Mega Man X (character)/Maverick Hunter X

"I'll finish this. Right here. Right now. I WILL DEFEAT YOU, SIGMA!"

- Mega Man X

Mega Man X is the main character protagonist of Mega Man Maverick Hunter X. He is Maverick Hunter from the 17th Unit, and is the final creation of Dr. Light.

Personality
X's defining trait is his mercy. Dr. Cain believes that he worries too much, but also believes it is his greatest feature. While he is a fairly competent B-Class Hunter, it is this trait that keeps him from excelling. Unlike other Maverick Hunters, X often hesitates in combat out of kindness, unwilling to put more lives in danger than necessary for the sake of the mission. Many Hunters see this as a weakness, but some such as Zero and Sigma see the true potential this empathy holds.

Because of his strong sense of justice, X feels betrayed by the defection of his fellow Maverick Hunters such as Sigma and his eight lieutenants. He doesn't understand why they would do such a thing and doesn't want to. He often goes for the pacifistic option, demanding opponents to stand down or surrender, but will fight when push comes to shove. By the time of his final encounter with Sigma, he is tired of the chaos and has gained a clarity that allows him to finally fight for peace without hesitation.

Background
Dr. Light began working on X sometime in 20XX. After completing half of his body, Dr. Light activated X for the first time and spoke to him concerning his name and identity. As he continued to work on X, Light would occasionally reactivate him and speak to him. However, by the time he finished X, Light believed that the world was still not ready to accept him, and thus decided to seal him away in a capsule to be found years in the future.

X's capsule was discovered in 21XX by Dr. Cain, who used X's design as a basis for Reploids - mass-produced robots that shared the same free will. The advent of Mavericks forced Dr. Cain to found the Maverick Hunters, a peacekeeping and law enforcement organization for Reploids which X joined out of a desire to fight for justice. However, despite the abilities given to him by Dr. Light, X stayed a B-Class Hunter due to his pacifism often interfering with his decision-making on the battlefield. During this time he became a close ally of Special A-Class Hunter Zero, and also earned the attention of the Maverick Hunters' commander, Sigma.

The Day of Σ
X was present during a mission in Abel City to stop a giant Mechaniloid that had gone berserk and was causing massive damage. He arrived on the scene via a Bee Blader dropship, hitting the Mechaniloid with a Charge Shot on his way down that failed to do any real damage. Zero, Chill Penguin, and the other Hunters continued to fight the Mechaniloid until one of the Hunters was grabbed by the Mechaniloid's arm. Chill Penguin called on X to shoot the Mechaniloid's generator for the final blow, but X hesitated because the captured Hunter was held in the way. Before he could get a clear shot, Sigma took the opportunity to slash the generator himself, severing the Hunter's arm but stopping the rampage. Chill Penguin was annoyed by X's reluctance to fire and Sigma advised him on the importance of pulling the trigger when necessary.

Back at Hunter Base, X and Zero watched Vile's arrest and pondered the nature of Mavericks. They were then called to investigate a signal that appeared to be controlling the berserk Mechaniloid from earlier. There they found a multitude of murdered Mavericks and data-wiped computers, resulting in a search for the perpetrator.

The next day, Mechaniloids all over Abel City began going berserk. X and Zero were dispatched to aid, but suddenly called back to base when alerted that Vile had escaped prison. Upon arrival, they discovered the guards had been killed similarly to the Mavericks the night before, causing X to wonder if the Mechaniloids were a cover to spring Vile from containment. However, they were then called to investigate another signal near a missile base on the outskirts of Abel City.

Upon arriving at the base, X and Zero found Sigma, who attacked them from behind. He then grabbed Zero and goaded X to shoot him, testing if he had learned to be less hesitant after all. X was still unable to fire out of fear of harming Zero, and Sigma used the opportunity to wound Zero and grab X before launching the base's missiles at Abel City. Sigma was disappointed by X's failure to access his true potential. Meanwhile, X was heartbroken by this defeat and betrayal of trust, but after remembering his conversations with Dr. Light about his potential, X powered up his hand and attacked Sigma with it, scraping scars across his eyes before deactivating from the stress. Sigma was intrigued by this development and fled the scene.

Zero, although weakened, managed to recover X and bring him back to Hunter Base for repairs. Hearing that Sigma's rebellion had officially gone public, with hundreds of Maverick Hunters joining his new army, X and Zero became determined to use what was left of the Maverick Hunters to stop Sigma's plan.

X Mode
X is first seen investigating the bombing of a highway in Abel City, which resulted in the deaths of several Reploids. He finds Sigma's new Maverick insignia in the rubble and sets off across the Central Highway to continue fighting the Maverick forces at work. Along the way X runs into Vile, assuming he is part of Sigma's rebellion at first, only to learn that Vile just hates him and has always wanted to fight him. Vile attacks using a Ride Armor, and at first it seems X defeats him, but upon approaching X is grabbed in the Ride Armor's grasp. Fortunately, Zero intervenes to save him, and after some tense words between Zero and Vile, the latter retreats. X and Zero discuss Vile's sudden change in allegiance before X decides to head back to Hunter Base, vowing to catch up later. X then does so, although not before making sure to thank Zero for saving him again.

Back at Hunter Base, X learns that eight prominent former Maverick Hunters are leading large-scale attacks around the region. He decides that he'd better take care of them before going after Sigma, and does so. One by one, he defeats them and obtains their special weapons, shocked and disappointed by their respective reasons for turning Maverick every time.

Once the eight bosses are destroyed, X is informed that Zero has finally discovered the whereabouts of Sigma's Palace. Zero suggests to X that he will barge in the front to draw the enemy's attention, while X finds another, more clandestine way in. X does so by going through the Sigma Palace's moat, infiltrating it from the bottom up. During his journey throughout the fortress, X confronts the eight bosses yet again as mindless shells led by simplistic AI and, as before, he defeats them to move onward.

In the third section of the fortress, X reaches a hallway where he sees that Vile has successfully defeated Zero. Vile provokes X into a battle over his friend, again using a Ride Armor to overpower him. At this point Zero gets his second wind, leaps on Vile's Ride Armor from behind, and destroys it in an unstable buster attack creating a large explosion. This utterly destroys the Ride Armor, but leaves Vile still standing, allowing X and Vile to have a tenuous battle on more equal footing. Once Vile has been defeated, X rushes to the wounded Zero, who is in such critical condition that he urges X to leave him behind and fight Sigma in his stead. With much regret, X marches onward to fight Sigma.

X finally reaches the tower where Sigma resides. They have a brief exchange, and Sigma congratulates him for making it so far, but then comments that he will put X to a little test before engaging the Hunter himself. X is then forced to fight Sigma's dog, Velguarder. After destroying the guard dog, Sigma throws off his cloak and fights X head-on with his beam saber. X manages to defeat Sigma, but Sigma's head detaches from his body and joins a much larger wolf-themed battle body. X fights Sigma and defeats him again in a rage, causing the fortress to fall into the sea and collapse. X manages to get out in time and watches the fortress explode as he contemplated his actions, and his future. In the final shot of the game, X drives through a city on a Ride Chaser alone.

Vile Mode
X also appears in the what-if scenario Vile Mode, starring Vile. In this story, Vile's main goal is to destroy X, which is the reason why Sigma releases him from containment in the first place. X first appears as the boss of Central Highway. Though Vile defeats him with relative ease, Zero comes to the rescue and escapes with X before Vile can finish him off. Vile then fights through all the eight bosses, all so that he can fight X again.

X next appears in the third section of the Sigma Palace, where he is fought as a boss again - however, this time he is equipped with the First Armor and fights alongside Zero as well. Vile manages to defeat them both, and victoriously kicks X around the room. Suddenly, Zero grabs Vile by the leg, holding him in place for X to hit him with a well-placed Charge Shot to finish him off. It is unknown what happens to X or Zero after this, but it's likely they went on to defeat Sigma.