Rockman X4 (manga)

Rockman X4 (ロックマンX4) is a manga by Iwamoto Yoshihiro based on the game of same name. It was originally serialized in Comic BomBom from September 1997 to August 1998 in 12 chapters, and later compiled in two volumes in 1998. However, as each volume had five chapters, the last two chapters were not included in the compilation due to complications with Comic BomBom, leaving the story incomplete in the volumes. The last two chapters were later included in the 2005 release from Fukkan, which also included new pages to the penultimate chapter, the battle between X and Magma Dragoon.

Story
The story continues from the Rockman X3 manga.

Suspicion
Suspicion (疑惑) is the first chapter from the manga, originally published on September 1997.

The Maverick Hunters are celebrating X's return, with X seeing Dr. Cain and Zero again and meeting Double. However, the party doesn't last long as the nearby city is attacked by the giant Mechaniloid Eregion. X immediately calls out his Hunters from the 17th Unit to help him, and Zero pitches in with help from the 0th Unit. X delivers the finishing blow to Eregion, while Zero saves a mysterious girl who was injured in the attack. Then, Repliforce field commander Colonel arrives and reveals that the girl is his sister, Iris, and thanks Zero for saving her. However, Colonel is suddenly snared with electrical chains from a hunter's gun, and Double from the 17th Elite Unit of the Maverick Hunters runs up to Zero, showing a piece of equipment with Repliforce's insignia on it that was spotted next to the Mechaniloid's corpse, and accuses the Repliforce of being involved. Zero then sternly demands for the Colonel to explain himself. Colonel angrily breaks free of the chain with his saber, and refuses Zero's request to disarm, saying it would be dishonorable to do so for a soldier such as himself. He then leaves the scene with Iris, although he still says he owes Zero one for saving her.

Uprising
Uprising (蜂起) is the second chapter from the manga, originally published on October 1997.

Fallout continues from Eregion's attack on the city and the suspicion that Repliforce may has been responsible. The number of human fatalities is rising, and public sentiment has turned against the Repliforce as humans are demanding a reduction of their troops. The Maverick Hunters continue to investigate the scene and search for any more evidence to see if Repliforce was truly responsible. Zero, in frustration, beats his left arm against the wall after a Training Room session, rendering it inoperable and needing a metal cast. Meanwhile, Storm Owl and Colonel have a meeting in the Repliforce conference room with the General, planning on what their next move should be. General says that since they have already made a "mistake" once, there will never be allowed to make a second in humanity's eyes.

X meets up with Zero, and informs him that the human government has decided to temporarily disband and disarm Repliforce while the Maverick Hunters continue their investigation. However, the day before that was supposed to happen, Repliforce blimps and airships appear across the sky, broadcasting a message to humans from the General at the Repliforce Memorial Hall. Indigant at being accused of Mavericks after working so hard to support humanity, the General announces they will become an independent organization, and that they have already occupied many areas and main roads to aid in their rebellion. He says they shall fight to the end. This causes the government to declare the Repliforce as Mavericks.

Later, at the Hunter base, Zero is assaulting some fellow Hunters and announces that he is in agreement with the General's philosophy. X threatens to shoot him, but relents at the last moment, giving Zero the opportunity to slash him with his saber and incapacitate him temporarily. He warns X not to get in his way.

Jungle
Jungle (密林) is the third chapter from the manga, originally published on November 1997.

X is driving on a Ride Chaser to the Kagikira Forest to investigate the disappearance of a group of Hunters who had went there. There were reports of a Repliforce frontline hiding in the jungle, which the aforementioned investigation team went to the forest to check out only to never return. Zero is now officially a fugitive from justice after his actions in the last chapter. After X arrives at the forest, he is soon attacked by the animated corpses of the killed investigation team who have become Reploid zombies with someone pulling the strings and ordering them to attack him. X, however, decides to let them keep shooting at him until they run out of ammo, and the strategy works.

Web Spider, the commander of a guerrilla unit in the Repliforce, comes out and reveals he is responsible for everything that has occurred. As a former Maverick Hunter who worked with Zero, he reveals he knows about X and that Zero was right about him being naive. Spider then falsely tells X that Zero has really betrayed the Hunters and asked to join the Repliforce to aid them in their coup, as a strategy to get X angry and make him sloppy in battle. Spider engages X in battle, trapping him in a Lightning Web and revealing that it was the Repliforce who had acted in the shadows to support humanity since before Sigma's rebellion, but that didn't stop the public from criticizing them for refusing to aid the Hunters' in quelling Sigma's uprising as they had less authority than the Hunters.

Like the Colonel, Spider considers his weapons to be his pride, and is indignant at the humans and Hunters for ordering Repliforce to disarm. He reveals a secret beam cannon that he has constructed with Repliforce's help, which he plans on using to burn down a nearby city to kill the humans there in order to showcase "the anger of the soldiers." The only way to stop it is if Spider were to die. Not wanting so many people to die, X breaks free of Spider's Web and fights with full power, ultimately mortally wounding him with a charged shot.

Spider is left with a broken body and dismembered head, which he holds up with right arm. As X laments in tears about pointless battles, Spider responds that they will never truly end. Because humans are imperfect and created Reploids, it is only natural that Reploids would be imperfect as well. He said as long as there are heroes like X who do the humans' bidding, Reploids are forever destined to be mechanical puppets, wandering in an endless hell.

Ocean
Ocean (大海原) is the fourth chapter from the manga, originally published on December 1997.

The Repliforce have occupied the city of Toraisu and forced the humans to evacuate it. Double and Dr. Cain witness this on surveillance footage while at the Hunter base, and speculate that they intend to build a large-scale energy refinery in the currently vacant city. However, Repliforce navy captain Jet Stingray ends up blowing up the entire city with a button trigger instead, albeit with some hesitation. Stingray justifies the action by saying they must put their faith in the Colonel.

After the destruction of the city, Zero appears on a Ride Chaser and attacks Stingray's naval ship in the ocean. Stingray has his Repliforce subordinates fall back, saying that he will face Zero alone, who he instantly recognizes due to his red armor and long blonde hair. Colonel once said in a prior conversation with Stingray that he was friends with such a Reploid and considered him his rival. Stingray then engages Zero in battle, but refuses to tell Zero where the Colonel is, saying he has no right to know and has betrayed him.

Stingray fires a barrage of robotic stingrays at Zero, who flees from them with his Ride Chaser, only to suddenly stop and let them all hit his spot, dumbfounding Stingray. This was all according to plan, as the shockwave of the explosion sent his Ride Chaser up into the sky where Stingray was. Zero proceeded to unleash a barrage of Ride Chaser blasts at Stingray, seriously wounding him and briefly knocking him out.

While temporarily unconscious, Stingray has a flashback to the time the Colonel saved his life by taking a blast meant for him, which was the source of his undying loyalty to the Colonel. He remembers Colonel telling him about Zero, the Reploid with "red armor and long hair fluttering in the wind." Stingray was eager to meet this Reploid whom the Colonel considered a rival, and fight together with him in battle one day.

Stingray regains his will, and comes flying out of the ocean, tackling Zero into the water and again berating him for denigrating the Colonel's warrior beliefs by opposing the coup d'etat and thus "betraying" him. Zero replies that his friendship with the Colonel didn't mean he would blindly follow everything the Colonel did, and counter-attacked with his Ride Chaser.

Suddenly, Stingray's Repliforce subordinates intervene on the scene with Ride Chasers, wanting to aid their commander. Before they can, everyone present is blasted in a surprise attack from the Reploid Self-Defense Forces, who had come to stop Repliforce's coup. Stingray is clearly anguished over seeing his men wiped out, and he laments their deaths before succumbing to his own wounds from the blasts and perishing as well.

As Zero is blasted and slips into unconsciousness, he laments that he is now considered a Maverick as well due to his actions at the Hunter base. After a period, he wakes up in an undisclosed location, and sees a heavenly mysterious female Reploid with wings standing over him. Is that what she really looks like, or is it a blissful delusion?

Conviction
Conviction (信念) is the fifth chapter from the manga, originally published on January 1998.

X Split Mushroom

Ice Fang
Ice Fang (氷の牙) is the the sixth chapter from the manga, originally published on February 1998.

Frost Walrus, the Repliforce commander in charge of the army's Arctic Force, is currently enjoying vanilla at the Repliforce snow base where he is stationed. Suddenly, Colonel comes barging in. Colonel says that he has heard disturbing reports that Walrus is causing riots that are unrelated to the Repliforce's coup plans. During one such incident, Walrus killed an entire squadron of Maverick Hunters and kept their bodies frozen in ice as part of a collection of his victims. He berates him for using his power in such stupid and unnecessary ways, and the Colonel informs him he will report his behavior to General and that he should cease such wanton destruction in the future. After Colonel leaves, Walrus stomps the ground and unleashes an ice blast in a fit of rage.

He then releases dozens of Reploid prisoners and tells them to run as fast as they can, all so he can hunt them down and later kill all of them for sport, save one, who was saved by X and Blizzard Buffalo, the latter of whom has become reformed as a Maverick Hunter. Frost Walrus proves to be more than a match for the two Hunters, and quickly overwhelms X, gaining the upper hand in the battle and ruthlessly impaling X on his shoulder ice blade, causing him to lose consciousness. Blizzard Buffalo then steps in to protect X, but upon awakening, X discovers he has been killed by Walrus's Frost Tower attack. X then screams in grief and unbelief.

Strength
Strength (力) is the seventh chapter from the manga, originally published on March 1998.

X is at the Maverick Hunter base, brooding over the loss of his friend Blizzard Buffalo at the hands of the ruthless Repliforce soldier Frost Walrus. Double appears, and informs X that he should get some rest as he is still injured. Double points out that what happened wasn't X's fault, as no one could have expected Walrus to be so strong as he previously killed an entire battalion of hunters and then used their frozen corpses to decorate the Repliforce snow base as a "collection." Double reminds X that his true power is his righteous spirit, and he should stay strong if he wants to win the battle in the long run.

Moved by Double's words, X procures a modified Eagle Ride Armor and heads to the Repliforce snow base to confront Walrus for a rematch. He crashes through the roof with it, and fires haphazardly in Walrus's direction, destroying his collection of frozen Reploids. This enrages Walrus, who proclaims that "I will not forgive anyone who dares to destroy my collection." Walrus then easily withstands the blasts of the Ride Armor, and proceeds to swiftly destroy X's armor with a Frost Tower attack. However, X survives the explosion of the armor, and manages to heavily damage him by setting him ablaze with the Ride Armor's damaged fuel tank, and fires a barrage of X-Buster shots at him.

Walrus recovers, and proceeds to endure X's blasts. X is undeterred, and keeps firing, but Walrus finally reaches him and grabs him by the head, preparing to kill him. Before he can, Walrus is brutally shot down by General as a punishment for his previous misconduct and to save X's life.

General solemnly stares down at X, and the latter proceeds to fire a barrage of X-Buster blasts at him. The blasts have no effect due to the General's immense power, and General shuts his eyes in resignation and proceeds to leave without saying anything to X. X then slams his X-Buster arm to the ground in frustration, breaking it.

All the while, a mysterious Reploid watches from afar, musing whether there is anyone in the world who shows grief and respect for his opponents like X does.

Big Tree
Big Tree is the eighth chapter from the manga, originally published on April 1998.

Zero is still on the lookout for the Colonel, hoping he can persuade his old friend to see the bigger picture and call off the Repliforce's coup which has resulted in numerous deaths already. He decides to go visit a big tree near a city, which carries symbolic meaning for Zero. It is the place where Colonel and Zero had a chat years ago, just two months after Zero became a Maverick Hunter. He remembers the Colonel telling him that he was awed by the grandeur and beauty of the tree, and that it embraces the culture of humanity. Whenever there are times of despair as well as confusion, Colonel looks to the tree for comfort and to remember what he is fighting for and regain his spirit, so that he will never absolutely lose his mind. He says that he feels humanity and nature are intimately connected.

Suddenly, in the present, Zero sees that the Colonel has arrived as well, and disappointingly remarks that it seems Colonel has lost his mind. Colonel replies that he came to say goodbye to an old friend, and engages Zero in battle. They are evenly matched, demonstrating their agility and skill with their respective sabers in battle. Just as they are at a standoff and charge each other, about to slash each other's heads off, Iris appears and grabs their attention by firing a gun into the air.

Iris reminds her brother Colonel how he always talked about the majestic nature of the tree and how he would not easily lose his mind with it around, and not to betray the tree. Colonel angrily shouts in despair that there is no way back for him and the Repliforce, because of his mind. He then asks Zero to continue their battle, and that Iris is not strong enough to stop them as it is the first time she has even held a gun.

Iris then points the gun at herself and threatens to commit suicide if they don't stop. Zero and Colonel hesitate for a few moments, but then the latter still charges at Zero, yelling that he is still a soldier no matter what, and implores Iris to forgive him as he takes the final swing to kill Zero. Zero then plants his saber on the ground, causing the Colonel to relent at the last second. Colonel says that as a soldier, he will not battle against those who have lost their will to fight. He then mentally thinks to himself that Zero has saved Iris again, and as such he would forgive Zero this one last time.

Suddenly, Iris faints and collapses into Zero's arms, and they both rest right in front of the tree.

Diving
Diving (潜行) is the ninth chapter from the manga, originally published on May 1998.

Zero is standing at the edge of a cliff over water, deep in thought. Iris wonders what she should do and how to help him, seeing as how he always acts alone even though he is being hunted as a Maverick now.

Suddenly, one of Iris's comrades from Repliforce comes and informs her that their colleague Murada has been infected by a virus from the virtual network, seriously harming him. His body has been turned into a giant square block. This is all because a possibly sentient virus has corrupted the virtual network.

Iris had been using this network as part of her work as a nurse to help those injured in the ongoing war between Repliforce and the Maverick Hunters, and as such was able to help save Zero's life. To repay the debt he owed to Iris, Zero offers to have his own A.I. sent virtually into the network and into a free-moving simulator body in order to rid the network of the bugs and the malicious presence infecting it. After destroying many of the bugs in the virtual network, Peacock uses his powers to make Zero hallucinate and relive past memories, particularly memories he had forgotten, of his past as a Maverick.

Peacock finally appears after Zero asks him to come out. Peacock asks if he wants to stay and be his friend, but Zero retorts he was never good at making friends and attacks Peacock. Peacock easily evades and gets the upper hand in the fight, all the while mocking Zero for having memories he has forgotten. Peacock, however, is angered when Zero stays silent and refuses to listen to his taunting anymore, and fires his Tracking Shot feathers at him. Zero easily destroys every one, and confidently says he doesn't need to worry about a forgotten past, nor an unforeseen future, only the present, and injures Peacock with his saber. Peacock then defiantly says that his "present" will be in the virtual world forever, and then does a "suicide bomb" attack, erasing himself and then spreading the erasure to the entire network in an attempt to permanently trap Zero in the virtual world. However, Zero is able to escape just in the nick of time.

Unfortunately for Iris, Peacock's suicide attack also affected the computer screen from where she was monitoring Zero's activities in the real world too, making it explode right next to her, infecting her with the bug and seriously wounding her which put her into a coma.

Running
Running (疾走) is the tenth chapter from the manga, originally published on June 1998.

In the Kagikira Forest, X has just obtained the Ultimate Armor from a capsule that his late creator Dr. Thomas Light left for him, who warns him in the message that its power could also be a double-edged sword due to its powerful, destructive nature.

Iris is unconscious in a stasis pod to help stabilize her body after it was infected with a virus when the computer terminals exploded due to the machinations of Cyber Peacock. Zero angrily asks a Repliforce soldier how to save her. The soldier explains that there is a Repliforce vaccine chip for Reploids like Iris, aboard the Repliforce freight train that is commanded by Slash Beast. Zero leaves, and heads for the train.

Elsewhere, the Repliforce freight train is going full speed ahead, utterly rampaging through a city, destroying buildings and crashing through a smaller train after ignoring its request to slow down. Zero uses a Ride Armor to reach the train, and jumps aboard it after his Armor is shot down. He engages the Repliforce troops in battle in a fierce charge.

Inside the train, Repliforce sub-commander Slash Beast receives news from a Repliforce soldier that they have lost one of their cargo supplies because of Zero's attack. The soldier tells Beast that Zero was stronger than they thought, but Beast angrily implores him not to make excuses. The soldier repeats himself about Zero's strength, but Beast once again says to not make excuses, and how he hates people who make excuses for their failures. He then brutally kills the soldier by ripping him apart with his claws, for the punishment of "staining" their Repliforce flag with his failure. Beast then orders his maidservant to bring him the vaccine chip, and muses why anyone would risk their life to try and get it.

Zero then fights onward aboard the Repliforce train, and after being stabbed through the chest by a soldier's Ride Armor saber, he uses all his strength to punch the soldier down and continue. He then uses a Rakuhouha attack to detach more of the train and kill the remaining soldiers.

Meanwhile, a powered-up X arrives on the scene, and crashes through the roof of the train to Beast's chambers inside. Beast confidently replies that he considers X to be nothing more than prey, and that he'll have fun killing him. He proceeds to lunge at X. Then, when Zero arrives at the door of Beast's chamber, a huge blast tears through it and destroys a large portion of it, and Zero is stunned to find Beast's hand on the ground. X has just killed Beast and is burning the Repliforce flag as a symbol of victory. X mentions how ironic it is that Beast begged for his life before his death, considering that he had just so casually murdered one of his own troops moments earlier.

X warns Zero not to get in his way, otherwise, he will kill him too. Zero watches in worry and astonishment as X flies off, but nevertheless takes the vaccine chip from the remains of Beast's hand.

Fate
"I believe in that feeling, that the day when everyone can laugh again will come. And no matter what obstacles are in the way, "love" will not lose. I will not apologize... because this is the path we have chosen. Or rather, what I must shoulder. Your souls... the faces of the people I have killed."

- The words of Zero, as he kills the Colonel, knowing Iris would die as well

Fate (運命) is the eleventh chapter from the manga, originally published on July 1998. The 2005 release included new pages to the chapter.

Iris is currently in a stasis pod at her Repliforce base, being treated with the vaccine data Zero received from Slash Beast. However, her brother Colonel has arrived and clashes with Zero. Zero protests that they each didn't come here to fight, but to help Iris. Colonel retorts that wherever they meet, it is their fate to fight each other. They then battle, and are seemingly evenly matched.

Meanwhile, Iris's Repliforce subordinates are guarding her from Zero and Colonel while the vaccine does its work. They notice that even though the vaccine installation has been completed, Iris's inner systems are still full of bugs and errors. "Such a beautiful face, and yet her body is being destroyed from the inside by bugs," remarks one soldier.

Zero has gained the upper hand in the battle, and slashes Colonel's right arm off with his saber. At this exact moment, Zero and the soldiers notice that Iris's right arm has become corroded as well. Zero remembers what Iris said to her earlier, about how she and her brother are "two people, but one person" at the same time. Despite having his arm cut off, Colonel refuses to surrender, and charges at Zero one last time. As he does, Zero remembers Iris's words to him about how she wishes there would be peace between everyone, and the day would come when everyone could laugh again.

Reluctantly, Zero proceeds to finish the Colonel off by slicing him in half with his saber, even with the knowledge that doing so would kill Iris as well. Zero notices with bewilderment that Colonel has a smile on his face as he is dying, which was due to the respect Colonel had for Zero as a lifelong rival.

Iris feels her brother's death due to their connection, and breaks out of the pod in a panic. She crawls to her brother's body in anguish, at which time she is suddenly merged with him and transformed into a winged Ride Armor type Reploid. She frantically says that it is "dark", and asks where her brother and Zero are, specifically imploring Zero to save her, all the while slaughtering the Repliforce solders in the base in an uncontrolled frenzy. Zero destroys her armor and pulls Iris out of it, and Iris says she enjoyed the time they spent together in spite of her brother's death. Unfortunately, due to her link to Colonel and his death, she then dies in Zero's arms, just as in the game, causing Zero to scream in anguish and question his ideals.

Meanwhile, at a volcano, Repliforce air brigade commander Storm Owl and the entirety of his fleet have been shot down over the sky by X, who is currently extremely powerful thanks to the Ultimate Armor he received from Dr. Light. Owl is gravely injured, yet still alive, and yells at X that he is the real Maverick, not Repliforce, as he has just displayed powers that are far beyond what normal Reploids are known to possess. X then coldly kills him with a charged buster shot, and and tells Owl that he was a Maverick and the humans made no mistake in deeming Repliforce as such, unaware of the real culprit behind Repliforce's coup.

Suddenly, Magma Dragoon comes charging up from beneath the ground, and challenges X to a fight, saying power is the only thing that matters, not the "law of heaven" or the "law of the land". Dragoon puts up a good fight, and is even able to stop X's Nova Strike attack and punch him away. However, Dragoon is eventually defeated and blasted in half from a charged shot by X. X then confidently declares that righteousness will win, the war between Repliforce and the Hunters will end, and that peace will come, and is moved to tears.

Tears
Tears (涙) is the final chapter from the manga, originally published on August 1998.

X fights against Double. General sacrifices himself to stop the weapon.