Fire Wave

Fire Wave (ファイヤーウェーブ) is the Special Weapon that X obtains from defeating Flame Mammoth in Mega Man X and Mega Man Xtreme 2.

Mega Man X
When equipped with this weapon in Mega Man X, X releases a constant stream of flames from his buster that continues as long as the FIRE button is held down. When charged, X will unleash a wave of flames that continue along the ground as long as it is on-screen and the terrain does not change. Because Fire Wave is fire-based, using either version of this weapon underwater will render it useless. In this game, Fire Wave is Chill Penguin's weakness; using it against him will engulf him in flames and stun him.

Note that because the uncharged Fire Wave is continuous, six Weapon Energy units will be wasted to allow use of the charged attack (once equipped with the Arm Parts). Once completely charged up however, X will stop using the Fire Wave. If one wishes to use only the charged up version of Fire Wave, the player must charge up another weapon, and once X starts to glow pink the player can then shift to Fire Wave without spending additional energy. On the other hand, if one wishes to continuously use Fire Wave at a constant rate, the player must release the attack button just before X begins to glow pink (assuming the Arm Parts have already been obtained).

X
In Mega Man Xtreme 2, Fire Wave was given to X in the X Mission Mode (or Extreme Mode). Unlike the previous game, which behaved as a flamethrower, this version of Fire Wave is fitting with its name. When equipped, X shoots out a small fireball, which upon contact with the ground, becomes a wall of fire that travels across the terrain as long as it is on-screen and the terrain does not change. This behaves more or less the same way as it does when charged in Mega Man X. When charged, the screen flashes and shakes, and eight fireballs fall from the top of the screen in random patterns.

Fire Wave is Wire Sponge's weakness, and in Boss Attack mode, it is Chill Penguin's. It is interesting to note that if Morph Moth is hit with Fire Wave, it will cause a weakness reaction but otherwise inflicts minimal damage. This may likely be a reference to his actual weakness to Speed Burner in Mega Man X2.

When using Fire Wave, if the player attempts to charge this weapon by pressing and holding the B Button before closing the subscreen or by shifting though other Special Weapons, the uncharged version will automatically fire, wasting Weapon Energy. If the player wishes to simply use only the charged version of Fire Wave without firing a normal shot first, the player must deliberately make X contact an enemy before holding the B Button, or, when fighting a boss, by equipping the desired weapon first, then holding the B Button down as the boss's health fills up. Alternatively, the player can also switch to a different Special Weapon, pressing and holding the B Button while X is present on the screen, and while still holding the B Button down, the player can open the subscreen and select Fire Wave; once the subscreen is closed, X will begin to charge up Fire Wave without wasting any Weapon Energy.

Zero
Zero can also obtain Fire Wave from Flame Mammoth as a special technique, but to accomplish this, the player must be playing on Extreme Mode, and Zero must be the character that deals the final blow on Mammoth, otherwise, he will not be able to obtain it. This technique behaves in exactly the same manner as X's Fire Wave, however the player must press DOWN on the D-Pad then the B button in order to use it. Upon doing so, Zero sends out a small fireball from his Z-Saber, which upon contact with the ground, becomes a pillar of flames that travels across the terrain as long as it is on-screen and the terrain does not change. When executing Fire Wave, Zero's Z-Saber turns orange.

Like X's Fire Wave, Zero's version is effective against Wire Sponge, and in Boss Attack mode, Chill Penguin.

Mega Man X
Damage values in units in Mega Man X.

Mega Man Xtreme 2
Damage values in units in Mega Man Xtreme 2.

Trivia

 * In the manga Rockman X, Flame Mammoth used the uncharged Fire Wave like X did in the game instead of using a fire projectile during the boss fight.
 * Fire Wave is featured as a weapon known as "Burning Spray Gun" in Rockman X DiVE. Its Japanese name, "Noumannoder" (ナウマンノダー), is named after Flame Mammoth's Japanese name.

Similar Weapons

 * Wave Burner from Mega Man & Bass
 * Flame Shower from Rockman & Forte: Mirai Kara no Chōsensha