Ultimate Armor

The Mega Man X4. 1997. is a recurring set of Armor Parts in the X era. It is a hidden armor that is only obtained through secret methods such as codes or specific actions, and is often the most powerful armor in the game.
==In the Games==
===Mega Man X4===
The Ultimate Armor debuted in Mega Man X4. It is a more powerful version of the game's Fourth Armor, granting all of the same abilities, only locked with the Plasma Charge Shot and granted an unlimited amount of Weapon Energy for its Giga Attack, the Nova Strike. It is unlocked by entering a code at the game's character select screen - if it has been input correctly, X's unarmored sprite will have a purple tint. He must then enter any of the game's four Light Capsules in order to receive the entire Ultimate Armor simultaneously.
In lore, the Ultimate Armor is the only Armor Parts set that was designed purely for combat, rapidly boosting X's combat efficiency. However, as this armor pushes X's abilities to their limit, prolonged use may be dangerously taxing. Furthermore, perhaps due to concerns over its incredibly overpowered nature, Dr. Light labeled these parts as forbidden and sealed them away. While not available in gameplay, the armor can also generate a beam blade from the X-Buster and grants X the ability to unequip the armor and ride it as a hoverboard-like transport, abilities that are only seen in the game's promotional artwork.(Archived) Capcom Japan official website, New Products, Rockman X4. 2000. (http://www.capcom.co.jp/newproducts/consumer/rockmanx4/)
Parts 	Code 	Effect
Ultimate Armor	Console: X, X, ←, ←, ←, ←, ←, ←, hold L1 and R2, StartPC: Hold ↓, Start	Grants X the same powers as the Fourth Armor, with an additional benefit:
* Head Parts: Normal Special Weapon shots consume no Weapon Energy, while Special Weapon Charge Shots consume a decreased amount.
* Body Parts: Reduces all damage received by 50%, and grants X the Nova Strike with no Weapon Energy limit.
* Arm Parts: Upgrades X's third Charge Shot level to the Plasma Charge Shot, which is larger and leaves a plasma ball when it hits enemies, dealing further damage. X can also charge Special Weapons.
* Foot Parts: Grants X the Air Dash and the Hover, letting him briefly hover midair and move slightly left or right.
===Mega Man X5===
The Ultimate Armor returns in Mega Man X5. The blue of its armor is more vibrant, and it leaves X's inner body cyan rather than turning it purple. Its Weapon Energy usage stat is also adjusted to reduce Weapon Energy usage by 50%, matching the adjusted Fourth Armor. The Ultimate Armor can be obtained either with a code, or later in the game with a specific sequence of actions.
If the code is used at the character select screen, the Ultimate Armor simply overwrites X's Fourth Armor and he automatically starts the game with it equipped (it cannot be obtained by selecting Zero). In the alternative method, X can enter Zero Space Stage 3: Awakening without any armor equipped, then descend one of the vertical shafts in the middle of the stage to find a Light Capsule. However, he only receives an Armor Program to be equipped on the Stage Select, as opposed to equipping the armor right away (a similar principle to collecting the Falcon Armor and Gaea Armor). Unlike the code method, this does not overwrite the Fourth Armor, instead forcing the player to wait until late in the game to obtain the Ultimate Armor.
X also wears the Ultimate Armor as a boss in his battle with Zero, using its Plasma Charge Shot and charging Special Weapons.
Parts 	Icon	Code 	Effect
Ultimate Armor	 	↑, ↑, ↓, ↓, ↓, ↓, ↓, ↓, ↓, ↓, ↓	Functions identically to the Ultimate Armor in Mega Man X4, but instead of making it so that normal Special Weapon shots consume no Weapon Energy, it increases X's maximum Weapon Energy by 50%.
===Mega Man X6===
The Ultimate Armor returns in Mega Man X6. Its armor is now colored black and white rather than blue and yellow, and it can only be obtained by entering a code. This time, the code must be entered at the title screen (due to the lack of a character select screen), and doing so does not overwrite X's default Falcon Armor. It retains the adjusted Weapon Energy cost reduction from Mega Man X5, functioning identically.
Parts 	Icon	Code 	Effect
Ultimate Armor	 	←, ←, ←, →	Functions identically to the Ultimate Armor in Mega Man X5.
===Mega Man X8===
The Ultimate Armor returns in Mega Man X8 with a major redesign, now sharing the design of the Neutral Armor like the game's other Armors, with a black and yellow palette and a purple glow. The Ultimate Armor may be unlocked by entering a code on the title screen, or by starting a new game from a save file that has been cleared with all of X's Rare Metals crafted and all eight Armor Parts collected. Note that the code does not work on the game's original PC release.
Functionally, this Ultimate Armor combines many of the abilities of the Hermes Armor and Icarus Armor with previous Ultimate Armor abilities. However, it is a unique option that cannot mix parts with the other armors. While the Ultimate Armor is equipped, X's special Armor power is the Nova Strike, though it can now only be used while midair and has a short cooldown.Rockman X8 Kyūkyoku Complete Guide. Capcom. 2005.
Parts 	Icon	Code 	Effect
Head Parts U 	 	←, ←, ←, →, →, →, ←, ←, ←, ←, →, →, →, →	Grants X the Shouryuuken, a rising uppercut technique that can attack enemies directly above.
Body Parts U 	 	←, ←, ←, →, →, →, ←, ←, ←, ←, →, →, →, →	Reduces all damage received by 50% and removes recoil. All Life Energy that X loses turns red without depleting, meaning he can be switched out for a chance to recover all that Energy.
Buster Parts U	 	←, ←, ←, →, →, →, ←, ←, ←, ←, →, →, →, →	Upgrades X's MAX Charge Shot level to the Plasma Charge Shot, which leaves a plasma ball when it hits enemies, dealing further damage. X can also charge Special Weapons, and normal Special Weapon shots consume no Weapon Energy.
Foot Parts U 	 	←, ←, ←, →, →, →, ←, ←, ←, ←, →, →, →, →	Doubles jump height, movement speed, and Dash distance. Grants the which makes X invisible and invincible to enemy projectiles for the duration.
===Mega Man X: Command Mission===
In Mega Man X: Command Mission, X can obtain and use a secret Hyper Mode called the , though it appears and functions drastically differently from the Ultimate Armor featured in the mainline games.
===Mega Man X DiVE===
In Mega Man X DiVE, Ultimate Armor X appears as a playable Hunter Program, based on its debut design in Mega Man X4. His Active Skills are the Plasma Charge Shot and the Nova Strike. There is also an unlockable skin for him that features the white Ultimate Armor (Legacy) palette from Mega Man X Legacy Collection.
===Other Game Appearances===
* In Mega Man X Legacy Collection, in X Challenge, X equips a new variant called the Ultimate Armor (Legacy)Mega Man X: Maverick Hunter's Field Guide. UDON Entertainment. 2021. that has a white and blue palette. It functions the same as in Mega Man X5, though it lacks the Nova Strike and its Plasma Charge Shot is weaker, dealing basic Charge Shot damage and only leaving behind one plasma ball per shot. However, it has high customization and can equip many Special Weapons.Rockman Unity. Translation: Matsuura: "The armor is unique to the X-Challenge mode. In fact, it's a new armor that has never been seen before, based on the Ultimate Armor series from 'Megaman X6', with (extra) customization and prototype features". If the player selects no Special Weapons, X unequips the entire armor save for its Foot Parts, retaining the Air Dash and Hover. Additionally, the boss X in the bonus battle against and Awakened Zero wears the original Ultimate Armor.
* In both Project × Zone and Project × Zone 2, X equips the Ultimate Armor during his finishing move, slamming his target into the ground with a Nova Strike.
* In Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, X equips the Ultimate Armor in his Level 3 Hyper Combo, Ultimate Strike, to hit his target with a Nova Strike before blasting them with a mighty laser.
* In Puzzle Fighter, X equips the Ultimate Armor when using his Super skill, Ultimate Nova Strike.
* In Dragon Poker, Ultimate Armor X appears as an event character.
* In Elemental Story, Ultimate Armor X appears as an event character.
* In Bouken Dig Dig 2, Ultimate Armor X appears as an event character.
* In Tower of Saviors, Ultimate Armor X appears as an event character.
==Other Media==
* In the Rockman X4 manga, X finds and equips the Ultimate Armor early on, and its tremendous power slowly corrupts him and makes him more callous in his fight against Repliforce. Eventually, it is destroyed in the explosion of the Final Weapon, revealing the Fourth Armor hidden underneath.
==Gallery==
=== Mega Man X4 ===
MMX4 - Ultimate Armor X Art.png | Ultimate Armor in Mega Man X4.
MMX4 - Ultimate Armor X Art 2.png | Ultimate Armor in Mega Man X4.
MMX4 - Ultimate Armor X 3 Art.png | X riding the Ultimate Armor in Mega Man X4.
=== Other Games & Media ===
MMXD - Ultimate Armor X Art.png | Ultimate Armor in Mega Man X DiVE.
MMXLC - Ultimate Armor X Art.png | Ultimate Armor (Legacy) in Mega Man X Legacy Collection.
==References==