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Mega Man X (character)

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Computer & Video games

   Mega Man X
   X
   Mega Man X, shown here in Maverick Hunter X, returns to his basic, Mega
   Man-like appearance for the beginning of each game.
   Game series Mega Man X/Zero series
   First game Mega Man X
   Creator(s) Keiji Inafune
   Voice actor(s) (English) Ruth Shiraishi (1997-2002)
   Peter Von Gomm (2003)
   Mark Gatha (+2004)
   Voice actor(s) ( Japanese) Kentaro Ito (1997-1999)
   Shotaro Morikubo (2000-2003)
   Takahiro Sakurai (+2004)
   Takahiro Mizushima (Mega Man Zero series)
   In-Universe Information
   Classification Advanced Robot (Mega Man X series) Cyber Elf (Mega Man
   Zero series)
   Model number DRN-00X
   Weapon(s) X-Buster, Variable Weapons System (Mega Man X series only)
   Loyalty Maverick Hunters (Mega Man X series)
   Resistance (Mega Man Zero series)

   Mega Man X , or Rock Man X (ロックマンエックス, Rokkuman Ekkusu^ ?) in the
   games' original Japanese, is a video game character and the main
   protagonist of Capcom's Mega Man X video game series. Introduced in the
   1993 SNES video game Mega Man X and created by series creator Keiji
   Inafune, Mega Man X is a sapient robot who, along with his partner Zero
   and the rest of the Maverick Hunters, protects humans and intelligent
   robots known as reploids by hunting down rogue robots known as
   Mavericks.

   While Mega Man, the protagonist of the original Mega Man series, was
   largely a personality-less cypher, the Mega Man X series places a
   greater emphasis on story, and casts X as a warrior who desires nothing
   better than to live in peace, but is forced to fight in order to
   protect that peace.

   The NES system began to fade into obscurity in the face of its
   successor, the Super Famicom. Along with the improved graphics engine,
   Keiji developed a darker character design and plot, and according to
   him, he believes that such designs will continue with each new
   generation of technology. In line with the new "X" series developed,
   two characters were created, one being the main character of Mega Man
   X, and the inclusion of his partner, Zero.

History

   Keiji introduced the design and character for Mega Man X on December
   17th, 1993 in Japan, in his first game, Mega Man X. This game and its
   iterations received later distribution dates in America, with the first
   game being released to North America a few days later, on December
   28th. Since then, X has appeared in every iteration in the Mega Man X
   series as the title and main character of the story , which takes place
   on a fictional Earth mirroring our own.

   Keiji Inafune has stated that originally, X's partner in the series,
   Zero, was meant to become the title character of the next series.
   However, in an interview conducted in 2004, he has stated that the idea
   was scrapped and he made Zero into a supporting role, as the
   similarities were few between his original Mega Man design and for fear
   fans of the series might not relate to the new character. Also, despite
   the design, he has stated that Mega Man X and the original Mega Man are
   two different entities, although it is unknown how the first Mega Man
   disappeared in the series due to lack of storyline elements not
   introduced in late Classic iterations. It is believed this will become
   clear later in the series.

Video game history

   Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

   Mega Man X is introduced in Mega Man X. The manual fills in his
   backstory: X is Dr. Light's final masterwork, a new advanced robot that
   could think for itself and make its own decisions. Light feared the
   ramifications of giving robots free will, so he chose to seal X inside
   a capsule for 30 years to test the integrity and reliability of X's
   systems. Unfortunately, this was well beyond Dr. Light's predicted life
   expectancy, and he died before X's diagnostics were complete. X was
   discovered still in his capsule 100 years later by Dr. Cain, who
   attempted to replicate X's technology and, with X's help, produced the
   Reploid (Note that Mega Man X himself is not actually a Reploid, as
   Reploids are based upon his designs. Rather, X (and his counterpart,
   Zero) is a highly advanced robot capable of sapient thought. When the
   Reploids began to rebel against humanity (such rebels are termed
   mavericks), the Maverick Hunters were formed to combat them, under the
   leadership of Sigma, the most advanced Reploid. This proved to be
   disastrous when he is infected with the Maverick Virus, and goes
   Maverick, taking most of the Maverick Hunters with him as he leads a
   massive revolt.

Mega Man X

   Mega Man X begins with X, expressing guilt because he had a part in
   creating the Reploids, joining the remaining Hunters, then led by Zero.
   With Zero's help, X eventually defeated the Mavericks and their head,
   Sigma, but at the cost of Zero's life.

Mega Man X2

   Mega Man X2 picks up where Mega Man X left off, as the Hunters have
   tracked down the remaining Mavericks. The X-Hunters, a group of
   Mavericks who wish to destroy X, gather the parts of Zero's corpse,
   seeking to use them as bait to lure X to his destruction. X destroys
   the X-Hunters and gathers Zero's parts, eventually and discovers that
   Sigma was behind the plot all along. (The player can choose to ignore
   the X-Hunters; in this case, a rebuilt, brainwashed Zero confronts X,
   but is defeated by his former partner. This ending is considered non-
   canonical, as it is not reflected in later games.) X confronts and
   destroys Sigma once again, while the newly-rebuilt Zero destroys
   Sigma's central computer.

Mega Man X3

   Mega Man X3 reveals that there has been a period of peace after a
   Reploid scientist named Dr. Doppler created the cure for the Maverick
   Virus. This cure turns out to be an ineffectual placebo, however, and
   the Maverick Hunters find themselves overwhelmed with a massive
   Maverick uprising. X and Zero enter the fray and discover that the
   virus and Sigma are one and the same, explaining why Sigma keeps coming
   back. X and Zero destroy Sigma's new battle body (built by Doppler, who
   had been infected with the virus.) It is revealed but unbeknownst to X
   that his ultimate fate to save the human race would be to destroy Zero.

Mega Man X4

   Mega Man X4 reveals that Zero is the origin of the Sigma Virus. The
   Repliforce War breaks out, because the Maverick Hunters judged a
   faction of Reploids as Mavericks without good reason. X, though, was
   led away from the real targets by a spy of Sigma named Double and it
   was Zero this time who foiled Sigma's plan by hunting down the
   Repliforce and destroying its top officers and Sigma himself, killing a
   good friend named Colonel and the love of his life Iris in the process.
   X, realizing that he was tricked and discovering that Sigma had set up
   the entire plan, became very frustrated and swiftly disposed of Double.
   This time, though, he was beginning to doubt his ability to remain
   sane, and he told Zero that if he ever were to go Maverick that Zero
   would have to take care of him.

Mega Man Xtreme and Xtreme 2

   This series are side-stories, with no plot significance (they are only
   mentioned in X6, and even then, only once).

   Mega Man Xtreme is set between Mega Man X2 and X3. In this game, a
   hacker named Techno has invaded the Hunters' Mother Computer and is
   using the data of previous Mavericks against the organization. With the
   help of Middy, X goes into cyberspace, where he discovers that Sigma
   had "influenced" Techno. X accidentally destroys Techno, then learns
   that Middy is Techno's twin brother, and that destroying Techno
   destroyed Middy as well. X, crushed, challenges Sigma once again and
   defeats him, extracting a measure of vengeance.

   Mega Man Xtreme 2, which is set between X3 and X4, takes X and Zero to
   Laguz Island, where they X battle the Soul Erasers, Berkana and Gareth.
   X defeats Berkana and Zero defeat Gareth, and the two team up to defeat
   Sigma.

Mega Man X5

   In Mega Man X5, the Repliforce has been wiped out and peace restored,
   and the Hunters hired several new officers. With their help, the next
   plan of Sigma was handled well. A new member called Alia spotted X as
   he hunted down the Sigma Virus, and accidentally spread it all over
   Earth. It turns out this was Sigma's plan all along. In addition, Sigma
   attempted to send the space colony Eurasia into the Earth, thus
   spreading the virus further, in order to awaken Zero's true self. Under
   one story possibility, X faced off with Zero after he ignored orders to
   report back to Base for a full physical check on his virus readings. In
   the other story possibility, the overwhelming amount of the virus
   became a catalyst that exposed his true self. In both possibilities,
   Zero saved X once again as Sigma tried to destroy him. Sigma retreated,
   and X went after him. Sigma revealed to him that Zero's true form is
   the one that emerges when he is powered up with the Maverick Virus,
   which occurred before the events of the first game. Zero, it turned
   out, had spread the virus to Sigma during a fateful battle in the cave
   prior to the events of Mega Man X. Sigma also spoke of a mysterious new
   ally who built a body for him. This ally sounded like Dr. Wily, but X
   seemed ignorant of who this person was. Once beaten, Sigma claimed he
   would take down Zero with him. As X and Zero both lay damaged from
   Sigma's massive explosion, X stood over Zero's battered body, hoping
   for signs of life. Sigma's remains then fired a blast straight through
   X and Zero. Zero revived for just a moment, destroying Sigma's remains
   and then passing away. X was badly injured, and Dr. Light miraculously
   healed him.

Mega Man X6

   During the Nightmare Outbreak in Mega Man X6, X was still coping with
   the loss of his friend, unaware that Zero was still alive. The Zero
   Nightmare, a creation (and clone of Zero) of an infected Reploid
   researcher named Gate (who was Alia's former colleague), smeared Zero's
   name and was promptly defeated by X. Upon doing this, Zero showed
   himself again and X was elated. Together, they swore to eliminate the
   evil source of the Nightmares, and did so with Alia's help. Once Sigma
   revealed himself, X defeated him as well and claimed that he had more
   important things to do such as rebuilding the Earth. If Sigma were to
   come back, X would defeat him again and again, as many times as it
   takes. After the battle he saved the remains of Gate for Alia to
   repair, because he knew what it was like to lose a colleague and didn't
   want to see any more innocent Reploids die. Alia thanked him for this,
   and they swore to try to rebuild the Earth.

Mega Man X7

   Months later shortly before the events of Mega Man X7, the Maverick
   Hunters were severely crippled as X retired from active duty to pursue
   more peaceful means to end the constant fighting. In his absence, a new
   Maverick-hunting faction known as " Red Alert" began hunting Mavericks,
   often with questionable tactics. Zero was summoned to the scene of a
   rampage in the city and found a young Reploid named Axl trying to flee
   Red Alert. He rescued Axl, and what ensued resulted in a harsh custody
   battle between the Hunters and Red Alert. X eventually returned to the
   Hunters and fought alongside Axl and Zero, eventually discovering Sigma
   back at it again, manipulating the whole fiasco from behind the scenes.
   The trio confronted the maniacal Reploid and defeated him once more.

Mega Man X8

   During the Jakob elevator incident in Mega Man X8, X is back once again
   investigating a crab-like Maverick in a forest. This time, he seems to
   have much more resolve for fighting, although there are times where he
   contemplates the need for peaceful resolutions. Along with Zero and
   Axl, he was able to travel to the Moon and stop Sigma and a new villain
   known as Lumine. This entailed plans to replace every Reploid with "
   New generation Reploids", which have a built in copy chip and are
   claimed to "go Maverick at will." However, the battle with Lumine left
   X dejected as his companion Axl was left comatose and the fact that the
   Reploid race would always be Mavericks. However with Zero's words, X is
   somewhat comforted and the duo returned to the Maverick Hunter base.

Mega Man Zero series

   In the Mega Man Zero series, X plays a supporting role, similar to the
   role Doctor Thomas Light played in the Mega Man X Series. Having used
   his physical body to seal the Dark Elf after the Elf Wars a century
   ago, he exists as a Cyber Elf. Even though his body is not available to
   help Zero, he still has incredible power and can aid Zero
   information-wise. X's powers as a Cyber Elf are revealed a few times in
   the games; such as in the third game when Dr. Weil used the power of
   Omega and the Dark Elf to take control of all Reploids on Earth, X used
   his powers to protect the entire Resistance Base from being controlled
   as well (apparently, X and Zero were not affected by Omega or the Dark
   Elf, as they are not Reploids. It is said, though, that his only reason
   for existing as an elf outside his body was due to the fact that his
   original body was intact. Elpizo later destroyed this body and X now
   claims that he has only a little time left. In the booklet Vile's
   Incident, Cyber Elf X and Cyber Elf Phantom, are seen alongside the
   other guardians, watching Ragnarok fall apart. X's fate is unknown.

Weapons and abilities

   Mega Man X is a powerful robot equipped with various abilities and
   powers to aid in his persucution of Mavericks and their threat to the
   peace and stability of the Earth. His most distinguished ability is the
   X-Buster, an arm cannon, that is able to transform from Mega Man X's
   arms to attack.
     * Super strength

   Like most Reploids, X has strength well above the normal human
   capacity. He can lift in the proximity of several thousand pounds,
   although the exact maximum is never revealed in the games.
     * X-Buster

   X's primary weapon is the X-Buster, described as Mega Buster Mark 17 in
   the first game. The X-Buster focuses energy from X's fusion reactor
   into a plasma bullet that causes physical damage upon impact.
     * Variable Weapons System

   Like Mega Man before him, X has the ability to adapt the weapons
   systems of powerful Reploids that he has defeated into weapons he can
   use. These weapons come in many varieties, often providing additional
   mobility as well as offense. Of course, the Mega Man series convention
   of janken applies, and each boss character is weak to a different boss
   character's copied weapon.
     * Wall kick

   X has the ability to cling to vertical surfaces (e.g. walls). On a
   wall, X normally slides downward slowly, but by kicking off the surface
   of the wall he can gain height, and even rebound back to the wall to
   climb it.
     * Emergency Acceleration System (Dash)

   This ability is similar to Mega Man's slide maneuver in that it
   increases his speed, but unlike the slide, X is capable of using the
   ability to leap further than normal in a "dash jump," as well as dash
   from objects to which he is clinging. X first got the ability from the
   only mandatory capsule in the X series, in X1. He has apparently
   internalized the upgrade, although, in Maverick Hunter X, he can dash
   from the beginning. Inafune revealed that this is due to the fact that
   Maverick Hunter X is a remake of what X was supposed to be, and that X
   was originally intended to have the dash, but decided that, because
   players were already probably confused from the wall kick ability,
   having the dash too would probably either overwhelm players, or make
   them feel that it was too different from the original series. Some
   armor upgrades allow X to air dash, which is usually only used for
   puzzles, but can still be used as an evasive maneuver. In Mega Man X3,
   X is granted a choice of choosing one of four special upgrade chips,
   with one of the choices improving his dash, granting him the ability to
   air dash twice during a jump. In Mega Man X7 and X8, X can also air
   dash from the beginning, indicating that he has internalized this
   upgrade too.

Armor systems

   Starting from X1, X could find capsules made by Dr. Light before he
   died (though it is hinted that he is still alive, or at least now an AI
   due to the fact that he can respond to questions, and is up to date on
   current events. It is also suggested that he has a helper, due to the
   fact that he can appear in places that weren't there when he was alive,
   like a tank) that carry either a helmet part, arms armor, new body
   armor, or legs armor. Starting from X4, different armor parts can be
   aqquired, though technically it would be X5, as the other armor in X4
   was the ultimate armor, considered non-canon. Different armors possess
   different abilities, such as the Shadow armor which allows X to stick
   to walls, and the blade armor allowing X to dash greater distances. A
   hologram of Dr. Light greets X and explains the capabilities of the
   part in question before granting it to him.
   Retrieved from "
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mega_Man_X_%28character%29"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
