Fighting Fefnir

Fighting Fefnir, known in the Japanese version as "Tōshō" Fafnir (「闘将」ファーブニル), or simply Fefnir, is a video game character in the Mega Man Zero video game series. Fefnir is the leader of Neo Arcadia's Jin'en Gundan ("Army of Ash Flames"). Fefnir's schematics were based on that of X's capabilities of ground combat. He is one of the Four Guardians (四天王) designed to protect Master X. Fefnir wields two arm cannons, named Sodom and Gomorrah (ソドムとゴモラ). He was fiercely faithful to Master X and oversaw a pupil, Anubis Necromancess III.

Design
Like his siblings, Sage Harpuia, Fairy Leviathan, and Hidden Phantom, his armor is based on that of his biological origin, X, with thematic alterations. Fefnir's armor is colored red, symbolizing his alignment with fire and earth elements. His overall design is derived from his namesake, Fafnir, a dwarf-turned-dragon from Norse mythology (not to mention his name in Japanese is Fafnir). Unlike his fellow siblings and X, he does not wear the familiar 'X' shirt they share in his design, instead wearing armor with large shoulder pads. The yellow spikes on his chest and helmet resemble the protruding fangs of a dragon's snout, and his arm cannons bear a distinct jaw motif. Fefnir uses his arm cannons for flame-based attacks, one of which incorporates firing a barrage of flames into the air, which then rain down from the sky, resembling the destruction of the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, from which his weapons' names are derived.

In his Armed Phenomenon form, Fefnir's armor expands to become a large tank equipped with cannons and flamethrowers, all of which bear a distinct dragon motif, further emphasizing his mythological inspiration.

Personality
Fefnir loves battle, and he gets disappointed upon being told to step back. Like the other Guardians, he is unquestioningly loyal to "Master X", though he may not be quite as fervent in this loyalty as Phantom was. He is proud of his position in Neo Arcadia and sees it as a true peaceful utopia, an ironic position given his own love of violence, but one he holds nonetheless. Fefnir sees Zero as a rival mostly due to his skill in battle, but he envies Zero's past with X as well. Fefnir also has a sense of honor, and dislikes having to resort to drastic measures as seen in Mega Man Zero 2 as Fefnir mention that even though he didn't want to drop a bomb at the Resistance Base, he had to. He also likes to have clean fights with Zero 1-on-1 so he can enjoy the rush of fighting him, which Leviathan also coming to realize she enjoys the battles with Zero also, but is colder towards him than Fefnir.

Origin
When X sealed the Dark Elf after the Elf Wars, the shock forced X's soul from his body, and it split into five Cyber-elves. Four of these Cyber-elves were used to create Hidden Phantom, Fairy Leviathan, Fighting Fefnir and Sage Harpuia, while the other wandered around Earth. The four work for Neo Arcadia to clean the pollution caused by the Maverick Wars. At some point, Fefnir, along with his three siblings, became military generals of Neo Arcadia, responsible for the overall safely of Neo Arcadian inhabitants, both humans and Reploids. Fefnir became the leader of the Jin'en Gundan, Neo Arcadia's land forces.

Mega Man Zero
After Anubis was defeated by Zero, Fefnir launched an assault on the Resistance Base, going through the treacherous desert in which his pupil was destroyed. This assault was thwarted by Zero and Fefnir was defeated. He was defeated again by Zero in Neo Arcadia's 'Area X', but rose again to defend the Inner Sanctum where Copy X resided. He was told, along with the other two Guardians (Phantom self-detonated earlier), to step down by Copy X as he appeared before Zero himself. Copy X was destroyed later.

Mega Man Zero 2
When Elpizo launched a full frontal assault (Operation Righteous Strike) against Neo Arcadia, Fefnir battled alongside the remaining Guardians and killed the invading force. They would have killed Elpizo too, had Zero not rescued him.

Later when Elpizo tried to infiltrate the Sanctum of Yggdrasil (where the original X lay dormant), Fefnir tried to stop him in his Armed Phenomenon form, but he was defeated at last, though not destroyed.

Mega Man Zero 3
Fefnir took part in a mission to investigate the wreckage of a crashed spaceship that contained the exiled Reploid, Omega, at the beginning of game. He was heavily damaged in the battle with the revealed Omega, and did not reappear again until the final battle with him, only being mentioned (along with Leviathan), once throughout the game, in which Harpuia remarks to Copy X Mk. II that "Fefnir and Leviathan are still undergoing repairs".

According to the Mega Man Zero Official Complete Works artbook, Fefnir, Harpuia, and Leviathan were transformed into Cyber-elves at the end of the game, their bodies destroyed by Omega's explosion. Zero was protected from this fate by the Dark Elf, who shielded him from the blast with her body.

Mega Man ZX series
Fefnir appears in Mega Man ZX as Biometal Model F. Vent or Aile can use Model F after combining it with Model X to become Model FX. The other Guardians appear as Biometals as well.

The personality of Model F is notably similar to Fefnir's personality, even more so than with the other Biometals (when he is first acquired in Mega Man ZX, Model F excitedly asks who would be their next victim to kill). Model F is used by Atlas in Mega Man ZX Advent; however, Atlas was noticeably far less volatile and hotheaded by comparison to the original Fefnir.

Other Appearances

 * Fefnir has his own mini-game in Mega Man Zero 3 in which the player has to destroy Carryarms.


 * Fefnir also appears in the manga adaption of the series. He is no longer a Reploid created from X, but a new type of Reploid altogether. He was the first to fight Zero and was defeated. He fights against him again in a Resistance base. When Zero was brought before Cial (Ciel's evil twin) by Harpuia, he rejected the thought, stating that he would be watching Zero. Fefnir's (along with Phantom and Leviathan's) suspicions were correct when Zero took Cial hostage. After they got Cial out of Zero's reach, Fefnir and the other Generals merged together to form "the ultimate Reploid" (Copy X) and were destroyed by Zero.

Armed Phenomenon
The Four Guardians possesses a powerful alternative form called an "Armed Phenomenon" which is activated by them when facing more difficult enemies. When Fefnir uses his Armed Phenomenon, he appears as a red tank with several dragon-like cannon heads that attack with flame spurts. Fefnir was the first Guardian to use his Armed Phenomenon in Mega Man Zero 2.

Trivia

 * Like the intro boss of Mega Man Zero 2, Mega Scorpia, battling Fefnir's Armed Phenomenon also requires the player to keep up with a scroll, although it's reversed (Mega Scorpia chases Zero from the left, but Fefnir chases Zero from the right).


 * Fefnir shares some similarities to Bass from the original Mega Man series and Axl from X7 onward. Bass and Fefnir both have a similar dash maneuver, marks under their eyes, and an aggressive temperament. Bass and Axl look a lot alike, both having light-grey and black armor.  Fefnir and Axl have just about identical personalities, both being "wise-guys."  All three have a love of combat and are armed each with a multi-directional weapon.
 * Fefnir despite his temper, is the most encouraging of the Four Guardians; he shows it in the first two Mega Man Zero games, where he tells Zero to take care of himself so he can have a rematch with him when the time comes. Despite how much wiser and more noble are Harpuia and Phantom than the other two Guardians, Fefnir in Zero 3 seems the only Guardian to warm up to Zero prior to the final Copy-X showdown, the other 3 Guardians seemingly taking the entire game before coming around.
 * Fefnir is the only Guardian with more than one battle pose.