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X is the most unfortunate MegaMan character

Boss Doggie

all my loli wolf companions are so moe
5egM7ar.jpg


Poor guy. If you actually take a look at his background both in-game and production/meta, you'll realize he is definitely the most unfortunate character to bear the MegaMan name.

Why? In the conception of the MegaMan continuation for SNES, the original pitch was that Zero was supposed to be the lead. However Capcom said no as people might be "unfamiliar" with the character. Still, Inafune intended to have his actual star Zero steal the character's spotlight, so you got what one would say is the "Batman stealing the spotlight" moment whenever X is around - he is naive and pacifist and an underdog to Zero, he never does anything big despite being the lead character, and even Sigma has a stronger connection to Zero than X despite being the origin of all Reploids. And while the bromance, err respect, between the two characters slowly went towards equals, there's still that lingering feeling that Zero was much better.

And you could pretty much feel that X was not thoroughly important in the whole MMX narrative and even gets gimped a lot (go look up X5). This isn't something like Protoman and Megaman's relationship where Protoman, while an aloof ally, still let Megaman handle the big things. Here you could feel Inafune's baby walking all over X. Even in spinoffs like Command Mission there's that lingering air of Zero worship.

And then there's Mega Man Zero. Originally X was meant to be the villain. If it weren't for Capcom it would have been true. Imagine being an X fan only to hear that for some odd reason your favorite character becomes a villain in the most stupid reasoning.

So yeah, while Volnutt may be stuck on the moon, at least he is treated with respect found in your usual MegaMan leads. X? Nope, you're just doomed to die for Zero's sake.
 
(Sob!)

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The idea (to me) is that X is always caught in the middle between two worlds that will never truly accept him. Humans are afraid of his kind, and despite being their greatest champion, he'll never be part of their world as Dr. Light wished. At the same time, the reploids throw it in his face that he seemingly puts humanity's needs before his own race (despite half of them being batshit insane) where to him, it's a matter of right and wrong rather than sticking to "your family."

Zero just don't give a fuck most of the time
save for Iris

It is why X is definitely one of gaming's greatest sympathetic characters...

I don't know shit about Megaman, but is this the one who was shunned in Marvel VS. Capcom 3, where Zero got in? I remember people being upset about that.

Fuck, I'm still mad! The X skin was the only DLC I bought from UMVC3
 
I agree with you OP, he often gets shafted in crossovers too ;_;

Maverick Hunter X gave me high hopes, alas it didn't bring a MHX2.

>And then there's Mega Man Zero. Originally X was meant to be the villain. If it weren't for Capcom it would have been true. Imagine being an X fan only to hear that for some odd reason your favorite character becomes a villain in the most stupid reasoning.

I'm glad that didn't happen. Would have been so bad.

The best and definitive MegaMan char.
Word.
 
I don't know shit about Megaman, but is this the one who was shunned in Marvel VS. Capcom 3, where Zero got in? I remember people being upset about that.
 

SpaceWolf

Banned
I don't know shit about Megaman, but is this the one who was shunned in Marvel VS. Capcom 3, where Zero got in? I remember people being upset about that.

Haha, this is also literally all I know about the character. As someone following that game, people seemed to be fuming.
 

GnawtyDog

Banned
The only problem with this narrative is the fact that Zero got broken into little pieces and it was X who saved the day times 3. But besides that glaring fact, sure Zero was "better"...empty suit I tell you.
 

lupinko

Member
I don't know shit about Megaman, but is this the one who was shunned in Marvel VS. Capcom 3, where Zero got in? I remember people being upset about that.

All variants of Megaman got shunned in Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. Megamen got relegated to costumes for other characters.

Prior to Smash, Megaman's triumphant return was in SF x Tekken, but Capcom and Trollno gave the finger to the Megafanbase by bringing bad boxart fat Megaman instead.

iirc I don't even think bad boxart Megaman is even referred to as Rockman in the Japanese version, but Megaman. I could be wrong, someone correct me if that is the case.
 

Boss Doggie

all my loli wolf companions are so moe
I think the only villain who truly cared about X is Vile, oddly enough lol

I agree with you OP, he often gets shafted in crossovers too ;_;

He gets a bit more respected in PxZ (and I think PxZ2 too). Even Ryu recognized him for "bearing a warrior's aura".
 
X is one of my favorite characters. He reluctantly kills not because it's right but because he's forced into a situation. He's a pacifist whose hand keeps being forced. I remember in X4 the General fighting him with the words "I have no choice..." and my thinking at the time playing as X was "neither do I...."
 
Even the character select screen highlights how much of a chump he is compared to Zero (Hunter rank)

stg0_5.png


PLAYSTATION--Mega%20Man%20X5%20_Aug3%2010_41_59.png

This kinda relates to my post above (and Maverick Hunter X goes into detail about this).

The reason that X is ranked lower is because he holds back when fighting/has a conscience/not a total killing machine, and is considered a pussy for doing so (save for Zero thinking otherwise)

I swear, one of Inafune's greatest fuck ups MM wise is pussing out when suggesting that Zero
killed the main players of the MM Classic series
and then going back on it. It's almost as bad as Miyamoto going back and forth on the Zelda timeline.
 
>And then there's Mega Man Zero. Originally X was meant to be the villain. If it weren't for Capcom it would have been true. Imagine being an X fan only to hear that for some odd reason your favorite character becomes a villain in the most stupid reasoning.

I'm glad that didn't happen. Would have been so bad.

Versus what he was in the Zero game in the end? A cyber ghost being who could only watch while the world turn to shit and has his body get eventually destroyed by a fuckboi with a bad haircut?
 

Rymuth

Member
I swear, one of Inafune's greatest fuck ups MM wise is pussing out when suggesting that Zero
killed the main players of the MM Classic series
and then going back on it. It's almost as bad as Miyamoto going back and forth on the Zelda timeline.
The thought is depressing as sin though and, to this day, I'm still not sure if I like it or not.
 

squall23

Member
Capcom higher-ups seemed to know what they were doing though when holding Inafune back from all the crap. Just look at all the X fans on GAF and all over the internet.
 
The thought is depressing as sin though and, to this day, I'm still not sure if I like it or not.

How so?

If anything, it only solidifies Zero's role in the MMZ series as a sort of great redeemer. (IMHO, at least...)

Capcom higher-ups seemed to know what they were doing though when holding Inafune back from all the crap. Just look at all the X fans on GAF and all over the internet.

? If you wouldn't mind, can you elaborate?
 

DSix

Banned
X is better.

Zero is good as a mentor/support character but otherwise is just a boring red Megaman with a ponytail and a laser sword.
 
In which game is implied that?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS46EDfbD3o

Megaman X4/5 spoilers

It is revealed that Dr. Wily created Zero, the Maverick virus that Sigma now carries, and ordered him to destroy his "nemesis." (Followed by flashes of blood in a trashed laboratory - the OVA in MHX kinda collaborates that...) And if I'm correct, there is a scene in MMX5, where Zero comes across a Dr. Light capsule, where Zero kinda rebukes him coldly...
 
Versus what he was in the Zero game in the end? A cyber ghost being who could only watch while the world turn to shit and has his body get eventually destroyed by a fuckboi with a bad haircut?

No, that's bad too, but not as worse as the former by becoming a 180 of himself just for Zero's sake :<
 

Rymuth

Member
Pretty much hate to see anything that starts as happy-go-lucky/lighthearted and then gets a horrible fate (e.g Chrono Trigger ---> Chrono Cross)

In which game is implied that?
It started in Mega Man: The Power Battle where Dr. Wily reveals to Bass that he's working on a 'girly looking' robot that will finally kill Megaman and his friends.

People then pieced it together from various tidbits in the X series.
 
And X is just an edgier version of Mega Man.

Perhaps darker - I wouldn't say edgier - X is purposely boring.

Remember, the original MM (or Rock) always had Light by his side to help him out or give fatherly advice. X doesn't have that - all the poor fucker has is a bunch of pre recorded messages (a la Rusty Venture) in a capsule here and there. It's sad because when you think about it, besides Zero in a limited way, X is all alone in the world...

Pretty much hate to see anything that starts as happy-go-lucky/lighthearted and then gets a horrible fate (e.g Chrono Trigger ---> Chrono Cross)

True, but that's kinda why I love the ending of MMZ4, where everything kinda comes around full circle, but again, a last minute change where rumor has it that Dr. Weil =
Dr. Wily
. Then again, I always presumed that the Great Elf X imprisoned what made
using the soul of Iris.

It started in Mega Man: The Power Battle where Dr. Wily reveals to Bass that he's working on a 'girly looking' robot that will finally kill Megaman and his friends.

People then pieced it together from various tidbits in the X series.

^good point, too!
 

Link_enfant

Member
As much as I love X, at this point I'd be fine with any new game whether it's part of X, Zero or ZX series.
Too bad Capcom seems to want those series to die slowly. It's really sad, but at least we've got many awesome games to go back to.
 
I still don't really "get" the Mega Man X games. He has way less health than classic Mega Man which makes bosses really tough! I tried Mega Man Xtreme the Game Boy game and found it hard to beat any of the bosses. But about his character, he seemed cool.
 
i dunno man, i felt like X caught up to zero 3/4 through his first game,
i mean X has to save out Zero a bunch of times throughout the series right? and he does it with the constant existential crisis'
"WHAT AM I FIGHT FOR???!!!"

that said, my memory of the X games is pretty damn vague.
 

Jaeger

Member
In response to Doggie's post, X is just as powerful as Zero many times (pretty much each game), and is always notated to posses more potential (think Gohan versus Goku in DBZ). He's been constantly underestimated and it always costs that opponent's life to figure that he is not one to be taken lightly.
 

JediLink

Member
OP as someone who rocked a Mega Man X avatar for many years I agree wholeheartedly. And I'm still not over the MvC3 fiasco.
 

Shig

Strap on your hooker ...
The first Mega Man X is by faaaar the best Mega Man X game, and outside Zero swooping into the end of the tutorial level, X is solidly the star of the show in that.

Ipso facto, X rules, Zero drools.
 
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