Ride Chaser

Ride Chaser (ライドチェイサー) is a vehicle from the Mega Man X series introduced in Mega Man X2 as a quick form of transportation with weapons. Some enemies are also seen piloting Ride Chasers and use them to attack the Maverick Hunters.

Characteristics
A Ride Chaser is a type of advanced cycle recognizable for the lack of wheels, relying instead on hovering technology. Ride Chasers serve the purpose of allowing the player to traverse a stage quickly. In Mega Man X2, Ride Chasers could be boarded and abandoned in the same way as Ride Armors, but from Mega Man X4 onwards, those are exclusive to "on rails" stages, where the focus is usually to avoid obstacles on the way to the boss. Ride Chasers cannot stop or be dismounted in these stages, and crashing means instant death. The character will automatically leap off the vehicle upon reaching an area of the stage. In Mega Man X7 and Mega Man X8, the Ride Chaser stages follow a vertical flow, making use of the 3D perspective. Unlike Ride Armors, the pilot will take damage when hit while using a Ride Chaser.

Although the Ride Chaser designs vary significantly, they usually retain the same features: a frontal cannon and an optional turbo boost.

Mega Man Maverick Hunter X
In the game's ending, X uses an unnamed blue Ride Chaser in a highway. Before leaving the building with the Ride Chaser, X looks to a red Ride Chaser with the same appearance for some seconds, which can be assumed to belong to his recently deceased friend Zero.

Mega Man X2
Mega Man X2 introduces the first Ride Chaser to appear in the series, the Ride Chaser ADU-T400 turbo "Cheval" (チェバル). In the introduction scene and at the beginning of the Opening Stage, a CPU-controlled X and a green Maverick Hunter ride one towards the Maverick factory.

Later, in Overdrive Ostrich's stage, X has full control of the Cheval. It constantly moves forward at a fast pace, and it can accelerate even more and turn around, albeit slowly. It can fire small shots and dash along the ground, as well as jump. Unfortunately, like the Ride Armors before it, other enemies, the Road Riders, may pilot the Ride Chasers as well.

Mega Man Xtreme 2
In Mega Man Xtreme 2, an unnamed Ride Chaser appears in Overdrive Ostrich's stage. Its appearance is similar (if not identical) to the Cheval from Mega Man X2, but its functions are like the Adion from Mega Man X4. This Ride Chaser is unable to fire projectiles, replacing them by an offensive dash. Unlike the Cheval, the player is unable to turn around with this Ride Chaser or abandon it, following the "on rail" pattern from later games.

Mega Man X4 and Mega Man X5
The Ride Chaser Adion (アディオン) is a Ride Chaser that is used only by Maverick Hunters. X and Zero ride an Adion through Jet Stingray's marine base in Mega Man X4 and in the beginning of Squid Adler's stage in Mega Man X5. A new feature of the Adion is the option to perform an offensive dash, which can also be performed in the air. Any enemy that comes into contact with the Adion during a dash will be incinerated by its drive blade, but it is a risky maneuver, as the pilot has little control during the dash.

In Jet Stingray's stage, some enemies ride the Hornet, an illegally-modified version of the Adion.

Mega Man X7
Mega Man X7 has an unnamed Ride Chaser that is used by the Maverick Hunters in Ride Boarski's stage to collect bombs before they explode.

Mega Man X8

 * Sirius (シリウス): A flying Ride Chaser used to chase Gigabolt Man-O-War in his stage. The Boost gauge used to speed up has the same size of the active character's Weapon Energy gauge, and can be refilled with flashing Weapon Energy items in the stage.


 * Barius (バリウス): Ride Chaser used in Avalanche Yeti's stage. The attack of this Ride Chaser varies depending of the Hunter used, being able to charge shots with X, a wide shot with Zero and rapid fire with Axl.


 * Kelpie: A modified Barius Ride Chaser used by enemies in Avalanche Yeti's stage.

Other media
Ride Chasers appear in other media related to the Mega Man X series, including the Rockman X manga and Rockman X Mega Mission.