is a series of action-platform games released by Capcom. It is a sub-series of the Mega Man franchise previously developed by the same group, with Keiji Inafune acting as one of the main staff members. The first game was released on 17 December 1993 in Japan on the Super Famicom and the following month on the Super NES in North America. Most of the sequels were ported to Microsoft Windows. The gameplay introduces new elements to the Mega Man franchise in the form of Mega Man's successor X, including his new skills and power-ups in the form of armors while retaining the ability to decide which boss to fight first. The franchise is also known for its replay value, in which certain choices and optional content can influence both gameplay and storylines, allowing the player to experience alternate scenarios.
Set 100 years after the original games, the story follows X, the last creation of Dr. Light whose free-willed programming and intelligence allows for countless other free-willed androids called reploids to be produced. When these reploids begin to go "Maverick" and start to rebel against their human counterparts under the command of Sigma, X decides to make up for his creations by joining the Hunters. Throughout the series, he is partnered by his superior Zero, who becomes a playable character from Mega Man X3 onwards. A third character named Axl, joins the group from Mega Man X7 onwards. For the remake Mega Man Maverick Hunter X, the antagonist Vile debuted as a playable character. While at first Zero possess the same skills as X, he becomes a swordsman in Mega Man X4.
The video games have also inspired several spin-offs that deal with other villains while several manga adaptations have been produced. Critical reception to the Mega Man X series was generally positive for its faster-paced action in comparison to the original series, but the continuous release of installments led to criticism about Mega Man X lacking innovations. A sequel series titled Mega Man Zero followed, and focused on its titular character while several crossovers involving X and other characters from the series have been produced.
Plot
The plot focuses on "X", a mechanical being created by Dr. Thomas Light and the successor to the original Mega Man. He is a new type of robot with the ability to think, feel, and make his own decisions. Recognizing the potential danger of this model, Light sealed X away in a diagnostic capsule for over 30 years of testing. X's capsule is uncovered by an archaeologist named Dr. Cain almost 100 years after X's creation. Excited by the possibilities X presented, Cain disregarded the warnings Light had logged in the capsule and created a legion of robots that replicated X's free will; these robots were called "Reploids" ( in Japan).
A number of Reploids turned against humans led by the rebellious Reploid Sigma. These Reploids are dubbed "Mavericks" ( in Japan), and a force called the Maverick Hunters () was formed to combat them. The Maverick Hunters were led by Sigma until he, too, became a Maverick and declared war against the humans, thus starting the Maverick War. X takes it upon himself to join the Maverick Hunters under his superior Zero. Throughout the series, X and Zero battle against the Mavericks to stop their plots to destroy the human race. Sigma continues using his power and a virus to create more conflicts with the Maverick Hunters and attempt to destroy the planet in the process. While X and Zero also gain new allies, in Mega Man X7 they work with the missing Maverick, Axl, who becomes their partner. In the latest game, Mega Man X8, it is revealed New Generation Reploids are doomed to become Sigma copies with the original Sigma dying in the process in his final showdown with the Hunters.
After the series reached an unresolved cliffhanger, a game entitled Mega Man X Dive was released by Capcom Taiwan in which a human plays Mega Man X, until due in part to some corrupted data known as Maverick Data, he/she gets transported into the Deep Log, a massive database with data on every Mega Man game. The player must progress through the scrambled code of the Maverick Wars, Elf Wars, and the Game Of Destiny, to destroy the Maverick Data causing the slow corruption of the Deep Log. In contrast to the Mega Man Zero and ZX sequel series, the spin-off Mega Man X: Command Mission instead is set in a future where X is a veteran Maverick Hunter dealing with rebellions. Capcom expressed their desire to portray X and Zero as stronger versions in this spin-off of their previous incarnations even if they come across as out-of-character to the audience.
Characters Maverick Hunters The Maverick Hunters, known as are a group of Reploids who protect humans and other Reploids from Mavericks and are the heroes of the Mega Man X series, with its protagonists being prominent Maverick Hunters. When they are introduced in Mega Man X, they have existed for some time, having been founded by Dr. Cain, who has since retired. From Mega Man X onward, they battle Sigma and the other Mavericks.
X
X is the main protagonist of the Mega Man X series. Dr. Light created him, but feared the ramifications of giving robots free will and so chose to seal him inside a capsule for 30 years to test the integrity and reliability of his systems. Light died before X's diagnostics were complete, and 100 years later another scientist, Dr. Cain, discovered his capsule and attempted to emulate his technology. With X's help, Cain developed the first mass-produced Reploids: humanoid androids based upon X's designs.
Zero
Originally intended to be the protagonist of Mega Man X, he was recast as X's mentor and partner in favor of an X who looked "more like Mega Man". He is a top-class Maverick Hunter who undergoes inner turmoil over his mysterious past and purpose, which he seems to see glimpses of in nightmares, and the fact that the Virus does not affect him like it does with other reploids, who become Mavericks.
Axl Voiced by (English): Lenne Hardt (X7); Jeffrey Watson (X8)Voiced by (Japanese): Minami Takayama
is a black and red-armored reploid with an X-shaped scar above his nose who wields a pair of handheld blaster pistols. He first appears in Mega Man X7, where he displays an ability called A-Trans, which allows him to take on the appearance and abilities of any reploid he defeats which matches his size, allowing him to explore normally inaccessible areas. He also has the ability to hover in midair and roll through enemy shots. While his gameplay style was originally similar to X, Mega Man X8 reworked his gameplay to give him a distinctive fighting style. His shots are now rapid-fire abilities and can fire in any direction, and instead of copying the Maverick weapons like X, he instead gains a new type of gun for each boss he defeats, which have unlimited ammo and can be fired either multi-directional or rapid-fire. While overall the weakest in power, Axl's fighting style relies more on speed compared to X's powerful but slower charge shots and Zero's swordplay.
Dr. Cain Voiced by (English): Michael ShepherdVoiced by (Japanese): Tadashi Miyazawa
Dr. Cain is a human archaeologist and robot expert, who serves as a supporting character throughout the Mega Man X games. He discovered the dormant X in the ruins of Dr. Light's lab, and soon after invented Reploids, sapient robots based on X's design, with the most notable being Sigma. Sigma, being the most advanced robot at the time, became the head of the Maverick Hunters, a group of reploids dedicated to destroying reploids that violate the three rules of robotics.
Iris Voiced by (Japanese): Yūko Mizutani (PXZ); Aya Endō (X DiVE–present)
Repliforce scientists created Iris alongside her brother Colonel as one half of the "Perfect Soldier program", with Colonel being the other half. She was compassionate and peaceful, while Colonel was a strong-willed Reploid warrior. Repliforce scientists struggled to make these two factors into one Reploid, and because the differences were irreconcilable, they split them into brother and sister Reploids.
In Mega Man X4, Iris is one of the two characters alongside Double who can only be fought depending on whether the player chooses Zero or X.
Alia Voiced by (English): Rumiko Varnes (X7); Marriete Sluyter (X8)Voiced by (Japanese): Rumi Kasahara
Alia acts as a Navigator for the Maverick Hunters in Mega Man X5 and onwards. She began her career as a researcher in Reploid engineering alongside her colleague Gate, whom she was said to have feelings for. They were ahead of their time in their research on Reploids, though she contends that Gate was a better programmer than she was. However, Gate's inability to follow the rules made him a social outcast, and his creations were systematically destroyed, sometimes with Alia's assistance. She soon mastered programming languages and was chosen to be a spotter for the Hunters. In Mega Man X5, Alia served as the Hunters' spotter during the Sigma Virus outbreak, while lending her technical talents to the cause by uploading and letting X utilize the Falcon and Gaea armor.
Layer Voiced by (English): Meredith Taylor ParryVoiced by (Japanese): Sonoko Kawata
Layer is a navigator alongside Alia and Pallette in X8, with her high processing power allowing her to quickly determine enemy abilities. For the most part, Layer appears to be the oldest navigator and is calm and collected. However, she seems to show more concern for Zero, even blushing when talking to him. Palette's comment on how she "waited the whole time for him" seemingly implies that she has a crush on him. Layer is also a secret unlockable character in the game, and has gameplay similar to Zero's. She wields her own sword weapon, the "Layer Rapier", allowing her to use the same abilities as Zero, but cannot use his "Black Armor".
Pallette Voiced by (English): Chris SimmsVoiced by (Japanese): Haruna Mima
Pallette is another navigator alongside Alia and Layer in X8 who excels at finding hidden routes at facilities, allowing X to find Dr. Light's armor capsules. She appears to be the most playful of the navigators and hates being ignored. Pallette is also an unlockable character in the game, taking after Axl's playstyle but being unable to use Axl's copy ability.
Douglas Douglas is a mechanic for the Maverick Hunters. In Mega Man X5, he constructs modules for X and Zero and reinforces the Enigma Cannon and Space Shuttle with parts they gather from the Mavericks. During the Nightmare outbreak in X6, Douglas helps X and Zero by refining modules for them.
Signas Voiced by (English): Robert Belgrade (X7); Roger Rhodes (X8)Voiced by (Japanese): Hirotaka Suzuoki (X7); Tsuneyoshi Iwatsuru (X8)
Signas is the newest leader and commander of the Maverick Hunters, who is introduced in X5. He was originally a private investigator before being assigned to the Maverick Hunters, commanding missions and overseeing major operations. He is loyal to both humans and Reploids and is determined to ensure that all Mavericks are eliminated. He has the most advanced CPU of the current Reploids.
Mavericks Mavericks, known as in Japan, are Reploids who have turned against humans, usually violently. Reploids can become Mavericks for a variety of reasons, such as a virus or their own free will. As the chronology of the Mega Man franchise progresses, the term "Maverick" comes to mean any individual or creature, human or Reploid, that presents a threat to civilization or those in power.
Sigma
is the primary antagonist of the Mega Man X series, who Dr. Cain considered to be the finest reploid of the time, with circuitry designs meant to prevent him from becoming a Maverick. He was once the leader of the Maverick Hunters, but during a mission, he came into contact with Zero, who at the time was rampaging after falling under the influence of the Zero Virus.