Omega

Omega (オメガ), dubbed "the devil Reploid" or "the ultimate Reploid", is a massive Reploid created during the ending period of the Elf War. He is Dr. Weil's greatest creation and was sent into battle as a last resort action during the war's closing period. He was created to store and manipulate the Dark Elf in order to mass-control Reploids by remote. He plays a major role in the story of Mega Man Zero 3 and has a cameo appearance in Mega Man ZX.

Personality
Omega does not hold very much of a personality, beside that of being a blood-thirsty tool of Dr. Weil's ambitions and absolutely obedient to his commands (very similar to what Zero was intended to be for Dr. Wily), so he apparently very loyal to his creator. After returning to Earth after spending a century of exile in space, he developed a grudge against Zero, because he was still trying to best him though he no longer possessed his original body. Also, Omega's ability to speak was reduced to minimum (at least while in exterior armor,) only growling and roaring for the most part. Other than that, he doubtlessly believes in Weil's insane purpose for him, being his messiah of the new world order and "God of Destruction".

In the manga, Omega is very different. He is shown to be an average Reploid hunting Dark Elf, and dislikes Zero, though he doesn't appear to hate him, since he cooperates with him in one chapter of the manga to defeat zombie Reploids. This version of Omega is also deathly afraid of zombies.

The Elf War
After the Maverick War had been ended by the powers of the Mother Elf by reverting the viral infection of Reploids caused by the Sigma Virus, Dr. Weil, a weapon researcher and DNA revival specialist who had worked at the same laboratory as an unknown ancestor of Miss Ciel (who had researched Zero's body) in order to find a way to end the war, felt unsatisfied with the result of the solution. Thinking that it wasn't enough to simply cure the Reploids from the virus while they posed still a threat to society due to their free will, he decided to create his own, radical solution: To exterminate every Reploid that did not decide to submit to the humans and regard them as their creators and masters.

To achieve this goal, he had to find someone capable of fulfill his desire, a "messiah" that would destroy every Maverick and teach all those who supported Reploids a lesson. For that position, Weil had chosen Zero, who's mindless body was still in the laboratory. He stole the body as well as the Mother Elf. Weil corrupted the Mother Elf, turning her into the Dark Elf to control all the world's Reploids at the same time in order to have them destroy each other. However, even in this corrupted state, the Dark Elf was not powerful enough to control all Reploids at the same time and the Baby Elves, small copies of the Dark Elf, were created.

Yet, as Weil desired to use the Dark Elf alone as well as his new messiah, he began constructing a massive exterior armor around the mindless body. The armor boosted the body's attack strength to its limits (although at the cost of maneuverability and evasiveness) as well as granting it the ability of using the Dark Elf to control all Reploids at the same time, making the Baby Elves useless. The body received new weapons, suitable for its size and weight and was given a new consciousness loyal to Weil only: Omega.

At some point during the war, Zero, who had received a duplicate of his original body reappeared on the battlefield, assisting X in fighting against Weil's mind-controlled forces. The Dark Elf was reclaimed and Zero at one point ordered her to command any Reploid in range to turn against Weil. Duing this time, Omega was unleashed for the first time, leading a group of attack Mechaniloids, similar to Neo Arcadia's later Golems, into battle. However, he had never reached perfection during this time as he was released after the Dark Elf had already been stolen from Weil's laboratory. He was defeated by X and Zero (who, at that point, had realized it Omega was in possession of his original body) by using Final Strike.

It is unknown for what reason Omega was not destroyed after the end of the war while his creator was punished by the war's survivors (though unofficially), but there exist multiple theories about this. X, who did desire nothing more than having the fights and acts of violence stop for good, did not bring it over himself to kill anymore, thus decided to exile the defeated Reploid to spare his life but yet to avoid another Elf War. Another possibility is that it was due to the fact he has Zero's original body. In any case, Omega was imprisoned within a spaceship and ignited into space, destined to spend the rest of eternity in exile. However, things would take a different path...

Neo Arcadia era
Two months after the Dark Elf had been released from her seal in Neo Arcadia by Elpizo, strange energy readings similar to that of the Dark Elf were detected by the Resistance in a frozen tundra. A reconnaissance unit, consisting of Zero, Miss Ciel and a few Resistance soldiers was dispatched to analyze the anomaly. Upon arriving at the location, they found a derelict spacecraft (later known as "The Forbidden Ark"). The closer they got to the ship, the stronger the readings became and Neo Arcadian troops had already cordoned off the area. When he arrived at the ship's entrance, he was intercepted by Harpuia, who merely ordered him to retreat at once as there were things of bigger importance now than dealing with him before disappearing inside the ship. A strange, yet familiar growl reached Zero's ears from the inside, seemly calling for him. Zero fought his way through the hostile forces and entered the core of the ship, where fighting were already in progress. When he entered the ships core, he saw Fefnir and Leviathan battling an enormous Reploid, Omega. Weakened and damaged, the two Guardians teleported away, leaving Zero and Omega, whom Zero recognized as the one that called him, all by themselves.

The two battled for awhile, with Zero seemly immobilizing the giant Reploid, however he was able to regenerate himself. Even after Harpuia joined the battle as well, he managed hold his ground. At that moment, Dr. Weil showed up at the scene, halting Omega from continuing battle, as Harpuia was now his comrade as a Neo Arcadian. Upon introducing himself, Copy X appeared as well, who had been revived by Weil. Even though Harpuia warned him about all the havoc that Omega caused in the past, he, as well as Weil, were given the permission to enter Neo Arcadia, in order to serve Copy X and to regain control over the Dark Elf. All of them then left to Neo Arcadia. It was later found out that since Omega had returned from outer space, strange green portals had appeared in different locations which seemly made it possible to travel between the real world and it's Cyberspace shadow world.

Back at Neo Arcadia, Harpuia desperately tried to talk Copy X into stopping to trust Weil, though Copy X claimed his banishment was not a legal one and that, even though his actions caused the most devastating war in history, his banishment was not the verdict of a fair trial. When the Dark Elf was located in Area Z-3079, a residential district with the utmost distance from the Neo Arcadian centre, Copy X stripped the remaining three Guardians of their powers and duties and handed all their military command to Weil in order to catch the Dark Elf. Omega was transported to the missile base near the Aegis Volcano and loaded into a missile which was then fired into the direction of Neo Arcadia to catch the fugitive Cyber Elf. The Resistance, which intercepted transmissions about the start of the missile, sent Zero into the area to halt the take of of the missile. Though he didn't make it in time to stop the take of, Zero boarded the missile to stop Omega, who was at that time immobilized within the missile.

However, he was intercepted by Crea and Prea, two Baby Elves which managed hold Zero off Omega long enough for the missile to reach its destination. The missile crashed into the district, killing many innocent people and totally devastating the area. When Zero regained consciousness, the Dark Elf was in front of them, as well as Omega. The giant Reploid had caught her and absorbed her into his body, causing his white and red armor color scheme to turn gold and blue, thus boosting his powers. Harpuia, who hadn't been able to watch anymore, turned against Copy X and tried to fight Omega, however was no match for him. It was only due to the lucky timing of the Resistance's Operators that Zero and Harpuia managed to survive their encounter with the Devil Reploid.

After Zero managed to stop multiple Neo Arcadian attacks aimed at the Resistance's base, he went to stop the problem of the course, Copy X. The two of them fought with Zero emerging victorious. Copy X called for Weil's and Omega's assistance, however both of them had already disappeared to another location after stealing everything they needed from Neo Arcadia's supplies. When an enraged Copy X tried to transform into his seraph form to destroy Zero once and for all, a self-destruct program within him was triggered, installed into his body by Weil himself, who shortly after claimed leadership of Neo Arcadia by the use of Ordinance #8, as well as encouraging the citizens of Neo Arcadia to support his cause to terminate the extremists.

Zero was then sent to find out more information about both Omega and his creator. Eventually, he located a sunken data library with information about both of them, as well as their actions during the Elf War. Soon after this, Weil had finished his modifications on Omega which finally granted him the power to control every Reploid on the planet. While X defended the inhabitants of the Resistance Base with his powers, Zero (who was unaffected by the Dark Elf's/Omega's powers) rushed for Weil's lab, located near the place where he had once been found by Ciel.

He managed to defeat Weil's servants, the Eight Gentle Judges as well as Omega in his empowered form. Enraged by his defeat, the giant Reploid released the powers of the Dark Elf within him, transforming him into an even larger and mightier form of himself which resembled a strange fusion of himself, X and Zero, as well as being armed with a giant saber and a chargeable buster cannon. However, Zero again defeated him.

Omega's remains and Zero fell down the floor of Weil's laboratory, only to find themselves right at the place where Zero was found by Ciel. When they did, Weil revealed Omega's secret to him. That he [Zero] was in fact a mere fake thought to be Zero, while the real one was none other than Omega. From the remains of Omega's battle body, Omega's true persona emerged, a Reploid looking completely like Zero, however with a different color scheme and using multiple attack patterns and moves Zero had previously used in the Maverick War and now forgotten. Yet, after a fierce battle, he barely defeated him.

Yet, the battle wasn't completely over as Omega used the Dark Elf within him to heal his wounds. The remaining three of the Four Guardians, along with X, appeared to assist Zero in defeating his original body. When they did, the Dark Elf's curse started to fade. Zero regained his strength to deliver the final blow, though Omega used his original body, destroying Omega for good, resulting in a giant explosion that only Zero himself survived due to the protection of the now cured Mother Elf. The destruction of Omega also caused the dimensional portals to disappear. In the end, Zero was still Zero, whether spendng his life in a copy of his original body or not, his heart was still the right one.

Mega Man ZX
Omega appears as an optional boss character in Area N of the game. Due to the massive explosion his destruction had caused, a rift between reality and Cyberspace was caused, similar to what happened when Omega returned to Earth after his exile. The Omega appearing in Area N is not a rebuilt version of the Reploid but actually a corrupted memory file that remained of Omega when he was destroyed. This is believed to be the case because of the environment around him constantly changing between the normal background of Area N and that of the final battle of Zero and Omega. Omega Zero operates identically in his Zero 3 version with some lethal differences. Here, he uses his Shungokusatsu much more often, regardless of the difficulty. In addition, his Rekkoha now restores some of his health. After he is destroyed, he will leave an item called "Mystery Stone". After clearing the game once, the stone can be taken to Fleuve, who'll analyze the stone and transform it into Biometal O which lets Vent/Aile become Omega, including all powers and attacks he possessed.

It is unknown if Omega's Biometal form in Mega Man ZX is part of the canon story or simply a game play extra. The latter one is what is commonly believed.

Abilities
Omega has many powerful abilities, which is why he is feared by all, Reploid and human alike. These are unique to each form.

Form 1 - Normal/Golden Omega

Omega's first form is his original body, the "Devil Reploid". He is at his most recognizable in this stage.

This stage later evolved into the Golden state, after he absorbed the Dark Elf, boosting his power stats yet again and granting him the ability to take control of all Reploids on the planet at once. His claw-like hands can detach and fire powerful energy rings, or just ram the opponent, as Fefnir found out to his cost. Omega can fire several condensed spheres of energy that rebound off of any surface. Lastly, he can slam his saber into the ground with enough force to send debris everywhere. The main difference between the original and Golden states is the amount of damage that Omega delivers, and the saber attack. He's also extremely durable, Fefnir and Leviathan being unable to even damage him even when he wasn't fused with the Dark Elf.

It should however be noted, that Omega was originally intended to be much more powerful in this form, being a faster and stronger opponent but lost this abilities due to game mechanics which turned him into a seemly motionless, floating enemy that could only move his hands and sword.

Form 2 - Fusion Omega

Omega takes this form using the full power of the Dark Elf. With three heads (His, X's, and Zero's), a sword so massive the tip cannot be seen, and an immense cannon, Omega is a far more formidable opponent. His left cannon is able to fire a barrage of three enormous energy balls, or a concentrated white laser beam. The middle head's antenna is able to fire a large crimson sphere of energy able to trap his opponents, or a comet able to turn 90 degrees to track its opponents. All three heads can fire explosive energy beams. The monster's only weak point is the central face, a relatively tiny target. Despite these strengths and weaknesses, this form pales in comparison to the final form. Again, Omega's movement and attack patterns were limited due to game mechanics and the size of the Game Boy Advance screen.

Form 3 - Omega Zero

This form of Omega was resting inside the central head of Omega. This is the original body of Zero, upgraded by Weil to draw out its full power. He can use most of Zero's X series attacks, starting with the buster combo, which is two charged buster shots followed by a crescent shaped wave of energy. He can utilize the Rakuhouha, a fan of 5 shots in a fan-pattern outwards, and the Rekkoha, in which he calls down several vertical sapphire rays of light that both orbit and heal him. Despite these powerful ranged skills, Omega truly shines in melee combat. He can perform Zero's signature 3-slash combo, and his rising slash. However, Omega's final desperation technique, the Shungokusatsu, can decimate an opponent. Omega will quickly jump forward, and proceed to repeatedly slash, cut, and slice his enemy to pieces for a total of seven slashes. All of these techniques make this the most dangerous form of Omega.

Despite being much smaller, this form has the same amount of health as the larger ones.

Trivia

 * Omega (uppercase Ω) is the 24th and last letter of the Greek alphabet.
 * Before Zero battles with Omega Zero, the latter shouts a Japanese line, "Ware wa meshia nari!" This translates to "I am the messiah!" Omega Zero uses the same line before the player finds and fight him in Mega Man ZX. This fortifies the fact that many of the characters in the Zero series referred to Omega as "The God of Destruction." Dr. Weil later gives a similar line in the final battle of Mega Man Zero 4
 * Omega's armor in the beginning of Zero series emits a glow from the black parts that make up his visor, face, chest, and abdominal region upon defeat, which then seem to heal the armor, and bring the claws upward from the ground back to a levitating position where real arms would be. This could mean that his armor was made with regenerative capabilities. This makes sense in that if the armor were broken, it would have released Omega in his most powerful state (when he was in control of Zero's original body). The regeneration might be to keep the armor active and the armor itself seals and limits Omega's power extensively.
 * Though some fans complain that Zero's original body should appear as it did in the X series, in its bulkier style, it has been officially stated that the differences reflect only the change in art styles. In terms of gameplay, Zero's body appears exactly the same as it always has.
 * It can be assumed that the different color scheme of Omega Zero is a result of Omega's absorption of the Dark Elf (his armor form, previously white, turned gold upon absorbing her).
 * Despite popular belief, Omega is voiced by Jun'ichi Suwabe and not by Ryotaro Okiayu, Zero's voice actor from the X series.
 * Omega Zero's Shungokusatsu is a nod to a Street Fighter attack perfected by Akuma/Gouki: the Shun Goku Satsu.
 * In Mega Man X2, another copy of Zero appears wearing black armor, if the player is able to revive Zero. Also, in the Japanese story of Mega Man X2, Zero's new body is a copy of the body that was destroyed in Mega Man X. This holds some similarities to Omega's story.
 * Omega is unique in that he is the very first main antagonist/boss whose final form is not gigantic. This would continue with Albert in ZX Advent