| Vile | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Series |
Mega Man X |
|
Debut |
Mega Man X (1993) |
|
Console of origin |
Super Nintendo Entertainment System |
|
Species |
Robot |
|
Gender |
Male |
Vile, or VAVA (ヴァヴァ?) in Japan, is a character of the Mega Man X series. He used to be a Maverick Hunter prior to the first Mega Man X game and was ranked S-A Class in Sigma's 17th Elite Unit prior to his commander's rebellion against humanity. He appeared in multiple games of the series as a boss character and was playable for the first time in Maverick Hunter X, a remake of the first Mega Man X for the PlayStation Portable.
Description[]
Vile is adorned in somewhat basic Reploid armor with a distinct purple sheen and gold highlights. Like some Maverick Hunters, Vile wears a helmet with a T-shaped visor that conceals his face in shadow. It is unknown if this is his face or it is simply hidden by the shade as in the Mega Man X3 opening video, his Mega Man X3 artwork, and the Rockman X3 manga as well as the Ruby-Spears cartoon, Vile is seen with a singular glowing eye. Attached to his shoulder is a cannon featuring an ammo belt arching over his back. Vile's later appearances retain the overall basic appearance but takes on different color schemes with stylized accents.
When he walks, he has somewhat of a metallic "Clank" with every step. Vile is heavily designed as a war machine, which was quoted by Zero after Vile escapes.
History[]
The Day of Sigma[]
Shortly before Sigma declared war on humanity, Vile was arrested by the Hunters for unknown reasons, however Zero claimed that he "must have caused a ruckus again". It is presumable that he again disobeyed orders from superior officers and/or threatened the safety of comrades and bystanders while hunting Mavericks. During the chaotic search for the perpetrator who hacked the Hunters' database (which was actually Sigma himself) and the defense of Abel City from another berserk Mechaniloid, Vile was freed by his former commander who requested his assistance in defeating X, saying that he needed a Reploid that could go Maverick on his own accord. Eventually, Sigma left Vile alone, freed of his chains and open to his arsenal, so he could decide whether or not to join his rebellion.
Mega Man X / Maverick Hunter X[]
In the original Mega Man X, Vile's character hadn't been expanded on yet. He was pictured as nothing more than Sigma's loyal soldier and bodyguard who led his attack teams against the humans. Vile first appeared in the intro stage, using a powerful Ride Armor that X found impossible to damage. X was eventually caught by Vile's stun beam, and had to be rescued by Zero. When X and Zero later attacked Sigma's fortress, Vile rushed to stop them. While Zero chased after him, X was left behind for a moment. During this time, Vile had jumped aboard his new Ride Armor, had imprisoned Zero in a cage and used him to blackmail X to surrender. X fought him however, up to a point until he was again caught by Vile's stun net. In order to save his friend, Zero mobilized all of his power to break free and destroyed the Ride Armor by overloading his Z-Buster. Vile was then destroyed in a one-to-one battle by X.
In Maverick Hunter X, Vile's persona was greatly expanded as a rogue character with a strong hatred for X and a desire for destruction. Though he joined Sigma's rebellion and helped attack the Central Highway on board Storm Eagle's Death Rogumer, he hardly followed any orders and did what he did best; causing havoc and fighting X. At first it seemed X was able to defeat him, but was captured between the iron fingers of Vile's Ride Armor, stating that he'll destroy him and eventually defeat Sigma as well to change the world. X was then rescued by Zero and Vile retreated. He then showed up in Sigma's fortress, having already defeated Zero like in the original game and laid him in a hallway as a bait for X, whom he captured (though it was implied via dialogue on Vile's part that he was considering letting X go, though only because he thinks that him destroying X would be part of Sigma's plan and he doesn't like following orders). However, he had underestimated Zero who was able to stand up and destroy the Ride Armor, as in the original Mega Man X. After a long battle, he was destroyed by X, with him only expressing shock and denial at losing to X.
However, in Maverick Hunter X's Vile Mode, an unlockable bonus mode, he took a different path. Instead of joining Sigma's rebellion, Vile decided to prove to Sigma that he was better and more powerful than X. After fighting X on the Central Highway, he decided to battle against Sigma's followers to gain more power and reputation. Though all of the eight main Mavericks were rather friendly to him (and offered to let him leave), he destroyed all of them and absorbed their powers in order to create new weapons. Afterwards, Sigma then extended an invitation to fight against him in order to prove whether he is indeed worthy. Ultimately, he infiltrated Sigma's fortress and fought his way through it until he was cornered by X and Zero. Both of them battled him at the same time, yet were defeated by him.
After defeating both of them, Vile admitted that X, whom he hated more than anyone else, had grown stronger, but was still a wimp to the very end and never had the power to change the world. He then proceeded to beat up X's already injured body by kicking it around and then stomping savagely on X's head while angrily demanding that he show him his true power. He was then attacked by a weakened Zero before he could deliver the finishing blow with his cannon, who grounded him (as well as commented that Vile's comments of changing the world was "Maverick talk") before he was hit by X's charged shot. When he awakened, he was accompanied by Sigma. Heavily damaged, he asked what was so important about X. Yet, instead of answering however, Sigma asked Vile why he did all this and whether he wanted to stand before him as a Maverick Hunter or kneeling before him at his mercy. Upon this question, Vile wasn't unable to comply and started laughing, stating that he wasn't actually sure about it himself. He was then left by Sigma (though not before radioing some of his men to "retrieve Vile"). As he walked away, Vile stated that by fighting X, he proved the right of his existence, that he is Vile. But as he reached out to stop Sigma from leaving, his functions ceased, and he was left frozen in his desperate position.
Mega Man Xtreme[]
Vile made a small appearance in the opening stage of the game. Said level is a digitized version of the Central Highway stage from the original Mega Man X. He serves as the boss of this stage and is again seen riding his Ride Armor. However, this version of Vile is not the actual one but merely a data record of the character that had been stored in the archives of the Maverick Hunters' Mother Computer, and as such can be damaged. In this game, he is erroneously referred to as "VAVA", which is actually his original Japanese name. He was destroyed/deleted by X.
Mega Man X3[]
What was left of Vile after his destruction at the hands of X in the first game was salvaged from a Reploid scientist named Dr. Doppler, who was infected with the Sigma Virus and controlled by Sigma himself. Doppler created a new body for him and upgraded his weapons to be more powerful. However, the influence of the Sigma Virus around him turned him insane and the only thing he could think of was to get revenge on X who had previously killed him. Instead of assisting Doppler in creating a new body for Sigma, he left Doppler's lab on his own accord. He lured X into an abandoned factory which was set up to self-destruct and tried to hinder X from escaping by fighting him in his new Ride Armor.
In case X didn't use the Ray Splasher or Spinning Blade (Vile's weaknesses) on him, he would flee the scene. He would then reappear at Doppler's lab as one of the final bosses, riding an upgraded version of his Goliath Ride Armor. Eventually, he was destroyed by X, but not before swearing to haunt him until the day he died.
In addition to his original shoulder cannon and knee-mounted naplam launcher, Vile gained a missile launcher on his left shoulder in this form. He also acquied a shield bearing his personal V-insignia worn over his back, although this was never used during his ingame battle. (Although it was used to defend against X's Tornado Fang in the manga version of their battle.)
Mega Man X8[]
X, Axl, and Zero are sent on a mission near the Jakob tower to investigate a unique crab-like Mechaniloid. They manage to defeat it, but are then interrupted by a hail of missiles from Vile, who has apparently been resurrected from his earlier defeat in Mega Man X3. Vile had kidnapped the Jakob Space Elevator project leader, Lumine, for unknown reasons and it becomes the Maverick Hunters' mission to rescue him. Oddly, while Axl was dazed when he heard his name (which is understandable, since he didn't really know him, or even his existence, until now), Zero and X weren't completely shocked to see him alive (as X was with Vile MK-2 in X3), calling him a 'wanted' criminal as if he's been revived for quite a while. He will sometimes appear as a mini-boss in certain rooms in stages, rather than doing the 'puzzle' of that room (this can be very useful on hard mode, especially in Gravity Antonion's spiked block room). He also appears as the boss of the Jakob Orbital Elevator stage, but isn't destroyed. Rather, he teleports away.
Vile in this game has been likely to be revived as a Reploid seemingly with a Copy Chip installed inside him, although he never used that ability as he keeps talking about trying to create a new world that seems to include only New Generation Reploids only. Vile in this reincarnation has been upgraded in terms of weaponry as well as adding flight capabilities, being able to fly around the stage most of the time. In addition, his shoulder cannon is now able to fire rapid-fire sparks as well as flames in later parts; while his missile pod allows him to rapid-fire missiles. Both weapons are noted for being removed from his actual shoulders and relocated to his backpack, a redesign that would be later applied to his original form in Maverick Hunter X. In times of extreme stress, he demonstrated the ability to discharge high voltage electricity from his body. His main color is changed from the original purple and blue to green and yellow.
In the final stage, Sigma Palace, Vile reappears as a mini-boss, this time in his trademark Devil Bear Ride Armor. Unlike before, Vile demonstrates a remote control-link with the Ride Armor, able to control it without manipulating the controls in the cockpit. He has to be knocked off it with a Guard Break before being fought one on one, preferably with his weakness, the Drift Diamond, Hyouryuushou, or Ice Gatling. On Easy or Normal mode, Vile explodes upon victory, but on Hard, he comes back and attacks the reserve character, forcing the current character to go through the rest of the stage alone until the two are rejoined during the Sigma fight. His ultimate fate is unknown, but it is implied that the other character destroyed him.
Personality[]
Vile is a very arrogant, violent and rude character who has a very unstable and enraged mind. Though he used to be a member of the Maverick Hunters, he never once considered himself as one, and had a habit of not accepting orders from anyone except himself, which often resulted in fierce arguments with his commander and partially to his own arrest and labeling of being a Maverick.
Because of an irreparable short circuit in his electronic brain, Vile developed a strange, almost sociopathic passion for hunting down Mavericks and totally annihilating them, while causing as much damage as possible on the territory. This also includes innocent bystanders and comrades alike. This passion is also what may have led to his own arrest and labeling of being a Maverick.
In all incarnations of the character, Vile holds a deep grudge against X and looks down on him for the fact that despite X having a lower rank than him, he received more attention. He is also a traitor of both the Maverick Hunters and of the Mavericks.