Post by tomfulp on Dec 31, 2005 19:29:19 GMT 2
Zero was created by Dr. Wily, as evidenced throughout all the Mega Man series. In Bass' ending for Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters, Wily informed Bass that he was working on a new robot that would replace Bass as his strongest creation. The silhouette of this robot was shown to be Zero in his post-X3 design, and a buster on his right arm, but without the Z-Saber. Beyond this, no more is mentioned on the subject in the classic series; however it is once more shown in Mega Man X4 that Dr. Wily is Zero's creator, as in his opening sequence it depicts the mad scientist lecturing Zero on Dr. Light (who he refers to as "his nemesis"), and how he must destroy him. Also, when flashbacks are shown of Zero stepping out of his original capsule, Wily's "W" and Skull insignias can be seen. Wily's name also appears among the random text during the Mega Man X5 opening video. It is not mentioned what happened to Zero, Wily, Mega Man or any of the other characters after Zero was released.
Zero reappeared not long after X was discovered. A Maverick hunter at this point in time, Sigma was sent to the underground tunnel in which Zero had been spotted to take care of him personally. After a long, hard battle, in which Zero appeared to be nearly victorious, the crystal in Zero's forehead began glowing with a "W" (another Dr. Wily reference), causing him extraordinary pain. Taking advantage of this, Sigma (who was horribly injured by this point) slammed his fist into the crystal, smashing it and knocking Zero out. Upon leaving with the unconscious Zero, Sigma made the request that Zero be sent back to Dr. Cain's lab for examination. Sigma contracted the original Maverick Virus from Zero at this point, which in the months following would mutate to merge with Sigma completely.
Zero was repaired and enlisted as a Maverick Hunter to better society. The reason for this change in personality is not known; some believe Dr. Cain reprogrammed him, but it may have simply been the result of the virus leaving his body. Sigma took Zero under his wing and trained him to be an elite Maverick Hunter, including making him highly proficient with a sword. Soon after the training was finished, Sigma himself went Maverick, and the events in the game Mega Man X began to unfold.
X, feeling guilty over humanity's desperate situation, decided to join the Maverick Hunters. Zero kept a close eye on X, saving him twice from one of Sigma's stronger allies, Vile. In the second battle, Zero sacrificed himself to give X a fighting chance. If X had not already obtained the Arm upgrade from Dr. Light's hologram, Zero, in his dying breaths, gave this upgrade to X.
In Mega Man X2, an organization called the X-Hunters began to revive Zero. The X-Hunter behind the construction of Zero's new body was Serges. However, X and Dr. Cain still hold Zero's original Control Chip, which is necessary to complete him. The X-Hunters, being short on time, use Zero's body parts as bait to lure X into fighting. If X collects all the parts, Dr. Cain gets to work on installing Zero's control chip. If he does not, the X-Hunters attack Dr. Cain and take everything they need to rebuild Zero at their base. In either case, after X goes after them, Zero will appear to be standing by Sigma's side. If X had failed to collect the parts, Zero himself would attack X, but if X had collected the parts, the Zero would instead be a copy, colored black, which the true, revived Zero dispatched with his new Z-Saber, which would become his signature weapon. After the fake Zero was defeated, he helped X make his way to Sigma's lair. Due to the fake Zero's appearance in a "flashback" image in the opening of Mega Man X5, it is believed that canonically, X did recover all of Zero's parts.
In Mega Man X3, Zero was actually playable in a limited fashion, in that he could be called upon for assistance at any point in a given level except for boss fights. In the game, Mavericks attacked Maverick Hunters HQ, causing both X and Zero to rush back as soon as possible. X was kidnapped, forcing Zero to save him from his captors. Later on, in Dr. Doppler's hideout, Zero aided X in taking down the Maverick outbreak. Optionally, he could risk his life to defeat one of the bosses (Mosquitus), letting X obtain his Z-Saber; if this happens, Zero is badly damaged (not destroyed), and will no longer be playable. At the end of the game, it was for the first time revealed that Sigma had become a virus; at the time, this seemingly had nothing to do with Zero, but later on, proved to be a pivotal factor in Zero's personality.
In Mega Man X4, he was fully playable for the first time. Zero, unlike X, was more familiar with Repliforce, in particular his love interest, Iris, and her brother, Colonel. As of such, Zero tried his best to make peace in the conflict, not war, seeing it in the best interests of all involved. Zero and Colonel, however, could not see eye-to-eye, and wound up fighting twice throughout the conflict. Zero was eager to battle Colonel the first time out of pride, but the fight ended in a draw when Iris stepped in. The second time, however, Zero attempted peaceful resolutions but failed. This forced Zero into unwillingly killing Colonel. Heartbroken by the terrible act Zero had committed, Iris herself battled him by installing one of Colonel's chips. However, Iris was not a combat Reploid, and the program she used on herself caused her to die of rejection symptoms after the battle, much to Zero's distress. He went on to uncover Sigma once again and stopped him from destroying the planet with Repliforce's space station, Final Weapon.
Zero played a pivotal role in Mega Man X5. The space colony Eurasia was set to impact the Earth (which had recently been coated in a large breakout of the Maverick virus), which would cause catastrophes of unimaginable proportions. Unbeknownst to all, Sigma was behind the downing of Eurasia, and with good reason - he had been informed by an "unknown source" (fairly obviously Wily; he is Zero's father, he hates X, the "W" insignia appears throughout the game's later stages, and one of the later bosses is the Shadow Devil, reminiscent of one of Wily's favorite creations, who also transforms into a familiar-looking miniature skull castle) that the high concentration of the Maverick virus would purify Zero's body, awakening his original, evil self and unlocking his dormant powers. The Maverick Hunters stopped the crash, and then found Sigma's hideout and promptly went to shut him down - however, X was badly injured, and Zero was practically left for dead. Dr. Light revived X, and the Maverick Hunter went on fighting Mavericks in memory of his fallen friend, adding Zero's Z-Saber to his arsenal.
Alternatively, Eurasia crashed with Earth, causing terrible problems on the surface (although it wound up anything but destroying the planet). The end result was a far more powerful, but still incomplete Maverick Zero, who X had to defeat later on. The ending was mostly the same, except X had no memories of Zero and did not find the Z-Saber. Canonically this ending did not happen, although it is interesting to note, in it X frequently uses the term, "Elysium," as the name of his dream place, where humans and Reploids can live together in peace. "Elysium" is also the name of an ancient heavenly world in Mega Man Legends 2'.
Zero's history following that is somewhat confusing. Inafune had originally planned for Mega Man X5 to be the final game of the Mega Man X series. Zero's dead body would have been left in ruin following those events to be revived in the first Mega Man Zero game. However, Capcom being Capcom, Mega Man X6 was created and released before Mega Man Zero. Mega Man Zero was adjusted somewhat to not only accommodate, but in fact confirm, the existance of the future X-series games within its storyline.
In Mega Man X6, the mad scientist Gate began tampering with Zero's data. By studying a piece of Zero's body found in the debris, Gate created the new Nightmare Virus, a discolored clone of Zero (called "Zero Nightmare"), and the near-invulnerable Reploid, High Max. X, taking the assault on Zero's reputation personally, set out to investigate. Upon destroying the Zero Nightmare, X is reunited with his friend, mysteriously repaired and carrying a brand new Z-Saber. Together, X and Zero set out to defeat Gate and the imperfectly resurrected Sigma. Who exactly repaired Zero was never directly stated. Dr. Light, who repaired X at the end of X5, denied knowing who repaired Zero. Some believe it is Gate's ally, Isoc, as he is the only Reploid who claimed to have seen Zero before X found him, and he demonstrates an odd obsession with Zero, even laughing joyously when Zero defeats Isoc's own men.
Zero's ending in this game helps to mend the storyline between the Mega Man X and Mega Man Zero games. It shows Zero being sealed to remove a component from his body (presumably something having to do with the virus' influence on him, and/or his original murderous persona). The storyline branches off into either the continuation of the X series or the Mega Man Zero series, depending on which ending you get.
Alternatively, it is possible to clear Mega Man X6 without ever finding Zero. In this event, cutscenes show that Zero is indeed alive, but X and the other Maverick Hunters never find him. Zero leaves on his own, stating that there's something he needs to take care of. Like the alternate ending to X5, canonically, this ending does not happen.
In Mega Man X7, Zero is responsible for the bulk of the Maverick Hunter workload due to the fact that X has recently refused to battle for any reason, due to his doubts about the Hunters' violent methods. Zero captures a mysterious Reploid, Axl, who has just recently abandoned the vigilante group Red Alert. Axl assists Zero in stopping Red Alert's rampages, and eventually X rejoins them. After the battles, Zero has nightmares of X attacking him, out of obsession for eliminating Mavericks (possibly foreshadowing the rise of Copy X in the Zero series). Mega Man X7 signified a few changes to Zero's gameplay. His Z-Buster was eliminated altogether, and in addition to learning new attacks from defeated Mavericks, Zero can also gain other melee weapons to replace his saber. This tradition would continue through Mega Man X8 and Mega Man X: Command Mission.
Zero continues to work with X and Axl, who is now working with the Maverick Hunters, in dealing with new threats in Mega Man X8. An apparent love interest develops between Zero and a new navigator, Layer. Zero's memories of the virus incident from Mega Man X5 continue to haunt him, fueling his hatred towards Sigma. Upon confronting him, Sigma confirms that Zero is the original carrier of the Maverick Virus, which was transferred to Sigma prior to the game Mega Man X (presumably it happened when Sigma shattered Zero's head gem, as X4 depicted). This information was long-since stated in Japanese sourcebooks, but was never before made officially available to the public in other regions.
In the game Mega Man X: Command Mission, Zero is sent along with X and another Hunter, Shadow, to investigate Reploid uprisings in Giga City. Zero is separated from X after Shadow betrays them, and presumed dead, until he reappears some time later and attacks one of the rebelling Reploids in a mechaniloid factory. At this point, Zero is joined by X, Axl, and a number of other Reploids that X assembled to assist him. With Shadow's betrayal still fresh in his memory, Zero is unwilling to trust X's new friends, and promptly decides to work alone. However, one of the Reploids, Spider, risks his life in Zero's defense. After this, Zero decides to rejoin X's group permanently.
At the beginning of Mega Man Zero, Zero was discovered in suspended animation by a human scientist named Ciel, who leads a band of Reploid freedom fighters. Ciel used the Cyber Elf Passy to revive Zero, who in turn saved Ciel from the forces of Neo Arcadia. Zero, however, was suffering memory loss due to "hibernation sickness." As it turned out, Neo Arcadia was the government of the world at this time period. Due to energy shortages, Reploids were discriminated against and often deemed Maverick and terminated without justifiable cause. Copy X, a ruthless and conceited clone of the real X, was in charge of this policy. Zero agreed to join Ciel's team in fighting this oppression of Reploids.
Later on in Mega Man Zero 2, Zero learned of what had happened before his sealing; Sigma and his Mavericks were defeated, but some time after the Elf Wars broke out, Zero himself helped X to end them by defeating and banishing Omega, the most terrifying Reploid of the time. Several decades after Zero was sealed, X sacrificed his body to stop the worst Cyber Elf of all, the Dark Elf, leaving him in a more ethereal form. X's body is destroyed and the Dark Elf released by a rogue Resistance commander, Elpizo. Zero defeats Elpizo, but the Dark Elf escapes. She and Zero appear to know each other, and X informs Zero that the Dark Elf was not always known by her current name. Her powers became a threat due to a curse by Dr. Weil, the man who started the Elf Wars, at which point people began calling her the Dark Elf.
In Mega Man Zero 3, Weil and Omega reappear and seize control of Neo Arcadia, and the Dark Elf. Weil reveals (and X confirms) that the body Zero currently inhabits is a copy, even though he still has his real soul. This led to a final battle between him and Omega, who is claimed to be the "Original" Zero using what is explained to be Zero's original body. With the help of the Dark Elf, who breaks free of her curse, Zero manages to destroy Omega once and for all, but Weil escapes. The Dark Elf, now called Mother Elf, roams free.
In Mega Man Zero 4, Zero and Ciel defend a caravan of human refugees from Neo Arcadia, which is no longer a safe place even for humans ever since Weil took over. They take refuge in Area Zero, the crash-site of debris from Eurasia in Mega Man X5. The humans at this point carry a distrust of Reploids, but the actions of Zero and the Resistance eventually help build understanding between them. One of them however, a reporter named Neige, is close to a Neo Arcadian Reploid named Craft. Weil intends to destroy Area Zero using his spaceborn cannon, Ragnarok. But Craft takes Ragnarok and turns it against Neo Arcadia. Zero goes to Ragnarok to stop him, but Weil regains control after this. Zero returns to Ragnarok and confronts Weil, who reveals the reason for his grudge against the rest of the world. After the Elf Wars, Weil was banished illegally, and oddly punished with eternal life. Although he was human, he was transferred to a cybernetic body built to constantly regenerate itself, so that Weil would be forced to live forever alone, cut off from the rest of the world (until Mega Man Zero 3, of course; this is how Weil survived when Craft turned Ragnarok against Neo Arcadia). Weil, in his hatred, is now obsessed with making the rest of the world suffer and ultimately destroying it. In order to stop Ragnarok from colliding with Earth, Zero must kill Weil and sacrifice himself to destroy the cannon before it hits Earth.
As depicted in the album "Remastered Tracks Rockman Zero: Physis," humans and Reploids started to establish peaceful lives after the destruction of Ragnarok, and what remained of Neo Arcadia was disarmed. In two years, Zero has not been seen again.
Zero's legacy survived over three millennia later, in the game Mega Man Legends 2 (the exact date of this, or even the century for that matter, are not known). In one of the stores in Yosyonka, Zero is seen on a poster in his black armor from the X series, being described as some sort of comic book superhero. In the Japanese version of Mega Man Legends (Rockman DASH) there is an anime series on Kattelox's hometown station KTOX entitled 'Rockman ZERO' which stars a hero who uses a Zetsaber (Japanese for Z-Saber). One can win a promotional toy Z-Saber as a prize from KTOX's street-racing events {You can also earn an X-buster in the game.). You still win the toy in the Engish version of the game, only without the explanation of its origin. This is thought to be evidence of Rockman creator Keiji Inafune's desire to create a series starring Zero, 5 years prior to it becoming a reality. In Legends 2 the Z saber is described as "a weapon used by a legendary hero."
A different version of Zero appears in MegaMan Network Transmission, but with a surprisingly similar origin as his twin. In the title, he was a virus created by Lord Wily and World Three in an attempt to bring down the Internet by infecting the Navis that inhabit it. He is a very deadly virus and the main boss of the game, but if the player performed a certain number of significant acts in the game, Zero would be reborn as a Navi himself. He is only one of two characters from the X series to appear in the MegaMan Battle Network series, the other being Colonel
Zero reappeared not long after X was discovered. A Maverick hunter at this point in time, Sigma was sent to the underground tunnel in which Zero had been spotted to take care of him personally. After a long, hard battle, in which Zero appeared to be nearly victorious, the crystal in Zero's forehead began glowing with a "W" (another Dr. Wily reference), causing him extraordinary pain. Taking advantage of this, Sigma (who was horribly injured by this point) slammed his fist into the crystal, smashing it and knocking Zero out. Upon leaving with the unconscious Zero, Sigma made the request that Zero be sent back to Dr. Cain's lab for examination. Sigma contracted the original Maverick Virus from Zero at this point, which in the months following would mutate to merge with Sigma completely.
Zero was repaired and enlisted as a Maverick Hunter to better society. The reason for this change in personality is not known; some believe Dr. Cain reprogrammed him, but it may have simply been the result of the virus leaving his body. Sigma took Zero under his wing and trained him to be an elite Maverick Hunter, including making him highly proficient with a sword. Soon after the training was finished, Sigma himself went Maverick, and the events in the game Mega Man X began to unfold.
X, feeling guilty over humanity's desperate situation, decided to join the Maverick Hunters. Zero kept a close eye on X, saving him twice from one of Sigma's stronger allies, Vile. In the second battle, Zero sacrificed himself to give X a fighting chance. If X had not already obtained the Arm upgrade from Dr. Light's hologram, Zero, in his dying breaths, gave this upgrade to X.
In Mega Man X2, an organization called the X-Hunters began to revive Zero. The X-Hunter behind the construction of Zero's new body was Serges. However, X and Dr. Cain still hold Zero's original Control Chip, which is necessary to complete him. The X-Hunters, being short on time, use Zero's body parts as bait to lure X into fighting. If X collects all the parts, Dr. Cain gets to work on installing Zero's control chip. If he does not, the X-Hunters attack Dr. Cain and take everything they need to rebuild Zero at their base. In either case, after X goes after them, Zero will appear to be standing by Sigma's side. If X had failed to collect the parts, Zero himself would attack X, but if X had collected the parts, the Zero would instead be a copy, colored black, which the true, revived Zero dispatched with his new Z-Saber, which would become his signature weapon. After the fake Zero was defeated, he helped X make his way to Sigma's lair. Due to the fake Zero's appearance in a "flashback" image in the opening of Mega Man X5, it is believed that canonically, X did recover all of Zero's parts.
In Mega Man X3, Zero was actually playable in a limited fashion, in that he could be called upon for assistance at any point in a given level except for boss fights. In the game, Mavericks attacked Maverick Hunters HQ, causing both X and Zero to rush back as soon as possible. X was kidnapped, forcing Zero to save him from his captors. Later on, in Dr. Doppler's hideout, Zero aided X in taking down the Maverick outbreak. Optionally, he could risk his life to defeat one of the bosses (Mosquitus), letting X obtain his Z-Saber; if this happens, Zero is badly damaged (not destroyed), and will no longer be playable. At the end of the game, it was for the first time revealed that Sigma had become a virus; at the time, this seemingly had nothing to do with Zero, but later on, proved to be a pivotal factor in Zero's personality.
In Mega Man X4, he was fully playable for the first time. Zero, unlike X, was more familiar with Repliforce, in particular his love interest, Iris, and her brother, Colonel. As of such, Zero tried his best to make peace in the conflict, not war, seeing it in the best interests of all involved. Zero and Colonel, however, could not see eye-to-eye, and wound up fighting twice throughout the conflict. Zero was eager to battle Colonel the first time out of pride, but the fight ended in a draw when Iris stepped in. The second time, however, Zero attempted peaceful resolutions but failed. This forced Zero into unwillingly killing Colonel. Heartbroken by the terrible act Zero had committed, Iris herself battled him by installing one of Colonel's chips. However, Iris was not a combat Reploid, and the program she used on herself caused her to die of rejection symptoms after the battle, much to Zero's distress. He went on to uncover Sigma once again and stopped him from destroying the planet with Repliforce's space station, Final Weapon.
Zero played a pivotal role in Mega Man X5. The space colony Eurasia was set to impact the Earth (which had recently been coated in a large breakout of the Maverick virus), which would cause catastrophes of unimaginable proportions. Unbeknownst to all, Sigma was behind the downing of Eurasia, and with good reason - he had been informed by an "unknown source" (fairly obviously Wily; he is Zero's father, he hates X, the "W" insignia appears throughout the game's later stages, and one of the later bosses is the Shadow Devil, reminiscent of one of Wily's favorite creations, who also transforms into a familiar-looking miniature skull castle) that the high concentration of the Maverick virus would purify Zero's body, awakening his original, evil self and unlocking his dormant powers. The Maverick Hunters stopped the crash, and then found Sigma's hideout and promptly went to shut him down - however, X was badly injured, and Zero was practically left for dead. Dr. Light revived X, and the Maverick Hunter went on fighting Mavericks in memory of his fallen friend, adding Zero's Z-Saber to his arsenal.
Alternatively, Eurasia crashed with Earth, causing terrible problems on the surface (although it wound up anything but destroying the planet). The end result was a far more powerful, but still incomplete Maverick Zero, who X had to defeat later on. The ending was mostly the same, except X had no memories of Zero and did not find the Z-Saber. Canonically this ending did not happen, although it is interesting to note, in it X frequently uses the term, "Elysium," as the name of his dream place, where humans and Reploids can live together in peace. "Elysium" is also the name of an ancient heavenly world in Mega Man Legends 2'.
Zero's history following that is somewhat confusing. Inafune had originally planned for Mega Man X5 to be the final game of the Mega Man X series. Zero's dead body would have been left in ruin following those events to be revived in the first Mega Man Zero game. However, Capcom being Capcom, Mega Man X6 was created and released before Mega Man Zero. Mega Man Zero was adjusted somewhat to not only accommodate, but in fact confirm, the existance of the future X-series games within its storyline.
In Mega Man X6, the mad scientist Gate began tampering with Zero's data. By studying a piece of Zero's body found in the debris, Gate created the new Nightmare Virus, a discolored clone of Zero (called "Zero Nightmare"), and the near-invulnerable Reploid, High Max. X, taking the assault on Zero's reputation personally, set out to investigate. Upon destroying the Zero Nightmare, X is reunited with his friend, mysteriously repaired and carrying a brand new Z-Saber. Together, X and Zero set out to defeat Gate and the imperfectly resurrected Sigma. Who exactly repaired Zero was never directly stated. Dr. Light, who repaired X at the end of X5, denied knowing who repaired Zero. Some believe it is Gate's ally, Isoc, as he is the only Reploid who claimed to have seen Zero before X found him, and he demonstrates an odd obsession with Zero, even laughing joyously when Zero defeats Isoc's own men.
Zero's ending in this game helps to mend the storyline between the Mega Man X and Mega Man Zero games. It shows Zero being sealed to remove a component from his body (presumably something having to do with the virus' influence on him, and/or his original murderous persona). The storyline branches off into either the continuation of the X series or the Mega Man Zero series, depending on which ending you get.
Alternatively, it is possible to clear Mega Man X6 without ever finding Zero. In this event, cutscenes show that Zero is indeed alive, but X and the other Maverick Hunters never find him. Zero leaves on his own, stating that there's something he needs to take care of. Like the alternate ending to X5, canonically, this ending does not happen.
In Mega Man X7, Zero is responsible for the bulk of the Maverick Hunter workload due to the fact that X has recently refused to battle for any reason, due to his doubts about the Hunters' violent methods. Zero captures a mysterious Reploid, Axl, who has just recently abandoned the vigilante group Red Alert. Axl assists Zero in stopping Red Alert's rampages, and eventually X rejoins them. After the battles, Zero has nightmares of X attacking him, out of obsession for eliminating Mavericks (possibly foreshadowing the rise of Copy X in the Zero series). Mega Man X7 signified a few changes to Zero's gameplay. His Z-Buster was eliminated altogether, and in addition to learning new attacks from defeated Mavericks, Zero can also gain other melee weapons to replace his saber. This tradition would continue through Mega Man X8 and Mega Man X: Command Mission.
Zero continues to work with X and Axl, who is now working with the Maverick Hunters, in dealing with new threats in Mega Man X8. An apparent love interest develops between Zero and a new navigator, Layer. Zero's memories of the virus incident from Mega Man X5 continue to haunt him, fueling his hatred towards Sigma. Upon confronting him, Sigma confirms that Zero is the original carrier of the Maverick Virus, which was transferred to Sigma prior to the game Mega Man X (presumably it happened when Sigma shattered Zero's head gem, as X4 depicted). This information was long-since stated in Japanese sourcebooks, but was never before made officially available to the public in other regions.
In the game Mega Man X: Command Mission, Zero is sent along with X and another Hunter, Shadow, to investigate Reploid uprisings in Giga City. Zero is separated from X after Shadow betrays them, and presumed dead, until he reappears some time later and attacks one of the rebelling Reploids in a mechaniloid factory. At this point, Zero is joined by X, Axl, and a number of other Reploids that X assembled to assist him. With Shadow's betrayal still fresh in his memory, Zero is unwilling to trust X's new friends, and promptly decides to work alone. However, one of the Reploids, Spider, risks his life in Zero's defense. After this, Zero decides to rejoin X's group permanently.
At the beginning of Mega Man Zero, Zero was discovered in suspended animation by a human scientist named Ciel, who leads a band of Reploid freedom fighters. Ciel used the Cyber Elf Passy to revive Zero, who in turn saved Ciel from the forces of Neo Arcadia. Zero, however, was suffering memory loss due to "hibernation sickness." As it turned out, Neo Arcadia was the government of the world at this time period. Due to energy shortages, Reploids were discriminated against and often deemed Maverick and terminated without justifiable cause. Copy X, a ruthless and conceited clone of the real X, was in charge of this policy. Zero agreed to join Ciel's team in fighting this oppression of Reploids.
Later on in Mega Man Zero 2, Zero learned of what had happened before his sealing; Sigma and his Mavericks were defeated, but some time after the Elf Wars broke out, Zero himself helped X to end them by defeating and banishing Omega, the most terrifying Reploid of the time. Several decades after Zero was sealed, X sacrificed his body to stop the worst Cyber Elf of all, the Dark Elf, leaving him in a more ethereal form. X's body is destroyed and the Dark Elf released by a rogue Resistance commander, Elpizo. Zero defeats Elpizo, but the Dark Elf escapes. She and Zero appear to know each other, and X informs Zero that the Dark Elf was not always known by her current name. Her powers became a threat due to a curse by Dr. Weil, the man who started the Elf Wars, at which point people began calling her the Dark Elf.
In Mega Man Zero 3, Weil and Omega reappear and seize control of Neo Arcadia, and the Dark Elf. Weil reveals (and X confirms) that the body Zero currently inhabits is a copy, even though he still has his real soul. This led to a final battle between him and Omega, who is claimed to be the "Original" Zero using what is explained to be Zero's original body. With the help of the Dark Elf, who breaks free of her curse, Zero manages to destroy Omega once and for all, but Weil escapes. The Dark Elf, now called Mother Elf, roams free.
In Mega Man Zero 4, Zero and Ciel defend a caravan of human refugees from Neo Arcadia, which is no longer a safe place even for humans ever since Weil took over. They take refuge in Area Zero, the crash-site of debris from Eurasia in Mega Man X5. The humans at this point carry a distrust of Reploids, but the actions of Zero and the Resistance eventually help build understanding between them. One of them however, a reporter named Neige, is close to a Neo Arcadian Reploid named Craft. Weil intends to destroy Area Zero using his spaceborn cannon, Ragnarok. But Craft takes Ragnarok and turns it against Neo Arcadia. Zero goes to Ragnarok to stop him, but Weil regains control after this. Zero returns to Ragnarok and confronts Weil, who reveals the reason for his grudge against the rest of the world. After the Elf Wars, Weil was banished illegally, and oddly punished with eternal life. Although he was human, he was transferred to a cybernetic body built to constantly regenerate itself, so that Weil would be forced to live forever alone, cut off from the rest of the world (until Mega Man Zero 3, of course; this is how Weil survived when Craft turned Ragnarok against Neo Arcadia). Weil, in his hatred, is now obsessed with making the rest of the world suffer and ultimately destroying it. In order to stop Ragnarok from colliding with Earth, Zero must kill Weil and sacrifice himself to destroy the cannon before it hits Earth.
As depicted in the album "Remastered Tracks Rockman Zero: Physis," humans and Reploids started to establish peaceful lives after the destruction of Ragnarok, and what remained of Neo Arcadia was disarmed. In two years, Zero has not been seen again.
Zero's legacy survived over three millennia later, in the game Mega Man Legends 2 (the exact date of this, or even the century for that matter, are not known). In one of the stores in Yosyonka, Zero is seen on a poster in his black armor from the X series, being described as some sort of comic book superhero. In the Japanese version of Mega Man Legends (Rockman DASH) there is an anime series on Kattelox's hometown station KTOX entitled 'Rockman ZERO' which stars a hero who uses a Zetsaber (Japanese for Z-Saber). One can win a promotional toy Z-Saber as a prize from KTOX's street-racing events {You can also earn an X-buster in the game.). You still win the toy in the Engish version of the game, only without the explanation of its origin. This is thought to be evidence of Rockman creator Keiji Inafune's desire to create a series starring Zero, 5 years prior to it becoming a reality. In Legends 2 the Z saber is described as "a weapon used by a legendary hero."
A different version of Zero appears in MegaMan Network Transmission, but with a surprisingly similar origin as his twin. In the title, he was a virus created by Lord Wily and World Three in an attempt to bring down the Internet by infecting the Navis that inhabit it. He is a very deadly virus and the main boss of the game, but if the player performed a certain number of significant acts in the game, Zero would be reborn as a Navi himself. He is only one of two characters from the X series to appear in the MegaMan Battle Network series, the other being Colonel
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