Zero

Zero is the deuteragonist of the X Chronicles series and the greatest creation of Doctor Albert W. Wily. A high ranking Maverick Hunter, he's a die-hard warrior who doesn't hesitate to take action. However, behind his heroic attitude lies a dark past.

Appearance
Zero prominently sports a red color scheme. In his first appearance, Zero's armor was round for the most part with a red, black and white color scheme and white shoulder guards with a stylized "Z" insignia on his left shoulder. His helmet is horned and features a sharp blue crystal in contrast to his partner, X's smoother red gem. Perhaps his most striking feature is his long blond hair that flowed freely about in a samurai-like hairstyle, making Zero appear fiery in comparison to X's more cool and consistent blue scheme. The gem on his head apparently acted as a restraining bolt originally, as during his battle with Sigma, the gem had a "W" appear on it and proceeded to cause Zero to freeze up and yell in agony.

When Serges of the Counter Hunters reconstructed Zero's parts, he upgraded the body, including reinforced shoulder plates and Z-Saber. Other enhancements were the improved arm guards (in contrast to the original streamlined ones) and leg joints, with improved mid-air dash thrusters and gold-plated covers, along with thicker and bigger chest armor. A small "backpack" device is also added as both storage and recharging unit for the Z-Saber.

Like X, Zero's power source is solar energy. His body material is comprised of a Titanium Z alloy, and is equipped with peculiar mechanisms called the Z-Brain (the head lens) and the Z-Heart (the chest lens), which conceal an unknown power.

Origin
Zero was created by the late Dr. Albert Wily sometime in the twenty-first century. He also presumably began to create the Roboenza Virus around this time. Wily even dubbed Zero his "greatest masterpiece". Capcom claimed that Zero had a flaw in his cognitive program that made him too violent to control, but an all-powerful berserk robot killing their creator and then taking a nap for 100 years doesn't make sense. In truth, Wily planned to use Zero as a vector for the virus. He sealed Zero in a capsule, which infused him with the virus. Decades later, in the early twenty-second century, his hiding place was found by a group of Reploids prior to the events of Rise of Sigma. Presumably, Zero's hiding place was within close proximity of the place where X was discovered.

Once awakened by this group, Zero destroyed them, as well as any intruders who would dare enter Wily's lair. Labelled a Maverick (by the definition of being a threat to humans), Zero was later cornered by Maverick Hunters inside an unknown facility, and Zero destroyed Garma's unit. Not wanting to get any more comrades endangered by the powerful enigmatic Maverick, Commander Sigma himself challenged the red Maverick in a one-on-one battle. Even though Zero eventually gained the upper hand during the battle, Sigma was able to defeat the red Maverick after the gem on Zero's head began to glow with a 'W' symbol, apparently causing Zero great pain.

Sigma punched this crystal, shattering it and defeating Zero, and Sigma was infected by Zero's virus. Zero was then brought to Dr. Cain, who analyzed him. After that, he recovered from his battle with Sigma and was placed under Sigma's watch, but Zero's personality had changed, and all Zero's memories prior to being damaged were fragmented: no longer able to be recalled consciously and only accessible in dreams. Zero did not show any more signs of Maverick behavior and was enlisted into the Maverick Hunters.

Rise of Sigma
Zero became an excellent Maverick Hunter and was soon ranked A-Class, the highest rank the Maverick Hunters had to offer at that point of time. It was during that time in which he met X for the first time. Before Sigma succumbed to the virus, he admired how Zero changed.

Capcom claimed that Zero, being built do be bad, was turned good by the evil virus, and so two negatives equal a positive, but that seems kind of dumb. If that's truly the case, why Zero switched from evil to good when Sigma smashed his helmet crystal? And, likewise, why would Sigma become the primary vector for the virus after his battle with Zero?

After Sigma's declaration of Reploid Independence on July 4 21XX, Zero, who at that point was the highest-ranked member of the Hunter organization, became the new leader, and he and a repaired X fought together against Sigma's rebellion. Zero saved X during a Maverick attack at a highway from Vile. After that, the two split up, with X's task to slow down the Maverick activities in nearby areas while Zero himself was on recon duty at Sigma's fortress.

They eventually rendezvoused at the outskirts and together invaded the fortress. Here, they encountered Vile for a second time. Zero was captured by Vile and imprisoned in a cage. When X was also defeated by Vile, Zero managed to break free and destroyed Vile's armor by firing a charge shot from point-blank range, which was a successful, yet fatal action. Afterwards, Zero encouraged him to continue to fight before ultimately dying in X's arms.

Lazarus Zero
After Sigma's defeat, the Hunters tried to salvage whatever remained of Zero from the sunken fortress and found Zero's control chip (which serves as Zero's "brain" and consciousness) which had miraculously survived the destruction of the body. However, the Hunters were incapable of creating a new body for Zero because they were unable to analyze his unique body structure.

Six months later, a group of three Mavericks, calling themselves the "X-Hunters" (they're, in fact, the Counter Hunters, and were using this name to cause confusion with the actual X-Hunters), contacted the Maverick Hunters and claimed to be in possession of all of the rest of the parts that would be required to rebuild Zero. It is revealed that their leader, Serges, was actually Dr. Wily in a robotic body, and, since he was the one who designed Zero, he managed to build him a new body. The Counter Hunters challenged X to a battle in order to win Zero's parts.

X, who didn't want his friend in the hands of Mavericks, accepted and eventually recovered Zero's head, body, and foot parts. Eventually, Zero was reconstructed by Dr. Cain (including the upgrades that Wily had provided), not before the Counter Hunters attempted to get Zero back, and assisted X in destroying the base of the resurrected Sigma. Trying to fool X however, Sigma had constructed a doppelganger of Zero with Black Armor which he claimed to be Zero; however, this copy is quickly destroyed by the real Zero. Sigma mentions just before his death that Zero is the "last of the Doctor's creations", obviously referring to Wily.

Doppler Effect
The beginning of the Doppler incident finds Zero and X back in their respective commands of the Maverick Hunter Forces. Dr. Doppler's Mavericks lead an attack on the Hunter Base, and X and Zero are forced to return to the base to defend it. Zero joins the Hunters defending the base outside while X ventures into the base. However, when X is captured by the defector, Mac, Zero immediately leaps into the chaos inside the base to save his best friend from the traitor's clutches. However, Zero fully killed Mac, which caused X to give Zero a look the latter didn't understood at the time.

After this incident, Zero learned about Colonel and Iris, two sibling Reploids created by Reploid scientist Gate. The two siblings joined the Maverick Hunters, with Colonel on active duty, and Iris as a Navigator, and Zero befriended the two, including falling in love with Iris. It also was around this time when Zero started believing X was hiding things for him.

After defeating Doppler's eight Mavericks it begins to become clear Sigma is once again behind the whole incident. After defeating Sigma, he will attempt to possess X. But before he can, Zero appears and hits Sigma with his saber, where he uploaded Doppler's Anti-Sigma Virus-program, believing that it is the only thing that works against him. Sigma seemingly explodes as Doppler's lab self-destructs.

Afterwards, Zero suffered some shocks: Iris quit, and Colonel joined Repliforce, blaming the Hunters for letting the Maverick outbreaks to occur (which is partially true, since many Hunters were infected).

Rise of Repliforce
When the Repliforce was labeled Maverick after the Sky Lagoon incident, both X and Zero were assigned various missions to gather information about Repliforce's coup and to cut off their support lines. X was planning to make Repliforce stand down until everything was cleared up. Iris assisted Zero on his missions as his operator, like during Doppler Effect. Iris didn't want Zero and Colonel to fight, torn between Zero and her own brother. When the two of them battled in the Ceremony Hall of Repliforce's command center, when Colonel challenged the Hunters, it was Iris who stopped the two Reploids from terminating each other by begging her own brother to stop since Zero had previously saved her life after the Sky Lagoon had crashed down. Colonel backed off, but he claimed that Zero used up his favor. This made Iris make X promise to make Colonel stand down.

When Repliforce's coup began, Zero rushed to the space port to stop the ascension of the military troops to the newly constructed space station of Repliforce, Final Weapon. There, X battled Colonel, although Colonel made X break his promise and brought Colonel to Hunter HQ in pieces. After that, Zero traveled to the Final Weapon where he was, much to his surprise and horror, encountered by Iris, who was blinded by her shame caused by her brother's harsh words (who called Iris a traitor after his recovery) and anger for X breaking his promise. She used an weird creation of Gate's, fusing it with her own programming, thus resulting her body to transform into a massive Ride Armor-like combat form which Zero was forced to battle. Even though he didn't mean to, Zero damaged the exterior power core of the structure, resulting in the destruction of the armor. Whispering to Zero that she did all this because she wanted to live in a world for Reploids only, and that he could live in that world too, Iris died in his arms and Zero, who was totally overthrown by the pain, began questioning his own reasons for fighting and the means of his own existence. Since it was then when Zero understood why X looked at him the way he looked after Zero killed Mac, Zero even shrieked for X to help him.

Luckily, X, who just defeated Double, managed to come before Iris' programing vanishes from her buffer. Unless Iris would get a new power core before her programing vanishes from her buffer, she would actually die, with no means for her to return. Zero, out of guilt, shame, and love for Iris, convinced X to make Zero and Iris share Zero's power core until Dr. Cain would find a permanent solution. After Iris regains consciousness, Zero and Iris retreated to the docks, where both Repliforce ships were located and several Maverick Hunter ships were planning to infiltrate, in order to evacuate all Repliforce members on the Final Weapon.

To be completed once the final chapter of Rise of Repliforce is released.

Personality
Prior to his encounter with Sigma and becoming a Maverick Hunter, Zero was extremely violent and maniacal. He often unleashed feral screams and laughed psychotically, especially during his battle with Sigma.

Outwardly, Zero appears cold and emotionless to others, even towards partner X and his crush Iris. However, it is shown that he has the capacity to care for others. Zero keeps his cool under most circumstances. No matter what his enemies do to him, he is always able to come up with a retort.

Zero has often displayed a tendency to sacrifice himself for the sake of others. (Examples being how he self-destructed by firing a charged shot at Vile's ride armor at point blank, and his intent to give his power core to Iris.) He also shows distaste for innocent deaths, although he doesn't have the same standards for "innocent" as X, who sees viral Mavericks as victims.

Even though Zero does not openly show it, he too seems to long for peace between humans and Reploids. He implies that during his battle with Colonel in Conference Hall. However, he has said that he doesn't have any problems fighting, unlike his more pacifistic friend, X. Another notable trait of his is that, despite his great power, Zero views X as the superior Maverick Hunter and considers him a hero capable of pulling miracles.

He seems to have a great pride in his position as a Maverick Hunter as he recognizes it himself, and even being the most serious of the two heroes from the X Chronicles series, Zero has a soft and friendly side giving quick smiles to his friends, especially X and Iris. With this, he differs from Colonel, who considers Iris a traitor for helping the Maverick Hunters. He can also have a breakdown in the moments of his most difficult losses, like when Iris nearly died.

Trivia

 * It's rather interesting how Zero, a creation of Dr. Wily, actually ended up fulfilling Dr. Light's dream instead of Wily's - while fighting against hordes of Reploids based on Light's creation, no less, although they all were ultimately manipulated by Wily himself.
 * Although Zero and X aren't technically Reploids (robots based on X's schematics, "replicated androids"), as they are original androids from the past (technically making them "Robot Masters"), they are known as such because the term Reploid is used for all androids with human-like A.I, and for reasons of simplicity.
 * Although Zero had multiple love interests in the games (not at the same time, no less), in X Chronicles, he only has one, namely Iris.
 * Coincidentally enough, Iris is the only one of Zero's love interests from the games Zero actually had feelings for.
 * Cyrex stated that he will end X Chronicles with the X5 and X6 adaptation, which have the same chronicle due to Gate's appearance in Doppler Effect and Rise of Repliforce, meaning that Zero's other love interests won't appear at all.