Headcanons

[copychip]

The Megaman X series is often unclear about the smaller details of Reploids, such as what other functions they have besides their weaponry, how they recharge, and etc. So this headcanon post is here to put down what I think of these missing pieces, as well as add in a few missing things such as how Axl interacts with humans and the like. Credit for some of these headcanons go to Onyx, who plays X (lumineinfinitus), and Lamb, who plays Zero (unto_infinity).

Edit: There are now some headcanons about X-era's political atmosphere, and how Axl dealt with it. Smell headcanon attributed to Kyio, playing Zero (absolutevalue).


1. Axl can't eat food.

He's a Reploid and Reploids don't eat to recharge energy. Given the destroyed state of the world, it's probably safe to say that the food supply isn't in the best state, so every scrap of food has to be reserved for the remaining humans on the planet. Thus, Reploids were never built to consume food, and similarly, because they don't need to eat they don't have taste buds and have no idea what taste is like. They probably can analyze the molecular content of an item using their tongue, but it wouldn't be like how humans taste things.

They use e-tanks or a recharge capsule to regain their energy. E-tanks are most likely filled with some sort of electrically charged liquid that their systems can use for energy.

X is probably the only exception to this rule, because Dr. Light, in all his love and kindness, would likely build X to be exactly like a human in almost every single way.

2. Axl has a limited sense of "smell".

Smell tends to be used as a way to find fresh food and sense harmful gases. Given that Axl doesn't eat food, his sense of "smell" is focused on identifying gases and chemicals that would be corrosive to his body or harmful to humans. Furthermore, his smell isn't the same as humans in that it translates to flavours. Rather, his olfactory systems identify the exact chemicals in the air and appear as notifs in his internal monitoring system. Reploids are accustomed to identifying materials by olfactory notifs, so they don't have any longer identification times than humans do.

3. Like other Reploids, Axl cannot perform certain human expressions.

While many Reploids are human-like, there are some expressions that they can't or won't perform, whether due to an incapability or because it has no functional or social use. For instance, Reploids do not produce tears when crying, as that would be a waste of resources. They also do not sneeze since they do not need to expel viruses, nor do they shiver or sweat.

For heat regulation, Reploids use breathing to ventilate their systems. If a Reploid were to hold their breath, they would overheat at one point. How fast it reaches that point would depend on the Reploid's activity level. In colder temperatures, Reploids can hold their breath to conserve heat. Some Reploids can also consume water to regulate their internal temperatures, and many combat types have a secondary regulation system that allows them to substitute water as the regulation medium when they are underwater, thus essentially allowing them to breathe underwater. Axl has this secondary regulation system. The temperature of their breath depends on how hot their systems are.

For social expressions such as yawning, it depends on how human-like the Reploid is programmed to be. Axl is one of the Reploids who are programmed to be very human-like, so he engages in them.

4. He can call up a holographic screen.

It's pretty much the in canon version of the status screen. It's also an extra function not all Reploids come with, and for the Hunters they're installed in the arms. The screen is called up by raising the dominant arm to be parallel with the ground and using a mental command. With the holoscreen he can read data that the Navigators send him, check the status of fellow Hunters, transfer data to other Reploids and that other good stuff.

Although the status screen is used to check status in the games, Reploids are very aware of their own status and energy levels so there's no real need for that to appear on the holoscreen.

5. Axl knows a fair amount of sign language.

Sometimes it's easy to forget that the Maverick Hunters are an army, and like any good soldier, Axl knows various signs and codes that are used to communicate silently on the field with other Hunters. Radio signals can be intercepted or jammed, so it's pretty essential for the Hunters to know signs, and the Hunters like to use a mix of established sign language and their own signs to make it hard for the enemy to read.

X, Zero and Axl have their own signs that no one else can read, and it helps the three of them function well as a unit.

6. Axl has three languages pre-programmed.

All Reploids come pre-programmed with 2-4 languages in their database, more if they specialize in communication. They usually have a default language, in which they have full proficiency (minus some colloquialisms). With any other languages that are pre-programmed, they also have full proficiency, though it may be more lacking than the default language. To learn more languages, Reploids can download language patches that act pretty much like a dictionary and crash course in grammar, but it's up to the Reploid to practice and gain experience with the language to gain fluency.

Axl's primary language is corrupted, so no one knows exactly what language he was meant to speak (That also makes it harder to pinpoint his origin.) His secondary and tertiary languages are English (typical for any Reploid whose primary isn't English) and Japanese.

7. Axl has nanites that repair minor injuries within his body.

All Reploids have nanites that essentially act like an organic being's self-healing system. These nanites can repair minor injuries such as scratches and minor tears, as well as everyday wear and tear. They can also repair more major damages when focused on the area and aided by external help. The nanites also contain the DNA of the Reploid, which gives the nanites access to the Reploid's blueprints and allows them to figure out when something is wrong and how to heal it. They're primarily responsible for monitoring a Reploid's internal status and providing notifications when needed.

As a new generation Reploid, Axl's nanites can also adapt to various Reploid DNA so that he is capable of healing even when in the guise of another Reploid. They are also responsible for facilitating the transformations and usage of the transformation's abilities.

8. The Copy Chip functions by uploading and restoring images.

The Copy Chip's a bit of a mystery when it comes to its functionality and anti-virus feature, but in essence, what it does is use images of a Reploid's system to tell Axl's nanites what form to take. The Copy Chip stores Axl's DNA, which is the blueprint of his body. In cases of corruption, errors or unknown modifications the Copy Chip will instantly restore from Axl's DNA, overwriting every change made after the stored instance. This is what makes it impossible for the Maverick Virus to get a foothold on New Generation systems. The Copy Chip works extremely quickly and does not require shutdowns or restarts while restoring so at most the Reploid will suffer a short case of 'nausea' or blanking out.

When it comes to modifying the base image stored of Axl's form, the Copy Chip is extremely stubborn. This means it can take some struggle on Axl's part to get upgrades functioning, as he needs to continuously tell the Chip that the upgrade is safe and won't harm him. It also means he cannot transform during this period, as the Copy Chip will wipe the upgrade when he reverts back to his original form. The struggle can take from anywhere between a few hours to a few weeks to be accepted. It depends on how much of an impact the upgrade has on Axl's system. Usually, small chip upgrades like the one dispensed in X8 take a few hours. Replacing hardware takes much longer.

The Copy Shot is a unique function of Axl's, as New Generation Reploids come with a pre-uploaded set of Reploid DNA and thus typically have no reason to take DNA cores on the spot. Axl's Copy Chip is capable of storing DNA cores pre-CM, but that storage space is likely limited to one or two DNA cores at a time, as he would have to bring back the data to Red Alert to be used as power-ups. During/Post-CM, it's shown that he can at least store 10 DNA cores. The Copy Shot can only be used from his Axl Bullets as that is what actually allows Axl to capture a Reploid's DNA from their body, but if he happens upon pure DNA cores he can use those as is.

When Axl takes a DNA core from a Reploid or Mechaniloid, he doesn't take the DNA in its pure, original form. He takes the DNA as it is; that is, for most Mavericks, while their code is infected by the Maverick Virus. This is the main reason for the limitation on his transformation time, energy shortages aside. When he transforms into an infected Reploid, the Maverick Virus is introduced into his system and corrodes at his programming. The Copy Chip instantly reverts his transformation when the corruption reaches a certain point, before it can get close enough to corrupting the Chip itself. Thus, transformation times are severely limited for infected Mechaniloids and Mavericks. For non-infected Mavericks, such as the CM Mavericks, he is capable of staying in their form for a longer time.

9. Axl's armor can come off.

Depending on the type of reploid and the purpose it was built for, some of them can take off their armor. For others, their armor is their body. Axl is a combat-type Reploid most likely built for camouflage and reconnaissance, so to blend in with humans he would have to be able to take off his armor and appear as a human underneath. But it's not so much taking off his armor as it is altering his body to appear fully human. Just taking off his armor would reveal obvious joints and seams that would reveal his identity as a Reploid. His human appearance can be considered a mode akin to an armor change.

10. Axl can record or take snapshots of what he sees and store them in his memory.

He's a robot; essentially, a walking and talking computer. Reploids typically record the whole day and then purge unimportant parts of the video during a recharge cycle. Mission recordings tend to be kept in the Hunter database, as they can be used later for analysis.

Reploids can keep several petabytes worth of video recordings in their internal hard drive before running out of space, but some also keep an external hard drive to store certain videos or files of importance. It's not necessary, as a Reploid's internal hard drive is usually more than large enough to keep everything a Reploid receives inside, but it's not uncommon. Axl keeps an external hard drive only for extremely good pranks or moments.

Axl, like other Reploids with the holoscreen function, can bring up any stored video or picture onto the holoscreen or any other video projector in the area that he can connect to.

11. Axl's systems are slightly redundant.

Redundancy in organisms is a key aspect in their survival. Until a certain point, the more redundant an organism's systems are, the better a chance they have as surviving when a major system fails. Reploids are artificially built, however, and not a product of nature and a long line of evolution, so whether their systems are redundant depend entirely on their builders and the purpose they were built for. For Reploids individually created by a scientist or team of scientists, they are likely to have redundancies built into their bodies to extend their durability. Mass produced Reploids, however, tend to be built lean and often lack redundancies, giving them shorter durability and lifespans.

Axl's origins are unknown, but many presume, due to his status as a new generation prototype and the fact that his systems have some level of redundancy built in, that he was built in a lab and not part of a mass production line.

12. Like other Reploids, Axl can actively track and control some internal systems in his body.

Humans have little control over the internal systems of their body, as it would be a massive strain on them to perform their body's tasks manually. Reploids also have an autonomic system that handles a majority of their internal functions, but unlike humans, they can track the status of major systems and know almost exactly when something malfunctions or is in need of maintenance.

Many Reploids can also cut off parts of their bodies from their power core to conserve energy if necessary. For humanoid Reploids, there are four major points at which they can cut the power: the shoulder joints and the hip joints. As metal does not decay without a source of power, there's little downside to cutting the power to a limb. The action of cutting the power off tends to feel weird or painful as it involves cutting wires within the body, so Reploids will avoid using this option unless it is absolutely necessary.

Since it involves cutting wires, a mechanic is required for them to regain use of their limbs, adding another reason for Reploids to use this as a last resort.

13. Axl dreams during recharge and sleep.

No one quite knows what function dreaming really performs in organic beings. Reploids weren't intentionally built to dream either, but it does happen (thanks Light.) During sleep mode, that is, when a Reploid is not in a recharge capsule, dreams tend to be more erratic and senseless. In a recharge capsule, they're more coherent and more likely to be lucid dreams. Reploids do not actually have to sleep during recharge either. They can choose to be awake to communicate with their surroundings if the capsule allows them. However, this slows the recharging process so many choose to stay asleep for the majority of the recharge.

14. Axl thinks humans are pretty weak and harmless, and also cares little for them.

They typically can't keep up with a Reploid in a 1-to-1 fight and are so fragile in comparison to Reploids. For instance, they can't go to a mechanic to repair any malfunctioning part instantly, and their flesh is soft and easy to tear apart. They can't stand extreme temperatures as well as Reploids can and can't do things like a full system sync either. He tends to underestimate a human's cleverness as a result.

Axl also doesn't care much for humans in general. To him, they're weak creatures that need protecting, and that's about it. He doesn't feel real attachment to them. He doesn't protect them so much as eliminate Mavericks (who usually mean to do harm to them), so it's a sort of indirect protection. He would be less torn up over the idea of killing humans than the idea that he was getting closer to becoming a Maverick through the action of killing humans.

15. The Federation is pretty corrupt and Axl is partially aware of this fact.

The Megaman X series pretty much implies that Reploids are treated like third-class citizens, with the way they're just labeled Mavericks left and right for their actions, and called in for termination if they had things like copy chips and the like. This is in part due to the fact that the Federation is almost entirely run by humans who, like all people in power, want to keep the power vested with humans rather than the physically superior Reploids.

Axl is somewhat aware of the fact that the Fed is corrupt; at least, he knows that they're greedy bastards and are kind of manipulating the Hunters to do as they please. However, he's not fully aware of the extent of their corruption and greed. As far as he's concerned, the Feds are truly trying to eradicate the Maverick problem, and not actually using their power to oppress Reploids. He's not the type to think too deeply about political implications or any of that sort of thing. X and Zero on the other hand are much more aware of their precarious position in the political system.

16. Axl is unknowledgeable about anything unrelated to war and fighting.

Knowledge comes from dictionary, probably some truncated encyclopedia and experiences/teachings. Axl basically surrounded in war so all he really knows is war and not much else.

Misc Notes to be properly added later
Reploids have primary solar energy, back up solar energy storage and tertiary micro-fusion

-Axl was built in a lab around X5-X6 era
-Specialist one-off and very hidden lab
-Was built specifically to test the copy chip
-idolized x because young child with system of hero? idolization max
-was built sturdy so he could test the chip under all conditions ie fighting/construction/etc
-axl's copy chip doesn't store dna bc he's not intended to use them in the future?
-the lab was destroyed when directly hit by a piece of eurasia
-axl didn't become mav but all surviving reploids go mav
-axl destroys them all and escapes, the concentration of virus blue screens him and causes a full restore, deleting his memory
-found by red, rest is history
-data obvs not stored in lab so retrieved by funder, the feds, and the copy chip is fully furnished (unlimited transform and storage space) and released in new gens
-feds patented copy chip
-axl not built with internal weaponry because just prototype, copy shot put on gun to make it easy to control

-his gun used to be a tool for scientists, only shot copy shots, when red found him it was made into a real gun
-hates mavs because of mav virus in his system, irrational hatred of mavs because subconscious automatic association to virus