In its heyday, the Mega Man franchise was a series that wore many different hats. Although it still specialized in platformers, spin-offs like Mega Man Battle Network threw the series into new genres. Even within the different sub-series, there was plenty of experimentation. One of the weirdest of the weird spin-offs is Mega Man X: Command Mission.
Command Mission, released in 2004 for the PS2 and GameCube, is a turn-based RPG set in the futuristic world of Mega Max X. As complicated as the lore in Mega Man X gets, Command Mission is pretty self-contained. The party contains a collection of returning faces and original characters, all of them with the same X flair. As a game, it’s surprisingly solid and worth a playthrough. However, some characters are definitely better than others, as always with a JRPG. This list will document them, ranked according to a random selection of qualities.
7 Axl
Axl is not a new face added in Command Mission. However, his face is absolutely not a welcome one. In-game, Axl is actually an effective fighter, although not the best. His Action Trigger allows him to use his transforming ability to copy boss attacks. This is incredibly useful in dealing with elemental weaknesses and large groups of enemies. His Hyper Mode also makes him immune to damage, another great ability.
So, why is Axl so bad? It’s mostly just personal. Axl joined the Maverick Hunters in X7, widely considered to be the worst of the X series. The most charitable improvement from that title is his voice isn’t nearly as bad. He’s also ridiculously overpowered in X7, cheesing so many fights through his rapid-fire lock-on attacks and hover. He’s just a bad character unnecessarily tagged onto the core duo of X and Zero. Is it fair to put him this low for his previous appearance? Yes, because it was just that bad.
6 Massimo
Massimo is one of the original cast members, a hulking suit of armor wielding various large weapons. He’s the third party member and serves a role as a knight in a traditional RPG. He’s slow, he’s bulky, but he hits hard. He isn’t the real Massimo; he’s taking up the name of his hero, who fell in battle. His story is actually somewhat touching, if a bit generic.
In terms of combat usefulness, he’s the best in terms of raw damage output. However, there are so many other strategies to outputting massive damage that Massimo isn’t needed. His Action Trigger also lacks utility, especially since his status ailments almost never seem to stick. There are better party members to use, but at least he’s a nice guy.
5 Spider
This section contains spoilers for the game’s story. If that concerns you, proceed to the next entry.
Spider is absolutely a cool guy that’s not a traitor at all. He’s the first of X’s party members and helps to retake the Central Tower from enemy forces. With his wide-brimmed hat and snazzy coat, he’s absolutely a gambling Reploid. His gimmick includes throwing playing cards and his Action Trigger is probably the most unique and in-line with the character.
In the story, however, he fulfills two different JRPG party members tropes: he both dies and betrays you. The plot-twist is one of the most boneheaded in any JRPG and can be seen coming a mile away. The main villain is named Colonel Redips; Spider is obviously Redips backward. That aside, if he were to stick around, he’d probably be higher on the list just because he’s one of the few party members with utility in his base kit. That, and he really does just have a fantastic design, one of the best in the game.
4 Marino
Mega Man, for all its great qualities, isn’t exactly a series known for its cast of female characters, especially female leads. And, although Command Mission still has its female cast outnumbered, it at least offers two fairly strong female candidates. The first on this list is Marino, a Reploid who fulfills the thief or ninja archetype. She uses knives and daggers, has access to elemental weaponry, and can indeed steal items. Her Action Trigger is basically just the average Slots limit break, with more consistent and reliable effects.
In the story, she doesn’t really do a whole lot aside from trying to steal away Cinnamon, another party member. She does have a fun personality though, being snarky and sassy in a game with a lot of serious, face-up characters (Spider not included). She’s fun to have around in the party, but her combat effectiveness isn’t that great. She is the only person who can reliably steal items, though, and her unique design puts her above the others.
3 Zero
Zero is one of the best characters in the Mega Man X series as a whole. In this game, however, he’s not that great. He rivals Massimo in terms of raw damage, especially in his normal Hyper Mode. He’s also way faster than Massimo, which is a huge bonus. As if he wasn’t already good enough, he also has access to the Absolute Zero armor, which is insanely strong.
Zero’s role in the story is mostly just to look pretty, though. He’s great to have around and his banter with X is as good as it always is. Much like how Axl is tanked by his bad reputation, Zero is lifted by his good reputation. It’s still good to bring him around in the party and is a must-have for any boss fight.
2 X
X is the main protagonist, and he’s actually a good party member as well. While Zero specializes in clearing out single enemies, X can clear out large groups using his Charge Shot Action Trigger. His normal Hyper Mode allows him to deal insane damage to a single target. If that wasn’t enough, it’s possible to unlock the Ultimate Armor, which is just disgustingly overpowered. If the Absolute Zero armor wasn’t enough to make the final battles a joke, this definitely goes overboard in the regard.
As always, X is the least interesting character in the party, but he’s not aggressively bland like he is in previous games (X7 massacred his character). His voice actor is also clearly having a fun time, and the “hiyah!” he does after firing a Charge Shot is adorable. He’s great to cycle in for any encounter since he’s useful in almost all of them.
1 Cinnamon
One of Command Mission’s special gimmicks is a lack of traditional healing items. Healing is instead done through Sub-Tanks, which are limited and need to be refilled. It’s a smart way of converting Sub-Tanks from the main series into the spin-off, but it does mean that certain encounters can get sketchy. Cinnamon completely breaks this through just being a healer. Her design is based on a medic, and she fills that role incredibly well. She’s not going to deal incredible damage, but she’s the only person who can heal. She can also out-tank Massimo in her Iron Maiden Hyper Form, which is useful.
Most importantly, Cinnamon is cute. She has fun lines, her voice acting is cheesy but memorable, and her role in the story is actually somewhat important. She’s the perfect mix of nice character design and combat effectiveness, making her easily the best character in the game. Just make sure to be safe rotating the control stick with her Action Trigger; no one should have to suffer from Mario Party palm-burns.
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