]]'', ''[[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork Battle Network]]'', with the latter even including a CaptainErsatz) and finally, appearing in a roster in [[strike:two]] ''three'' games of the ''VideoGame/CapcomVs'' series, and, along with X, in ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'' and its sequel. ''Whew''... |
| 486 | ** Even though he wasn't playable in the fourth ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'', he still managed to have a cameo in the form of a trophy. The only other ''Mega Man'' characters with trophies were either Classic characters or those who appeared in Mega Man's Final Smash. Not to mention he got his own Mii Fighter costume. In ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', he is promoted to Assist Trophy. |
| 487 | * WorldsStrongestMan: By Dr. Wily's design, Zero manages to be this for ''the entirety of the classic Mega Man timeline''...Well, at least until X caught up to him in ''X5''. Still, the margin he surpassed Zero by can't be ''too'' large if Omega was any indication. Even well into ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'', despite the fact that his body is ''centuries'' or so old by that point and would logically be outdated by the terms of the era he's in, it's ''still'' incredibly dangerous and powerful in comparison to the other Reploids at the time. Dr. Wily really built him to last. |
| 488 | [[/folder]] |
| 489 | |
| 490 | [[folder:Axl]] |
| 491 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/axl_transparent.png]] |
| 492 | ->'''Voiced by''': Creator/MinamiTakayama (JP), Lenne Hardt (EN, X7), Jeffrey Watson (EN, X8, CM) |
| 493 | A former member of Red Alert (a BountyHunter organization) turned Maverick Hunter; since the only difference is the government sanction, this hasn't really changed his outlook on life. As the prototype of the next-generation of Reploid evolution, Axl's copy ability allows him to effectively become anyone. |
| 494 | ---- |
| 495 | * ArchaicWeaponForAnAdvancedAge: His "Ancient Gun" weapon in ''Command Mission'' is a flintlock gun. Not only is it the most powerful single-shot weapon in the game, it also deals additional damage to bosses. |
| 496 | * TheBabyOfTheBunch: Easily the youngest of the trio and the most immature due to being a New Generation Reploid. Nevertheless, he's treated less like a kid as the story goes on, but the treatment is still there. |
| 497 | * BloodKnight: In contrast to the MartialPacifist X, and the ShellShockedVeteran Zero, Axl fights because he loves to fight. |
| 498 | * BottomlessMagazines: In ''X8'', all of his weapons have this property. |
| 499 | * BroughtToYouByTheLetterS: Averted in his default form, but played straight by his [=DiVE=] Armor variant in ''X [=DiVE=]'', which projects holographic wings from his back shaped like a letter A. |
| 500 | * CallingYourAttacks: By the ''name of the weapon''. |
| 501 | * TheCameo: Appears briefly in Zero's ''Tatsunoko vs. Capcom'' ending. |
| 502 | * CharacterDevelopment: Axl matures greatly from ''X7'' to ''X8'', going from being a NaiveNewcomer to much more competent Hunter. |
| 503 | * ChargedAttack: He has one in his original appearance, but the BagOfSpilling takes it away as part of his later SuperheroSpeciation. |
| 504 | * ChekhovsBoomerang: Blink and you'll miss it, but Sigma's plan in ''X7'' (before the whole GambitRoulette went OffTheRails) was to have Axl copy the data of X and Zero, presumably with the intent of hijacking him from there. This seemingly irrelevant plot point is eventually revisited in ''X8'' (specifically, where it's revealed that Axl is the prototype of the New Generation Reploids), in ''Command Mission'' (with final boss Redips and his officers in the Far East Hunter division being the products of secretly restarted copy chip manufacturing), and (although Axl may or may not be personally involved) ''VideoGame/MegaManZX Advent''. |
| 505 | * AChildShallLeadThem: Unlike X and to a lesser extent Zero, Axl comparatively really is as young as he seems. Despite this, he's a Special A-Class Hunter, a position reserved for ''seriously'' high-ranking officers in the Maverick Hunters, and on the same technical level of command as Zero. |
| 506 | * ColorCodedCharacters: Black in some depictions; navy blue in others. Despite it only appearing in very small patches of his design, he is typically associated with yellow though. |
| 507 | * ContrivedCoincidence: Axl, for some reason, was not included in the Giga City mission (X and Zero are instead accompanied by newcomer Shadow); the mission immediately went awry because Shadow was TheMole, and X and Zero are separated for a good portion of the game. Even then, Axl, trying to learn more about his origins, would later turn up in Giga City and join X anyway. The clincher is it's in the same general location where X's group would soon meet up with Zero again. |
| 508 | * CousinOliver: He's a character introduced later who's younger (both age and personality wise) than X and Zero and generally "liven" the Maverick Hunters operatives. |
| 509 | * DenialOfDiagonalAttack: Averted. Like Bass before him, Axl can shoot his guns diagonally. |
| 510 | * DisabilityImmunity: Unlike the other New Generation Reploids, he apparently lacked Sigma's DNA due to being a prototype. As such, he has no active compunction of going with Sigma's will (i.e. killing humans) because of it. |
| 511 | * DoNotRunWithAGun: Much like Bass from ''VideoGame/MegaManAndBass'', Axl in ''X8'' can fire in multiple directions (including diagonally), but he can't run while doing so. |
| 512 | * DualWielding: In ''Command Mission'' his Axl Bullets weapon is his default gun times two, and two other weapons are also dual guns. In ''X7'' one of the Maverick weapons [[GunsAkimbo lets him wield dual guns and attack two enemies at once]]. |
| 513 | * {{Expy}}: [[VideoGame/MegaManZX Mega Man Model A]], an expy of unclear origin. To a gameplay extent Axl himself might be considered one of [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Bass]], only with the ability to hover in place of his {{double jump}}. |
| 514 | * FireForgedFriends: Has to work ''hard'' to earn X and Zero's trust and friendship, specifically because he was an assassin for a group that is AmbiguouslyEvil. Axl's tendency to avoid answering questions, and the fact that Red Alert was more than happy to ''go to war'' with the Maverick Hunters to get him back, didn't help Axl's case at all. By ''X8'', he has earned it. |
| 515 | * FlawedPrototype: His copy ability doesn't work on anything more massive than he himself is. He seems to have ironed this out by the time of ''Command Mission''. |
| 516 | * GoodScarsEvilScars: [[XMarksTheHero Shaped like an X]], to boot. |
| 517 | * GunsAkimbo: Some of his powers acquired from the Mavericks he destroys give him the option to wield a pistol in each hand. |
| 518 | * {{Handgun}}: His weapon is a handgun that shoots rapid fire. |
| 519 | * HeroWorshipper: According to character data, he greatly admires X and Zero. [[InformedAttribute Not that we'd ever see it]] in gameplay. |
| 520 | * TheId: In relation to X and Zero. Likes to get on X's and Zero's nerves, and is also very eager and interested in fighting and doesn't put concern in deep matters. |
| 521 | * TheImmune: Much like X's Suffering Circuit and Zero's already-infected nature, Axl's Next Gen Reploid Copy Chip makes him immune to infection, as is established in X8. Plus, thanks to being the prototype of the batch, he didn't receive Sigma's data like the rest. |
| 522 | * HyperspaceArsenal: Axl gets unique firearms from certain bosses in ''X7'' along with the same special weapon X gets. In ''X8'', though, every Maverick boss gives Axl a new gun instead of X's special weapon. His weapons are: |
| 523 | ** RayGun (''X7'', ''X8''), [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin self-explanatory]] |
| 524 | ** {{G|renadeLauncher}}-Launcher (''X7'')/Blast Launcher (''X8''), also self-explanatory |
| 525 | ** Double Bullets (''X7''). |
| 526 | ** [[RevolversAreJustBetter Spiral Magnum]] (''X8''), a revolver that can penetrate through walls and enemies. |
| 527 | ** [[HomingProjectile Black Arrow]] (''X8''), a homing cross-bow. |
| 528 | ** [[LightningGun Plasma Gun]] (''X8''), an electric gun. |
| 529 | ** [[PinballProjectile Bound Blaster]] (''X8''), which fires projectiles that can bounce of surfaces. |
| 530 | ** [[FireBreathingWeapon Flame Burner]] (''X8''), a flame thrower. |
| 531 | ** [[GatlingGood Ice Gatling]] (''X8''), a gatling gun that sprays ice shards. |
| 532 | * InfinityPlusOneSword: The White Armor from ''X8'', which lets him remain airborne indefinitely while firing. And, oddly enough, heals [[XMarksTheHero his scar]]. |
| 533 | * KnightKnaveAndSquire: Axl is the Squire to X's Knight and Zero's Knave. Axl's inexperienced as a Maverick Hunter, although he previously worked as a bounty hunter under Red Alert until his defection, and he is naive and looks up to X and Zero as his inspiration to becoming a Maverick Hunter at the time of ''X7'' then later becoming more cocky and sassy in ''Command Mission'' and ''X''. |
| 534 | * LongRangeFighter: Same way as X -- [[DivergentCharacterEvolution at first]]. |
| 535 | * MarkedChange: The red lines on Axl's body pulse when he's preparing to shapeshift. |
| 536 | * MasterOfNone: In ''X7'' compared to Glide Armor X. Aside from Axl's Copy Shot (which was already highly situational) and hover ability (which works slightly differently from X's glide,) Axl is basically an inferior version of X, who gets armor buffs and abilities on top of his chip upgrades, as well as a charge shot. ''X8'' rectifies this by giving Axl a weak but multi-directional rapid-fire ability. |
| 537 | * MoreDakka: |
| 538 | ** When the GunsAkimbo don't entirely cut it, Axl pulls out a gatling gun, a grenade launcher, [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]], a magnum that ignores walls...While his projectiles are very weak, he makes up for it by rapid-firing a TON of them. |
| 539 | ** This even extends to his guard-break ability in ''X8'': while X and Zero have to use their charge shot and the final hit of their combo attack respectively to break an enemy's guard, Axl just needs a second or two of sustained fire. |
| 540 | ** In ''Command Mission'' one of his weapons deals ''eight'' hits per attack. |
| 541 | * MultiRangedMaster: In ''X8'', his copied ability grants him multiple kinds of guns that he can use with near-equal proficiency. |
| 542 | * MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: He does not join the uprising of the "pure" new generation Reploids in ''X8''. They, in turn, regard him with contempt and (occasionally) regret. |
| 543 | * MysteriousPast: He cannot remember anything from before his Red Alert days. [[AllThereInTheManual Sourcebooks]] 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. |
| 544 | * NaiveNewcomer: In ''X7''. He irons it out a little by ''X8''. |
| 545 | * NeverHurtAnInnocent: The last straw that gets him to leave the Sigma-manipulated Red Alert. |
| 546 | * OlderAndWiser: By ''X8'' and ''Command Mission'', he's much more mature and savvy. He even acts as the emotional core of the battle with [[spoiler:Lumine]], encouraging X and Zero to press on, and is something like a big brother to Cinnamon during the Giga City adventure. |
| 547 | * OneManArmy: He's about as capable of wrecking entire battalion of enemy Mechaniloids and Maverick bosses as X and Zero. |
| 548 | * PaletteSwap: His White Armor in ''X8'' bears an eerie resemblance to [[BigBad Lumine]]. Given what happens to Axl at the end of ''X8'' [[note]]a tentacle bursting out of Lumine's immobile body to [[LastBreathBullet lash out at]] an approaching Axl, cracking Axl's forehead crystal in the process and--according to [[TheStinger Axl's ending]]--embedding ''something'' into the injured Reploid[[/note]], most fans take it as {{Foreshadowing}} for future events. [[LeftHanging Future events that sadly have been left dangling]]. |
| 549 | * PowerCopying: By finishing off enemies with a ChargedAttack, Axl creates DNA cores. Picking them up gives him some property of the defeated enemy, and, in case of humanoid enemies, their attacks. In ''X8'' the charging requirement is removed, but he gains DNA cores only from certain enemies. |
| 550 | * PowerPerversionPotential: Pointed out amusingly [[http://glitcher.deviantart.com/art/Axl-and-Alia-koma-29802370 here]] (safe for work). And then we have [[http://www.drneko.com/scanlation/rmseries/rmx/koma/x7/index.php?Result_Set=12 this]]. |
| 551 | * PsychoPrototype: Inverted. He is the prototype for the next-generation Reploid line, but he himself is actually quite sane (even with his BloodKnight tendencies). It's the mass-produced versions, especially Lumine and Redips, who were very much insane. |
| 552 | * QuestForIdentity: Hinted at when he first appears in ''Command Mission'', as Axl mentions he's investigating rumors about his copy chip/chameleon ability being invented at the Ulfat Factory (where he meets up with X's party). |
| 553 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: He defected from Red Alert when they started killing people who weren't "bad guys." |
| 554 | * SelfMadeOrphan: Red is his ''adopted'' father, at least. Axl still takes him out. |
| 555 | * SequelHook: Involved in a big one in ''X8''. It [[LeftHanging hasn't been settled, yet]]; [[WildMassGuessing theories abound]]. |
| 556 | * ShoutOut: Briefly acquires what is quite obviously the [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Morph Ball]] to solve one puzzle in ''X8''. |
| 557 | * ShutUpHannibal: His most famous positive moment. Just ask Lumine about that bullet in his shoulder. |
| 558 | * SpellMyNameWithAnS: It's a small running gag in {{Fanon}} whether or not Axl knows how to spell his own name... |
| 559 | * {{Spiky|Hair}} ShonenHair: His hair has spiky points and flow outwards than down. |
| 560 | * SuperheroSpeciation: |
| 561 | ** Axl's "skillset" from ''X7'' is pretty much the same set that X will use after the end of his TenMinuteRetirement. Fortunately for Axl, ''X8'' fixed the problem by tweaking his set of skills, keeping his copy and hovering abilities while giving Axl multi-directional, rapid-fire capabilities. |
| 562 | ** ''Command Mission'' also rectifies this by making Axl a [[SummonMagic summoner]] akin to the traditional [[RolePlayingGame RPGs]], by transforming into a defeated boss and using one of its attacks. |
| 563 | * SwissArmyHero: He's got data from all the bosses in ''Command Mission'' and can transform into any of them. ''Command Mission'' is not a platform game, and this amounts to only using an attack, but as stated above, his expy does much better in ''ZX Advent''. |
| 564 | * TagalongKid: in ''X7'' at least. He "grew up" before ''X8''. |
| 565 | * TookALevelInBadass: After ''X7'', he goes from being a NaiveNewcomer to a generally competent Maverick Hunter, even if he still gets on X and Zero's nerves. |
| 566 | * TriggerHappy: On par with him being a BloodKnight, in contrast to X and Zero. |
| 567 | * UnnecessaryCombatRoll: In this case, it provides immunity to projectiles. In ''X7'', Axl could also fire at locked-on targets mid-roll. |
| 568 | * UtilityWeapon: The various forms Axl takes using Copy Shot are mostly useful in overcoming obstacles. |
| 569 | * VisibleInvisibility: In ''Command Mission" his [[SuperMode Hyper Mode]] turns him transparent, leaving a dark-blue silhouette. |
| 570 | * VoiceOfTheLegion: In ''X7'' he could speak like this when transformed, if he chose. |
| 571 | * VoluntaryShapeshifting: |
| 572 | ** He has a Copy Chip, that allows him to change form, using an ability known as "A-Trans". His PowerCopying abilities stem from this. |
| 573 | ** In ''Command Mission'' he uses a more advanced DNA Change, that gives him enough ShapeshifterBaggage to copy bosses. |
| 574 | * WeaponOfXSlaying: In ''Command Mission'' some of his weapons have a high crit rate against certain enemy types. They are rarely worth the trouble, since all of them have one-hit attacks, as opposed to Axl's normal two. |
| 575 | * WhatHappenedToTheMouse: It's anyone's guess what became of him (or indeed, the entire supporting cast) between the last game and ''VideoGame/MegaManZero''. His {{Expy}} in ''VideoGame/MegaManZX Advent'' is obviously inspired from him in design and gameplay, but canonically doesn't ([[EpilepticTrees seem to]]) originate from him, which solves...absolutely nothing. The Archie Comics continuity has a brief glimpse of Axl drawn in ''Mega Man Zero'' format fighting Omega alongside X and Zero (who hasn't gotten his upgrade yet). |
| 576 | * XMarksTheHero: He has an X-shaped scar on his face, it top part concealed by the helmet. How he got it or why it's still there remains unknown. A [[http://www.drneko.com/scanlation/rmseries/rmx/koma/x7/index.php?Result_Set=10 4koma]] states that they're self-inflicted in order to look cool and dangerous. |
| 577 | * YoungGun: At the time of ''X7'', Axl resembled a teenager compared to X and Zero, whom are young adults, and he uses firearms to fight his enemies. |
| 578 | [[/folder]] |
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