No More Robot Masters!!!
One of Capcom’s best-selling franchises is Mega Man X. It has an abundance of amazing bosses and boss battles and has even inspired other series. A question that will always be brought up is – who is the best? While many of these Mavericks have a special place in our hearts, some stand out above all others. So today, I’ve decided to go through 20 of my all-time favorites. Now I’m mainly basing this on design, stage, or overall quality of the boss battles, and of course, the badass boss music themes. So here are my 20 favorite Mavericks in the Mega Man X series.
20. Gravity Beetle (Mega Man X3)
Starting off our list is one of the few shining beacons from the otherwise dull roster of bosses from the Mega Man X3 game, Gravity Beetle. Based on a Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle, our beetle bot has a pretty simple design compared to his cohorts, but his stage’s theme is a 32-bit masterpiece. Gravity Beetle is the brother to one of the series beloved Mavericks, and he’s after X for revenge for his death. His area is one of the more basic platformer stages, with lots of ladders to climb and bots to blast. But the bursting gold light of dawn as you raid the level really brings it to life. Just like his namesake, he continuously charges you and throws his bouncy gravity balls at you. As long as you avoid his bull rushes or cripple him with good ole Ray Splasher, he’ll go down relatively quickly.
19. Toxic Seahorse (Mega Man X3)
Toxic Seahorse is one of the more vibrant and oddly designed bosses in Mega Man X3. He looks like a palette swap for the Loch Ness monster on Dexter’s Lab. But it’s because of his unique design, amazing sounding stage theme, and a fun boss fight that’s earned him his spot on this list. Those grungy guitar rifts will more than keep you pumped as you jump and dash your way through an otherwise uneventful stage. Sadly, he’s another boss who suffers from being entirely crippled by his weakness, but he makes for an annoying but manageable fight without it. Being one of the first acid/toxic bosses along with his goofy design only adds to Toxin Seahorse’s originality and charm, making him unforgettable.
18. Commander Yammark (Mega Man X6)
Mega Man X6 was about when the boss names got really weird and stopped being cool, with some of their designs being downright boring. Derived from the Japanese word Yamma, Commander Yammark’s splendid music, tropical forest looking stage, and insect based enemies match his Dragonfly themed design perfectly. Labeled faulty due to his paranoia, Yammark is one I place in the Maverick malfunction category, even though it’s kind of odd that robots can get paranoid. This poor guy is one of the easiest bosses in the game, which is a shame because he looks fantastic. Even with his Yammar Option acting as a shield, you can take him down with the utmost ease. What is really shameful is that his Yammar Option works better for you than it does him. Either way, his smooth design at least helps him stand out in one of the franchise’s more disappointing titles.
17. Cyber Peacock (Mega Man X4)
Mega Man X4 is home to many excellently designed bosses, and our next entry is no exception. Cyber Peacock looks fantastic. His elegant color scheme gives him a certain charm over some of the other Mavericks in the game. I genuinely love his cyberspace stage. It works like a speed run to test how fast and effortlessly you can beat the stage, giving you a little bit of a personal challenge to try and get an S-rank. Once again, another boss from the X4 title with a great theme song to match his stages settings, Cyber Peacock’s song makes you feel like you’re in cyberspace yourself. He’s another one of the easier bosses to deal with in the game without his weakness. Still, his fight can be fun if you don’t just murder him outright. Being one of the more beautifully designed bosses, you can’t help but enjoy his less than threatening looks.
16. Slash Beast (Mega Man X4)
If you’ve ever wondered what Marvel’s Sabertooth would look like as a robot, well, here he is, folks. Slash Beast is, hands down, one of my favorite Mavericks. This guy comes barreling towards you like the Ultimate Warrior, ready to deliver the pain. Making his appearance in Mega Man X4, his lion-esque looks were just awesome. His stage takes place on a runaway train that forces you to hop from train car to train car before they explode. An obvious tribute to Street Fighter’s Guile and Charlie, this guy comes at you with Flash Kicks and a savage attack pattern like a raw force of nature. He wants you dead, and it shows. Yeah, he’s not the most colorful of Mavericks, but his untamed design is one of Capcom’s more amazing creations
15. Flame Stag (Mega Man X2)
If there’s one thing the Mega Man series has in abundance, it’s fire-themed bosses. But Flame Stag is one of the few fan favorites amongst his brethren. Appearing in Mega Man X2, he’s another boss with it all – fantastic design, awesome stage theme, a great stage, and a pretty fun boss fight. He’s always been one of the best bosses in X2 to me. He’s essentially Rudolph with an attitude and burning antlers. After you’ve climbed a volcano, swam through lava, jumped on not-so-stable rock formations, and avoided beetles that don’t understand density to get to him, you then have to fight in another cramped room. Its high walls will have you playing tag to keep up with him, which gets even worse when his flames begin to turn blue. He’s another boss that awards you a pretty overpowered attack, the Speed Burner, which is a giant spinning fireball that destroys everything in its path.
