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Storyline
Storyline
[edit | edit source]Dr. Thomas Light and the "Advanced Robot" project of the 21st Century
[edit | edit source]Dr. Thomas Light, the co-father of Light Labs and modern robotics (with Dr. Albert W. Wily), was the designer of many great inventions during his lifetime. He and Dr. Wily were responsible for the creation of the Robot Masters in the 2000s, a project which created artificial, humanoid beings with advanced AI that could complete very complex tasks unlike other, more simplistic robots. Thus, these inventions became the highlight of the career of Dr. Light, though Wily would revolt by the end of the decade (circa 2008), leading to nearly a decade of fighting between robots (and in some cases humans) known as the Wily Wars. It was during this time that Dr. Light converted one of the first Robot Masters, Rock, a helpful lab assistant, into a fighting robot known as Mega Man.
In his later years, sometime most likely in the 2020s (though this is not certain, yet this would make sense as Light was born circa 1958), Dr. Light worked on a project creating a far more advanced Artificial Intelligence. This project took a great deal of work, but in the end, Light produced an AI far more advanced than anything that the world had ever seen- yet the world of the current era would not see it. This AI possessed the ability to make its own decisions in life, to forge its own destiny, and even feel emotions. Thus, the being would not have to follow the laws of robotics like other artificial beings would.
Thomas Light did create a body for the artificial being that was somewhat similar to the original Mega Man in design, though of course quite advanced. Once the project was completed, he decided to seal it in a capsule for a period of 30 years, knowing that he would not live to finish his research on the project and to be able to determine whether or not it would be safe to introduce such an advanced being to the world. Thus, it was his hope that someone in the next half of the century would be able to unseal the being, whom he named Mega Man X, and learn from him and further continue his research.
Light included this message with X in the capsule:
- "X" IS THE FIRST OF A NEW GENERATION OF ROBOTS WHICH CONTAIN AN INNOVATIVE NEW FEATURE - THE ABILITY TO THINK, FEEL AND MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS. HOWEVER THIS ABILITY COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS. IF "X" WERE TO BREAK THE FIRST RULE OF ROBOTICS, "A ROBOT MUST NEVER HARM A HUMAN BEING", THE RESULTS WOULD BE DISASTROUS AND I FEAR THAT NO FORCE ON EARTH COULD STOP HIM.
APPROXIMATELY 30 YEARS WILL BE REQUIRED BEFORE WE CAN SAFELY CONFIRM HIS RELIABILITY. UNFORTUNATELY I WILL NOT LIVE TO SEE THAT DAY, NOR DO I HAVE ANYONE TO CARRY ON MY WORK. THEREFORE, I HAVE DECIDED TO SEAL HIM IN THIS CAPSULE, WHICH WILL TEST HIS INTERNAL SYSTEMS UNTIL HIS RELIABILITY HAS BEEN CONFIRMED. PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB THE CAPSULE UNTIL THAT TIME. "X" POSSESSES GREAT RISKS AS WELL AS GREAT POSSIBILITIES. I CAN ONLY HOPE FOR THE BEST.
- SEPTEMBER 18, 20XX
- T.LIGHT
Light seals X in the capsule for an intended 30 years, but due to events unspecified by Capcom, X remains sealed in the capsule throughout the 21st century and into the early 22nd century until his discovery by an archaeologist named Dr. Cain in the ruins of Dr. Light's lab.
Dr. Albert W. Wily and the "Advanced Robot" project of the 21st Century
[edit | edit source]It should be similarly noted that during this time, around the end of the Wily Wars and during the next decade, Dr. Wily was working on a project to create an advanced robot as well with a truly advanced AI. This robot would be considered part of his Special Wily Series, or if some wish to classify it as such, the Rockman Killer Series (as its purpose was to destroy Mega Man).
Wily first experimented with this new project when he discovered a powerful element known as Bassnium, and through experimenting with what it can do with a power source, he created an accidental robot named Bass. Bass was an extremely powerful robot, who was accompanied by a robotic wolf-type robot named Treble, though in the end they never managed to defeat Mega Man.
Wily secondly created a robot known as the Robot King and sent him on a mission to take over the world, building a robotic utopia, but Bass in his arrogance to prove he was the strongest robot, joined Mega Man in toppling King, and thus King was defeated and joined Mega Man's side of the Wily Wars. Wily then revealed to Bass that King was designed in order to see whether Bass was the strongest creation or not.
Later, however, Wily does begin construction of a robot that he calls Zero, a robot infinitely more powerful than anything people had ever seen, and one that Bass describes upon seeing it as "girly." However, it is not specified by Capcom as to what happens to this robot after Wily finishes its construction, though later it is discovered in the early 22nd century.
The Greatest Archaeological Find of the 22nd Century?
[edit | edit source]It is not specified what happens to Dr. Light after he seals X in the capsule in the first half of the 21st century, though given his age at the time it would stand to reason that he died probably within the next decade or so. Still, this leaves questions as to what happened to Mega Man, Roll, Proto Man, and his other creations. Did they go to "live" with Dr. Sergi Cossack, Light's colleague and good friend who was a bit younger than he was? Capcom never has given an answer as to what happens in the nearly one-hundred years between the X series and the Classic series, so some of it is left to speculation and the imagination of fans.
What is known, however, is that somehow Dr. Light's lab ends up being buried underground during the mid-to-late 21st century (perhaps there is a war of some kind that destroys the city that Light Labs was located in?), and thus X, who was supposed to be reawakened within 30 years of being sealed, remains sealed up for far longer than intended.
It was then that a man by the name of Dr. Cain entered the scene. Dr. Cain was most likely born sometime in the mid-21st Century (he is depicted in the Mega Man X games as a man most likely in his mid-60s), and according to the manual of the games he was an archaeologist particularly interested in studying the Mesozoic Era. He was one of the foremost scientists of the later 21st Century (20XX), but it was not until the early 22nd Century (21XX according to the story of Mega Man X for the Super Nintendo) that Cain made the greatest discovery of his career.
Sometime shortly after the date 2114 AD, most likely 2115 AD (2105, 2109, 2114 is stated as the copyright information by the NOM Computers corporation on the computer upon which Cain is using, so his computer is most likely not brand-new but also not by any means outdated as he is a scientist, so the date 2115 is a safe bet to place the beginning events of the series), Dr. Cain comes upon the ruins of Dr. Thomas Light's lab while examining fossilized plant life from the Mesozoic Era. According to "The Journal of Dr. Cain", from April 10th to 14th of that year (21XX officially, though most likely 2115), Cain and his research/excavation team examined the ruins, and on the 14th they came across a capsule that contained an intact artificial being- Mega Man X. Cain read the research notes of Thomas Light, and after being aware of the warnings the good doctor left behind, he unsealed the capsule and activated X and held many conversations with him and was intrigued...
Mega Man X and the Reploids
[edit | edit source]According to Cain's journal, he continues to study X after he discovers him, and thus eight months after he and his crew came upon the ruins of Dr. Light's lab (December of 2115, though officially 21XX), Dr. Cain builds the first Reploid based on X's design. Reploids are artificial beings based on the design of Mega Man X, hence replications of his design. The first reploid he designed was called Sigma.
Sigma was the first Reploid to be created- a robot that, like X, was much more advanced than anything the world had ever seen. Sigma was based entirely on the design of X but with several modifications (essentially, Cain took the technology, such as the advanced AI, that was used to construct X, and "replicated" it to produce Sigma with variations).
The world was astounded by these new artificial beings, and thus, two months after Cain's creation of Sigma (February of 2116, officially 21XX), Dr. Cain opens the first Reploid assembly line and they start to become commonplace around the world.
However, only one month passes before Mavericks appear- those who willfully choose not to follow the laws of robotics (a condition that Dr. Light had warned about since these advanced artificial beings possessed complete and total free will). Thus, in March of 2116 (officially 21XX), Cain consented to the Council's wish and formed an elite group of military-type Reploids known as the Maverick Hunters, in order to quell the Maverick riots taking place. Cain places Sigma in charge of the Hunters one month later, in April of 2116 (officially 21XX).
At an unspecified date, Cain's team discovers the ruins of Dr. Wily's lab. The Maverick Hunters are sent to investigate, and upon entering they discover a reploid named Zero. Zero takes out many of the Hunters, so Sigma himself enters the ruins and goes to battle against the maverick, almost being defeated by him, but due to a malfunctioning crystal with a "Dr. W" logo on his head (revealed in detail in the section about Zero), Sigma overpowers and defeats him. The defeat spreads a virus to Sigma, which at first becomes known as the Sigma Virus, but later more accurately as the Zero Virus. Sigma brings Zero back to Dr. Cain at Hunter HQ and Cain repairs him and fixes him so that he will no longer go Maverick. Thus, Zero thenceforth becomes one of the leading Maverick Hunters.
The Maverick Rebellion
[edit | edit source]On June 4th, 2119 (4 years after X's discovery by Dr. Cain, officially 21XX), the first large-scale organized Maverick revolt occurs. The Council believes that some Reploids go "Maverick" because they freely choose to do evil (just as humans can choose to do so), thus they rebel against their human creators. However, it is suspected that Cain's replication of X's design to produce these artificial beings may have produced small quirks that causes them to malfunction. Additionally, there begins to be a hint of a computer virus infecting a few of these artificial beings, though the source of the virus is as of yet unknown.
Unfortunately, Sigma, the leader of the Maverick Hunters, goes missing and turns to lead the Mavericks! Thus, Dr. Cain turns to Zero, who had been training under Sigma's wing, and promotes him to be the leader of the Hunters. Thus, Zero takes X with him (who is reluctant to fight) and the two lead the Hunters off on a campaign as ordered by Cain and the government to stamp out the revolt before it gets out of hand and innocent lives are lost.
As it turns out, Sigma was possessed by the virus that he was infected with when he encountered Zero in the ruins of Wily's lab. X, who had been training under the wing of Sigma, and Zero are dispatched by Dr. Cain to suppress the revolt and bring Sigma and his cohorts to justice. X and Zero encounter Vile, a former Hunter of the 17th Unit, and in the end, Zero self-destructs to defeat him. X ultimately brings Sigma to justice and the rebellion comes to an end.
Six months later (December of 2119, officially 21XX), while the aftermath of the first large-scale revolt is still being cleaned up, a new band of Mavericks known as the X Hunters (Agile, Serges, and Violen) appear with the mission of getting revenge on X and the Maverick Hunters. Dr. Cain sends X and the Hunters out to defeat these new rebels and their army. X reassembles Zero's parts with Cain's help and the X Hunters are defeated along with the newly resurrected Sigma.
At an unspecified date, most likely the early-2120s (officially 21XX), Dr. Cain creates a Reploid scientist named Dr. Doppler with the goals that Doppler will be able to create an antidote for the Sigma Virus, suppress further Maverick rebellion, and be able to build a utopian society where humans and Reploids can live together in peace. However, after Doppler builds what is known as Dopplertown, he distributes a placebo virus and many of the Reploids begin to turn Maverick once again. Reploids start to join the Doppler Army with the intention of forming a Reploid-only utopian society. Thus, war starts to rage, and Hunter HQ itself is attacked. A distress call is sent out to X and Zero, and they are called to the scene. Working together, they take out Doppler's forces, and with Dr. Cain's assistance, they find his hidden lab/base and bring him to his senses. Cain and Doppler work together to form an anti-virus to destroy Sigma, and thus, they hoped he was gone for good.
The Reploid Wars of the 22nd and 23rd Centuries
[edit | edit source]At an unknown date, most likely the mid-2120s (officially 21XX), Cain Labs, Dr. Cain's scientific research institution, creates a Reploid Army to work together in complement with the Maverick Hunters, known as the Repliforce, to compensate for the failures of the Sigma and Doppler projects as well as uphold Reploid sciences. Colonel, General, and Iris are created by Dr. Cain to head up this new army. Zero starts to have feelings for Iris and they have a bond with each other.
Sometime after the creation of the Repliforce in the mid-2120s (officially 21XX), the Sky Lagoon, a city that floats above the ground, has its power source destroyed by Mavericks and comes crashing to the earth below and destroys the city below, killing millions of people. Repliforce immediately rushes to the city to help the survivors, but as they are the ones on the scene, some hostiles brand Repliforce as traitors and as the cause of the Sky Lagoon's plummet. Thus, reluctantly, the Maverick Hunter's and the Council have no choice but to declare the Repliforce to be Maverick, and as a result, the Repliforce gives many speeches throughout the world to the reploids about their unjust treatment from their human creators and their sympathists and receive a huge following. Many reploids agree, and what results is a full scale uprising that results in the beginning of what is known as the "Reploid Wars."
As a result of the battle between the Maverick Hunters and the Repliforce, the Hunters defeat the forces of the Repliforce and in the end, Colonel, General, and Iris are all destroyed with Zero being emotionally hurt by Iris' death. Sigma is revealed to have been pulling the strings behind the whole fiasco and X and Zero put an end to him before he can use a giant satellite to fire upon the Earth, but though Repliforce is no longer considered to be Maverick, reploids continue to revolt and go Maverick, so the Reploid Wars that started with this incident continue throughout the century and into the following century.
In the late-2120s (officially 21XX), Dr. Cain, the father of the Reploids and the "leader" of the Maverick Hunters retires. Cain felt very guilty for the failure of the Sigma and Doppler project fiascos, and more importantly, the fact that many of the members of the Reploid race that he fathered were going maverick. Additionally, it should be noted that by this time Dr. Cain was getting up there in age (though his birthdate is never specified by Capcom, he is depicted as being in his mid-60s in the early Mega Man X games, so it is most likely sometime around 2050).
Around the year 2130 (officially 21XX), following the retirement of Dr. Cain, a reploid general named Signas is assigned command of the Maverick Hunters. Signas, created by Dr. Cain to assume command of the Hunters upon his retirement, has the most precise CPU of all existing reploids, though his fighting techniques have not yet reached their peak upon his placement in command of the Hunters. Still, Signas proves his worth as a commander, being very loyal to the Hunters and following Cain's legacy, trying to maintain peace for both humans and reploids.
In the early-2130s (officially 21XX), Signas aquaints himself with the Maverick Hunters and quickly asserts himself as a strong and able leader. He organizes them into several teams, two of which are headed by X and Zero. Thus, the Hunters under Signas, X, and Zero work to quell further uprisings at the hands of Maverick groups and peace is attained for a few years.
Several years after the Maverick Hunters quell the threat of the Repliforce and the rebelling mavericks for a while, humans begin to once again think about once again turning their efforts toward space as they did in the 20th and 21st centuries. Thus, in the mid-to-late-2130s (officially 21XX), humans invest large amounts of money in space stations to be built orbiting the Earth. With the rising population of the earth in the 22nd century, there comes the need for building larger colonies in places other than Earth, and thus, large colonies such as Eurasia, emerge out in space.
Also during this time, the Hunters grow in numbers and add new members, such as Alia, a computer analysis expert, Douglas, an expert Reploid mechanic, and Lifesavor, a Reploid medic.
However, in the 2140s (officially 21XX), when the threat of maverick activity had all but escaped the minds of the Hunters and the Council, a new form of Sigma emerged and sent the largest space colony, Eurasia, on a collision course with Earth. The colony was traveling at a velocity so that within a mere 18 hours the colony would smash into the Earth, not only doing tremendous damage, but unleashing a new form of the Sigma virus throughout the world! Thus, once again, X and Zero are called into action by the Maverick Hunters, under the guidance of Signas, their new leader, to put a stop to the madness. First, they seek to rebuild the Enigma, a laser cannon used to quell the Repliforce's armies, having to get the parts from former friends turned maverick by Sigma's virus, but when they rebuild the laser and fire it, it only destroys roughly half of the colony! Next, they seek the parts to a 21st century style space shuttle, hoping that if they rebuild it they will be able to crash it into the colony and smash it before it collides or deter its course. Zero is the only one able to pilot the shuttle and who is not infected by the Sigma Virus, so he volunteers to go, yet Lifesavor meets with Signas and discuss Zero's condition- he is worried that Zero does not seem to be affected by the virus. Who is he? What are his true origins? Regardless, the shuttle goes up with Zero at the helm and, with baited breath they all wait, but this time the colony is destroyed, saving the Earth. However...The remains of the colony that fall to Earth with Zero bring with it a terrible virus to Earth, so in the end, Sigma gets his wish, and Alia picks up a strong viral surge at point 11F5646, and when Lifesavor brings Zero back to the lab the virus stays with him, so is he part of the virus? They begin to believe he is part of the virus' original origin, and eventually the virus becomes to be known as the Zero Virus. Once repaired, Zero heads back to that point and deep in the caverns searches for clues, and when X confronts him he duels him saying that X will not interfere with his desire to understand the truth, and in the end Sigma attempts to show him that Dr. Wily, the 21st century mad-scientist was the one who created him. In the end, the two manage to locate and fight Sigma, though Zero is fatally wounded in the battle, and when Sigma's head (which is all that is left after the fight) fires through both their bodies, Zero uses what remains of his energy to destroy Sigma (hopefully once and for all)...X and the Hunters are overwhelmed by his loss, but they are glad to see Sigma destroyed at last, though the virus is unlike anything they've ever seen.
Now a young Reploid researcher named Gate enters the story. Gate was a colleague of Alia and served on the Reploid Research Team with pinpoint precision in the creation of new reploids. However, taking a note from X and Zero, Gate decided that the most advanced reploids should not be able to be studied, and thus, all of the reploids that he created were so advanced that none of them were able to have their code analyzed. However, his reploids began to act hastily and his reputation began to fall into chaos. As a result, the leader of the Reploid Research Team decided to have his reploids eliminated and each was eliminated in separate ways, each looking like an accident. Alia did participate in some of these incidents, though she felt extremely guilty. She felt that some of Gate's creations were difficult to deal with, but certainly not evil. Gate, in essence, didn't follow the rules. Thus, as a result, he left the team and vowed revenge on those that did not see the genious of his ways.
Meanwhile, just three weeks since the Eurasia space colony incident, the world had become polluted with the virus and debris and humans were forced to live underground for a little while as reploids were sent to rebuild the Earth. Since the latest confrontation, Zero, who was destroyed, was never recovered. Meanwhile, Gate went to observe the crash site and found a small, mysterious fragment. This, somehow, drove him insane and he used the fragment to create the "Zero Nightmare", a reproduction of the then-missing Zero. This copy was to be used to bring Zero out of hiding (if he was rebuilt, which is what Gate believed), and additionally, Gate built High Max, an extremely powerful reploid, as well as the Nightmares, tentacled creatures that would latch onto and control the "brains" of reploids. Meanwhile, X misses Zero at Hunter base when Alia calls in a Mechaniloid attack on one of the cities, and when X goes to fight the robot, the Zero Nightmare finishes it off and High Max claims that the incident was the doing of Zero. When X attempts to defend the reputation of Zero, he cannot stand up to the awesome power of High Max. Isoc, a powerful and convincing speaker, claims that High Max is head of a team of eight researchers that are attempting to get to the bottom of the Nightmare incident. Ultimately, X sets out to confront these investigators, finding that they have "Nightmare Souls." Upon investigating these, Alia reveals that these "investigators" are nothing more than Gate's old creations revived. X, confronts the Zero Nightmare and destroys it in a mysterious arctic area, and then Zero himself comes out and reveals himself to be alive, having been repaired by an unknown entity (this shall be discussed later). X is elated, though he does not understand how Zero was repaired, and Zero is willing to once again join X's fight against the mavericks. X and Zero together manage to defeat High Max, though Isoc escapes from them, freezing Zero in place (Zero wonders why only he is affected by Isoc's power). Upon the defeat of the investigators and High Max, Gate reveals himself as the mastermind behind the uprising, saying that the colonies' collapse was the golden opportunity he needed, as with humans underground he could take over the world and build the perfect utopian society. X and Zero are opposed to this, saying that humans and reploids must learn to co-exist, so Gate invites them to his laboratory. X and Zero lose contact with Alia, and they eventually confront Gate, who explains that the piece he found was a part of Zero's DNA, which he used to create High Max and the Nightmares. Gate transforms into a frightful battle body that was created using the DNA of Zero, but he too is defeated, though he admits to unfortunately having revived the evil Sigma. Thus, the two go to the depths of Gate's lab and confront the evil Sigma, though along the way they find the empty "shell" of Isoc (which Alia says reminds her of the Erasure incident), and the two easily defeat Sigma since he was as of yet incomplete. X and Zero exit the laboratory, X dragging along the battered body of Gate. Zero questions why, and X replies that he was Alia's colleague, and he is all too familiar with the feeling of losing someone in such a way. Signas, Alia, and Douglas show up, and Alia notices the body of Gate laying on the ground. X asks if he went too far in his action. Alia says that he didn't, and thanks him for his kindness. She decides she will do her best to repair him, and to create a program resistant to all viruses to honor her fallen friend's wish. The Hunters agree that their work has just begun, and rebuilding the Earth will not be easy. However, they agree, this is the path to a true Utopia: one in which Reploids and humans live together in peace.
As a side note, it should be noted that the repairs of Zero and X after the Eurasia incident leave several questions in many gamers' minds. X was reportedly repaired by Dr. Light's sentient holographic incarnation, which found him after he was nearly destroyed by Sigma. As for Zero, when X asked him what happened to him after he was "killed" by Sigma, Zero says he did not know. However, he awakened in a cave fully repaired, though he tells X that he repaired himself, and when Zero talks to Dr. Light he asks him who it was that repaired him in the cave to which Dr. Light gives him a strange look but does not answer. Some speculate that, as X was repaired by Light, Zero may have been repaired by Wily (see the following paragraph).
Additionally, the character of Isoc presents some more interesting questions along the same lines. Isoc's obsession with Zero seems to draw an obvious connection to the famed Dr. Wily. Since the X Hunter incident, Wily has been hinted at, and those hints grew more concrete with the Eurasia incident, where Sigma spoke freely about an old man, obsessed with Zero and thinking of him as a son, an old man who appears in Zero's dreams. The logical assumption was, of course, Albert Wily from the original Mega Man games: the creator of Robot Masters, arch-rival of the original Mega Man, and creator of Zero as a final project. Immediately after we're introduced to Isoc, a powerful speaker obsessed with finding Zero's body. Isoc laughs, seemingly proud, when Zero displays his ability to defeat High Max, and then is able to control Zero's body remotely, saying that he knows Zero's internal systems. Later, when Isoc is discovered as a hollow shell (similar to the Erasure incident), Zero hears a mysterious voice telling him to go defeat Sigma, as he is the "strongest robot." All of these are traits commonly associated with Dr. Wily's character, and it seems odd that Isoc was simply erased with no explanation. However, no connection is ever drawn between Isoc and Sigma to further the "partner" thread started with the events of the Eurasia incident. Could Sigma's partner have been Isoc all along? Did Dr. Wily, or a sentient program of Dr. Wily (comparable to Dr. Light's Light Capsules) somehow occupy Isoc's body? As with most questions raised in the X series, only time will tell.
At an unspecified length of time in the future, following the events of the Nightmare Outbreak (one can assume that several years have passed since the world is once again livable for humans and now humans and reploids coexist again), humans have returned to the surface and have rebuilt society along with the reploids. In the early-2160s (after many years of hard work to rebuild the Earth by reploids, though officially the year 21XX), society has been largely rebuilt, crime runs rampant throughout society. Mavericks have once again surfaced and are threatening the fragile peace of the new civilization. Since Sigma himself seems to have been completely destroyed, having been out of the picture for nearly two decades, X (originally programmed with a sense of pacifism) retires from the Maverick Hunters and now serves more as a mentor and in a "desk job." The retirement of X deals the Hunters a damaging blow, and into this gap enters a new army to fight the mavericks known as "Red Alert." However, Red Alert uses unorthodox fighting methods to counter the mavericks, and it isn't long before the two organizations begin to clash with one another.
Axl, a young reploid and member of the Red Alert army, defects and ends up defecting to the Maverick Hunters. This incident causes a bitter clash between the two organizations, with Red, leader of Red Alert, orchestrating a "challenge" of sorts between the two groups. His eight generals lead the army against the Maverick Hunters, and X eventually comes out of retirement in order to prevent further destruction. Ultimately they defeat the eight generals and discover that Red had fallen victim of Sigma's manipulation, and so once they defeat him and bring him to his senses, X, Zero, and Axl put a stop to Sigma, who has fully recovered since his defeat over two decades ago, once again.
In the next decade, sometime in the early-2170s (officially 21XX), after the Maverick Huners had cleaned up the mess that Red Alert had created and officially reinstated themselves as the dominant force when it came to dealing with the oppression of maverick uprisings and further maverick rebellion had been quelled, the population of the Earth had reached a rather large level and humans were considering other options. Their first consideration was building a colony on the moon, and with its success, they would start to explore space to further degrees. In order to make travel to and from space far easier, the construction of the giant "Orbital Elevator," known as the "Jakob Project," was begun. This gigantic tower stretched all the way from the earth up to outer space! This new era also brought about a new age of Reploid Engineering, with the so-called "New Generation Reploids", which are based on the design of Axl (a new-generation prototype himself), having a shape-changing ability. This ability to "shape-shift" makes them extremely adaptable to environments and as thus suitable to space exploration. Yet, one day, an accident aboard an elevator on the tower sends a car careening down towards the Earth and X is sent to investigate. Upon his arrival, he finds that a group of Copy Reploids had used their ability to copy Sigma's DNA in order to survive the elevator crash. This sets off a whole new riot, mavericks begin to appear, and once again, X, Zero, and Axl are sent to investigate.
Why is there a revolt going on in the 2170s? The "next generation reploids" are supposed to be "Maverick Proof" due to a chip that was built within them, however, Sigma has once again returned and has put a bit of his DNA within them as they make their way right off of the assembly line. Sigma wishes to "scorch the Earth" to rid it of the "old generation" and to repopulate it with his "children." However, what he does not count on is Lumine, the leader of the next-generation reploids. When the Maverick Hunters take down Sigma on the moon, Lumine himself steps out of the shadows and finishes Sigma off, challenging the Hunters to a duel. Lumine proves to be one of the most difficult beings they have yet to fight, but X, Zero, and Axl finally manage to defeat this extremely powerful next-gen being, and thus the war is finally over, it seems.
Sigma's defeat on the moon leaves the question to whether he will ever be seen again...There were no reploids for him to infect and Lumine did seem to utterly destroy him along with his DNA, so it is doubtful that Sigma shall ever return again.
Capcom has yet to specify what happens between the events of the Jakob Project and the early 23rd century, though it would be expected that space travel continues with human exploration thanks to the assistance of the next-generation reploids. The Jakob's Tower definitely made it easier for humans and reploids to reach space and therefore launch their ships into orbit and out into space, and thus, upon return to dock and head down to Earth. Reploid Science seems to advance quite a bit, since by the beginning of the next century even X and Zero seem to have advanced quite a bit in their technology and appearance.
In the year 2202 (officially 22XX), an unheard-of mineral substance known as Force Metal was extracted from the debris of the small planet 2202XA8. Almost immediately, Force Metal technology revolutionized the field of Reploid Engineering. On the artificial island of Gigantis, a massive facility was constructed for the purpose of mining Force Metal. Everything seemed to be in working order until a few years later when a a band of renegade Reploids equipped themselves with weapons and instigated a revolt in one sector of the island. The government branded Epsilon, the mastermind of the revolt, as a Maverick and dispatched a Maverick Hunter team to Gigantis. Thus, X, Zero, and Shadow, a rookie Maverick Hunter, were called to action by the Hunters, under the guidance of Colonel Redips, to the scene to look into the situation.
When X, Zero, and Shadow arrive at the Lagrano Ruins on the outskirts of Gigantis, they end up being separated, though X and Zero are reunited near the top floor of the ruins. Upon exploration, they discover that several new "next-generation reploids" have been created in the Lagrano Labs, among them Epsilon (whose testing was not complete and was deemed unstable), though they had broken out of their capsules or had been released. X and Zero make their way to the top of the ruins only to find that Shadow was an agent in Epsilon's army and that an all-new rebellion is forming under the wing of Epsilon, who their weapons are useless against. X gets separated from Zero and wakes up at the Resistance Headquarters of New Hope, a new army that has been formed to oppose Epsilon and his mavericks. Ultimately, X explores the world, working with the Resistance and their leader, Chief R, whom he saves from Epsilon's cronies, to bring down Epsilon's men. X eventually meets up with Zero and meets many new friends along the way (who are mentioned in the "Reploids Section"). Ultimately, X and his team defeats Epsilon and his group, though as it turns out one of his teammates, Spider, was Colonel Redips in disguise, who was a next-generation Reploid that possessed the "copy" ability and was using it to spy on them. He had been manipulating Epsilon to gain possession of the Supra-Force Metal, so he comes to put an end to the Resistance and X, who he deems a traitor. In the end, X and the gang defeat Redips as well, who cannot see eye-to-eye with X. Redips believes that Reploids will stagnate if they do not constantly strive to increase their abilities while X disagrees. Still, this proves to be a moot point as they were in an orbital space station which is heading to Earth, so the Supra-Force Metal is disposed of and the team abandons the station, ending up in the ocean below on the surface of the Earth...
References
[edit | edit source]- 3.) Game FAQs
- 4.) Rockman Perfect Memories, ISBN 4575163546
Timeline
Mega Man X timeline
[edit | edit source]20th Century
[edit | edit source]- Circa 1958: Thomas Light and Albert W. Wily are born
- 1980s: Thomas Light and Albert W. Wily receive degrees in Electrical Engineering.
- 1990s: Light Labs is founded by Drs. Light and Wily.
21st Century
[edit | edit source]- 2000s: Light Labs creates robots to make life easier for humans- household and industrial robots are made.
- 2005: Project Robot Master begins with the creation of Proto Man, who goes awol.
- 2006: Rock and Roll are created.
- 2007: Dr. Light receives the Nobel Prize for the creation of the Robot Masters and wins the LIT Manual Design contest.
- 2008: Begining of the Wily Wars- Wily revolts and Rock is converted into Mega Man.
- 18th September, 20XX (2020s?): Dr. Thomas Light seals his advanced robotic creation, Mega Man X, in a capsule for an intended period of 30 years, knowing that he will not live to complete his research of X and hoping that someone in the future will be able to carry on his research. Furthermore, Light knows that X's freewill and emotions allow him to make his own decisions, which brings with him great possibilities as well as great risks.
- Circa 2040: Dr. Thomas Light and Dr. Albert W. Wily die of old age.
- Circa 2050: Dr. Cain is born.
- 2070s: Cain receives his degree in archaeology.
22nd Century
[edit | edit source]- April 8th, 2115: Dr. Cain and his archaeological team begin digging for fossilized plant life from the Mesozoic period but decide to move to a new location and see if they can turn up better results.
- April 9th, 2115: Dr. Cain gets some odd readings- what appears to be a metallic structure buried below the surface of where the team is digging.
- April 10th, 2115: Cain finds the ruins of Dr. Thomas Light's lab.
- April 13th, 2115: Dr. Cain finds a capsule with a warning on it, but decides to open it anyway...
- April 14th, 2115: Cain describes meeting X, an artificial being that Light gave the ability to think and make its own decisions.
- April 15th, 2115: Dr. Cain believes that he may be able to replicate X's design.
- November 22nd, 2115: With X's help, Dr. Cain constructs his first "Reploid" (advanced robot, or "replicant," based on X's design), named Sigma and says that his strength and intelligence are limitless.
- January 3rd, 2116: Cain describes in his journal the fact that Reploid assembly lines have been running for weeks.
- February 16th, 2116: After the first three "Maverick" incidents which harmed two people, the Council urges Dr. Cain to create the Maverick Hunters under the leadership of Sigma.
- May 16th, 2116: Cain states in his journal that Sigma and the Hunters have been able to prevent further injury but that he is worried about X. X seems unsure about his place in the world, but Cain believes that given time X will find his way.
- Unknown Time Length (21XX): The Hunters discover the ruins of Dr. Wily's lab with a maverick later identified to be Zero, the last of Wily's creations, whom Sigma himself defeats. Sigma is exposed to a virus contained in the helmet of Zero, which seems to cause Zero great pain and costs him the battle. Zero is taken to Hunter HQ and repaired by Cain and becomes a Hunter under Sigma's wing.
- June 4th, 2119 (3 months later): The first large-scale Maverick revolt. Sigma revolts as well, taking several Hunters with him. X, who was trained by Sigma as well, and Zero lead the Hunters into battle to quell the rebellion...The events of Mega Man X (SNES).
- December, 2119 (6 months later): The events of Mega Man X2 (SNES).
- Early-2120s: The events of Mega Man X3 (SNES, Sega Saturn, and Sony PlayStation).
- Mid-2120s: The Repliforce is created by Cain Labs in order to compensate for the failure of the Sigma and Doppler projects as well as further Reploid Sciences and Technology.
- Mid-2120s: The events of Mega Man X4 (Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn).
- Late-2120s: Dr. Cain retires out of guilt for the failure of the Sigma, Doppler, and Repliforce projects as well as the fact that many of his Reploids tend to go Maverick. Furthermore, Cain is in his late-70s.
- Circa 2130: Signas, a Reploid created by Dr. Cain with the most advanced CPU of all Reploids, takes command of the Maverick Hunters.
- Early-2130s: Signas aquaints himself with the Hunters as the Hunters clean up the mess left by the Repliforce incident.
- Circa 2135: Dr. Cain dies of old age.
- Mid-late-2130s: As the population of the Earth grows, humans begin to build space station-like colonies around the Earth and begin to invest money in the space program.
- 2140s: The events of Mega Man X5 (Sony PlayStation and PC).
- 2140s (3 weeks later): The events of Mega Man X6 (Sony PlayStation and PC).
- 2140s-2160s: Reploids rebuild the Earth after the Eurasia colony incident and the spreading of the new Sigma virus throughout the planet.
- Early-2160s: The events of Mega Man X7 (Sony PlayStation 2 and PC).
- Early-2170s: The events of Mega Man X8 (Sony PlayStation 2 and PC).
- 2170s-2200: Humans and Reploids, thanks to the Jakob's Tower and the lack of the threat of Sigma, continue to expand the space program and a new age of prosperity dawns on the Earth with the space program thanks to the "New Generation" Reploids.
23rd Century
[edit | edit source]- 2202: Force Metal is extracted from the debris of the small planet 2202XA8 and with it Force Metal technology revolutionizes the field of Reploid Engineering.
- 2210s (a few years later): The events of Mega Man X: Command Mission (Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft XBox, and Nintendo GameCube).
- 22XX: The Elf Wars mentioned in the Mega Man Zero series take place and X and Zero take part in the wars (these events happen before Zero seals himself away).
- 22XX: Zero decides he is a present danger to society. He discusses options with a mysterious scientist and decides to seal himself away in a capsule in order to prevent himself from turning into a Maverick- at least for the next 102 years. X is left to handle the battles to come on his own (presumably).
References
[edit | edit source]- 3.) Game FAQs
- 4.) Rockman Perfect Memories, ISBN 4575163546
Humans
Human characters
[edit | edit source]Dr. Thomas Light
[edit | edit source]
- Born: Circa 1958 (He and Dr. Wily are said to be 57 by the events of Rockman & Forte according to Capcom in that game's official Japanese manual)
- Died: Circa 2040 (This date is unknown, but he would have been 82 by 2040)
- Occupation: Founder of Light Labs in the 20th century and foremost robotics engineer in the 21st century; He created Rock (the original Mega Man), many Robot Masters, and was the designer of Mega Man X. He "lives on" as a sentient AI in the 22nd and 23rd centuries.
- Likes: Internet and helping those in need.
- Dislikes: Violence.
Dr. Thomas Light was born in 1958 and received his degree from the same university as his good friend Dr. Albert W. Wily in Electrical Engineering in the 1980s. With the major advancements in technology in the mid-1990s, Light and Wily went on to found Light Labs with the goal to further technological advancements and the development of artificial intelligence and robotics. By the 2000s, Light and Wily had created several robots to ease human life and by the middle of the decade they had begun developing Robot Masters. Though Blues/Proto Man went awol (he was a success nonetheless), Light and Wily insisted on creating two more- Rock and Roll and then the six industrial robots, which attained him the 2007 Nobel Prize. Wily's revolt the following year would cause panic throughout the world, and Rock's strong sense of justice urged Light to convert him into the fighting robot known thenceforth as Mega Man. Wily, however, would not be brought to justice at the hands of Mega Man and Dr. Light as easily as they had hoped, so for many years the world was plagued by a course of violent struggles known as the Wily Wars.
Later in his life, however, Dr. Light realized that he could create an artificial being that was even more advanced than any of the Robot Masters that he and Wily had ever created. So he began to develop an extremely advanced AI system and then a body for it, and this project soon came to be known as Mega Man X. As Light described X, he had the capability to feel emotions and make his own decisions in life, and in addition to that, he was built far more advanced than anything the world had ever seen. Yet, Light was far from being able to test X's capabilities out, and knowing that X could pose great risks if falling into the wrong hands or if making terrible decisions of his own (he did not have to follow the laws of robotics), he decided that since he was not going to live to finish his research on X (he was most likely working on X during the 2020s), he would seal him in a capsule for a period of 30 years (though due to some unknown course of events he was sealed for longer).
In the 22nd and 23rd centuries, Dr. Light, though physically dead, lives on mentally due to the fact that he has had his mind uploaded into a computer so that he has become an "Artificial Intelligence." He is a sentient being now that is capable of interacting with X and others, and he is often seen as a holographic projection in capsules spread throughout the landscape that X comes across which offer him part upgrades. X talks to Light and Light learns from X the condition of the world and often expresses remorse, saying that he hoped that X would get to experience a peaceful life (that was his desire for Rock, whom he had hoped would simply live as his son, not as a "war machine"), but he knows that X must also act as the defender of humanity if necessary.
Thus, the good doctor lives on, his mind and spirit continuing to make the world better for humanity and Reploids alike!
Dr. Albert W. Wily
[edit | edit source]
- Born: Circa 1958 (see comments on Dr. Light)
- Died: Circa 2040 (see comments on Dr. Light)
- Occupation: Co-founded Light Labs with Dr. Light in the 1990s and built many Robot Masters with him; became jealous and rebelled and started the Wily Wars of the 2000s, 2010s, and possibly beyond. Wily created Zero, one of the first advanded robots, and "lives on" in the 22nd and possibly 23rd centuries as an AI that is embodied at times (Isoc).
- Likes: World domination.
- Dislikes: Mega Man, X, and all those who oppose him.
Albert W. Wily was born in the mid-20th century and went to school with Thomas Light, receiving a doctorate degree in electrical engineering in the 1980s. They both saw the technological advances of the 1990s as the perfect opportunity to found a scientific research institute, known as Light Labs, formed with the intention of furthering advancements in artificial intelligence and robotics. In the early-2000s, Dr. Light and Wily built several lines of robots that made humanity's life much easier, and by the middle of the decade their Robot Master project won Dr. Light the 2007 Nobel Prize and Light also won the LIT Manual Design contest whereas Wily only received honorable mention status in both.
Thus, his jealousy boiled over the next year, and then he reprogrammed the six industrial robots and most of the other robots that he could get his hands on in the lab (though failing to reprogram Rock and Roll), and fled to start his own rebellion. Little did he know, however, that Rock would have the strong sense of justice to wish to be converted into the fighting robot Mega Man, which would prove to be his greatest nemesis.
Wily continued to revolt, and the ensuing years of war came to be known as the Wily Wars.
Wily began to experiment throughout these wars with the idea of building far more powerful Robot Masters, and Bass was an example of one of these experiments, and was revealed as an "accidental creation" as Wily was experimenting with a new element known as Bassnium. Later, Wily created the Robot King, though Bass in his arrogance would ally with Mega Man to prove that he was superior and King would not be as strong as Wily had thought. Later, however, Wily revealed that he was constructing an "invincible" (by the standards of those years) robot whom Bass described as "girly" (this robot was Zero, and the picture of him being revealed is seen previously in this article). It is unknown exactly what happens when Wily completes this advanced robot and what leads to Zero being sealed in a capsule in Wily's lab, but Zero is not discovered until the Maverick Hunters find him in the early-22nd Century.
Wily lives on in the 22nd and possibly 23rd centuries as a sentient artificial intelligence that is sometimes given a body, such as was the case with the Reploid known as Isoc. He was also suspected as having been the one who repaired Zero upon his "death" during the Eurasia incident. Thus, the evil genious lives on even though his physical body has long-since died...
Dr. Cain
[edit | edit source]- Born: Circa 2050 (unknown, though he is depicted as being in his 60s in early games)
- Died: Circa 2135 (this date is unknown, though he retired after the Eurasia incident and after he placed Signas, his creation, as head of the Hunters and by this date he would be 85)
- Occupation: Originally an archaeologist; Cain discovers Mega Man X and founds the Reploid Race of artificial beings based on X's design. When Mavericks begin to appear, Cain creates the Maverick Hunters at the Council's urging and is its leader (not the general) until his retirement later in life.
- Likes: Studying the past and its effects on the present and future; Helping those in need.
- Dislikes: Those that destroy peace between humans and Reploids.
Dr. Cain was most likely born in the mid-21st century (he is portrayed as being in his mid-60s in the early Mega Man X games) and received his degree in Archaeology in the 2070s. He did a lot of research and eventually formed a team that did digs throughout the world, and he was one of the foremost archaeologists in the 21st century and early-22nd century.
As mentioned in his journal (The Journal of Dr. Cain), from April 10th through 13th of 2115, Cain and his team, while conducting a dig for fossilized plantlife from the Mesozoic Era, discover the ruins of Dr. Thomas Light's lab. Inside Light's lab Cain uncovers much of Light's research in which he discusses in great detail an "advanced artificial being" called Mega Man X. Cain becomes intrigued with what he reads about X, though of course he takes into account the warnings Light has left behind. Further inside, Cain finds X sealed within his capsule. On April 14th, 2115, Cain has a conversation with X and is intrigued.
By December of 2115, Cain creates Sigma, the first "advanced robot" based on a "replication" of X's design- hence he is called a Reploid. By February of 2116, Reploid assembly lines become common place due to the popularity of Cain's Reploids, though in March of 2116 the first three Maverick incidents spark the Council to urge Cain to form a group of Reploids to counter this movement- the Maverick Hunters.
When Zero is discovered as a Maverick in the ruins of Dr. Wily's lab a year or two later and brought down thanks to the efforts of Sigma, Dr. Cain manages to neutralize the Maverick effects and allows Zero to become one of the best Hunters there has ever been.
Unfortunately, the Maverick Revolt that starts in June of 2119 and recurrs in December of that year were led by Sigma and Mavericks that were under the influence of the virus infecting him and his manipulation, and these events would change the course of the world forever.
Consequently, when Cain created the Reploid Scientist Dr. Doppler in the early-2120s in the hopes that Doppler would create a utopia where humans and Reploids could live together in peace and create an anti-virus to the Sigma Virus, Doppler also went Maverick because of Sigma, though later he was brought to his senses by X and Zero and together they managed to defeat Sigma.
Finally, to compensate for past failures, Cain Labs, Cain's scientific research and development corporation, created the Repliforce and all the Reploids associated with it in the mid-2120s though they would be declared Maverick because of actions instanciated by Sigma and the fact that Reploids would constantly fight for "independence" for one reason or another due to the corrupting effects of Sigma, the Repliforce Rebellion began the nearly century of fighting known as the Reploid Wars.
Dr. Cain retired (according to the manual of Mega Man X5) out of guilt for the failure of the Sigma, Doppler, and Repliforce incidents, and the overall fact that many of his Reploids and Reploids in general seem to turn Maverick. He retires in the late-2120s, but in the year 2130 he creates Signas, a Reploid with the most advanced CPU of all other Reploids in the world, to take over command of the Maverick Hunters.
On a side-note, Dr. Cain's name has biblical significance, since Cain in the Bible betrayed Abel and his family, being one of the original sinners, so it is seen that, in some light, perhaps unintentionally Cain "betrayed" humanity by imperfectly duplicating X's design.
References
[edit | edit source]- 3.) Game FAQs
- 4.) Rockman Perfect Memories, ISBN 4575163546
Reploids
Reploids
[edit | edit source]Mega Man X
[edit | edit source]- DLN-014?: (he is not assigned a number, though this would be the next number in the Light series)
- Created: Completed in the 2020s most likely.
- Sealed: On September 18th of that decade
- Unsealed: April 14th, 2115.
- Occupation: A member of Dr. Cain's Maverick Hunters since its creation at the Council's desire in March of 2116; X fights for the good of both human and Reploid kind though Dr. Light wishes that he could live a life of peace. X dreams of creating a utopia called "Elisium," where humans and Reploids can live together in peace.
- Likes: Justice and protecting the peace.
- Dislikes: Those that destroy the prosperity of human and Reploid kind.
Dr. Light was the premier robotic engineer of the 21st century, having founded Light Labs in the 1990s with Dr. Albert W. Wily in order to further the technological advancements of the world. As previously mentioned, Rock, the lab assistant created by Light and Wily was modified at his own suggestion when Wily rebelled out of jealousy in 2008 into the fighting robot known as Mega Man. The Wily Wars waged on through out the end of the 2000s and throughout the 2010s, and later in Light's life he began to consider the possibility of designing an advanced Artificial Intelligence.
Light believed that an artificial being even more advanced and greater than Mega Man could be created- one capable of expressing emotions, feelings, and making its own decisions and choosing its own destiny in life. Thus, he decided to call this being Mega Man X. X is equipped with many advanced features, like the "X Buster MK17," a buster far superior than the original "Mega Buster," broad-range sensor cameras in his eyes, titanium alloyed armor, and thus overall was an excellent specimen. However, Light knew that he would not live to complete his research with X- a being that was able to make its own decisions and choose its own destiny, and one with as much potential power as X, was potentially very dangerous, though it did possess great possibility. So, sometime in the 2020s, Dr. Light sealed X in a capsule for what he intended to be 30 years with the following message:
- "X" IS THE FIRST OF A NEW GENERATION OF ROBOTS WHICH CONTAIN AN INNOVATIVE NEW FEATURE - THE ABILITY TO THINK, FEEL AND MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS. HOWEVER THIS ABILITY COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS. IF "X" WERE TO BREAK THE FIRST RULE OF ROBOTICS, "A ROBOT MUST NEVER HARM A HUMAN BEING", THE RESULTS WOULD BE DISASTROUS AND I FEAR THAT NO FORCE ON EARTH COULD STOP HIM.
APPROXIMATELY 30 YEARS WILL BE REQUIRED BEFORE WE CAN SAFELY CONFIRM HIS RELIABILITY. UNFORTUNATELY I WILL NOT LIVE TO SEE THAT DAY, NOR DO I HAVE ANYONE TO CARRY ON MY WORK. THEREFORE, I HAVE DECIDED TO SEAL HIM IN THIS CAPSULE, WHICH WILL TEST HIS INTERNAL SYSTEMS UNTIL HIS RELIABILITY HAS BEEN CONFIRMED. PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB THE CAPSULE UNTIL THAT TIME. "X" POSSESSES GREAT RISKS AS WELL AS GREAT POSSIBILITIES. I CAN ONLY HOPE FOR THE BEST.
- SEPTEMBER 18, 20XX
- T.LIGHT
X was intended to remain in stasis for 30 years, though for reasons as of yet unstated by Capcom,, X remained sealed in his Capsule and was not discovered until around 90 years in the future (the early-22nd century). Some assert that perhaps there was a war in the mid-to-late-21st century that led to the lab being destroyed and thus the capsule never being opened on time. Others say that perhaps one of Light's creations (such as Zero) destroyed the lab during the 21st century, but somehow did not find X's capsule. Regardless of what happened, however, X was not discovered until archaeologist Dr. Cain and his team discovered the ruins of Light's Lab while digging for fossilized plant life of the Mesozoic Era. Dr. Cain held a conversation with X on April 14th, 2115 and was intrigued by him, and it was in the next year that Cain would use X's design to create a race of advanced artificial beings known as Reploids (or "Replicants" of X's design).
When Sigma went Maverick and started the first large-scale revolt on June 4th, 2119, X no longer lived a life of peace, but rather, he played a crucial role as a "war machine" in fighting, alongside his friend Zero, the maverick armies of the former-commander, and putting down the uprising. As the years passed, further uprisings would occur, and X would rise in status in the Maverick Hunters, even though he was not originally designed as a war machine.
In later years, X, like Dr. Light, becomes a pacifist, believing fighting to be futile and saying that there are other ways to solve the problems of mankind and the Reploids, though in the end, when the lives of his friends and humans and Reploids are put in danger by factions like Red Alert and by Sigma himself, X feels that he has no choice but to pick up the proverbial sword and join in the conflict.
X receives upgrades and advice from Dr. Light, who "lives on" in the 21st and 22nd century as a sentient Artificial Intelligence that is often stored in capsules hidden around the landscapes and presented in the form of holograms. He talks to X and his friends and gives them advice and learns about the different situations that exist at the time. In X's case, he provides upgrades to X's body, such as X Buster modifications or armor upgrades.
In the 23rd century, X is depicted as having had numerous upgrades, though he is the same X that he always has been, even if he is 100 years old by their standards or 200 years old by other standards!
Zero
[edit | edit source]
- SWN-004?: (Zero is not assigned a number, but he was the last of Wily's creations)
- Completed: In the 2020s most likely.
- Sealed: 20XX; the events after Zero's creation have never been specified by Capcom, so theories will be discussed later.
- Unsealed: 21XX; at an unspecified date between 2116 and June 4th, 2119 Zero is discovered by the Maverick Hunters in the ruins of Dr. Wily's lab.
- Occupation: Since being trained by Sigma and under the leadership of Dr. Cain in the early-22nd Century, Zero has been X's partner and the highest-ranked Maverick Hunter, serving as a prime example for all Reploids and feared by Mavericks around the globe.
- Likes: Protecting the innocent.
- Dislikes: Injustice, and his fears of his original programming which make him believe that he will turn "maverick" and may destroy X and all those he loves and cares about.
Dr. Albert W. Wily founded Light Labs with Dr. Thomas Light in the 1990s with the goal of furthering the development of technology, especially in the fields of computers, robotics, and Artificial Intelligence, in the 20th and 21st centuries. The two together created a plethora of useful robots that aided the world in many helpful ways in the 2000s and went on with Project Robot Master to develop advanced artificial beings known as Robot Masters, the initial creations being Blues, Rock, and Roll and then the Industrial Series. Yet when Dr. Light received the 2007 Nobel Prize for the creation of the Robot Masters as well as top honors at the LIT Manual Design Contest, Dr. Wily boiled in jealousy and in December of 2008 rebelled against his colleague and started a series of robot vs. human wars known as the Wily Wars that lasted through the 2000s and 2010s.
When Dr. Wily realized that his creations were failing to destroy Mega Man, Wily realized that he would need to develop something far more advanced than the world had ever seen. The first creation that he came up with (in 2014) was Bass (SWN-001), created while Wily was experimenting with an element known as Bassnium, and his robotic canine companion, Treble (SWN-002). However, try and try as he might, this "accidental" creation during Wily's experimental phase was not strong enough to topple the "Blue Bomber." So, Wily went back to the drawing board, and a year later he developed a robot designed not only to test the power of Bass, but to destroy Mega Man. This new robot (created in 2015) was designed with a new type of technology and was called King (SWN-003). This time, both Mega Man and Bass defeated this creation.
However, Wily was not done with his attempts. Knowing that Light was working on a "next generation" robot, Wily sat down and spent several years developing a robot that, upon seeing it, Bass described it as "girly-looking." However, Wily assured Bass that this robot, which he called "Zero", would be far more powerful than anything the world had ever known.
Yet, what happend between the time of Zero's completion and his discovery between 2116-2119? Capcom has yet to answer this question. Yet, later in a later section of this WikiBook one of the most popular standing theories will be presented.
At an unspecified date, sometime between the Maverick Hunters' founding in March, 2116 and Sigma's rebellion of June 4th, 2119, the Maverick Hunters discover the ruins of Dr. Wily's lab and the capsule containing Zero. However, Zero is going "Maverick" apparently due to a crystal on his forehead containing the "Dr. W" logo, so Sigma is called to the scene by Dr. Cain to take him down, barely surviving the fight, and in the process breaking the crystal and exposing himself to a bio-computer virus created by Dr. Wily that was contained within it. Sigma then takes Zero under his wing after he is restored by Cain and he becomes one of the best Hunters, receiving the highest rank after Sigma's 2119 rebellion.
Zero forms a relationship with Iris, the "sister" of the Colonel of the Repliforce, though he is forced to fight her when she is exposed to the Sigma Virus and goes maverick. His love for her and her death tragically affects him and some say he never quite gets over it.
Zero possesses many combat options- he has his Z-Buster (similar to the X Buster) and also fights with his signature Z-Saber, which some say was a play off of Star Wars' Light Sabers, just as Vile/Vavva seems to be a play off of Bobba Fett.
After the events of the 23rd Century's Elf Wars, Zero decides that he is a present danger to society and discusses options with a mysterious scientist to seal himself away in a capsule in order to prevent himself from turning into a Maverick- at least for the next 102 years. X, therefore, is left to handle the battles on his own.
He awakens sometime in the mid-24th Century by a scientist name Ciel, only to face a whole new course of unsettling events...
Sigma
[edit | edit source]
- Cain#001
- Created: December, 2115 by Dr. Cain, based on the designs of Mega Man X.
- Destroyed: Early-2170s (Jakob Project incident).
- Occupation: Sigma was designed to be able to withstand almost any type of environment and any malevolent force, and thus, when Maverick outbreaks began in 2116 and the Maverick Hunters were created in March, 2116, he was put in command of the Hunters in April, 2116. However, in June, 2119 Sigma himself went Maverick and led a rebellion, and throughout the century would pose a great threat to the Reploid race until his destruction at the hands of X, Zero, and Lumine on the surface of the Moon in the early-2170s.
- Likes: Domination; Sigma believes that Reploids should be free of human dominion.
- Dislikes: Those that stand in his way- namely the Maverick Hunters.
Sigma was the first Reploid, or Replicant Mechaniloid, to be designed based on an emulation of Mega Man X's designs by the archaeologist who unearthed X in the early 22nd Century, Dr. Cain. Dr. Cain spent eight months studying X's designs, and though only an archaeologist, he learned much from his studies, and in December of 2115 he managed to produce his first creation- a Reploid he called Sigma.
Sigma was supposed to possess all of the qualities which made X far superior than the standard mechaniloids (his advanced AI systems, etc.), and moreover, he was designed to be able to withstand almost any type of environment and malevolent force that attacked him. Because of the success of the Sigma Project, by February of 2116 Reploid assembly lines became widespread across the globe and Cain became known as the Father of the Reploid Race.
However, when some of the Reploids began to go Maverick, which some speculated to be due to differences or imperfections in Cain's designs or perhaps the fact that Reploids had free will and could choose to ignore the "Laws of Robotics," the Council urged Cain to create the Maverick Hunters, which in April of 2116 Cain placed Sigma in charge of.
A couple of years later, one of the Hunter units encountered the ruins of Dr. Wily's lab, and inside they found Zero, who was going berserk and attacking them all. Sigma was sent in by Cain to bring him down, and in doing so he broke the "Dr. W" crystal on his forehead and released a biological-computer virus that would infect his system (a virus which Wily had placed within Zero, knowing it would be released in the future).
Thus, finally succumbing to the effects of the virus and his own desires for power, on June 4th, 2119 Sigma lead the first widescale rebellion that would start a massive series of wars between himself and the Maverick Hunters.
Though the Hunters (X and Zero, and then later Axl) would manage to defeat him time and time again, because of his embodiment as both an artificial being and a virus, he would return to wreak havoc again and again.
A lot of the time he would pull the strings behind organizations, such as the Repliforce, and that particular incident lead to a series of events known as the Reploid Wars. He also was behind the Red Alert incident.
Sigma's followers were known as the X Hunters, and this particular organization received its height with his second revival.
Sigma was finally destroyed in the early-2170s when the Jakob's Tower was created and he once again infected the world with his virus to create a "new world order." X, Zero, and Axl managed to destroy him once and for all with the assistance of Lumine, the director of the Jakob Project, on the surface of the moon, ensuring that the virus would no longer be able to spread and find a new body...
Axl
[edit | edit source]
- Next-Generation Reploid Prototype
- Created: Circa 2160.
- Occupation: Axl is the prototype for the Next-Generation Reploids who originally was a member of Red Alert, but after discovering what was underfoot there he went awol and became a member of the Maverick Hunters, proving his worth. Since then he has served well in many battles in the 22nd and 23rd centuries.
- Likes: Keeping order and having a good time.
- Dislikes: Those that can't have fun.
Not much of Axl's past is known. However, he was the prototype for the Next-Generation Reploids build around 2160 and became because of his unique abilities (to shape-shift, for example) he was recruited by Red Alert, the faction that filled the void of the then-weakening Maverick Hunters. However, Axl soon realized the internal corruption within Red Alert, especially of their leader Red, so he went awol and sought the help of the Maverick Hunters.
Since then, he has proven his worth on many occasions, being instrumental in the defeat of Red Alert and in the Jakob Project incident in which Sigma was destroyed on the Moon's surface. In the 23rd century he also proved his worth in the Force Metal incidents.
Axl's unique abilities to shape-shift and to wield powerful rapid-fire weapons make him an extremely powerful member of the Maverick Hunter team.
Signas
[edit | edit source]- Cain#XXX (he is the last creation of Dr. Cain)
- Created: 2130
- Occupation: Dr. Cain specifically created Signas with the most advanced CPU of all Reploids of his time in order to be the leader of the Maverick Hunters upon Cain's retirement. Thus, when Cain retired, Signas took command of the Hunters and has served as an excellent leader for them throughout their many campaigns.
- Likes: Strategy, careful planning, and camaraderie.
- Dislikes: Those who don't plan ahead.
After the failures of the Sigma, Doppler, and Repliforce Projects, Dr. Cain's guilt had built up on him to the point where he had had enough and wished to step down from his position as the "head" of the Maverick Hunters. Moreover, he was getting older and did not know how much longer he would live, so he began to contemplate who he would choose as a successor. He knew that Mega Man X was a pacifist by design, fighting out of necessity, and that Zero, though a very avid fighter, was still at that time not quite ready for the reigns of command.
It was thus that he turned towards making his final creation, a reploid with the most advanced CPU of all reploids at the time. He called this reploid Signas, and in 2130 he placed him in charge of the Maverick Hunters.
Signas by nature is a calculating individual, but he has proven to be a good friend to X, Zero, and Axl. He has lead them through many campaigns, his first being the Eurasia Colony incident of the 2140s on through the Jakob Project incident of the early-2170s where Sigma was destroyed.
It is unknown exactly what happened to Signas in the 23rd century, however, as Colonel Redips is in charge of the Maverick Hunters by the time of the Force Metal incident of the 2210s, so this is a question that Capcom will have to answer sometime in the future...
Alia
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- Created: 2130s
- Occupation: Alia was created to serve as the supporter for the Maverick Hunters on their missions, and since her creation she has performed an excellent job; for not being out there in the action, she still is an honored member of the Hunters.
- Likes: Helping the Hunters bring justice and help to those in need.
- Dislikes: Those that disrupt order and promote chaos.
Alia was created in the 2130s in order to serve as a supporter for the Hunters while out on their missions. She is in constant radio contact with them and provides information on the surrounding areas, Mavericks in the region, Reploids or humans in need of assistance, and what needs to be done to fulfill the mission.
Alia first helped the Hunters during the Eurasia Colony incident of the 2140s on through the Jakob Project incident of the early-2170s, and since then she has remained an integral part of the Maverick Hunter team.
Vile
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- Cain#0XX (unknown, but Vile was one of Cain's early creations and a high-ranking Hunter)
- Created: 2110s (Between 2116 and 2119)
- Occupation: Vile was originally designed to command the 17th Unit, but once Sigma Rebelled on June 4th, 2119 he joined his Maverick ranks and although he is destroyed he seems to be rebuilt over and over again.
- Likes: Revenge- he seeks the destruction of X and Zero.
- Dislikes: Cowards and weaklings.
The actual backstory of Vile is unknown, but it is known that he was created by Dr. Cain shortly after the creation of the Maverick Hunters in order to head up the 17th Unit. When X and Zero begin to fight the Mavericks that have risen up in the June 4th Rebellion, they are confronted by Vile, who turned sides on them. At that time, X is not powerful enough to defeat him and Zero fends him off. However, when the two defeat the Mavericks that are leading the main groups of Sigma's army, they re-encounter Vile, who once again is riding around in his War Mech (battle armor), and when it once again nearly defeats them, Zero throws himself at it and sacrifices himself to destroy it, and in the end, X destroys Vile.
However, when Dr. Doppler goes maverick a few years later he rebuilds Vile and gives him everything that he needs in order to "get his revenge on X and Zero" (Doppler hopes that in doing so it will eliminate them), but even with his new improvements (he has fire-bombs, machine gun-like weapons, and an improved mech) he is once again defeated.
Vile drops off the radar until he returns almost half a century later during the Jakob Incident to kidnap Lumine for Sigma. So, even though he gets defeated, it seems someone saves his main CPU and AI (as they did upon Zero's death, as with the rest of his parts) and manages to rebuild him when he is needed. Are X and Zero now truly rid of Vile?
References
[edit | edit source]- 3.) Game FAQs
- 4.) Rockman Perfect Memories, ISBN 4575163546