Sage Harpuia

Sage Harpuia, known in the Japanese version as Kenshou Harpuia (「賢将」ハルピュイア), or simply Harpuia, is a member of the Four Guardians of Neo Arcadia in the Mega Man Zero series. He was created from Mega Man X's DNA data for the purpose of aiding humans resettling the Earth after the destruction of the Maverick and Elf Wars. His schematics are based off X's capabilities of aerial combat by wind and thunder. Harpuia became a military general of Neo Arcadia, commanding the Strong Air Battalion (烈空軍団 Rekkū Gundan, literally "Army of the Fierce Sky"), Neo Arcadia's military air force. Harpuia wields two swords, named Sonic Blades (ソニックブレード Sonikku Burēdo). Though Harpuia for the most part serves as a major antagonist, he's not a villain, and serves as one of two tritagonists. He served as the secondary antagonist in Mega Man Zero, the main antagonist for the first half of Mega Man Zero 2 (later an anti-hero), and the foremost supporting character in Mega Man Zero 3.

In the Mega Man ZX series, he makes an appearance as Biometal Model H.

Design
Like his siblings, his armor is based on that of his biological data origin, X, with thematic alterations. Harpuia's armor is colored green, symbolizing his alignment with wind and lightning, and his design appears to be derived both from the Harpies, wind spirits from Ancient Greek mythology with bodies of eagles and the heads of women, and the Valkyries, female spirits from Norse mythology who led the souls of deceased heroes to Valhalla. Harpuia's name itself is the Ancient Greek word for Harpy. Harpuia more closely resembles a Valkyrie in his Reploid form. His helmet is mounted with wing-like extensions that bear resemblance to a Valkyrie's helmet, and powerful wing-like thrusters are mounted on his back, which he uses for flying at high speed. He wields two identical energy-based swords, which presumably represent talons, and has the ability to summon whirlwinds and lightning bolts, marking his elemental parallel with the Harpies and the Valkyries respectively. Using his energy blades and supersonic speed, Harpuia can create destructive Sonic Booms across a wide area.

In his Armed Phenomenon form, Harpuia's armor expands to become a fighter jet aircraft in the shape of an eagle. Harpuia's head appears at the helm, giving the impression of a human-headed bird, bearing a great resemblance to a Harpy.

Personality
Originally, Harpuia was a stubborn and loyal follower of X and later his duplicate Copy X. He was proud to serve such a heroic leader and fulfilled any task given to him with absolute obedience and without any hesitation. However, things began to change when he suffered his first defeat in decades at the hands of Zero. His pride fell down to Earth and he slowly began to realize that battles couldn't be won if one didn't have the will to truly do so. In the Ciel's Memory drama tracks, he also was shown to have a slight rivalry with Fighting Fefnir, especially when the latter implied that another loss like with Zero will result in his demotion after Harpuia rebuked him of complaining about fighting the Resistance directly instead of sending Pantheons to do the job due to it being a direct order from Copy X.

Harpuia matured during the course of the story, becoming more and more like the real X in terms of character and determination, sharing the same opinion that humans and Reploids in fact can live in peaceful coexistence, but will still destroy every Reploid who tries to threaten humanity.

The first instance of his true nature is at the beginning of Mega Man Zero 2, when Zero collapses after endlessly fighting Neo Arcadian forces for a year following the defeat of Copy X. As soon as he collapses, Harpuia arrives, riding on the griffin form of the revived Aztec Falcon. He could have easily destroyed the unconscious and heavily weakened Zero and yet brought him to the newly created Resistance Base without causing hostilities. This hints at a sense of fairness and that he is learning that the Resistance and Zero are not so different from him. The only other Guardian who seems to realize this is the deceased Phantom, who only attacked Zero in Cyberspace to test his worth as a being, having learned the truth of the legendary hero.

He shows contempt towards the Resistance, even if his character had evolved by then, as he seemed disgusted at the idea that they rescued him from Omega and repaired him, if only because it would've been a blow to his pride as they were still enemies considering their sides.

History
The Four Guardians work around the world to clean the pollution caused by the Maverick Wars, as well as the Elf Wars. At some point, Harpuia, along with his three siblings, became military generals of Neo Arcadia, responsible for the overall safely of Neo Arcadian inhabitants, both humans and Reploids. Harpuia, given his unrivaled superiority in the sky, was appointed to become the leader of the Strong Air Battalion, Neo Arcadia's air forces. It is only when the Resistance becomes active that all four are called back to Neo Arcadia by Copy X.

Mega Man Zero
Zero first encounters Harpuia as the boss of the "Rescue Colbor" mission. He fires energy waves from his twin blades and attacks mostly from above, and also manipulates wind and electricity. He is vulnerable to Ice elemental attacks. Zero fights against the Four Guardians again in Area X, the last stage of the game, but they are defeated by him and one of them (Phantom) dies. Copy X orders them to retreat and fights against Zero alone.

Mega Man Zero 2
After Copy X's death, Harpuia becomes the leader of Neo Arcadia. He doesn't reveal the fate of Copy X, as the citizens would erupt in a panic if they found out that their "savior" is dead. He finds Zero unconscious in a desert and decides to take him to the new Resistance Base. While he wasn't spotted, Hirondelle claims that he saw green wind blow in the sky for a moment.

After Elpizo's Operation Righteous Strike, Harpuia sends a ship that carries a bomb meant to destroy the Resistance Base, but Zero stops the ship. When Zero goes to the Crystal Cave looking for Elpizo, he finds the wreckage of the ship, but Elpizo escapes with an IFF Beacon, as part of his quest to find the Dark Elf. Before Zero can go after Elpizo, Harpuia appears and the two do battle. Later, Zero fights him again, in the last temple before Yggdrasil (the last stage of the game), and Elpizo uses the Baby Elves to activate Harpuia's Armed Phenomenon form, forcing him to fight Zero against his will. Harpuia tells Zero to kill him and stop Elpizo. Zero does not kill Harpuia and fails to stop Elpizo from destroying X's body, which was being used to seal away the Dark Elf. Harpuia continues as the leader of Neo Arcadia until two months later when the space ship Forbidden Ark arrives, and on it, Omega.

Mega Man Zero 3
Harpuia appears in the first stage right outside the Derelict Spacecraft, where he warns Zero to stay away. After Zero and Omega first do battle, he reappears to challenge the massive Reploid himself. However, the revived Copy X appears and says that Omega and Dr. Weil are now two additional allies, and Harpuia has to stand down. After returning, he implored on Fefnir and Leviathan's condition (they were severely injured from their attack on Omega earlier), but he learned that the medical support and maintenance teams were prevented from working on them due to Dr. Weil's orders piling up, much to Harpuia's irritation. In addition, only three subordinates, including one human, were actually able to work on Fefnir and Leviathan, but they lost consciousness after the transfer was complete and thus put into critical condition. Harpuia also conversed with the Eight Gentle Judges, who were behaving violently. Harpuia learned the reason for their erratic behavior in the same conversation: Weil had made various changes to the Eight Gentle Judges. Harpuia tries to warn Copy X about Weil (Harpuia didn't, with good reason, trust him), but Weil appears to say that the Dark Elf was found in Area Z-3079, a human residential district. Harpuia offered to go and procure the Dark Elf with Fefnir and Leviathan after he speeds up their recovery (presumably due to his distrust of Weil, anticipating that he'll most likely intend to do something drastic in regards to capturing it), but Copy X not only denied the request, but also disbanded the Four Guardians. Citing their failures in both halting the Resistance as well as allowing the Dark Elf to escape, Copy X disbanded them and made Weil the commander of Neo Arcadia's military. Later, after the city was destroyed with a missile to take the Dark Elf, Harpuia tries to fight Omega, expressing anger at Weil's decision to launch the missile at Z-3079 as well as Weil labeling it justice. The fight is short and one-sided, as Harpuia is unable to damage Omega thanks to Omega absorbing the Dark Elf. Omega retaliates with his new power and soundly defeats Harpuia. Harpuia is injured and Zero rescues him, taking him to the Resistance Base. After recovering, Harpuia leaves the base, viewing himself as a Neo Arcadian, even though he realizes that he is at best "used goods" due to being stripped of his authority and driven out to his disgust.

Harpuia appears at the end of the game with Fefnir, Leviathan and the original X, where they help Zero finally defeat Omega. Omega and Zero fall to the ground, both exhausted. The Dark Elf appears and hovers over Omega, seemingly protecting him. Zero stands again to face Omega. Weil protests and asks if he feels any attachment to his original body. Zero dashes forward and destroys Omega once and for all. The Dark Elf protects him from the explosion with her body, but Harpuia, Fefnir, and Leviathan are destroyed. They share one final conversation while pummeling Omega, vowing to protect humans even if it is at the cost of their lives.

Harpuia has his own mini-game in Mega Man Zero 3 in which he rides Aztec Falcon, a boss in the first game and seen with him on it in the second one.

Mega Man Zero 4
Harpuia made no appearance in Mega Man Zero 4 and wasn't mentioned either. However, prior to the Japanese release of the game, a web blog entry of the developers stated that X, along with the Four Guardians, assisted humans outside Neo Arcadia in escaping Dr. Weil.

However, with the release of Mega Man Zero Official Complete Works, the blog was retconned as the remaining three of the Four Guardians were stated to have died in the explosion of Omega at the end of Mega Man Zero 3. Artwork featured in "Vile's Incident", an information booklet included in "Remastered Tracks Rockman Zero Physis", showed Harpuia, along with his siblings and the original X, witnessing the fall of Ragnarok, all of them wearing ceremonial coats like X (implying that their Cyber-elves had learned to project themselves into the real world).

On the other hand, Q & A corner in R20+5 Rockman & Rockman X Official Complete Works, it is suggested that they are living from Omega's explosion and fighting for humans outside of Neo Arcadia’s surveillance.

Mega Man ZX series


Harpuia has a cameo appearance as a toy in the background of the giant crane game in Area H-3.

Harpuia also appears as Biometal Model H. Before the events of Mega Man ZX, Ciel discovered Model W, a piece of Ragnarok infused with Dr. Weil's soul that has the power to corrupt machines and humans alike. To combat this threat, Ciel made six Biometals. One of these was Biometal Model H, infused with the spirit, wisdom, and power of Harpuia. Vent/Aile where able to use this Model by Double Megamerging with Model X. It further gave evidence it was Harpuia by stating it fought for humans centuries ago.

In Mega Man ZX Advent, Model H is stolen and used by Aeolus. Model Z suggests that Model H is working with him against his will, as Model H was made to fight Model W, and Aeolus was trying to awaken it. However, Aeolus does share many of Harpuia's notable personality traits, such as his dedication to perfection, as well as Harpuia's determination and pride.

Power and abilities
Harpuia is a Reploid with terraforming capabilities used to aid restore the Earth. He must combine with a giant Mechaniloid to employ his full power, but even on his own he is able to manipulate a weather orbit, allowing him to control the weather over a limited area. He is also an extremely powerful opponent, who is versed in a variety of battle skills. His main ability is his dual-wielding swordsmanship with his Sonic Blades, which he supplements with masterful wind and lightning manipulation and a high speed, nimble flight ability. These skills make Harpuia a difficult opponent due to his high-speed and the use of multiple attacks styles. However, he can become an easy boss with his weakness. If the player can stun him in mid-air, and land a charged ice slash after he does the 3-slash combo, he will repeat the triple slash every time he is hit with ice, unless the player takes too long to attack. This strategy is less reliable in Mega Man Zero 2.


 * Sonic Boom (ソニックブーム) - Harpuia dashes upward and releases a combo of three crescent shaped slashes towards opponent (only one in the air variation)
 * Plasma Bit (プラズマビット) - Levitates in the middle and start firing off several homing projectiles.
 * Izuna Drop (イズナドロップ) - Falls across the screens as to capture opponent to brings him upward and smashes it to the ground.
 * Triple Slash (三連斬り Sanren Giri) - Harpuia lands and launches three energy waves from his sabers. In Mega Man Zero 2 he will also launch a Sonic Boom.
 * Thunder Strike (サンダーストライク) (Mega Man Zero 2) - Harpuia focuses his power to make a thunder fall on Zero's position.
 * Mirage Dash(ミラージュダッシュ) and Rising Blade (ライジングブレード) (Mega Man Zero 2) - Harpuia dashes at high speed to attack with a rising slash.
 * EX Skill (Mega Man Zero): Thunder Prison (サンダープリズン) - Harpuia charges up and creates a cyclone that pushes his opponent towards the thunder storms created on both sides of the screen.
 * EX Skill (Mega Man Zero 2): Super Sonic Boom (スーパーソニックブーム) - Harpuia launches a large Sonic Boom.

Armed Phenomenon
When Harpuia activates his Armed Phenomenon, his body transforms into a giant green and white plane modeled after a harpy, with giant wings and two claw-like feet. In this form, he attacks with powerful dash attacks, as well as generating chains made of lightning energy and generating tornado with his two thrusters located within his wings. He is also able to fire several missiles from his body.


 * Air Assault (エアーアサルト) - Harpuia charges at Zero.
 * Air Rush (エアラッシュ) - Harpuia flies off screen and charges at Zero from the background.
 * Missile (ミサイル) - Harpuia fires a series of missiles at Zero.
 * Thunder Wiper (サンダーワイパー) - Harpuia generates two wrecking ball-like projectiles that swing in a pattern whilst moving slowly towards Zero
 * Tornado Capture (トルネードキャプチャー) - Harpuia summons a tornado from his thrusters that try and push Zero off the edge of the stage.
 * EX Skill: Magnetic Typhoon (マグネットタイフーン) - Harpuia releases a wind sphere that pulls debris and then launches them.

Gallery
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Trivia

 * Harpuia bears a resemblance to Tornado Man, a Robot Master from Mega Man 9: both have green-colored armor with wing-shaped extensions on their helmets. Also, both have the ability to fly during battle and use wind-based attacks.
 * Harpuia's gender was originally a topic of debate, his design being more visually androgynous compared to the other generals. It wasn't until sometime later he was confirmed to in fact be male.
 * Harpuia being repaired at the Resistance Base and fleeing is similar to when Bass was repaired at Dr. Light's Lab and trashing the lab in Mega Man 7.
 * During the battle against Zero and Harpuia forced in his Armed Phenomenon form caused by the Baby Elves, whenever he starts to releases his rocket he will say "stop". This due to the current situation after hearing Elpizo's plan which is destroying X's body to break the seal off of the Dark Elf, he did not want to fight Zero but instead to just protect his master.
 * Harpuia appears to have shown somewhat "masochistic" traits. It's implied in Mega Man Zero 2, when Zero defeats him at the Crystal Caves, Harpuia mentions that he enjoys the pain, making him feel "alive", and that Zero is worthy, and then teleports out.
 * Megumi Ogata, Harpuia's voice actress, also did the "Hadoken" voice clip for X when he uses the aforementioned move in the first Mega Man X game.