Mega Man X/YMMV: Difference between revisions

* [[Alas, Poor Villain]]: Upon Sigma's defeat in the first game, Sigma laments X's decision to side with humanity.

** Vile is also given this treatment in the Vile Mode ending of ''Maverick Hunter X''.

** Most people see X as either a strong hunter who truly wants peace, or a spineless wimp who relies on Zero to save his ass at the slightest hint of danger.

** Zero is seen off duty as either a warrior who does nothing but train, or a goof and a prankster who loves partying.

** Dr. Light, regarding Zero. Does he really have no idea as to who created Zero, or is he [[Cannot Spit It Out|just hiding it from him and/or X?]]

** There's also the recurring idea that he's messing with X for his own amusement due to the ridiculous placement of some of the capsules. [[Epileptic Trees|This is probably not canon.]]

** In ''X8'' it is revealed that the New Generation reploids (and by extension, Axl himself) were built via the manipulations of [[Big Bad|Sigma]], [[Robo-Family|who considers them his children.]] This bothers Axl roughly a thousand times less than Zero's similar origin eats at him; in fact, he's the only one of the three not driven into a [[Heroic BSOD]] by the [[Hannibal Lecture]] delivered soon after. It helps that Sigma and Lumine don't press the point (when Axl outright asks Lumine whether Sigma's influence will affect his sanity, Lumine dismisses him), unlike what Sigma does with Zero.

** Zero was having nightmare visions of a crazy, disappearing block-loving old man even before Sigma started playing with his head, though.

** Also, Zero's history comes with a [[Super-Powered Evil Side]]. Axl has no such problems.

** Also of note is his lack of angst over being forced to kill his adopted father. In his defense, Axl didn't really deal the killing blow. He just beat the guy in a fight. It was Red's decision to set the place to blow if he lost and to go down with it.

** [[Pandering to the Base]]: According to supplementary articles, Inafune ''personally'' chose Zero to be included in the former game. Make something of that if you will.

** X FINALLY appears in an official [[Capcom vs. Whatever]] game: ''[[Project X Zone]]''.

** Dr. Doppler in ''X3''. His attack pattern is almost insultingly easy, though his ability to [[Healing Shiv|absorb your attacks]] can make the fight seem harder than it is.

** Iris in ''X4''. Compared to Double in X's route, Iris isn't terribly difficult.

** Sigma in his ''X6'' form, especially since he's fought after [[That One Boss|Gate]] (and his [[That One Level|goddamned]] [[No OSHA Compliance|laboratory]].) Subverted for his second form, however.

* [[Base Breaker]]: A fan's introduction to Axl matters more than a little in terms of what that person thinks of him. Was it ''X7'', where most of the dialogue is about him, the voice acting is awful, and the title character is a no-show for much of the way? Was it ''Command Mission'', where his powers are at their coolest, outright turning into bosses (a [[Mega Manning]] variant his Expy later takes to the traditional platformers) and able to [[Game Breaker|become immune to pretty much everything at will?]] Or was it ''X8'', where he's fun to use, gets a nifty moment in the storyline without stepping on X or Zero's screentime, but annoyingly necessary for item collection?

** Zero's ''many'' [[Leitmotif|leitmotifs]] are usually among the most memorable tracks in a given game of the series. Especially true of the tracks from the first game. Many, many tracks, as listed [[Mega Man/Awesome Music|here.]]

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hxbWcYlWM0&fmt=18 The Ending] to Mega Man X1 is one of the most overlooked awesome songs in the series to this troper.

* [[Complete Monster]]: Most of this series' villains are either infected with a virus that impairs their moral agency, [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|Well Intentioned Extremists]], a mix of both, or just plain not heinous enough to qualify. However, the fourth game still gives us a clear-cut monster in minor villain Magma Dragoon, who sabotaged Sky Lagoon and crashed it onto the city below, killing thousands and causing the Repliforce coup just because he wanted a chance to fight X or Zero.

** Despite actually dying in canon, many fangirls still want to say this to Iris for "stealing" their Zero.

* [[Draco in Leather Pants]]: Fangirls like to think that Vile is secretly sexy under his helmet and try to [[Slash Fic|slash]] him with X (despite trying to kill him multiple times), and that Dynamo is a lovable goof who joins the Hunters and is paired with Alia (despite nearly destroying the world with a [[Colony Drop]]). Lumine is also starting to get this treatment.

** Zero and the Green Biker Dude. Zero's English voice actor for the later games, Lucas Gilbertson, has the darkhorse thing going for him a bit, too. iX, a manga-only character, is also especially popular among sprite fan artists.

** [[Classy Cat Burglar|Marino]].

** Wheel Gator is this in the [[Youtube Poop|YouChewPoop]] community.

** Dynamo as mentioned above has a pretty large fan following as well.

** After the "X is the original ''[[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]]'' after an upgrade" theory got [[Jossed]], more than a few fans have decided that he might be [[The Rival|Bass]] from the original series. Unlikely as all hell, but yeah, people still think it.

** ''Everything'' about Dr. Wily's existence in this series counts as this. Here are a couple of popular ones:

*** Although the repairing/recreating can be explained: By X2, Sigma has figured out who built Zero. It stands to reason that this knowledge came with schematics, which he would of course have provided Serges with to allow him to do his job.

** Due to Axl's ending, many fans suspect that Lumine has somehow transferred his consciousness into Axl after his defeat.

** It has been a long debate whether the series after ''X5'' (where {{spoiler|Zero ''really'' died}}) was canon. However, an [[All There in the Manual|official artbook]] released for the ''[[Mega Man Zero]] series'' subtly hints at their canonicity.

** Doesn't stop [[Broken Base|some fans]] from disputing the issue, though. (Despite the fact that Inafune still works with what he's given regardless of what happened after X6).

* [[Funny Aneurysm Moment]]: The ending of ''X2'' has Zero ''easily'' destroy a weaker clone of himself. [[Mega Man Zero|Hmm...]]

* [[Game Breaker]]:

** Zero's Z-buster from ''X6''. No, really. It has the strange trait of dealing more damage the closer Zero stands to an enemy, so if he fires it at point blank, ''look out''. And it's still freakin' powerful if used from a fair distance.

** Guard Shell, normally (emphasis on "normally") a shield that reflects projectiles, becomes a cold blooded tool of murder with Zero. Essentially, it increases Zero's Saber slash hit number AND ignores [[Mercy Invincibility]]. You can basically enter a boss stage, summon the shield, and chop the boss in 3-5 seconds.

** Dashing at an enemy while firing a normal shot dealt double damage in ''X'' and ''X2''; "fixed" in the third game. In the PC port of ''X8'', Zero (and Layer) can ''fly!''

** In ''X4'', standing on Colonel's saber swing area when he fires his [[Sword Beam|Sword Beams]] doesn't do any damage.

** Vile in Maverick Hunter X can use his shoulder or leg weapons to stop his descent, allowing him to move horizontally through the air. Use a weapon with low enough energy requirements and you can practically levitate into places early that would normally require a late game weapon upgrade for.

** At least in story order -- while X taking a beam saber through the chest in ''The Day Of Sigma'' cues a [[Moment of Awesome (Sugar Wiki)|Moment of Awesome]], it's also reminiscent of...[[Final Death|something more permanent]] that happened to him later on., especially considering the parallels drawn by one character between Sigma and [[Mega Man Zero|Elpizo]].

** Similarly, in the same OVA, Sigma launches a missile strike against Abel City (although with the intention of giving Reploids a future). In ''Zero 3'', the Neo Arcadian Government (specifically Copy X and Dr. Weil) launched a missile strike against Area Z-3038, a ''human population'', of which the missile contained Omega, so they could acquire the Dark Elf, an action that was implied to have resulted in severe casualties in the city.

** Also, in ''X4'', Sigma tells General that humanity, and by extension the Maverick Hunters, are perfectly willing to destroy anything that doesn't obey humanity absolutely. The ''Zero'' series shows just how correct Sigma turned out to be, with main bad guy in Zero 3 even stating that humanity enjoys controlling everything, considering it to be the ultimate joy. Of course, considering [[Complete Monster|who's saying that]]...

** At one point in ''Day Of Sigma'', X wonders what could have caused the Maverick uprisings. Funny when you realize ''who'' he's talking to (and it's ''not'' Sigma).

** [[Ryotaro Okiayu]] also voiced Proto Man...

** Martei, a mermaid-based Reploid who becomes X's [[Love Interest]] in the manga, was introduced before the release of ''[[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]] 9'', which included mermaid Robot Master Splash Woman. The original Mega Man is sometimes [[Shipping|shipped]] with her.

** Egregion, the enormous dragon intro stage Boss in ''X4'', who was originally named Eregion. Apparently named from one of J.R.R. Tolkien's works, yet it also brings to mind another [[Inheritance Cycle|piece of literature]]...

** Ask anyone just remotely familiar with ''Mega Man'' if they know who Zero truly is.

** Also, he dies [[Never Live It Down|just as much]] as Dr. Wily [[Villain Decay|gets owned.]] [[Late to the Punchline|Pfft.]]

* [[Launcher of a Thousand Ships]]: Zero is paired with pretty much everybody. [[Official Couple|Iris]] (by default, and in a way that interferes with no others), [[Incest Is Relative|Bass]], [[Ho Yay|X]], [[Foe Yay|Dynamo]], Alia, [[Hopeless Suitor|Layer]], [[Bodyguard Crush|Ciel]], [[Foe Yay|any of the Guardians]], [[Crossover Ship|Roll]]...even Axl is not immune.

* [[Memetic Badass]]: Pop a wheelie and die, GBD!

** Sigma has become a liiiiiittle too obsessed with the two main heroes...

{{quote|'''Sigma''': That's right, folks! I'll do it again, and ''again!'' I will make X and Zero mine! Now, come and get me!}}

* [[Moral Event Horizon]]: If Sigma using [[The Virus]] to turn Reploids Maverick (which could be considered [[Mind Rape]]) counts.

** In Maverick Hunter X's ''The Day of Sigma'' OVA, he goes sailing over this in two different ways in the same scene: Goading X to shoot him while he's using Zero as a shield and laughing at his hesitance to pull the trigger, and bombing Abel City to hell as a way to kickstart his rebellion.

** Flame Hyenard from X7. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FJTK_iNA5s "Burn! Burn! Burn! Burn to the ground! Burn to the ground!"] Oh, and Alia in said game as well.

** In the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8t0s0Uqx1Y Japanese version], he frequently shouts "Moero!" which exactly means "Burn!" Less annoying, but still.

** X's voice actor before Mark Gatha. It doesn't help at all that she was the voice of Mega Man in Mega Man 8, which means that X has a high-pitched, girly voice.

* [[Never Live It Down]]: Fans mistook Zero for dying and coming back for countless times. In reality, for this series, he has only died twice.

** [[Draco in Leather Pants|Vile]]/X. Dear god, why?

** Anything involving Sigma.

* [[Relationship Writing Fumble]]: X and Zero are just friends in canon, but their interactions with each other often tend to be...suggestive. No wonder fans use them as the biggest source of [[Ho Yay]] in the series.

* [[Retroactive Recognition]]: Try to recognize Zero in [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT4DDIKREt8 this] clip from ''[[Clannad]]''. It will ''really'' boggle your mind.

** The aforementioned [[Replacement Scrappy]] Axl gets this in ''X8'' when he delivers a [[Shut UP, Hannibal]] to the [[Big Bad]]. With bullets. He also has a less annoying voice, a better personality, and a [[Divergent Character Evolution|different playstyle that wasn't a weaker version of X's]], making him a fun character to use (having infinite ammo for his special weapons helped).

** Alia as well in ''X8'', due to having a more tolerable voice and being a hidden playable character.

** There's also [[Replacement Scrappy|Axl]], but only in ''X7''.

** Flame Hyenard is this in the same game, for two [[That One Boss|different]] [[Most Annoying Sound|reasons.]]

** Any mission involving the use of the Ride Chasers. Ironically, ''X6'' doesn't have any of these levels, though most of the game's stages are [[Scrappy Level|Scrappy Levels]] enough.

** ''X8'' made up for it with ''two'' Ride Chaser stages, though.

* [[Scrappy Mechanic]]: Rescuing hostages, especially in Mega Man X6 and X7. Not only do they possess important parts that can be [[Lost Forever]] if you screw up, but rescuing them can be a [[Luck-Based Mission]] at times as well.

** [[Last Lousy Point]]: In Mijinion's secret area, in particular. All the hostages are in mid-air, and there are a LOT of Nightmares hanging around. Most of them require a blind jump; if you miss ''and'' the Nightmare appears on the same screen as the hostage (it WILL happen to casual players), say goodbye to the latter [[Lost Forever|forever]].

* [[Replacement Scrappy]]: [[The Scrappy|Axl]] for [[Out of Focus|X]] in ''X7''. He gets better in ''[[Rescued From the Scrappy Heap|X8]]'', in terms of both gameplay and character.

* [[Sophomore Slump]]: While ''X2'' isn't reviled in the same way that ''X6'' and ''X7'' often are, it's usually considered to be one of the least memorable games in the series, due to the rather generic storyline and the lack of any real advancement in the gameplay mechanics.

** The series has done this for all sides of the conflict (Maverick, Hunters, and Humans) since the fourth game. A lot of the later games have Mavericks fighting because they feel Reploids don't get a fair shake, that the governments are too willing to declare them Mavericks, stemming from Repliforce being declared Mavericks for an incident they were not guilty of. At the same time, the Maverick Hunters are increasingly seen as [[Knight Templar]] with a "shoot first, ask questions later" attitude. However, these same Mavericks, free-willed or not, refuse to negotiate and try to kill the heroes in a fit of paranoia (when they're not outright genocidal), fueling the same problems that they rebelled to stop. Furthermore, the Repliforce was not declared Maverick on a whim. They're an army answerable to the world governments, and their refusal to stand down in light of an atrocity they were implicated in looks extremely suspicious. Eventually, even the main characters begin to show the strain of dealing with so much moral ambiguity and admit that the villains, while usually wrong in both methods and goals, have a point. {{spoiler|Anyone who has seen [[The Empire|the plot]] of the ''[[Mega Man Zero]]'' series knows [[Fridge Brilliance|exactly where this culminates.]]}}

** Especially in ''Mega Man X8'', where many of the Mavericks, depending on who you reach them with, will try to discuss their point of view and point out some pretty obvious facts about the state of the world. Bamboo Pandamonium reminds X that the very first rockets created were for war, and that humanity has been seemingly trying to destroy itself for centuries. Burn Rooster angrily tells the Hunters to listen to the voices of all the Reploids that were [[Never Say "Die"|retired]] and sent to the volcano waste-disposal center, asking how many of them were destroyed for reasons other than being truly Maverick (infected by the Maverick Virus). Even Sigma (as well as {{spoiler|[[Big Bad|Lumine]]}}) points out that the world is worn out and crumbling, and when you look back through the games and see that ''everything'' is mechanical, even the animals and plants, you think that maybe Earth and humanity really are running out of steam.

** General is huge, is only vulnerable in his head, and does a nasty amount of [[Collision Damage]]. Zero can only use melee attacks. You do the math. X, on the other hand, has little problems against him.

** The Bospider from the first game, due to the speed and the timing needed to hit before it regains its invincibility.

{{quote|1. He spits out an egg that releases four baby birds. It is the easiest to deal with, but can be hard to jump over because the birds spread out quickly. You can destroy them with a charge shot if you are fast enough, but this makes it hard to save the shot for the boss himself.

2. He lands and shoots a Storm Tornado at you. This pushes you back with a lot of force, so you need to dash to avoid the doom pits. Hitting him is also very hard here.

5. Did I forget to mention that this time he has anywhere from 2 to 4 times the health of Eagle and the platform you fight on is now smaller? Yeah, have fun with that. }}

** Infinity Mijinion in ''X6''. His main gimmick is cloning himself, hence his name. His clones have the uncanny ability to get in your way a whole bunch until you forget which one's the real one. It doesn't help that even getting to him is a huge problem because the entire stage is spent fighting a giant miniboss, which is no walk in the park either. Heck, this is a case in which using the boss' weakness probably makes the battle harder. Trying to even hit Mijinion with the uncharged Guard Shell is difficult, if only because it only works against one of his attacks (which is barely used, mind you), but if it does hit, it creates another clone. It wouldn't even be that bad if the clones didn't have so much health, usually taking three charged normal shots to destroy.

** The real bastard is Gate. Invulnerable to all your attacks, so you have to turn his back on him, and tends to fly right into you. His attacks are ALSO hard to turn back on him since they need to be level with him, and then hit him in the face as they break from damage. The most damning part of the fight is the arena. There is no floor, so you're liable to fall to your death more often than not. The only good thing about this battle is that you freeze in place when Gate runs out of health, so there's no risk of falling to your death after beating him senseless.

** ''X7''. Let's go over them.

** Oh, and Violen is the worst of the three fights you have to do to get the Zero Parts, considering he liked the idea of Armadillo's invincible attacks, but decided to make them even less predictable.

* [[They Changed It, Now It Sucks]]: Later versions of ''X3'', such as in the X collection, had the synthesized SNES music replaced with sampled music, and the classic X sound effects were completely replaced. Not everyone was happy about that...

** There's a short prophecy that was introduced at the end of ''X3'', stating that "To save mankind, X must destroy {{spoiler|Zero}}". Two games later, the prophecy was fullfilled, but in a [[Prophecy Twist|twisted]] way. The battle doesn't involve the fate of mankind directly (at least in the true/canon ending; the alternate path, however, shows another [[Super-Powered Evil Side|side]]), but instead it's simply about a question of trust between two friends.

** The games vaguely allude to reploids falsely being called Maverick and destroyed for unfair reasons, thus indicating the Hunters themselves could be corrupt, but was never really explored. There's also the fact that the Hunters fight to protect humans, and yet humans are ''never'' seen or heard from in the games (except Dr. Cain). It's not until the fourth ''[[Mega Man Zero]]'' game that we ever see the human perspective on the Maverick wars.

* [[Toy Ship]]: Axl is often shipped with Pallette or Cinnamon, both considered young characters.

* [[Uncanny Valley]]: [http://app.famitsu.com/20111208_11636/ This] iOS port. Good lord.

** Because of his [[Badass Long Hair|long hair]], sleek body and -- no other way to say it -- [[Gag Boobs|Booblights]], many people think Zero is a girl. Well, now everybody knows the truth, but then again, there's some who don't know or outright ''[[Fan Dumb|rejected]]'' that truth. Pointed out in [http://marcus-maximillion.deviantart.com/art/Zero-Love-78964731?q=boost%3Apopular+mega+man+x+vile&qo=65 this fanart.]

** Lumine. It's difficult to explain without [http://images.wikia.com/megaman/images/b/b6/X8_luminewaist1.jpg looking at him.] The fact that he has womanly voice doesn't help.

* [[Wangst]]: Most of the endings feature some form of this on X's part.

* [[What Measure Is a Non-Badass?]]: While X is not as popular as Zero because of this, he's also supported by [[Fan Dumb]] who think [[Mega Man (video game)|Rock]] and [[Mega Man Legends|Trigger]] aren't "manly enough".

** Also, some of the Mavericks that were infected or deemed Maverick, most notably those of the wrongly accused Repliforce in X4, though YMMV on the [[Honor Before Reason|Repliforce]] given that they were ''not'' innocent of the multitudes of crimes they proceeded to commit over what was essentially a robotic dick-waggling contest.

** The name change for Bit and Byte changing them from an obscure mythological reference into something memorable, if not a bit [[Narm|Narmy]].

** Odd non-localization example: Magna Centipede's Japanese name is "Hyakulegger", or "Hundred Legger", because developers figured Japanese children wouldn't recognize any variation on the English word "centipede"