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This article is about the Mega Man X series. For the character, see X. For the first game in the series, see Mega Man X (video game). For the 10th game in the original Mega Man series whose Roman numeral is also X, see Mega Man 10.

The Mega Man X series, known as Rockman X (ロックマンX Rokkuman Ekkusu) in Japan, is the second video game series in the Mega Man franchise. It made its debut in December 1993 on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It stars the titular X, a successor to the original Mega Man, who fights rebel Reploids in the Maverick Wars.

Premise[]

In 21XX, Dr. Light's magnum opus, X, is discovered by Dr. Cain. X is the first ever robot with unlimited free will and the ability to evolve like a living thing; his design is used to revolutionize robots into Reploids (called so as derivatives of X's design). However, Reploids hold the power to rebel against the humans, leading to the designation of such rebels as Mavericks and the creation of a peacekeeping organization called the Maverick Hunters to keep them in check. Things go wrong when the leader of the Maverick Hunters, Sigma, goes Maverick himself and leads the largest Reploid uprising the world has ever seen. This begins the Maverick Wars, in which X and the Hunters struggle for peace against Sigma and his Maverick followers.

Mega Man X games[]

Mainline games[]

The list of games in chronological order.

Side games[]

Games with non-canon side stories.

Licensed games[]

Timeline[]

Note: There are inconsistencies in the information presented by the original Mega Man X and by its remake, Mega Man Maverick Hunter X. This timeline only uses the history of the original Mega Man X and future installments. Branching plots, such as in Mega Man X2 and Mega Man X5, will also be described with their canon outcomes.

Between the Mega Man and Mega Man X series[]

AD 20XX[]

  • September 18, AD 20XX: Dr. Thomas Light completes work on X and seals him away for 30 years of diagnostic testing, believing that the world will not yet accept a robot with free will.[3]
  • Dr. Wily seals away his final creations - Zero and the Maverick Virus - without completing them to his final specifications.[4]
  • Dr. Cain is born.
  • Dr. Light and Dr. Wily both pass away, but their wills persist in their creations. A hologram replica of Light dwells in hidden Light Capsules, while Wily somehow lives on in the Maverick Virus.[5]

AD 21XX[]

  • April 8, AD 21XX: Dr. Cain embarks on an expedition to research a fossil record of Mesozoic plant life.[6]
  • April 9, AD 21XX: Dr. Cain sets up camp and draws the preliminary groundwork for his dig. He notices an odd reading at location "E-46", deciding to investigate the following day.
  • April 10, AD 21XX: Dr. Cain uncovers ruins of a laboratory used by Dr. Light. Inside, he discovers documents referring to a capsule.
  • April 13, AD 21XX: Dr. Cain locates the capsule. He notes in his journal the specifications (14 meters tall by 8 meters wide[7]) and that it was under a collapsed ceiling. Cain clears dust from part of capsule to find a large letter "X", and activates the message left by Dr. Light.[8] He notes the the indicators on the capsule are all green, and that he plans to open it the next day.
  • April 14, AD 21XX: Dr. Cain successfully opens the capsule and activates X.
  • April 15, AD 21XX: Dr. Cain examines the design notes and specifications for X left by Dr. Light, learning that X is a leap above anything in robotics the world has ever seen.
  • April 16, AD 21XX: Dr. Cain cancels his expedition to transport X and Dr. Light's materials to his lab.
  • November 22, AD 21XX: With minor modifications to Dr. Light's original designs, Dr. Cain works with X to create the first Reploid.
  • May 3, AD 21XX: Dr. Cain reports that the Reploids have been in mass production for several weeks, and that the general populace is excited to accept the new generation of robots.
  • July 16, AD 21XX: By this date, there have been two instances of irregular Reploid behavior. The term Maverick has been coined and applied to Reploids who disobey orders and/or injure humans. On this day, a third Maverick instance occurs, where three Reploids injured two humans. Dr. Cain reports that the council is debating halting the assembly of Reploids, but he doubts it will occur.
  • November 20, AD 21XX: The council forms the Maverick Hunters to keep Mavericks in check. Dr. Cain designates Sigma, his magnum opus, as the organization's commander.
  • December 10, AD 21XX: Dr. Cain writes that Sigma and the Maverick Hunters are admirably efficient. He also notes that X seems unsure of his place in the world.
  • Zero awakens. He is discovered, classified as Maverick, and engaged by a Maverick Hunter unit led by Garma. Zero slaughters them all, prompting Sigma to personally intervene. He subdues Zero, but is infected by the Maverick Virus in the process. The unconscious Zero is recovered and repaired by Dr. Cain, who discovers he has been pacified and enlists him in the Hunters.[9]
  • X joins the Maverick Hunters to fight for peace, being assigned as a B-Class Hunter.[10]
  • Sigma's advanced circuitry assimilates the Maverick Virus, mutating into the Sigma Virus. His revolutionary thoughts are amplified, and he begins secretly approaching his strongest Maverick Hunters to recruit them into an anti-human Reploid rebellion.

Mega Man X[]

MMXPromo

June/July 4, AD 21XX:[11] Sigma revolts against the humans, taking many Maverick Hunters with him. Zero is made the de facto commander of the remaining Hunters. X begins fighting Sigma's army on the highway, but he is ambushed by Vile piloting a Ride Armor. Zero comes to his rescue, forcing Vile to retreat. Zero assures X that he has the potential to become stronger, and orders him to continue fighting Sigma's forces while he locates Sigma's Hideout.

X faces Sigma's lieutenants, growing stronger by destroying all eight of the former Maverick Hunters. Zero then informs X that he has located Sigma's airborne hideout, and the two rendezvous to infiltrate it. The two are stopped by Vile, and Zero chooses to face him alone but is caught in a trap. X tries to rescue Zero, but Vile uses a Ride Armor to beat and paralyze him too. As a last resort, Zero self-destructs on Vile's Ride Armor, inspiring X to break free from his paralysis and finish off Vile. In his last moments, Zero encourages X to defeat Sigma.

X confronts Sigma in his tower, defeating his guard dog Velguarder. Sigma then faces him one-on-one. As X deals the final blow, Sigma laments X's decision to side with humanity as the fortress explodes. X retreats to a cliff overlooking the ocean, watching the explosion, and wonders if the fighting is truly over. Indeed, a message left by Sigma boasts that X has only won a temporary victory, and that his "spirit" lives on.

Mega Man X2[]

MMX2Promo

Six months have passed since Sigma's uprising. X now leads the Maverick Hunters' 17th Unit to root out remnants of the rebellion. However, Maverick activity is on the rise once more, and Mavericks are found containing a chip bearing Sigma's mark. Dr. Cain traces the chips to an factory under Maverick control, and X leads a battalion to destroy it.

With the factory out of commission, a new uprising suddenly breaks out, led by eight SA-Class Mavericks. As X fights them, he learns of the X-Hunters - Serges, Agile, and Violen - who lead this rebellion. They also hold three rebuilt parts of Zero, but require his control chip (held by Dr. Cain) to reactivate him. X duels each of the X-Hunters over Zero's parts.

Once X defeats the eight Mavericks, he infiltrates the X-Hunters' Arctic base and destroys all three of them. However, Sigma returns and challenges X to face him at the Central Computer, which is spreading a Maverick Virus across the internet. There, X is met by Sigma with a copy of Zero, only for the real Zero to appear, reconstructed by Dr. Cain, and destroy it. Zero tells X to finish Sigma while he destroys the Central Computer. X destroys Sigma, only to discover that he has become one with the virus itself as the Sigma Virus. X then defeats the Sigma Virus, who disappears as the Central Computer explodes. X and Zero reunite outside, but X wonders what must be done to achieve true peace.

Mega Man Xtreme[]

X learns that the Maverick Hunters' Mother Computer has been hacked, and works with Middy to digitize into cyberspace to find the culprit. He defeats the Shadow Hunters, Zain and Geemel, before confronting the hacker himself, Techno. Upon killing Techno, X is distraught to learn that Middy died too, being his twin brother. He then learns that Sigma manipulated Techno into hacking the Mother Computer, and destroys him in revenge.

Mega Man X3[]

MMX3Promo

Several months after the X-Hunter incident, Dr. Doppler creates a cure to the Sigma Virus. His invention attracts advanced Reploids from far and wide, who construct a utopia called Dopple Town in his honor. However, Dopple Town suddenly falls into Maverick chaos, revealing Doppler is their leader. X and Zero are deployed to quell the riots, but Doppler's army attacks Hunter Base in their absence, forcing them to retreat. X is almost kidnapped by the traitor Mac, but Zero rescues him.

X and Zero return to Dopple Town and fight the Doppler Army's strongest Mavericks. They encounter Doppler's right-hand-men, Bit and Byte, who ambush X to capture him dead or alive. X also fights a resurrected Vile MK-II, who is seeking revenge. Once all eight Mavericks are defeated, Dr. Cain uses their memory chips to pinpoint Doppler's lab, and learns that Doppler is constructing a giant battle body.

X faces Dr. Doppler, who reveals his loyalty to Sigma and plan to use X's body. X brings Doppler back to his senses from the Sigma Virus, so he tells X where Sigma is. X fights Sigma's giant battle body, while Zero sabotages the laboratory. However, the Sigma Virus threatens to take X's body. Fortunately, Doppler arrives with a real Sigma Virus vaccine, and self-destructs to neutralize the virus. X escapes the laboratory to reunite with Zero, but worries if he and Zero will always be allies.

Mega Man Xtreme 2[]

A mysterious phenomenon dubbed Erasure occurs, leaving Reploids empty husks. When a mass event occurs at Laguz Island, X and Zero are sent to investigate with the rookie Iris. They meet Gareth, who refuses to acknowledge them until they prove their strength against the "guardians" of the island. These turn out to be resurrected Mavericks, revealing that Gareth and his partner, Berkana, are responsible for the Erasure and have been stealing Reploids' souls to grow stronger. X defeats Berkana while Zero defeats Gareth, restoring the souls of every Reploid suffering Erasure. Then Sigma reveals himself as the one who led Berkana to this experiment, so they defeat him too.

Mega Man X4[]

MMX4Promo

January 1, AD 21XX: Dr. Cain signs an order to form the Reploid military organization Repliforce. They are intended to assist the Maverick Hunters, but prove reckless and unreliable in practice.

June 1, AD 21XX: Repliforce soldiers are spotted in a Maverick attack on the flying city Sky Lagoon. X/Zero rushes to aid, but Magma Dragoon reveals that the city is falling and they have no choice but to retreat. They return to the crash site, where Zero rescues Iris. X/Zero requests for Colonel, a high-ranking officer in Repliforce, to disarm for questioning, but he arrogantly refuses. All of Repliforce is branded Maverick.

Their leader, General, announces a coup d'état to move Repliforce into space aboard the Final Weapon. This starts the Great Repliforce War. X and Zero move to stop them, aided by the rookie Double and the troubled Iris, respectively. After fighting eight Repliforce Mavericks including the traitorous Magma Dragoon, they try to stop Repliforce's launch. However, Colonel buys enough time for his comrades to escape to space, before dying.

Inside the Final Weapon, X is forced to fight and kill Double, who is secretly a Maverick agent planted in the Maverick Hunters. Zero is forced to fight and kill Iris, who is driven mad by Colonel's death. The Hunters then face General, but even after beating him, the Final Weapon prepares an attack on Earth. This is revealed to be the work of Sigma, who manipulated Repliforce and the Maverick Hunters from the beginning. They defeat Sigma, and General sacrifices himself to destroy the Final Weapon. On the way back to Earth, X makes Zero promise to stop him if he ever goes Maverick. Zero reflects on his failure to protect Iris and Colonel, and wonders if his destiny only holds destruction.

Mega Man X5[]

Normal mmx5promo

The Maverick Hunters experience an employee turnover from the Great Repliforce War, such as the new commander Signas and navigator Alia. The world undergoes repairs for damage caused in the war, including the space colony Eurasia.

Somehow, Sigma meets Dr. Wily through the Sigma Virus, learning that Zero's original evil nature can be awoken with a powerful virus. Sigma hires Dynamo to plant the Colony Virus in Eurasia. He then attacks a city, goading X and Zero into a fight that ends in Sigma exploding into the Sigma Virus. The virus spreads across the entire globe, causing worldwide chaos. Then, Dynamo sets Eurasia on a collision course with the Earth: these combined disasters are dubbed the Earth Crisis. The Maverick Hunters devise two plans to stop Eurasia's fall: the Enigma cannon and Space Shuttle, which both requires parts. X and Zero travel around the globe to retrieve the parts, facing eight virus-infected Mavericks along the way.

The Maverick Hunters destroy Eurasia, but the planet is still damaged by debris. The Colony Virus mixes with the Sigma Virus, fusing into the super-powerful Zero Virus and a cyberspace void called Zero Space. X and Zero enter Zero Space and are brought to blows with each other, but they come to a draw and focus on defeating Sigma instead. Upon his defeat, Sigma self-destructs to rip Zero in half. X lifts Zero, only to be struck by a laser from Sigma - Zero fires a final shot to destroy Sigma, before dying. Though X is wounded, Dr. Light's hologram repairs him so he can return to the Maverick Hunters. In memory of Zero's sacrifice, X carries the Z-Saber with him into battle.

Mega Man X6[]

MMX6Promo

Three weeks after the Earth Crisis, Gate explores the Eurasia crash site and finds a fragment of Zero's body. His analysis of the viral technology drives him mad, fueling his dream of a world of only advanced Reploids. He works with the scientist Isoc to create a reality-warping virus called the Nightmare, the invincible High Max, and a crazed replica of Zero called Zero Nightmare.

X hunts Mavericks at the Eurasia crash site, where he runs into the Zero Nightmare. High Max then appears, alleging that Zero is behind the Nightmare. Isoc announces the threat of the Nightmare to the entire world, blaming it on the Zero Nightmare, and asks for volunteers to risk their lives helping High Max stop the phenomenon. X is enraged at this disrespect for Zero, and the Maverick Hunters begin their own investigation.

X explores the areas afflicted by the Nightmare, meeting eight Nightmare Investigators who attack on sight. He also defeats the Zero Nightmare, allowing the true Zero to reveal he has been miraculously repaired and will help X clear his name. With all the Nightmare Investigators defeated, Gate reveals himself as the man behind Isoc, High Max, and the Zero Nightmare, and invites them to try storming his laboratory. Alia recognizes him as an old colleague.

As X and Zero infiltrate Gate's lab, he reveals the origin of the Nightmare and challenges them to battle, but is defeated. Gate then unleashes his trump card - an incompletely resurrected Sigma - who kills him. X and Zero pursue Sigma and end him once again, exiting the laboratory with Gate's body for Alia. The Maverick Hunters agree to rebuild the Earth better than ever before.

Mega Man X7[]

MMX7Promo

Many years later, the planet has recovered from the Earth Crisis. However, X steps back from the front lines of the Hunters, wishing to seek peaceful solutions to Mavericks aside from combat. To fill this power vacuum, an illegal syndicate called Red Alert starts hunting Mavericks too, led by the vigilante Red. After a certain job with his mysterious protégé, Axl, Red begins meeting with a shady individual called "the Professor."

Soon after, Axl grows uncomfortable with Red Alert and leaves the group. Red Alert sends agents to bring him back, causing chaos in the city that attracts the attention of Zero. He works with Axl to stop the pursuers, then arrests him and brings him to Hunter Base. Red contacts the Hunters to demand Axl's return, initiating a duel between the organizations to determine his custody. X refuses to engage in the violence, but Axl jumps at the chance to work with the Maverick Hunters, so Zero lets him tag along.

As they fight the eight leaders of Red Alert, Axl reveals to Zero that he left the group because they suddenly started targeting innocent Reploids for DNA, and Axl felt his copy ability was being misused. As the fight rages on, X realizes he is needed on the front lines and comes out of retirement.

X, Zero, and Axl infiltrate Red Alert's Crimson Palace and defeat Red, who resigns himself to perish in a self-destruct. This leads the Hunters to discover that Sigma was manipulating Red Alert as "the Professor" to use Axl's DNA abilities. The three defeat him, and Axl deals the final blow. Afterwards, X is still reluctant to make Axl an official Maverick Hunter, forcing him to prove himself first. Meanwhile, Zero has a nightmare of X, or a similar individual, on a murderous rampage.

Mega Man X8[]

MMX8Promo

The humans start the Jakob Project, building an orbital elevator to colonize the moon and escape the Maverick Wars. To help, a new generation of Reploid comes into production, each with a copy chip that gives them complete control over their own DNA (it is revealed Axl was a prototype of these Reploids), granting total immunity to the Sigma Virus. X witnesses an accident at the Jakob Elevator, and is shocked to see the new generation workers copy Sigma's body to survive. Lumine, director of the Jakob Project, assures him there is no risk of them going Maverick.

X, Zero, and Axl are on a mission near the Jakob Elevator when they run into Vile V, who has kidnapped Lumine. This event marks a worldwide rebellion amongst the new generation Reploids. Two new navigators, Layer and Pallette, are brought on to assist against the rebellion. As the Maverick Hunters fight, Alia hypothesizes that the new generation Reploids are being influenced by the Sigma DNA in their copy chips. Upon defeating all eight Mavericks, Sigma himself contacts the Hunters to challenge them in Jakob.

The three Hunters traverse Jakob, facing Sigma in the space station Gateway. However, defeating him reveals it is merely a new generation Reploid copying him. On the moon, they destroy Vile V and find the real Sigma, who he claims that the new generation Reploids are loyal to him like children. The Hunters destroy Sigma.

However, Lumine reveals that the new generation Reploids merely took advantage of Sigma's leadership to advance their own supremacy, becoming his Maverick army of their own free will. He declares that X, Zero, and Axl are obsolete and must be destroyed, but they defeat him. As he dies, a tentacle lashes out of his chest and strikes Axl in the forehead, planting a small object in his helmet. X and Zero destroy Lumine's body, then return to the Earth with Axl's unconscious body.

After the Mega Man X series[]

Zero despises his connection to the Maverick Virus, realizing he's the cause of its persistence in the world. He allows researchers to seal him away so his body can be studied for its unique anti-bodies to the virus. This leads to the creation of the Mother Elf, which is used to end the Maverick Wars and pave the way for the Mega Man Zero series.

Other media[]

Animation[]

The popularity of the series prompted a crossover into the Mega Man cartoon from Ruby-Spears, in which X travels back in time in pursuit of several Mavericks and teams up with the original Mega Man.

Print[]

The storylines of several games of the series were adapted into manga form, including Irregular Hunter Rockman X, Rockman X, Rockman X2, Rockman X3, Rockman X4, Rockman X5 IF, Rockman X7 4Koma Manga Kingdom, Rockman X Mega Mission, the three adaptations in the Kodansha Manga Hyakka books, Rockman X: Team X Shutsujin seyo!!, and CapYon. The series also had a novel, Rockman X The Novel: Irregulars Report, and a manhua, Rockman X5.

ArchieMegaManX

The principal cast of characters from the Mega Man X series, from Mega Man #55.

Archie Comics included characters and elements of the X series in its Mega Man comic, beginning with the adaptation "The X Factor" and continuing in an original story entitled "Dawn of X" that switched back and forth between X's timeline and that of the original Mega Man during the early stages of the Mega Man 3 adaptation. Shortly thereafter, the series would be incorporated in the series' second crossover with the Sonic the Hedgehog comic lines from Archie, Worlds Unite. The plot of this crossover centers around Sigma forming an alliance with various other villains-including the Deadly Six from Sonic Lost World from different dimensions in a bid to take control of the multiverse. This prompts the Maverick Hunters, whose membership includes X, Zero, and Axl due to the story being set between the events of Mega Man X7 and Mega Man X8 to join forces with Mega Man and the Robot Masters shortly after the conclusion of the Mega Man 3 adaptation and other heroes, including Sonic the Hedgehog and his various allies. The crossover includes not only the classic Mega Man, Mega Man X and the new Sonic series Sonic Boom, but also includes various other Capcom and Sega video game properties. These included, but are not limited to ŌkamiBilly Hatcher and the Giant EggViewtiful JoeNights into Dreams...Ghosts 'n Goblins, and Alex Kidd.

The Mega Man X series was also featured in the last issue of the Mega Man comic series by Dreamwave Productions, which announced a Mega Man X comic series. However, Dreamwave Productions was shut down in 2005, and the Mega Man X comic was cancelled.

Trivia[]

  • The Mega Man X series was the first spin-off based on the original Mega Man series. The X series is perhaps the closest series to the original in terms of characters and gameplay, featuring some characters from the original series such as Dr. Light. Many enemies from the classic series also make appearances here, albeit mostly in new forms.
  • It is highly debated among fans that both the Megamission and the Command Mission events are inside the main canon, since the Mega Man Zero events start at an unknown point in time, although it's explained that the events start 100 years after the events of the last Mega Man X game, it could have been started after 22XX.
  • Coincidentally, there is one consistent trait throughout the series is that if 2 or more arthropod based Mavericks appear, one will have a weakness to another. (e.g. Morph Moth's Silk Shot is Manga Centipede's weakness, Gravity Beetle's Gravity Well is Blast Hornet's weakness, Infinity Mijinion's Ray Arrow is Commander Yammark's weakness and Yammark Option is Ground Scaravitch's weakness, and Dark Mantis' Shadow Runner is Gravity Antonion's weakness)
  • In an interview with the developers of Mega Man X4, they imply that the Mega Man X series might just be a possible future to the classic series and that it might exist on its own, disconnected from the classic series. This might have been a possibility at some point, but If the X series is disconnected from the classic series, so will also Zero and ZX series. Mega Man Legends series is not affected because it has no direct continuity with other series.
    • The only game of classic series that directly leads to the X series is the Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters, but this game is also considered as a "parallel world" that breaks away from main timeline.
  • The series may have been inspired by the Kikaider, as the protagonists of both are robots rich in human emotions, and the villains are mostly based on animals.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Compendium of Rockman X, pages 7 and 11
  2. Compendium of Rockman X, page 142 (translation).
  3. Mega Man X opening warning message.
  4. As shown in Zero's blueprints from Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters
  5. Q6) What happened to Dr. Wily in Rockman X series? Are Dr. Wily and Dr. Weil the same person? Were they ever supposed to be? "KI: A large amount of time has passed between the classic series and Mega Man X. Dr. Wily had died in the interim but was brought back by the virus. Dr. Wily and Weil are not the same person. It is ironic though, because Dr. Wily created Zero, and Dr. Weil used Zero, but ultimately it was a copy of Zero's original body with a different mind that defeated him." --Keiji Inafune, 2008. - Inafune-san Answers Your Questions! (Web Archive, retrived on 2008 Sep 05)
  6. The Journal of Dr. Cain
  7. It is arguable that even though these measurements are listed in the US manual and Compendium of Rockman X, that they are incorrect. The size given indicates an extremely large space (perhaps Cain means the room he found the capsule in?) and the capsule shown in both Mega Man X5 and Maverick Hunter X indicates a much smaller size, perhaps comparable to those that Light's hologram appears in.
  8. The message text differs from Mega Man X to Maverick Hunter X; refer to the linked scripts to see the changes between the two.
  9. Mega Man X4 Past of Zero cutscene.
  10. Club Capcom, Autumn 1993. (Rockman X: Origins - The Reploid Research Lavatory)
  11. The Journal of Dr. Cain provides different dates in English and Japanese.



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