Mega Man Zero

Mega Man Zero
Also known as: Rockman Zero (JP) Developer: Inti Creates Publisher: Capcom Platform: Game Boy Advance Released in JP: April 26, 2002 Released in US: September 10, 2002 Released in EU: October 31, 2002 This game has unused graphics. This game has unused text. This game has regional differences. This game has a prerelease article This game has a Data Crystal page

Mega Man Zero is the first game in the Zero series. Decades after the X series, Zero is reawakened to a different world.

Unused Graphics

	An unused portrait of one of the X Pantheon drones. Probably meant for the intro cutscene. This suggests that they once had dialogue...although they might have just growled or something.
	These tiles are found in the Factory stage tileset. They're temporary graphics representing various tile types.
	Early designs for the DATA sign remain in the base's tileset. The final graphic is
	Floor signs for the base: EV, basement floor 2, and basement floor 3.
	Unused menu title tiles saying エルフトレーディング (Elf Trading), implying a scrapped Cyber Elf trading feature.

Early	Final

The sign for basement floor 2 was replaced with a blank blue rectangle. The other signs were removed entirely.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Phantom has code and graphics for an unused attack, both of which are stored right after his self-destruct.

This attack can be triggered in-game by setting his main state to 0x15. It is unfinished, lacking sound effects or a functioning projectile.

The graphics for this move are also present in Zero 3, but the code appears to have been removed.

(Source: Alcor Salvador and Jack Walker)

Unused Mission Entry

If you teleport to the Resistance Base without completing the intro stage, a mission entry exists for it that is fully translated. Selecting it starts the intro stage.

(Source: Jack Walker)

Unused Text

To do: Various other messages overwritten with エラー in the English version; text dump comparison (possibly incomplete) here

Ciel

A block of unused text can be found if you manage to skip Herculious Anchortus (through cheating or glitching past him) and get to the last Trans Room.

This text translates to "We can't use the Trans Room to go to the city while the door is still locked... but we haven't managed to break the password yet."

This seems to be from a mission that they scrapped before, or possibly replaced with something else. By the context of the message, it seems that you were to need a pass key or something in order to access Neo Arcadia, rather than Ciel finding it out.

(Source: Metalman)

This text can also be found by setting one of the available missions to ID 0x0E. The mission is titled "Enemy Base".

Another unused and untranslated bit of text from Ciel can be found right before the aforementioned block in the game's data. This can be accessed by setting one of the available missions to ID 0x0D. The mission is titled "Protect the Base".

Original	Translation
ゼロ 聞こえる? ゼロ しきゅう、もどって来て! ‥ベ‥が‥‥ベース‥おそわ‥るの! ‥ゼ‥‥‥‥ゼロ	Zero, can you hear me? Zero return to base IMMEDIATELY! ..We..a....being..at..cked! ..Z.......Zero

Another unused block of text said by Ciel can be found in the Japanese version, around the text used after finishing the Disposal Center mission. The text has been replaced by the word エラー (Error) in the English version. This event can still be triggered in the game, including enabling of the Escape Unit, if you manage to finish but fail the Disposal Center mission (ex. via memory editing), which is not possible under normal circumstances.

Original	Translation
ゼロ‥ あなたの力はこんなものじゃないはず そうそう‥ あなたのためにエスケープユニットを 作ってもらったの ピンチの時は使って！ あっ、でもひとつだけちゅうこくよ エスケープユニットを 使うという事は そのにんむの失敗をいみするの	Zero... You don't have to exert yourself so much. I created an escape unit for you. Use it when you're in trouble! Oh, there's one thing to be aware of though. If you use the escape unit then you'll fail the mission you're on.

(Source: xdaniel)

(Translation: Bast)

Maha Ganeshariff

I was supposed to be invincible. But it's too late. You're still going to perish!

This was meant to be Maha Ganeshariff's death line, but in the final game he dies quietly.

(Text dump source: squirtle90909)

Codename

The bank of text that contains mission and location names, Cyber Elf names and descriptions, etc., also contains a list of codenames for Zero, as used on the mission result screen. This list contains one unused entry that was left in Japanese, even in the English version, which reads ジャンキー (Junkie).

(Source: xdaniel)

Title Screen Graphic

This image is loaded into the VRAM during the title screen and is used for the moving bars that seem to change color, move and merge into a single red bar which becomes the Z of the title logo. Starting from the top of this image, one horizontal line of pixels is stretched across the screen on a background layer and the source line moves down this image giving the illusion of motion and changing color. This effect can be seen in the video on the right. This complete graphic can be seen in Visual Boy Advance's map viewer.

Regional Differences

Title Screen

Japan	International

By this point, the European version of the game didn't get their own title screen redesign yet.

Title Theme

Japan	International

The "Rockman Zero!" voice clip was removed from all non-Japanese versions of the title track.

Blood Spray

When most enemies are destroyed with a non-Buster weapon in the Japanese version, blood(?) sprays out of them. This was removed from every other version of the game.

However, the intro does have some slight bit of blood from the soldiers in the international versions, the Japanese version uses the one from enemies.

Japan	International

The walls in the Disposal Center also contain "robot blood" in the Japanese version.

Despite these changes, bosses are still cut in half when defeated with bladed weapons--although the large spurt was removed, no attempt was made to hide the "blood" visible on their sprites when this happens.

(Source: Original TCRF research)