Vile



"I'll show you how strong I am!"

- Vile

Vile, or VAVA (ヴァヴァ) in the Japanese version, is a character of the Mega Man X series. He used to be a Maverick Hunter prior to the first X game and was ranked S-A Class in Sigma's 17th Elite Unit prior to his commander's rebellion against humanity. He appeared in multiple games of the series as a boss character and was playable for the first time in Maverick Hunter X, a remake of the first Mega Man X for the PlayStation Portable.

Personality
Vile is a very arrogant, violent and rude character who has a very unstable and enraged mind. Though he used to be a member of the Maverick Hunters, he had a habit of not accepting orders from anyone except himself, which often resulted in fierce arguments with his commander and partially to his own arrest and labeling of being a Maverick.

Because of an irreparable short circuit in his electronic brain, Vile developed a strange passion for hunting down Mavericks and totally annihilating them, while causing as much damage as possible on the territory. This also includes innocent bystanders and comrades alike. This passion is also what may have led to his own arrest and labeling of being a Maverick.

In all incarnations of the character, Vile holds a deep grudge against X and looks down on him for the fact that despite X having a lower rank than him, he received more attention. He is also a traitor of both the Maverick Hunters and of the Mavericks.

The Day of Sigma
Shortly before Sigma declared war on humanity, Vile was arrested by the Hunters for unknown reasons, however Zero claimed that he "must have caused a ruckus again". It is presumable that he again disobeyed orders from superior officers and/or threatened the safety of comrades and bystanders while hunting Mavericks. During the chaotic search for the perpetrator who hacked the Hunters' database (which was actually Sigma himself) and the defense of Abel City from another berserk Mechaniloid, Vile was freed by his former commander who requested his assistance in defeating X, saying that he needed a Reploid that could go Maverick on his own accord. Eventually, Sigma left Vile alone, freed of his chains and open to his arsenal, so he could decide whether or not to join his rebellion.

Mega Man X / Maverick Hunter X
In the original Mega Man X, Vile's character hadn't been expanded on yet. He was pictured as nothing more than Sigma's loyal soldier and bodyguard who led his attack teams against the humans. Vile first appeared in the intro stage, using a powerful Ride Armor that X found impossible to damage. X was eventually caught by Vile's stun beam, and had to be rescued by Zero. When X and Zero later attacked Sigma's fortress, Vile rushed to stop them. While Zero chased after him, X was left behind for a moment. During this time, Vile had jumped aboard his new Ride Armor, had imprisoned Zero in a cage and used him to blackmail X to surrender. X fought him however, up to a point until he was again caught by Vile's stun net. In order to save his friend, Zero mobilized all of his power to break free and destroyed the Ride Armor by overloading his Z-Buster. Vile was then destroyed in a one-to-one battle by X.

In Maverick Hunter X, Vile's persona was greatly expanded as a rogue character with a strong hatred for X and a desire for destruction. Though he joined Sigma's rebellion and helped attack the Central Highway on board Storm Eagle's Death Rogumer, he hardly followed any orders and did what he did best; causing havoc and fighting X. At first it seemed X was able to defeat him, but was captured between the iron fingers of Vile's Ride Armor, stating that he'll destroy him and eventually defeat Sigma as well to change the world. X was then rescued by Zero and Vile retreated. He then showed up in Sigma's fortress, having already defeated Zero like in the original game and laid him in a hallway as a bait for X, whom he captured (Though it was implied via dialogue on Vile's part that he was considering letting X go, though only because he thinks that him destroying X would be part of Sigma's plan and he doesn't like following orders.). However, he had underestimated Zero who was able to stand up and destroy the Ride Armor, as in the original Mega Man X. After a long battle, he was destroyed by X.

However, in Maverick Hunter X's Vile Mode, an unlockable bonus mode, he took a different path. Instead of joining Sigma's rebellion, Vile decided to prove to Sigma that he was better and more powerful than X. After fighting X on the Central Highway, he decided to battle against Sigma's followers to gain more power and reputation. Though all of the eight main Mavericks were rather friendly to him (and offered him to leave), he destroyed all of them and absorbed their powers in order to create new weapons. Ultimately, he infiltrated Sigma's fortress and fought his way through it until he was cornered by X and Zero. Both of them battled him at the same time, yet were defeated by him.

After defeating both of them, Vile admitted that X, whom he hated more than no one else, had grown stronger, but was still a wimp to the very end and never had the power to change the world. He was then attacked by a weakened Zero, who grounded him before he was hit by X's charged shot. When he awakened, he was accompanied by Sigma. Heavily damaged, he asked what was so important about X. Yet, instead of answering however, Sigma asked Vile why he did all this and whether he wanted to stand before him as a Maverick Hunter or kneeling before him at his mercy. Upon this question, Vile wasn't unable to comply and started laughing, stating that he wasn't actually sure about it. He was then left by Sigma (though not before radioing some of his men to "retrieve Vile"). As he walked away, Vile stated that by fighting X, he proved the right of his existence, that HE is Vile. When he tried to hold Sigma from leaving however, his functions ceased and he was left frozen in his desperate position.

Mega Man Xtreme
Vile made a small appearance in the opening stage of the game. Said level is a digitized version of the Central Highway stage from the original Mega Man X. He serves as the boss of this stage and is again seen riding his Ride Armor. However, this version of Vile is not the actual one but merely a data record of the character that had been stored in the archives of the Maverick Hunters' Mother Computer, and as such can be damaged. In this game, he is erroneously referred to as "VAVA", which is actually his original Japanese name. He was destroyed/deleted by X.

Mega Man X3
What was left of Vile after his destruction at the hands of X in the first game was salvaged from a Reploid scientist named Dr. Doppler, who was infected with the Sigma Virus and controlled by Sigma himself. Doppler created a new body for him and upgraded his weapons to be more powerful. However, the influence of the Sigma Virus around him turned him insane and the only thing he could think of was to get revenge on X who had previously killed him. Instead of assisting Doppler in creating a new body for Sigma, he left Doppler's lab on his own accord. He lured X into an abandoned factory which was set up to self-destruct and tried to hinder X from escaping by fighting him in his new Ride Armor.

In case X didn't use the Ray Splasher or Spinning Blade, Vile's weaknesses, on him, he would flee the scene. He would then reappear at Doppler's lab as one of the final bosses, riding an upgraded version of his Goliath Ride Armor. Eventually, he was destroyed by X, but not before swearing to haunt X until the day he died.

Power: 9200 rp

Speed: 7200 rp

Mega Man X8
X, Axl, and Zero are sent on a mission near the Jakob Tower to investigate a unique crab-like Mechaniloid. They manage to defeat it, but are then interrupted by a hail of missiles from Vile, who has apparently been resurrected from his earlier defeat in Mega Man X3. Vile has kidnapped the Jakob Space Elevator project leader, Lumine, for unknown reasons and it becomes the Maverick Hunters' mission to rescue him. Oddly, while Axl was dazed when he heard his name (which is understandable, since he didn't really know him, or even his existence, until now) Zero and X weren't completely shocked to see him alive (as X was with Vile MKII in X3), calling him a 'wanted' criminal as if he's been revived for quite a while. He appears as a miniboss sometimes in certain rooms in stages, rather than doing the 'puzzle' of that room (this can be very useful in hard mode, especially in Gravity Antonion's spiked block room). He also appears as the boss of the Jakob Elevator, but isn't destroyed. Rather, he teleports away.

In the final level, Sigma Palace, Vile reappears as a mini-boss, this time in his trademark Ride Armor. He has to be knocked off it with a Guard Break before being fought as before, preferably with his weakness, the Drift Diamond/Hyouryuushou/Ice Gatling. On Easy or Normal mode, Vile explodes upon victory, but on Hard, he comes back and attacks the reserve character, forcing the current character to go through the rest of the stage alone until the two are rejoined during the Sigma fight. His ultimate fate is unknown, but it is implied that the other character destroyed him.

Arsenal
Vile uses a great variety of weapons hidden inside his body, but his most significant weapon is his trademark shoulder cannon, the Front Runner.

In the Maverick Hunter X remake, Vile is able to acquire 45 different weapons. These are divided into three main categories (Arm Weapons, Shoulder Weapons, and Leg Weapons), and then each are again divided into nine weapon systems, ranging from vulcans and napalms to rocket punches and flamethrowers. His standard weapons are his Front Runner, the Cherry Blast Vulcan, and the Bumpity Boom napalm.

Cameo appearances

 * Vile makes two short appearances in the opening of Mega Man X5, first as Vile MK-2 fighting X, and later the original with the Ride Armor fighting against Zero.
 * Vile makes a small cameo appearance in Mega Man Zero 2 as one of the four "haunting spirits" that attacks Zero if he is grabbed by Phoenix Magnion.
 * There is a poster of Vile in Higsby's shop in the first MegaMan Battle Network game. (Ironically, Lee Tockar voices Higsby and Vile in the Ruby Spears Cartoon)

Mega Man X

 * "You worthless piece of scrap metal! Did you think you could defeat me?"
 * "X! Do what I tell you, or he's history!"
 * "Dream on, Zero! X KNOWS he cannot defeat me! My armored carrier is MORE than a match for his ancient weapons!"
 * "HA! What a worthless gesture! I can't be defeated so easily!"
 * "So, X... It's just you and me, now!"
 * "WHAT?? Where did all that power come from?? I really doesn't matter HOW much power you absorb, X. You are still far too weak! Prepare to be terminated!"

Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X

 * "Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'M the one that's gonna change the world!"
 * "Hmm... Incite rebellion... split up the hunter's forces... That's the way to get to X!"
 * "But Sigma, I may be the wild card you hadn't counted on!"
 * "I'll show you how strong I am!"
 * "I'm ready to give it a shot!"
 * "No! IMPOSSIBLE!!!"
 * "'Rebellion'? I don't know what you're talking about! 'I'm just here to cause trouble for you. I HATE you!"
 * "You underestimate me. I HATE that about you! X, there's nothing you can do! I'll defeat you AND Sigma! Then, I'll change the world!"
 * "Zero! Why would someone as powerful as you align yourself with X? He's just a B-Class Hunter! Nothing more!"
 * "X... HAHAHAHAHA. How do you like being Sigma's puppet?"
 * "'Rebellion'? I couldn't care less! I just hate YOU, that's all."
 * "Now, let's see which of us is TRULY the better Reploid!"
 * "Sigma was wrong! You're not the Reploid with the power to chance the world! I am! Me! Vile! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
 * "Zero! If you're going to take that B-Class Hunter's side, then I'll destroy you, too!"
 * "X, X, X! WHY does everyone LIKE that guy!? Whatever. When the time comes, they'll all know the truth!"
 * "Sigma! I have my own way of handling things. You just sit back and enjoy the show."
 * "You'll find out who REALLY has the potential you talk about!"
 * "Hunter? I've never ONCE entertained such thoughts!"
 * "Same thing I always do... Crush any ONE or any THING that gets on my bad side!"
 * "I could ask you the same thing. What are you accomplishing by acting as Sigma's cheerleader?"
 * "ANY plan involving X is wrong! I'll put a stop to it!"
 * "HAHAHAHA... All you do is follow orders! You think you can take ME on?"
 * "Hey, don't pity me! You don't know anything ABOUT me!"
 * "I'll tell you one thing, I DON'T like working for others."
 * "I don't care if a pitiful fool like YOU likes me or NOT!"
 * "If you think so, then you must know... 'You KNOW which Reploid can usher in the future for us!"
 * "But WHAT!? Do you ACTUALLY believe X is the one!? No way!"
 * "Then in that case, GET outta my way and let me pass!"
 * "If you say so. I won't let you OR Sigma stand in my way!"
 * "I guess we're in agreement there. I have no reason to fight you, either."
 * "I've always hated you, Storm Eagle! You AND that smug face of yours!"
 * "Justice? Gimme a break, Flame Mammoth. I'll fight you if that's what you want. Bring it on!"
 * "Yeah. Your underlings were a cinch to beat. They wouldn't have been of much use to you, anyway."
 * "I'll make you understand! You'll know that I am the one who holds the key to the future!"
 * "Hmph! You're no different than Zero!"
 * "All this time, you worried about Sigma when you should have been worried about me!"
 * "Zero! You're harder to destroy than I thought!"
 * "I hope you're ready, X!"
 * "Noooo... I can't lose to X...!"
 * "Oh? I was just taking care of a few loose ends."
 * "Friends? I don't have any. Not now, not ever."
 * "I only know one thing for sure, X... YOU are my ENEMY!"
 * "X... I'll admit, you HAVE grown stronger. But..."
 * "You'll hardly be able to change the world if you're DEAD!"
 * "What's the MATTER, X!? Aren't you gonna show me your TRUE power!?"
 * "Wimp to the very end, huh? End of the line, X!"
 * "NO! NOT A Charged Shot!"
 * "I fought X... but I still don't understand! Why him!? What's so special about HIM!?"
 * "What did I plan to do? Hahah... Thinking about it now, I'm not actually sure! Heheheh..."
 * "I don't care what happens to this world! By defeating X, I validated my own existence, and that's all that matters to me, now!"
 * "My name... is Vile! I am... I... ..."

Other media
Vile appeared in Mega X, the 26th episode of the Ruby Spears Mega Man animated series, voiced by Lee Tockar. He came from the future along with Spark Mandrill to steal Lightanium (which, according to Mega Man X, is worth billions in the future) from Dr. Light's newly opened Plasma Power Plant to finance Sigma's war against humanity. He's depicted as near-invincible in the cartoon, as Dr. Wily's robots and even Mega Man are no match for him (mostly because Mega Man's cannon couldn't so much as scratch him). However, he himself was no match for Mega Man X (some lines in the episode heavily implied that Vile had a grudge against him). Vile is depicted as extremely arrogant, looking down on both humans and robots of the present and calling them "puny"

He and Spark Mandrill both appear to Wily near the start of the episode and force into helping them after easily defeating his robots. The two Mavericks later encounter Mega Man and Roll and easily defeat them, but are driven off by Mega Man X, who followed them back from the future. Dr. Wily reveals his plan to rob the Plasma Power Plant to Vile by flooding the plant in belief that it would stop all its defenses. Vile actually likes the plan (commenting it wasn't bad, "for a puny human"), though after breaking a dam and flooding the plant, some defenses were still active. Vile and Spark Mandrill, however, easily break through them. They successfully steal the Lightanium, along with some materials Dr. Wily needed for a new laser weapon. Though Vile got what he came for, he decides to remain in the past a little longer to destroy Mega Man X. Wily unleashes his new laser weapon on Mega Man and Mega Man X, who avoid getting hit by it, and X destroys the weapon with his own version of Snake Man's weapon. Vile and Spark Mandrill open a portal to return to the future with the Lightanium, but X pushes them both through it. The Lightanium is left behind.

Vile appears in the Rockman X manga, playing a role similar to the one he plays in the games.

Trivia

 * It's a common tale amongst the Mega Man community that the character's name was changed from VAVA to Vile for the North American release of Mega Man X because Capcom USA was afraid of being sued by LucasFilm because of the character's resemblance to Boba Fett, a character from the Star Wars universe. This was due to Vile's resemblance to Boba Fett's Mandalorian helmet (T-visor) and because his Japanese name can also be spelled "BABA" (the letters B and V are spelled and written the same way in Japanese).
 * Vile is not to be mistaken for Dr. Weil, whose name in the Japanese versions is Dr. Vile.
 * Interestingly, X can actually defeat Vile in the Ride Armour in Maverick Hunter X by jumping and shooting Vile rather than the armour.
 * When fighting him as the mini-boss of the final stage in X8, Vile doesn't actually ride the Ride Armor by sitting in its cockpit like before; instead, he stands on top of it.
 * There are two missing versions of Vile that have seemingly passed by, as he went from Mk-2 in X3 to 5 in X8 (his official notation in X8, according to sourcebooks, is "VAVA Pente," meaning "5"). It is unknown if those two versions will ever make an appearance.
 * Vile and Sigma share the same voice actor in Rockman X8.