- "Brave soldiers of Repliforce, we have all been wrongfully judged as Mavericks by the humans. We cannot suffer this indignity and live in disgrace. We will build our own nation of Reploids. But remember, this is neither about insurrection, or rebellion against our human creators. This is about our liberty and security."
- ―General, Mega Man X4
General (ジェネラル Jeneraru) is the central antagonist of Mega Man X4. He is a giant Reploid who is the leader of Repliforce.
Characteristics[]
Appearance[]
General is a massive Reploid, his height nearly filling the entire screen when he is encountered in-game. His armor is colored with brilliant golds and royal blues, befitting a respected leader and symbol of hope. His body is designed to resemble the uniform of a military officer, possessing a long coat and a cap. He also has a large moustache that spikes upwards and a black design along his jaw that resembles a beard.
Personality[]
As the supreme leader of Repliforce, General showed true responsibility and honor. He was highly popular among Repliforce, being highly respected by soldiers everywhere.[1] He valued dignity and justice like his subordinate Colonel, but was much more level-headed and soft-spoken than him. General held no ill will towards the humans, but still dreamed of Reploid independence, which was only exacerbated by his meetings with a mysterious interloper, Sigma.
When Repliforce was branded as Mavericks for refusing to surrender for questioning on the Sky Lagoon incident, the seeds of doubt planted by Sigma led General to lose faith in the humans and finally push a movement for Reploid independence. Only after being defeated by either X or Zero did he realize that he, plus all of Repliforce, had been used as a puppet for Sigma's plans. He claimed that the deaths of his men could only be justified by his own destruction, showing great sacrificial honor and regret.
In the Japanese version, General addressed himself as "わし" (washi) during his meeting with Sigma. "わし" is a first-person pronoun that is typically used by middled-aged and elderly men. This suggests his programmed age is that of an older man.
Judging by his meeting room in the Repliforce building, General was well-read, as he kept several dozen books on bookshelves. The room also had a stained-glass image of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, implying that he believed in the teachings of Christianity, or that he at least admired the teachings and art of the religion.
History[]
Mega Man X4[]
General meets with Sigma.
Before the story, General met with Sigma, who claimed the Maverick Hunters were too eager to please the humans and destroy their Reploid brethren. Sigma then proposed that he destroy them before they decide to terminate him as well. But to his chagrin, General refused, saying that it would involve betraying the humans, and ordered him to leave. Sigma does so, but assures him that he will change his tune before long.
That day finally came when the Maverick Hunters branded Repliforce as Mavericks for their refusal to come in for questioning concerning the Sky Lagoon incident, General took this as the last straw. At the Memorial Hall, he declared a military coup d'état to immigrate Repliforce into space, with a giant destroyer satellite, Final Weapon, to deter the humans if they opposed them (while noting that it was about their own welfare, and not rebelling against the humans). This resulted in the Great Repliforce War. The resulting mayhem allowed for the double agent Double to wreak havoc on the Maverick Hunters, resulting in agony for X, but even worse suffering occurred for Zero. Colonel, having full loyalty to Repliforce, followed General's orders and died facing Zero. His sister, Iris, fought Zero to avenge him and she was killed as well.
After destroying Double (as X) or Iris (as Zero), the Hunters faced General in a throne room aboard the Final Weapon. X tried to suggest a more peaceful solution to the problem while Zero called him out on Colonel and Iris' demises, but he brushed both of them off, stating that he and his men were unreasonably labelled as Mavericks, thus they had no other recourse but to fight, and that the price of independence was too great for regrets. After his defeat, General survived the battle with heavy damage, having lost an arm and a leg. When the Final Weapon suddenly activated, preparing to attack the Earth, General realized his mistake: Sigma's suggestions were all just a ploy to gain access to it. After the Hunters pursued and defeated Sigma, General found that the Final Weapon's attack could not be cancelled, and tried to mend the error of his ways by using his body to destroy it. General's sacrifice contributed to clearing the name of Repliforce in the future.
Strategy[]
As the Commander-in-chief of Repliforce, General shows his excellent skill as both commander and tactician. He can fly and his forearms can detach, allowing him to perform rocket punches (which serve as platforms). General's enhanced armor makes him invulnerable to all enemy attacks, with the exception of his head, which is his weak spot.
General is weak to X's Twin Slasher, but Zero's equivalent Shippuuga can be difficult to hit him with. Kuuenzan is best used, due to General's high weak point, though standing on his fist and using the normal Z-Saber combo deals good damage as well.
|
Tackle (体当たり Taiatari)[2] |
|---|---|
| General flies across the arena to hit the player. If they move underneath him, he stomps the floor to summon bursts of energy. | |
| Damage: 9 | |
|
Ring Laser (リングレーザー Ringu Rēzā)[2] |
| After launching his fists, General continuously fires ring projectiles from his elbows at the player. | |
| Damage: 6 | |
|
Shuriken Laser (手裏剣レーザー Shuriken Rēzā)[2] |
| General releases two sets of three energy shurikens above and below, with an opening in the middle. He only uses this attack when half his health is depleted. | |
| Damage: 3 |
Dialogue[]
Opening (X)[]
???: It's about the Maverick Hunters, General. They are far too eager to please the humans and continue to hunt down the Reploids. Do you believe they pose a significant threat?
General: Perhaps...
???: You already know the truth, General! Their sole mission has been to destroy any Reploids who fail to do as the humans order. It is in your best interest to stop them now, before they turn on you. You possess enough power to destroy them!!
General: You are dismissed.
???: What?!
General: I will not betray the humans. Remove yourself from my sight. My business with you has concluded.
???: Hehe... Very well, but you will change your mind soon. I assure you... HAHAHAAA!
Pre-Battle (X)[]
X: General! What are you planning to do?
General: ...We're going to build a nation for the Reploids. That's our ultimate goal. We'll fight anyone who tries to interfere with our independence.
X: There must be alternatives to this mindless fighting!
General: ... We were called Mavericks without justifiable reason. What other choice did we have than to fight?
X: ...But...
General: It's too late now! Get ready, X!
Post-Battle (X)[]
X: .. What? What happened!?
General: ...It can't be... This weapon must be malfunctioning...
X: General! What do you mean?
General: Someone else is controlling it! ... You must hurry X. The earth is... in danger!
X: Alright. I'll stop the weapon myself!
After Sigma (X)[]
X: General!
General: The weapon can be stopped with my body.
X: But then you'll...
General: Many of my men have died. As their leader, I must leave with them... X, please forgive our foolishness...
X: General!!
Pre-Battle (Zero)[]
Zero: General! Many died because of you! Those lives are on your conscience!
General: Independence always has a high price...
Zero: What about Iris?! Did you forget her?
General: I have no regrets. Come on, Zero!
Post-Battle (Zero)[]
Zero: What is this!? What happened!?
General: No! This weapon can't be working...
Zero: General! What's wrong?
General: Someone else is controlling it!
Zero: Then... Earth's in grave danger! It must be stopped! I'll handle this...
After Sigma (Zero)[]
Zero: General!
General: ...Zero... I was... wrong. Sigma... He blinded me to the truth...
Zero: It's okay ... rest.
General: ...With my body I can stop the weapon.
Zero: But then you'll...
General: It's over for this soldier. Farewell!
Zero: General!!!
In-battle quotes[]
| Action | Japanese | Translation | Audio (JP) | English | Audio (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-battle | 君の実力を見せてもらおう。(Kimi no jitsuryoku wo misete moraou.) | Let's see what you can do. | Show me your true power. | ||
| Pre-battle | 君とは戦う運命にあったようだ。(Kimi to wa tatakau unmei ni atta yōda.) | It seems you and I are destined to fight. | It was our destiny to fight. | ||
| Pre-battle | これもさだめか。仕方あるまい。(Kore mo sadame ka. Shikata arumai.) | This too is fate. It can't be helped. | My fate is sealed. I have no choice. |
Other appearances[]
Mega Man X Legacy Collection[]
General acts as the boss of 6-3 alongside Colonel. during the X Challenge in Vol. 1
Mega Man X DiVE[]
A data replica of General appears as a boss in Mega Man X DiVE. Here he has a slightly different moveset.
- General's fists now home on the Player, causing contact damage.
- He can use one of the arms to grab the Player and punch them with the other, sending them Player flying into a wall.
- At 6 health bars, General flies off screen and launches his arms to the floor. General can grab the Player before going off screen, and the arms will impact on the floor with the Player inside them.
- When General comes down after launching his arms to the floor, he will kneel and shoot laser beams from his elbows.
Other media[]
Rockman X4 (manga)[]
General sacrifices himself to destroy the Final Weapon, saving the Earth from certain destruction.
General appears in the Rockman X4 manga adaption, having a more personal role in the conflict. After the massive Maverick Eregion laid waste to a major portion of a city and killed many people, the Repliforce is blamed because their unique equipment was found at the scene next to the Maverick's corpse. As a result, many humans stage anti-Repliforce protests and demand a reduction of their troops. General watches one such report in the Repliforce building's conference room with Storm Owl and Colonel. The latter two both agree that there is no other way than for them to rebel, as their pride will not allow them to accede to the Hunters' demands that they temporarily disband and surrender their weapons. General says that since they have already made a mistake once in humanity's eyes, they will never be allowed to make a second. He then gives a public speech to humanity at Memorial Hall, which is broadcast on flying Repliforce blimps, where he announces that the Repliforce is staging a coup d'etat and shall become an independent organization, since their weapons are their pride and they will not surrender them. General notes that they have already occupied many main roads and will fight to the end for their pride.
During the rebellion, Frost Walrus engages in wanton destruction and riots purely for fun, not being helpful to the Repliforce cause at all. As a result, Colonel rebukes Walrus for his misbehavior and reports his conduct to General. After Walrus nevertheless engages in the same behavior by releasing several Reploid prisoners and having them run for their lives just to chase them down and mercilessly slaughter nearly all of them, he kills Blizzard Buffalo and gravely injures X after they try to stop him. When X attacks Walrus at his snow base for a rematch, Walrus is gravely injured by X's Ride Armor but still gains the upper hand and is about to kill X. Suddenly, General appears at the scene and destroys Walrus with one blast to punish him for his atrocities and to save X's life. Frustrated by his own lack of power, X shoots wildly at General, who stands silently and accepts his fire until leaving. Double, spying from nearby, speculates that this is General's way of apologising for Walrus's actions.
Later, General encounters X on the Repliforce's Final Weapon satellite, which would be their independent nation. X, who had just gotten the Ultimate Armor, manages to seriously injure the General into unconsciousness, and then proceeds to kill Double, who had revealed himself as a traitor. The General then grabs and hugs X, reducing his tears and grief. He then sacrifices himself to destroy the Final Weapon's "Deathflower" cannon and prevent it from decimating the Earth, although not before making a final salute to X.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- Sigma's conversation with General has a small difference between the Japanese and English versions that could actually change the way the player interprets the General's own interpretation of Sigma's words. In the English localization, when Sigma asks the General if he believes the Hunters are a threat, the General responds with "Perhaps." However in the original Japanese script, General is silent until he dismisses Sigma.
- General was absent from the Worlds Unite crossover event in the Archie Comics, despite the eight boss Mavericks and Double all appearing as part of Sigma-2's Maverick army, and Colonel and Iris being mentioned by Zero. This may be because General himself is not evil nor a Maverick, but rather a manipulated Reploid who would not take part in such a plan.
References[]
- ↑ Mega Man X Legacy Collection Gallery
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Boss File: General, Compendium of Rockman X. p. 71.
| Mega Man X4 | |
|---|---|
| List of Mavericks | |
| Web Spider • Split Mushroom • Cyber Peacock • Storm Owl • Magma Dragoon • Frost Walrus • Jet Stingray • Slash Beast | |
| Other Bosses | |
| Eregion • Colonel • Double • Iris • General • Sigma | |
| X's Special Weapons | |
| Lightning Web • Soul Body • Aiming Laser • Double Cyclone • Rising Fire • Frost Tower • Ground Hunter • Twin Slasher | |
| Zero's Special Techniques | |
| Raijingeki • Kūenbu • Kūenzan • Rakuhouha • Tenkūha • Ryūenjin • Hyouretsuzan • Hienkyaku • Shippūga | |
| Armors | |
| - X - Fourth Armor • Ultimate Armor - Zero - Black Zero | |
| Stages | |
| Sky Lagoon • Jungle • Bio Laboratory • Cyber Space • Air Force • Volcano • Snow Base • Marine Base • Military Train • Memorial Hall • Space Port • Final Weapon | |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Damage Data Chart (X) • Damage Data Chart (Zero) Mega Man X4 Script (X's story) • Mega Man X4 Script (Zero's story) | |