Red

"Axl... He's right... It's my time...  Let me go first... You're still young...  No need to rush..."

- Red

Red (レッド) is the leader and namesake of the group Red Alert, a syndicate that hunts Mavericks in the Mega Man X series. His organization was progressing well until Red met up with “the Professor” and changed his plans, waging war against the Maverick Hunters. Eventually, he regrets forming an alliance with the Professor, and after being defeated by Axl, Red tells him and his friends to leave him to die in his base, having set it to self-destruct.

Appearance
Red was a tall and lithe male Reploid. He had black lines around his eyes, and appeared to be missing his right eye. He had long, blond hair that swept directly behind his head, and retained a large scar along the forehead of his helmet. His armor was most purple and orange in color. His shoulders curved upwards into sharp points, and he had jagged white lines running along his forearms, legs, and tassets. The spikes on the tips of his feet pointed upwards, while the spikes on his knees pointed downwards. By the time he was defeated by Zero, X, and Axl, he lost his right shoulder point, both of his arms suffered significant enough damage that cables were exposed, and he was showing various cracks around his body.

Personality
Red was a gifted vigilante and a charismatic leader, making him a natural fit as head of Red Alert. He normally spoke in a casual manner and didn't seem to take things seriously, confidently challenging the Maverick Hunters to a "duel" over custody of Axl. He was well-liked by his colleagues and very loyal to them, affectionately referring to them as his "pals." Red was much more ruthless than the Maverick Hunters as the leader of the vigilante group Red Alert, as he was fully willing to attack innocent Reploids if it meant getting more power-ups for himself and his Red Alert teammates, although this did cause him some turmoil and he said he wouldn't commit such actions anymore after finding out Sigma was using him. This was one of the reasons Axl decided to leave the group.

It's later revealed that Red's antagonistic actions in Mega Man X7 were due to the pressure of Sigma. Unlike Sigma, Red showed no ill will towards the Maverick Hunters and didn't wish them any harm, seeing them as just a mere nuisance. He also said that he "set Axl free," showing that he quickly got over Axl's departure from Red Alert and if anything encouraged his departure. However, Sigma blackmailed him by threatening the other members of Red Alert, forcing Red to challenge the Maverick Hunters and get Axl back.

By the time X, Zero, and Axl encountered Red in the Crimson Palace, he had become severely nihilistic. The rest of Red Alert had been defeated, and Red knew that the Hunters spelled the end of the line for him. After losing to them in battle, he revealed that he had set the area to self-destruct. He refused Axl's pleas to leave with them, having resigned to his fate and perishing in the blast.

Formation of Red Alert


Red's background is unknown. There is a rumor that he was once a part of a mercenary unit from the Repliforce, and survived the Great Repliforce War which left most of the members dead and the organization decimated, but it is unknown if the rumor is true as he never talks about his past.

After most of the world had finished being repaired from the Eurasia incident, Maverick crime began to rise again. Because of X's temporary retirement, the Maverick Hunters were ill-equipped to deal with the new surge of Mavericks. In response to this, Red began hunting Mavericks himself. His efforts drew in other powerful Reploids and eventually formed Red Alert, an unauthorized Maverick-hunting syndicate which saw immediate success. Tales of Red's endeavors quickly spread, and Red Alert became a popular name worldwide.

At some point Red Alert recruited Axl, a mysterious Reploid with no memory who could shapeshift into other Reploids by copying their DNA. Red personally took Axl under his wing, and Axl soon became a fearsome hunter whose unique abilities helped Red Alert's productivity skyrocket.

After accompanying Axl to hunt down Aluce and Cedar and recover the Virus Program Σ-02, Red was contacted by Sigma (under the moniker of "the Professor"), who was impressed by Red Alert's skills. The two began to meet, and Sigma took great interest in Axl's copy ability. Using the DNA Axl collected during his missions, Sigma began to secretly give the members of Red Alert power boosts to increase their effectiveness. Axl noticed that Red Alert was targeting more and more innocent Reploids as opposed to solely Mavericks, irking him. This factored into his eventual decision to leave Red Alert.

Mega Man X7
Eventually, Red heard that Axl was leaving Red Alert to be a freelance hunter on his own. However, upon meeting with Sigma again, Red also learned that Sigma had given Red Alert yet another power boost. Red thanked Sigma for his help, but refused to continue collaborating with him. Sigma demanded that he bring Axl back, but Red protested that they had let him go. In response, Sigma revealed that he had taken control of Red Alert, likely using the Sigma Virus, and began blackmailing Red into retrieving Axl and using him to take X's DNA.

With no other choice, Red tried to cut off Axl's escape route, even sending the Mega Scorpio after him, but to no avail. He then contacted the Maverick Hunters, who had taken Axl in. He issued a challenge to them: a "duel" of sorts, wherein Red Alert would unleash their captive Mavericks and use them to cause trouble around the world and the Maverick Hunters would try to stop them. Whoever came out the victor would win custody of Axl. The Maverick Hunters accepted the challenge, and their conflict began.

Upon the defeat of Red Alert's eight members, Red quietly revealed the location of Red Alert's Crimson Palace to the Maverick Hunters, enticing them to come fight him. Red then encountered X, Zero, and Axl within the Crimson Palace. Axl tried to talk to Red, but instead Red cut to the chase and began fighting them. Upon his defeat, Red revealed that he had set the place to self-destruct. Axl pleaded that Red come with the Hunters, but Red knew that he had gone too far and that his time had come. Accepting his fate, Red let himself be destroyed in the collapsing room while the Hunters moved on to find Sigma.

Red later appeared after Sigma's defeat at the hands of the Hunters. He attacked X and Zero before moving to give Sigma his own body. However, Red suddenly attacked Sigma instead, revealing himself to be Axl in diguise and sending Sigma hurtling out a window.

Strategy
Red disappears and reappears on random platforms throughout the entire battle. It's not recommended to stand in the center of a platform, as he could appear there at any moment.


 * Scythe: If occupying the same platform as Red, he will attack by spinning his scythe in front of himself if he is not immediately attacked.


 * Bunshin: Red has two ghost-like doppelgangers that will occasionally appear next to the platform the player is on and attack. They are invincible, so just jump to another platform to avoid them.


 * Tornado: Sometimes Red will appear and immediately begin forming four tornadoes on the platforms around him; so watch out for platforms that begin to emit purple vortexes. Red will cover himself in a funnel as well, so he can’t be harmed during this attack. He will teleport away immediately after.


 * Wide Shot: Red will immediately counter-attack with an energy wave whenever he is struck at long-range. Either dash-jump to another platform to avoid it, or dodge in place. (Jumping to another platform is recommended, but there is a risk of getting knocked into the pit.)

There are two main strategies:
 * One is to wait until Red appears, then quickly jump over onto his platform (try to approach him from behind; he won’t notice as quickly then) and hit him with the Explosion/Hadangeki weapon, then immediately leap off onto another platform. Red will freeze for a moment, then produce a tornado and disappear. This technique works best for Zero, because X and Axl will run out of weapon energy long before he is defeated.


 * Another strategy is to use X or Axl, and attack Red from a distance. He'll retaliate with a Wide Shot every time he's hit, so be prepared to evade. With X, hit him with fully-charged shots. For Axl, try using the G-Launcher.

The Volt Tornado also takes a good chunk off his health, and Sniper Missile can be used to hit him from a safe distance, so those can be combined with other attacks as well.

TEPPEN
Red first appeared in the art for the card Unbreakable Bond, where he is seen with Axl. Red was included as an unit card in the "Haunted by Memories" expansion, which also includes the cards Faithful Brother and Destruction's Demand, which shows Red's bond with Axl and their bond being ruined by Sigma's evil deeds, respectively.

Between Sigma/The Professor
??? (Sigma): "Heheh...You're something else."

Red: "Who goes there?! Show yourself!"

??? (Sigma): "Don't you find the Maverick hunters to be a bit too much of a nuisance?"

Red: "Maverick hunters?! Well sure, I don't like them... But they've got nothing to do with us. We'll do as we please, hunters or no. Get lost! I don't even know who the heck you are!"

??? (Sigma): "Me? Let's just say... I'm a sympathizer with your cause."

??? (Sigma): "He possesses incredible talent."

Red: "Oh, you! Don't surprise me like that. You mean Axl's imitator ability? Yeah, I have no idea how he does it, but it's our secret weapon. Without him we wouldn't work half as fast."

??? (Sigma): "But his talents are wasted as things stand..."

Red: "What?! What do you mean?"

??? (Sigma): "Would you be willing to place a wager on my little idea?"

Red: "?!"

??? (Sigma): "Heheh, you see that? This is what one can do with DNA data."

Red: "Amazing! I had no idea that DNA data could provide so much power! You're incredible!"

??? (Sigma): "Well, I hope I've proven my abilities to you. But this is only the beginning. If you give me the chance, I can make you invincible."

Red: "What?! You mean I could be even stronger?!"

??? (Sigma): "Absolutely. But in order to do so, we'll need the mouse that ran away. He must collect more data! And then... then I will make you the strongest hunters that ever lived!"

Red: "But that won't work. He'll never come back. We've set him free. And as for our power, we have quite enough. I thank you, truly. But we already are undefeatable."

??? (Sigma): "Hmph, you don't need any more power, huh? Well, that could be true in your case. But he... He still has an unfinished job."

Red: "What's that supposed to mean? An unfinished job?"

??? (Sigma): "There is vital data still missing. The most powerful Reploid data is not yet in my hands..."

Red: "You... You used us?! And Axl?! We've had enough of this. We won't search for him for you. And we won't attack any more innocent Reploids. Not one!"

??? (Sigma): "Well, I'm disappointed in you. I thought you'd be a bit more useful. But let's do this democratically..."

Red: "What the?! What's wrong guys?! What are you doing? YOU! What have you done to my pals?!"

??? (Sigma): "Oh, consider it payment for the power ups I gave you. Well, what'll it be? If you don't follow my orders, they'll never return to normal. Get Axl back, along with X's data!"

Red: "!!!!!"

Between Axl at Crimson Palace
Red: "So what took you so long?"

Axl: "Well, if it isn't Red? Long time no see."

Red: "We've advanced... Thanks to the "Professor"... Hmph, but we've still been reduced to this."

Axl: "Well that explains it. And where is this "Professor" now?"

Red: "Like always, I have no idea. Probably closer than we think."

Axl: "Gotcha. I'll be on my guard."

Red: "Well, I know you didn't come here just to talk. Shall we get things started?"

Red: "Hahah, you're really grown up, Axl. You hear that? This place is done for. I... I set it to self - destruct... Hrk... in case of an emergency."

Axl: "No! Red, you're coming with us!"

Axl: "C'mon, you can still make it!"

Zero: "Stop it! Hurry up, or we'll be buried here, too!"

Red: "Axl... He's right... It's my time... Let me go first... You're still young... No need to rush..."

Axl: "REDDD!!!!!"

Quotes

 * "This is it. Ready to rock?" (To Axl in the opening cutscene.)


 * "You getting this, hunters!? I am Red, leader of your friends here at Red Alert. I never imagined our little friend would end up in your hands, but in any case, I want Axl back. Now, don't you worry. I know he won't come back easily. So how about this? Like you, we are hunters. We've trashed our share of Mavericks. So how about a duel? A duel to determine who the real Maverick Hunters are. I'm sure you won't mind if we use the Mavericks that we've captured so far. So, the last one standing wins! If we lose, we'll surrender Axl to you. And if we win? Well... We'll leave that to your imagination!"


 * "Well, pretty big talker, for a retiree! We could care less about deadbeats like you. We just want Axl. He IS there, isn't he? Now you just sit tight, my boy. Ahahahahah!"


 * "Over here!"


 * "I'm done, good job!" (defeated)

Production Notes
Designer Comments "I had the grim reaper in mind when I designed Red. I gave him bags under his eyes and a sharp scythe to give him an evil look. The white lines I put in here and there are supposed to look like bones, and although it may not be the most original idea, I made the center of his torso look like a face with the pointed shoulder pieces being sharp horns." - Tatsuya Yoshikawa

Trivia

 * Red was one of a handful of enemy bosses-and the only Reploid boss from X7-not to be included in Archie Comics' Worlds Unite crossover.
 * Red is similar to General from Mega Man X4. Both are leaders of a Maverick hunting organization (Repliforce and Red Alert) that are manipulated into helping Sigma's plans and both sacrifice themselves in their respective lairs (Final Weapon and Crimson Palace). Ironically, Red himself is a survivor of the Great Repliforce War.