Craft

Craft (クラフト) is a boss and a main antagonist from Mega Man Zero 4 that is fought twice by Zero. He was an old friend of Neige, and is the commander of the Einherjar Eight Warriors, working for Dr. Weil and has the objective of destroying Area Zero.

Personality
He appears calm, controlled and loyal to Dr. Weil. Craft said that he loved Neige and promised to protect her, which is why he kidnapped her. In the beginning of the game, he followed Weil because he had all the world's energy in his grasp. He had a crisis of faith and thought that the dismal state the world was in couldn't be changed, even by heroes, which he believes are now a thing in the past. However, throughout the game, he experiences a change of heart. Inspired by Neige, he rebelled against Dr. Weil and used Ragnarok in an attempt to kill him. In the end, he finally becomes his old self again, albeit after taking fatal wounds from facing Zero, requesting him to watch over the world.

Mega Man Zero 4
He first appears in the second stage, where he and the eight warriors are introduced. After defeating four of the Einherjar Eight Warriors, Craft goes to Area Zero and fights against Zero to capture Neige. He captures Neige to protect her, as Weil plans to destroy the local. When Zero goes to rescue Neige from the prison, Craft and Weil appear, but Neige and Zero manage to escape, and Craft has doubts about the actions of Weil and Neige. After the defeat of all Einherjar Eight Warriors, Craft betrays Weil and fires the Ragnarok at Neo Arcadia. However before he can fire it again, Zero arrives and battles him as a second attack would be devastating. Zero defeats him, and before collapsing, he says he can't face Neige after what he did, and, in his last breath, he extracts a promise from Zero that is similar to X's in the previous game, as well as to leave his body in Ragnarok.

Attacks
Craft is a menacingly adept Reploid, capable of improvising battle tactics and stealthy maneuvers with deadly accuracy:


 * Dodge Dash: Craft swiftly moves across the screen in a blurring flash, often to Zero's backside to get into position for a counterstrike.


 * Laser Cannon: Craft aims his laser cannon straight forward and a laser scope shoots out a red focusing beam. This isn't the actual attack, but a warning sign of the one coming. Moments later, a massive wave of blue fusion energy will pour out of the cannon and blanket most of the lower battlefield. This attack cannot be blocked or stopped, but a dash-jump will save Zero from being hit- unless the timing is off or the jump is poorly executed; however, if Craft uses this attack from a corner of the screen, the attack can be avoided with a well-timed dash under the beam. Use of the DoubleJump chip will give Zero the added benefit of a second jump mid-air and delay his descent long enough that the laser blast will likely fade out before he lands.


 * Grenade Lob: Craft throws three concussion grenades that explode the second they make impact with the ground.


 * Scatter Bomb: Craft tosses an artillery bomb at Zero, and its armored shell scatters into six pieces of shrapnel that fly out in hexagonal directions. The bomb can be destroyed, but the explosion it produces is still dangerous.


 * Serrated Bayonet Stab: Craft suddenly rushes Zero and extends a sawtooth bayonet knife from his cannon to run him through. If he succeeds, Craft launches the knife from his cannon via hidden eject thruster to worsen the impact force and do further damage by wedging it into Zero even deeper. The teeth will chip away at his health as they tear into his body- unless he can shake off the knife.


 * First EX Skill: Acute Laser Cannon: A deadlier version of Craft's laser attack. Craft jumps into the air and fires his cannon at a 45 degree angle, sweeping across the battlefield. He uses this ability in the first fight if Zero is at A Rank or higher, and as a normal attack in the second fight. However, if Craft is struck with a jumping slash, he'll be knocked off-balance and fail to complete it.
 * Second EX Skill: Exodus: Used in the second fight if Zero is at A Rank or higher. In a surprise move, Craft points his cannon straight down and opens fire on the ground, propelling him with enough force to stay suspended mid-air. From above, the side compartments of Craft's cannon snap open, uncovering two missile banks. Finally, Craft launches a three-wave missile salvo from both sides, each set spreading out further than the last. The ferocious barrage is barely avoidable by keeping to the very corners of the screen.

Trivia

 * Craft's name in the Japanese version, Kraft, is derived from the German word for "strength" and "power".


 * Personality wise, Craft slightly resembles Colonel from the Mega Man X and Mega Man Battle Network series, as he holds back his full ability during the first battle, similar to Colonel's first battle in Mega Man X4.


 * Craft's design seems archaic when compared to other Reploids of the era, such as the Four Guardians for example.