Originally intended to be the protagonist of Mega Man X,[2] he was recast as the mentor and, later, partner of X in favor of an X who looked "more like Mega Man". He is a top class Maverick Hunter who undergoes constant inner turmoil regarding his mysterious past and purpose, of which he seems to see glimpses of in nightmares, and the fact that the Virus does not affect him like it does other reploids, who have their programs corrupted and turn erratic and violent and bent on human destruction, becoming "Maverick". Quite the contrary, it in fact makes him stronger, and causes him absolutely no ill effects, much to his grief and fear. In Mega Man X to X3, his main weapon is the Z-Buster, with the Z-Saber being introduced to his arsenal in X2 and being usable by both Zero and X in X3, but as more of a sub weapon. In Mega Man X4 onwards, Z-Saber becomes his main weapon, and the buster his sub weapon (It actually has not been seen in use since X6, but a similar weapon called Buster Shot is one of his weapons in the Mega Man Zero series). Zero can also wield other weapons as well as seen in X7, X8, and the Zero series. He was actually created by Dr. Wily as his "masterpiece" in order to replace Bass and later destroy X, Light's masterpiece, thus settling his grudge rivalry with Light, and prove his superiority. In Mega Man X6 Zero's ending, he is shown some time in the future, entering a sleep capsule where he will awaken 102 years later on August 15, likely setting the stage for the Mega Man Zero series, in which Zero becomes the main character. This would be the first of two times Zero seals himself away. Zero is a playable character in SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Project X Zone