Launch Octopus

Launch Octopus, known in Japan as Launcher Octopuld (ランチャー・オクトパルド), is an octopus-type Reploid in the Mega Man X series. He was a Maverick Hunter from the 6th Naval Unit, but secretly always harbored contempt toward the humans he was tasked with protecting, viewing them as weak and inferior. When Sigma became a Maverick, Launch Octopus was among the first that joined his uprising, sharing his goals of creating a Reploid nation. He deployed his fleet of marine Mechaniloids to assault cities built on the ocean and blockade important shipping lanes.

Launch Octopus was good friends with Volt Kraken during their time as Maverick Hunters. However, during Sigma's first Maverick uprising and revolt against mankind, Kraken refused to have any part in it, unlike Octopus. When X helped lead the charge against Sigma's uprising, he was forced to destroy Octopus, leading to a rift between him and Kraken.

In Mega Man Maverick Hunter X, Launch Octopus is motivated by the belief that his abilities have gone underappreciated, and serves Sigma believing that Sigma acknowledges him and that soon the whole world will too. His ego appears to be enormous, even going as far as to say "Even my explosion is beautiful!" as he dies.

Mega Man X
Launch Octopus is one of the eight Stage Select bosses. He also appears in the third Sigma Stage, being the seventh of the eight bosses to reappear.

Other appearances
He appears in the remake in the same role as before, this time with a flamboyant personality. He is the first of the eight Reploids fought in the Sigma Palace, his body being functional but lacking his personality.

Launch Octopus is one of the four bosses in the X Mission mode.

Launch Octopus is a boss from World 2 in Rockman Xover. He also appeared in Battle Memory.

Launch Octopus appeared as an enemy in the Mega Man X event from Zombie Cafe.

Strategy
His Homing Torpedo, though his main weapon, is the least of the player's worries, as he can pull X toward him in a whirlpool and drain his energy, but if the player uses Boomerang Cutter against him three times, he loses his tentacles, and thus cannot use the ability. But his main weakness is the Rolling Shield, since it ruptures his internal buoyancy/pressure system.

In Mega Man Xtreme 2, his weakness is Tri-Thunder, the weapon wrested from Volt Catfish in said game, however hitting him with any version of another weapon Ray Claw just once will sever his tentacles. The weapon X gains from defeating Launch Octopus is Marine Tornado, which is perhaps a nod to his whirlpool ability.

Attacks:
 * Homing Torpedo - Mispelled as "Horming Torpedo" in Mega Man X. Launch Octopus fires Homing Torpedoes from his shoulders.
 * Whirpool - Launch Octopus will spin and create a whirlpool, pulling X in his direction. If he succeeds, he will catch X and start draining his energy (Energy Drain) until he manages to break free.
 * Piranha - Launch Octopus fires piranha shaped projectiles from his tentacles.

Mega Man X stats
Launch Octopus (Launcher Octopuld)

Height: 238 cm (7.81 ft, mistakenly shown as 7.80 ft in-game)

Weight: 182 kg (401 lbs, mistakenly shown as 348 lbs in-game)

Attacks: Horming Torpedo (sic), E. Drain (Energy Drain)

Rockman X
Launch Octopus is the seventh Maverick that X fights in the manga, who tricked Marty, a mermaid Reploid, into helping him. After betraying him to save X, Octopus skewered Marty's body, which drove X to attack and ultimately defeat him. Marty's mind would ultimately survive Octopus's attack, and X later got her a new body.

Irregular Hunter Rockman X
Launch Octopus was causing trouble and was stopped by X.

Rockman X Mega Mission
In the Carddass, Rockman X Mega Mission 3, Launch Octopus is revived as "Launcher Octopuld HL" (Launch Octopus HL), and disguises himself as a recruit Maverick Hunter named "Blau Launcher" to attack the Maverick Hunter base with three other Mavericks. Some of Launch Octopus' changes include his color scheme changed to blue and black, the top of his head is now a transparent red, and he uses a trident.

Archie Comics
Launch Octopus appeared as part of the Maverick Army in the Mega Man and Sonic the Hedgehog crossover event, Worlds Unite. In the backup story for Mega Man Issue 50, Launch Octopus is indirectly mentioned where the female operator reports to Zero that reports are coming in about the 6th Marine Unit defecting to Sigma (who at that point had turned Maverick and revolted against humanity). He and various other Mavericks were cloned by Sigma-1 through manipulation of the Genesis Portals, creating an army of Mavericks who were dispatched against Mega Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, and their allies. Launch Octopus notably engaged the robot Gemerl during the ensuing battle, before departing with most of the Mavericks to various worlds to plant Sigma's Unity Engines.

Trivia

 * While Launch Octopus didn't appear in the game, he was revealed to be a friend and/or brother to Volt Kraken, depending on the translation; his name was translated as "Octopardo" in the game.
 * Launch Octopus also has a short appearance in the opening animated cutscene of the CD-Rom versions of Mega Man X3, where X causes an Utuboros to collide into him, destroying both.


 * On the U.S. box art for Mega Man X, Launch Octopus is colored purple instead of red and has a mouth.


 * Oddly, in Mega Man Xtreme 2, even when the player severs Launch Octopus's tentacles with Ray Claw and defeats him, he will have mysteriously gained them back during his death animation.
 * Along with Armored Armadillo, Toxic Seahorse and Shield Sheldon, this Maverick is misnamed in the Music Gallery in the Mega Man X Legacy Collection and 2. There, he is Launcher Octopus.