The References To Past Mega Man Games In X5

Mega Man X5 is one of my favorite games from the X series, but today, I want to talk about how the game makes way for the Mega Man games that came before it, in terms of level design, music, and more. Playing through the game so much as X and Zero looking for references was pretty fun.
Thanks for reading, and the music used is down below.
Mega Man X5 - Intro Theme
Mega Man X - X Variable/Demo
Mega Man 3 - Weapon Get
Mega Man X5 - Zero Intro Stage
Mega Man X5 - Maverick Battle
Mega Man X5 - X Intro Stage
Mega Man X5 - Dr. Light
Mega Man X - Dr. Light
Mega Man X2 - Bubble Crab
Mega Man X5 - Duff Mcwhalen
Mega Man X5 - Zero Stage 1
Mega Man X5 - Zero Stage 2
Mega Man 2 - Quick Man
Mega Man X5 - Shadow Devil
Mega Man - Yellow Devil
Mega Man X5 - Rangda Bangda
Mega Man X - Sigma Fortress Boss
Mega Man X5 - X VS Zero
Mega Man X5 - Sigma 1st
Mega Man X5 - Sigma 2nd
Mega Man X5 - Zero's Dead
Mega Man X5 - Ending Theme
The References To Past Mega Man Games In X5
#megaman #megamanx #megamanx5

[@JacobGunner]

Having played this series to death over and over again... there were actually a couple of these that I did not pick up on, just goes to show you can always learn something new about your favorite games.

[@Fallen-Saint]

Same with madoka magica lol

[@thalion3410]

x4 is sad as fuck.

[@blueshot333]

@@thalion3410 the only game that made me cry in the whole series

[@elchi2103]

What difference you didn’t knew about?

[@JacobGunner]

@@elchi2103 The stage layouts matching previous ones mostly, also didn't pick up on some of the music references in the intro movie.

[@MisterX867]

One detail I always liked was that every enemy in Spiral Pegasus' stage was from X4.

[@PrimeShiem]

That's a really cool detail thanks to his background actually!

[@blackpow3r]

Yes. Everything about Spiral Pegasus was linked to X4's story. Makes sense as the survivor of the Air Repliforce.

[@ElToland]

I didn't noticed it until now, thanks! xD

[@asteroidrules]

All the enemies in Zero Space are from previous games as well. It's a clever callback since Skiver/Pegasus was supposed to be ex-Repliforce.

[@Storm59-59]

If you confront Spiral Pegasus as Zero after you destroy Eurasia. Spiral Pegasus will have delusions about being with Iris. When Zero tells him the truth, Pegasus goes mad. And some of Spiral Pegasus' moves looks very similar to Storm Eagle's moves.

[@PrimeShiem]

Seeing how he goes off screen in the same fashion Storm Eagle does, I shoulda caught that huh?

[@Storm59-59]

@@PrimeShiem Yeah and his wind attacks tries to push you off from the platform just like Storm Eagle's attacks

[@Rosielx]

Yeah, there are some specific-sequence-of-events dialogues like Pegasus talking about Iris or Rex saying something about the Repliforce...

[@budgetcoinhunter]

Interesting to note that Spiral Pegasus's pose when coming from the bottom of the screen is dead-on a Shoryuken.

[@ydk1k253]

bruh that's dark af

[@lamarfll]

Something to point out that wasn't covered here, while on the Zero side of the boss fight X uses his X4 weapons, X mean whiles fights Zero using his "shoot, shoot, slash" combo from his optional fight in X2, as a whole Zero as a boss is a recreation of his X2 boss fight. Also the Zero Viruses you face in Area Zero if you look hard enough you come to realize they look like how Zero did in X1.

[@PrimeShiem]

As someone who replays X2 more than any other X game, I'm kinda sad I never realized that. And looking at the viruses shoulders your right, it makes sense seeing how that form of Zero originally held the virus. Good catches!

[@kantomiguel]

You're right, I never realized that, so I played a video on YT and there it is

[@milesfernando]

Holy shit, never noticed that the virus has Zero's X1 design. Awesome.

[@milesprower6110]

Lol, it would have been easier to use the same sprites but they did one for the Virus alone? Nice detail

[@dragonfable66]

The shoot shoot slash combo is also how he was as a playsble character in X3. Minus the sword wave iirc Edit: and i forgot bt iirc golden armor x if you gie him the z saber actually shoots out a swird blade

[@TheEmperorHyperion]

I want to say the _Bass_ line in the Mega Man X5 intro is none other than the title theme of the original X. The middle section of the song incorporates the middle section of X3's intro stage too.

[@PrimeShiem]

I learned about the X1 reference from other comments, but the X3 section actually surprises me. It amazes me how much I've learned through these comments.

[@marx4538]

-Charged Tri-Thunder is also a reference to Wire Sponge, I think. -Spiral Pegasus/The Skiver also mentions Iris if you visit him after he gets infected as Zero.

[@PrimeShiem]

Ah ok, like when he enters his phase 2. I wasn't able to keep Zero, and turn The Skiver into a maverick, so I Sadly was unaware to that. Good Catches!

[@Storm59-59]

Yeah, Spiral Pegasus starts to have delusions about he's being with Iris after you destroy Eurasia. When Zero tells him the truth about Iris being dead, Spiral Pegasus goes mad. Poor Pegasus, Sigma Virus gave him schizophrenia.

[@PrimeShiem]

It may sound grim, but the characterization of its "mavericks" is one of my favorite parts of the game. Burn Dinorex before the crash is a loud mouth who seems as if he's ok with the world's predicament, yet visiting his stage after the crash, he can't even get a single word out.

[@Fallen-Saint]

@@PrimeShiem dman, I didn't know that... That is sad. But yes that is also something I like about the series

[@thekillersnake94]

Charged Tri-Thunder can be a reference to Thunder Claw from Megaman 8.

[@FunBox.]

Another reference to X4 is that the cannon used to shoot at the Eurasia Colony is the same weapon that was in Web Spider's jungle background during the boss fight. Originally, the mission in X4 was supposed to be the Maverick Hunters going into the "enemy-controlled jungle to destroy the weapon under construction" but instead took it for themselves.

[@PrimeShiem]

Oh wow, that's actually a really cool bit of continuity within the series, and is actually really cool, thanks for sharing!

[@blackpow3r]

Now this is lore I had no idea about and is an excellent easter egg! 👀

[@FunBox.]

@@blackpow3r It's also the reason you have to "power it up" in X5 because the cannon wasn't completed when the Hunters took it

[@megafanzx]

It is not the same cannon, in x5 they say that the enigma is an old weapon while spider cannon is under construction. Also the enigma looks bigger than the repliforce weapon.

[@FunBox.]

@@megafanzx it's the same.

[@Phoenixesper1]

Only regret of X5 was that after sigmas battle we didn't get a final battle against some form of wily. Even if it was nothing more then say a docbot leading to a cliff hanger for a new elf war series leading upto the zero saga.

[@Phoenixesper1]

Or hell perhaps the battle could have eneded with it being revealed that the whole X series was nothing but a simulation confirming x's reliability, as a red robot with long blond hair rose from a capsule... revealing Zero was actually X all along as Inufane had intended, and the "Megaman zero" series is Zeros true awakening.

[@PrimeShiem]

That woulda been a crazy twist actually

[@Phoenixesper1]

@@PrimeShiem Well it sets it up in the first moments in MMX with the capsule warning that light leaves. We are led to believe that it plays when Cain opens X's capsule, but what if it was acting as the omniscient narrator explaining that what you are about to see IS the "30 year test" which actually the events of X1-5. It would explain lights presences "conveinently" throughout the series, it explains the pods upgrades, it explains why X is compatible with every weapon he comes across AND most of all it explains zeros behavior in the saga, Zero is the luke in the cave test, X fighting his inner demons but not losing himself in the process. The whole series makes perfect sense if its a simulation designed to test every attribute, system and possible reaction to a world not ready for X. As for why X shows up then in the zero saga? Zero only ever sees a hologram of the "real" x, so its possible X is all in zeros head during that saga, a left over protical from the capsule tests. As for copy X? well we never did see what happened to megaman in the original cannon now did we? X is a variable after all.

[@no_less03]

Well, the elf wars weren't supossed to happen. You were supossed to fight the original X, which is referenced in X's bad ending when he forgets about Zero. Plus, the team that developed MM Zero was different and they were given more freedom, which is why they created the elves. On the other hand, nowadays some people consider Zero and ZX an alternate timeline because of so many contradictions between X8 and Zero saga such as: - The Sigma virus isn't a threat in X8 anymore. - Zero didn't decide to hide himself and repair himself in Zero's saga (xD). - Axl is never referenced in MM Zero nor ZX.

[@supernintendosp]

@@no_less03 I don't think that's correct. It dawned on me that Model A is very likely Axl.

[@Salvo_Z_Mix]

The Achievement for the Beams really is a throwback that I didn't expect..

[@PrimeShiem]

Yea, I remember first getting the achievement and smiling to myself.

[@asteroidrules]

Interestingly enough the Bubble Crab stage theme was added relatively late into development as early builds of X5 actually did have a unique stage theme for McWhalen. I particularly enjoyed the amount of past references in the Zero Space stages, those are supposed to be diving into Zero's memories and past, so it feels really appropriate to be seeing events both from past X games and also Wily's previous creations. These references also enhance the story of X5 as well, rather than just calling back to the franchise's origins they're also showing how the events that were set in motion by Light and Wily a century ago are coming to a climax, Light and Zero both have dialog in the endings about how long their war has been going on.

[@kingdomcome3914]

Axl Rose(Spike Rosered) fights just like a mix of Plant and Gemini Man from Mega Man 3 and 6. Dynamo fights X or Zero in the styles of their counterpart; when fighting X, Dynamo fights similarly like Zero, and when fighting Zero, Dynamo fights similarly to X. Zero and his Awakened self fights X just like in Mega Man X2, even having the exact same exploitable patterns. Spiral Pegasus also has traces of Flame Stag's attacks from Mega Man X2, minus the slam attack.

[@PrimeShiem]

Oh dang, I ain't even notice these

[@HarbingerYT]

X5's Intro theme also has a hint of X1's Title Theme (the background guitars and drums during the Mega Man 3 bit).

[@PrimeShiem]

Oh that's really cool! I never noticed!

[@Ragnarok182]

Holy crap, I didn't even realize all these references in X5, thank you for showing us this!!

[@PrimeShiem]

No problem!

[@Gamerextra1029]

Back in the day, I was so sad that X4's anime cutscenes were canned for what was essentially a montage of concept art. X5 and X6 deserved better.

[@PrimeShiem]

Yeah, I think with the high stakes of the games, cutscenes like Zero in the shuttle and X and Alia scavenging the ruble of Gates fortress woulda heavily benefited.

[@WhatIsMatter101]

Capcom was probably expecting a western cartoon studio to pick up the X games plot and make a show out of it (like in Castlevania Portrait of Ruin). But the bad English dialogue probably put off even the gamers.

[@edar1283]

Epic game! The ending felt so sad and the end of a journey. It´s only flaw was Alia interrupting every 5 seconds to tell me that I need to jump and that the Gaea Armor was kind of useless.

[@PrimeShiem]

Yeah, those are my two problems with the game as well.

[@PGO5490]

Those and the timer on the stage select (which isn’t that bad, it’s just that my autistic arse doesn’t like being timed) those were really my only problems

[@nickytembo4112]

@@PrimeShiem TBH I don't consider any Mega Man games that (supposedly) take place after X5 as canon. To me, X5 feels like the end of the Mega Man timeline. Not only is Sigma gone but also what's felt of Dr Wily.

[@schmelzwah]

I want to make a small correction on the tri-thunder, it is actually a combination of the elecman's weapon from megaman 1 AND spark Mandril's weapon from X1. As the electric beams from megaman 1 kept going, but when the one in X5 hits the wall it does the same thing as Mandirll's weapon did by becoming balls and going along the wall.

[@PrimeShiem]

Oh I didn't even pick up on that, thank you!

[@GrounderPlus]

Really appreciate the amount of content and the brevity in covering them. Saw the run time and assumed you were going to analyze the hell out of some small details, monologue for a while, but you absolutely did not. Leitmotifs and remixes were demoed for a solid amount of time, and the content itself was all good. Great stuff!

[@PrimeShiem]

Thank you so much! I can understand the concern, I always try to make sure not to drag something on for too long!

[@Iron8127]

I'll be honest, knowing what Zero had to go through, I'd honestly just give him a hug, mainly just as a way of saying I'm sorry you had to go through the pain of losing someone.

[@haciel5373]

Bro are you gay?

[@Iron8127]

@@haciel5373 not at all.

[@TheFirehands150]

Sorry for the suffering you had to go through, Zero... (Mega man Zero starts) But it ain't over!

[@theodorfons1551]

If so, at least give a hug to X too. Not only he lost Zero (last time for a hundred years) but he also lost many other friend and makes himself guilty for reploids becoming maverick

[@DJ4461]

"Through the pain of losing someone" Himself, too.

[@matheuskuester8330]

A few more things: 1-the shielded enemies in the zero stages are similar to sniper joes in the way they switch from blocking your shots with shields to shooting you. 2-i might be wrong about this since i noticed it myself rather than reading it somewhere, but the way spike rosered throws his petals up and they fall down reminds me of woodman's attack where he does the same with his leaves. 3-one of the armors sacrifices power for better arial movement and the other sacrifices speed and range for more power, just like the two rush adaptors from mega man 6. (also, aparently spike ball is meant to be a reference to knight man's weapon, though i'm not sure about that one.) 4-spiral pegasus's boss is very reminicent of storm eagle, from the arena (a ship flying in the air with no walls and two bottomless pits), to his attacks and his strategy (both try to push you off the ship, with eagle doing so with a tornado move and blowing his wings and pegasus by having greater knockback on all of his attacks.) 5-the final boss kind of also references the final boss of x1, being a large body in the background with two floating hands and his weakspot high up. 6-the sigma virus takes the form of sigma's head just like in x2 and x3. the boss fight against his head in the opening stage even has him opening his mouth to shoot a laser and teleport like in x2. [Sidenote; How come sometimes you refer to the bosses of x5 by the guns 'n roses names but others by the original names? especially pegasus?]

[@PrimeShiem]

No wonder I hate those shield enemies in the Zero stages so much, and yeah, honestly, a lot of these points honestly seem reasonable. Also, while some Mavericks, I don't have a preference (Dark Dizzy/Necrobat) I usually go with the name I like the most.

[@thangvannguen3165]

Thanks, mate. Never notice these things except for some references to X3 and X4. This game is one part of my childhood, as PS1 games category.

[@PrimeShiem]

No problem, this game was also a big part of my childhood!

[@mohdadeeb1829]

Just a few things. 1. A lot of Mavericks use attacks from previous games. The two most obvious and well known are Spiral Pegasus and Dark Dizzy who use the same attack patterns as Storm Eagle and Shade Man respectively. But there's also Duff McWhalen who uses Ice Man's attack pattern, Volt Kraken is a heavily remixed version of Air Man, Mattrex is a combination of Neon Tiger and Magma Dragoon. 2. A lot of weapons are from previous games. Goo shaver is like Ground Hunter, Shining Laser is like Gyro Attack, Wind Spiral is an Air version of Rising Fire. 3. Signas' appearance is a heavy redesign of Colonel. 4. Just like Sigma stage 4, Spiral Pegasus' music is a heavily remixed version of Storm Eagle's music. 5. Spiral Staircase from Izzy Glow's stage is from Split Mushroom's.

[@RondoOfBloodX]

IIRC I believe Signas and the Colonel were related somehow.

[@mohdadeeb1829]

​@@RondoOfBloodX What is IIRC?

[@RondoOfBloodX]

@@mohdadeeb1829 If I remember correctly.

[@mohdadeeb1829]

@@RondoOfBloodX What? You remember correctly what?

[@RondoOfBloodX]

@@mohdadeeb1829 IIRC means If I remember correctly. I - If I - I R - Remember C - Correctly

[@drbuni]

The many references is part of why Mega Man X5 has always been a favorite in the series to me. Sure, the level design isn't a 10/10, but there is a lot to love about the game. I remember the first time I played it, I got so many chills when the Wily Fortress Boss Theme from Mega Man 1 started playing, and Wily's gltiched logo appeared in the background. Such a cool detail!

[@PrimeShiem]

Yeah, the references really helps with the sense of finality the game strives for, and makes it stand out among the other X games.

[@joadarium9605]

The countless references to the classic series and the previous X games just really shows this was meant to be the passionate ending for the X series. Too bad Capcom got greedy and demanded more from the series.

[@Daniel_Rodrigues_89]

Megaman classic got 11 main games, and always ended in cliffhangers, just like the X series. Sigma will always come back, just like Wily did. Most people who complain about it continuing are probably the ones who discovered the franchise with Zero. Most long time fans would never expect them to end it after 5, and it would be such a waste too, because we want more, not less. Old timers like me still hope for a X9 even.

[@PrimeShiem]

I also want an X9, but it is true that the X series was to end after this game, leading to the Zero series.

[@rmk3020]

You did a great job and really hit a lot of the reasons this is my favorite X game: it feels like you're playing through something important, and it's an old grudge spanning centuries coming to fruition. One more thing you didn't cover that deals with a future game: In X's ending where Zero doesn't destroy the colony and becomes fully infected, X's rebuilding efforts speak of his dream to build "Elysium", a place where humans and Reploids coexist. Elysium is the name of the moon colony of reploid-like beings in the Legends/Dash series. It's totally not canon, but I always liked the idea that X was the one who built Elysium and its civilization and they lost their way.

[@PrimeShiem]

Ohh, I knew the name Elysium was familiar, but I couldn't think what it was! Thanks you so much for the comment!

[@BigBoy257]

Probably a leftover of this game leading into the Zero series. This also implies that the Zero series would’ve had a stronger connection to the Legends series. Of course, since X6 fucked with their plans, the story of the Zero series had to be changed and this all never came to fruition.

[@TheUltimateZeroZx]

A thing that many forget, is that the weapons that you use to destroy eurasia, actually appears on the background in x4 Enigma at the jungle, and I'm pretty sure the Shuttle appears as well

[@PrimeShiem]

Yea, another commenter told me about it, I never even thought about it, it's honestly a really cool continuity detail.

[@tellybombwar]

when you fight with the web tarantula

[@user-zl3tn7dw7s]

Web spider

[@-huracan-8444]

In one of X's endings he mentions wanting to build an utopia called ''Elysium" which is an reference to megaman legends.

[@PrimeShiem]

Ah, that's the name of the place where humans live by the time of the legends series right?

[@-huracan-8444]

@@PrimeShiem Yes, only one remained tho, which was the master.

[@WhatIsMatter101]

Fun fact: Elysium has same meaning as Arcadia, as in Neo Arcadia... Elysium is a place of happiness. Arcadia is a place of contentment.

[@trigs7127]

Man so many callbacks... Almost like this was supposed to be the last game in the series! Love the video, I knew some of these but not all. Good work!

[@PrimeShiem]

Thank you! I'm glad I could show you some stuff you didn't know.

[@GTA2SWcity]

For me growing up with this series it was slow motion from X3 onwards, counting down in uncertainty. I knew it was going to come down to this. But I didn't know how, nor when. It was sad but at the same time it was a relief. Because now I had answers to questions that had accumulated for years. I loved all the references for sure. What I didn't like was the level design of some areas and game mechanics necessarily making gameplay less than smooth. While I would love to make some sort of fan game... Realistically I am already spread thin across so many things. Not sure if I could come up with a better re-write of the series, though. X6 was a mixed reception on my end. Sure it answered my question about if as a machine Zero couldn't be restored and resurrected, though the execution was bad. However instead of disappointment at the repetition cheapening the story and Zero's significance, I merely took it as echoing the past. However it became undeniably obvious Capcom was milking it. Jay's reviews aren't of a single mind on this entire series but his takes I think gave me valuable insight being a generation younger than me. Looking back it was all so flawed, and it ended up being more formulaic than story. Still, it was the series I had decided was mine, to make it mine.

[@ryukusu_luminarius]

Thank you for the video. I didn't know Megaman X5 referenced to Megaman 3 in the intro.

[@PrimeShiem]

No problem! I didn't realize it myself till I played both one night.

[@MortimurGrimm]

I’ve played this game numerous times since it’s release and you pointed out a few things I never noticed! Thank you!

[@PrimeShiem]

No problem!

[@centurychum]

Videos like this really make me remember why I love this franchise so much :]

[@PrimeShiem]

I'm happy to hear that!

[@phantom_xrd]

Not sure if someone mentioned it but you missed something on Spiral Pegasus, if he's succumbed to the virus as Zero. He actually believes he's talking to Iris as he confronts Zero. This causes Zero to tell him she's gone.

[@PrimeShiem]

Yeah, I was alerted to it. Still though, I wish I was able to see it, as I was having trouble keeping Zero alive and cause the virus to spread

[@arthursnyder6935]

​@@PrimeShiemactually the chances of Zero either being alive or becoming a Maverick are random becauce ive had instance where ive fully upgraded the Enigma and the shuttle and Zero STILL went Maverick

[@Randomgamerknight24]

I had no idea it had so many references, but I already knew the part of the level from Quick Man, yellow devil, and the pinball thingy from Mega Man X1.

[@PrimeShiem]

Yeah, the Zero stages are pretty on the nose with its references. Glad you was able to learn some new things!

[@Randomgamerknight24]

@@PrimeShiem It wasn’t the first time, because Mega Man X5 is one of my favorite games since childhood.

[@SilverSentai]

Very insightful video! Some of these references I knew about but others I didn't. I know some people dislike X5, but I have strong memories attached to it and I played the hell out of the PS1 copy when I was a kid. Solid game, and now here we are without a new X game in a long ass time :(

[@PrimeShiem]

Yeah, X5 is also a childhood game of mine as well. It's pretty sad how long we've gone without a new X title honestly.

[@S-RM11]

now that i think about it, the falcon and gaea armors (one letting you fly and the other being able to break certain blocks) might be a callback to Mega Man 6 with the rush adaptors, the jet adaptor allowing to fly for a while and the power adaptor letting you break some blocks

[@PrimeShiem]

Yo I never even thought of that, that's a really deep connection!

[@alxxz]

Great and very informative video! I hadn't noticed many of these references when I beat MMX5 back in the day! Thanks!

[@PrimeShiem]

No problem! I'm glad you enjoyed the video so much!

[@EmmettLBrown2015]

I absolutely love the X series, brings back so many memories for me..

[@HeraldOfOpera]

It's worth mentioning, if you didn't in the video, that this was supposed to be the last game in the Mega Man X series, Zero's destruction meant to lead into the Mega Man Zero series.

[@arthursnyder6935]

Not just that but Zero 1's main villain was supposed to be the real Mega Man X instead of Copy X

[@cristiandobrota8370]

Nicely done! I didn't realize how much references there was.

[@PrimeShiem]

Thank you!

[@RelatosDeUnReploid]

Very informative and interesting video, good work!

[@PrimeShiem]

Thank you! I'm happy you enjoyed it!

[@joules8167]

I had never realized that they snuck in a remix of quick man’s theme.

[@PrimeShiem]

From what I'm hearing I may have gotten that piece of info wrong, my bad.

[@awang_ir]

THIS is what I've been searching for a couple decades since X5 was the first X series I played. I remembered being so excited for ultimate armor X & black Zero cheat at the beginning only to regret it since we can get both of them without losing the fourth armor. Anyway, I had a feeling that MMX5 dynamo should have some references to break man or "proto man" in MM3 because the purpose of their appearance were more or less the same. Or maybe it's just me....

[@PrimeShiem]

Seeing how he shows up randomly to fight you, he may be a reference to Protoman in Mega Man 3 actually

[@diegomurcia9387]

Awesome video!, after all these years and having played trough the X-series many times it is just beautiful to know these references, truly a tribute to the X-series as a whole until that point :)

[@PrimeShiem]

Thank you! It is rather nice to see this game hold all this as a tribute to the series!

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

Wow, you basically created the video I wanted to make for years. There's still alot more references and it would probably be worth making a 2nd video someday. Dark Dizzy has a Sigma logo on his boss meter. A reference to X1 as well as Cyber Peacock from X4. In Spike Rosered's stage there are flowers with glowing energy in them, a reference to Plant Man's stage from MM6.

[@PrimeShiem]

Oh wow, I didn't even think about the plants in Rosered's stage other than it looking similar to X4's plants. Ima definitely look at X5 agian to see if I notice anything, thanks for the heads up!

[@kidprime6863]

Fun Fact: The English names of the eight Mavericks in this game were based the names of the band members of Guns N Roses. It was Alyson Court's idea. She did it to pay tribute to her then husband's admiration of the band. And for those who don't know who Alyson Court is. She was the original voice of Claire Redfield in Resident Evil. She was also Jubilee from the 90s X-Men cartoon. Lydia from the Beetlejuice cartoon. She was even Loonette the Clown Girl from Big Comfy Couch.

[@frankjager2420]

What honestly pissed me off the most, out of everything between X5 going on into X6, is the X5 story was getting in real deep. Sigma had found a way to contact Dr Wily somehow. But you never find out how, because a new director was hired for X6, and he changed everything around, so the tie in between the regular and X series never happened again

[@MitsuSC]

I play the X series every 4-5 years and never realized some of these references. Amazing!

[@PrimeShiem]

Happy you was able to learn some new things!

[@Mchenrygames]

great video,. One things I remember most of X5 is the disco music stage

[@PrimeShiem]

Thanks! Zero stage 2 is honestly one of my favorite themes from the series as a whole!

[@MegaMcCurtis]

Really enjoyed this video, thanks for making it :)

[@PrimeShiem]

Thank you for watching and enjoying it!

[@sarthebazaar1898]

honestly, i know about id say maybe half of these easter eggs give or take that you have shown us, but the other half i had no idea, thats pretty sick, id have to say my favorite one is probably quick mans heavy remix as well as the stage pallets from the zero virus stages (stuff i didint know)

[@PrimeShiem]

Yeah, the stages from the Zero stages being old layouts is really cool, although, it seems like I was wrong about Zero stage 2 being a remix of Quick Man.

[@Adriano991b]

Dude, amazing video, great work!

[@PrimeShiem]

Thanks means a lot!

[@Zero19JB]

Amazing video! Enjoyed every minute of it. I’ve been a fan of the X series for over 20 years and though I knew every Easter egg and reference. But this video I learned new things!

[@PrimeShiem]

I'm happy I was able to show you some new things! Thank you for watching it, and I'm glad you were able to enjoy it so much!

[@WhatIsMatter101]

Addirional references: Grizzly Slash: C. Shot is a slower version of Shining Tigerd's Ray Splash Axel The Red: Rose Cutter attack is similar to Wood Man's dropping leaves attack Twin Dream/Spike Ball functions similarly to Split Mushroom's Soul Body Izzy Glow: his downward laser attacks are reminiscent of Morph Moth's. Super Bass from MM8 has a similar sweeping laser attack The Skiver: Zero's W Shredder ends with a Shipuuga (Slash Beastleo skill)

[@artillary3725]

Still get chills when I hear that little melody before the main theme starts. Man we were so spoiled growing up with these amazing games! Thanks for making this video super cool

[@PrimeShiem]

Yea! I love when games make references to their series through its music! And thank you so much!

[@RobertJovanoska-xb9kk]

Fun fact in mega man 8 you can see the dragon from mega man 2 but the dragon is dead

[@JewelMaidenMusic]

thanks for making this video! That was really fun to watch‼ I played the X series first growing up so I didn't know about all the references to the original series. 😊😊

[@PrimeShiem]

No problem, glad you enjoyed yourself and learn new things!

[@vitortakara7090]

on the intro 1:00 we have sigma and dog vs 1st armor from X, agile, violen and serges vs 2nd armor from X2, vile vs 3rd armor from X3 and double vs 4th amor from X4 1:03 we have vile in a mecha vs zero from X, zero vs black zero and sigma from X2, zero vs bit from X3, zero vs colonel from X4

[@retrixpl7108]

You blew my head with the fact that Zero stage 2 is heavily remixed version of quick man stage

[@PrimeShiem]

Something I also forgot to mention is that the second half of the same stage was inspired by Heat Man's stage.

[@Bmontepeque11]

I love the very deep knowledge in your videos! As a massive MegaMan fan (My specialty being X and Zero Series) I loved your video! ❤️

[@PrimeShiem]

Thank You! I'm glad you enjoy them so much. I'm a really big Zero series fan!

[@NerfKaiZer]

This was so well made, man. Easy sub

[@PrimeShiem]

Thank you!

[@djlamar2]

I didn't realize the music for the intro for X5 was a callback to past games. Very cool. Thanks for pointing that out :D

[@PrimeShiem]

No problem!

[@BullockDS]

As nice as the remix of Bubble Crab's theme is for Duff McWhalen, I wish they kept and polished up the original theme his stage had in the beta.

[@PrimeShiem]

Yea, I think the beta theme fit more nicely with the stage as a whole.

[@marcusmayo]

Wow, there's a lot more references than I thought. Nice job, man. X5 deserved better as this was the original final game. X6 also deserved better because it had a lot of great ideas, the only problem was the execution and lack of polish, which resulted in a mediocre game as a result, sadly. I hope they reboot the whole series and continue from where Maverick Hunter X left off.

[@PrimeShiem]

Thanks! I also hope one day, Capcom gives X6 the polish it deserves, if love to see how it'd come out.

[@andyhsu5able]

Not sure if anyone said anything about this but using Zero facing infected Pegasus, he'll be crazy obsessed about Iris at their confrontation.

[@MiraiVFD]

admit it, the part where you note duff mcwhalen theme being bubble crab's is a cheeky reference to THAT (in)famous duff mcwhalen video ;) great video overall either way

[@PrimeShiem]

While I love that video, it actually wasn't on my mind when I recorded that part, I just think it's probably the most well known fact about the game. Thank you for the compliment btw! Glad you enjoyed!

[@nameless646]

When battling the Shadow Devil, the screen in the background distorts and it looks like Wily's silhouette is there.

[@PlushRushInc]

amazing video bro I'm a huge fan of the series and love this series to death and mega man is my favorite game franchise this is some top tier content right here I love how you described everything and not just some of the references amazing video. I'm glad I found another mega man youtuber. you just earned a new sub! :D

[@PrimeShiem]

Thank you! I'm always happy to hear from other big Mega Man fans, and I'm welcome to have you join the channel!

[@Spazzowhirl11]

10/10 video. Love seeing new mega man content

[@PrimeShiem]

Thank you so much!

[@javierlavanchy5316]

Bro, I... bro. I knew X5 had a lot of references to past Megaman games, but not this many!

[@PrimeShiem]

Yeah, it has a lot!

[@jonathanklein383]

Inafune said zero did NOT destroy the original MM. Whatever we see in the later vids it isn't him dying. Or at least not at zeros hand. I always thought that an upgraded rockman saving his later version self or being reploid corrupted as a villain and then saved would be really awesome.

[@metaljay2896]

I knew all the x references, but not the original series references. This was awesome!

[@PrimeShiem]

Glad you learned somethings!

[@HUNRockman35]

7:22 Correction: Elec Man's weapon is called as Thunder Beam, not Elec Beam.

[@PrimeShiem]

Ah, ok!

[@Smalltummywonderful]

I've been playing X5 for twenty years, and I never saw or seen the comparisons before until now. Of course I did catch on to a few of them after playing X1-5 multiples times it is so easy to notice now, great video and great explanation

[@PrimeShiem]

Thank you! I'm glad you were able to see some new things!

[@Smalltummywonderful]

@@PrimeShiem you're welcome! One last thing, it isn't just all of the X games I do play basically Classic Mega Man as well. The Shadow Devil can instantly kill the player in either form, and it is definitely a reference to MM1, but also Mega Man 8 too. 🙂

[@PrimeShiem]

@Bushido Blade Warrior oh yeah, I kinda forgot the Green Devil existed, and now that you mention it, the way the Shadow Devil splits himself is similar to the Green Devil too.

[@pinkhavoc0299]

So I kinda played the X series backwards. I played X5 first then when I got the MMX Collection I was finally able to play X2. As soon as I heard the Bubble Crab's theme my brain was like "I KNOW THIS THEME!!" 🤯🤯🤯 And immediately remembered this being McWhalen's theme from X5. Same thing happened when I played the Megaman Legacy Collection & encountered the Yellow Devil & hearing it's theme song of terror. I was like "OH GOD NOT AGAIN!!" 😱😱 Having flashbacks of spending hours trying to beat Shadow Devil as a kid. 😂

[@Basureitor]

Excellent vid man

[@PrimeShiem]

Thank you! I appreciate it!

[@rockman1994]

Nice! I always have great nostaglia for X5 since it was my first game to the Megaman franchise.

[@PrimeShiem]

Yeah, X5 was one of my first Mega Man games too.

[@LetsaGottagofast]

With the added instruments of the playstation, I could not recognize the music but now I do. Thanks

[@PrimeShiem]

No problem!

[@vlad48329reborn]

Damn! This was a cool nostalgic trip.

[@yurareigiryu]

Didn't realize the music reference to x1 in the opening. Super cool! The Zero stage music to quickman is a bit of a stretch IMO.

[@PrimeShiem]

Yeah I was apparently wrong about that one. My fault.

[@conorYami-dr2yi]

Best MegaMan game I'd say music was CRAZY

[@MinillaGaming69420]

You should make a video on the References to Past Mega Man Games in Zero 4. Here are a few that I can remember off the top of my head: -Area Zero being the location where the Eurasia incident occurred -The Cyber/Circuit level being a possible reference to the Zero stages in X5 -Pegasus Eclair being a callback to the Skiver/Spiral Pegacion -Ragnarok being a reference to both the Final Weapon (giant death laser) and Eurasia Colony (colony crashing into Earth) -Cannonball IV having part of the Zero Sky Lagoon theme (around the 34 second mark) -The dragon mini bosses resembling the Mecha Dragon -Frog enemies in the first intermission stage looking almost exactly the same as Burble Hekelot -Those same frog enemies having a weapon that functions like the -Straight Ahead's intro sounds similar to MMX's Sigma Stage 1 theme (might've just been an accident) -Mets -Dr. Weil's first phase using an attack that summons the bosses from Zero 3 -Fenri Lunaedge having a very similar design and similar attacks to Blizzard Wolfang Ik some of these might be a bit of a stretch but I still think they're somewhat valid.

[@PrimeShiem]

Thanks for the tips! After I made the ZX/ZXA video, I actually did wanna make one for the Zero series. I honestly appreciate you pointing these out!

[@BIGACORN]

X5 to MMZ1 always felt like the proper timeline than X6/X7 to MMZ1

[@PrimeShiem]

Yeah, that was the original plan. It's kinda weird now.

[@djlamar2]

Also I have to do this. "Iris, Iris. Oh what am I fighting foooorrrrrrrr" XD

[@megapokesonicx]

Great video honestly 👍 While there were some references I already knew before such as the music, stages, and bosses. There were some new things. I didn’t know that some of the Mavericks were related to Repliforce from X4. I don’t pay much attention to the text lol so I missed that. I really like there type of videos in general

[@PrimeShiem]

Thanks! Glad you was able to learn some stuff!

[@Aaaaaaaa-ix4rp]

Great video, made me appreciate x5 a little more

[@PrimeShiem]

Thanks! Glad I was able to give it some more ground for it.

[@wolfgangroddewig]

It’s funny that in the MEGAMAN X series, it’s ends up with zero being the protagonist, specially in x5. The opening is pretty much centered around him and his struggle.

[@bladezx4880]

I like how you still referred to Tidal Whale as Duff McWhalen. Best name. Wish they retained the old names of other enemies but yeah. Copyright issues I believe. Spike Rosered -> Axl The Red Dark Necrobat -> Dark Dizzy Burn Dinorex -> The Mattrex Spiral Pegasus -> The Skiver Crescent Grizzly -> Grizzly Slash Volt Kraken -> Squid Adler Shining Firefly -> Izzy Glow

[@PrimeShiem]

Yeah, over the years, some of their original names have grown on me, like Duff and Squid Adler

[@Storm59-59]

I prefer the original names more than guns n roses reference names. Because American names doesn't have (Element name)(Animal name) names so it's doesn't fit to the game and lore

[@Storm59-59]

By the way Burn Dinorex's American name is not "The Mattrex" it's "Mattrex". He doesn't have the "The" name.

[@Skallva]

@@Storm59-59 I personally think that's why the localised names are better. Given how much the X series focused on the sentient nature of Reploids, giving them more personalised names feels more appropriate than a generic serial one. Plus the series is already full of musical references, so the Guns N' Roses homage doesn't really feel out of place.

[@KamenRiderGumo]

@@Skallva There's also the fact that music has always been a major part of the naming scheme of the franchise. Rock and Roll, Blues, Rush, Tango, Beat, Bass, Treble (or Forte and Gospel, if you prefer), plus the GB-exclusive "Mega Man Killers" Enker, Punk, and Ballade. Plus, I think the GnR shout-out names are just cooler in most cases.

[@MegaManNeo]

That explains why the music in this game sounds so familiar at times.

[@hessiankyojin]

Gamma Sigma being weak to Spike Ball is a reference to Wolf Sigma being weak to Rolling Shield. Falcon Armor is an homage to Jet Adapter while Gaea Armor is to Power Adapter in Mega Man 6. U-555 from Tidal Whale's (or Duff McWhalen's) stage is a reference to Bubble Crab's Sea Canthller. The staircase section of Shining Firefly's (Izzy Glow's) stage is similar to Split Mushroom's from X4. Wing Spiral does the Shoryuken, in the same fashion as how X also does it with Rising Fire but moves up. Dark Dizzy's (Dark Necrobat's) gravity gimmick in his stage is similar to Gravity Man's from Mega Man 5. This is a stretch, but Zero's W-Shredder and Twin Dream might be his version of Soul Body in this game, to justify his dialogue once you beat him in Zero Virus Stage 3 as X.

[@HarbingerYT]

With that last one, how does that explain it if Zero never fought Spiral Pegasus or Spike Rosered in the game?

[@PrimeShiem]

That's a good question, weird that Zero has Soul Body to begin with, but they likely needed some sort of explanation for the tie.

[@Josuh]

Those 3 frames of Zero using Soul Body for no reason are glorious

[@terryrocks2j]

The Light capsule theme was my favorite callback. I wish they ended the series with X5. The callbacks was pretty much an indication that everything came to full circle in X5.

[@PrimeShiem]

Yeah, it would have been the perfect send off. Although, missing out on Axl, and X8 might hurt a lil.

[@jess648]

these are actually really freaking cool

[@PrimeShiem]

I'm glad you found it cool!

[@CarliVala]

Great video! I certainly didn't know about some references, so this was a great find. Also, in Megaman X5's ending where X is badly damaged, a hologram appears before him. That was Dr. Light, right? I always wondered how could he appear outside of a capsule, is he really dead or did he upload his consciousness into an AI of some sort. It is hinted that both Serges in X2 and Isoc in X6 are somehow connected to Wily. I'd love to see the conclusion of the story in the Megaman X saga someday, because both X6 and X8 endings leave more questions than answers.

[@PrimeShiem]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed! Regarding your question, it seems like Dr. Light also uploaded an ai of himself. Seeing how basic his dialouge is in beginning of the X series, to fully understanding the world's situation, and knowing characters names like Alia and Zero, two people who wouldn't know of in his time, suggests he also created an AI, likely in case X needed assistance.

[@CarliVala]

@@PrimeShiem Thank you for you kind reply! I hope we get an X9 someday.

[@PrimeShiem]

@@CarliVala No problem! I hope we get an X9 as well someday

[@arthursnyder6935]

​@@PrimeShiemI think Sigma also mentioned Wily in X2

[@thepuppet3000]

finally i got the enigma canon in this game to suceed!

[@JThom-yh3ef]

I totally forgot about the second half of the intro being a reference of the megaman 3 weapon get theme.

[@GuardianNewtonTurner]

Oh wow, there were a lot of these I didn't realize. Like the MM1 boss theme. I just thought it was Yellow Devil's, didn't realize that it was for the whole game, never mind that I have anniversary collection and played it to death... Anyway, watching this was a great little gift, just in time for my birthday! THANKS PRIME SHIEM!!!

[@PrimeShiem]

No problem, glad this served as a good gift, and I'm happy you learned new things!

[@jercron]

I recognized things like the MM3 musical cue but I had no idea the stage layouts from MM2 were reused! This title really was to be a celebration of previous MM games.

[@andyreyes6464]

Great video. What a great saga but sadly it comes to a end 😢

[@PrimeShiem]

Thank you! It is a X9 isn't coming out anytime soon.

[@ZeroKenshin]

I never played the US version so I never knew the music from the opening. Something new to me

[@2006man]

The opening theme being based on two themes from past games is, as far as I know, only in the English version. The Japanese version of X5 has a completely different theme, an upbeat vocal one.

[@PrimeShiem]

Yup, the song was called Monkey. Sadly, the JP version of X5 doesn't have it included. Edit: I meant the version of X5 in the legacy collection.

[@coorokun555]

I just came to say that the Iris flashback gets me every time. 😢

[@PrimeShiem]

Yeah, it pretty sad honestly.

[@jive238]

One thing I don't get is if they really wanted to end the X series at 5 why didn't doctor wily ever make an appearance? They set him up as the true nature of Serges hopping from robot body to robot body, they make Sigma talk about his encounter with the doctor and there's all these wily trademark stuff all around the final area, where is the doctor himself? Why leave this plot point open still at the apparent climax of the series? After the lengths this man has gone to have zero, his ultimate creation, fight light's ultimate creation X you mean to say he just peace outs never to be heard from again after zero gets laid out? Unless they had plans for wily in the megaman zero series and since I didn't like hearing they planned to have the actual X be the villain before they thought of copy X I have to wonder what they would have done to wily.

[@tomahilaire3921]

Dr. Wily does appear in the series a few times. In the form of Serges from Mega Man X2. Also, the final villain in Mega Man Zero x3.

[@AndrewBlechinger]

@@tomahilaire3921 They call him "Weil" for some reason, though. His backstory there is that he was exiled from X's paradise of Neo Arcadia, cursed with eternal life. But he manages to scheme his way back into power, and constructs Ragnarok as the big bad of Z4.