The Armor Parts, also known as the Third Armor (サードアーマー, Sādo Āmā)^[1], the Normal Armor (ノーマルアーマー, Nōmaru Āmā),^[2] or the Max Armor (マックスアーマー, Makkusu Āmā),^[3][4] is a set of Armor Parts for X found in Mega Man X3.

Functions

Each of the Armor Parts also has an optional enhancement chip to improve its abilities. However, X's system can handle only one chip at a time, being unable to obtain another once he decides to take one of them. However, if none of the enhancement chips are taken, a secret Hyper Chip (ハイパーチップ, Hyper Chip) becomes available later in the game, which grants the effects of all chips and gives the armor a golden color.

• Foot Parts - X can use the Variable Air Dash (ヴァリアブルエアダッシュ, Variable Air Dash). While in the air, X can dash straight forward or straight upward.
  • Foot Chip - Allows X to use the Variable Air Dash twice, or dash jump and air dash in the same jump.

• Body Parts - Damage is reduced by half. When X is struck by an enemy's attack, a blue Defense Shield (ディフェンスシールド, Defense Shield) is generated and additional damage is reduced. The amount of damage reduced with the force field active is 25% (approx. 62.5% total damage reduction).
  • Body Chip - In addition to a 50% reduction in damage, an orange force field is projected rather than a blue one. Additional damage is reduced even further. The amount of damage reduced with the force field active is 50% (approx. 75% total damage reduction).

• Arm Parts - X can charge his X-Buster up to four charge levels. At the fourth, X can fire out a Cross Charge Shot (クロスチャージショット, Cross Charge Shot) by shooting from both arms in rapid succession. It can also make X climb ladders faster. With this armor part, X can also charge up his Special Weapons.
  • Arm Chip - Gives X access to the Hyper Charge (ハイパーチャージ, Hyper Charge), which enables unlimited charge shots as long as it has Weapon Energy.

• Head Parts - X gains a ground-penetrating Item Radar (アイテムレーダー, Item Radar) that shows a map of the stage when X beams in to one of the eight stages. Uncollected Life Ups, Sub Tanks, Ride Armors, and Light Capsules are highlighted. These are also indicated on the stage select screen, color-coded to show which ones have not been found yet. It also reduces weapon energy cost by half for his Special Weapons.
  • Head Chip - X will regenerate energy at a slow rate while standing still. This can also be used to fill Sub Tanks.

• Hyper Chip - Assuming X did not get any of the four upgrading chips in any of the boss stages and collected all of the other items, he can gain all of them in Doppler Stage A, with the armor turning into gold. This armor also causes X's energy to regenerate more quickly and the Hyper Charge to use up less energy. However, it is not saved in passwords, so it must be re-obtained whenever the game is turned off.

• Beam Saber - Though technically not a part of the armor, it serves the same purpose as an upgrade to X's offense. If Vile MK-II is destroyed using either the Ray Splasher or Spinning Blade before the final stages, the sub-boss Mosquitus will appear in Doppler Stage B. If Zero is called before entering the room, he will be able to fight this boss, unlike bosses before or after this, where X takes over for Zero. After defeating it, it will land on Zero, seriously damaging him. Zero will then give his saber to X before teleporting back to the Hunter Base. Without the Arm Parts, X will simply swing the saber, much like Zero. If the Arm Parts are equipped, X's final charge level (Red) is replaced with a green one, much like Zero. After firing the two shots, X can swing the saber, this time creating a shockwave that can hit enemies at a distance. Both the standalone saber and the shockwave do a very severe amount of damage; so much so that bosses, including Sigma and Kaiser Sigma, can be defeated with 2 slashes.

Armor Parts and Chips Locations

	Foot Parts
	Frozen Town Stage (Blizzard Buffalo)
	In the same large area as the Sub Tank, climb up, and jump over the second gap. Dash jump to the opening above the boss door and wall kick the small platform to reach the entrance.
	Arm Parts
	Safari Park Stage (Neon Tiger)
	Requires Tornado Fang and the Foot Parts. After the three Drill Wayings, use Tornado Fang to break the cracked wall to open a path. Dash jump across the pit and air dash up to reach the capsule.
	Body Parts
	Power Control Center Stage (Volt Catfish)
	Requires Gravity Well and the Arm Parts. On the forth lift, go up and use a charged Gravity Well above the device in the vertical spiked area to lift it and reach the capsule. Alternatively, if the player chooses to take the Foot Chip, its double up air dash can be used to reach the capsule.
	Head Parts
	Quarry Stage (Tunnel Rhino)
	Requires the Triad Thunder and the Arm Parts. Like the rock blocking the Life Up, there will be another rock hanging on cables blocking a path near the end of the stage. Use a charged Triad Thunder to release the rock and wall jump up to find the capsule.
	Foot Chip
	Giant Dam Stage (Toxic Seahorse)
	Get the Ride Armor Frog, then, at the fork underwater, take the upper path. Use the Ride Armor's missiles to destroy the giant fans, hop out of the Ride Armor, and wall jump up to find the capsule. Alternatively, use a charged Frost Shield and use it to reach the surface, and jump over the water to reach the capsule.
	Arm Chip
	Airborne Aircraft Carrier Stage (Gravity Beetle)
	After the elevator, climb up to enter a Ride Armor and punch the blocks in the end of the Ride Armor's path. Use the Ride Armor to pass the spikes and jump out of it to reach the capsule.
	Body Chip
	Shipyard Stage (Crush Crawfish)
	Grab a Ride Armor in the beginning of the stage, and after the area where a Hamma Hamma falls and opens the path, hop down the first pit and use the Ride Armor to break the cracked wall.
	Head Chip
	Weapons Factory Stage (Blast Hornet)
	After the elevator, enter the opening in the ceiling to get a Ride Armor (preferably the Hawk one) and, instead of falling down, use the Ride Armor to dash jump and jump from it (or fly with the Ride Armor Hawk) to reach the top right side of the area.

	Hyper Chip
	Doppler Stage A
	To obtain the Hyper Chip, X must have acquired every single item available in the game, but can't hold any other Chips. In the first station of Dr. Doppler's Laboratory, a room below the Ride Armor platform with rolling balls is the target. Drop down the first pit when spiked balls are in sight. Slide down the left wall, and X will fall into a hidden corridor with the Hyper Chip capsule inside. Again, X must have a full life gauge when approaching the capsule's location, so it's recommended to use the Ride Armor or Zero Change to avoid damage.

Other appearances

• Third Armor X is a Festival-exclusive S Rank Hunter Program in Mega Man X DiVE. His Active Skills are his Arm Parts' Cross Charge Shot, and his Hyper Chip, which gives him a 15-second power and defense boost.
• X appeared with this armor in the TEPPEN card Defensive Field.

Other media

In the Rockman X3 manga, the armor was not achieved by use of a capsule, but instead collected piece by piece by the reformed Mavericks X spared throughout the story, and delivered to him by Marty as part of a rescue mission after he and Zero were captured by the Nightmare Police, making it the first armor X received as a complete set instead of individual pieces. The armor boosted X's abilities, allowing him to defeat the Nightmare Police and Dr. Doppler, and held Doppler's army while Dr. Cain attempted to repair Doppler.

Despite the armor's improvements, X is severely damaged in his battle against Sigma due to attacking him without caring for his own safety, wanting them both to die in the battle, and Sigma having data about X that Doppler sent to him before dying, with X managing to win thanks to something Sigma didn't expect to be with him, Zero's saber. The saber breaks alongside Sigma's body, but he changes to the Kaiser Sigma body and obliterates X into several pieces with a beam attack. X's "heart" survived the attack and regenerated his body and armor, the armor becoming golden in the process. With his will renewed and his armor enhanced, Sigma's attacks have no effect on X, and he destroys Kaiser Sigma with a single punch. Afterwards, X discarded the armor, leaving the helmet behind in the wreckage of Sigma's base.

Gallery

Mega Man X3

Mega Man X3

Mega Man X3

Mega Man X3

Mega Man X3

X firing a Cross Charge Shot in Mega Man X3

X using Item Tracer in Mega Man X3

X using Variable Air Dash in Mega Man X3

X with the Defense Shield in Mega Man X3

Capcom Group art by Daigo Ikeno

X with the armor in the TEPPEN card Defensive Field.

Power Up Parts data (the armor's data) in the Rockman X3 manga.

X using the armor in the Rockman X3 manga.

X with the golden armor in the Rockman X3 manga.

Kotobukiya illustration of X with the golden armor.

Illustration by Iwamoto Yoshihiro.

Illustration by Iwamoto Yoshihiro.

Golden armor illustration by Iwamoto Yoshihiro.

Third Armor X in Mega Man X DiVE.

Third Armor X's 3D Model in Mega Man X DiVE.

Screenshots

X using the Item Radar in Blast Hornet's stage. The first mark is the Capsule, second is the Ride Armor, and third is the Life Up.

X recovering his health with the Head Chip.

X with the blue Defense Shield.

X with the orange Defense Shield.

X firing a Cross Charge Shot.

X using the Hyper Charge.

X dashing in the air.

X dashing upward.

X performing the Tatsumaki in Mega Man X DiVE.

Sprites

X equipped with all weapons in the armor from Mega Man X3.

Hyper Charge animation.

Trivia

• The armor is often mistakenly referred to as "Max Armor" by the fans, due to the Bandai model kit from the Mega Armor series naming it as such, and naming the golden variation as "X3 Hyper Special". It is however, unnamed, just like the First Armor and Second Armor. The term Max in its model name was actually meant to signify the "full armor", as in the "Maximum Armor", not an actual name, also being used by Bandai for the previous armors in other toylines. The term Hyper from the X3 Hyper Special is meant as the armor with the Hyper Chip equipped.
  • Three versions of the armor were released in the Mega Armor series: the original white version, the chrome golden version, and a silver version of the golden armor. The white "Max Armor" and golden "X3 Hyper Special" armors were originally released in plastic bagged add-on kits, while the silver armor was released as part of a 4 pack of model kits. All three versions of the armor later received individual full figure releases.
  • The "X3 Hyper Special" model kit depicts X's soft armor and parts of his buster and boots as black instead of gold, a coloration that is never seen anywhere else.
  • The name "Max Armor" was also used for its Kotobukiya model, and the golden version is named "Max Armor Hyper Chip Ver."

• The name "Third Armor" was used in Mega Man X Official Complete Works and MM25 Mega Man & Mega Man X Official Complete Works, but it is actually a mistranslation of the Mega Armor toyline.^[5][6]
• Third Armor (サードアーマー, Third Armor) is the name of the Hunter Medal achievement for completing the armor in Mega Man X Legacy Collection.
• In Mega Man X Legacy Collection, the achievement/trophy/medal for collecting the Hyper Chip is called "Always Believe In Your Soul", which is a line from the song "Gold" by Spandau Ballet, referencing the golden color this gives the Third Armor.
• In the August Mega Man X3 prototype, the white parts of X's armor were supposed to be changeable depending on which enhancement chip was used, becoming green with the Head Chip, red with the Arm Chip, yellow with the Body Chip, blue with the Foot Chip, and black with the Hyper Chip. This was changed because the color changes conflicted with the rest of the palette in X's orbs if he loses a life.^[7]
• The details on the buster varies between sources. Its original illustrations have a simpler design in the top part. In the Kotobukiya and TEPPEN illustrations, the top part has the same design as the lower part. In the Rockman X3 manga, the lower details are absent and the top part has the same design as the game's lower part.
• Despite the tradition from the past games of having a secret update containing a special Shotokan move, this armor has a secret Hyper Chip upgrade instead.
  • However, in Rockman X DiVE, X performs the Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, another Shotokan move from the Street Fighter series, in this armor as an easter egg in his character select animation.

References