Triad Thunder

Triad Thunder (トライアードサンダー) is the Special Weapon that X obtains from Volt Catfish in Mega Man X3. Uncharged, the weapon causes three orbs to surround X, in an upwards triangular pattern, which conduct electricity between them to form a triangle, then fire a trio of electric blasts outward before falling down off the screen. If the FIRE button is pressed when the orbs appear, the pods will then change formation to an upside-down triangular fashion for an additional use of the same amount of Weapon Energy used to fire the weapon in the first place. The player can change the pods back to their original position, and can even change it up to three times unless either the weapon runs its course, an enemy makes contact with any of the pods, or the player runs out of Weapon Energy.

When fully charged, X smashes his fist against the ground, releasing electric sparks along the floor and walls. Any enemies touching the ground during this attack will be destroyed or heavily damaged. This can also be used to destroy some obstacles and open new paths, like the ropes holding rocks in Tunnel Rhino's stage.

Crush Crawfish, Bit and Volt Kurageil share a weakness to this weapon.

Damage Data Chart
Damage values in units in Mega Man X3.


 * For Triad Thunder, the first set of values is damage done in its normal state; first number is damage done with the electrified pods, the second number is from the lightning bolts fired from them. For the second set of values, the first number is damage done with the initial shockwave, and the second number is damage done with the electric balls that follow it.
 * For Crush Crawfish, using a charged Triad Thunder against him will not only damage and stun him from the initial attack, but he will be stunned long enough to take damage from the electric balls, resulting in a total of six units of damage done to him.
 * Additionally, there is a glitch that allows Crawfish to be hit multiple times by the initial attack, easily doing 60-100% damage. The best way to see this is to have him hit by one of the rays from the last phase of the normal Triad Thunder, timed long enough to reach full charge while he's still stunned. Unleash while he's flashing, and it results in multiple hits draining his life repeatedly. This is best done when you are in opposite corners (e.g. X on the upper-right, Crawfish on the lower-left).
 * Using a charged Triad Thunder will have no effect on Volt Kurageil as the shockwave cannot damage it, nor can the electric balls that follow it even reach it.
 * For Godkarmachine O Inary and Press Disposer, the only time when they can be damaged is from the initial shockwave.

Tri-Thunder (Mega Man Xtreme 2)
Tri-Thunder (an abbreviation for "Triad Thunder (トライアードサンダー)") is a different version of Triad Thunder that X or Zero obtains from Volt Catfish in Mega Man Xtreme 2.

When used by X, he shoots three electric arcs which spread out in three directions. When charged, X raises his arms and large balls of electricity are shot in random directions from where he stands. It should be noted that when using Tri-Thunder, if the player tries to charge this weapon by holding the B Button from the subscreen or by shifting though other Special Weapons, the uncharged version will automatically fire first, wasting Weapon Energy. If the player wishes to simply use only the charged version of Tri-Thunder without firing a normal shot first, the player must deliberately make X contact an enemy before holding the B Button, or, when fighting a boss, by equipping the desired weapon first, then holding the B Button down as the boss's health fills up. Alternatively, the player can also switch to a different Special Weapon, pressing and holding the B Button while X is present on the screen, and while still holding the B Button down, the player can open the subscreen and select Tri-Thunder; once the subscreen is closed, X will begin to charge up Tri-Thunder without wasting any Weapon Energy.

Zero can also obtain Tri-Thunder from Volt Catfish, but to accomplish this, the player must be playing on Extreme Mode, and Zero must be the character that deals the final blow on Catfish, otherwise he will not be able to obtain it. When used by Zero, he punches the ground, sending out many balls of electricity in a V-shaped manner. This move can only be activated when selected from the subscreen, and Zero must be on the ground when performing it, otherwise nothing will happen.

Both versions of Tri-Thunder are a primary weakness for Launch Octopus, and, in Boss Attack Mode, Armored Armadillo.

Damage Data Charts
Damage values in units in Mega Man Xtreme 2.

X

Zero

Trivia

 * In the official art of Mega Man X using Triad Thunder, his armor is depicted as being lavender-and-mint green; in Mega Man X3, however, the color scheme for his sprite is purple-and-green.
 * Triad Thunder is one of many weapons X uses in the crossover game Project X Zone during his finisher.
 * The way X executes the charged version of the Triad Thunder is similar to how Spark Mandrill performs his Electric Spark move during the fight against him in Mega Man X.