Thanks so much for watching, fam. Be sure to like if you enjoyed it and comment who else you'd like to see me cover in Honest Gaming History Edit: Cubit Foxstar is a guy, not a girl. My apologies for the mistake
@@TheBlackMastadonte since you’re going into ZX later and potentially Gunvolt if I read a reply to another comment correctly. A person you could consult as a pretty reliable source for all things Inti (least their time with megaman and gunvolt from what I’ve seen dunno if they’ve researched gal gun or blaster master zero) is Sidier who does translations of any Inti source he can find from old websites of the Zero DS collection to audio dramas and whatever else even retranslated the game scripts to ensure any localization changes are noted (I recall a very infamous scene in LATE ZX Advent that was flubbed in the English release which makes a bit more sense in Japanese in how it makes things connect for… other things) so if it interests you try hitting em up to answer questions, from my experience they’re very forthcoming on that
Classic Mega Man lore: Your college friend wants revenge Mega Man Zero lore: There's an energy crisis and the copy of the reploid who was supposed to bring humanity and robots together is executing its citizens to save on energy
@@587DeathKing ZX lore: Humans and reploids are still killing one another while a new crisis is taking place courtesy of events involving the aforementioned energy crisis from long ago. Legends lore: Yet another energy crisis forces false humans/carbons to go on adventures exploring dangerous undergrounds ruins left by real humans for cryptically unknown reasons. Also, lonely human living on space station wants humans to go extinct so that the false humans/carbons may inherit the Earth.
Its always an energy crisis heck in in megaman legends there is still an energy crisis of sorts going on as diggers are always looking for energy crystalsand the mother lode @@javiervasquez625
@@brandonwilliams6119 The difference is X is far more limited than his dad. Can't magically 3D-print on upgrades for Zero... but, considering Zero's body was what caused all the threats to the world, focusing instead on guiding his mind and spirit was a wiser choice.
Zero 4 is the Sonic Adventure 2 of Megaman, change my mind, also Live and Learn could like a glove during the final Weil fights. Also Zero and Shadow dying to save humanity😭
Yes, hype. Thanks for continuing to release these deep dives into the Mega man lore. Like honestly without such videos, I don't think I would be able to fully comprehend the scope of the Mega man franchise. Thanks again @TheBlackMastadonte
Apparently the Elf wars are kinda like the War of 1999 from Castlevania. Something so epic that Ariga himself stated that no form of media could contain it.
I personally think that the Four Guardians’s personalities are based off of X’s various armors in X5 and X6. That’s why they’re specialists in one form of combat rather than an all-rounder fighter like X. Harpuia is the Falcon Armor. Fefnir is the Gaea Armor. Leviathan is the Blade Armor. Phantom is the Shadow Armor. Though you briefly touched on this, I want to expand on the politics of Megaman Zero. There’s so much to unpack here. Weil was able to maneuver his way into power because humans have discriminated against reploids for so long by this point in the timeline, blaming them for the Maverick and Elf Wars. Copy X doesn’t help with his genocide of the reploids. Zero calls the humans of Neo Arcadia complacent and even Ceil agrees that they don’t really think critically anymore. Weil takes full advantage of the fearful humans and systemic discrimination to seize power. But how could this happen? It’s partly because Copy X is fundamentally an exploitable, weak, and insecure leader, but it’s also because history keeps getting erased. Centuries of war have rendered the humans misinformed and under-informed about their own history, as demonstrated by multiple abandoned facilities in the Megaman universe, including the Sunken Library, which is the only place with detailed records on the Elf War. The humans are doomed to repeat the mistakes of their past because they’re uninformed (sound familiar?). If they were properly informed about the cause of the wars, they would have never allowed Weil to take over. It’s why Harpuia is the only one constantly protesting Weil’s return to Neo Arcadia. He understands the danger at hand because he knows his history. There’s also likely widespread intergenerational PTSD among the humans because of the Elf Wars. If you assume there were 8 billion humans across the planet before the Elf Wars, then that means about 4.8 billion humans died during the Elf Wars. Since the war lasted only 4 years, that means on average 3.3 MILLION humans died EVERYDAY for FOUR YEARS STRAIGHT. That’s an absolutely insane number. You can’t kill that many humans that quickly even with nukes…unless all of these human deaths were the result of Omega’s control over all reploids. Reploids were likely mass killing their human neighbors everyday, and 90% of them were wiped out in order to protect humanity. It’s not a far stretch to assume there were millions of reploids across the planet prior to the Elf Wars. Small wonder the humans were so willing to accept a harsh authoritarian system that discriminated against the minority if it meant their survival. You can even use Megaman to discuss the philosophy of free will. While briefly covered in Megaman X8, the real crux of the matter is the existence of the Mother Elf. The way she works is that she remotely overwrites all reploids to effectively reset them and eliminate all Maverick activity. Her very existence INVALIDATES all concept of reploid free will. If someone can remotely wipe your personality and memories because they don’t the like the choices you make, then your choices don’t matter. You don’t have free will. This is why Weil was able to start the Elf Wars. He was practically handed the tools to do so by humans so determined to protect humanity by eliminating the Maverick Virus at all costs. It’s the classic security-freedom paradox. There’s way more that can be discussed than what I’ve written here so far (like the role of the Maverick Virus and its relation to the nature of sentience and existential crises). The Zero series needs far more than just four games and some audio drama to flesh out its story. The potential for more story and writing is VAST because of these themes.
Mother elf wasn’t wiping out maverick behavior but undoing the effects of the maverick virus but had the ability to control reploids as seen with her time as Dark Elf. The maverick virus was discovered to be cyber elves essentially and Mother Elf’s job was to neutralize their effect on reploids. It’s not exactly a retcon as some people say as it seems cyber elves were based on the X5-X6 viruses in how they acted and how they affected Zero boosting his abilities (when they touch him), healing him (X6 presumably) and changing reality (Zero Space)
Yea I've always thought we needed more than just 4 games with so much going on in the world of the zero series. It's just way to much happening all at the same time, and don't get me started with the elf wars I've been saying we needed a game of it since 2009 😆
@@Xeno-The-Wanderer I find it ironic Mother Elf, basically an antivirus for the Maverick Virus, _became in a way a _*_new_*_ Maverick Virus,_ in the sense that she became malware that was used to turn Reploids against humans. _And the worst part is she was fully aware of it and hated every waking moment she spent as Weil's weapon._
2 points of Interest that I think you overlooked: 1. Replicate Androids were never beholden to the laws of robotics, as they were designed with free will and sentience. That was what differentiated Robot Masters from Reploids. 2. The meaning of "Going Maverick" changed as the series progressed. Originally meaning defect, changing to criminal, and then being assigned to any and all reploids who resisted or disagreed with those in authority for any reason.
I get your first point, but were they really? From how some Mavericks came from defects in their brains, its obvious that Cain botched the creation of at least a few Reploids. I think they have a higher sense of independence than Robot Masters, but I don't believe all Reploids are born with free will. I do believe that they have the potential to get there as they experience more life and are able to form their own personality, similar to how Craft made his decision in MMZ4
@TheBlackMastadonte That is a fair assessment, and I do think you're correct, specifically regarding the Reploids Cain built. Cain wasn't the only one making Reploids after a point, and while it's only a theory, I genuinely doubt anybody had standardized design laws or regulations regarding reploid or mechaniloid design. They very likely just built whatever was wanted/needed for a task with wildly varied degrees of willpower. By the time we get to the Zero series, free will isn't a question, but a given. Reploids think, feel, make choices, and are considered a separate race. When this became the norm, however, is anyone's guess.
@@TheBlackMastadonte The answer is actually really clear cut. Every reploid has absolute free will, but can be built with a disposition and body tailored towards a certain purpose. The choice to deviate to something else is always there and they can take it at any time, but they choose not to because they're usually content with the life they are given....unless an outside factor changes their perspective, of course.
@@TheBlackMastadonte the term “Maverick” isn’t necessarily specific to reploids in the X series. Mechaniloids were most likely what the Maverick Hunters were fighting most of the time in the early days. Now for reploid mavericks pre-virus, if they had free will, one of them could then simply choose to break laws, which would make them a criminal and give them the label of “Maverick”. Vile is an example of this. He wasn’t infected with the virus. He just had a violent personality and willingly chose to join Sigma.
@@TheBlackMastadonteThe answer is fundamentally "we don't know." And that we don't know is the theme of the entire X/Zero franchise, ESPECIALLY Command Mission.
@@asdasdasd54 Wily: Makes a bigger oopsie by letting his rivalry with Light set him on a path of screwing not just Humanity but the entire planet Earth by deliberately unleashing a virus responsible for the death of millions of humans and the very destruction of the whole world courtesy of the Eurasia Space Colony's crashing.
Ciel is like if Dr. Light built OG Megaman, didn't teach him morals, then was shocked that he was unaliving millions of people to achieve "justice." And then instead of reaching out to his creation to teach him better, Dr. Light goes and convinces Bass to unalive Megaman and sweep the whole thing under the rug. 🤔🤔
Something to mention about Reploids. The main difference between the robots in classic and Reploids in X and Zero is that following the laws of robotics becomes a choice, rather than a mandatory, pre-programmed law. The problem is that deciding to break those laws will brand you as maverick. That's why the dynamics and tensions between humans and reploids were so high strung, because reploids were at the same mental capacity and freedom as a human, yet they were still held back and regarded as lesser by obsolete laws.
Laws one and three are literally "Don't kill humans" and "Do what you have to to protect yourself, so long as it doesn't involve breaking the other laws."
@christopherbravo1813 pretty sure before sigma showed up most mavericks had only broken the 2nd law, obeying human orders. And the first law isn't just about killing, it's do no harm and don't allow harm to happen through inaction
@@SparksterG40 Considering the shadowy and mysterious nature of Reploids as mass produced copies of X, it makes sense that the humans of 21XX would be hesitant to allow the first generation of Reploids to share the same level of agency and recognition as Humans have. Cain himself must have realized the danger of giving Reploids so much independence from their human creators at such an early point without thinking about the social ramifications it would cause among the human populace worldwide, hence why Reploids are treated as "lesser citizens" throughout the entire X saga.
I've always found the Mega Man core series timeline fascinating. Seeing how the world changes from Mega Man to MMX, how that gets more dire from MMX to MMZ, how that changes further into the ZX duology (which ended on a cliffhanger AUGH!), and then, thousands of years later, Legends, where actual humans are all but extinct. It's tragic in a beautiful way, the domino effect that Light and Wily's rivalry has on the future long, long after they've passed. Great video, dude!
Legends ending on a cliffhanger is probably the most painful because at least the rest of the series you can kind of figure out how they eventually meld into the next sequel series… but there’s nothing after Legends so it’s truly a cliffhanger 😢
The Megaman Zero series has probably my favorite story and premise of the entire Megaman franchise, so seeing the lore being explored is hella exciting! By the way, loving these videos, man! The amount of work you put into these is incredible!
For those who are new to MegaMan Zero lore, buckle the fuck in. There's a reason this one is called the darkest and most-depressing part of the main timeline (Besides Legends) for a reason...
@@NewZen41 Meh, i would argue ZX is even more depressing, what with the Maverick Wars continuing, the label of human and robot becoming more blurred than ever before to the point one wonders if there's some Blade Runner crap going on and Thomas's creepy dialogue at the end of ZX Advent implying he's been pulling some body horror stuff as part of his plan of achieving "equality" between humans and robots. At least Zero got a happy ever after by ending both Copy X and Weil, ending the persecution of Reploids for good, and reuniting with Iris and X in Cyberspace.
@@knox7945 Classic Rockman and Battle Network aren't, as most storylines in these two sagas do end with a "...and they lived happily ever after." by the time the credits roll. It's only with the X saga onwards that Inafune got edgy and the stories started getting progressively depressing to the point of been borderline nihilistic (despite the Zero and Legends sagas confirming an Afterlife for both robots and humans respectively).
@javiervasquez625 Not really, if we're being honest. Yes, you have the Sage Trinity with two of its members with some notably dark schemes in the background, and Albert effectively setting up mass genocide to create orphans who would become his pawns (One of said pawns would then go on to copy him, causing the first heroes of ZX to be birthed). This, however, isn't anywhere NEAR as tragic as humanity and machine life being damn near wiped from the planet alongside almost nowhere being hospitable for over 2 full centuries (Given that Zero takes place for 100 years after the Maverick Wars and another 100 after the Elf Wars) all because one man got petty over Reploids being "let off the hook" from (Mostly) outbreaks a virus caused them. You also mentioned how humans becoming Humanoids blurred the line as a negative (Well, objectively, yes, because it causes them to be turned into Cyber Elves in the first place 🤣) for the coexistence between humans and Reploids, but that was the point for them in the long run, even if all they really had to do was just stop making overly-powerful Reploids that could decimate humans at a moment's notice or just give them standard life spans with no other side effects. ZX paints itself as tragic when it's basically just a lighter variation of what happened in the Zero series, but Zero is even moreso because unlike what Vent, Aile, Ashe, and Grey had to deal with, Zero and X NEVER lived in an era of peace until they were dead...and if the Biometal's lore is to be considered, they STILL don't get to relax versus 2 orphans who had parents and lived in an era of mostly peaceful prosperity until Weil decided to stir shit up as a rock. Lol
As Zero fell back to Earth as shooting stars along with the debris from Ragnarok, I often wonder what Wily would be thinking if he was looking up and watching him. Would he be malding that his greatest creation fought alongside and took up the legacy of his archenemy’s masterpiece, saving the world that he helped ruin? Or would he take some satisfaction in knowing that in the end, he had made a robot that surpassed Light’s? I think it’s a little of both.
Considering the Virus Zero carried did exactly what it was intended to do (screw up any future Reploids), He was probably happy that he warped Lights legacy even if Zero was no longer a brainwashed subject. But you never know, one of the X-hunters in X2 was supposedly a reincarnation of Wily (may be headcannon) and he still helped to put Zero back together after his destruction and didn't really tinker with him.
@@brandontherabboat4850 For anyone wondering how would Wily react to Zero's unlimited potential, you only need look at "Isoc" and his exchange with his "boy" back in X6. The man was delighted to say the least and was more than eager to accept Zero's agency and desire to carve his own path in life as shown after Zero defeated Gate: ua-cam.com/video/hpYhI4LEZKA/v-deo.html/?t=2m37s Wily loved Zero as his own son.
@@brandontherabboat4850 For anyone wondering how would Wily react to Zero's unlimited potential and fate at the end of Zero 4, you only need look at "Isoc" and his exchange with his "boy" (as he calls him) back in X6. The man was delighted to say the least and was more than eager to accept Zero's agency and desire to carve his own path in life, as shown after Zero defeated Gate. Wily loved Zero as his own son.
@@seawind930 Well, based on Zero's prologue cutscene in X4, it appears that by the time Zero's primary functions and mental capabilities had been finished, Wily had become solely obsessed with surpassing Light's work on X, no longer having any desire to rule the world as he came nearer to his natural death. The Megaman wiki says that "even when Wily neared his natural death, he still wanted to spread death and destruction" as an explanation for why he put the Maverick virus inside Zero's capsule, so it's anyone guess wether Wily was that much of a psycho to mess with humanity hundreds of years after his death. As for Serges (and by extension Isoc), it's always been a popular belief that he's a robotic "copy" of Wily created for the purpose of reviving Zero, so that he may fight X and (hopefully) come out the victor, allowing Wily to relish in the fact he finally created a robot more powerful than the one created by his rival. Inafune has always been so darn cryptic when it comes to Wily's plans for Zero, making it impossible to understand just what the heck is all the beef surrounding Serges and Isoc's appearance in the X saga.
I JUST watched the Megaman X video and thought "I wish mastadonte would make a Megaman Zero video." Lo and behold a Megaman Zero timeline uploaded 4 hours ago. Perfect timing!
A slight correction about Ragnarok. They are lead to believe that the Einherjar's operations themselves were Ragnarok. The actual weapon isn't revealed until you beat them all
1:25:00 We love the yapping! This series has a really special place in my heart, and always will. Hearing all the details from the soundtracks blended into the timeline made my day. Awesome work!!!
As a fellow person who got introduced to Megaman by playing Zero 3, let me just say thank you for this video man. Made me feel like a kid again picking this up in Walmart. I didn’t realize the Zero series really had an effect on gamers back then, and for a time it felt like one of those series that was just underplayed and under appreciated. To this day that quote Omega Zero says in the final boss fight sits in my head.
Bloody hell, this is the reason why i love this series so much. I thought i knew so much about the lore and such, but seeing how much deph there was to these games The ragnorock worriers, the stuff from the audio dramas with the guardians. And god, the ending will never not be incredible. Im so glad I inti made this series, and continue to make their own amazing games in the form of gunvolt
I dunno Gunvolt (especially first two in series) felt like an attempt at capturing that spark but ended up as downgrade in several places: - Pixel animation - ZXA had 3 death animations for EACH enemy - Regular, Buster Shot, Laser Blade. Not so much for Gunvolt and superattacks were like "screenwipe bomb" in a shoot'em up. - Gameplay tempo - each fight in early Gunvolt titles was just "add 3 darts, keep dodging while deepfrying your enemy/boss and managing your battery" - it kinda removed any "Wait for an opening and counter attack!" - every fight was basically running on a "bullet hell" logic where attacking is just what you do all the time while main focus is dodging. - Music - this was really strange as at first you get good techno vibe music, but If you combo well... You get Aria vocal songs aka JPOP songs... Most of which didn't fit levels at all or didn't feel like a triumphant celebration of a good combo - felt more like a sudden mood whiplash as they weren't even remotely based on level's regular OST - it was a complete change to other OST. It was like if you played Instrumental version of Devil Trigger in DMC5 but when you hit an S rank... It suddenly switches to vocal version if "Fly Me To The Moon" - both songs maybe good but switch is just jarring and ruins immersion. They did get better eventually by the time they went into spinoff "What If?" series... But initial games felt like when they stopped working with Capcom on MM ZX - they also left half of their talent behind.
Favorite designs: Z1: Leviathan Fefnir (Oversized guns are cool.) Z2: Phoenix Magnion (Fight sucks, but those wings are majestic.) Armed Phenomenon Leviathan (Manta Rays are cool.) Z3: Childre Inarabitta (Bias, I like rabbits. Rabbits are cute... and unassuming.) Cubit Foxtrot (is a HE by the by, also very Renamon/Kitsune-basically a lot of people's furry awakening.) Z4: Craft (Big Guns WITH CHAINSAWS) Noble Mandrago (She's cute, she's a bit of a scrimblo) Fenri Lunaedge (I love my norse myth parallels)
Someone already mentioned it but Dr. Light built X free from the laws of robotics. It's the reason X needed to be tested for at least 30 years. X is completely free to chose for himself. As for Zero, he was supposedly, designed as the meanest thing on the planet and because he was so wild and rebellious, Dr.Wily used the Maverick virus to keep him on a leash. The reason for his personality shift is funnily most likely due to a programming error, specifically, an integer overflow. Because Zero was supposed to be set to maxiumum evil (ex: 255 is the max representable value for 8-bit) when Sigma punched his helmet's crystal and released the Maverick Virus, it infected Zero and added an extra value which triggered the integer overflow and set the value the value back to 0. This is also most likely why Zero gets stronger when infected by the Zero Virus in X5, as it is actively adding more values and changing either his output or his behavior.
Punching the head crystal didn’t unleash it as the virus was already leaking and infecting reploids. It’s how they found zero by tracing the incidents and finding the epicenter. I forget if it was fan theory or confirmed but sigma punching the crystal caused a process to halt keeping Zero at a midway point in something which is maverick and Awakened
@Xeno-The-Wanderer Zero is the original host of the Maverick Virus. You're right that his capsule was leaking the virus and they tracked the leak to where Zero was stored. Sigma definitely got infected after punching Zero's helmet's crystal. The punching of the crystal doing anything to Zero aside from knocking Zero out is a fan theory. As previously mentioned the Maverick Virus's effect on Zero was to control his behavior. Essentially the virus fixed Zero's cognitive flaws and made his mind clear enough to act in a normal manner.
@@Xeno-The-Wanderer If the virus was already infecting Reploids _before_ Zero was even awakened from his capsule, are we to assume Wily was already scheming something with the virus as Serges and Isoc? If the virus spreading across the planet was completely and utterly independent of Zero's existence within Wily's underground base, we must then assume that Wily had always planned to use the virus a hundred years later, possibly in an attempt to rule the world as an artifical intelligence himself. Man, i so wish Inafune had greenlit X9 before leaving Capcom...
@@Xeno-The-Wanderer If the virus was already spreading across the world _before_ Zero was even awakened from his capsule, are we to assume Wily was already scheming something as Serges and Isoc? If the virus was completely and utterly independent of Zero's existence within Wily's underground base, we must then assume that Wily had always planned to use it a hundred years later, possibly in an attempt to rule the world as an artifical intelligence himself. Man, i so wish Inafune had greenlit X9 before leaving Capcom...
@@javiervasquez625 the spread was more a kin to a gas leak. Wily made the virus and after a century the containment failed leading to a leak. I doubt it was intentional on his part
Goodness me, this video reminded me of why I love the Zero series so much. It's lore and storytelling are just on a completely different level compared to other series and I LOVE that. 10 outta 10 video. Oh, and just for fun, since you said to mention our favorite boss designs I tend to have one or two for each game. They are- Zero 1: Anubis Necromancess Zero 2: Phoenix Magnion (Honorable mention to Panter Flauclaws, I completely understand why he's your favorite) Zero 3: Deathtanz Mantisk Zero 4: Fenri Lunaedge (Honorable mention to Heat Genblem, I just think he's neat)
The Weil final boss fight for me references not just "WHAT AM I FIGHTING FOR?!" in X4, but also Zero's last monologue in X8 Zero: "Anyway X, even if we Reploids are destined to join the scrap heap when that new evolutionary step does come about. We still have to fight. Not only against mavericks but against our own destiny as well"
I know the odds of this being true are next to none, but I think the idea that the Mother Elf/Dark Elf was created from *Iris* adds yet another layer of tragedy to the whole thing.
Considering she was an antivirus for the Maverick Virus made from Zero's viral infections, unlikely. ...the thought she could've been based on Zero's *memories* of her is still a possibility.
@@MrCat-zz5eo Considering that, to my knowledge, every other Cyber Elf was a deceased reploid, my headcanon is that the Mother Elf's creator combined Iris's DNA Soul with said viral infections in order to create her.
This. Capcom has no idea what to do with Megaman lore now, which is odd considering how much there is to explore. This franchise grew alongside others like Mario or Zelda, but Capcom's let it stagnate
@@TheBlackMastadonte There's always hope. I know there was a manga some time back called Rockman-san that was a pretty fun look into human-Robot Master relations, and there's a possibility Amazon's Secret Level Mega Man episode might bring public light back on our favorite sapient robots! Also @DeMoraJS, sadly Capcom admitted they're more or less using him as Mickey Mouse now: don't use him for serious stuff that advances, just as a token mascot for our brand.
As a 13 year old at the time SNES's X1 hit our consoles, I will never lose the feeling that Zero's guitar riff evoked in my gamer heart. (Also, Storm Eagle's stage music)
I’m super surprised that Zero Vs Omega decisive battle wasn’t recommended for the Megaman zero 3 part. It really made the final battle look cool as hell and a awesome perspective.
And was a creative use of all the weapons, and gave us a chance to see X and Zero fight together as one! ...I still think that in that animation, the reason X could do that instead of expending his strength protecting the Resistance Base was because _Cyber-elf Elpizo_ was the one who came back and sacrificed himself to keep the base he used to command safe.
Dr. Wily: I created you to be the ultimate weapon, to destroy Megaman and anything made by Dr. Light and to rule the world after my passing! And THIS is how you repay me?
Zero, probably: - Get your meds, oldman! I am Ultimate Weapon, I technically did destroy X and all his Legacy was cooked! I literally outlasted him and proved that you DID made a SUPERIOR machine which was programmed so well even changing hardware its software runs on didn't stop it from kicking everyone into the next day.
@@Ghostel3591 Wily, probably: It's not what i wanted! You're even worse than Bass who at least tried to make me happy by fighting the real deal instead of a _copy_ made by some waifu super genius! (sigh) Why did i even bother creating you?
@Howlabunga Not just that, but long before said point, his ultimate creation effectively divorced himself from and disowned his creator. He may have not gone around calling himself a hero, but he certainly put his faith in them. Even when active during conflict, he fought to see those conflicts resolved.
You are probably the *only* person on UA-cam thus far that I have seen, who has been able to completely and accurately incorporate every aspect of the Classic, X and Zero series lore/storyline *correctly.* and without any direct bias towards one view or the other. Intentional or not, my hat is off to you, and I am thankful your vids exist as they give me hope for the MM Series. As a big MM lore buff and one who has been watched many a lore vid on megaman, all 3 vids were a joy to watch and beat out all others. Period. Keep up the awesome work, can't wait for the rest of the MM series!
17:54 If they came from X's DNA it makes you wonder how the hell are Fefnir and Leviathan related to X in the way how they behave, specially Leviathan when it comes to encountering Zero.
@@marcosgalvis3498 I always saw Fefnir and Leviathan as representative of X's worst qualities such as his recklesness during his early days as a Maverick Hunter, and his impulsiveness which would drive him to make risky decisions such as facing Vile for the first time despite being ill-equiped for the battle. Both Fefnir and Leviathan show such traits during their respective confrontations with Zero, making a strong case for them having inherited them from X.
I think the Guardians wanting to throw hands with Zero that bad is because they're influanced by Mother Elf's awakening . Since the Mythos reploids starting being rejoiced in a rematch , I assumed they we're under heavier influance going completly mad . And considering these guardians are X's "children" they were less sussapteble to insanity and more eager to fight. And that's how we got the Armor Pheonmen that will never be bought up and explained again after Zero 2. At least, everything I said is what I interpreted it as
The Four Guardians were always able to transform into their Armed Phenomenon states. The Armed Phenomenon forms were meant to be included as the Guardians' second boss fights in Zero 1 (during the boss rush) but they were cut due to GBA limitations. That’s why there’s art of an official Phantom Armed Phenomenon form, because they were all made for Zero 1.
You say would a woman be willing to have a kid with him but remember that in Battle Network that universes version of Wiley not only has a biological son but an adopted one as well.
To be fair, Willy didn't go coocoo for Coco puffs until after Hikari (or this universes Light) does and seemed to have his head on his shoulders much longer, so he probably had his kid earlie in his life.
@@geistgrace6452 Who'd have thought the only thing keeping the world from a literal robot apocalypse was getting Light and Wily laid? (And getting Light to change his name to a more Japanese one.) Funny how the smartphone timeline is less apocalyptic compared to the sentient robot one.
The Zero series is my favorite in the Mega Man timeline! The story and lore is so cool and deep, and I even learned some new things from this video. And I’m glad Zero 4’s contribution to the plot is getting some love. Great video!
the story of the Mega Man universe is incredible, even growing up I could tell how ambitious it was. Some people think everything is interconnected, having Legends taking place after ZX Advent. If you ever do more of these videos I'm def watching! You earned a subscriber!
I absolutely GEEKED out over this video! it's nice to have someone fun review this series lore as it's my favorite game franchise of all time :D This is my introduction to you and I am super stoked for the ZX video in the future
Grate ZX next which makes me wonder which name you’ll use for the main character since there are 2 either way keep up the good work ZX and Legends are the last two of the main timeline (I’m pretty sure)
@@shygaifu3592 Sadly, there's a _lot_ of extra content/lore which does not appear anywhere within the games themselves ranging from japanese audiodramas, novelizations, mangas and even lore books published by Capcom, making it difficult to get a clear grasp of what the Zero saga is all about.
@@javiervasquez625 The audiodramas are supplementary, basically all you get out of them are Elpizo's backstory and more details about the Elf Wars/Zero's sealing. By no means is it difficult to get a "clear grasp" on what the Zero saga is about without them. It's about Zero once more defying his origins and arising as a defender of the helpless, even without his memories of doing so a century prior.
@@shygaifu3592 Forgot to mention a bunch of booklets, a short illustrative "journal" from an unseen character showing the aftermath of Ragnarok's destruction in Zero 4, and even the bloody _songs_ promoting the games which do contain some interesting lyrics which give away key details surrounding some of the characters's personalities. A lot of extra lore indeed.
Thank you for covering my favorite MegaMan games. Zero is my favorite he has such an interesting story and honestly even though I hate that he dies in the final game it was such a powerful story and probably remember it more because of it. To be real with the setup of 4 having a human and reploid fall for each other made me think they'd end it on a more happier note with ciel and zero leading a life of restoration together. But anyway that's probably too sweet of an ending, can't wait to see your video on the next MegaMan series. You always teach me stuff I didn't know about my favorite games
Copy X i think has a more child like mentality and i only say that because in Mega Man X Dive (which im sure is non canon) the Copy X you can play has the voice is that of a child. which feels like it could answer some of the questions as to why Copy X was the way he was. Idk i had this talk with my roommate about it before and he agreed with me on it.
It's pretty obvious. When Zero and Copy X first fought, Zero said Copy X was really weak. After defeating Copy X, Zero realized that it's because X isn't as naive as Copy X.
Copy X is like a 5 year old child that was put to play president for a whole country just because his dad was the best so far. And that's actually sad because all he wanted was to protect humans and be a hero like a kid would want after seeing what heroes does without thinking the actions of the villains and that's why I love the Zero games more the villains were a lot deeper than X games
Mega Man Zero has to have one of the best stories in video game history in my eyes. It all feels so complete. The mythological references are cool as heck, and its fitting that Zero dies stopping Ragnarok. As much as I wish he could have had a happy ending where he got to live the rest of his existence in peace with the humans he believed in, I understand the choice to end his story. Mega Man Zero's Zero is peak character growth.
This was such a freaking banger! As accurate as it can get! A huge fan of the Zero series, and you did it hella good justice! Hats off fam! You did that!
Fantastic work bro. I grew up playing these games and they were the absolute coolest. The amount of mystery they would be shrouded in, and my young self never reading or paying enough attention to the story to understand made it that much better haha. Looking forward to more videos from you!
Since you went over a fan work in this video I would recommend checking out Man on The Internet's lyrical covers of Cannonball from Zero 3 and Falling Down from Zero 4
One of my favorite things over the years has been to explain this lore to ppl in my life who are willing to listen/are into video games because its so gooooodd, glad I can now point them to this video! Great stuff
Man X and ZERO's stories are poetically ironic ZERO's story is about machine learning to become a man while X's story is about a man becoming a machine.
Nice opinion tho, but I still didn't get it personally because. I thought X's story is about machine becoming human, since, that what his creator made him to be. Unless you meant to say, ZX series when it comes to machine becoming human. I just needs some context from your opinion though
@@dudenamedzelda3179 Can't see how X becomes a machine, considering his story ends with him saving both Humans and Reploids from annahilation before founding a perfect utopia where everyone lives in perpetual happiness. Both X and Zero go through arcs where they learn to become human, leading to their respective fates where they choose self-sacrifice in order to save the world from impending doom.
We eating well again, I was looking forward to the Zero lore. Not gonna lie, considering how hope is a theme in the megaman series to some extent Zero is the soldier of hope, or at least as he said the one who believes in it. I still cry to this day😢
Love the way you go over the lore - the passion and enthusiasm can really be felt. The Zero series is really dark and intense, but amazing from start to finish. Looking forward to your next lore video on the ZX series! How about the Legends series?
Damn Bro... Your Mega Man videos were all absolutely brilliant and your style is really cool too. 🤜🤛 Btw... I needed over 60 attempts to beat Aztec Falcon last time (🙈). For me he's one of the toughest opponents in all the Mega Man games! 😅 Thx for your work, best regards and huge respect from the German king of nerds. ✌️🤓
I remember portraying how dark the Mega Man series is on a parabola with the Elf Wars right at the very top with the Mega Man Zero series just right ahead of it. I still think that's accurate Also, Copy X is really interesting because he's basically X without the long ass ethical testing stage, so it's like a glimpse into what X could've been without it. Or alternatively, he could be a glimpse into what X could've turned into had he let himself become fully numb to his Maverick hunting duties as the series was hinting at around that time.
What do you guys think ever happened to the New Generation Reploids like for example Axl and many more from Megaman X8? I know they were discontinued but the ending of X8 tells us they eventually were bought back years later. Like I know for a fact characters like Dr Weil, Copy X and well Neo Arcadia as a whole would have used them to their advantage. Like I fell like Axl is dead cause you know for a fact he wouldn’t let any of the stuff like the Elf Wars or Dr Weil slide. The only explanation I have is the 90% of all Reploids that were killed during the Elf Wars were the Copy Chip New Gen reploids. I can see Weil using Omega to kill as many as possible knowing the threat they could pose and you BET a good majority of them would join X during the war. Like Weil could have been dealing with New Generation Reploids who turned into characters like X, Zero , Vile, Dynamo or many other mavericks from the x games I wouldn’t be surprised if Weil had to deal with New Generation reploids who turned into Omega. Do you all think this is why from a in universe way we don’t see next gen reploids in the Zero Series? I mean granted the real answer is they probably still exist around the world and we just didn’t see them on screen but still
I have a feeling the Mythos Reploids _are_ New-Gens. Part of me wonders if that's the reason the 8 Judges can shapeshift into their combat modes: maybe they're mode-locked New-Gens, allowed only to go Kamen Rider monsters-of-the-week instead of Axl'ing it up in several new forms.
Well apparently the eight gentle judges were built by Weil himself. And it's suggested that they were the ones who got him to walk away scot free. So the people of Neo Arcadia committed vigilante justice by turning him into a cyborg and booting him out. Also Inarrabitta said that Weil game him their Armed phenomenon forms when he was brainwashing them. Foxtar is a dude BTW.
About that: the official materials I found don't say that the Eight were originally made by Weil. Maybe their executioner/punishment modes as the Weil Numbers, sure, but I don't think the books or interviews say they were originally his creations. Gah, I'd need to find out if that was true or a long-running urban myth...
@@aliastheabnormal Closest citation I can get is the novella mentioned in the video: Vile's Incident. But the phrasing in that one section is off, so I can't judge if the section is implying the Weil Numbers were originally built by Weil.
Legit was interesting finding ya, these megaman deep dives are incredible, followed megaman since the first one renting it from a laundry mat video game store. Thanks for doing the series such love! I can't wait to see how you cover NT, the entire series really was incredible.
Thank you so much for doing a video on my man zero. I loved this storyline, and this series was a big part of my childhood. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Me and my big bro were big Megaman X players when I was a kid and even though I had a GBA I never had the money to buy all the Zero games. But when I played them on the NDS the ending of 4 hit me like a truck, knowing that it was the whole end of X and Zero got me teary-eyed the original X games had some of the best moments I spent with my big bro. I always picked X and he always picked Zero. We both have the the model kits for X and Zero respectively. Thanks for bringing this memories back with both videos, it reminds me how much a love my brother even if we don't say it that much
X and Zero are actually Reploids, it’s just that they were created before the term was made. Reploids aren’t a type of robot, and are instead a denomination for robots that have sentience on the same level of humans. Just wanted to clarify that, great video! :)
Actually I think it’s both. The term reploid came about because they were replicas of x, so in a way any robot that was replicated from x was a reploid. As time went on, I think the term became just synonymous with a free-will robot, and since most people would not know that x and zero were the firsts, to them they just became reploids as well.
The whole thing about X stopped caring about the enemies he faces. After the end of the Maverick Wars and ESPECIALLY the Elf Wars, it took such a huge toll on X that he straight up finds himself killing mavericks without hesitation. A far cry from the X series where he tries to reason with the enemies he faces. Which goes to his line of "terminate with extreme prejudice" when it regards to Copy X. But instead of giving in and becoming a ruthless executioner, he decides to sacrifice himself and seal the Dark Elf in his body. Also this gives some credence to the original plan to make X the villain of this series. THIS GAME IS SOOOOOO GOOD!
Some corrections. X and Zero being reploids or not is something the fandom has gotten too hung up about trying to seperate them from reploids. Nothing in universe has said they’re not reploids other than localization if i recall. There also isn’t a source that the DEFINITION of reploid is being based on X. It’s always been how X was described by Dr Light in Maverick Hunter X If I recall from extra lore (and an offhand comment from an a dive stream) Weil was a part of the team working with Zero and his body to find a solution to the maverick virus once and for all. He had his own faction during the elf wars and unfortunately for him he both lost and was the figurehead taken as the sole blame leaving those in his faction as far as I can recall off Scott free. Shame humans are so spiteful and wanted Weil to suffer in immortality as they were the ones to make the final decision. Zero’s new body as claimed in the Xdive stream if I recall or maybe an xdive description but either way, it is claimed Weil created the body. Many seem to think the idea is nonsensical but it makes sense as if he was a part of the teams trying to find a solution he would try to replicate Zero’s body as it showed much different reactions to the maverick virus. This would be before the Project Elpis plan. Sometime later Weil would take the original body discarding the copy he made without any tampering so it is a proper working body with no drawbacks A thing for Ciel, she was initially considered a cyborg in the older drafts from what I recall but I don’t recall the source only having discussions in places about it. So her being a human now they gave her the genetically altered human backstory (fun fact her Japanese VA would end up playing another Genetically Altered human Lacus Clyne from Gundam SEED. Both would be known for singing too) due to the story change the sprites and possibly cutscenes couldn’t be changed so it’s very likely there’s more to the X villain story. I believe he was fragmented as who else would take Cyber Elf X’s place so now we have a villainous X because he’s missing the parts of himself that is now a Cyber Elf. The four guardians is uncertain if they have the same backstory in the original but I’m certain the original story had X being fragmented instead of just resting as a seal becoming a cyber elf. Something interesting is that Ragnarok was one of many similar satellites from the elf wars days supposedly. There’s many more Ragnaroks still floating out there. Weil was hit if I recall, his immortal body however was able to withstand the hit as seen with his shattered crystal head and mechanical eye in his final confrontation Something I don’t think was mentioned is that all human civilization is inside multiple different domed cities so the one Weil was in is destroyed but the rest still survive and alongside Area Zero will be the home for humanity as they rebuild the world There’s some nice art depicting the post Zero world featuring pantheons becoming teachers and caretakers and it feels like it perfectly encapsulates the post Zero world One last thing, the composer for the Zero series has a UA-cam channel and was posting the original masters of his tracks that would be then translated into the GBA tracks and the one for Falling Down is perfectly epic
Another great video! You have a great voice and personality for this kinda content, and you look like you really like it! If I can give some friendly critique, I'd like to see longer segments going through development, or perhaps a different series covering the development of these games in-depth. As it stands, I love the smaller segments you do as an intro to each game in the series where you dive into that game's development, and as an indie dev myself, I find this content really interesting - the challenges the devs faced and the decisions that were made to get to the product we get to experience as consumers and fans. I dunno, I just wish these were a bit longer, haha.
I didn't have the chance to finish meagman zero 4 back in the days. Makes me quite sad knowing what's up now... Nostalgia hits hard. Thanks for the awesome super savvy vid bud. A real fan over there!
As a long-time fan of Mega Man Zero, I'm glad to see a video this in-depth! 4:30 This section here really warms my heart! I also read (online translations of) the interviews included in the CD covers and booklets for the games' remastered soundtracks you brought up, and reading through Aizu, Tsuda, and the other creators' input on the story and lore makes me feel happy to know this was a passion project made by fans who really loved making a genuinely beautiful story built from their hearts. Speaking of, the online interview you mentioned also brings up that the story Mega Man Zero was based on the controversial 1997 Hakaider tokusatsu movie, and after binging it, I can see where Zero 1's plot points match up, beat-for-beat. But, it seems the writing for Zero is a _massive_ step up in quality, making the rebels/Resistance sympathetic, and feels _way_ more satisfying from beginning to end. Oh, right! Aztec Falcon's fight being tied to sacrifice is most likely intentional. It sounds like a stretch, but he's fighting you on top of what amounts to an inverted sacrificial altar: instead of putting a sacrifice on top of a dais/altar and taking their hearts, Aztec Falcon is driving the platform down to crush the "sacrifices". And since these "sacrifices" are warriors who oppose Neo Arcadia, it really ties his whole Huitzopchtli theme together in a grisly little package. (Also it's disturbing how when he was brought back as Harpuia's flying gryphon, he seems to have lost what little sentience he has. If you look closely at his head, and all other Mutos/Mythos Reploid heads, they have a pair of fake eyes up top, and real eyes around where their mouths/jawlines should be. Notice in Aztec Falcon's other artwork where Harpuia is riding him that this eye is missing...) By the way, I feel X saying "The hardest part was when I no longer cared about fighting enemies" was a mistranslation. Others claim what he said was "I no longer cared even for the enemies I fought". In a way, that makes X's command for you to terminate Copy X hit even *harder:* he's telling you to put down a version of himself who he feared becoming, an X who lost his compassionate heart even for Mavericks. ...I actually think the Resistance that Elpizo joined wasn't the same as Ciel's at first. We know from other games that the Resistance _isn't_ like FFVII's AVALANCHE, which is basically a rebel team with multiple chapters. They're not monolithic: they're just multiple resistances that Neo Arcadia can easily brand for destruction and mark as a persistent threat to keep the populace in line. Heck, the only reason Ciel's lasted this long is because Neo Arcadia's pro-human policies won't let them just go all Scorched Earth on her and her Resistance. -(That or Copy X is a momma's boy who wouldn't want to weigh his mom's death on his manchildish conscience.)- ...is it just me or does younger Elpizo/TK-31 remind me of D-16, in hindsight? Both were 'bots who loved the system and broke *bad* when the systems betrayed them, turning them into dangerous ideologues...
Man, I just gobbled these videos up! Superb content! One thing to impact on is the whole Eurasia crash. I remember me and my brother grinding the heck out of that whole deal in X5 and we were blown away by the amount of different outcomes that can result from that incident. If you do everything super fast you can destroy the entire colony completely with the Enigma cannon, but this was hard to do iirc. Most of the time parts of the colony would survive and crash into the Earth, but the planet would othewise remain intact. However, there was one outcome that was THE worst out of them all and it's the one that is canon for Megaman Zero! I remember this blew me away, because the colony crashing into the Earth has teeeeeeerrible terrible consequences for humanity and reploids, and in fanct, the enitre planet. They even show you (in X5) a map of the world with all the continents broken apart from the impact, with *BILLIONS* of people and reploids dead. It's a true apocalyptic scenario and the fact that they made it canon for the Zero series leaves quite an impression tbh. I LOOOOVE THESE GAMES! Can't wait for the ZX lore video!
Thank you for making this retrospective! If you were to release another retrospective for _Mega Man ZX_ and _Mega Man ZX: Advent_ , pick Aile and Ashe as the protagonists, mostly due to... obvious fanbase reasons.
Fafnir saying that delivering bombs isn’t his thing isn’t a contradiction. He obviously prefers to fight, so the carpet bombing was probably a necessity not what he wanted to do.
I like to think the reason everything looks different in this era is because a reploid accidentally stepped on someone's foot and crushed it. Or at least one big dude couldn't fit past the door frame. So they started slimming their designs to make them more streamlined and closer to human without worrying about the added weight. It's stupid, I know. But it's hilarious to me
@@TheBlackMastadonte I think that’s more just his style. He’s a big fan of kamen rider so he did it in the style of the chest plates they have in. Kuuga sort of same goes for the arm parts. I really like the style.
Bless you, brother. Mega Man was a fundamental series for me, seeing someone spend so much time and energy to pull it together is brilliant. Thank you.
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 the day has come where I continue my journey into the world of mega man. Thanks bro you’re content is in a league of its own. The solo leveling series was what brought me to your page 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Zero after losing Iris: "WHAT I AM FIGHTING FOR?!!" Zero after meeting Ciel: "THIS IS WHAT I AM FIGHTING FOR!!" Sorry for the lame joke 😅 I like how Allouette appears in the ZX series In my headcanon between the events of MMZ3 and MMZ4, Zero and Ciel got closer and were like the parents for the little reploid girl 😊
There’s some fanart that shows Zero and Ciel taking care of Allouette. Some fans definitely like to see that family dynamic even if Allouette considers Ciel her big sis
MMZ fans are eating good tonight. Edit: I just finished watching the video, and what you said at 1:19:37 makes me SO happy to hear. I'm so glad someone else recognizes the power of what Craft says and it's what I consider to be the definitive moment of the Zero series and one of my favorite moments in Mega Man, heck, video games as a whole. It really shows the existentialism and the realism that the Zero series brings. Amazing video, I can't wait for your coverage of the ZX lore!
Kraft is an understated character overall, and I can't help but feel he's the perfect Jetstream Sam to Zero's Raiden: a fallen hero who once was noble but fell hard. They're what our heroes could have been if they gave into their despair and succumbed to a defeatism that makes them dangerous. Also, they got the same chunky robo-thighs and stubble.
Neo Arcadia's reaction to not knowing about Ragnarok coming for them sounds like Japan's POV for the atomic bombs being dropped on them during WWII. Just another normal day, then in the blink of an eye, the cities and most of their inhabitants became nothing more than a memory.
Thanks so much for watching, fam. Be sure to like if you enjoyed it and comment who else you'd like to see me cover in Honest Gaming History
Edit: Cubit Foxstar is a guy, not a girl. My apologies for the mistake
Truly, a maddening dark lore video game to conclude this timeline. 😮
Been waiting eagerly for this banger my man, and I'm so glad you delivered! God bless ya and Jesus loves ya!
Hey just a heads-up Cubit's a man.
@@TheBlackMastadonte since you’re going into ZX later and potentially Gunvolt if I read a reply to another comment correctly. A person you could consult as a pretty reliable source for all things Inti (least their time with megaman and gunvolt from what I’ve seen dunno if they’ve researched gal gun or blaster master zero) is Sidier who does translations of any Inti source he can find from old websites of the Zero DS collection to audio dramas and whatever else even retranslated the game scripts to ensure any localization changes are noted (I recall a very infamous scene in LATE ZX Advent that was flubbed in the English release which makes a bit more sense in Japanese in how it makes things connect for… other things) so if it interests you try hitting em up to answer questions, from my experience they’re very forthcoming on that
Maybe after you cover the Mega Man series, you could cover the Metroid series or Batman Arkham series
Classic Mega Man lore: Your college friend wants revenge
Mega Man Zero lore: There's an energy crisis and the copy of the reploid who was supposed to bring humanity and robots together is executing its citizens to save on energy
@@587DeathKing ZX lore: Humans and reploids are still killing one another while a new crisis is taking place courtesy of events involving the aforementioned energy crisis from long ago.
Legends lore: Yet another energy crisis forces false humans/carbons to go on adventures exploring dangerous undergrounds ruins left by real humans for cryptically unknown reasons. Also, lonely human living on space station wants humans to go extinct so that the false humans/carbons may inherit the Earth.
Its always an energy crisis heck in in megaman legends there is still an energy crisis of sorts going on as diggers are always looking for energy crystalsand the mother lode @@javiervasquez625
@@javiervasquez625X lore: Sigma just won't die
@@kawaiipotetu4047 Also X lore: "Your Sigma, he's Sigma, I'M Sigma. Are there ANY OTHER Sigma's I should know about!?"
@@lukasruston8618Sigma in X6 onwards: Meow
I love how the changed the design so that Cyber Elf X looks like a mentor rather than keeping him looking like a warrior.
Yeah that was a nice touch
@@USMCRabbit I wouldn't say "mentor" but more like an angelic being who watches over Zero from behind his back (his "guardian angel").
Hologram X is no different than Hologram Dr. Light, like Father like Son
@@brandonwilliams6119 The difference is X is far more limited than his dad. Can't magically 3D-print on upgrades for Zero... but, considering Zero's body was what caused all the threats to the world, focusing instead on guiding his mind and spirit was a wiser choice.
@@TheBlackMastadonte he kinda looks like dr light with the cloak.
Grown man tearing up at MZ4 ending just like I did in my teens. Thanks for the vid. Magical.
Same man. That and Zero's intro from the first game. Massive nostalgia.
Same. Back then you wouldn't expect to tear up at the ending of a GBA game huh?
Zero 4 is the Sonic Adventure 2 of Megaman, change my mind, also Live and Learn could like a glove during the final Weil fights. Also Zero and Shadow dying to save humanity😭
His last speech is one of my favorites ever
Bro, I feel you dawwg! The lump in my neck tryna hold back, cause NOO!!!!!
The Mega Man timeline series RETURNS with the lore of Mega Man Zero!! Don't forget to give the video a like and share!
Will Have Mega Man Legends Lore Video?
Yes, hype. Thanks for continuing to release these deep dives into the Mega man lore. Like honestly without such videos, I don't think I would be able to fully comprehend the scope of the Mega man franchise. Thanks again @TheBlackMastadonte
Apparently the Elf wars are kinda like the War of 1999 from Castlevania. Something so epic that Ariga himself stated that no form of media could contain it.
The only crime was not playing Cannonball or Falling Down.
Awesome as usual, can’t wait for ZX
I personally think that the Four Guardians’s personalities are based off of X’s various armors in X5 and X6. That’s why they’re specialists in one form of combat rather than an all-rounder fighter like X. Harpuia is the Falcon Armor. Fefnir is the Gaea Armor. Leviathan is the Blade Armor. Phantom is the Shadow Armor.
Though you briefly touched on this, I want to expand on the politics of Megaman Zero. There’s so much to unpack here. Weil was able to maneuver his way into power because humans have discriminated against reploids for so long by this point in the timeline, blaming them for the Maverick and Elf Wars. Copy X doesn’t help with his genocide of the reploids. Zero calls the humans of Neo Arcadia complacent and even Ceil agrees that they don’t really think critically anymore. Weil takes full advantage of the fearful humans and systemic discrimination to seize power. But how could this happen? It’s partly because Copy X is fundamentally an exploitable, weak, and insecure leader, but it’s also because history keeps getting erased. Centuries of war have rendered the humans misinformed and under-informed about their own history, as demonstrated by multiple abandoned facilities in the Megaman universe, including the Sunken Library, which is the only place with detailed records on the Elf War. The humans are doomed to repeat the mistakes of their past because they’re uninformed (sound familiar?). If they were properly informed about the cause of the wars, they would have never allowed Weil to take over. It’s why Harpuia is the only one constantly protesting Weil’s return to Neo Arcadia. He understands the danger at hand because he knows his history. There’s also likely widespread intergenerational PTSD among the humans because of the Elf Wars. If you assume there were 8 billion humans across the planet before the Elf Wars, then that means about 4.8 billion humans died during the Elf Wars. Since the war lasted only 4 years, that means on average 3.3 MILLION humans died EVERYDAY for FOUR YEARS STRAIGHT. That’s an absolutely insane number. You can’t kill that many humans that quickly even with nukes…unless all of these human deaths were the result of Omega’s control over all reploids. Reploids were likely mass killing their human neighbors everyday, and 90% of them were wiped out in order to protect humanity. It’s not a far stretch to assume there were millions of reploids across the planet prior to the Elf Wars. Small wonder the humans were so willing to accept a harsh authoritarian system that discriminated against the minority if it meant their survival.
You can even use Megaman to discuss the philosophy of free will. While briefly covered in Megaman X8, the real crux of the matter is the existence of the Mother Elf. The way she works is that she remotely overwrites all reploids to effectively reset them and eliminate all Maverick activity. Her very existence INVALIDATES all concept of reploid free will. If someone can remotely wipe your personality and memories because they don’t the like the choices you make, then your choices don’t matter. You don’t have free will. This is why Weil was able to start the Elf Wars. He was practically handed the tools to do so by humans so determined to protect humanity by eliminating the Maverick Virus at all costs. It’s the classic security-freedom paradox.
There’s way more that can be discussed than what I’ve written here so far (like the role of the Maverick Virus and its relation to the nature of sentience and existential crises). The Zero series needs far more than just four games and some audio drama to flesh out its story. The potential for more story and writing is VAST because of these themes.
Mother elf wasn’t wiping out maverick behavior but undoing the effects of the maverick virus but had the ability to control reploids as seen with her time as Dark Elf. The maverick virus was discovered to be cyber elves essentially and Mother Elf’s job was to neutralize their effect on reploids. It’s not exactly a retcon as some people say as it seems cyber elves were based on the X5-X6 viruses in how they acted and how they affected Zero boosting his abilities (when they touch him), healing him (X6 presumably) and changing reality (Zero Space)
Absolutely amazing reading, brother! God bless ya and Jesus loves ya!
Yea I've always thought we needed more than just 4 games with so much going on in the world of the zero series. It's just way to much happening all at the same time, and don't get me started with the elf wars I've been saying we needed a game of it since 2009 😆
@@Xeno-The-Wanderer I find it ironic Mother Elf, basically an antivirus for the Maverick Virus, _became in a way a _*_new_*_ Maverick Virus,_ in the sense that she became malware that was used to turn Reploids against humans.
_And the worst part is she was fully aware of it and hated every waking moment she spent as Weil's weapon._
iii início 🎓 mas mas que a quantidade quantidade a quantidade mínima e os signos de entrada são muito muito no dia da primeira da imprensa no
I find it kind of nice that Zero did what he did. Considering that in Mega Man 11, Wily wanted robots to be heroes
Oooh that's true. Didn't even think of that
2 points of Interest that I think you overlooked:
1. Replicate Androids were never beholden to the laws of robotics, as they were designed with free will and sentience. That was what differentiated Robot Masters from Reploids.
2. The meaning of "Going Maverick" changed as the series progressed. Originally meaning defect, changing to criminal, and then being assigned to any and all reploids who resisted or disagreed with those in authority for any reason.
I get your first point, but were they really? From how some Mavericks came from defects in their brains, its obvious that Cain botched the creation of at least a few Reploids. I think they have a higher sense of independence than Robot Masters, but I don't believe all Reploids are born with free will. I do believe that they have the potential to get there as they experience more life and are able to form their own personality, similar to how Craft made his decision in MMZ4
@TheBlackMastadonte That is a fair assessment, and I do think you're correct, specifically regarding the Reploids Cain built.
Cain wasn't the only one making Reploids after a point, and while it's only a theory, I genuinely doubt anybody had standardized design laws or regulations regarding reploid or mechaniloid design. They very likely just built whatever was wanted/needed for a task with wildly varied degrees of willpower.
By the time we get to the Zero series, free will isn't a question, but a given. Reploids think, feel, make choices, and are considered a separate race. When this became the norm, however, is anyone's guess.
@@TheBlackMastadonte The answer is actually really clear cut. Every reploid has absolute free will, but can be built with a disposition and body tailored towards a certain purpose. The choice to deviate to something else is always there and they can take it at any time, but they choose not to because they're usually content with the life they are given....unless an outside factor changes their perspective, of course.
@@TheBlackMastadonte the term “Maverick” isn’t necessarily specific to reploids in the X series. Mechaniloids were most likely what the Maverick Hunters were fighting most of the time in the early days. Now for reploid mavericks pre-virus, if they had free will, one of them could then simply choose to break laws, which would make them a criminal and give them the label of “Maverick”. Vile is an example of this. He wasn’t infected with the virus. He just had a violent personality and willingly chose to join Sigma.
@@TheBlackMastadonteThe answer is fundamentally "we don't know."
And that we don't know is the theme of the entire X/Zero franchise, ESPECIALLY Command Mission.
Ciel: Makes a big oopsie and devotes the rest of her life to undo it at the age of 14. Simply THE number 1 character in all of Megaman.
@@asdasdasd54 Wily: Makes a bigger oopsie by letting his rivalry with Light set him on a path of screwing not just Humanity but the entire planet Earth by deliberately unleashing a virus responsible for the death of millions of humans and the very destruction of the whole world courtesy of the Eurasia Space Colony's crashing.
Lmao yup. I can cut her some slack though cause she was a kid. Unlike CAIN
@@TheBlackMastadonte I Have A Cheat For Z3 And Z4 That's More Beautiful Than Nude Ciel,It Removes Bosses' I-Frames,Letting You SHRED THEM INSTANTLY!
Ciel is like if Dr. Light built OG Megaman, didn't teach him morals, then was shocked that he was unaliving millions of people to achieve "justice." And then instead of reaching out to his creation to teach him better, Dr. Light goes and convinces Bass to unalive Megaman and sweep the whole thing under the rug. 🤔🤔
@@chimuoma390
That sounds very boring.
Something to mention about Reploids. The main difference between the robots in classic and Reploids in X and Zero is that following the laws of robotics becomes a choice, rather than a mandatory, pre-programmed law. The problem is that deciding to break those laws will brand you as maverick. That's why the dynamics and tensions between humans and reploids were so high strung, because reploids were at the same mental capacity and freedom as a human, yet they were still held back and regarded as lesser by obsolete laws.
Laws one and three are literally "Don't kill humans" and "Do what you have to to protect yourself, so long as it doesn't involve breaking the other laws."
@christopherbravo1813 pretty sure before sigma showed up most mavericks had only broken the 2nd law, obeying human orders.
And the first law isn't just about killing, it's do no harm and don't allow harm to happen through inaction
@@SparksterG40 Considering the shadowy and mysterious nature of Reploids as mass produced copies of X, it makes sense that the humans of 21XX would be hesitant to allow the first generation of Reploids to share the same level of agency and recognition as Humans have. Cain himself must have realized the danger of giving Reploids so much independence from their human creators at such an early point without thinking about the social ramifications it would cause among the human populace worldwide, hence why Reploids are treated as "lesser citizens" throughout the entire X saga.
@@christopherbravo1813 pretty sure rule 2 was the problem
Thing is there becomes a grey area where not following commands or just general wrongthink gets you labeled as a maverick as well
I've always found the Mega Man core series timeline fascinating. Seeing how the world changes from Mega Man to MMX, how that gets more dire from MMX to MMZ, how that changes further into the ZX duology (which ended on a cliffhanger AUGH!), and then, thousands of years later, Legends, where actual humans are all but extinct. It's tragic in a beautiful way, the domino effect that Light and Wily's rivalry has on the future long, long after they've passed.
Great video, dude!
Yeah its truly well done even though there are few holes in the plot.
Legends ending on a cliffhanger is probably the most painful because at least the rest of the series you can kind of figure out how they eventually meld into the next sequel series… but there’s nothing after Legends so it’s truly a cliffhanger 😢
The Megaman Zero series has probably my favorite story and premise of the entire Megaman franchise, so seeing the lore being explored is hella exciting! By the way, loving these videos, man! The amount of work you put into these is incredible!
Thanks so much! Honestly, I love making them. Going through this series has been a treat
Same it’s my favorite storyline in the mega man series so many cool concepts it could have gone even deeper
For those who are new to MegaMan Zero lore, buckle the fuck in.
There's a reason this one is called the darkest and most-depressing part of the main timeline (Besides Legends) for a reason...
"There's a reason for a reason".
@@NewZen41 Meh, i would argue ZX is even more depressing, what with the Maverick Wars continuing, the label of human and robot becoming more blurred than ever before to the point one wonders if there's some Blade Runner crap going on and Thomas's creepy dialogue at the end of ZX Advent implying he's been pulling some body horror stuff as part of his plan of achieving "equality" between humans and robots. At least Zero got a happy ever after by ending both Copy X and Weil, ending the persecution of Reploids for good, and reuniting with Iris and X in Cyberspace.
All the megaman mainline games are tragic in their own way.
@@knox7945 Classic Rockman and Battle Network aren't, as most storylines in these two sagas do end with a "...and they lived happily ever after." by the time the credits roll. It's only with the X saga onwards that Inafune got edgy and the stories started getting progressively depressing to the point of been borderline nihilistic (despite the Zero and Legends sagas confirming an Afterlife for both robots and humans respectively).
@javiervasquez625 Not really, if we're being honest. Yes, you have the Sage Trinity with two of its members with some notably dark schemes in the background, and Albert effectively setting up mass genocide to create orphans who would become his pawns (One of said pawns would then go on to copy him, causing the first heroes of ZX to be birthed).
This, however, isn't anywhere NEAR as tragic as humanity and machine life being damn near wiped from the planet alongside almost nowhere being hospitable for over 2 full centuries (Given that Zero takes place for 100 years after the Maverick Wars and another 100 after the Elf Wars) all because one man got petty over Reploids being "let off the hook" from (Mostly) outbreaks a virus caused them. You also mentioned how humans becoming Humanoids blurred the line as a negative (Well, objectively, yes, because it causes them to be turned into Cyber Elves in the first place 🤣) for the coexistence between humans and Reploids, but that was the point for them in the long run, even if all they really had to do was just stop making overly-powerful Reploids that could decimate humans at a moment's notice or just give them standard life spans with no other side effects.
ZX paints itself as tragic when it's basically just a lighter variation of what happened in the Zero series, but Zero is even moreso because unlike what Vent, Aile, Ashe, and Grey had to deal with, Zero and X NEVER lived in an era of peace until they were dead...and if the Biometal's lore is to be considered, they STILL don't get to relax versus 2 orphans who had parents and lived in an era of mostly peaceful prosperity until Weil decided to stir shit up as a rock. Lol
As Zero fell back to Earth as shooting stars along with the debris from Ragnarok, I often wonder what Wily would be thinking if he was looking up and watching him. Would he be malding that his greatest creation fought alongside and took up the legacy of his archenemy’s masterpiece, saving the world that he helped ruin? Or would he take some satisfaction in knowing that in the end, he had made a robot that surpassed Light’s?
I think it’s a little of both.
Considering the Virus Zero carried did exactly what it was intended to do (screw up any future Reploids), He was probably happy that he warped Lights legacy even if Zero was no longer a brainwashed subject. But you never know, one of the X-hunters in X2 was supposedly a reincarnation of Wily (may be headcannon) and he still helped to put Zero back together after his destruction and didn't really tinker with him.
@@brandontherabboat4850 For anyone wondering how would Wily react to Zero's unlimited potential, you only need look at "Isoc" and his exchange with his "boy" back in X6. The man was delighted to say the least and was more than eager to accept Zero's agency and desire to carve his own path in life as shown after Zero defeated Gate:
ua-cam.com/video/hpYhI4LEZKA/v-deo.html/?t=2m37s
Wily loved Zero as his own son.
@@brandontherabboat4850 For anyone wondering how would Wily react to Zero's unlimited potential and fate at the end of Zero 4, you only need look at "Isoc" and his exchange with his "boy" (as he calls him) back in X6. The man was delighted to say the least and was more than eager to accept Zero's agency and desire to carve his own path in life, as shown after Zero defeated Gate.
Wily loved Zero as his own son.
@@seawind930 Well, based on Zero's prologue cutscene in X4, it appears that by the time Zero's primary functions and mental capabilities had been finished, Wily had become solely obsessed with surpassing Light's work on X, no longer having any desire to rule the world as he came nearer to his natural death. The Megaman wiki says that "even when Wily neared his natural death, he still wanted to spread death and destruction" as an explanation for why he put the Maverick virus inside Zero's capsule, so it's anyone guess wether Wily was that much of a psycho to mess with humanity hundreds of years after his death. As for Serges (and by extension Isoc), it's always been a popular belief that he's a robotic "copy" of Wily created for the purpose of reviving Zero, so that he may fight X and (hopefully) come out the victor, allowing Wily to relish in the fact he finally created a robot more powerful than the one created by his rival. Inafune has always been so darn cryptic when it comes to Wily's plans for Zero, making it impossible to understand just what the heck is all the beef surrounding Serges and Isoc's appearance in the X saga.
Heh, "looking up"
I also always thought Elpizo was a less impactful villain but after your summary I’ve kinda turned around him! Great video!
Thanks fam
I JUST watched the Megaman X video and thought "I wish mastadonte would make a Megaman Zero video." Lo and behold a Megaman Zero timeline uploaded 4 hours ago. Perfect timing!
Ayeee. Glad I dropped when I did
Same! Kind of.
Found the X lore video and just binged it, then came immediately to this one before realizing it's very recent upload. Superb.
A slight correction about Ragnarok. They are lead to believe that the Einherjar's operations themselves were Ragnarok. The actual weapon isn't revealed until you beat them all
1:25:00 We love the yapping! This series has a really special place in my heart, and always will. Hearing all the details from the soundtracks blended into the timeline made my day. Awesome work!!!
Thanks so much, fam!!
As a fellow person who got introduced to Megaman by playing Zero 3, let me just say thank you for this video man. Made me feel like a kid again picking this up in Walmart. I didn’t realize the Zero series really had an effect on gamers back then, and for a time it felt like one of those series that was just underplayed and under appreciated. To this day that quote Omega Zero says in the final boss fight sits in my head.
Bloody hell, this is the reason why i love this series so much.
I thought i knew so much about the lore and such, but seeing how much deph there was to these games
The ragnorock worriers, the stuff from the audio dramas with the guardians.
And god, the ending will never not be incredible.
Im so glad I inti made this series, and continue to make their own amazing games in the form of gunvolt
I dunno Gunvolt (especially first two in series) felt like an attempt at capturing that spark but ended up as downgrade in several places:
- Pixel animation - ZXA had 3 death animations for EACH enemy - Regular, Buster Shot, Laser Blade. Not so much for Gunvolt and superattacks were like "screenwipe bomb" in a shoot'em up.
- Gameplay tempo - each fight in early Gunvolt titles was just "add 3 darts, keep dodging while deepfrying your enemy/boss and managing your battery" - it kinda removed any "Wait for an opening and counter attack!" - every fight was basically running on a "bullet hell" logic where attacking is just what you do all the time while main focus is dodging.
- Music - this was really strange as at first you get good techno vibe music, but If you combo well... You get Aria vocal songs aka JPOP songs... Most of which didn't fit levels at all or didn't feel like a triumphant celebration of a good combo - felt more like a sudden mood whiplash as they weren't even remotely based on level's regular OST - it was a complete change to other OST. It was like if you played Instrumental version of Devil Trigger in DMC5 but when you hit an S rank... It suddenly switches to vocal version if "Fly Me To The Moon" - both songs maybe good but switch is just jarring and ruins immersion.
They did get better eventually by the time they went into spinoff "What If?" series... But initial games felt like when they stopped working with Capcom on MM ZX - they also left half of their talent behind.
Favorite designs:
Z1:
Leviathan
Fefnir (Oversized guns are cool.)
Z2:
Phoenix Magnion
(Fight sucks, but those wings are majestic.)
Armed Phenomenon Leviathan (Manta Rays are cool.)
Z3:
Childre Inarabitta (Bias, I like rabbits. Rabbits are cute... and unassuming.)
Cubit Foxtrot (is a HE by the by, also very Renamon/Kitsune-basically a lot of people's furry awakening.)
Z4:
Craft (Big Guns WITH CHAINSAWS)
Noble Mandrago (She's cute, she's a bit of a scrimblo)
Fenri Lunaedge (I love my norse myth parallels)
Fire boss list
Imma about to commit Childre abuse
Capcom when making Mega Man Zero ads : okay you can peek the story but don't tell too much
The CM studio : [climax scene bombs]
Someone already mentioned it but Dr. Light built X free from the laws of robotics. It's the reason X needed to be tested for at least 30 years. X is completely free to chose for himself. As for Zero, he was supposedly, designed as the meanest thing on the planet and because he was so wild and rebellious, Dr.Wily used the Maverick virus to keep him on a leash. The reason for his personality shift is funnily most likely due to a programming error, specifically, an integer overflow. Because Zero was supposed to be set to maxiumum evil (ex: 255 is the max representable value for 8-bit) when Sigma punched his helmet's crystal and released the Maverick Virus, it infected Zero and added an extra value which triggered the integer overflow and set the value the value back to 0. This is also most likely why Zero gets stronger when infected by the Zero Virus in X5, as it is actively adding more values and changing either his output or his behavior.
Punching the head crystal didn’t unleash it as the virus was already leaking and infecting reploids. It’s how they found zero by tracing the incidents and finding the epicenter. I forget if it was fan theory or confirmed but sigma punching the crystal caused a process to halt keeping Zero at a midway point in something which is maverick and Awakened
@Xeno-The-Wanderer Zero is the original host of the Maverick Virus. You're right that his capsule was leaking the virus and they tracked the leak to where Zero was stored. Sigma definitely got infected after punching Zero's helmet's crystal. The punching of the crystal doing anything to Zero aside from knocking Zero out is a fan theory. As previously mentioned the Maverick Virus's effect on Zero was to control his behavior. Essentially the virus fixed Zero's cognitive flaws and made his mind clear enough to act in a normal manner.
@@Xeno-The-Wanderer If the virus was already infecting Reploids _before_ Zero was even awakened from his capsule, are we to assume Wily was already scheming something with the virus as Serges and Isoc? If the virus spreading across the planet was completely and utterly independent of Zero's existence within Wily's underground base, we must then assume that Wily had always planned to use the virus a hundred years later, possibly in an attempt to rule the world as an artifical intelligence himself. Man, i so wish Inafune had greenlit X9 before leaving Capcom...
@@Xeno-The-Wanderer If the virus was already spreading across the world _before_ Zero was even awakened from his capsule, are we to assume Wily was already scheming something as Serges and Isoc? If the virus was completely and utterly independent of Zero's existence within Wily's underground base, we must then assume that Wily had always planned to use it a hundred years later, possibly in an attempt to rule the world as an artifical intelligence himself. Man, i so wish Inafune had greenlit X9 before leaving Capcom...
@@javiervasquez625 the spread was more a kin to a gas leak. Wily made the virus and after a century the containment failed leading to a leak. I doubt it was intentional on his part
Goodness me, this video reminded me of why I love the Zero series so much. It's lore and storytelling are just on a completely different level compared to other series and I LOVE that. 10 outta 10 video.
Oh, and just for fun, since you said to mention our favorite boss designs I tend to have one or two for each game. They are-
Zero 1: Anubis Necromancess
Zero 2: Phoenix Magnion (Honorable mention to Panter Flauclaws, I completely understand why he's your favorite)
Zero 3: Deathtanz Mantisk
Zero 4: Fenri Lunaedge (Honorable mention to Heat Genblem, I just think he's neat)
Appreciate the love, fam. And loving that list.
The Weil final boss fight for me references not just "WHAT AM I FIGHTING FOR?!" in X4, but also Zero's last monologue in X8
Zero: "Anyway X, even if we Reploids are destined to join the scrap heap when that new evolutionary step does come about. We still have to fight. Not only against mavericks but against our own destiny as well"
Ohhh! Yeah you're right! And that mention of destiny also plays a huge role in the ZX series
@@TheBlackMastadonte oh damn. I never even thought that far. With the whole Game of Destiny, X and Zero still continue the fight as Model ZX.
@@grw18 Exactly! Crazy how many connections are in this series
The Zero series was by FAR my favorite. I love when people like you cover it in so much depth and emotion.
Thanks fam!!
You don't have a problem. I'm here for the long videos because it helps me get through work!
Appreciate that, fam
I know the odds of this being true are next to none, but I think the idea that the Mother Elf/Dark Elf was created from *Iris* adds yet another layer of tragedy to the whole thing.
Considering she was an antivirus for the Maverick Virus made from Zero's viral infections, unlikely.
...the thought she could've been based on Zero's *memories* of her is still a possibility.
It's my favorite Mega Man ludicrous headcanon
@@MrCat-zz5eo Considering that, to my knowledge, every other Cyber Elf was a deceased reploid, my headcanon is that the Mother Elf's creator combined Iris's DNA Soul with said viral infections in order to create her.
@@uandresbrito5685 Mine too XD
I adore these. It's a shame that Capcom just flat out ignores Megaman nowadays. The lore alone is sick af.
For real. Glad this is giving it a tiny resurgence
This. Capcom has no idea what to do with Megaman lore now, which is odd considering how much there is to explore. This franchise grew alongside others like Mario or Zelda, but Capcom's let it stagnate
@@TheBlackMastadonte There's always hope. I know there was a manga some time back called Rockman-san that was a pretty fun look into human-Robot Master relations, and there's a possibility Amazon's Secret Level Mega Man episode might bring public light back on our favorite sapient robots!
Also @DeMoraJS, sadly Capcom admitted they're more or less using him as Mickey Mouse now: don't use him for serious stuff that advances, just as a token mascot for our brand.
As a 13 year old at the time SNES's X1 hit our consoles, I will never lose the feeling that Zero's guitar riff evoked in my gamer heart. (Also, Storm Eagle's stage music)
I’m super surprised that Zero Vs Omega decisive battle wasn’t recommended for the Megaman zero 3 part. It really made the final battle look cool as hell and a awesome perspective.
And was a creative use of all the weapons, and gave us a chance to see X and Zero fight together as one!
...I still think that in that animation, the reason X could do that instead of expending his strength protecting the Resistance Base was because _Cyber-elf Elpizo_ was the one who came back and sacrificed himself to keep the base he used to command safe.
Dr. Wily: I created you to be the ultimate weapon, to destroy Megaman and anything made by Dr. Light and to rule the world after my passing! And THIS is how you repay me?
Zero, probably:
- Get your meds, oldman! I am Ultimate Weapon, I technically did destroy X and all his Legacy was cooked! I literally outlasted him and proved that you DID made a SUPERIOR machine which was programmed so well even changing hardware its software runs on didn't stop it from kicking everyone into the next day.
@@Ghostel3591 Wily, probably: It's not what i wanted! You're even worse than Bass who at least tried to make me happy by fighting the real deal instead of a _copy_ made by some waifu super genius! (sigh) Why did i even bother creating you?
Lmao yup. Huge middle finger to daddy Wily
@@TheBlackMastadonte don’t you hate it when something you made to subjugate the world becomes arguably its greatest hero?
@Howlabunga Not just that, but long before said point, his ultimate creation effectively divorced himself from and disowned his creator. He may have not gone around calling himself a hero, but he certainly put his faith in them.
Even when active during conflict, he fought to see those conflicts resolved.
You are probably the *only* person on UA-cam thus far that I have seen, who has been able to completely and accurately incorporate every aspect of the Classic, X and Zero series lore/storyline *correctly.* and without any direct bias towards one view or the other. Intentional or not, my hat is off to you, and I am thankful your vids exist as they give me hope for the MM Series. As a big MM lore buff and one who has been watched many a lore vid on megaman, all 3 vids were a joy to watch and beat out all others. Period. Keep up the awesome work, can't wait for the rest of the MM series!
17:54 If they came from X's DNA it makes you wonder how the hell are Fefnir and Leviathan related to X in the way how they behave, specially Leviathan when it comes to encountering Zero.
@@marcosgalvis3498 I always saw Fefnir and Leviathan as representative of X's worst qualities such as his recklesness during his early days as a Maverick Hunter, and his impulsiveness which would drive him to make risky decisions such as facing Vile for the first time despite being ill-equiped for the battle. Both Fefnir and Leviathan show such traits during their respective confrontations with Zero, making a strong case for them having inherited them from X.
I think the Guardians wanting to throw hands with Zero that bad is because they're influanced by Mother Elf's awakening . Since the Mythos reploids starting being rejoiced in a rematch , I assumed they we're under heavier influance going completly mad . And considering these guardians are X's "children" they were less sussapteble to insanity and more eager to fight. And that's how we got the Armor Pheonmen that will never be bought up and explained again after Zero 2. At least, everything I said is what I interpreted it as
The Four Guardians were always able to transform into their Armed Phenomenon states. The Armed Phenomenon forms were meant to be included as the Guardians' second boss fights in Zero 1 (during the boss rush) but they were cut due to GBA limitations. That’s why there’s art of an official Phantom Armed Phenomenon form, because they were all made for Zero 1.
You say would a woman be willing to have a kid with him but remember that in Battle Network that universes version of Wiley not only has a biological son but an adopted one as well.
To be fair, Willy didn't go coocoo for Coco puffs until after Hikari (or this universes Light) does and seemed to have his head on his shoulders much longer, so he probably had his kid earlie in his life.
@@geistgrace6452 Who'd have thought the only thing keeping the world from a literal robot apocalypse was getting Light and Wily laid?
(And getting Light to change his name to a more Japanese one.)
Funny how the smartphone timeline is less apocalyptic compared to the sentient robot one.
The Zero series is my favorite in the Mega Man timeline! The story and lore is so cool and deep, and I even learned some new things from this video. And I’m glad Zero 4’s contribution to the plot is getting some love. Great video!
Thanks fam!
the story of the Mega Man universe is incredible, even growing up I could tell how ambitious it was. Some people think everything is interconnected, having Legends taking place after ZX Advent. If you ever do more of these videos I'm def watching! You earned a subscriber!
I absolutely GEEKED out over this video! it's nice to have someone fun review this series lore as it's my favorite game franchise of all time :D
This is my introduction to you and I am super stoked for the ZX video in the future
Grate ZX next which makes me wonder which name you’ll use for the main character since there are 2 either way keep up the good work ZX and Legends are the last two of the main timeline (I’m pretty sure)
Planning on going into both
I loved ZX and AX, I think they were worthy successors
This is so exciting MegaMan zero has always been such a mystery to me
You're gonna be an expert after this video
You could just...play the games?
@@shygaifu3592 Sadly, there's a _lot_ of extra content/lore which does not appear anywhere within the games themselves ranging from japanese audiodramas, novelizations, mangas and even lore books published by Capcom, making it difficult to get a clear grasp of what the Zero saga is all about.
@@javiervasquez625 The audiodramas are supplementary, basically all you get out of them are Elpizo's backstory and more details about the Elf Wars/Zero's sealing. By no means is it difficult to get a "clear grasp" on what the Zero saga is about without them. It's about Zero once more defying his origins and arising as a defender of the helpless, even without his memories of doing so a century prior.
@@shygaifu3592 Forgot to mention a bunch of booklets, a short illustrative "journal" from an unseen character showing the aftermath of Ragnarok's destruction in Zero 4, and even the bloody _songs_ promoting the games which do contain some interesting lyrics which give away key details surrounding some of the characters's personalities. A lot of extra lore indeed.
Don’t worry bro, your long form videos are GOATED. I prefer long videos more, I can do stuff around the house and put the vid up on the TV. Love it.
Appreciate you
@ No problem big homie. I’ll be patiently waiting for the ZX video.
Got me through my data entries thanks!! Awesome vid!
Thanks for watching!!
Thank you for covering my favorite MegaMan games. Zero is my favorite he has such an interesting story and honestly even though I hate that he dies in the final game it was such a powerful story and probably remember it more because of it. To be real with the setup of 4 having a human and reploid fall for each other made me think they'd end it on a more happier note with ciel and zero leading a life of restoration together. But anyway that's probably too sweet of an ending, can't wait to see your video on the next MegaMan series. You always teach me stuff I didn't know about my favorite games
Copy X i think has a more child like mentality and i only say that because in Mega Man X Dive (which im sure is non canon) the Copy X you can play has the voice is that of a child. which feels like it could answer some of the questions as to why Copy X was the way he was. Idk i had this talk with my roommate about it before and he agreed with me on it.
Well he never went through the 30 years of testing X did. Meaning copy X maybe what Light was afraid of in the first place with X.
It's pretty obvious. When Zero and Copy X first fought, Zero said Copy X was really weak. After defeating Copy X, Zero realized that it's because X isn't as naive as Copy X.
Copy X is like a 5 year old child that was put to play president for a whole country just because his dad was the best so far. And that's actually sad because all he wanted was to protect humans and be a hero like a kid would want after seeing what heroes does without thinking the actions of the villains and that's why I love the Zero games more the villains were a lot deeper than X games
Mega Man Zero has to have one of the best stories in video game history in my eyes. It all feels so complete. The mythological references are cool as heck, and its fitting that Zero dies stopping Ragnarok. As much as I wish he could have had a happy ending where he got to live the rest of his existence in peace with the humans he believed in, I understand the choice to end his story. Mega Man Zero's Zero is peak character growth.
Completely agree. And while I also wish Zero got a happy ending where he rests, I think his death is a more fitting end to this tragic saga
This was such a freaking banger! As accurate as it can get! A huge fan of the Zero series, and you did it hella good justice! Hats off fam! You did that!
This just made my night. Thank you!
Fantastic work bro. I grew up playing these games and they were the absolute coolest. The amount of mystery they would be shrouded in, and my young self never reading or paying enough attention to the story to understand made it that much better haha. Looking forward to more videos from you!
Appreciate the love fam!
Since you went over a fan work in this video I would recommend checking out Man on The Internet's lyrical covers of Cannonball from Zero 3 and Falling Down from Zero 4
He did it! I have O-X tattooed on my shoulder because I was so happy when Omega came back in ZX
That's so dope
One of my favorite things over the years has been to explain this lore to ppl in my life who are willing to listen/are into video games because its so gooooodd, glad I can now point them to this video! Great stuff
Appreciate it, fam! It's fun to get into the lore.
Woooo!! Was waiting for this one. I still have belief Zero’s alive out there somewhere…repairing
Biometal Z from Mega Man ZX would beg to differ...
Have you ever watched Zero vs Omega from MavrickHunterX
Back in the Day? That was my Fav to watch everytime
So peak fr
@espelhodasconstelacoes yes
I just went back to it after this video lol, I probably rewatch it every couple of years. His recent remake of it is unbelievably good!
Man X and ZERO's stories are poetically ironic ZERO's story is about machine learning to become a man while X's story is about a man becoming a machine.
Nice opinion tho, but I still didn't get it personally because. I thought X's story is about machine becoming human, since, that what his creator made him to be. Unless you meant to say, ZX series when it comes to machine becoming human.
I just needs some context from your opinion though
@@dudenamedzelda3179 Can't see how X becomes a machine, considering his story ends with him saving both Humans and Reploids from annahilation before founding a perfect utopia where everyone lives in perpetual happiness. Both X and Zero go through arcs where they learn to become human, leading to their respective fates where they choose self-sacrifice in order to save the world from impending doom.
We eating well again, I was looking forward to the Zero lore. Not gonna lie, considering how hope is a theme in the megaman series to some extent Zero is the soldier of hope, or at least as he said the one who believes in it. I still cry to this day😢
Thanks for watching fam. And yeah this story is a tearjerker
Love the way you go over the lore - the passion and enthusiasm can really be felt. The Zero series is really dark and intense, but amazing from start to finish. Looking forward to your next lore video on the ZX series! How about the Legends series?
Damn Bro... Your Mega Man videos were all absolutely brilliant and your style is really cool too. 🤜🤛
Btw... I needed over 60 attempts to beat Aztec Falcon last time (🙈). For me he's one of the toughest opponents in all the Mega Man games! 😅
Thx for your work, best regards and huge respect from the German king of nerds. ✌️🤓
I remember portraying how dark the Mega Man series is on a parabola with the Elf Wars right at the very top with the Mega Man Zero series just right ahead of it. I still think that's accurate
Also, Copy X is really interesting because he's basically X without the long ass ethical testing stage, so it's like a glimpse into what X could've been without it. Or alternatively, he could be a glimpse into what X could've turned into had he let himself become fully numb to his Maverick hunting duties as the series was hinting at around that time.
That's an accurate portrayal. And wow, that's an interesting way to think of Copy X. I agree
What do you guys think ever happened to the New Generation Reploids like for example Axl and many more from Megaman X8? I know they were discontinued but the ending of X8 tells us they eventually were bought back years later.
Like I know for a fact characters like Dr Weil, Copy X and well Neo Arcadia as a whole would have used them to their advantage. Like I fell like Axl is dead cause you know for a fact he wouldn’t let any of the stuff like the Elf Wars or Dr Weil slide.
The only explanation I have is the 90% of all Reploids that were killed during the Elf Wars were the Copy Chip New Gen reploids. I can see Weil using Omega to kill as many as possible knowing the threat they could pose and you BET a good majority of them would join X during the war. Like Weil could have been dealing with New Generation Reploids who turned into characters like X, Zero , Vile, Dynamo or many other mavericks from the x games I wouldn’t be surprised if Weil had to deal with New Generation reploids who turned into Omega.
Do you all think this is why from a in universe way we don’t see next gen reploids in the Zero Series? I mean granted the real answer is they probably still exist around the world and we just didn’t see them on screen but still
New gens are likely to be (if they ever continue the story) finished off during the events of the X series
I have a feeling the Mythos Reploids _are_ New-Gens. Part of me wonders if that's the reason the 8 Judges can shapeshift into their combat modes: maybe they're mode-locked New-Gens, allowed only to go Kamen Rider monsters-of-the-week instead of Axl'ing it up in several new forms.
Well apparently the eight gentle judges were built by Weil himself. And it's suggested that they were the ones who got him to walk away scot free. So the people of Neo Arcadia committed vigilante justice by turning him into a cyborg and booting him out. Also Inarrabitta said that Weil game him their Armed phenomenon forms when he was brainwashing them. Foxtar is a dude BTW.
About that: the official materials I found don't say that the Eight were originally made by Weil. Maybe their executioner/punishment modes as the Weil Numbers, sure, but I don't think the books or interviews say they were originally his creations.
Gah, I'd need to find out if that was true or a long-running urban myth...
@@MrCat-zz5eo I heard that it came from a Japanese only media.
@@aliastheabnormal Closest citation I can get is the novella mentioned in the video: Vile's Incident.
But the phrasing in that one section is off, so I can't judge if the section is implying the Weil Numbers were originally built by Weil.
This is the best MM Zero breakdown I've seen. Fantastic video sir
Thanks, fam! Glad you enjoyed it
Legit was interesting finding ya, these megaman deep dives are incredible, followed megaman since the first one renting it from a laundry mat video game store. Thanks for doing the series such love! I can't wait to see how you cover NT, the entire series really was incredible.
Thanks so much! Yeah getting into Battle Network is gonna be crazy
Yessss! Thank you for making this so quick, definitely crying myself to sleep tonight 😤
Thanks for supporting!!
Thank you so much for doing a video on my man zero. I loved this storyline, and this series was a big part of my childhood. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I totally forgot Ciel was a human, got so used to the idea of she being a reploid that I never questioned her age at all 😅
Me neither until I saw the developer interviews lmao
Me and my big bro were big Megaman X players when I was a kid and even though I had a GBA I never had the money to buy all the Zero games.
But when I played them on the NDS the ending of 4 hit me like a truck, knowing that it was the whole end of X and Zero got me teary-eyed the original X games had some of the best moments I spent with my big bro. I always picked X and he always picked Zero. We both have the the model kits for X and Zero respectively.
Thanks for bringing this memories back with both videos, it reminds me how much a love my brother even if we don't say it that much
X and Zero are actually Reploids, it’s just that they were created before the term was made. Reploids aren’t a type of robot, and are instead a denomination for robots that have sentience on the same level of humans. Just wanted to clarify that, great video! :)
Actually I think it’s both. The term reploid came about because they were replicas of x, so in a way any robot that was replicated from x was a reploid. As time went on, I think the term became just synonymous with a free-will robot, and since most people would not know that x and zero were the firsts, to them they just became reploids as well.
The whole thing about X stopped caring about the enemies he faces.
After the end of the Maverick Wars and ESPECIALLY the Elf Wars, it took such a huge toll on X that he straight up finds himself killing mavericks without hesitation. A far cry from the X series where he tries to reason with the enemies he faces. Which goes to his line of "terminate with extreme prejudice" when it regards to Copy X.
But instead of giving in and becoming a ruthless executioner, he decides to sacrifice himself and seal the Dark Elf in his body.
Also this gives some credence to the original plan to make X the villain of this series. THIS GAME IS SOOOOOO GOOD!
So, in conclusion, Wily was cooking when he made Zero.
Pretty much
one of the BEST megaman channels on the plataform, lover the lore dump and as always a job well done!
I haven’t finished the vid yet but I wanted to comment THE MMZ COMMERCIALS ARE AMAZING! I wish they made the game into an anime
FACTS! Same here
Amazing stuff yet again! You're helping me connect with childhood games I loved back then but at an even higher level. Keep going!
Some corrections. X and Zero being reploids or not is something the fandom has gotten too hung up about trying to seperate them from reploids. Nothing in universe has said they’re not reploids other than localization if i recall. There also isn’t a source that the DEFINITION of reploid is being based on X. It’s always been how X was described by Dr Light in Maverick Hunter X
If I recall from extra lore (and an offhand comment from an a dive stream) Weil was a part of the team working with Zero and his body to find a solution to the maverick virus once and for all. He had his own faction during the elf wars and unfortunately for him he both lost and was the figurehead taken as the sole blame leaving those in his faction as far as I can recall off Scott free. Shame humans are so spiteful and wanted Weil to suffer in immortality as they were the ones to make the final decision. Zero’s new body as claimed in the Xdive stream if I recall or maybe an xdive description but either way, it is claimed Weil created the body. Many seem to think the idea is nonsensical but it makes sense as if he was a part of the teams trying to find a solution he would try to replicate Zero’s body as it showed much different reactions to the maverick virus. This would be before the Project Elpis plan. Sometime later Weil would take the original body discarding the copy he made without any tampering so it is a proper working body with no drawbacks
A thing for Ciel, she was initially considered a cyborg in the older drafts from what I recall but I don’t recall the source only having discussions in places about it. So her being a human now they gave her the genetically altered human backstory (fun fact her Japanese VA would end up playing another Genetically Altered human Lacus Clyne from Gundam SEED. Both would be known for singing too) due to the story change the sprites and possibly cutscenes couldn’t be changed so it’s very likely there’s more to the X villain story. I believe he was fragmented as who else would take Cyber Elf X’s place so now we have a villainous X because he’s missing the parts of himself that is now a Cyber Elf. The four guardians is uncertain if they have the same backstory in the original but I’m certain the original story had X being fragmented instead of just resting as a seal becoming a cyber elf.
Something interesting is that Ragnarok was one of many similar satellites from the elf wars days supposedly. There’s many more Ragnaroks still floating out there.
Weil was hit if I recall, his immortal body however was able to withstand the hit as seen with his shattered crystal head and mechanical eye in his final confrontation
Something I don’t think was mentioned is that all human civilization is inside multiple different domed cities so the one Weil was in is destroyed but the rest still survive and alongside Area Zero will be the home for humanity as they rebuild the world
There’s some nice art depicting the post Zero world featuring pantheons becoming teachers and caretakers and it feels like it perfectly encapsulates the post Zero world
One last thing, the composer for the Zero series has a UA-cam channel and was posting the original masters of his tracks that would be then translated into the GBA tracks and the one for Falling Down is perfectly epic
Another great video! You have a great voice and personality for this kinda content, and you look like you really like it! If I can give some friendly critique, I'd like to see longer segments going through development, or perhaps a different series covering the development of these games in-depth. As it stands, I love the smaller segments you do as an intro to each game in the series where you dive into that game's development, and as an indie dev myself, I find this content really interesting - the challenges the devs faced and the decisions that were made to get to the product we get to experience as consumers and fans. I dunno, I just wish these were a bit longer, haha.
Awesome, Can't wait for it man!
Thanks, man! And thank you so much for allowing me to use your footage!
@TheBlackMastadonte No problem, man! Anytime!
I didn't have the chance to finish meagman zero 4 back in the days. Makes me quite sad knowing what's up now... Nostalgia hits hard. Thanks for the awesome super savvy vid bud. A real fan over there!
10:36 Mayyyyyyybe before he became a mad scientist he most likely had a partner. Though I didn't make Weil his descendant.
That's true
As a long-time fan of Mega Man Zero, I'm glad to see a video this in-depth!
4:30 This section here really warms my heart! I also read (online translations of) the interviews included in the CD covers and booklets for the games' remastered soundtracks you brought up, and reading through Aizu, Tsuda, and the other creators' input on the story and lore makes me feel happy to know this was a passion project made by fans who really loved making a genuinely beautiful story built from their hearts.
Speaking of, the online interview you mentioned also brings up that the story Mega Man Zero was based on the controversial 1997 Hakaider tokusatsu movie, and after binging it, I can see where Zero 1's plot points match up, beat-for-beat. But, it seems the writing for Zero is a _massive_ step up in quality, making the rebels/Resistance sympathetic, and feels _way_ more satisfying from beginning to end.
Oh, right! Aztec Falcon's fight being tied to sacrifice is most likely intentional. It sounds like a stretch, but he's fighting you on top of what amounts to an inverted sacrificial altar: instead of putting a sacrifice on top of a dais/altar and taking their hearts, Aztec Falcon is driving the platform down to crush the "sacrifices". And since these "sacrifices" are warriors who oppose Neo Arcadia, it really ties his whole Huitzopchtli theme together in a grisly little package.
(Also it's disturbing how when he was brought back as Harpuia's flying gryphon, he seems to have lost what little sentience he has. If you look closely at his head, and all other Mutos/Mythos Reploid heads, they have a pair of fake eyes up top, and real eyes around where their mouths/jawlines should be. Notice in Aztec Falcon's other artwork where Harpuia is riding him that this eye is missing...)
By the way, I feel X saying "The hardest part was when I no longer cared about fighting enemies" was a mistranslation. Others claim what he said was "I no longer cared even for the enemies I fought".
In a way, that makes X's command for you to terminate Copy X hit even *harder:* he's telling you to put down a version of himself who he feared becoming, an X who lost his compassionate heart even for Mavericks.
...I actually think the Resistance that Elpizo joined wasn't the same as Ciel's at first. We know from other games that the Resistance _isn't_ like FFVII's AVALANCHE, which is basically a rebel team with multiple chapters. They're not monolithic: they're just multiple resistances that Neo Arcadia can easily brand for destruction and mark as a persistent threat to keep the populace in line. Heck, the only reason Ciel's lasted this long is because Neo Arcadia's pro-human policies won't let them just go all Scorched Earth on her and her Resistance.
-(That or Copy X is a momma's boy who wouldn't want to weigh his mom's death on his manchildish conscience.)-
...is it just me or does younger Elpizo/TK-31 remind me of D-16, in hindsight?
Both were 'bots who loved the system and broke *bad* when the systems betrayed them, turning them into dangerous ideologues...
Ive been looking forward to this one since i came across your mega man x video, your videos are fantastic
Thanks so much, fam. Hope this one was worth the wait
Man, I just gobbled these videos up! Superb content!
One thing to impact on is the whole Eurasia crash. I remember me and my brother grinding the heck out of that whole deal in X5 and we were blown away by the amount of different outcomes that can result from that incident. If you do everything super fast you can destroy the entire colony completely with the Enigma cannon, but this was hard to do iirc. Most of the time parts of the colony would survive and crash into the Earth, but the planet would othewise remain intact. However, there was one outcome that was THE worst out of them all and it's the one that is canon for Megaman Zero! I remember this blew me away, because the colony crashing into the Earth has teeeeeeerrible terrible consequences for humanity and reploids, and in fanct, the enitre planet. They even show you (in X5) a map of the world with all the continents broken apart from the impact, with *BILLIONS* of people and reploids dead. It's a true apocalyptic scenario and the fact that they made it canon for the Zero series leaves quite an impression tbh.
I LOOOOVE THESE GAMES!
Can't wait for the ZX lore video!
This is storytelling!
All of the megaman zero series were absolute fire they didn't miss on a single one of them.
Thank you for making this retrospective!
If you were to release another retrospective for _Mega Man ZX_ and _Mega Man ZX: Advent_ , pick Aile and Ashe as the protagonists, mostly due to... obvious fanbase reasons.
Fafnir saying that delivering bombs isn’t his thing isn’t a contradiction. He obviously prefers to fight, so the carpet bombing was probably a necessity not what he wanted to do.
In short...
"Tch. Death from Above ain't my style... But if it makes my job easier..."
Another awesome video man. Well done.
Thanks so much
18:28 I was one of those kids who was hesitant at getting Mega Man Zero because I hated the possibility of X being the antagonist.
I like to think the reason everything looks different in this era is because a reploid accidentally stepped on someone's foot and crushed it. Or at least one big dude couldn't fit past the door frame. So they started slimming their designs to make them more streamlined and closer to human without worrying about the added weight.
It's stupid, I know. But it's hilarious to me
That's actually pretty funny lol. I know the team made them more human cause this is all supposed to lead to Legends
Or Apple got involved and started slimming the blockier designs down for consumer reploids.
@@TheBlackMastadonte I think that’s more just his style. He’s a big fan of kamen rider so he did it in the style of the chest plates they have in. Kuuga sort of same goes for the arm parts. I really like the style.
Bless you, brother. Mega Man was a fundamental series for me, seeing someone spend so much time and energy to pull it together is brilliant. Thank you.
Thanks so much, fam
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 the day has come where I continue my journey into the world of mega man. Thanks bro you’re content is in a league of its own. The solo leveling series was what brought me to your page 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Awesome video, definitely subscribing for that lore breakdown of the ZX series. Love the lore of X, Zero and the ZX series.
Zero after losing Iris: "WHAT I AM FIGHTING FOR?!!"
Zero after meeting Ciel: "THIS IS WHAT I AM FIGHTING FOR!!"
Sorry for the lame joke 😅
I like how Allouette appears in the ZX series
In my headcanon between the events of MMZ3 and MMZ4, Zero and Ciel got closer and were like the parents for the little reploid girl 😊
Honestly I can see that. She always treated him like a big bro
There’s some fanart that shows Zero and Ciel taking care of Allouette. Some fans definitely like to see that family dynamic even if Allouette considers Ciel her big sis
MMZ fans are eating good tonight.
Edit: I just finished watching the video, and what you said at 1:19:37 makes me SO happy to hear. I'm so glad someone else recognizes the power of what Craft says and it's what I consider to be the definitive moment of the Zero series and one of my favorite moments in Mega Man, heck, video games as a whole. It really shows the existentialism and the realism that the Zero series brings. Amazing video, I can't wait for your coverage of the ZX lore!
Hell yeah
Kraft is an understated character overall, and I can't help but feel he's the perfect Jetstream Sam to Zero's Raiden: a fallen hero who once was noble but fell hard. They're what our heroes could have been if they gave into their despair and succumbed to a defeatism that makes them dangerous.
Also, they got the same chunky robo-thighs and stubble.
And dude thanks for ur hard work it's been really great and enjoy every minute
Thanks for watching!
My dude, that video made me feel good. Felt like having an active conversation with myself! Loved that series altogether.
Here's an awesome Thanksgiving gift 🎁 from the longtime HGH narrator, *_The Black Mastadonte_* 👏🏻😎🇵🇷
Hell yeah. The timing couldn't be more perfect
@@TheBlackMastadonteWill Have Mega Man Legends Lore Video?
Now that i actually read and pay attention to the movies i watch, i have a whole new respect for the Prison Battleship series
Will you ever cover the lore of Mega Man ZX, Legends Battle Network ETC?
Plan on covering those after this one.
@@TheBlackMastadonteAwesome! 😊
Neo Arcadia's reaction to not knowing about Ragnarok coming for them sounds like Japan's POV for the atomic bombs being dropped on them during WWII. Just another normal day, then in the blink of an eye, the cities and most of their inhabitants became nothing more than a memory.
Awesome, I just finished the x series video. Zero series is my favorite!
Then I think you'll really enjoy this one
Found you via the previous two videos and have very much enjoyed each one, including this one. It has even gotten me to play through these game again.
Aye! Glad you going through them again