Topic: Battle Iris in DiVE

[Hypershell]

So, while I maintain that Iris's death has more to do with the forced merger of the two breaking her brain than anything else, it looks like Rockman X DiVE decided to tackle the question of what if the whole Iris/Colonel project thing actually did produce a single Reploid with all relevant character traits.

Of course, being an action game with limited dialogue, I'm a little worried she just comes off as girl-Colonel.  Or at least, girl-X4-Colonel; DiVE seems to enjoy depicting Colonel as more of a bumbling hothead.  Anyways, a proper representation of their hypothetical design should feature the best of both personalities.  Meaning the "Warrior Iris" should be just as kind-hearted as the original, though certainly less timid/hesitant, and would necessarily be very good at compartmentalization.  Regardless, this is still a really cool concept and I do like the design.

I'm really going to be kicking myself for not having enough metals to actually summon her whenever she is inevitably released, though.  I don't want to derail the first post into a "MOBILE GAAAAMES!" rant, but even as gacha games go, DiVE's economy blows.

https://www.rockman-corner.com/2021/04/rockman-x-dive-introduces-honorable.html#more

[Zan]

I've seen varied opinions on Iris - Another. Overall people absolutely love the concept, but some aren't too fond of the execution (both in design and personality).

That said, while I personally like what we got, I do think it's fair criticism to call it a little too biased toward the Colonel side of the Ultimate Soldier. Based on Iwamato's manga, the Ultimate Soldier was intended to be a recreation/successor of classic Rockman: kind of heart, yet possessing a strong fighting spirit. This is also echoed by DiVE's General calling it the "creation of 'Reploid with complete free will and thought process'" (a.k.a X). Compared to X, Iris - Another seems too eager to fight, and far too proud.

Still, the fact that this Ultimate Soldier was able to exist free of internal contradiction is a testament to the project's potential success, furthering the tragedy that was X4.

[Hypershell]

Something I didn't realize from the initial announcement is that DiVE depicts Iris -Another- as a transformation from the Iris we know (entrance animation is visible in the character select screen, even if you don't have her unlocked).  She still calls for her brother (or sometimes Zero), with a lighter tone of voice and glowy hands, in her victory pose.

I don't think the Ultimate Soldier is quite so simple as mimicking Rock and X.  Servbot20's old translations refer to the Ultimate Soldier as trying to incorporate a "warrior's pride," which certainly describes Colonel's character (to a fault, it's basically what started the Repliforce War).  But while the "peace loving fighter" comparisons to Rock and X are obvious, it's not a perfect analogy because neither of them are particularly proud characters.  Quite the opposite, they are rather melancholic, and seem to teeter on the edge of losing the balance to their personality (see MM7, Power Fighters, TDoS, and X7).  And remember, the Ultimate Soldier comes from a society that already has X in active service.  Is Repliforce just trying to duplicate him, or do they wish their creation to couple such a heart with a more firm resolve?  X's hesitation is generally not seen as desirable for a soldier.  That's what I see as potentially differentiating the Ultimate Soldier from X; maintaining a kind heart without having to constantly swim in regret over it.

It's hard to read too much into Iris -Another-'s personality given that DiVE doesn't spend a whole lot of time exploring the personalities of ANY Hunter programs.  What little story they do present tends to be un-repeatable, and other than Axl, few to none are presented within the main campaign.  So I think her coming off as too trigger-happy is less a criticism of Iris herself and more a criticism of the nature of what DiVE is.  The game is not really set up to explore original characters properly.  Hopefully that will change in a future update, but for now, imagining her in any situation that isn't "blast every data error into oblivion" amounts to head canon.

[Zan]

Something I didn't realize from the initial announcement is that DiVE depicts Iris -Another- as a transformation from the Iris we know (entrance animation is visible in the character select screen, even if you don't have her unlocked).  She still calls for her brother (or sometimes Zero), with a lighter tone of voice and glowy hands, in her victory pose.

I didn't catch this either (probably since the unit came out later) but that does make some sense given what we know about the Ride Armor form from X4. Guess they still had to split the two up at first before eventually succeeding.

That said, the Maverick Information video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2frLlpEDDfc) does heavily imply a stable merger can only occur because of Deep Log.

I don't think the Ultimate Soldier is quite so simple as mimicking Rock and X.  Servbot20's old translations refer to the Ultimate Soldier as trying to incorporate a "warrior's pride," which certainly describes Colonel's character (to a fault, it's basically what started the Repliforce War).  But while the "peace loving fighter" comparisons to Rock and X are obvious, it's not a perfect analogy because neither of them are particularly proud characters. 

I think that really depends on which of the two sides is the most dominant. A more peace-loving Colonel probably wouldn't have fought back as much against the idea of disarmament. What exact balance suffices for the 'Ultimate Soldier' is up for debate.

It's hard to read too much into Iris -Another-'s personality given that DiVE doesn't spend a whole lot of time exploring the personalities of ANY Hunter programs.  What little story they do present tends to be un-repeatable, and other than Axl, few to none are presented within the main campaign.  So I think her coming off as too trigger-happy is less a criticism of Iris herself and more a criticism of the nature of what DiVE is.  The game is not really set up to explore original characters properly.  Hopefully that will change in a future update, but for now, imagining her in any situation that isn't "blast every data error into oblivion" amounts to head canon.

DiVE being restricted to the Deep Log is quite a pity. Imagine actually being witness to key events between each of the games, and exploring what-if scenarios branching off from there. The possibilities are endless.

[Hypershell]

Very, very true.  Exploring the "what ifs" of between-game events would be amazing.

I think that really depends on which of the two sides is the most dominant. A more peace-loving Colonel probably wouldn't have fought back as much against the idea of disarmament. What exact balance suffices for the 'Ultimate Soldier' is up for debate.

Whether one is willing to fight and whether they pride in their ability to do so are two different things.  What I'm talking about is "solider," "warrior," etc. being considered a respectful and admirable part of one's identity, rather than just a begrudging or necessary evil.  Rock most certainly doesn't fit that description.  X mostly doesn't, although he arguably teeters back and forth from time to time (Command Mission having some of X's more dutiful moments).