For the Mega Man ZX Advent character Red, see Hunter's Guild.

"Maverick Hunters?! Well sure, I don't like them... But they've got nothing to do with us. We'll do as we please, Hunters or no."

―Red, Mega Man X7

Red (レッド, Reddo) is the leader of the vigilante syndicate Red Alert and a major antagonist in Mega Man X7. He and his comrades hunted Mavericks outside the jurisdiction of the Maverick Hunters to fill the power vacuum formed by X's temporary retirement. He became entangled with Sigma's plans and ended up waging war against the Maverick Hunters over custody of his protégé, Axl.

Appearance

Red is a lithe and intimidating Reploid. His skin is pale save for the black around his eyes, and he has long, blond hair that sweeps behinds his head. His right eye is missing and he retains a large scar along the forehead of his helmet. His armor is purple, orange, and grey in color. His shoulders curve upwards into sharp points, and he has jagged white lines running along his forearms, legs, and tassets. The spikes at the tips of his feet point upwards, while the spikes on his knees point downwards. After his defeat by Zero, Axl, and X, he lost his right shoulderpad and cables were exposed from his arms.

Personality

Red is a gifted vigilante and a charismatic leader, making him a natural fit as head of Red Alert. He spoke in a casual manner and didn't take things seriously, speaking to Sigma with his legs upon his desk and later confidently challenging the Maverick Hunters to a "duel" over Axl's custody. He was well-liked by his colleagues and very loyal to them, affectionately referring to them as his "pals." Fitting this laidback temperament, Red held few principles and was much more ruthless than the Maverick Hunters, as he was willing to attack innocent Reploids if it meant getting more power-ups for himself and his colleagues. He did eventually show remorse for these crimes, but by then it was too late.

Red's antagonistic actions towards the Maverick Hunters were only due to the pressure of Sigma. Unlike Sigma, Red showed no hostility towards the Hunters and didn't wish them harm, seeing them as a mere nuisance. He also said that he "set Axl free," showing he quickly got over Axl's departure from Red Alert and, if anything, encouraged it.^[1] However, Sigma blackmailed him by threatening his pals in Red Alert, forcing Red to challenge the Maverick Hunters against his wishes.

By the time X, Zero, and Axl confronted Red in the Crimson Palace, he had become severely nihilistic. With his colleagues destroyed, Red knew that the Hunters spelled the end of the line. After being defeated and faced with the self-destruct, he refused Axl's pleas to escape with them, instead encouraging the rookie to carry on and succeed where he failed.

History

Background

Red's backstory is unknown. There is a rumor that he was formerly part of a mercenary unit from Repliforce, and survived the Great Repliforce War which left the organization decimated and most members dead, but the validity of this rumor is questionable as he never talks about his past.^[2]

As the world finished repairing from the Earth Crisis, Maverick crime began to rise. Because of X's temporary retirement, the Maverick Hunters were ill-equipped to deal with the surge of Mavericks. In response, Red began hunting Mavericks himself. His skills and charisma drew in other powerful Reploids (many of whom were criminals) and they eventually formed Red Alert, an illegal Maverick-hunting syndicate which saw immediate success. Red Alert quickly gained a worldwide reputation, coming to rival the Maverick Hunters.^[2][3]

Red somehow found the amnesiac Axl and lost his right eye on the same night, though he never said what exactly happened.^[2] Red served as Axl's mentor, and put his A-Trans ability to use as a vigilante. One night, the two targeted Aluce, but Red let him escape to give him another chance.^[4] Later, the two intercepted a meeting between Aluce and Cedar at Point RD13-29 to assassinate them and recover their illegal good: Virus Program Σ-02. Red remained outside while Axl infiltrated the base, and joined him inside to complete the mission.^[5]

However, this mission drew the attention of Sigma. While hunting Mavericks alone one night, Red was approached by Sigma using the moniker of "the Professor", who offered to help Red Alert surpass the Maverick Hunters. Later, Red was reviewing Axl's performance in the Crimson Palace when Sigma returned, offering to use Axl's powers to create power-ups for Red Alert from DNA. Red agreed and began asking Axl to give him the DNA he collected on missions;^[6] Axl also noticed that Red Alert was growing stronger, no longer following Red's orders,^[7] and targeting innocent Reploids.^[8] Eventually, Axl felt that Red Alert was just using him for his ability and planned to quit to join the Maverick Hunters.^[9] Red, comfortable with the power-ups his team had received, initially let Axl go. However, Sigma revealed that he had taken control of Red Alert (presumably using the Sigma Virus), using them to blackmail Red into retrieving Axl and using him to take X's DNA.^[1]

Mega Man X7

Red was forced to cut off Axl's departure, even sending the Mega Scorpio after him. Once the Maverick Hunters arrested Axl, he contacted them to issue them a challenge: a "duel" wherein Red Alert would unleash their captive Mavericks to cause chaos around the world and the Maverick Hunters would try to stop them. Whoever was left standing would remain the true hunters, and win custody of Axl. The Maverick Hunters accepted the challenge, and their conflict began.

Upon the demise of Red Alert's eight members, Red quietly revealed the location of Red Alert's Crimson Palace to the Maverick Hunters, enticing them to a fight. Red then encountered X, Zero, and Axl within the Crimson Palace. Axl tried to talk to Red, but he cut to the chase and attacked. Upon his defeat, Red revealed that he had set the place to self-destruct. Axl pleaded that Red escape with them, but Red knew that he had gone too far. Accepting his fate, Red urged Axl to live before letting himself die in the blast, while the Hunters moved on to find Sigma.

Red seemingly reappeared after Sigma's defeat. He attacked X and Zero before moving to give Sigma his own body. However, Red suddenly attacked Sigma instead, revealing himself to be Axl in diguise and sending Sigma hurtling out a window.

Strategy

Red's battle takes place on a series of small platforms over a misty body of water. Red teleports onto random platforms throughout the entire battle, launching attacks at the player and teleporting away. His movements and attacks are quite slow, but the platforming and camera controls more than make up for the difficulty. When Red's health is depleted below half, he begins to teleport quieter than usual, adding to the challenge of locating him amongst the platforms.

Red is best fought with X's Charge Shots or Axl's G-Launcher from long range, with careful movement to avoid his counterattack. Volt Tornado and Sniper Missile/Hieijin are also reliable methods.^[10] Red is weak to Explosion/Hadangeki; on hit, he is briefly stunned before retaliating with a tornado and teleporting away. X and Axl will likely run out of energy before Red runs out of health, so Hadangeki with Zero is the more consistent option.

	Scythe/Sickle Attack (鎌攻撃, Kama Kōgeki)[11][12]
	Red throws his spinning scythe if the player gets too close.
	Damage: 6 (Normal), 12 (Hard)
	Tornado (トルネード, Torunēdo)[11][12]
	Red summons purple tornadoes on four of the adjacent platforms, as well as on his own. The vortexes can be seen on the platforms before they rise and deal damage, so the player can react.
	Damage: 10 (Normal), 20 (Hard)
	Wide Shot (ワイドショット, Waido Shotto)[11][12]
	When struck by a ranged attack, Red immediately counters with an energy wave directly at the player.
	Damage: 6 (Normal), 12 (Hard)
	Bunshin (分身, "Clone")[11][12]
	Throughout the battle, two ghostly clones of Red appear around the player's platform to ambush them with their scythes. They cannot be destroyed and must be avoided. Their scythes deal the same damage as Red's, but they deal slightly less contact damage.
	Damage: 4 (contact, Normal), 8 (contact, Hard)

Dialogue

After Opening Stage

Alia: Unidentified transmission. Feeding to monitor.
Red: You getting this, hunters!? I am Red, leader of your friends here at Red Alert. I never imagined our little friend would end up in your hands, but in any case, I want Axl back. Now, don't you worry. I know he won't come back easily. So how about this? Like you, we are hunters. We've trashed our share of Mavericks. So how about a duel? A duel to determine who the real Maverick Hunters are. I'm sure you won't mind if we use the Mavericks that we've captured so far. So, the last one standing wins! If we lose, we'll surrender Axl to you. And if we win? Well... We'll leave that to your imagination!
X: You've got to be kidding. Axl has nothing to do with us. We won't fight the likes of you for his sake.
Red: Well, pretty big talker, for a retiree! We could care less about deadbeats like you. We just want Axl. He IS there, isn't he? Now you just sit tight, my boy. Ahahahahahah!
Alia: They're already on the move. Mavericks are showing up across the map! I'll check for damage.

After 5 Mavericks

???: Heheh...You're something else.
Red: Who goes there?! Show yourself!
???: Don't you find the Maverick hunters to be a bit too much of a nuisance?
Red: Maverick hunters?! Well sure, I don't like them... But they've got nothing to do with us. We'll do as we please, hunters or no. Get lost! I don't even know who the heck you are!
???: Me? Let's just say... I'm a sympathizer with your cause.

After 6 Mavericks

???: He possesses incredible talent.
Red: Oh, you! Don't surprise me like that. You mean Axl's imitator ability? Yeah, I have no idea how he does it, but it's our secret weapon. Without him we wouldn't work half as fast.
???: But his talents are wasted as things stand...
Red: What?! What do you mean?
???: Would you be willing to place a wager on my little idea?
Red: ?!

After 7 Mavericks

???: Heheh, you see that? This is what one can do with DNA data.
Red: Amazing! I had no idea that DNA data could provide so much power! You're incredible!
???: Well, I hope I've proven my abilities to you. But this is only the beginning. If you give me the chance, I can make you invincible.
Red: What?! You mean I could be even stronger?!
???: Absolutely. But in order to do so, we'll need the mouse that ran away. He must collect more data! And then... then I will make you the strongest hunters that ever lived!
Red: But that won't work. He'll never come back. We've set him free. And as for our power, we have quite enough. I thank you, truly. But we already are undefeatable.
???: Hmph, you don't need any more power, huh? Well, that could be true in your case. But he... He still has an unfinished job.
Red: What's that supposed to mean? An unfinished job?
???: There is vital data still missing. The most powerful Reploid data is not yet in my hands...
Red: You... You used us?! And Axl?! We've had enough of this. We won't search for him for you. And we won't attack any more innocent Reploids. Not one!
???: Well, I'm disappointed in you. I thought you'd be a bit more useful. But let's do this democratically...
Red: What the?! What's wrong guys?! What are you doing? YOU! What have you done to my pals?!
???: Oh, consider it payment for the power ups I gave you. Well, what'll it be? If you don't follow my orders, they'll never return to normal. Get Axl back, along with X's data!
Red: !!!!!

Pre-Battle

Red: So what took you so long?
Axl: Well, if it isn't Red? Long time no see.
Red: We've advanced... Thanks to the "Professor"... Hmph, but we've still been reduced to this.
Axl: Well that explains it. And where is this "Professor" now?
Red: Like always, I have no idea. Probably closer than we think.
Axl: Gotcha. I'll be on my guard.
Red: Well, I know you didn't come here just to talk. Shall we get things started?

Post-Battle

Red: Hahah, you're really grown up, Axl. You hear that? This place is done for. I... I set it to self - destruct... Hrk... in case of an emergency.
Axl: No! Red, you're coming with us!
Axl: C'mon, you can still make it!
Zero: Stop it! Hurry up, or we'll be buried here, too!
Red: Axl... He's right... It's my time... Let me go first... You're still young... No need to rush...
Axl: REDDD!!!!!

In-battle Quotes

Action	Japanese	Translation	Audio (JP)	English	Audio (EN)
Scythe Attack	こっちだ！(Kocchi da!)	Right here!		Over here!
Wide Shot	消し飛べ！(Keshitobe!)	Blow apart!		Huaaargh!
Defeated	焼きが回ったぜ… (Yaki ga mawatta ze...)[note 1]	Looks like I've lost my touch... Well done, Axl...		I'm done... Good job!
Unused	本気で行くぜ！ (Honki de iku ze!)	Let's go seriously!		No more games...!
Unused	これだよこれ！(Kore dayo kore!)	This one here is it!		This is it!

Other appearances

• Axl appears transformed as Red on the green monitors of the Mega Man X: Command Mission opening cutscene, which briefly shows some scenes from the Mega Man X7 ending.
• Red appeared in a card from Mega Man X DiVE.

TEPPEN

Red first appeared in the art for the card Unbreakable Bond, where he is seen with Axl. Red was included as an Unit Card in the "Haunted by Memories" expansion, which also includes the cards Faithful Brother and Destruction's Demand, which shows Red's bond with Axl and their bond being ruined by Sigma's evil deeds, respectively. Red also appeared as an Unit Card and in an Action Card from the "Island of Fear" expansion.

Other media

Red appeared in several shorts from Rockman X7 4Koma Manga Kingdom.

Gallery

Production notes

Designer comments
"I had the grim reaper in mind when I designed Red. I gave him bags under his eyes and a sharp scythe to give him an evil look. The white lines I put in here and there are supposed to look like bones, and although it may not be the most original idea, I made the center of his torso look like a face with the pointed shoulder pieces being sharp horns." - Tatsuya Yoshikawa ^[13]

Trivia

• The symbol of the Raiders in Mega Man ZX Advent heavily resembles the face and head of Red. This could imply a connection between Red Alert and the Raiders across the centuries.
• Red was one of a handful of enemy bosses - and the only Reploid boss from X7 - not to be included in Archie Comics' Worlds Unite crossover.
• Red is similar to General from Mega Man X4. Both are leaders of a Maverick hunting organization (Repliforce and Red Alert) that are manipulated into helping Sigma's plans and both sacrifice themselves in their respective lairs (Final Weapon and Crimson Palace). Incidentally, Red himself is a survivor of the Great Repliforce War.^[14]

Notes

References

Mega Man X7
Bosses
Tornado Tonion • Splash Warfly • Flame Hyenard • Ride Boarski Snipe Anteator • Wind Crowrang • Vanishing Gungaroo • Soldier Stonekong Mega Scorpio • Mole Bore • Red • Sigma
X & Axl's Special Weapons
Volt Tornado • Splash Laser • Circle Blaze • Moving Wheel • Sniper Missile • Wind Cutter • Explosion • Gaea Shield
Zero's Special Techniques
Raijinshou • Suiretsusen • Bakuenjin • Zankourin • Hieijin • Souenbu • Hadangeki • Gokumonken
Other
- X - Glide Armor - Zero - D Glaive • V Hanger - Axl - Copy Shot • Double Bullet • G-Launcher • Ray Gun
Stages
Crimson Fortress • Highway • Radio Tower • Battleship • Lava Factory • Central Circuit Cyber Field • Air Forces • Tunnel Base • Deep Forest • Palace Road • Crimson Palace
Miscellaneous
Walkthrough • Chips • Enemies • Script (X) • Script (Zero) • Script (Axl)

Mega Man X series
Main characters X • Zero • Axl • Dr. Light • Dr. Cain • Double • Iris • Signas • Douglas • Lifesaver • Alia • Layer • Pallette Middy • Techno • Spider • Cinnamon • Marino • Massimo • Nana • Chief R • Aile • Professor Gaudile • RiCO • ViA • iCO Sigma • Vile • Agile • Serges • Violen • Dr. Doppler • Bit • Byte • Colonel • General • Dynamo • Gate • Red • Lumine Zain • Geemel • Berkana • Gareth • Shadow • Ferham • Scarface • Botos • Epsilon • Colonel Redips Games Mega Man X • X2 • X3 • X4 • X5 • X6 • X7 • X8 Mega Man Xtreme • Xtreme 2 • Mega Man X: Command Mission • Mega Man X DiVE Mega Man Maverick Hunter X • Mega Man X Collection • Mega Man X Legacy Collection • 2
Damage data charts Mega Man X • 2 • 3 • 4 (X) • 4 (Zero) • 5 (X) • 5 (Zero) • 6 (X) • 6 (Zero) Mega Man Xtreme • Xtreme 2 (X) • Xtreme 2 (Zero) Maverick Hunter X (X) • Maverick Hunter X (Vile) Scripts Mega Man X • X2 • X3 • X4 (X's story) • X4 (Zero's story) X5 (X's story) • X5 (Zero's story) • X6 (X's story) • X6 (Zero's story) X7 (X's story) • X7 (Zero's story) • X7 (Axl's story) • X8 (X's story) • X8 (Zero's story) • X8 (Axl's story) Mega Man Xtreme • Xtreme 2 • Command Mission Maverick Hunter X (X's story) • Maverick Hunter X (Vile's story) Related items Maverick • Maverick Hunters • Maverick Virus (Zero Virus • Sigma Virus) • Mechaniloid • Doppler Army • Nightmare Investigators • Nightmare Rebellion Army • Red Alert • Repliforce • Reploid • Parts • Injured Reploids • Chips • Ride Armor X-Buster • Z-Saber • Zero Buster • Axl Bullets • A-Trans X's weaponry • Armor Parts • Zero's weaponry • Axl's weaponry • Vile's weaponry Rockman X Mega Mission Related Media OVA The Day of Σ Manga Rockman X (manga series) • Irregular Hunter Rockman X • Rockman Remix • Rockman X5 • Rockman X7 4Koma Manga Kingdom Soundtracks Capcom Music Generation - Rockman X1~6 • Rockman X7 Original Soundtrack • Rockman X8 Original Soundtrack Rockman X8 e-Capcom Original Special Sound CD • Rockman X: Command Mission Original Soundtrack