- "X, I'm a man of the sea... And I will not allow you to use my sea freely... You might think I'm stupid, but you'll have to fight me!"
- ―Tidal Whale, Mega Man X5
Tidal Whale, known as Tidal Makkoeen (タイダル・マッコイーン Taidaru Makkoīn) in Japan, also known as Duff McWhalen,[3] is a sperm whale-based Reploid from Mega Man X5. He held some jurisdiction over the North Atlantic Ocean, which the Maverick Hunters required to produce hydrogen for the Enigma laser cannon.
Characteristics[]
Tidal Whale is a Reploid who has a design meant to resemble a whale. He has the large forehead of a sperm whale, but also has coloration and lines across his neck indicative of a blue whale. He also possesses a tail, blowhole, and dorsal fin, common traits across all kinds of whales. Notably, Tidal Whale's design is subject to frequent misconceptions on the location of his eyes. Due to their small size, some fans misinterpret the four green orbs on his nose as eyes. This misconception also occurred in Archie Comics' Worlds Unite crossover, where he is never drawn with his correct eyes.
Whale was the curator of an oceanographic museum and held rank as the captain of a maritime security force. Having a high sense of responsibility, he had the tendency to blunder into dangerous situations without a second thought, and this reckless behavior often earned him arguments with the Repliforce's navy. Whale became acquainted with the famous Maverick Hunter Zero during his duties as a security captain. He was already infected by the Sigma Virus when the Maverick Hunters arrived, and as a final request asks for a fight to the death. They accept, and terminate him in battle, giving the Reploid who loved the sea an end in the sea.
Strategy[]
Tidal Whale stays on the right side of the screen and shoots out blocks of ice, forming a pattern for the player to fight through. The C-Shot and C-Sword cuts through these and also damage Tidal Whale, as they are his weaknesses. When enough of his energy is depleted, he swims to the left side and rapidly fires ice blocks to push the player into spikes.
Ice Block A (アイスブロックA Aisu Burokku A)[4] | |
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Tidal Whale spits a sequence of ice blocks, forming a small obstacle course. Once the blocks stop moving, Whale releases Goo Shaver waves along them. Then he makes the blocks return, with some new blocks and spikes, while he continually fires torpedoes at the player. | |
Damage: 6:6:6 (block crush), 4:6:7 (Goo Shaver), 6:8:10 (torpedo) | |
Ice Block B (アイスブロックB Aisu Burokku B)[4] | |
After losing 75% of his health, Tidal Whale moves to the left side of the arena and fires fast-moving ice blocks at the player. These blocks push the player into the spikes on the wall, causing instant death. | |
Damage: 6:6:6 (block crush), Instant Death (spikes) |
Data[]
Stage[]
Dialogues[]
Hydrogen required[]
Tidal Whale: Oh... Welcome, Captain X.
X: I'd like you to let us use this ocean since it's nearest to the Hunter Base. We need to produce large amounts of hydrogen.
Tidal Whale: Do you intend it for nuclear fusion? So, then you are going to use the good-old Enigma.
X: Y...yes... If you know that, then please cooperate with us.
Tidal Whale: X, I'm a man of the sea... ... And I will not allow you to use my sea freely... You might think I'm stupid, but you'll have to fight me!
Tidal Whale: Zero... Long time no see...
Zero: I'm here to secure the ocean nearest the Hunter Base. It has run high...
Tidal Whale: The Enigma requires a large amount of hydrogen... so you must want the ocean in order to produce hydrogen...
Zero: Precisely. Please cooperate.
Tidal Whale: I've already been infected... Shall we fight for old time's sake? A duel! And I'll show no mercy!
Hydrogen unrequired[]
Tidal Whale: The sea is... The sea is already dead... X... I'm a man of the sea... I want to share the same destiny as the ocean... I've already been infected by the virus, too... Do a favor for me... Fight me and let me rest in the ocean... ...in peace...
Tidal Whale: Zero... It's been a long time... But you are later than I expected. Tell me what's been happening on land.
Zero: ............
Tidal Whale: The world is facing extinction, right? Since I've also been infected with the Virus, why don't you fight me once before you die? A battle between two men! ...Expect no mercy!
Other appearances[]
- Tidal Whale appears in the X Challenge Vol. 1 where he is fought alongside Jet Stingray and in Vol. 2 where he is fought alongside Metal Shark Player.
Other media[]
Rockman X5 manhua[]
Tidal Whale appears in the Rockman X5 manhua, where he played the role of executing traitors in Sigma's army and battled Volt Kraken.
Archie Comics[]
Tidal Whale featured in the Mega Man series from Archie Comics during the Worlds Unite crossover with the Sonic the Hedgehog comics. Here he goes by his Japanese name, Tidal Makkoeen, and was resurrected by Sigma using the Genesis Portals and Unity Engines. Tidal Whale would later be seen invading the world of Skies of Arcadia, facing against the Blue Rogues who managed to destroy him.
He is also one of a handful of Mavericks to appear on a variant cover, where he is shown being shot at by E-123 Omega.
Gallery[]
Sprites[]
Production notes[]
Developer comments
This is a boss that got vetoed for X4. He got nixed because it was difficult to personify a whale. If he wasn't humaniform to some extent, he wouldn't look boss-like. I actually wanted to make him about as big as Kibatodos, but he ended up rather compact.[5][6]
Designer comments
No matter how you tinker with a whale, it still looks like a whale, so I finished this one up comparatively easily. It's a bit of a shock, though, that even though he's a whale, he's smaller than a walrus (Kibatodos). While this guy was being developed, he got impossibly strong when his power dropped, making me feel like crying.[5][6]
Etymology[]
- His Japanese name, Makkoeen (マッコイーン Makkoīn), is a portmanteau of Makkō kujira (抹香鯨 "sperm whale") and Gei-in (鯨飲 lit. "drinking like a whale", meaning "drinking hard").
Trivia[]
- In the original American release, Tidal Whale was renamed as Duff McWhalen after Duff McKagan, the bassist of the rock band Guns N' Roses.[7] Because of this, he was mentioned in an article from Nintendo Power volume 266, as the editor called his name "one of the worst Mega Man boss names ever."
- Tidal Whale is the only boss in Mega Man X5 whose mugshot is not facing straight forward, due to the fact his eyes can only be seen from the side.
- In the Worlds Unite crossover, writer Ian Flynn had intended to use the alternate English name Tidal Whale instead of Duff McWhalen, but the change wasn't made in time and he was featured as Tidal Makkoeen instead.[8]
- In Mega Man X DiVE, the weapon Freezing Dominator, known as Makko Burks (マッコウバークス Makko Bākusu) in Japanese, is based on Tidal Whale.
References[]
- ↑ MM25: Mega Man & Mega Man X Official Complete Works. 2013.
- ↑ Mega Man X Official Complete Works, UDON Entertainment Corp. 2009. pg.51. Retrieved on March 30, 2012.
- ↑ Mega Man X5 PlayStation release and Mega Man X Collection
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Boss File: Tidal Makkoeen, Compendium of Rockman X. p. 80.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Rockman Elysium: Production notes about the cast of X5
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Capcom Community: X5 Developer/Designer Note translations
- ↑ Protodude's Rockman Corner: Alyson Court Talks Mega Man X5 Guns N' Roses References
- ↑ http://www.bumbleking.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8371