Mega Man X: Difference between revisions

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''T. Light''|Message from Dr. Thomas Light, intro to ''Mega Man X'' on the SNES}}

 

As his final masterpiece, Dr. Thomas Light created '''Mega Man X''', a robot with a special "X-factor" that allows him to think, feel, and make decisions like a human does. As the page-topping quote points out, Light sealed X sealed inside a capsule designed to run ethics testing over the course of a few decades to ensure X would not turn out evil. A century later, scientist Dr. Cain unearths X's capsule and finds himself astounded by Dr. Light's engineering miracle. He decides to mass-produce a line of robots based on X, naming them "Reploids" ("Repliroids" in Japan), but glosses over the fact that he doesn't understand all of X's systems. [[What Could Possibly Go Wrong?]]

 

 

Cain's work backfires once again when practically the entire Maverick Hunter group, including Sigma—Cain's first Reploid and the ''leader'' of the group—turn into Mavericks themselves. Why the others turned, we have no idea, but Sigma turned soon after getting into a fight with "[[The Lancer|Zero]]," a mysterious and insane robot of similar capability to X (but of unknown manufacture). Sigma's defection heralds the beginning of a massive war between Mavericks and humanity—and since he feels responsible for the Maverick outbreak, X decides to team up with Zero (who turned sane after his fight with Sigma) and put a stop to the war.

Do not confuse this series with ''[[Mega Man 10]]'', the tenth game in the original line's series (which came out well after ''Mega Man X'' did).

 

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* Mega Man X Collection ([[PlayStation 2]], GC): A compilation of the first six games, plus Mega Man Battle & Chase.

* [[2½D]]: ''X7'' and ''X8''. The former's gameplay jumps from 2D to 3D seamlessly without warning. The latter is a better example, with most of the gameplay being 2D with some occasional 3D moments.

* [[Aborted Arc]]: Zero's past was all but dropped after ''[[Grand Finale|X5]]'', both in the [[Post Script Season]] (after ''X6's'' hint at Wily anyway) '''and''' ''[[Mega Man Zero]]''.

*** In a Meta sense the Mega Man Maverick Hunter X version of the timeline as well after poor sales killed off the chance for continuing the story.

* [[Action Girl]]: the three Navigators in ''X8''.

* [[All There in the Manual]]: The developers decided to resolve all the plotholes and [[Canon Discontinuity]] problems with the ''[[Mega Man Zero]] Official Complete Works'' that was for the aforementioned [[Sequel Series]]. [[Your Mileage May Vary]] if they succeeded or not.

* [[All Your Base Are Belong to Us]]: The opening of ''X3'' has X and Zero's home base besieged by Dr. Doppler's Mavericks.

* [[Anime Theme Song]]: "''Makenai Ai ga Kitto Aru''" ("We've Definitely Got a Love that Won't Lose"), "Monkey", "Moon Light"/"The Answer", "CODE CRUSH", "WILD FANG", and "Don't Wanna Be" for ''X4'', ''X5'', ''X6'', ''X7'', ''X8'', and ''Maverick Hunter X'' respectively.

** And let's not leave out "One More Time" for the [[PS 1]] version of X3.

** And X2 brings it full-circle (or rather, begins the whole trend) in "''Sekai ga owaru Toki''" ("Moment When the World Ends").

* [[Anti-Hero]]: Vile of ''Maverick Hunter X'': Vile Mode. Either that or [[Villain Protagonist]].

* [[Anti-Villain]]: The Repliforce of ''X4''. Arguably Dr. Doppler in ''X3''.

* [[Art Evolution]]: The appearances of the main characters were <s>slightly</s> altered in ''X8'' (X's helmet, Zero's ponytail, Alia's upgrade of her chest, and the overall proportions are the most blatant examples). [[Word of God]] claims that it's to make them look more human.

* [[Artistic License Physics]]: In ''[[Video Game Remake|Day of Sigma]]'' OVA, Sigma {{spoiler|launches several large missiles, think ICBM sized, at Abel City. Several of these missiles touchdown and explode, leaving massive, smoking craters. Obviously, the shock waves from the explosions should've leveled the city outright.}}

** Flame Mammoth uses the ground pound move, also used by Gutsman and Hardman, to violently shake the ground when he lands from a jump. Problem is, Flame Mammoth's weight is 719&nbsp;lb; most cars and trucks available today are heavier than he is, and they just don't release ''that'' much energy when they fall from similar heights.

* [[Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever]]: Sigma's final form in X1, the intro stage bosses of X2 and X3, Eregion and The General from X4, Illumina in X6, Sigma's [[One-Winged Angel]] in X5 and X6, and the intro stage bosses from X7 and X8, as well as a reappearance of said robot later in X8.

* [[Automatic Level]]: There's a section of Sigma's first fortress that's full of springs. The springs launch you toward the ceiling when you step on them, making the section rather difficult, but if you just use the dash feature you bounce from spring to spring avoiding enemies and zooming past the lasers, landing at the end without a scratch.

** Double, after he reveals his [[Meaningful Name|true intentions]].

** {{spoiler|Zero}} when he is found in the cave by the Maverick Hunters.

** X6 gets a special mention as he's brought back as a zombie...er, [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|Robot Zombie?]]

** Zero's in the running as well.

* [[Background Boss]]: Rangda Bangda and Sigma's second forms in both ''X1'' and ''X5''; Giant Mechaniloid CF-0 in ''X2''; Maoh the Giant in ''X3''; the first encounter against Egregion in ''X4'', Illumina in ''X6''; Yadokari and Sigma's second form in ''X7''; the second Crabz-Y encounter in ''X8''.

* [[Badass Automaton]]: All other Mega Men in the franchise start as utility mechs and average humans, then [[Take a Level In Badass|get upgraded into the heroes they become.]] X and his crew, however, [[Born Winner|are badass warriors right off the workbench.]]

* [[Badass Biker]]: Anyone who can properly use the [[That One Level|Ride Chasers]] has to be.

** [[Memetic Badass|Green Biker Dude]] is one.

* [[Bash Brothers]]: X and Zero as bosses in ''Maverick Hunter X'': Vile Mode.

** For a playable version, in ''X8'', you can use 2 characters in a level, essentially creating your own [[Bash Brothers]].

** There's also this gem in Metal Shark Player's stage (which is itself a mistranslation of P'''r'''ayer). When faced with a wall of spikes:

{{quote|'''Alia:''' You can't jump across spiny area!}}

** While generally overlooked, Magma Dragoon is probably the biggest example of this trope in the franchise. To wit, he causes a civil war and very nearly [[The End of the World as We Know It]] ''just so he could fight the protagonists!''

** More than a few Reploids in ''X5'' seem more interested in fighting the protagonists than they are about doing something to help save the world. Many of them (especially Duff McWhalen and Grizzly Slash) say that they've been infected by the Virus and want to [[Suicide by Cop|fight the heroes]] and [[Face Death with Dignity|die with dignity]]. Some, like Squid Adler, do actually give X and Zero what they need, only for the Virus to choose that moment to take over their minds and force them to fight.

*** Each X5 boss seems to have different reasons for fighting, and oddly enough, the reasons can change depending on which plan to stop the [[Colony Drop]] is active. {{spoiler|And if the colony has already been destroyed/crashed, some bosses will already have been seized by the virus.}}

* [[Bonus Boss]]: There's a Bonus [[Mini Boss]] in the first game, guarding one of the Light capsules. The term got murky during ''X3'' and ''X6''.

* [[Book Ends]]: The ''Zero'' series reveals that this series "ended" with the main characters sealing themselves for different purposes, which is the same state they are found in at the beginning of this series.

** During X4, we learn that before the events of the first game, {{spoiler|Sigma had smashed Zero's head crystal, thus transferring the Maverick Virus.}} At the end of X8, {{spoiler|Lumine smashes Axl's head crystal}}.

* [[Boss Rush]]: ''Every'' single game.

** X1 is the only one to intersperse boss fights throughout Sigma's Fortress. The other games lock you in a room with 8 doors.

* [[Brought to You by The Letter "S"]]: A stylized Greek Letter Sigma (Σ) for the Mavericks, and Zero's own stylized "Z". It's a surprise that X himself doesn't have one.

** He arguably does have one in his ''X8'' design, but it's in the side of the helmet and might just be a screw or something.

* [[Calling Your Attacks]]: Zero with his Command Arts; bonus points for calling them mostly in their Japanese names. Especially of note would be ''X8'', where X, Axl, and several of the bosses join in the act as well, with X [[Gratuitous English|always doing it in English]] for good measure. Magma Dragoon, an otherwise normal boss in ''X4'', also does this with ''[[Street Fighter]]''-based attacks.

* [[Camera Screw]]: One of the ''many'' reputed problems regarding ''X7''.

** A speech which actually has shades of ''Zero's'' personality to it.

* [[Character Select Forcing]]: ''X6'' was horrible about this; choosing the wrong armor set made the game very hard in the fortress. A variant also existed in ''X8'', where most of the main stages required the X/Axl team to collect all or most of the items hidden throughout—effectively benching the most popular character in the series!

* [[Charged Attack]]: Shouldn't need elaboration. Also applies to the Z-saber in ''X3'' and ''X6'' (when used by X).

** That's Type B. Giga Attacks sometimes fall into this category, as Type A.

* [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder]]: Almost ''every'' game features an ally turning on you, with Sigma's revolt in the first game being the most notable.

* [[Clear My Name]]: The plot in ''X6'' starts with {{spoiler|a [[Palette Swap]] of Zero, called the Zero Nightmare, wreaking havoc. X decides to investigate the Zero Nightmare to clear Zero's name.}} For some reason, this is not part of the plot entirely, since {{spoiler|defeating the Zero Nightmare}} is optional. And guess what? A [[Secret Character]] (not that Capcom was fooling anyone...) will be unlocked upon defeating it.

* [[Continuity Nod]]: ''X5'' is chock full of these. There's also a prime example in X6, where the plot is driven by the [[Big Bad]] {{spoiler|getting infected by the [[The Virus]] from Zero's piece that he took in the crash site of the [[Colony Drop]].}}

*** Given that X5 was meant to be the lead-in to ''[[Mega Man Zero]]'', this might also refer to {{spoiler|Neo Arcadia, albeit with a name change.}}

** After {{spoiler|Gate}} is defeated in X6, X sees {{spoiler|Isoc's}} lifeless body, which Alia says is similar to the Erasure phenomenon from Xtreme 2.

** If you fail to stop the colony, {{spoiler|it works.}}

* [[Darker and Edgier]]: Naturally, [[Your Mileage May Vary]], but in general, the early entries in this series are an excellent example of [[Tropes Are Tools|this trope being used well]], without dumping on the original series.

* [[Deadly Euphemism]]: "Retirement".

* [[Degraded Boss]]: A Boss that has been degraded so much, he was turned into a [[Mook]] (an [[Elite Mook]], but still)! And {{spoiler|he's ''[[Big Bad|Sigma]]'' of the previous games! See [[Boss Rush]] above.}}

** Zero is the one who really takes it on the chin here; in several of the games, he puts away his Z-Saber after each attack or combo, and you can't move until he does this. (You also can't move until his ''ponytail finishes falling.'') The [[PlayStation 2]] X games fix this by having him keep the saber out at all times, which looks silly but makes practical sense. In [[Mega Man Zero|his own series]], Zero has a much smoother combat system that never pins him down.

** Much like Bass from ''[[Mega Man and Bass]]'', Axl in ''X8' can fire in multiple directions (including diagonally), but he can't run while doing so.

* [[Double Knockout]]: Happens to {{spoiler|X and Zero.}}

** When obtaining the [[Infinity+1 Sword|Zero/Black Armor]] in ''X5''; Dr. Light, of all people, was the one who gave it to Zero! And he (Light) made it just for him (Zero)?!

*** Light specifically states that he couldn't make a compatible armor, but he could boost Zero's power.

* [[Dub Name Change]]: Most of the Mavericks (Icy Penguigo to Chill Penguin, Storm Eagleed to Storm Eagle, etc). The name of the rogue Maverick from the first, third, and eighth games got his name changed from VAVA (which would be pronounced roughly like "Boba", as in Boba Fett, who he is an [[Expy]] of, in Japanese) to Vile (in fact, the reason they couldn't just call him "Boba" outright was because of trademark issues, so they had to spell it VAVA).

** And in fact, the term "Maverick." They were called "Irregulars" in Japan, though this is probably because the noun "irregular" in English refers to non-conventional or private military forces of the type usually employed by governments (which might be a good description of the organization to which the ''heroes'' belong), something wholly unlike what the Japanese name was supposed to mean.

* [[Dying as Yourself]]: {{spoiler|Iris}} in ''X4''. Many of the bosses in ''X5'' that are infected by [[The Virus]] also challenge X/Zero for this reason.

* [[Early-Bird Cameo]]: Zero's [[Infinity+1 Sword|special armor]] can be seen as early as ''X2'', in the canon ending, even, although it officially debuts in ''X4''. Some of Zero's signature attacks also debut in the same game {{spoiler|in the ''other'' ending, although there's little difference}}, before becoming officially playable himself, also in ''X4''.

** The PSP [[Enhanced Remake]] removed this by skipping the rigged fight.

* [[Enemy Chatter]]: Starting from X4.

* [[Evasive Fight Thread Episode]]: ''X5''.

* [[Everything's Better with Chickens]]: Burn Rooster from ''X8''.

* [[Everything's Better with Monkeys]]: Spark Mandrill from ''X'' and Soldier Stonekong from ''X7''.

** He has the spinning slash since X4, after you beat Split Mushroom. It has been one of his staple techniques through this and the ''Zero'' series.

* [[Everything's Squishier with Cephalopods]]: Launch Octopus from ''X'' and Squid Adler from ''X5''. Though they are anything but squishy...

*** Actually, giant pandas ''are'' ursine, as was discovered through genetic research several decades ago. However, he is still an interesting case in that, when people think of [[Everything's Worse with Bears|bears making things worse]], pandas aren't exactly the first bears they think of (though in real life, they can still do some damage when angry).

* [[Everything's Worse with Bees]]: Blast Hornet of ''X3''.

** Apart from the obvious example (X is based on the original Mega Man), there's also {{spoiler|Lumine's}} [[One-Winged Angel]], which, in terms of production dates, is preceded by {{spoiler|Copy X's own [[One-Winged Angel]] from ''[[Mega Man Zero]]'' as well as Colonel Redips' [[God-Emperor]] form from ''Command Mission''.}}

** Zero is pretty much entirely Bass. Note that this does ''not'' make Axl Proto Man.

* [[Fake Difficulty]]: ''X6''. It gets particularly [[Egregious]] in Metal Shark Player's stage, where there's a ceiling trying to crush you, instant death spikes, and ''[[Frictionless Ice|ice]]'' all on the same screen.

** Gate's fortress is even worse. Three words. [[Spikes of Doom]]. No, Capcom, coating virtually every surface with them does not constitute as difficulty.

* [[Fake Ultimate Hero]]: Subversion: {{spoiler|the current Steel Massimo}} wasn't the real hero of the same name, but he does grow to be one as the story progresses.

* {{spoiler|[[Fighting Your Friend]]:}} The penultimate boss fight of ''X5''...

*** The Bad Ending storyline actually makes this battle even more poignant: {{spoiler|Compare the canon arguments they have thinking the other is too susceptible to the virus to [["I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight|Awakening Zero vowing to destroy X, and X vowing to defeat him and bring back "the real Zero"]].}}

* [[Final Boss Preview]]

** In the latter, in a [[Matrix Raining Code]] background, regardless of the weapon equipped on the characters, they will always use the following: X has a [[Wave Motion Gun]], Zero's [[Laser Blade]] [[BFS|grows BIG]], and Axl combines [[Trigger Happy]], [[Guns Akimbo]], ''and'' [[Beam Spam]].

* [[Fire, Ice, Lightning]]: Some of the games have Mavericks who use these;

** ''X'': Flame Mammoth (fire), Chill [[Everything's Better with Penguins|Penguin]] (ice), and Spark Mandrill (lightning). Interestingly enough, Fire beat Ice which beat Lightning, completely opposite of what happened in the original [[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]].

** ''X4'': Magma [[Instant Awesome, Just Add Dragons|Dragoon]] (fire), Frost Walrus (ice), and Web [[Giant Spider|Spider]] (lightning).

** ''X8'': Burn Rooster (fire), Avalanche Yeti (ice), and Gigabolt [[Electric Jellyfish|Man-O-War]] (lightning). Here, lightning beat ice which beat fire.

* [[Five-Bad Band]]: In X6:

* [[Flanderization]]: Especially because [[Executive Meddling]] forced the series to go beyond the creator's planned ending, X5.<ref>Except Inafune actually had no involvement with X5. He left his position as Mega Man X executive producer, simply leaving his team to finish the series. He should have expected Capcom to keep wanting sequels.</ref>

** X goes from being a reluctant, yet willing fighter to become more whiny as the series goes. This becomes prominent in X7, where he pulls out a [[Ten-Minute Retirement]], so you started playing a ''Mega Man X'' game without playing as him.

* [[Floating Continent]]: Sky Lagoon in X4.

* [[Flunky Boss]]/[[Me's a Crowd]]: Flame Hyenard is the worst offender here. ''You're riding on a Mechaniloid that's trying to shoot you down with missiles!'' And if that's not enough, he makes two copies of himself as well!

* [[Foregone Conclusion]]: ''The Day of Sigma''. That is all.

** Except it's even ''worse'' than the original: Sigma manages to ''{{spoiler|[[Retcon|nuke Abel City, along with Dr. Cain.]]}}''

* {{spoiler|[[Forgotten Fallen Friend]]: X loses his memories of Zero}} in the bad ending of ''X5''.

* [[Franchise Zombie]]: Series creator Keiji Inafune wanted to stop the series after ''X5'', but [[Executive Meddling]] forced three more games out of the series, [[Ruined FOREVER|and quality suffered as a result.]]

** One could make the argument that the better move on Inafune's part would have been to take control to make sure the games went in the direction he wanted to build up better to [[Mega Man Zero]].

* [[Full Boar Action]]: Hellride Boarski, a mohawked [[Transforming Mecha|motorcycle-based]] gang leader.

* [[Game Breaker]]: The Nova Strike of the Ultimate Armor, '''''especially''''' the [[One-Hit Kill|X8 variation.]]

** Another [[Game Breaker]] from the same game: [[Infinity+1 Sword|Zero Armor]] + {{spoiler|Sigma's}} [[BFS]] = instant Guard breaks plus instant kills to most enemies (Bosses are also taken down easily). Of course, they can be used together.

** The C-Sword from ''X5''. It gives Zero a double jump and an incredibly powerful spinning slash. Zero already tears bosses to pieces in ''X5''. You do the math. To make it even more powerful, you get it from Grizzly Slash/Crescent Grizzly, the weakest boss in the game. What's funny is that getting it actually makes Grizzly ''marginally'' harder in the [[Boss Rush]], as it replaces your jumping slash and he's immune to his own power. Of course, by this point, you'll have the power he's weak against, so it balances out.

* [[Giant Spider]]: Bospider from ''X'', and Web Spider from ''X4''

* [[Good Is Not Dumb]]: X, a [[Reluctant Warrior]] who lives in an increasingly [[Crapsack World]] infested with [[The Virus]], capable of turning even his best friend against him. Often referred to as 'too trusting' in-universe and 'emo' outside of it because he doesn't like killing people.

* [[Good Scars, Evil Scars]]: Axl and Sigma both have scars as part of their signature appearances. Red as well.

* [[Grand Finale]]: ''X5''. Callbacks to [[Mega Man (video game)|the earlier series]] and the rest of the ''X'' series, a [[Climax Boss]] foreshadowed by all four of the previous games, the return of a classic villain, and a potentially apocalyptic plot. A fitting end to the series...Too bad they had to keep making more games.

** And in the cases of Boomer Kuwanger and Infinity Mijinion, the names are only partially in English—leaving English speakers baffled as to what a "Kuwanger" is.<ref>For the record, "Kuwanger" comes from "kuwagata" (stag beetle) and "Mijinion" comes from "mijinko" (daphnia).</ref>

* [[Gravity Master]]: Gravity Beetle of ''X3'' and Gravity Antonion of ''X8''.

* [[Gravity Screw]]: Cyber Peacock's stage in ''X4'', Dark Dizzy's stage in ''X5'', and Gravity Antonion's stage in ''X8''.

* [[Grey and Gray Morality]]: As the series went on, the lines separating who's the good guys and the baddies became increasingly blurred. ''X4'' showed how the label of "Maverick" can be tossed around indiscriminately and how this can have tragic consequences, ''X6's'' plot only happened because {{spoiler|Gate was betrayed and cast out of a society simply because he took risks no one else would (aside from his creations being too strong)}}, and {{spoiler|Lumine}} in ''X8'' {{spoiler|genuinely believed that his force-evolution plot would end the wars.}}

** In X5, {{spoiler|X vs Zero -- No matter what character you use and Zero's condition (being Maverick or not), your fight will end in a draw.}}

* [[Heart Container]]: Heart Tanks.

** X actually acquires a [[Laser Blade]] {{spoiler|(specifically, Zero's)}} in X6, but he can't use it as well as Zero does. His armors in the game amplify its powers, though.

* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: In the original game, Zero sacrifices himself in the first game to destroy the [[Hopeless Boss Fight]] and give X his [[BFG]] if he doesn't have it already. Zero clung to the back of the mech, where there were no weapons, no way for the arms to reach him, and Vile's exposed head is in front of him. The manga adaptation of this scene shows X ''trying'' to attack Vile's exposed body, but stopped by a force field. The SNES version has X paralyzed after being over powered by Vile, and the PSP remake has Vile grab X while the latter is distracted seeing a downed Zero. However the effect is lessened when you realize neither game explains why ''shooting Vile'' isn't an option. The PSP version even shows that it wouldn't be too difficult for Zero to aim just a little higher.

** [[Power Fist|K-Knuckle]], with attacks that are [[Shout-Out|Shout Outs]] to the [[Street Fighter]] series, again.

** [[Paper Fan of Doom|B-Fan]], which somehow projects a [[Beehive Barrier]] (after Zero got the appropriate power from one boss).

* [[The Immune]]: Played with. Most Reploids will become the chaotic, rampaging Mavericks upon [[The Virus]]'s infection. But X, with his Suffering Circuit inside him, will instead get hurt upon infection, as the circuit's trying to prevent him from being rampaging and genocidal. The only one who's seemingly immune is Zero, and he even becomes stronger the more the virus infects him, as shown in the gameplay. It has to do with Zero being {{spoiler|not only the original source of the virus itself, but he is actually made to be able to use it as a power source.}}

** In X's case, he actually has perfect virus countermeasures, created by Dr. Light because he foresaw X would deal with viruses in the future, due to the Roboenza incident in ''[[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]] 10''. That, or the Evil Energy from 8.

** X5: Ultimate and Zero/Black Armors; both armors exist as [[Infinity+1 Sword|infinity plus one armors]] since their first appearance, with the exception of ''X7''.

** X8: {{spoiler|Sigma's}} [[BFS]]. This game also marked the first (and so far, ''only'') appearance of Axl's "White Armor".

** Also, given how much personality the Robot Masters had in the [[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]] series in games where they had dialog as well as the various mangas and adaptations, what makes Reploids so different aside from overall power?

*** [[Epileptic Trees]]: The capacity for personal change and/or growth.

* [[Instant Awesome, Just Add Dragons]]: Magma Dragoon from ''X4'', definitely. He's one of the few "standard 8" bosses who has a larger connection with the story, and he's the only one who actually ''talks to you after getting defeated''. Oh, and his appearance and [[Shotoclone|moveset]] are definitely based off [[Street Fighter|Akuma]]...

** Egregion, the opening stage boss in ''X4'', is a gigantic dragon Mechaniloid.

* [[Japanese Beetle Brothers]]: Boomer Kuwanger (Kuwagatamushi) and Gravity Beetle (Kabutomushi). [[All There in the Manual|They actually are brothers, too.]]

* [[Jerkass Facade]]: Zero. Despite his tough-guy (and occasionally smart-alecy) attitude, he repeatedly shows throughout the series that he is actually a nice guy who cares very deeply for his friends and allies.

* [[Just Think of the Potential]]: Dr. Light, seeing that [[Let X Be the Unknown|the "X" stands for a variable that represents unlimited potential,]] and thus, a connotation of danger, averts this trope by sealing him in a capsule for 30 years for morality testing to assure that he'll do what's right (or [[Retcon|alternately]], because [[The World Is Not Ready]] to accept him as a living, sapient being on par with humans). Dr. Cain, on the other hand...

** And the End of X8, stating the production of Copy Chips was restarted later, though {{spoiler|enabling Reploids to go Maverick at will}}.

** Though this wouldn't be the first time, {{spoiler|Sigma (finally!!)}} has been stated to have been killed at the end of the last released game. The next game, chronologically, as well as the [[Mega Man Zero|next series]], somewhat proves this, {{spoiler|since he doesn't appear in them at all}}.

** ''X5'' supposedly has this happen to {{spoiler|Zero}} as well, to ''end the series''. Of course, [[Capcom]] [[Executive Meddling|didn't make it stick]]...

* [[Knight, Knave, and Squire]]: X, Zero and Axl respectively.

* [[Laser Blade]]: Zero's Beam Saber is the most famous, but Sigma has one of those '''first'''.

* [[Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards]]: Zero and X respectively, in a way. Zero, as a prominent Z-saber user, is stronger than X at first, but when X is fully upgraded with [[Mega Manning|the weapons from bosses]] as well as [[Powered Armor]]s, X becomes an all-powerful warrior in his own right.

* [[Lip Lock]]: This is the reason for Zero's infamous "WHAT-AM-I-FIGHTING FOOOOOOOOOOR!" line in ''X4'', since his lip movements have his mouth open wide when he says it.

* [[Luck-Based Mission]]: ''X5'' and the cannon. The cannon will only successfully fire half the time, no matter how well you do.

** Also, the shuttle can in fact fail to destroy the colony even if you do gather all the parts. Conversely, you can fire the cannon right off the bat and it actually has a decent chance of destroying the colony.

* [[The Hunter|The Maverick Hunters]]

* [[Meaningful Name]]: Aside from the obvious examples (see [[Theme Naming]] below), let's take a look at ''X4's'' [[The Mole|mole]]. In addition to the aforementioned reveal as a ''double'' agent, he also has two forms to go along with his role, and he's weak to the ''Double [[Blow You Away|Cyclone]]''.

* [[Mega Manning]]: X's Variable Weapons, Zero's Command Arts, and Axl's Special Arms.

** Interestingly, the [[Final Boss]] of ''X8'', {{spoiler|Lumine}}, also has this ability in his first form, using the [[Limit Break|overdrive attacks]] of the 8 Bosses.

* [[More Dakka]]: Axl in ''X8'', where he got multiple arsenals from the bosses. One of them, in particular, is the [[Kill It with Ice|Ice]] [[Gatling Good|Gatling.]] [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Very cool, isn't it?]]

* [[More Hero Than Thou]]: In ''X5'', in order to stop the [[Colony Drop]], one of the heroes has to maneuver a shuttle into crashing into it. Zero volunteered himself, as he stated that, whether or not he (Zero) survives the crash, the world is still in danger, and X is needed more than he is.

* [[Multiple Endings]]: Subversion in ''X2'' and ''X3''. {{spoiler|Gathering all of Zero's parts}} and {{spoiler|keeping the same character alive}}, respectively, definitely changes things in the final battles, but they only slightly affect the ending. Played straight in later games, though.

* [[Multipurpose Tongue]]: Sting Chameleon from X1 is all about this trope. He uses his tongue as his primary attack, and can hang from the ceiling to rain damaging spikes down from the ceiling.

* [[Nintendo Hard]]: ''X6'', thanks to the endless array of instant [[Spikes of Doom|death spikes]].

** Combined with ''every other'' instant-kill trap, utilized in the most sadistic way possible.

* [[No Endor Holocaust]]: Averted in X6; just because you {{spoiler|blew up the space colony doesn't solve the problem of the ''debris'' crashing and causing havoc.}}

* [[No Ontological Inertia]]: Many instances. For one, X wouldn't be harmed by spikes if he stands on them right after he defeats a boss.

** Or because he simply had no more advice to offer.

* [[Obvious Beta]]: X6 definitely has shades of this. With the lazy level design, the [[Blind Idiot Translation|unspeakably bad translation that was]] [[Translation Train Wreck|completely impossible to make out at times,]] and several missing tracks from the sound test ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrUkKspZgXw including Zero's own freakin' theme music], which is also [[Crowning Music of Awesome|one of the best tracks in the game.]]), it's pretty clear that Capcom rushed this out as soon as possible to squeeze one last bit of money out of the [[PS 1]] before it faded away completely (the game came out in late 2001).

** Not just that, ''humanity itself'' sometimes also gets this treatment, since they're oddly never seen (not even in the cutscenes!).

* [[Odd Friendship]]: A [[Technical Pacifist]] and a warrior? Hmm... Especially when {{spoiler|they were destined to ''kill each other''}}.

* [[One-Hit Kill]]: The Hadouken and the Shoryuken from the first and second games, respectively. For something "weaker", there is the {{spoiler|Z-saber}} from ''X3'', and the Nova Strike from ''X8'', both of which inflict ''two''-hit kills.

** Also from ''X8'', regardless of how much energy the players still have, the [[Final Boss]]'s [[Title Drop|Paradise Lost]] attack will ''always'' result in instant death if the timer runs out.

** From ''X5'' comes one in the form of Genmurei, an attack {{spoiler|Awakenening Zero}} uses if the battle progresses too long. True to the trope, it covers up the entire area in front, leaving no chance to escape or survive. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_miJTIBk1P8#t=0m47s Here's] a video of the Genmurei, time set to when Zero does it.

* [[One-Man Army]]: In ''X7'', Zero comes close to literally being one, after X retires, until at least he was joined by the "volunteer" Axl.

** This is played with, since the Mavericks always seem to rely on a mere 8 bosses, suggesting that both sides deploy forces against each other beyond what we see.

* [[One-Winged Angel]]: Sigma abuses the hell out of this trope.

** {{spoiler|Lumine in ''X8'' not only grows angel wings, but the background suddenly becomes cloudy and sunny... despite your fighting on the ''moon''}}.

* [[The Other Darrin]]: Considering his expanded role in future series, Zero has had the most voice actors in the series at 4 (5 if one counts his ''Zero'' voice actor, since there was no English audio). X and Sigma won't be left behind either, having 3 actors each.

* [[Outside the Box Tactic]]: While many bosses have [[Logical Weakness]]es, the Launch Octopus has one of these - the boomerang attack can cut off its tentacles and prevent it from using its homing attack.

* [[OVA]]: ''Day of Sigma'', available after finishing the first game's remake. It's a prequel to events in the series; however, it [[retcon]]s certain aspects of the series canon (eg. Sigma's motivations, Dr. Cain's death [he was shown/mentioned in games up to ''X4''; especially in ''X2'', where {{spoiler|it was he who rebuilt Zero from the parts X stole from the X-Hunters}}], etc.).

** Also {{spoiler|Maverick Zero}}, according to, in Sigma's words, an "old man" (Possibly referring to {{spoiler|Dr. Wily}}).

{{quote|''"{{spoiler|Zero}} is the most powerful thing in the universe, {{spoiler|when purified by [[The Virus]].}}"''}}

* [[Platform Battle]]: A few bosses, most notably the rematch against Serges in ''X2'' (set on floating platforms above a bed of lethal spikes) as well as Gate's boss fight in ''X6'' (this time above [[Bottomless Pits]]).

* [[Platform Hell]]: Gate's stages in X6, which often approach [[I Wanna Be the Guy]] levels of frustration and difficulty.

* [[Playing the Victim Card]]: Some of the bosses do this to you. {{spoiler|They're not necessarily wrong, either.}}

* [[Playing with Fire]]: Flame Mammoth, Flame Stag, Magma Dragoon, Mattrex, Blaze Heatnix, Flame Hyenard, Burn Rooster, from X1-X2, X4-X8 respectively. Strangely, ''X3'' is the only game without a fire-themed maverick.

* [[Post Script Season]]: ''X5'' was meant to cap off the series and segue into the ''Zero'' series, but stuff happened and Capcom threw together four more installments that didn't really involve Inafune's input.

* [[Power Armor]]: The [[Mini-Mecha]] mentioned above, complete with a separate health reservoir, speed dash, and titan punches. ''X3'' introduced a few variants, including one with [[Spikes of Doom]] and an anphibious one with [[Super Not-Drowning Skills]].

* [[Power Glows]]: In the first three games, X will glow with a different color as he charges his Buster to the next charge level. Zero also does this, but only in ''X3''.

* [[Power Levels]]: In ''X3'', the images were combined with ratings for strength and speed. Most of the bosses topped at about 10,000 for one or the other, Sigma made it up to 16,000 both, and Battle Body Sigma reached 25,600 for both (despite the fact that he was slower than dirt). Interestingly, X and Zero both had ratings of "?", which is confirmed in X4 when Cyber Peacock proclaims that X's potential is limitless (though he immediately tries to discredit his readings by claiming it's not possible).

* [[Pre-Explosion Glow]]: Starting from ''X4'' onwards, all of the bosses does this after being defeated (sans Dynamo, who isn't dead).

* [[Promoted to Unlockable]]: Zero in ''X3''. And by "unlockable", we mean "push the L button on the pause screen".

** Vile in ''Maverick Hunter X'''s Vile Mode.

** Inverted with X in ''X7''; he's ''Demoted'' To Unlockable.

* [[Put on a Bus]]: Axl's copy-chip powers were meant to herald a new age of Reploids, so much so that an entire line had been manufactured. Cut to the ''Zero'' series, and there's not a single mention of either Axl's eventual fate or the technology itself.

** Given the debacle caused during X8, it's probable that the project was simply canceled. Command Mission references several characters being products of the program being illegally restarted.

* [[Real Time Weapon Change]]: Since the series started on the [[SNES]], the shoulder buttons were used as an alternative to pausing for the weapons.

* [[Recurring Boss]]: Dynamo, High Max, the Nightmare Police, and Vile.

* [[Rhino Rampage]]: Tunnel Rhino of ''X3''.

* [[Right-Hand-Cat]]: Sigma's first in-game appearance in X1 is in the final level, alongside a "pet" [[Big Badass Wolf|robotic wolf]] named Velguarder that serves as the level's first boss fight. Sigma implies that the player should be able to defeat it easily.

** Axl and Lumine are also technically related, since Axl is Lumine's prototype.

* [[Rouge Angles of Satin]]: From the first game: "YOU GET HO'''R'''MING TORPEDO". They didn't bother correcting it in the English version, it seems.

* [[Schematized Prop]]: You can see X's full blueprint in the opening cutscene in X1.

* [[Screaming Warrior]]: The title character in later entries into the series (in particular, those with voiced pre-boss dialogue). Reaches [[Large Ham]] territory introducing the Sigma fight in ''Maverick Hunter X.''

** Arguably, in a related case, {{spoiler|Zero himself was a [[Sealed Evil in a Can|sealed evil]], with the Maverick Hunters temporarily containing him in the lab he woke up in, right before the above events came to pass}}.

* [[Secret AI Moves]]: ''X5'' is pretty bad about this. When you end up challenging either X or Zero, the character gets moves you cannot (or no longer can) use. X can use several powers from the previous game, which he can use a lot better than he ever could in that game, while Zero gets a huge upgrade to his ranged attack abilities. The latter might have been excusable if {{spoiler|only Maverick Zero could do it (instead he he's just cheaper and gets a one-hit kill attack on top)}}, but Zero can use these powers regardless of the circumstance.

** Well, at least the player can use Genmurei in ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom 3]]'', so it's not all that bad...

** Here's a bit of a stretch: in the climax of [[OVA]] ''Day of Sigma'', {{spoiler|X inflicts Sigma's signature facial scars with a [[G Gundam|Shining Finger]]}}. Turns out, [[Hey, It's That Voice!|X is]] [[G Gundam|Domon Kasshu.]]

** Also, in ''X6'', after you defeat a boss, an orb drops down, and when you touch it, victory music plays and the level is complete, which could be seen as an homage either to the first ''[[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]]'' or ''[[Castlevania]]''.

* [[Shrug of God]]: Inafune himself says that whether or not Serges is really Dr. Wily is for the player to decide.

** The makers of ''X6'' wouldn't tell people for certain whether Isoc is Dr. Wily or not either.

* [[Spikes of Doom]]: Par for the course for a ''Mega Man'' game, but this got really bad in ''X6''.

* [[Spikes of Villainy]]: Sigma added these to his armor after his [[Face Heel Turn]]. They often adorn it in his later incarnations.

* [[Stealth Pun]]: ''X6'' having [[Jump the Shark|Metal Shark Player]] (the jumping part can also be done ''literally'', considering one of Shark Player's attacks) and [[Franchise Zombie|Zombie]] [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|Sigma.]]

** The ice-themed armor being named Absolute Zero? (That doubles as [[Genius Bonus]] as well.)

* [[Strictly Formula]]: If there's some new Reploids introduced, chance are they're evil or just want to backstab people. Most of the time, [[Hijacked by Ganon|Sigma is behind all of these]].

** It then becomes a plot twist when {{spoiler|it turns out in ''X8'' that Sigma is ''not'' the [[Big Bad]] and the [[Final Boss]] of the game.}}

* [[Super Prototype]]: Both X and Zero, but (arguably) subverted with Axl, who is a prototype to the New Generation Reploids.

** Justified, given the poorer 'mass production models' of which X was supposedly the prototype (Reploids) were more akin to crappy knock-offs made by a significantly less gifted scientist; it took centuries just to completely fix all the problems with them. Not to mention it can also be seen as an aversion if you call Mega Man the prototype and X the finished model.

* [[Surprisingly Good English]]: Dr. Light's warning in ''Mega Man X'''s intro is written in 100% fluent English in both the Japanese and overseas releases of the game.

* [[Swiss Army Weapon]]: X basically ''is'' one of these, thanks to the massively upgraded Variable Tools System originally used by Mega Man (now called the Variable Weapon System). Zero's Z-saber is a more literal version, sort of...

* [[Sword Lines]]: Everytime the Z-Saber is swung, it creates these.

* [[Sword Sparks]]: In [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXj3Fs0A-gk&feature=related this video,] where Colonel and Zero fight, their [[Laser Blade]]s create electric sparks.

* [[Tagalong Kid]]: Axl in ''X7''. Neither Zero nor the rest of the Hunters want to send him out into battle, but he insisted, seeing the game's crisis was started over him. Later, ''X8'' and ''Command Mission'' depict him as having "grown up", becoming an accepted member of the Hunters.

* [[Take Up My Sword]]: In X1, if the player hasn't acquired the upgraded Arm Cannon before entering Sigma's fortress, X receives ''Zero's'' arm cannon after defeating Vile. In said game, it doesn't make any difference from getting the real Arm Cannon from the capsule, but in ''Maverick Hunter X'', Zero's Buster gives off a huge Red single hit blast charge shot instead of the one from the capsule <ref>it has the original Pink swirly multi-hit Charge shot.</ref>

* [[Technology Marches On]]: Zero started having dreams where he {{spoiler|sees Dr. Wily's silhouette}} in X4, which came out in the late 90's. With the introduction of online resources like Google and wikipedia, it's a little baffling why Zero doesn't spend some time on the internet looking through historical databases of old robotics experts.

* [[Thanking the Viewer]]: Capcom games love to do this, and this series is no exception.

* [[Theme Naming]]: the main three characters of the series (X, Zero and Sigma) are all named after symbols from various "alphabets" (zero's a number, but you know what I mean).

** The name X represents the infinite possibility as stated by his creator, Thomas Light. He even has a theme song that is named [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUBQOmnU8bM Variable X].

** Zero's name is a reference to the number, which is unique among numbers. Like X, Zero represents limitless potential, just in a different way.

* [[This Cannot Be!]]: Several villains are quite fond of using this trope when they're defeated, such as Vile in Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X when he is defeated by X in Sigma Stage 1 and he screams "Noooo... I can't lose to X...!" before exploding.

{{quote|'''Sigma''': (being defeated) Impossible! You couldn't... destroy... old world... new age... Hrrgh! Argh! [[Big No|NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooo!!!!!]] (then he blows up) }}

* [[This Is a Drill]]: In ''Maverick Hunter X'', the remake of the first game, Spark Mandrill gets a drill for a right hand as a pun on his name.

* [[Tyrannosaurus Rex]]: Mattrex, complete with [[Dinosaurs Are Dragons|fire breath]]. Justified, as he's a robot.

* [[Unconscious Objector]]: On the ''Maverick Hunter X'' OVA, X gets impaled with a light saber and given a [[Hannibal Lecture]], he has a flashback, finds some [[The Determinator|courage to keep fighting]] , and reacts for a brief moment, enough to [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|pass ''through'' Sigma's Saber and cause him]] [[Scars Are Forever|his signature Scar]] (at least in [[Continuity Reboot|this version]]); when Sigma reacts and is going to attack, he notices X is now immobile (he kind of stabbed him right into his energy generator or something like that) so he retires, satisfied as he witnessed the [[Mechanical Evolution|Hidden Potential]] Dr. Cain talked about.

* [[Unique Enemy]]: The ''[[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]]'' era Bubble Bat in Armored Armadillo's stage. Relatively easy to miss, as you're supposed to be on a speeding trolley when you go past him.

* [[Van Helsing Hate Crimes]]: Shades of this appear in later games; the Maverick Hunters dutifully destroy any Reploid that goes "Maverick", according to their standards... which would be fine, if those standards were limited to those Reploids actively infected with [[The Virus]] or deliberately causing grievous harm to humanity and/or Reploidkind. Unfortunately, it seems to encompass ''any'' form of resistance against the natural order of things, including otherwise non-hostile acts like peacefully exiling themselves to their own space colony (Repliforce and the Rebellion Army; though there are reasons for both of those, albeit not entirely concrete justifications) or merely having traits that could potentially cause problems with controlling them (Nightmare Investigators). In fact, it's revealed in ''X5'' that the (unseen) Maverick Hunter commander in charge during ''X4'' retired in disgrace for ''misapplying'' the label of "Maverick" on Repliforce, and thus causing the deaths of hundreds or thousands of relatively innocent Reploids. Furthermore, the commander who labels the Rebellion "Maverick" in ''Command Mission'' was a [[Manipulative Bastard]] who [[A God Am I|fancied himself a god]]. Doesn't stop X or Zero from blowing away their [[Designated Villain]] targets, though.

** While Repliforce and NI are both sympathetic in one way or another (<ref>They are framed, and some of its members (especially Double) are actually moles working under Sigma, and it's Magma Dragoon who brought down the Sky Lagoon.</ref> and <ref>They were accused Mavericks because they're hard to handle and their DNA datas are unreadable - pretty petty reasons.</ref>), they do have their own faults (<ref>They refused to resign in for interrogation and instead they go to their [[Kill Sat]]; they want peace and seclusion out of Earth, it's just that they're breaking the law.</ref> and <ref>The Hunters saw through the ruse created by the NI the moment Isoc started calling for Reploids to volunteer to help destroy a "ghost" of Zero gone bad. Not just that, said "ghost" are actually Gate's own creation.</ref>)

* [[Video Game Remake]]: ''Maverick Hunter X'' to ''X1'', which serves as a [[Continuity Reboot]].

* [[Villain by Default]]: All of the villains in this series (and also ''[[Mega Man ZX|ZX]]'' series) are called Mavericks, ranging from the virus-infected ones, wrongly-accused ones or just the plain criminals with free will.

** Inverted with Dr. Wily. Remember his [[Mega Man (video game)|prior characterization?]] [[Inverted Trope|He's much]], ''[[Inverted Trope|much]]'' [[Inverted Trope|more sinister]].

** Applied to Sigma in ''X6'', where he is a ''zombie'' in that game and has ''[[Giant Space Flea From Nowhere|absolutely nothing]]'' to do with the plot, and in ''X8'', where he's just an [[Unwitting Pawn]] for the game's real [[Big Bad]], Lumine.

* [[You Can't Fight Fate]]: No matter what happens in ''X5'', {{spoiler|Zero and Mega Man X will always have their destined battle.}}

** However, Zero is still more or less the master of [[Screw Destiny]], since {{spoiler|Dr. Wily programmed him to be a weapon of mass destruction; technically, Zero is one, but he doesn't use his abilities for the evil purposes Wily wanted him to.}}

* [[You're Insane!]]: ''Maverick Hunter X'' has the titular Azure Hunter pointing out that Sigma has completely lost it to his subordinates. None of them deny it, but rather believe that Sigma, despite his insanity, [[Mechanical Evolution|has a good point]], and people would rather ignore it than deal with the implications.

{{quote|'''Sigma''': Our potential is limitless!

'''X''': You think you have potential?! You're insane, Sigma! }}

* [[Zeerust]]: The first game's pre-title intro is done as a computer read-out on X's data and Dr. Light's warning about his abilities, prefaced by a boot-up sequence. Despite the OS being as advanced as 2114 (with RAM to match: all told, the system's packing ''40,960 terabytes'' of memory) asides from the blue typeface it's a clear knockoff of DOS.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Science Fiction Video Games]]

[[Category:Game Boy Color]]

[[Category:Nintendo Gamecube]]

[[Category:Platform Game]]

[[Category:Super Nintendo Entertainment System]]

[[Category:Capcom]]