Zero (Mega Man)

This article is about the Mega Man character. For other uses, see Zero (disambiguation).

Zero
Official artwork of Zero from Mega Man X DiVE.
Universe	Mega Man
Debut	Mega Man X (1993)
Smash Bros. appearances	SSB4 Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance	Minecraft (DLC, 2023)
Console/platform of origin	Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Species	Robot
Gender	Male
English voice actor	Johnny Yong Bosch
Japanese voice actor	Ryōtarō Okiayu
Article on Wikipedia	Zero (Mega Man)

Zero (ゼロ, Zero) is a recurring character in the Mega Man series. He is a supporting protagonist in the Mega Man X sub-series of the Mega Man universe, and the main protagonist of the Mega Man Zero sub-series.

Origin

Awakened Zero using Genmu Zero.

Conceptually, Zero was one of the earliest characters Keiji Inafune designed for Mega Man X. He initially intended for the design to be used as the main protagonist, but upon reasoning that players would have a hard time recognizing such a different-looking protagonist, he got fellow artist Hayato Kaji to design one closer to the original Mega Man; thus X was born. Meanwhile, Zero's design was repurposed into a supporting character.

Zero debuted in Mega Man X as X's mentor in the Maverick Hunters, eventually sacrificing himself to help X defeat Vile and continue to stop the leader of the evil Mavericks, Sigma. In Mega Man X2, Zero's body was repaired and split into pieces by the villainous X-Hunters, forcing X to face them to retrieve his parts so he could be rebuilt. If the player failed to do so, Zero would be revived as a violent Maverick and have to be fought in a boss battle. It began to be implied that Zero was created by the evil Dr. Wily, which would be built upon in later games. In Mega Man X3, Zero returned as an ally of X who could be summoned to trade places, letting the player temporarily play as Zero in certain situations.

In Mega Man X4, Zero became a fully playable character alongside X for the first time. His usage of his iconic beam sword, the Z-Saber, was elaborated upon with special Techniques gained by defeating Maverick bosses. His past was also explored, as Sigma revealed that Zero was once a Maverick whom Sigma fought and was almost defeated by; in the process, Sigma was infected by a virus created by Dr. Wily that helped him become a Maverick in the first place. In Mega Man X5, it becomes Sigma's plan to return Zero to his original purpose as intended by Dr. Wily, forcing him to destroy X. Depending on the player's actions, Zero may "awaken" and challenge X as a boss. Despite the battle, X and Zero then work together to defeat Sigma, and Zero is thought to have died in the process. He later returns in Mega Man X6 under mysterious circumstances, and remains a playable character in the series all the way until Mega Man X8.

Zero became the star of his own sub-series with the release of Mega Man Zero, a new video game series set two centuries after the Mega Man X series. After having been sealed away for years, Zero is reawoken by a human scientist named Ciel, who begs him to help liberate the dystopia of Neo Arcadia from the ruthless rule of who appears to be X himself. The game continued for a total of four installments, until the finale in Mega Man Zero 4 where Zero sacrificed himself to stop the mad Dr. Weil from destroying all life. Zero also returned in some form in the Mega Man ZX sub-series, which was set another two centuries after the Mega Man Zero series and featured a Zero-inspired artifact called Model Z that gives the user similar abilities to him.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, all of the attacks that Zero uses as an Assist Trophy originate from his Technique abilities in the Mega Man X series:

• His triple slash attack first debuted in Mega Man X4, where it is his basic grounded attack, with each of the slashes being activated with additional presses of the attack button. It has since been present in all of Zero's playable appearances, including the Mega Man Zero series, although the slashes themselves differ across games. In Ultimate, he uses the version seen in Mega Man X4 and Mega Man X5.
• Ryuenjin is one of Zero's special techniques in Mega Man X4. It is obtained by defeating Magma Dragoon, and performed by pressing the special move button while holding up. In addition to dealing damage, it can burn certain stage elements, giving Zero access to hidden items, and is notably his only attack that can damage Sigma, the final boss, in his first form. Zero also uses Ryuenjin in several of his crossover appearances, such as Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds and its update Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, Project X Zone, Project X Zone 2 and Teppen.
• Kuenzan is another of Zero's techniques in Mega Man X4. It is obtained by defeating Split Mushroom, after which it permanently replaces his standard midair attack. Unlike in Ultimate, Zero only somersaults once when using it instead of three times. It also appears as an upgrade in the Mega Man Zero series, and subsequent games of the Mega Man X series feature similar, circular slash techniques, such as C-Sword in X5, Ensuizan in X6, and Rasetsusen in X8.
• Genmu Zero is a technique available to Zero only in his awakened form in Mega Man X5, when he fights X near the end of the game. He uses it after the battle has gone on for too long, and functions as an unavoidable attack that instantly kills X. In crossovers such as the Marvel vs. Capcom series, Zero can use this attack in his original form, and Nightmare Zero in Mega Man X6 uses a similar attack known as Genmu Zero Kai, though both are considerably weaker than the version seen in X5.

Zero's double jump and air dash, which he uses in Ultimate, were originally special techniques in Mega Man X4, known as the Kuenbu and Hienkyaku (respectively), that had to be obtained by defeating Mavericks (Split Mushroom and Jet Stingray). In certain later games, they have been available to him from the beginning.

In Super Smash Bros. 4

As a costume

A Mii Swordfighter dressed as Zero.

Zero is the basis for a paid downloadable content Mii Costume for Mii Swordfighters. Nintendo also released a QR code for those who wish to have the exact Mii used in the costume's advertising.

Trophy

Zero's trophy is exclusive to the Wii U version, under the name "Zero (Mega Man)" for disambiguation.

Zero's trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Zero

Zero (Mega Man)

A close friend and mentor to X, Zero first appeared in Mega Man X. He's a Rank SA Maverick Hunter and is capable of instantly learning new moves from his enemies. Zero has great faith in X's hidden potential, and together they fight to take down Sigma and defeat his rebelling forces.

: Mega Man X (01/1994)

: Mega Man Zero (09/2002)

A powerful SA-rank Maverick Hunter who can instantly learn new moves from his enemies. Zero first made an appearance in Mega Man X, and is a close friend and mentor of X, that game's protagonist. He believes in X's hidden potential, and together they fight to take down Sigma and his renegade forces.

: Mega Man X (03/1994)

: Mega Man Zero (10/2002)

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

As an Assist Trophy

“	He appears from the Mega Man series. Just like in his original appearance, he uses his learned moves to wreak havoc on stage!	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Zero on Luigi's Mansion.

Zero attacking Ridley with Genmu Zero on Midgar.

Zero appears as an Assist Trophy.

Zero's Japanese voice clips were by Ryotaro Okiayu, who has voiced him since Mega Man X4. Okiayu was surprised to hear his recordings in Ultimate and suggested they were reused from somewhere. Zero's English voice clips were by Johnny Yong Bosch, who has voiced him since Marvel Vs. Capcom 3.

Upon being summoned, he says "Fight's on!" and chases opponents to attack them using a variety of techniques:

• A series of three slashes with his Z-Saber, much like playable characters' neutral attacks, with the slashes linking into each other. However, opponents are able to air dodge inbetween the second and third slashes. The slashes deal 5%, 7%, and 9% respectively, for a total of 21% damage, and the third slash has enough knockback to KO at around 125% from center stage.
• Ryuenjin (龍炎刃, Dragon Flame Blade): Zero jumps and slashes above himself with his Z-Saber engulfed in flames. Much like Roy's Blazer, it drags opponents along in multiple hits, then launches them upward at the peak of the jump. It deals up to 5 hits, with the first dealing 6%, the second to fourth dealing 1.2%, and the fifth dealing 10%, for a total of 19.6% damage. The final hit is powerful enough to KO opponents under 100% if all hits connect.
• Kuenzan (空円斬, Air Circling Slash): Performs three quick somersaulting slashes in midair with the Z-Saber. The first two hits deal 4%, then the third hit deals 12%, for a total of 20% damage. The third hit is powerful enough to KO under 100% from center stage.
• Genmu Zero (幻夢零, Phantasm Zero): Holds the Z-Saber up, then slashes with it to fire a large, green blade beam forward. The Z-Saber itself deals 15%, while the beam deals 20%. This is Zero's most powerful attack, with the beam KOing opponents as low as 70% from center stage. He often uses it when opponents are at a long distance away from him, especially if they are at high percentages. The beam can be reflected and absorbed.

Much like in his series, Zero has a double jump, and can move with high-speed dashes both on the ground and in the air. He is also one of the Assist Trophies capable of performing directional air dodges. For all his techniques except the triple slash, Zero shouts their names when using them. He will then say "Back to base!" when departing. He also can be defeated, when he is defeated he gets blast KO'd but also explodes into orange orbs, a reference to his death animation in some of his appearances.

As a costume

A Mii Swordfighter dressed as Zero.

The Zero outfit that previously appeared in Super Smash Bros. 4 returns once again as a downloadable Mii Costume for Mii Swordfighters, released with the third wave of Mii Fighters.

Spirits

No.	Image	Name	Type	Class	Slots	Base	Max	Base	Max	Base	Max	Ability	Series
907		Zero (Zero Buster)		★★	2	1781	7149	1051	4218	730	2931	Can Be Enhanced at Lv. 99	Mega Man X Series
908		Zero (Z-Saber)		★★★★	2	4810	12026	2447	6118	1736	4340	Weapon Attack & Move Speed ↑	Mega Man X Series
918		Mega Man Zero		★★★	2	3224	9697	1773	5334	1158	3482	Sword Attack ↑	Mega Man Zero Series

Gallery

• 

  Sprite of Zero using Ryuenjin in Mega Man X4.

• 

  Sprite of Zero using Kuenzan in Mega Man X4.

• 

  Zero as a Mii Swordfighter costume

• 

  Zero as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

• 

  Zero dashing in Wily Castle.

• 

  Zero attacking Mega Man with Ryuenjin.

Names in other languages

Language	Name
Japanese	ゼロ, Zero
English	Zero
French	Zero
German	Zero
Spanish	Zero
Italian	Zero
Chinese	Zero
Korean	Zero
Dutch	Zero
Russian	Зеро

Trivia

• The Mii used to show Zero's costume has green eyes, rather than the blue eyes that Zero has in most games.
  • In Mega Man X4, Zero is seen with green eyes in the animated cutscenes; however, official artwork of X4 shows Zero with blue eyes.
• Zero is the only Mega Man character with a trophy that is neither from the classic Mega Man series nor part of Mega Man's Final Smash.
• Despite commonly being referred to as a Reploid, this is actually incorrect, as a Reploid is an android that is specifically based off the design of X. Zero is a rare exception and is not based off X's design.
• Zero's reveal as an Assist Trophy, with him defeating a Ditto version of an Inkling, is a reference to fake, or "soulless", copies of Zero and X that Zero has fought over the years, such as Sigma's fake Zero, Copy X, and Omega.
• Zero is the only Mega Man character to use a voice actor in the Super Smash Bros. series.
• Although the Training Mode menu states that Zero will unleash Genmu Zero when he's about to leave, his departure and when he will perform the attack are not connected.
  • This is probably a reference to his fight as Awakened Zero where, after a certain amount of time passes, he will become invincible and start using Genmu Zero repeatedly, essentially ending the fight.
• Zero, Andross and Nintendog are tied for the most Spirits out of non Fighter characters, with a total of three. In his case, his Zero Buster spirit, his Z-Saber spirit, and Mega Man Zero spirit.
• For unknown reasons, the Sound Test and the Assist Trophy menu in Training lists Zero's name as "Zero (Mega Man)", despite there being no other Assist Trophy with the name Zero, as well as none of Zero's spirits being specifically called "Zero (Mega Man)".

See also

• Zero on the Mega Man Knowledge Base