- (not the original troper) YES. PLEASE. And while we're at it, let's have Yuri Lowenthal voice X since we've got JYB as Zero!
- Hey! This troper here had the same idea! You know, Yuri Lowenthal voicing X... Think about it. There just times when you hear Lowenthal voice certain other characters, it just will just come to you: His voice sounds pretty similar to Mark Gatha's, especially the grunts and moans and... oh wait I think I should shut up now.
- (troper who suggested Yuri Lowenthal as X's VA) Ahaha, yeeeaaah. Yes you should. XD And hey, cool, pretty sweet to know someone else of the same mindset! Now who would we have for Axl...?
- Different troper here. I'd like to say Brad Swaile for Axl based on his Lan Hikari voice, but at the same time his Rock Okajima voice lends extremely well to X. And in either case, if Yuri, JYB and Stephanie are the star VAs, this suggests a Viz or Funmation job, meaning Ocean Studios' Swaile would not be very likely seen working the same dubs as them. That said, if we want to keep the voices as close to Gatha and Lucas Gilbertson as possible while staying within Funi/Viz parameters, JYB could possibly make a better X while Aaron Dimsuke's post-puberty Slave 23 voice would be a great choice for Zero.
- An alternative suggestion (or plea): Sam Riegel as X, if only for his sterling work as Flynn Scifo showing his Lawful Good badass side; Troy Baker as Zero, in part for his role in the same game as Sam and because he's absolutely amazing at the kind of dark humour Zero would enjoy...also possibly Spike Spencer as Axl, who's a younger and occasionally slightly panicky but very talented Hunter with a great support network to live up to. It'd work, I tell ya!
- Hey! This troper here had the same idea! You know, Yuri Lowenthal voicing X... Think about it. There just times when you hear Lowenthal voice certain other characters, it just will just come to you: His voice sounds pretty similar to Mark Gatha's, especially the grunts and moans and... oh wait I think I should shut up now.
- This also explains how he could use Hadouken and Shoryuken - moves not so extreme compared to the rest of The School of The Undefeated of the East.
- Hey! They even have the same voice actor to boot.
- Sort of true: they're Ocean Studios, the peeps who dubbed G Gundam in the first place.
- X8, Command Mission, and Maverick Hunter X overall were dubbed by the Ocean group.
- Except that it was always meant to be Copy X in MMZ, even before the retcons.
- Except that X is the original villain in Zero. The retcon and Continuity Snarls was what led to the creation of Copy-X.
- Oh, I don't think that was the original plan. I think Infaune originally planned for X to have a
Heel–Face TurnFace–Heel Turn on his own accord, becoming more aggressive in order to deal with Mavericks. After all, the Zero Virus normally drives you Ax-Crazy instead of making you become a Knight Templar/Well-Intentioned Extremist (Sigma managed to resist for some time because of his specs, but became corrupted because Death Is Cheap).
- After the events of X3, X discovers that Serges is the grandson of Dr. Wily, a human. Remembering his fight against Sagesse, X worries whether it was a human that he fought (and possibly killed). Prone to guilt and worry as always, X worries that he will become hardened by violence and turn Maverick. X even pops on screen of Final Weapon to give the injunction that Zero end him if he ever turns Maverick. His long road of guilt and conscientious objection has just begun. It reaches the point that in X7, X resigns from combat altogether.
- Sigma sports a large green light-saber in his first form. (Note that we never again see Sigma with that beam saber.) X defeats Sigma and wants to take with him any weapon that he can find as a souvenir, out of thoughtfulness to Dr. Cain and his other friends for their support for him. X would like to be able to fight using the Sigma-Saber himself, but he is not exactly well-trained to saber fight. So Dr. Cain hangs on to it until it's needed. After successfully putting Zero back together and reviving him, Dr. Cain gives Zero the Sigma-Saber in hopes that someone can make good use of it. So Zero tries it out, and finds out that he wields it better than he does his buster. Satisfied, Zero hurries to point X to Sigma's hideout. The saber has officially become Zero's signature weapon now.
- Jossed, Serges made it himself when the X-Hunters seize Zero's remains.
- Dr. Doppler found Sigma's head and revived it by re-completing the control chip inside it, then built a newer body for it. Thus, the revived Sigma is the Sigmaloid, while the Sigma Virus functions like an Evil Twin. The Sigma Virus knows Doppler was helping out the Sigmaloid, so he corrupted the mechanized suit of Doppler to convince him to build the Ultimate Battle Body for him. Naturally, that evil-twin Sigma Virus would not stand for being defeated by a "half of himself". So he used the new body when hunting down the Sigmaloid, hoping to win him back over to the Maverick side and make himself "whole" again. When Dr. Cain and the government started up Repliforce, the Sigma Virus finally tracked down the Sigmaloid — now the Repliforce General — and begins to put his plan into action.
- After the Sigmaloid's (General's) Heroic Sacrifice, an inner piece of his head (with control chip inside) is still intact, found by Dr. Cain later (hoping that the Sigma Virus will assume him dead and stop pursuing him). Dr. Cain refurnished and built this living part of General onto the remains of his former Ultimate Battle Body and Colonel's remains, puts Colonel's hat on him, and names him Signas. Dr. Cain does not want the Virus (keeping the old name Sigma) to any longer single out General/Signas. Therefore, unlike Doppler, he took special care to prevent Sigma from ever recognizing Signas as the "good half of himself."
- Actually, there is a fanfic in which Signas has Sigma's original control chip. There are some changes to this theory in the fanfic, though:
- 1) Sigma's control chip wasn't used by Dr. Cain in Signas' creation. It was used by X of all people. And only a handful of other persons (X, Alia, Dr. Cain, the X1 and X2 Mavericks and a Canon Foreigner) know this.
- 2) Signas was created right after the events of X1, before Repliforce was founded. So no connection to the General.
- The main reason he chose to "retire" is not because of the unscrupulous methods of handling the Maverick problem. The real reason was because a new character was going to be in the game, and Zero already steals enough screen time from X, so he decided to just call it quits. He realized Axl isn't all that likable in the game, so he came back.
- Or the fact that fighting Sigma just wasn't working? The only real way to stop the Maverick Virus was with a technical breakthrough: the wars were just buying time. Retiring from the hunters to work with a team researching his immunity makes perfect sense: it was Zero being sealed away to be researched to create the Mother Elf that defeated the virus in the original timeline, not Zero the hunter fighting Sigma. X was around when Dr. Cain was creating the first reploids, repairing irregulars, etc. Even ignoring the fact he's Dr. Light's heir, given Sigma's tendency to target scientists (or they get themselves infected while trying to research a cure), his age, his experience with the virus... he's frankly wasted on the battlefield. If Zero was capable of holding the line and fending the Mavericks off, then it only makes sense for X to work on trying to solve the real problem. Of course, if one of them had to be taken off the battlefield, it would make more sense for Zero to turn himself in, reveal he's the source of the virus, and let them study him, but Capcom wanted more sequels...
- Or perhaps he could leave so he could actually help repair human/reploid relations and actually make a society where they both live in peace? Even Zero admits that a fighter like him can't change the world, and instead fights for people who can actually change it legitimately. X is a smart, kind, compassionate reploid who's wasting those traits on the battlefield instead of the greater society, where his legacy as Light's last creation could do some good. To be honest, it slayed me that Capcom just had X just sitting out in X7, instead of going to reserve status and spending his time rebuilding the world after the Eurasia Incident. It could even lead up to his status of basically ruling Neo Arcadia in MMZ.
- Both the second and third reasons, and to protect whatever compassionate side X has left, which X fears is not that much anymore.
- Or the fact that fighting Sigma just wasn't working? The only real way to stop the Maverick Virus was with a technical breakthrough: the wars were just buying time. Retiring from the hunters to work with a team researching his immunity makes perfect sense: it was Zero being sealed away to be researched to create the Mother Elf that defeated the virus in the original timeline, not Zero the hunter fighting Sigma. X was around when Dr. Cain was creating the first reploids, repairing irregulars, etc. Even ignoring the fact he's Dr. Light's heir, given Sigma's tendency to target scientists (or they get themselves infected while trying to research a cure), his age, his experience with the virus... he's frankly wasted on the battlefield. If Zero was capable of holding the line and fending the Mavericks off, then it only makes sense for X to work on trying to solve the real problem. Of course, if one of them had to be taken off the battlefield, it would make more sense for Zero to turn himself in, reveal he's the source of the virus, and let them study him, but Capcom wanted more sequels...
- This article lends credibility to this idea, but with MM10 it's too soon to say for sure.
Compared to Mega Man's design, X is far more advanced in both specs and abilities, to the point that he was super-advanced even a century in the future. Where did this major technological leap come from? The answer is when Doctor Light helped repair the highly-advanced alien robot Duo in 8. Although he wouldn't be able to understand everything, he understood enough to repair Duo with all his strength and powers intact. Doctor Light was heavily inspired by what he managed to reverse-engineer while repairing Duo and applied the same technological advances when creating X.
- I'd be willing to say that the pinnacle of Light's Duo-Based technology was the Ultimate Armor. It certainly explains why its Giga Attack is the Nova Strike, something similar to what Duo can do.
- Alternatively, High Max is the one based on Duo due to similarities in their designs and abilities, just infused with Zero's DNA.
- In essence, "Maverick" simply means a Reploid who doesn't fall into social norms for any reason ranging from Ax-Crazy-ness to freedom fighters.
- Exactly. (Or for being a criminal.)
- This is the case even in the original X: Some reploids willingly rebel with Sigma, such as Chill Penguin and Armor Armadillo, but others, like Storm Eagle, have higher morals, and thus must be forcibly turned by the virus.
- Another possibility is that Zero was never built by Dr. Wily in MHX; he's just a normal, albeit high-performance, Reploid.
- Unlikely: MHX was meant to be a reboot closer to Inafune's vision. Zero being Wily's creation is a central part of the character.
- Actually, the original plan was for Zero to stay dead, but he proved too popular to get rid of. There's also an interview with Inafune on 1-up.com I think, where he explains the original series was supposed to end on 6, with Dr. Wily in prison, but MMX1 sold so well that Capcom decided to revive the original series. It's possible that Dr. Wily was retconned into being Zero's creator just so he could stay relevant, add drama to the new story, etc.
- It was confirmed here that Zero was planned since production to be built by Wily. That same source also says that the virus was planned then as well. So Zero wasn't "retconned" into being Wily's creation and the virus was planned in the lore back in X1.
- Unlikely: MHX was meant to be a reboot closer to Inafune's vision. Zero being Wily's creation is a central part of the character.
- Even in the pre-reboot games, it wasn't revealed until X2's events that Sigma became a virus, and it wasn't until some time after X2 that awareness of the virus spread enough for Doppler to announce a treatment for it. None of the Mavericks in X1 served Sigma from being corrupted by the virus (like Storm Eagle following Sigma after losing to him in a duel), which is notable here since none of their backstories were changed for MHX. Sigma's lack of a "I'll return" message could be the player is assumed to be familiar enough with Mega Man X to know that Sigma comes back after his death in X1/MHX.
- Perhaps it works as a tempter — it reasons with them why they should be a Maverick, and uses that to corrupt them. Sigma is the best example of this: when he first went Maverick, he was still as noble as he used to be, yet working as a Maverick. After gaining immortality from the virus, said virus slowly worked to rot all that he once stood for. His moments of being a Magnificent Bastard is due to him understanding the virus more and more.
- This makes sense in Mega Man X5 - many of the bosses who go Maverick due to the Sigma Virus don't immediately claim allegiance to Sigma. For example, if you fight Spiral Pegasus while he's infected, he cries that he will avenge General and Colonel when he fights Zero, showing that he still retains a sense of self and is not as obsessive as someone like Dr. Doppler. It seems that the Virus amplifies one's emotions and makes them lose control while swaying them to Sigma's cause, it doesn't necessarily brainwash them into mindless servants.
- Further note: This also explains why Sigma allows X to live — Sigma wants reploids to evolve beyond what humans created them for, and a reploid that can always evolve is a crucial tactical advantage. By forcing X to evolve, he proves that all reploids can change if the chips are down.
- Further note #2: This could mean that X's hadoken could be more than just a silly easter egg. If his systems could turn his hand into a deadly weapon, forming a ball of energy between his palms is only a half-step away.
- Further note #3: This also explains why X's base abilities keep changing between games, to the point the X Biometal in the ZX series comes with X2's double charge shot power. As he fights against worse and worse odds, his body adapts new powers, using the armors as a guide, to improve his odds of survival.
- Thanks, now I'm imagining Rangda Bangda saying "Welcome to Nick Jr.! Doo doo DOOOOOOO!".
- Uh... You do know that WMG is for Wild Mass Guessing and not things that are confirmed and stated outright in the game's instruction manual, right?
- All we know is that Cain Labs made Repliforce and for some reason they had Honor Before Reason to the point of suicidal stupidity. I was trying to explain why they were so stubbornly loyal and why they were programmed that way beyond simply 'because we need an excuse for a game'. My X4 manual is buried deep in my garage, but I've checked the wikis and nothing there explains why they were fanatically loyal nutcases. There's a reason why people scratch their heads on why Colonel and the others were just so unreasonable and somewhat disturbingly cult-like (the salute, anyone?). It might be just me, but I wanted to come up with an actual reason. Anyone get what I'm trying to say, here?
- The manual does state that Repliforce was made in response to the amount of Maverick Hunters who were going Maverick. No, it doesn't say explicitly that they were made fanatically loyal, but the high rate of Hunters going Maverick was the stated reason for their creation. I'll have to double check the manual when I get back to it, but that's what I remember of it.
- Really? Let me know if you find it; if that's true then I might as well delete this one.
- Found the manual, and it seems I misremembered it. The memo from Cain Labs in the manual states as Repliforce's directives:
Compensate for Sigma and Doppler program failures
Uphold Reploid Sciences: Research & Development
Maximize Reploid efficiency
Increase troop response time for MH-v3
Prevent further Maverick action- I guess I interpreted that first one as them being made in response to Hunters going Maverick. The rest of the memo is an evaluation of how Repliforce was performing (not well; it calls them 'ineffective and potentially dangerous'), and further directives to find an alternative to Repliforce. In any case, your theory makes a ton of sense... which is probably why I'd assumed it was already canon.
- Thanks for that. I'm rewriting my theory to make it more clear, anyway.
- Uh... You do know that WMG is for Wild Mass Guessing and not things that are confirmed and stated outright in the game's instruction manual, right?
- This is actually supported by some Mavericks; Toxic Seahorse turned himself into a form of goo to slip through a grate and then reformed, and Double transformed into his bigger self almost instantaneously. Could also explain how Axl can change forms too.
- Indeed, Reploids and humans were at first only distinguished by very different outward appearances, the Reploids' superhuman traits and abilities, and the barrier between the two "species" that kept them separated in society at all times. However, Reploids are designed to look very human, and more importantly to think and feel like a human, not to mention the whole bleeding and DNA-having thing, so it's highly likely that regardless of the exact chemistry, Reploid bodies are every bit as complex as human bodies and use many identical (or at least identically-functioning) systems. By ZX, it's explicitly stated that Reploids and humans are practically indistinguishable once the last major barriers are eliminated. This fits nicely with the way X's body, not just his mind, adapts to the things he encounters, much like an organic body.
- Reploid is a portmanteu of replica android: they're replicas of X, who is technically the one true android (Zero may count, unless Wily went off in another direction). However, android just means 'humanlike,' roughly. Early Science Fiction often used the word android for what we would call clones, artificially produced humans, like the ones in Star Wars. 'Organic' basically just means molecules with carbon-oxygen bonds (well, for practical purposes) in chemistry. Organic molecules are very, very good at self-sustaining reactions at the molecular level, and nanites are supposed to be small, so taking advantage of those traits makes sense.
- They could be like Cylons...
- Forget not doing what they're told, and forget humans being paranoid. Repliforce was responsible for a lot of deaths and Sigma was involved. The question the world would have asked was, did Reploids just help Sigma kill, destroy, etc. willingly, or was Repliforce really infected the whole time, the way it turned out the people in the initial rebellion were, and the virus was even better than they thought? Either way, Repliforce would have started a witch hunt and seriously hurt Reploid morale as well as human.
- In fact, given his job description, and that what Sigma was suggesting was essentially high-treason, General might have been within legal right (even without knowing it was Sigma, wanted war-criminal) to have killed him on the spot.
- Or, to go one step further, General knew that was Sigma and the entire thing was a plot to take Repliforce and defect. Flee the war against the Mavericks, desert in the face of the enemy. Abandon the rest of the world to Mind Rape to save his own skin, and that of his men. If he laid the groundwork for that in Repliforce, it would explain Iris's last words.
- (Response) Pretty sure nobody in-universe would know or even care about that meeting, especially one where General finds nothing worthwhile from. More importantly, the Maverick Hunters called the Repliforce for questioning because they were seen on the site when Sky Lagoon crashed. General was forced to declare independence for Repliforce because they were accused as Mavericks... because his own second in command Colonel refused to drop their weapons and explain themselves — because of his own pride and honor.
- It could be Auto. Watch the Volt Catfish cutscene from the PSX version of X3 real closely.
- Really, the requirements for this character would be someone who knows Thomas Light well enough to fool any test the future might put it to, and has access to his manufacturing bases (wherever they are), because we know they're still running as later X games include armour for Zero. Someone who can operate a teleporter to get the projectors and armour containment platforms into X's path as he's on his missions, too. It could easily be what remains of Roll, a little data-ghost waiting for her youngest brother to find his way home.
- I blame the fact that Zero's a hero, while Wily was a world-famous terrorist who built him solely to destroy. Not the sort of thing Zero would like to know about his creator. Also, Light dislikes fighting. He only built X with weapons in case there came a situation where he would need them.
- There's also the fact that if Zero turned himself in, X no longer has help out there, and the Dr. Light AI's goal appears to be X's health and survival. He does seem to trust Zero, and even makes an armor to make him stronger, which doesn't exactly work with being jealous that Wily made a stronger robot. Generally, it's Wily that's jealous of Light, anyway, and constantly trying to one-up him.
- However, this does raise the question of why Cyber-elves die when they use their powers when hologram!Light himself seems to be just fine appearing and giving you upgrades multiple times and repairing X.
- A property of the capsule, maybe? It would make sense that the Light-elf could be "recharged" while it lays dormant most of the time.
- That works with X surviving as long as he can go back to his body and recharge in Zero. It's once it's destroyed that he starts dying as he uses up his energy.
- Another explanation will be that X (and by extension Light) was in the Zero Space (the fortress stages) at the time he got unconscious. It's quite implied that this space is where the cyberspace has merged with the real world due to the massive concentration of the Zero Virus. Cyber elves in MMZ can exist freely in cyberspace without dying, and, by original poster's theory, so should Light. In short, he can walk out of his capsule because of the Zero Space — he can't go anywhere else.
- The Archie comic actually confirms that Dr. Light became a cyber-elf, although when is the issue.
I mean, really, what would make more sense? For there to be over 33-49 (calculated guesses for X-X5 and X-X8 for the number of capsules, respectively) capsules that just happen to be in areas that end up being outposts of the Mavericks (especially places built after Light could have placed the capsules); or for there to be but one capsule, that can find X (or Zero in X5) and give him what he needs as he needs it, and then move on (ever notice how the capsule disappears after you use it)? One capsule would also render hologram!Light's sapience feasible, and also explain how the later armors can keep on par with and even supersede recent robotics. (There is a good bit of dormant time as a capsule, after all.) (Except for those two arm ones in X4; they are probably different, though, as they stick around.)
- I believe that this is the most feasible explanation for the capsules; the capsules themselves may be holographic or Hard Light (no pun intended). Since it's only a matter of projection and data links, then the two arm capsules in X4 isn't really a confusing matter. Furthermore, I can imagine that there's the "original" capsule somewhere (likely deep in the abandoned lab X was in) where the hologram!Light resides and builds more armor and that said capsule can project itself anywhere.
- Actually, considering this is Dr. Light we're talking about, it's entirely possible that there's actually a fixed number of capsules, but they change locations - after all, despite supposedly being there for a long time, the capsules don't show any signs of age (not to mention that capsules found in environments with extreme heat or cold seem to work perfectly fine), so it's entirely possible that instead of having the capsules placed at locations that are all conveniently where Maverick outbreaks happen, they instead go to locations that X will have to visit, waiting for him if he's willing to take time out of his day. After all, teleporting is something that is possible in this universe, so it's not out of the question - meaning that there's probably a base with a computer that creates new armor for X to use whenever a new crisis arises.
I think this makes the most amount of sense. The capsules themselves can't be all that complicated to make, considering how many there are. Dr. Light probably created a mechanism that allowed his capsules to constantly replicate and spread throughout the world. The armors are all probably created in a similar fashion. If the Dr. Light Holograms truly are sentient, they could theoretically create new armors for X as time goes on. This would make sense, since if X truly has unlimited potential, he should reach a point where new armor upgrades are unnecessary. Since the Light Holograms constantly create new weapons and armor depending on the time and advancements in technology, it would mean that X would always have the latest and best arsenal at his command. This is further backed up by how the Dr. Light Hologram was able to create an upgrade for Zero. The capsules are all probably connected to X in some way. When X was sent out on an infiltration mission in Command Mission, the capsules created an armor that would be best suited for sneaking missions, and reformatted X on their own.
Alternatively, Sigma (who did not have as much of his Evilutionary Biologist tendency in the original X1 than in MHX) did not want X to get the capsules. That's why he had his mavericks occupying the places where one of theses capsules where found. That would explain why most of these were hidden instead of just being there like the Chill penguin stage capsule. X being the only one able to use them, Dr. Light had few reasons to bother making them so hard to access (aside, maybe, from preventing someone from studying the capsules), while the mavericks, on the other hand, would build their bases while keeping in mind to make the capsule as hard to access as possible.
As for why Zero can also see him from X4 onwards, maybe the Light program copied itself over to Zero after spending so much time with X, like a benevolent version of the Maverick virus. It couldn't create upgrades for Zero until it could study his hardware from the inside out; hence the lack of upgrades for him up until X5.
- Or alternatively, Dr. Light uploaded his brain into Cyberspace, but being the scientific genius that he is, was able to access some sort of "back door" in both X and Zero's programming, thus allowing him to keep an eye on them if needed.
- Actually, though, if you know what a "Zero Space" or "Area Zero" isnote , how Light can come out of his capsule can be explained — because of the merger of the Cyberspace and the real world, Light's hologram appears in the same way that Phantom appears in the Cyberspace in Zero 3, and he can freely move around this time.
- Doubtful. Zero picked up a nearby fallen Resistance Fighter's gun. His Buster is just an ordinary Buster Gun that's been modified to use the Z-Saber as a power source.
- So if Zero picked the gun off a dead resistance member, what exactly is Omega using then? Really, I think the gun is his actual Z-Buster but under the different art direction for the sake of looking cool. Axl's guns look more like modified Kimber pistols than MMZ'''s seemingly futuristic sub-machine gun design.
- I think you misunderstand the above conjecture. I believe the poster is stating that Omega has Zero's original buster, and Zero in MMZ just picked up some random soldier's gun.
- Zero would have to undergo a fairly radical transformation to purge itself of the virus. Then there's the whole thing about about compatibility issues. It might take a body like Axl's to be able to first copy Zero's well enough for the transplant, and then change itself over time.
- Or maybe things just got Darker and Edgier when Dr. Light, known as a champion for ethical treatment and use of robotics, died.
- The Mega Man series is an idealized version of what actually happened, to form a basic sense of morality. In reality, Dr. Wily was either far worse, or rather tragic.
- The X series is a Darker and Edgier edition, that has become more developed to identity moral ambiguity. It also serves as a prediction for what will happen when he awakes. The virus is X's attempt to rationalize why someone would turn bad, while the New Generation Reploids and the Mavericks in Maverick Hunter X show that he's recognizing moral ambiguity.
- The Zero series enforces the closest system to Real Life morality. It also introduces how evil someone can get. This is what Dr. Weil is there for: he's the absolute worst representation of the human species. Copy X is warning X not to go too far.
- The ZX series reconciles things.
- The Legends series is the theoretical doomsday event.
Actually, to tell the truth, there is no evidence whatsoever to prove that the events in question do not take place on a planet called Earth, but completely different in all but name from our own. In fact, if the story given by The Protomen were to be taken at face value and then further elaborated on, "Reploids" might very well have been the term the planet's inhabitants used for their version of the Cylons, and the whole planet is in fact the nuclear wasteland Thirteenth Colony that was encountered by the Caprican/Cylon refugee ships as they searched for a new home, a hundred thousand years before the present day... which of course reminds one once again of numbers such as 93345, and 94533. Who's to say that the recurring cycle isn't a lot older than the Capricans (nevermind Terrans) thought it was?
It's also possible that Zero's essence literally exists within X via the Saber. Note that in Zero, Zero's memories only start to come back when Cyber-X returns the saber to him. Obviously, the all-important control chip, or at least a back-up unit, is housed within the Saber.
Now, the only question remaining is how Zero's copy body is made. Simple: At some point between X8 and The Elf Wars, X realizes that he and Zero "have been the same person" all along, either by the inconsistencies becoming too numerous to ignore, or by accepting the truth that he is a hero in his own right, and that he must stop relying on Zero if his own strength is to flourish.
And then Weil digs up Zero's body and turns him into Omega.
X realizes that he and Axl alone aren't enough to combat this threat (especially if Axl has fallen in battle by this point), so he has Alia, a known expert reploid designer, apply all of her skills towards building a new body for Zero, utilizing whatever new technologies have been developed since X5 to make "Copy Zero" a match for Omega in combat, with the added bonus of being completely virus-free. He then returns the Z-Saber to Copy Zero, essentially restoring Zero to life. They fight the Elf War, and at the end, defeat and seal up Omega. Weil is tried and exiled into space, along with the dormant Omega.
Zero decides he should be sealed back up, not because of spreading the virus, but because his mere living seems to bring conflict. Giving the saber to X once again, Copy Zero is sealed in the underground lab, leaving the world in X's hands... until X is forced to sacrifice his body to seal the Dark Elf.
- Well, that's crazy. But one thing to note here is that the one who made Zero's copy body is Ciel's ancestor. Who exactly the ancestor is is never touched upon, but it's definitely not Alia (Alia is a Reploid and Ciel is a human, you know.) As in how Zero's memories seem to "come back" when he retrieved the saber, it might be just a coincidence.
- Well, she'd have needed to erase the virus from everyone anyway in order to permanently destroy Sigma/the Sigma Virus. So what real difference do the New-Gens make?
- @ the theory itself: This is confirmed in the Mega Man Zero Official Complete Works. Indeed, the Mother Elf works by deleting the Sigma Virus. Perhaps that can be expanded into "erasing traces of Sigma's DNA"?
- I'd say that Lifesavor got court-martialed and fired from the Maverick Hunters. He was explicitly told by his superior to keep something a secret, deliberately disobeyed orders and snitched to X anyway, resulting in a situation of distrust that nearly got two high-ranking Hunters killed. I'd be amazed if he wasn't sent to jail or declared Maverick for that.
- Let's Take a Third Option: He got fired and court-martialed off-screen (either during or after the events of X5), and he developed some form of resentment towards Zero (maybe even X). However, Zero (who in the canonical ending to X5 is Not Quite Dead) stumbles upon Lifesaver, who attacks him in a fit of rage...prompting Zero to finish him off.
After Iris's defeat, she claims she wants a world for reploids. So does Sigma. In the Memorial Hall mid-stage, Colonel actively tries to kill X, unprovoked. Typical maverick behavior, but importantly, Repliforce really has no justification for having a satellite weapon besides that they're terrorists.
- Except that Iris wants a separate world for reploids, while Sigma wants to Kill All Humans first (he claims that humans are limiting Reploids' evolution). As for Repliforce's behavior, they're not Mavericks (as in, reploids who are infected by The Virus), but they act similarly because of their severe Honor Before Reason.
- Not just that, Colonel is seen to be the most unsympathetic of the Repliforce. Even General pulls out a Redemption Equals Death to stop Final Weapon.
- Additionally, I don't think Final Weapon belonged to Repliforce initially. They took it over during the game.
- OBJECTION — in one cutscene, General DID meet Sigma. However, Sigma never revealed his identity to General when they met. And the Repliforce were actually framed by Magma Dragoon.
- The old definition of "maverick": Reploids whose minds defect because of some malfunction in their circuit. (You know, being cheap replicas of X, this tends to happen to most early Reploids. Also Vile, though he later arguably became type 3.)
- Viral Maverick: Reploids whose minds defect because of viral infection. (Most animaloid Reploids, Sigma, Doppler, Gate (by Zero's DNA))
- Free-Will Maverick (or just "having evil intentions"): Just genuinely evil, like real-life criminals. (Dynamo, Double, arguably Red, High Max, The Nightmare Police (X3), Serges, Violen, and Agile (X2), and arguably animal Reploids in X1, X2, and X7)
- Misblamed/Political Maverick: Reploids who don't qualify as any of the above, but get accused as one. (Repliforce, for example, and animaloids in X6, though (possibly) later they're also infected.)
- New-Gen Maverick: Having Sigma's DNA, New-Gen Reploids can "wreck their own mind by themselves". (Animaloids in X8, Lumine, Colonel Redips.)
- Repliforce, if not Mavericks, then they were still bloody stupid and largely responsible through their own actions for much of the destruction that followed.
- I think that with some of the animal reploids, there is some varying degree of maverickness between viral Mavericks, free-willed Mavericks, and deep-cover operatives.
- "Even after X6 and Inafune was involved again, he didn't really try to bring Wily up again, not even in the Zero series" Wily is alluded to in X7 during Zero's boss talk with Snipe Anteater where the latter tells Zero he's forgotten his true mission. X8 mentions Zero's role in X5's events (where his past as the last of Wily's robots is key) repeatedly (X's talk with Layer about Zero and Zero's boss talks with Dark Mantis, Avalanche Yeti, Bamboo Pandamonium, Optic Sunflower, Belial Sigma). Omega in the Zero series alludes to (even if not the same machine) Zero's Ax-Crazy self before his first fight with Sigma and it's canon that Zero sealed himself away between the X series and the last year of the Elf Wars after figuring that he was too dangerous to the world thanks to how he carried the Maverick Virus in him.
- (applause)
- Wow, that makes a damn lot of sense. I can see X constantly refusing promotions/medals/perks usually given to other Hunters on ethical grounds.
- By X8, though, he and Zero are both finally promoted to S-Class. This isn't going against this theory, though, because remember, he dropped out of battle before X7 only to come back in during the Red Alert conflict, having accepted the necessity of taking care of business again.
- Alternatively, Sigma provides them escape from the Fantastic Racism. He basically says to them "You can continue your lives as low-level Reploids, or you can join me and make a better world for yourselves."
- Doubtful. Many of these animal Reploids were leaders within their organization. The guys in X1 and X4 were unit commanders, meaning they had fairly high station.
- Could certainly explain why most animaloid reploids have plural names whereas most humanoid reploids have singular names.
- The latter is correct.
- OBJECTION! Word of God stated that Command Misson takes place in the 23rd century, while X8 takes place in the 22nd century. So the latter is incorrect. I'd personally joss this theory.
- This can actually be right...
- Then why did he make a copy in the first place? In original Inafune's story, there's no copy.
- Oh right. But that doesn't explain what or who imprisoned the Dark Elf.
- Was the Dark Elf even part of Inafune's original plan? Remember, this series was hit pretty hard from the Executive Meddling that brought Zero and Sigma back for X6.
- Oh right. But that doesn't explain what or who imprisoned the Dark Elf.
- It seems like you're confusing Dr. Wily with Dr. Weil. Weil was the one who turned original!Zero into Omega, not Wily.
- Isn't this true already?
- Alternatively, Wily ended up adding free will anyway, since it would make Zero more efficient. However, it also meant Zero could choose to be good...
- That's a great theory and all, but the X-based programming ain't gonna turn itself on whenever it wants. Also, at that point Zero seemed to be enjoying his killing spree and never seem conflicted about it. It seems illogical to suddenly decide to be good after getting what looks to be like a major headache. This troper believes that it had to be triggered some way, via the battle with Sigma. It could be that Dr. Light suspected through all those years of living that Wily will never stop his ambition of world domination (even after he's dead) and will create a robot to fulfill that dream. Upon making X, Dr. Light installed a program designed to specifically affect Dr. Wily's robot (Dr. Light and Wily have worked together in the past, so it's probably not too hard for Light to figure out how to create a program to counter Wily's programming). (Note: I typed 'specifically' because it ONLY affects Zero. This would make sense on the basis that all the reploid copies made by Dr. Cain are not affected by this programming because they are not perfectly modeled after X, therefore not fully compatible with the program, but still able to carry it; besides, if everyone was compatible, then we'd have no bad guy). This program was passed on from X to Sigma and infected Zero during their battle. It is possibly around the time where Zero severed Sigma's arm where the program could have transferred. Their battle can be seen here. Upon activation, the program started fighting off Wily's programming and Sigma took the opportunity to smash the area on his head where the W appeared (probably where the main programming lies), thus the X-based programming gained control of Zero; however, because Sigma smashed the area containing Wily's programming, Sigma got infected with the virus.
- Also adding more to the above, it could be that Dr. Light knew that there was a chance that Wily will create a robot far stronger than X since Wily designs his robots to be weapons of mass destruction while Light tends to create robots of convenience. Light thought that if Zero ever managed to destroy X, then X will infect Zero with the X-based programming. It's a great back-up plan and it seems plausible since in all the battles where X fought Maverick Zero, Zero ALWAYS reverts back after the battle. Though that's just 2 battles, one in MMX 2 (where you fail to collect all of Zero's parts) and one in MMX 5 (where you fail to destroy the space colony).
- Even if his design was unique, he would've turned good anyway. Without any memories of his true identity or under Wily's control, he could be free to choose his own personality. Dr Cain and X were smart enough to be nice to him, so he didn't go evil again.
Realizing his puppet has run amok, Isoc gives the speech about "Zero's Ghost" as a cover-up. Isoc DOES tell Gate he's seen Zero in private, before Zero's "return". Isoc knows "everything about Zero" — if he's the one who zombified him, him paralyzing Zero after Zero defeats High Max (with purple energy) can be seen as Isoc using the Nightmare virus in Zero's system to hold him in place.
X only finds Zero in X6 after defeating the Zero Nightmare, or at the end of the game after defeating Sigma (and at this point, it can be assumed that the Nightmare system has been destroyed). When X attacks the Zero Nightmare with Zero's Z-Saber, the Saber's impact causes Zero to remember more of his non-virus memories — causing him pain, as now three personalities are clashing. When the Zero Nightmare is defeated, THEN Zero goes and hides while he repairs himself! Possibly survival instinct (run and hide), or being wary — if X knew that Zero Nightmare was in fact Zero, he might have regret over attacking him, or paranoia that Zero is now a Nightmare Virus carrier, and would require all sorts of scans — see X's approach in X5 — both responses Zero doesn't want to cause. After this brief repair period, both virus personalities have been subdued enough that the main Zero is in control. Zero is partly amnesiac, due to the Nightmare system corrupting most of his memories. He doesn't remember any part of being the Zero Nightmare, as he doesn't remember being revived by Isoc. He doesn't remember any of the events before X5 — which is why Wily, Iris, and other plot points are never brought up again, and also forgot most of his fighting style (resulting in the change in ex skills). Being partly amnesiac takes some of the edge off his hot-headed personality (he speaks with a great deal of ellipses), although he starts to get over his missing memories in the later games.
- I... that... wow. That actually makes some semblance of sense.
- More of a nitpick than anything, but the bit about amnesia of everything pre-X5 seems unnecessary. He'd already lost a lot of his hotheaded Blood Knight tendencies due to his Character Development from losing Iris, he recognizes Vile in X8 despite his last appearance being in X3, and no one else brings up events of those games either. Aside from that, this is brilliant.
They've either gone Maverick or were Killed Off for Real. One does not expect a war where The Virus is rampant and not experience a few casualties, you know. Consider this, as well... Lifesaver was a normally obedient Reploid, only to blatantly go against orders from Signas and instigate a fight between X and Zero, and even following X to an incredibly virus-infected arena to confront Zero! As for Douglas, I'd assume that he was a casualty from getting into contact with an infected Reploid (as he was the mechanic of the group.)
- Or, alternatively, Lifesaver was fired for his actions.
- Alternatively, Douglas retired from the Maverick Hunters for some reason, possibly to work on the space elevator, and he built Pallette to fill his role, thus making her his "daughter" so to speak.
- In fact, you can quite safely say that there's no such thing as Maverick Virus in MHX. See the WMG up above.
- Debunked by X1's design docs showing that the virus was meant to be in lore from the start.
- Maverick Hunter X was intended to be remake the series in line with what Inafune wanted it to be with the benefit of hindsight and more advanced tech. The virus was meant to be in the series from the start so it would've been in it. And Sigma himself notes that Vile was special among reploids for being a maverick "of his own accord" (meaning Sigma was not such a maverick aka he was infected). Sigma's talks with X and Zero in X8 confirm that while he was infected with Zero's virus he also had X's words on justice make him think about society's problems.
- Word of God confirms Wily built Zero here.
- Confirmed in the Zero Complete Works. In the creator interview at the end, it says that the 'maverick' possibility for reploids was due to a circuit in X's neural design that gave him a position of neutrality regarding human/reploid conflicts. The intro for X1 and the manual describes X as the first robot to make his own decisions, which in A.I. terms means to alter deep cognitive structures (sometimes called a 'seed A.I.'), whether for good or ill — whilst Light and Wily's creations were far more fixed either as defenders or conquerors. In X's case, he had years worth of diagnostics and a sense of morality that allowed him to adapt to this state, albeit with a good deal of emotional baggage for all the conflicts that followed. As all reploids were based off his neural design, the 'maverick' tendency was simply a questioning of one's programming and role in society — and like real life, these could lead to crime, violence, and insanity without a broader sense of ethics and understanding of consequences. It could also explain why the animal-based reploids were more susceptible, as animals have far more processing power associated with movement and survival, with less for social networking or long-term planning.
- The creator interview is actually mis-translated. The creator doesn't mention where the Maverick Virus came from in the original Japanese, but the Japanese words he used don't translate well into English. He still leaves open the possibility, but he doesn't confirm it.
- In X1, it's implied that some Hunters, like Storm Eagle, were forced to rebel via the virus, but that others, like Chill Penguin, rebelled willingly.
- Jossed by the TELOS tracks, as Omega is stated to be Zero's body but not mind, and X and Zero fought and sealed Omega together.
- Not Jossed, good sir. Omega can easily be the Gate copy, and Protagonist Zero is (yet another) one made by Ciel's ancestor who worked during the S.A.P. project. This WMG doesn't contradict and/or interfere with ANYTHING in the current canon, with the possibility of Isoc == Wily, as that isn't yet confirmed with Word of God, despite being all-but-confirmed by in-game subtleties.
- ...Except X5 came out a year before 24. Also, they're robots. They don't have adrenaline.
- That only proves Keiji Inafune is psychic and wanted to end the X series here to coincide with revealing this fact. As for adrenaline, this is about the time in the main universe when the robots started becoming Ridiculously Human anyway.
- Honestly, I think he was meant to be the only connection to the X Series in combat specifications. Bass can also perform a dash, much like X and Zero. Bass must've had a Beta version though, since you cannot stop at will once you perform a dash.
- Alternatively, Bass could have taken Duo's advice that there's good in him and wanted to start anew after suffering an identity crisis with his new sense of justice that he accepted. He could have been captured by Mega Man or even voluntarily surrendered himself to Dr. Light due to Dr. Wily abandoning him in favor of his Zero project. He was overhauled and improved Bass into X with the Treble Boost being the basis of the multiple leg enhancement parts. Perhaps the original Bass still remained subconsciously and helped reinforce X's conscience from his own experiences with being a villain. The replacement of the Bass Buster with the X Buster helped to further reinforce the new identity.
- Or maybe the Cyber Elf is actually the copy X that is being used to seal the Mother Elf. Turns out, the copy is actually good, while the original is the evil one. And any problems that come from this can just be thrown into discontinuity. And Model X is actually the evil "original" X.
- According to Word of God, Mega Man Zero was supposed to continue after X5, and Copy X was supposed to not be a copy, but when he was forced to make an X6, the plot had to be changed. In any case, you're more right than you think.
- Actually, he wasn't forced to make X6. It got made behind his back while he was making Zero.
- Since it isn't actually mentioned in the WMG: This WMG is contingent on the previous WMG being true (presumably obvious, but...)
- Another possibility is that, after X had to deal with the countless Maverick outbreaks, he broke. To him, Reploids are the enemy and must be dealt with to keep humanity safe. He was quite aware of this, and so created a more idealized version of himself. Ciel was brainwashed into thinking that the clone was evil, and she made it.
- Given the existence of Magma Dragoon, that plan went out the window.
- Weil definitely picked up where Light's research left off, considering Omega can perform the Shun Goku Satsu.
- ...Or was it Wily, in an attempt to one-up Light?
- Jossed. According to Word of God and implications from ZX Advent, Elysium was built hundreds, if not thousands of years after the ZX series.
- Jossed. During the Zero series, while his body is rendered immobile to seal the Dark Elf, Elpizo stabs him in the chest and he dies.
- X's body is scrap metal, sure, but his consciousness is software, not hardware, and continues to exist for a little while longer before dissolving into cyberspace. Depending on what exactly X can do while in cyberspace, this WMG may well be confirmed.
- Even then he's gone for good in Zero 3 after he exhausted the last of his energy, and then he retreats to Cyberspace.
- I thought it was less that Mega Man and Roll were stuck in the Uncanny Valley, but that they were set in their ways, and could never grow as individuals.
- That was my thought, as well. What's worse for a parent than knowing that your kids will never grow up, never be able to think for themselves, and never be able to survive on their own once you're gone? Light felt immensely guilty for essentially condemning Mega Man and Roll to this existence, and created X as a way to make up for it. Back in the day, it wasn't uncommon for players unfamiliar with X's backstory to mistake him for a "grown-up" original Mega Man. My guess is that this was exactly what Dr. Light was going for, and why he based X so heavily on Rock's design: if Rock was a normal human boy, X would be that same boy as an adult.
- Alternatively, X was built to fight Zero. Light saw Wily's plans for Zero, and could only assume that he was building the ultimate Robot Master, and knew he would have to retaliate with the ultimate hero.
- So... the crashing of Eurasia caused the worlds to split into two parallel worlds? Like in the Super Mario Bros. (1993) movie?
- I'd say it was the Nightmare-Cyberworld stuff that did it. Like, 7-8-Command Mission are after X's "Zero found" ending. You know, the one with the cheesy upbeat tone of the whole gang looking into the sunset, reciting their dreams and saying their journey has just begun. The Zero series follows Zero's ending instead (which is oddly hinted to come after X's "no Zero" ending, what with Zero saying that he'll be leaving things to X for a while). Zero gets sealed for a while and studied, they make the Mother Elf, then the Elf Wars happen. You could even say that 7 is a milder version of X's MMZ decision to take a time out.
- I guess it doesn't have to be related to Eurasia or the Nightmare Phenomenon, just a simple Multiple Endings-related Alternate Continuity/What If?. Though, actually, Word of God is that Zero's X6 ending is a Distant Finale meant to take place "after the end of the X series". I really liked your theory, though.
- First off, the Zero series taking place in 22XX is not said either in the games or any canonical Zero series related documentation (like the Official Complete Works) following the development and release of Z2 (which is the game that started the Elf Wars backstory). The only official Zero source to say that was an old text released before the first Zero game, well before the backstory with the Elf Wars was on the drawing board. Second, it's not said in X8 to CM that the virus is gone forever (with the virus being mentioned in Marino's backstory as an illness she hunts data with the latest developments on cures for it), and Sigma dying for good in X8 doesn't lead to the virus also doing that since Sigma=/=Sigma Virus (which if you remember was around before Sigma was built). The Zero series being more post-apocalyptic than the X games after X6 is addressed by how the Elf Wars smashed up the world. Last, X7 to X8 events are included with X1 to X6's in the R20 soucebook, leaving only CM iffy from the words of character designer Ryuji Higurashi who calls it ''one of many potential futures that exists independently from the Zero series''.
Similar to the above WMG, but X5 was originally planned to be the series finale by Keiji Inafune. However, Capcom developed X6 behind his back and Inafune was totally unaware of its existence until close to release. This has the unfortunate result of completely screwing the entire franchise's continuity over, much like with the Zelda timeline after Zelda:OoT.
Under this WMG, X1-X5 would technically be a canonical ending to the series (if not THE canon end), X1-X6 would be a separate ending (especially if the Zero ending is taken), and X1-X8 plus Command Mission are another.
For the sake of sanity, the Zero series onward would likely use the X1-X6 continuity, although it certainly arguable that X1-X5 is a viable continuity for it as well (it was originally intended that the Zero series began after the events of X5, afterall). The X1-X8 + Command Mission timeline is likely mutually exclusive to the Zero/ZX/Legends timeline, as it would have some Continuity Snarls with Axl and Command Mission.
- Considering X5 had multiple paths with varying outcomes (as opposed to X2 and X3 which changes very minor difference, or X4 which can co-exist for the most part), his wouldn't be too surprising. The ending where Zero went Maverick leads to the Legends series, and the Zero/X6 and beyond timelines diverge depending on how much of Eurasia is destroyed.
- Why Wily left a lot of chemical vats around Zero's pod where he awakened
- Why Zero went into shock after beating Sigma so well (he could've been almost out of "fuel" or using an emergency cell generator)
- How Dr. Cain could repair Zero so well (being outdated, it was probably the easiest thing Dr. Cain could fix)
- How Zero can gain strength from the Maverick Virus in X5
- How Omega works (The virus was already a vital part of his design)
As for Zero's behavior being "on-par" with X, X in his lifetime has been a maverick hunter, diplomat, and a monarch. Compared to X, Zero was stuck on a finite plane, deliberately becoming the best Maverick Hunter he could be.
Thus, he has no problems following orders from a child managing a resistance (almost to the point of being subservient, as he describes in Zero 4 to Craft) and how he ignores Dr. Weil's "humanity" as he terminates him, in addition to taking being "just a copy" of Omega extremely well: he was not designed to comprehend it. Therefore, any ethics Zero has accumulated were because of how people instructed him on the field - he did not have any assistance of virtual reality, unlike X, who took (over) 30 years to be instilled with morals on his mind.
- Given all of the Death Traps in Dr. Wily's Fortresses, I sincerely doubt that he programmed his Robot Masters with the Three Laws. Do you think that that giant robot is just spitting flames at other robots when he spits them at the screen during the Mega Man 7 intro?
- The three laws may be some sort of safe mode. True Zero is nuts, so Dr Wily developed the Zeroth Law in order to try and pacify him until he could fix Zero.
- Very possibly true. We could also say that Sigma died again in X2, and that X managed that time to kill Sigma badly enough and remove his head and control chip, that the Virus comes out of Sigma's body completely bare of Sigma (save for a little DNA). What if Sigma got illegally brought back to life a time or two, just no longer connected to the Virus? How interesting would it be if the original Sigma were still alive all that time, but not as a maverick anymore, while his name and older bodies are a disguise only for the Virus, not a reploid?
- Alternatively (and related to a below WMG) Sigma was Evil All Along, but the real Sigma was a Visionary Villain who believed in Utopia Justifies the Means when the Sigma X and co fight is Ax-Crazy. And the real Sigma is the one behind the New Generation Reploids, possibly even Lumine under a new name and form.
- I would consider this as fact, sir, rather than a guess.
- Isn't Axl already a "New Generation Prototype"?
- Axl didn't appear until X7, Double was in X4. You might have iterative prototypes.
- We'll consider Double a rough draft, and Axl the final and best before everybody started mass-producing New-Gens.
- This was established by Word of God or All There in the Manual apparently, where X has perfect virus countermeasures. I'm guessing because the virus still damages him in X5, those countermeasures would kill X before he could be corrupted
- Well, turns out Cyber Peacock is weak to Split Mushroom’s weapon. And so is Sigma himself. Maybe Cyber Peacock was a Repliforce member before Sigma infected him?
- In X2, Zero was resurrected by the X-Hunters and fought X. He loses, and Zero loses his saber's wave and the ability for rapid firing (in X2, he doesn't visibly appear to need to charge his semi-charged shot or his saber combo. By contrast, in X3, he needs to charge for several seconds to be able to attack with his saber).
- In X3, Zero gets hurt again by Mosquitus, and Zero further loses his ability with his Z-buster, until X4, where he was repaired, but unable to wield his buster well until X5, in downgraded form.
- Another posibity is that the events of X2 and X3 happened as previously described, and lost the fuctionality of his Buster shot, but by the time X4 came out he already had improved his technique with the saber beyond his Sword Beam that requierd to charge (wich he lost the ability to do) and basic slashes into more advanced combos and moves so he didn't bother to use it, as for X5, X returned him the favor of X1 and gave him the multi shot buster upgrade of his force armor (and he kept the plasma shot), also note that the shot Zero fires is similar to the origian stock shot, as for its weakness and lack of range, ther could be 2 explanations: a) Gameplay and Story Segregation, His buster is really powerful, Note that when you fight the non-infected Zero as a boss his buster attack launches a barrage of charged shots in all dierections and that In the end cutscene he Killed sigma using a charged shot and in the games is bad for the sake for balance or B) Gameplay and Story Integration, The game originally started with X saving Zero, (who temprarly lost his arm) and had the buster effectiveness highly reduced, but, as he went with his mission and accidentally absorved part of the virus, his strenght increased, along with the Buster's wich was able to store more than just 4 shots, so he was able to make that shot barrage when facing X, also the final shot might be him combining all the strenght of the shots into a single blast, in X6 whe he was repaired, but due to the buster not being part of his original design, had compatibility issues and didn't fuctioned as is should, dissipating energy rapidly,because of that he decided to go back to his sword training instead, using the buster only for Giga attacks and basic elemental empowering of his buster, in later games, also is stated on the aditional material of the Zero Series that his saber was treated with the same technology as X's buster, so maybe thats where he got it from
The Wily wars did happen, and so did the maverick wars centuries ago. However, games are rarely accurate to the real history, thus explaining the plotholes.
- An alternate take is that Wily by the X series had become sufficiently evil to not care about the destruction of humanity if it meant killing X and destroying Dr Light's legacy, most likely due to exposure to Evil Energy.
- MMX 1:
- Chill Penguin: He's the Ice Man of the 22nd century, designed to research Arctic/Antarctic conditions and probably try and restore the poles due to the last century of global warming. It must've been easy for Sigma to turn him due to the resentment of both his jobs sticking him at the poles.
- Sting Chameleon: His affinity for jungles comes from being designed as an eco-friendly robot to keep care of the forests, and keep a control over the different mechanical animals there.
- Flame Mammoth: Based on his battlefield, he was likely a factory worker who dealt with smelting before becoming member of the Maverick Hunters. His oil attack comes from them trying to synthesize more of the stuff through him.
- MMX 2
- Wheel Gator: Designed as a combatant in a very marshy area. His violent nature comes from never getting over his original job.
- Morph Moth: Association with scrap and junk may hint towards being in charge of recycling and garbage.
- MMX 3
- Tunnel Rhino: Obviously digging tunnels, either for mining or construction.
- MHX series is planned to cover X1 through X6 (Word of God).
- As I don't think X6 handled Zero's resurrection well, I consider moving the plot of it into a prior game and make X5 the "final" one.
- Dr. Cain is highly implied to be dead in MHX series, but then again his participation in later games is kinda minimal, so he's not much of a loss.
- The Maverick bosses are still the same, with changes making them more/less powerful.
Without further ado, here's how it goes:
- MHX1 (what had happened)
- MHX2: Still similar to X2 where X-Hunters are carrying Zero's body parts, and Sigma coming back. Details added: they were actually making Zero's body from the ground up (with X still holding his control chip), there's a fourth X-Hunter (that was planned back in X2 but didn't make it), Serges showing more hints of being Wily, and him being the one to revive Sigma AND make him a "virus", making them allies. There would also be Another Side, Another Story focused on Zero (or his black clone) who, lacking his control chip, goes on a rampage and destroy the Maverick bosses before being stopped by X or the X-Hunters.
- MHX3: Still similar to X3, with Dr. Doppler discovering the Sigma Virus, then becoming infected and then infect other Reploids into his bosses, as well as resurrecting Vile and Sigma and employing the Nightmare Police. In this game, X and Zero are both playable, but not in the way X3 plays it (Zero as X's "carrier"); either you choose one Hunter to go into the stages (ala X5-X6) or, being closer to X3, always playing with both with you being able to freely switch between them (ala X7-X8). This also means Zero can get boss weapons/techniques. Zero may still be injured (but not dead) after beating the mosquito boss in Doppler Stage 2; I'm also considering it to be the canonical path (you'll see later). Vile Mode makes a return; as he's not wholly loyal to Doppler, he instead goes after X, destroying any Maverick bosses in his way. He might get either X and Zero again as his final boss, or Doppler himself. In the end, Doppler turns good and subdues Sigma's virus form with his vaccine, sacrificing himself in the process.
- MHX4: Now this is where it diverges: It takes after X6's events. Gate found a piece of Zero's DNA in Doppler's lab wreckage, not the Eurasia crash site. Then he uses it to create Nightmares and then spread it across the world for his plan of a better world. This time, as Isoc (who may be Serges... who may be Wily) is announcing the threat of "Zero Nightmare" to the populace, Zero's reputation is in danger... because Zero himself is still alive (think Dr. Light being framed in Mega Man 9) and X knows it. Either X and Zero are playable from the start, or like X6, Zero goes into hiding (whether X knows or not; X may even insists he has to hide) and X has to defeat this imposter to clean Zero's name; once ZN is defeated, Zero is playable. The rest of the game proceeds as normal, including Sigma's botched resurrection by Gate (this time it's because it's hard to bring him back when he was defeated by an antivirus). Oh, and Dynamo doesn't appear here, instead being replaced by some other villain (maybe even a new guy).
- MHX5: It follows X4's events, either still with the split between X and Zero's path or be merged together (I don't know how it'll affect Double and Iris fights, so I'm going safe with the former option). At this point, following his defeat in MHX4 (and his deteriorated mind), Sigma decides to just destroy the Earth altogether, manipulating Repliforce for it. (Preferably, Colonel and General could have more variety with their attacks.) Also, as contrast to Dr. Cain, while Colonel and General still die, Iris, on the other hand, will be Spared by the Adaptation. While Iris suffers a Disney Death after Zero fights her in the famous "WHAT AM I FIGHTING FOR?!" scene, X will find Iris' body and puts her aboard his ship, and calls Zero while he escapes from Final Weapon, saying that he'll take Iris to fix her up.
- MHX6: It follows X5's events and mechanics. Also has multiple endings like in X5. (I'm also considering a "Dynamo Mode".) In the end, Zero's wrecked body is salvaged and put into research for his schematics to find the perfect antivirus countermeasures (leading to Mega Man Zero series).
A future X game will have a true antivirus program developed to erase the Sigma virus, thus truly restoring Sigma to his true self, but it later turns out that Sigma really was planning on destroying humanity even without the virus, leading to him recreating his viral self to restore himself to power.
- This gives Gate's actions in X6 a new meaning. I mean, Zero killed Iris in X4, and if she was designed by Gate, it gives him a better reason to use the Nightmare to antagonize Zero, other than being inferior. It also means High Max was created to avenge Iris. (Of course, Zero would tell everyone he didn't want to kill Iris, but Gate won't listen whatsoever.)
- Also, important to note: Colonel and Iris were never infected by the virus. Colonel is merely a prideful Jerkass, and Iris only attacked Zero in a fit of rage.
- And before you bring the fact that no one in Repliforce was infected by the time of X4 (repeat: by the time of X4. Spiral Pegasus was infected, but it was in X5.), I'll remind you that Colonel and Iris were the only ones that Zero was close to, with Colonel being Zero's rival, and Iris being Zero's Love Interest.
- I'll be honest with you, I only thought about this theory after reading this fanfic. There are some differences in the fanfic:
- 1) Repliforce was not founded at the time, with Colonel and Iris being built right before the events of X3,
- 2) Gate actually BUILT Colonel and Iris, even after it was thought compassion and combat prowess were incompatible,
- 3) Gate is already infected by the time of X3.
- This theory is both Heartwarming and Harsher in Hindsight: If Iris at worst and the entire Repliforce at best are Spared By Adaptation, Axl wouldn't be all alone. Sure, he does have X and Zero, but I'm talking about family. But because Iris is dead and there is no evidence Gate created either Iris or Axl, Axl doesn't even KNOW he has a big sister.
- Volume 1, 1-1: Chill Penguin and Frost Walrus
- Volume 1, 1-2: Wheel Gator and Bubble Crab
- Volume 1, 1-3: Slash Beast and Grizzly Slash
- Volume 2, 1-3: Web Spider and Wire Sponge
Now, we can speculate which pairings will be in.
- Boomer Kuwanger and Gravity Beetle (Heh, this is bros fighting side by side!)
- Storm Eagle and Storm Owl
- That would have been an understandable motive and one he clearly did not think was important enough to mention.
The fanbase tends to assume that Serges and Isoc are both Dr. Wily, and that they share the same consciousness. But it's also totally reasonable to assume that Wily made a host of robot copies of himself, just in case some of them died off. There could be dozens! Maybe even Master Albert from ZXA is one too, given his Wily-inspired name and the trademark red eyes he shares with Serges and Isoc.
Serges, being connected to Wily, started the process to remind Zero of his original nature. Before X2 Zero had nothing to say on Wily, but after X2 is when he really recognizes him, and by X4 he's having dreams about him.
If only because Mega Man 9 had the first female Robot Master.
Morph Moth's blurb describes him as a mysterious prototype with highly-advanced circuitry. He is also the earliest example of a Reploid completely changing their shape and size at will. This points to him being one of the very earliest examples of Copy Chip tech, when they were first answering the question of how to get a Reploid to transform at all.
Ever since the release of X4, Iris has grown in popularity, to the point of being a Breakout Character. Recently, this was shown in Mega Man X DiVE, where she was not only playable, but also gained quite a few alternate skins, and even a What If? variant with Iris -another-. The next logical step could be to have Iris return in a hypothetical X9, where she could be rebuilt and join the heroes for good as a playable character. She could use Colonel's sword as part of her moveset, and even transform into her Ride Armor form for a few seconds (similar to Axl's copy abilities).
One of the biggest mysteries regarding X6 is how Zero mysteriously returned after seemingly dying for good in X5. The Japanese version of the game doesn't explain how he returned, with the English versions claiming that he was in hiding while undergoing repairs (which was probably a translation error due to the rushed script). Perhaps a future X game could build upon Zero's return, explaining who saved his life and why they did it.
X and Zero are said to have similar specs under the hood to the degree that they have very similar schematics in X5, but Wily gave Zero a trump card to overpower X. Where X has the potential for unlimited growth, Zero's integrated Double Gear gives him the sudden surges of strength and speed that lets him prevail even against enemies that are seemingly built stronger. Remember when he tore Sigma's arm clean off in a single surge of berserk strength? Just for that critical moment, he instinctively fired up a full Double Gear boost, and quickly darted under Sigma's outstretched arm and beam saber to knife-chop right at the weak part of his shoulder joint with all his strength.