Mega Man X/Tear Jerker

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Many of the Mavericks may come across as Grade A Jerkasses, but, if you looked into the backstories of several of them, you'd find out that quite a few were actually innocent casualties that meant no harm, but were forced into their position by several circumstances (such as being forced into submission, infected by a virus, etc.) What makes this a true Tear Jerker is that several, such as Storm Eagle and Shield Sheldon, seem to have resigned to their fates that their lives would end very soon, and they might as well give it their all before they literally Go Out With a Bang.
    • Sheldon's case is particularly sad, as he was terminated in the past due to being mistaken for having gone Maverick because he failed to protect the scientist he was assigned to.
  • Iris' death in Mega Man X4. In particular, Zero's reaction to it, and his cold outlook on the world afterwards, though the hilariously bad voice acting in the English version turns it into unintentional comedy.
  • X's objective since the very first game is to fight for a world where humans and Reploids co-exist peacefully. Dr. Light even expresses this wish in his video to Dr. Cain in the ending of Maverick Hunter X. How does it all end? Peace is finally achieved when Zero sacrifices his life at the end of Mega Man Zero 4, but neither he nor X live to see that peace.
  • In Zero's storyline of X4, the fight against Iris, and the result. Unfortunately, hammy 90s voiceacting kind of ruined the moment a bit for American audiences, although the scene as originally done is far more effective at getting Zero's voice-ripping anguish across. "WHAT THE HELL ARE WE FIGHTING FOR?!", indeed.
    • This scene has now been redubbed with much better voice-acting courtesy of Lucas Gilbertson, Zero's voice actor in X8 and Maverick Hunter X. The amount of anguish in Zero's voice makes the scene hard to watch, and his Big No is truly spine-chilling (One of the few that freaking works). Hearing Zero's tiny little sob at the end of his scream breaks this troper's heart.
  • Zero's final moments during his ending in X5. Utterly broken and defeated, he finally remembers what he was built for, apologises to Iris's memory, and says that the world will finally be peaceful when he dies, right before he says goodbye to his best friend X. This troper doesn't care that his death was eventually retconned, it's still so goddamn sad.
    • Given that X5 was originally intended by Keiji Inafune as the final chapter of the Mega Man X saga, it would have been Zero's final demise - until he is revived in Mega Man Zero.
  • X5's remix of Dr. Light's X1 theme...even sadder than the SNES one.
  • The unused track from X5 entitled "Armageddon", for when the space colony crashed. It sounds like a rock ballad, but there's a sense of the Earth being wiped clean.
  • The Alia and Gate track from Mega Man X6. It's a haunting piano melody that plays when Alia is talking about the Nightmares to X or Zero, but it sounds like what'll play if somebody recently died. Even sadder when it's pitched down.
  • As much of a psychotic asshole as he is, Vile's death in the end of Maverick Hunter X's Vile Mode is quite sad. He failed to terminate X who he views as his biggest enemy, and can do nothing but lay helplessly on the ground as a broken wreck after Sigma taunts him.