Biometal

"This feeling... This power... in my body... What is it? It's the Biometal, making me stronger! ... Mega Man power!"

- Ashe

Biometal, known as Livemetal (ライブメタル) in Japan, is a generic term from the Mega Man ZX series for a living metallic artifact that contains data and abilities similar to Cyber-elves. They contain information of past history and weapon data, and have their own will, being able to grant knowledge and power for a Chosen One recognized by them.

Characteristics
Biometals are small, blocky mechanical artifacts which can be held by a single hand. However, Biometals are no ordinary technology as each of them appears to house a soul, usually of a legendary Reploid hero from a past era. Biometals are generally designed to resemble the original forms of the souls within, making them easy to recognize. Biometals are also distinguished by a protuding round plate on the front with a pair of horizontal lights for eyes, giving it the appearance of a face. Although they lack a mouth, they are still able to speak directly to the minds of compatible individuals. Baring Model W and O, the Biometals all look like the weapons they give to their user.

However, Biometals are better known for their ability to merge with a person, giving him/her incredible power; this ability is called Megamerge and it works for both Humanoids and Reploids.

Megamerge
Biometal uses the M.E.G.A. System (Meta-Encapsulated Granule Awareness), known as R.O.C.K. System (R.O.C.K.システム) in Japan, and can Megamerge (ロックオン) with a Chosen One (also referred to as a Biomatch). In a Megamerge, the Biometal becomes the user's living armor, and gives its user the abilities of whom it is based upon. When someone Megamerges, they become a Mega Man (ロックマン). Biometals are generally referred to using an initial, e.g. Model Z (Zero), and generally titled as Mega Man Model _ (Model initial here) during Megamerge.

Biomatches are individuals destined for a particular Biometal. Most Biomatches tend to have similar personalities to the Biometals they are destined to use, aside from Model O and Model W, whom have shown no visible consciousness. Only the Biomatches can hear the voices of the Biometals, as shown when the Biometal Model A urges either Grey or Ashe to Megamerge. Only a few of the Biometal have shown to be compatible with more than one individual, as in the case with Models X, Z, A and W, yet Vent and Aile are able to utilize other Biometals through Model X while Grey and Ashe can copy their Mega Man forms using Model A's A-Trans ability.

The fusion between Chosen One and Biometal appears to occur at the genetic level, as Model A's A-Trans is able to copy the exact form of a transformed Mega Man down to the subject's species and gender. The Chosen One retains full control of his/her actions, but the Biometal can still speak independently and may cancel the transformation at will.

Double Megamerge
In Mega Man ZX, Vent/Aile begins with the lone Model X, but upon obtaining Model Z, Model X is combined with it to create an even more powerful form named Model ZX. From this point, the combination of two Biometals for a transformation is called Double Megamerge.

When Model X is later combined with Model H, Model F, Model L or Model P, the Overdrive Invoke System (O.I.S.) can be activated, giving enhanced abilities to the player; examples include elemental attributes to some of their attacks and powerful new moves. However, O.I.S. consumes Biometal Energy. Also, while Double Megamerge is much more powerful than a regular transformation, the process puts a heavier strain on the user, something Model X warns Vent/Aile about.

In Mega Man ZX Advent, Double Megamerge is not available to the player, as Ashe/Grey does not combine Model A with another Biometal. Instead, Model A has the ability of A-Trans, which allows the player to transform into the forms of defeated enemies, specifically the bosses of the game. However, during Ashe/Grey's encounter with Vent/Aile, the latter uses Double Megamerge to become Mega Man Model ZX. Model A is the only Biometal acquired in Mega Man ZX Advent, though the player acquires an A-Trans for each Mega Man's form, including Model ZX and those of the new Chosen Ones using the Biometals from the first game.

Pseudoroids
Biometals are instrumental to the creation of artificial Mega Men called Pseudoroids, serving as their core and power source. Biometals incorporated in this manner are used against their will, having their power forcefully drained by the Pseudoroids to turn them into pseudo Mega Men. Despite this, Biometals are integrated so deeply into the Pseudoroid's frame that any damage where the Biometal is stored will cause damage to the Biometal itself. In Mega Man ZX, a damaged Biometal may still be used but it will have reduced Biometal Energy; however, it can be repaired by Fleuve at the cost of Energy Crystals.

A Biometal may also be split into multiple fragments for the construction of multiple Pseudoroids. Despite this split, each fragment in Mega Man ZX is shown to retain its original personality.

Aside from the return of the Pseudoroids in Mega Man ZX Advent, the game also features a Mechaniloid boss named Capsule Converter made from Model F technology.

Background
Model W is the original Biometal, made from the soul of a human merged with the remains of Ragnarok. A central element of Albert's plan to remake the world, this member of the Sage Trinity creates Prometheus and Pandora, and orchestrates the entire Game of Destiny with the end of using the Chosen Ones to awaken Model W. When a fragment of Model W is discovered in the Outlands and studied by a Guardian recon unit, the group is betrayed and wiped out by Serpent, who takes the Model W. Surviving the incident, the first commander of the Guardians creates Model X, Model Z, Model H, Model F, Model L and Model P to fight Model W. Before disappearing, the commander seals the core of Model W, giving passwords to the new Biometals in case a person capable of destroying Model W appears.

Girouette eventually comes into possession of Model Z, while Model H, Model F, Model L and Model P are discovered by Serpent and used on the creation of Pseudoroids.

Mega Man ZX
Model X is discovered in an abandoned research lab by the Guardians, who hire Girouette to deliver the Biometal. During a Maverick attack, the Biometal joins Giro's protege Vent/Aile to protect the new commander Prairie.

During a Maverick attack on Area D, Girouette loses his life in a trap by Serpent, who also wounds the Model X Chosen One and steals the passwords from Model X and Model Z with help from Prometheus and Pandora. On his last breath, Giro lends Model Z to Vent/Aile, who performs the Double Megamerge and uses this new power to recover the other Biometals from the Pseudoroids. Together, the Biometals give Vent/Aile the strength to defeat Serpent despite the latter's merging with the Model W core.

Mega Man ZX Advent
Years later, Model H, Model F and Model L and Model P wind up in the hands of new Chosen Ones after being stolen from a Guardian laboratory. With their consciousnessess suppressed, the Biometals are used by the new Mega Men in new operations to awaken Model W. However, the situation changes when Model A is discovered by Raiders and the Biometal eventually merges with Grey/Ashe, who fights the other Mega Men and eventually joins forces with Vent/Aile to stop Albert. Although Albert is able to fully awaken Model W and create the ultimate Biometal Ouroboros, the Mega Men Model A and Model ZX are victorious and Ouroboros is destroyed, albeit at the cost of Model Z who disappears in the battle.

It is later revealed that the Mega Men in possession of the stolen Biometals survived the conflict and have sided with Master Thomas, who shares Albert's desire to reset the world albeit differently.

List of Biometals
The first Biometal, titled Model W (モデルV), created by Master Albert from the remains of Weil when he fused with Ragnarok, after his defeat by Zero in the epilogue of the Mega Man Zero series. Models X, Z, H, F, L, and P were created through artificial means, by Prairie's "big sister" (presumed to be Ciel). Model A was another creation by Master Albert as the key to his backup self Grey. Considered as another Biometal, Model O is a mysterious stone included in Mega Man ZX as a bonus.

Trivia

 * Although the transformation process is called "Megamerge" in the English version of Mega Man ZX, the characters still say "Rock On" because the game did not get an English vocal dub. Mega Man ZX Advent did, however, and the characters can be clearly heard shouting the word "Megamerge" before changing.


 * Interestingly, the only "pure" Biometals that the player ever controls are Biometal X in Mega Man ZX and Biometal A in ZX Advent. It is very likely that the power of Biometal X (the ability to assimilate powers from defeated enemies) allowed Vent/Aile to combine with others. Thus the ZX, HX, FX, LX, PX, and OX do not represent the full powers of the other Biometals, but a kind of fusion of X and another. The pure Biometal is used, however, in ZX Advent by the four new Mega Men who hold the H, F, L, and P Biometals. Similarly, Biometal A "copies" the form and abilities of Pseudoroids and other Biometals, but does not have the full abilities of the defeated enemy. As such, it can be assumed that the combination of various Biometals with Model X is reminiscent of X's Variable Weapons System, while Model A's ability to transform into others directly is reminiscent of Axl's Copy Shot. This is probably to stick with the theme that the player's Mega Man can take abilities from other fighters.


 * If examined closely, the Biometals A and W are upside-down shapes of each other. However, while Model A's shape is that of an outlined W shape, Model W is that of an A outline, which further hints to Model A's connection to Albert, despite popular belief of the Biometal's implied connection to Axl.


 * It seems the "good" Biometals (A, X, Z, L, H, P, F) can cooperate and communicate with each other in special ways, and that they possess special knowledge about each other, as Model Z said "I know more about Biometals than any of [the Mega Men] do." This would explain Model Z's paralyzing the "evil" Mega Men with no complaints from the other Biometals, and the fact that Model X can always Double Megamerge with them.


 * For every game in the series so far, there has always been an extra, optional Biometal that the player can obtain. Said forms are usually a tribute to a preceding series.


 * Seen here, Model P's form of A-Trans uses an unedited Model PX sprite.


 * Sprite ripping has revealed unused sprites for Model O.
 * As seen with a simple Action Replay code, the unused sprites were to be used in Easy mode, where the player is saved when falling into a bottomless pit by the current Biometal. This may also prove that Model O was to be unlocked in every mode.