greetings

Welcome to Fire Carves Scars, a mini character tribute to Zero, from the Rockman (localized as Mega Man) series. Its purpose is to briefly analyze his character. Due to its small size at the moment, it won't go into too much depth explaining the plot and the events that unfold (aside from the very significant ones). Please be aware that this contains spoilers for the entire series, especially with the X and Zero sagas. Names will be addressed by their respective Japanese names (i.e. Mega Man would be called Rockman, Protoman would be called Blues), although terminology will be based on the English versions to be consistent with the quotes.

This site is part of the Summer of Shrines Marathon, and is my excuse for this site. Perhaps in the future it will turn to a more indepth site. It recommended to view with Mozilla Firefox 3.5, and Internet Explorer 8.0, with at least a 800x600, or a 1024x768 resolution screen. This all contains one page, but you may easily access a section through the site map on the left side of the content.

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the 411

the X-Zero series

In a dark future of the first Rockman, Dr. Light finished his final masterpiece - a robot that had emotions and free will. This revolution who most likely inflagurate war, so X was sealed for testing for several decades and could not be let out unto it was certain that he wouldn't break the first rule of robotics - he must not hurt a human.

By that time, Dr. Light passed away, and an amateur scientist named Dr. Cain found X's capsule and made copies named Reploids (replicant androids). However, these Reploids were not tested and some revolted against Dr. Cain. These rebellious robots were named Mavericks, and Dr. Cain formed a group of Maverick Hunters (X being one) to neutralize them. The leader of the Maverick Hunters, however, was a Maverick himself and set up a war. For years onward, X and his friends struggled to bring peace on Earth.

absolute Zero

Structure: Blonde Rapunzel hair in a ponytail, red breastplate armor, black tights, white gauntlets, leg armor, full auto-balancer, white pelvis armor (which to me looks like underwear).

Zero was created by the megalomaniac scientist, Dr. Wily. Zero was designed to be the strongest robot at the time - even stronger than Forte. He is also fueled with violence and bloodlust. He also contained a deadly contagious Sigma virus, which is known to make Reploids go berserk. Years ago, he awakened from his capsule and tried to kill Sigma. Sigma managed to break his Maverick state and he was taken to Dr. Cain for analysis. Since then, he became slightly amnesic. His skills however were high-ranking, and Zero earned himself an S-rank position, and assisted X physically and emotionally with their missions. He first was X's mentor, before X raised his ranking to be equals.


You also should know that Zero is the notable badass of the series who is purely nigh-unstoppable. He risked his life several times for the sake of others, and would kill without hesitation (unlike the pacifist X). He also is the credit to some of the great music themes in the games, and powerful close-ranged skills (Z-Saber). His popularity is most likely the reason he is focused in a lot of games. Which is ironic, since the original idea of him being the main character for the X series was scrapped until the Zero series. He was intended to be merely X's temporary sidekick for one game.

Notoriously, however, Zero is known for his many instances of "dying", and living through three of them.

• In Rockman X1, he supposedly sacrificed himself to destroy Vava's carrier so X can defeat him.
• In X3, Zero may die during the gameplay, or he may be destroyed (barely alive) when fighting the Squid mini-boss in Doppler's Fortress, depending on the actions of the player. 'Course, he can also live through it all.
• Zero will sacrifice himself no matter what ending you choose for Rockman X5, and all will be a valiant sacrifice. First, he nearly dies crashing into the colony Eurasia in case the Enigma failed. Then, no matter what, he is ripped apart by Sigma (and using his last energy to save X). Honestly. I dare you not to at least tear up from his last words.
• Zero finally dies at the end of Rockman Zero 4 by defeating Ragnoarak. However, it is speculated that he may even be alive, and his soul is within the Biometal Z.

Rockman X5 was suppose to dramatically finish him off for good (although the initial idea of Rockman Zero would eventually reawaken his soul to fight), but the creators changed their minds afterward. He is also the very reason why this entire thing is so goddamn angsty, since he is the cause of the hardships facing the world to some degree.

And don't forget the fateful "WHAT AM I FIGHTING FOOOOOOOOOOOR?!" dialogue; it was a serious moment taken for humor due to the bad voice acting (Honestly, it really wasn't that bad, it was mostly the fact that they had to lip synch that made the scene awkward).

incarnations

The Rockman series is full with "inspirations" for proceeding characters. For example, the original Rockman is the archetype for Rock Volnutt, X, Rockman.EXE, Model X, and War Rock. They appear and may behave in a similar manner as their blueprint figure. Zero is no exception.

Zero Virus - Zero makes a brief cameo appearance in the .EXE series. His role is merely as a "virus" with his feature colors. He can actually talk, and his very existence spreads "evil". However, unlike our Zero, he has no concern for the consequences and prefers to live. He appears more robotic than human. Personally, Blues.EXE captures him better than this ripoff.

Girouette - My personal favorite because I have a fetish for the "megane" types. Taking place years after Zero's death, Girouette is a humanoid (Reploid + human) who strongly resembles him. Classic long blonde hair, armor attachments with respective colors, saber weapon, bishounen look, and a sense of heroism. He even has a tattoo shaped and displaced like Zero's helmet crystal. He is a delivery service boy (and Guardian) who will take any service, legal or not. He is referred to as "sempai" by the main protagonists, and is practically their mentor. He also, like Zero, dies early in the game and gives his Biometal Model Z (Zero's palette basically) to Vent/Aile.

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The Shell of a Warrior

At first glance, Zero seems stoic and a bit of a jerk even toward his friends. Unlike X, he is not a pacifist and willingly does battle to achieve his goal. With years of battle experience, he kills others without much remorse. Later in the games, he becomes more untrusting.

However, in truth, he is actually a kind person. With little regard to his life, he would rescue anyone endangered, and overall, his goal is to protect his loved ones. This facade is merely the result of how tattered his life is. He is so accustomed to bloodshed and allies dying that seeing it again doesn't faze him. In fact, he may be subconsciously calm about it since some of those innocents' death was by his very hand. Zero has also been forced to fight old comrades like Iris, Colonel, Sigma, Storm Eagle, Shadow, and Redips, who have betrayed his trust and turned Maverick.

It is important to note that unlike X, Zero is a robot, not a Reploid. No matter how many times the games mistakingly label him as one, he is still a robot built by Dr. Wily, during the time the original Rockman was still around. Therefore, he cannot express himself freely, or even shed a tear.

what were we fighting for?

When Zero became acquainted with Iris, he was very concerned for her well being. She chose to be a Maverick Hunter, though her views were more idealistic than Zero's. She was a pacifist and did not comprehend that violence was necessary to end this war - and even afterward may not be a happy ending. Zero, who would normally disapprove this, still supported her wishes. However, when Zero was forced to kill her brother, Iris was blinded with rage and tried to kill Zero.


Iris did not regret her actions, but she wish there was another way to handle the situation. She practically loved Zero, just like she loved her brother. She finally realized that her happy ending will never come, and she accepts the consequences... dying in Zero's arms. Iris' tragedy deeply affected Zero. For the first time, he mourned a death. It was almost tear-jerking when he cried in anguish afterward. (Note: If you are going to laugh instead, go watch the Japanese version then.) Failing to protect someone he actually cared about, Zero began questioning his motives for fighting. It was an event that haunted him even while his life was flashing before his eyes. This horror, of course, brought nightmares from the past. Afterward, he became more distant from others and more dedicated to prevent this incident to occur. The less close he is to someone, the less it would negatively affect him like so.

X Heart

X (and most likely Axl) is also very precious to Zero. Unlike the betraying allies he has had, X was entirely pure and uncorrupted. He is described by Zero as "kind and sensitive". X would never betray him, and he gave Zero hope and something to fight for. Through all the time spent together, the S Rank Hunters were almost like brothers. Zero would show his more kinder side to them, even though his beliefs can be in disagreement.


Several times, it is admitted by X that he cannot do the job himself without him. For all the occasions that Zero sacrificed himself, it was always primarily for the sake of X. No matter the hardships he went through, he had to make sure X was the one to live. And to X, Zero was at first his mentor - then "my one and only friend, my BEST friend" (before Axl came in!). Sigma even described him as "the one most important to him". Years after, during the Zero saga, the world he and X worked so hard to save was once again in trouble. X, being unable to finish the job, leaves the work to Zero, who without hesitation accepts.

the future is bright (& ciel)

Despite his harsh life, Zero doesn't concentrate unconditionally on the past. He's not "emo" as many would believe to the extent that he must take time to wallow in self-pity. He doesn't question about life, violence, and justice like X does (aside from that one time with Iris). He doesn't simply complain - he takes action. He's always a step ahead. When discovering that he is the cause of the mayhem at Earth, he does whatever it takes to save it - especially, when he decides to sleep away. One prime example would be when Zero loses his body. Instead of complaining about how his reputation is tarnished TWICE (one with having a clone in X2, the other BEING his own clone in Zero) as what most characters often do in these scenarios, he agrees with X that it doesn't matter what his body is; it's the soul that counts.


Unlike all our antagonists, Zero believes in the future for both Reploids and humans to live peacefully. He cares about the humans, despite not being one, or even sharing emotions like X does. Even if they were the ones who build him from destruction (Dr. Wily), and even if some distrust the Reploids. He is fully aware that there are good humans like Ciel who don’t cower and don’t act selfishly. He has strong faith that humanity, though corrupt as they can be, will change and benefit the world. And it is for that purpose that he must protect them.

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choose your destiny

Raged after Rockman's constantly foiling his plans, Dr. Wily worked heavily on a secret project. Before he dies, he wanted to make sure his dream of Ragnorak would be realized. Fueling this robot with power to even passed Forte's level, this robot would be known as the "God of Destruction". This "God" had no humility and would over kill. This robot... was Zero. Over some years, Zero obeyed the doctor's orders and killed many innocents with his own hands. Some fans even speculate that he succeeded in killing Rockman, Forte and his friends (this was proven false by the staff however). Indirectly, he also began spreading his "virus", the very thing that caused Sigma to turn Maverick. This sparked the war that once again killed thousands.

However, Dr. Wily was not psychic, and he did not predict Zero's memories to be glitched. As a result, this ruthless beast did not thrive to kill. Working with Dr. Cain, he is working the exact opposite. Sigma knew of Zero's secret, and now working as a Maverick, he hoped to reawaken his true self. Should he succeed, Zero would probably kill all the Maverick Hunters for him - and possibly all the humans as well.


Depending on the result of the colony collision in X5, after a near-death situation, Zero was finally provoked by fading memories to turn "Maverick". X, Zero's only friend, would be forced to kill him if the moment approached. Zero also never wanted to become the monster he really was. But once he turns Maverick, his new memories will be replaced with his old ones. Words alone would not snap him out of his insanity. Fortunately, by defeating Zero, he regained his senses.

A century or so later, Zero's powers of darkness are awakened once more... but not at the fault of himself. At the time, Omega had taken Zero's original body and tried to become the very monster Dr. Wily envisioned Zero to be. Zero, with his soul sleeping inside a clone of himself, once again ruined Wily's overall dream of world annihilation by destroying Omega, as well as the Ragnaorak core that would exterminate humanity and Reploids altogether. He was born to kill, and died as a legendary hero that brought peace to the world.

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making a death wish

Zero has a history of heroic sacrifices that nonetheless characterizes him as a tragic hero. Tragic heroes are the main focus of a tragedy. Grecian plays such as "Oedipus Rex" or "Prometheus" depict that they are related to, or are nobles or god-blessed (like Zero), and have a character flaw or harmatia. This flaw eventually turns against the protagonist. According to Aristotle's version of a tragedy, as compared to William Shakespeare, a tragic hero must make a downfall, but not necessarily "die". The audience also is stirred with emotion when this event occurs, known as the catharsis. But most importantly, they must have followed through this on their own volition.


I consider the fact that Zero is defining his fate by not being this God of Destruction often the result of his deaths. This is a bit like Oedipus Rex, trying to change his fate of marrying his mother and killing his father - to be struck down with losses as a result. Knowing his past, he still willingly fights, unaware that his virus is causing harm and he serves a threat to X and the others. And each time he falls, he does so bravely for a noble cause, creating sadness from the audience.

His final, and actual death is saving the world from the apocalyptic Ragnaorak. By doing that, he was forced to break the rules of Robotics by killing Vile. His devotion to save the world without hesitation took up all his energy. Though he finally brought the peace he and X thrived for so long, he cannot experience it himself.

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Atone for thy sins

Fearing that he may kill X by returning to his true self once more, Zero searched for undercover aid from a scientist. Zero then finally decides to seal himself until the virus is cured. Leaving X and Axl alone to carry out the harsh duties assigned to them. It the option he least wanted to do to his friends, but it also was the only way to stop himself. For decades, Zero's body was put to sleep with dreams of lord-knows-what. Alone.

Yet he was still not free from death. His slumber over the Maverick Wars resulted in Vile to awaken to the gods Omega and Dark Elf and create another war that was actually worse than the last. X had to deal with the rest by himself, alone, and saddened to the point that he "stopped caring" about his enemies. Panicking, Ciel and the other Resistance members try to wake him up - one man dying as a result of breaking the shield. Zero is thrust with the responsibility to end it.


Zero ultimately realizes "what he's been fighting for". This was pretty much realized ever since Rockman X6, but by now, Zero has done all that he could to make up for the lives lost. He is fighting for his lost friend, X, he cured himself of the disease that started the Maverick Wars, and he is defeating the source of the mess he's caused as a result of his imprisonment. Though sacrifices were necessary, no matter the cost, he was going to protect the people he cared about.

And in the end, peace was finally restored. Reploids and humans became close again, to the point where the races were intertwined in the near future. Although peace is never permanent, it was a success for X and Zero's hard teamwork. Yet neither of them survived for this brighter future. A truly tragic ending for our heroes.

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enclosed

Although this site was made "on a whim", it is pressed with love. I never expected to get into the Mega Man series. It never really interested me... until I became fascinated with the plotlines as well as continuity nods. I can't help but feel close to Zero especially with his sharpened character development, ironic heroism, and ability to BEAT DEATH in the face several times. Plus, it seems pretty boys have the most capturing character traits to me.

You are currently looking at version 1 of the site. This layout was made using Adobe Photoshop 7.0 and coded entirely on Notepad. It features Zero in his new body (and art style) from the Rockman Zero games. The official art was scanned by The Mega Man Network. I used two textures as well, but I sadly only remember one from FEEL (if you own the other one, please inform me!).

The title "Fire Carves Scars" is a creative title ripped by yours truly from a song called "Reminiscence ~ The Fire Carves Scars" from the DS game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All. Fire is often a symbol of red (Zero's main color), passion (his personality) and change (Zero's character). Scars (mental and physical) are always the result from Zero's noble quest, even if he does successfully saves the world. Over and over.

linkage

If you wish to link back to this site, feel free to take one of these buttons with you before you leave. You may link here with a text link (http://iris-noire.org/zero) or link with these buttons. You must not direct link them, however. Save it and upload it on your own server.




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disclaimer

Fire Carves Scars is © by Varen. Zero is © by CAPCOM. This is a non-profit fan dedication, and is not affiliated with the creators. Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional & CSS 2.1