Rockman Zero Collection Timeline

At the time of its opening, the Rockman Zero Collection website included a timeline detailing the events which marked the transition from the Mega Man X series to the Mega Man Zero series. This timeline was since removed from the site, but it gained notoriety for the new revelations about the storyline, with potentially controversial details. The translation can be seen below.

Translation
Reploids… those are robots made a time long ago who were near human and had limitless potential… Given individuality by means of advanced technology, the Reploids worked for humans and were meant to be the greatest ally to walk alongside mankind… However, trouble silently built up among the gears between humans and Reploids that beneath these peaceful times… Having limitless potential and being near human, it was only a matter of time before the Reploids would oppose humans. These kinds of dangerous Reploids the humans fearfully called Mavericks… Reploids that became Mavericks were disposed of by their own Reploid brethren… This was the response humans devised… For the Reploids trying to protect their human masters, there was no room for choice. Thus a violent war between the Reploids that seemed to have no end erupted… Numerous battles accumulated… time went on… and even with the creation of the human utopia protected by Reploids, Neo Arcadia, the struggles haven’t ended…

At least 200 years ago: The birth of X
When an incident occurred where an unknown computer virus came from space and causes robots to become violent and riotous, Dr. Light completed the battle robot “X” worrying about the future of Earth. Hypothesizing X could battle robots infected by viruses, he gave X the perfect virus counter-measure. Meanwhile Dr. Light developed a great number of armors, but this presented the possibility of X becoming a threat to mankind. To confirm the safety of X’s cognition program, Dr. Light sealed away X in an analysis capsule.

1XX years ago: The birth of Zero
Zero was produced by Dr. Wily, who schemed at taking over the world. But he contained a flaw in his cognitive program that made him violent and unwilling to obey instructions, so Dr. Wily himself sealed Zero in a capsule.

1XX years ago: X is discovered
X is discovered by Dr. Cain, having been buried underground for 100 years.

1XX years ago: The birth of Reploids
Dr. Cain carried out his research of X, and using this created highly advanced robots called “Reploids.”

1XX years ago: The Sigma Virus outbreak
A subspecies of the terrible computer virus from long ago is generated, and begins driving robots mad locally. The human leadership acknowledges these infected robots as Mavericks, and orders them to be disposed of. The source was found to be an unknown computer virus that had prevailed over 100 years ago emerging from the capsule Zero slumbered in. Later, this virus was named the Sigma Virus, after the Reploid “Sigma” who led a revolt against the human leadership.

1XX years ago: Formation of the Maverick Hunters
Following through with the disposal of Mavericks, the human leadership decides to have Mavericks exterminated by Reploids, and forms the Maverick Hunters. Ironically, the leader of the first generation of Maverick Hunters is Sigma.

1XX years ago: Zero awakens
Receiving information of Zero awakening from his capsule and causing violence, the Maverick Hunter Sigma finds and intercepts him. during this incident, Sigma is infected by the unknown computer virus leaking out from Zero’s capsule, but at the same time Zero, having his armor damaged in the battle with Sigma, also becomes infected with the virus. Due to this, Zero’s personality completely changed, and he would turn to working as a Maverick Hunter.

1XX years ago: The Maverick Wars begin
Infected by the unknown computer virus, Sigma defects to the side of the Mavericks and leads a revolt against human leadership. The wars between the Mavericks and the Maverick Hunters for the future of humanity begins.

1XX years ago: Fall of the colony “Eurasia”
Under Sigma’s orders, the Reploid mercenary Dynamo causes an obsolete space colony “Eurasia” to crash into Earth. Along with recognizing the threat of the Mavericks anew, the human leadership professes its aim of eradicating all Mavericks. The site that became a contamination zone is dubbed Area Zero, and for the next 100 years would be barred from entry.

1XX years ago: The Nightmare Incident
“The Nightmare Incident” occurs, an event where a subspecies of the Sigma Virus that attracts attention as the Nightmare Virus spreads throughout the world. The fact was proven that Zero was it source, as he was a carrier of the Sigma Virus, and was contagious to his surroundings as he worked across the world as a Hunter. In finding this, the human leadership decides for Zero to be sealed away, but due to the influence of scientists studying the Sigma Virus, his cognitive program was removed from his body so the two could be researched separately.

1XX years ago: The birth of the Mother Elf
A Reploid researcher of this time (Dr. Ciel’s great-grandmother) studies Zero’s cognitive program and discovers an antibody to the Sigma Virus. She completes the Mother Elf, a program lifeform that can rewrite and erase the Sigma Virus. Afterwards, the scientists in the field of researching the Sigma Virus make researching Cyber Elves their focus.

1XX years ago: The Elf Wars rise from the Maverick Wars
There are many historians who define the end of the Maverick Wars as the period when the number of Mavericks dropped significantly due to X’s using the Mother Elf. In actuality there is no enduring the conflict, and afterwards the latter period of the Maverick Wars came to be known as the Elf Wars.

1XX years ago: The proposal of Project Elpizo
A member of the humans researching Cyber Elves proposes “Project Elpizo,” an operation to create a Reploid that’s a perfect ruler using the Mother Elf’s program rewriting ability. X opposed this operation, but out of fear of a long-lasting war support begins for complete control of Reploids. The confrontation of X’s “philosophy of coexistence” and the human leadership’s “philosophy of rule” begins.