Double

"...Hee hee hee. Ha ha ha ha ha ha! The Mavericks, Hunters and Repliforce... Idiots, all of them. They're making my job too easy!"

- Double

Double (ダブル) was a supporting character, as well as a secondary antagonist for X in Mega Man X4. At first appearing to be a simple rookie Maverick Hunter, it is later revealed that he was a spy working for Sigma all along.

Appearance
In his first form, Double is a short and tubby Reploid. His face is pudgy and his body shape is almost entirely spherical, giving him an unintimidating and goofy appearance. His armor is yellow and brown, and his helmet has a mouth guard that somewhat resembles that of an American football helmet. He possesses a belt around his waist with several red capsules attached.

However, his true form is much more menacing. His body expands, making him much more tall and lean, and revealing most of his armor is translucent and full of what appears to be a pink fluid or gel. His feet, shoulders, and helmet gain large spikes and horns. His eyes also become red with green outlines, and his face turns into a slender sneer. His arms also possess generators that can create purple beam knives.

Personality
Double is initially presented as a bumbling but earnest member of the Maverick Hunters, eager to politely serve as X's aide. However, this is part of his ploy as a double agent working for Sigma. His true nature is shown to be sadistic, violent, and chaotic, somewhat like that of Vile. When he finally gets to show X his true nature he ridicules him for his naivety, showing a spiteful and hateful persona. In spite of this, he is shown to have some degree of patience and discipline, as he was able to maintain his cover within the Hunters for as long as he did. He is also shown to be loyal to Sigma to a degree, as he was willing to pose as a spy within the Hunters until Sigma called on him.

Mega Man X4
Double first appears to assist X as his operator after the Sky Lagoon incident and the subsequent beginning of Repliforce's coup d'etat. He introduces himself as a rookie and X finds him somewhat endearing. He can normally be seen waiting on the Stage Select Screen in X's story.

After X begins infiltrating the Final Weapon, Sigma contacts Double and finally gives him the order to let loose on the Maverick Hunters. Double gleefully transforms and slaughters several of the 17th Unit before assuring X over communication that everything is normal. He then travels to the Final Weapon, where he confronts X in his disguise again before transforming for battle. X is shocked but is forced to defeat Double. X is emotionally shaken by this betrayal of his trust, and Double explodes after indignantly challenging X to meet him in the afterlife.

Powers and abilities
Double's body is made of a fluid metal that allows him to change his shape alongside his different personalities: a fat, bumbling but friendly teenage-like Reploid and a tall, well-built, red-eyed, brutal Maverick. His voice tone also changes slightly. When transformed, he possesses incredible agility and uses plasma cutters to perform fast thrusting hits.

Double's weakness is, ironically, the Double Cyclone. However, using Double Cyclone on him will cause small blobs of his body to break off and attack. Unlike nearly every other boss in Mega Man history, using his weakness against him will actually make the battle harder, as the already small room can become clustered by drones and offers little space to maneuver, unless the player uses it slowly.


 * Body Blow - Double jumps up to the ceiling and then slash down towards X, usually near the center of the room, and immediately makes a second slightly-diagonal dash at the closest wall. Double often uses this move.
 * Light Projectile - Double throws a large spinning energy disc at X. He throws them in sets of two after losing half of his life energy.
 * Wave Projectile - After losing half of his energy, Double releases a glowing orb from his abdomen that changes into a large crescent-shaped projectile. He releases two projectiles, one high and one low.
 * Separated Attack Cutter - When hit by Double Cyclone, small blobs will come out from his body and become either a spinning bladed disc that bounce around the room or a bat-like flying drone that can shoot energy beams downward.

Other appearances

 * Double has a short cameo appearance in the opening scene of Mega Man X5.
 * Double is fought alongside Iris in the X Challenge mode from Mega Man X Legacy Collection.
 * Double appeared as an unit card in TEPPEN.

Dialogues
(Hunter H.Q..)

X: ...Who are you?

Double: Call me Double, the rookie hunter. My liege, the Repliforce has begun it's coup!

X: ... Wait! ... Colonel, you're jumping to conclusions here!

Double: Sir, you've been given the order to scramble!

X: Right. I'm leaving right now! (After defeating 4 Mavericks.)

Double: Sir, it's a message from the Colonel!

Colonel: X, I'll wait for you at Memorial Hall. Make sure you show up on time!

Double: Sir, this must be a trap!

X: ...Perhaps. But I won't run this time! (Hunter H.Q..)

Double: The Repliforce has begun assembling!

X: Where are they?

Double: The space port! They plan to take off into space!

X: Hurry! We have to stop the Colonel! (Hunter H.Q..)

Double: Repliforce has flown off into space...

X: Double, watch the ship for me. I'll go after them!

Double: Sir! Reconsider what you're doing, it's far too dangerous!

X: We don't have any other option! I'm leaving you in charge here, Double!

(Cutscene: Maverick Hunter Hangar Bay.)

(A crashing sound is heard.)

Double: Oh, not again!

Hunter: Hey, watch it!

Double: I'm terribly sorry...

(Something beeps from within Double, and he presses on a panel on his chest. A mysterious voice is then heard.)

Mysterious Voice (Sigma): It's me! Those hunters must not be allowed in here! Terminate them!!

Double: Roger... (turns back to the Hunters)

Hunter: What a freak!

(The Hunters begin to laugh at Double until they see him glowing.)

Hunter: Hey, Double, what's the matter?

(Double transforms, revealing his true form, and then begins killing the other Reploids. One rushes over to the communication computer and issues a distress call to X.)

Hunter: This is the Maverick Hunters 17th unit! Commander X, please respond!

(Double sneaks up on the Hunter and kills him. The Hunter drops the receiver just as X's voice is heard.)

X: This is X! What happened?! Report!

Double: Nothing to worry about...

X: No further transmissions unless necessary to carry out the operation!

Double: Understood...

X: I'm breaking contact.

(X ends the communication and Double drops the receiver.)

Double: ...And now, X will be my next target! Hee hee hee hee! (Pre-battle: Final Weapon)

X: Double! What... Why are you here!?

Double: ...Hee hee hee. Ha ha ha ha ha ha! The Mavericks, Hunters and Repliforce... Idiots, all of them. They're making my job too easy!

X: ...W... What are you talking about? Double, what are you saying?!

Double: Think it over in heaven! Die, X! X: Double!

Double: ...Damn! ...How could I lose to a weakling like you...

X: Double, tell me! Why did you do this?

Double: Hee hee hee. Ha ha ha! You're so naive, X! I was sent as a spy from the very beginning to keep an eye on you!

X: ...Double! I... I trusted you!

Double: Ha ha ha ha! That naiveness may be your fatal flaw! Good bye, X! See you in the after life!

X: Double!!

In-battle lines for Double

 * "I'm so anxious to rip you apart!" (Pre-battle line)


 * "I'm gonna recycle you!" (Pre-battle line)


 * "Ha ha ha... You're gonna get hurt, X!" (Pre-battle line)


 * "Evil Slash!" (body blow)


 * "Destroy!" (spinning energy disk)


 * "HRRRRR... Here!" (giant energy wave)

Rockman X4
Double appeared in the Rockman X4 manga. Like the game, he is a spy sent by Sigma to keep an eye on the Maverick Hunters and pretends to be a fan of X. He also interacted with Zero a few times. In the manga, Double was directly responsible for framing Repliforce for the attack on the city by the rampaging Mechaniloid Eregion by placing Repliforce equipment at the scene, next to Eregion's corpse after his defeat.

Double is later seen with a squad of Maverick Hunters at the scene of the disaster who are investigating the wreckage for more evidence. Amid the rubble, even more equipment from the Repliforce is found, further implicating them in the incident. Double then walks up to Zero with a box of mechanical wreckage of Repliforce equipment and happily says that with all the evidence at the scene, Repliforce will be considered guilty. Zero then angrily slaps the box out of Double's arms, but apologizes afterward for losing his temper.

After X infiltrated an old laboratory and managed to incapacitate Split Mushroom without destroying him, Double appears in his combat form and stabs Split Mushroom, following by quickly slicing him into tiny pieces while mocking X. Later, Double watches from afar as General kills Frost Walrus in the middle of his rematch with X as punishment for Walrus's misconduct, and muses whether there is anyone in the world who shows grief and respect for his opponents like X does.

After X and General fight in the Final Weapon, Double confronts X, reveals his treachery and is promptly defeated by him with the power of the Ultimate Armor. X then blasts the orb that fell out of Double's body to make sure he wouldn't regenerate.

Archie Comics
Double was one of numerous Mavericks duplicated by Sigma-1 using the power of the Genesis Portals to form an army to battle Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man's team of allies. However, he and his fellow Mavericks were then attacked by the arriving Street Fighters, with Guile giving Double a taste of his Sonic Boom technique (Sonic not being particularly impressed by the ability's name) and finishing him with a Dragon Suplex.

Trivia

 * The English Mega Man X4 manual states that Double was Dr. Cain's latest creation, being a prototype that had not been fully refined.
 * During Double's attack where he does three leaps, trying to hit the player with his blade with the last two, he yells out "Evil Slash." However, it is called "Devil Slash" (Debirusurasshu) in the original Japanese version, meaning it was possibly changed in the English version due to censorship.
 * In his short form, Double ends his sentences with "deshi" (デシ) in the Japanese version.
 * Although Double says to X that "the Mavericks, Hunters and Repliforce" were all idiots who made his job easier (which made it sound as though he wasn't actually loyal to Sigma and considering betraying him in the future), this is a mistranslation of the original text, and is supposed to read "the Maverick Hunters and Repliforce".
 * Double's sword-arm and an evil grin upon showing his true nature is similar to that of another double agent/traitor that served with X and Zero later on.
 * Double's goo-like composition and shapeshifting abilities strongly resemble that of the Devil series of bosses from the classic Mega Man series, although no direct link has ever been made between the two.