Launch Octopus

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Maverick Info

Artwork from Mega Man X.
Stage portrait(s).
General information
Name(s):	Launch Octopus, Launcher Octopuld, Octopardo
Title(s):	Military General of the Deep, General of the Deep Sea
Group(s):	Mavericks, Maverick Hunters (formerly)
Appearances:	Mega Man X, Mega Man Xtreme 2, Mega Man Maverick Hunter X
Inspiration:	Giant Pacific octopus
Designer:	Hayato Kaji
Game Info
Weapon(s):	Homing Torpedo Marine Tornado Fish Fang Missiles
Weakness(es):	Rolling Shield Tri-Thunder Armored Armadillo weapons
Stage(s):	X1: Ocean Stage XT2: Ocean Base Stage MHX: Subterranean Base
Voice (JP):	Tetsuharu Ohta
Voice (EN):	Jonathan Love

Launch Octopus, known as Launcher Octopuld (ランチャー・オクトパルド) in Japan, is a Maverick from the X era, first appearing as one of the main bosses in Mega Man X. He is a missile-themed Reploid based on an octopus, with an arsenal of explosives and underwater agility.

Like the rest of the Mavericks in the first game, he was previously part of the Maverick Hunters, specifically serving in the 6th Naval Unit.

In the Games

Mega Man X

Sprite from Mega Man X.

Launch Octopus debuts in Mega Man X as one of the eight Mavericks on the Stage Select screen. He is a former Maverick Hunter who joined Sigma's rebellion, and serves as the boss of Ocean Stage. His attacks can be overwhelming to dodge, but his tentacles can be severed with Boomerang Cutter to disable his piranha missiles. Defeating Launch Octopus grants X the Homing Torpedo. His weakness is the Rolling Shield, from Armored Armadillo, which briefly stuns him in place. A boss attack rematch with Launch Octopus later occurs in Sigma Stage 3.

Mega Man Xtreme 2

Sprite from Mega Man Xtreme 2.

In Mega Man Xtreme 2, Launch Octopus returns as a resurrected Maverick guardian of Laguz Island. He is one of the four bosses in X Mission, being the boss of Ocean Base Stage. He has new Special Weapons for X and Zero: Marine Tornado and Fish Fang, respectively. He is weak to both Hunters' versions of Tri-Thunder. Launch Octopus is later part of the boss attack in the Sigma Stage in Extreme Mode.

Mega Man Maverick Hunter X

Render from Mega Man Maverick Hunter X.

In the remake Mega Man Maverick Hunter X, Launch Octopus receives a redesign but plays largely the same role as in Mega Man X, being the boss of Subterranean Base. He is a narcissist who believes Sigma is one of the few who sees the true beauty of his fighting style. In battle, for X he is still weak to Rolling Shield and yields Homing Torpedo upon his defeat, while for Vile he is weak to some weapons obtained from Armored Armadillo (Deadstar Hug and Stubborn Crawler) and yields the Missile weapon system. Octopus's boss attack rematch later occurs in Sigma Palace 1, being the first of them all.

Other Game Appearances

• In CD versions of Mega Man X3, Launch Octopus fights X in the game's opening, being crushed by an Utuboros.
• In Mega Man X5, Launch Octopus is mentioned by Volt Kraken; this is because the two were comrades during Kraken's time as a Hunter, and he now resents X for Octopus's death.
• In Rockman ✕over, Launch Octopus is one of the four bosses from World 2.
• In TEPPEN, Launch Octopus appears in multiple cards.
• In Zombie Cafe, Launch Octopus appears as an enemy during the Rockman X event.

Other Media

• In the Rockman X manga, Launch Octopus reprises his role from Mega Man X.
• In Rockman X Mega Mission 3, Launch Octopus is revived as Launcher Octopuld HL by the Limited, disguising himself as Blau Launcher of the Masquerades.
• In the manga Irregular Hunter Rockman X, Launch Octopus reprises his role in Mega Man X.
• In Rockman X The Novel: Irregulars Report, Launch Octopus reprises his role from Mega Man X.
• In the Archie Mega Man comic, Launch Octopus appears in the "Worlds Unite" arc as one of the many Mavericks resurrected in Sigma's army.

Official Data

Rockman X manual				A Maverick Hunter who is part of the 6th Naval Unit. He always had doubts about working to protect people less powerful than himself. When he heard about Sigma's uprising, he sympathized with his idea of creating a world of only Reploids and joined the rebellion. He leads a fleet of sea creature Mechaniloids such as whales, anglerfish, and eels, to attack maritime cities and cut off sea routes.[JP]
Rockman X Chō Hyakka				...[JP]
				Height: 238 cm	Weight: 182 kg	Max Power: 4000rp	Max Speed: 3200rp
Mega Man Maverick Hunter X manual				Maverick Hunter formerly of the 6th Armada. With the plenty of firepower and military knowledge to match, this intellectual uses brain over brawn to outwit Mavericks. Seeking to achieve beauty in combat and strategy, he gains the ultimate pleasure from fighting elegantly and gracefully. Having taken over the ocean cities, he is planning to cut off all shipping routes.
Mega Man X Legacy Collection Gallery				Octopus distinguished himself as a Maverick Hunter in the 6th Naval Unit, but secretly always harbored contempt towards the weak humans he was tasked with protecting. Sigma's goals line up with his long-held dream of creating a Reploid nation, so he was among the first to join the uprising. He has deployed his fleet of whale, anglerfish, and eel-shaped Mechaniloids to assault cities built on the ocean and blockade important shipping lanes.

Mega Man X Stage Select

	Launch Octopus
	Height: 238 cm (7.80 ft) Weight: 182 kg (348 lb)
	Attacks: Homing Torpedo, E. Drain

Compendium of Rockman X

	Ocean Stage	Launch Octopus
	Weapon:	Homing Torpedo	Weakness:	Rolling Shield
	Profile:	A Reploid from the 6th Naval Unit. He always disliked protecting the humans because of their weakness, and after sympathizing with Sigma he ended up participating in the rebellion. He attacks maritime cities and blocks shipping routes.
	Attack:	Effect:
	Homing Torpedo	Launches missiles consecutively.
	Piranha	Shoots four homing piranhas.
	Whirlpool	Creates a whirlpool, pulling X close so he can steal his Life Energy.
	{{{attack4}}}	{{{effect4}}}
	{{{attack5}}}	{{{effect5}}}
	{{{attack6}}}	{{{effect6}}}
	{{{attack7}}}	{{{effect7}}}

	Ocean Base Stage	Launch Octopus
	Weapon:	Marine Tornado/Fish Fang	Weakness:	Tri-Thunder
	Profile:	A Reploid who belonged to the 6th Naval Unit. Dissatisfied with the idea of protecting the weak humans, he rebelled and joined Sigma for his similar ideals. Appeared in Mega Man X.
	Attack:	Effect:
	Missile	Launches missiles.
	Piranha	Fires four piranha-shaped missiles.
	Marine Tornado	Spins to suck the player in, while invincible.
	Jump Missile	Jumps while launching homing missiles.
	{{{attack5}}}	{{{effect5}}}
	{{{attack6}}}	{{{effect6}}}
	{{{attack7}}}	{{{effect7}}}

Behind the Scenes

Developer Commentary

"Inafune did Eagle and Penguin, Kaji designed Mandrill, Octopus, and Chameleon. Mammoth, Armadillo, and Kuwanger were Tazaki's. Even as I watched them work, I could really see each of their distinct flavors coming out in their illustrations." - (Tatsuya Yoshikawa)

"We were all responsible for doing the dots of the characters we designed. When working on Octopus, I was designing each part of him as its own animation and placing them together. I was under the impression that this would eat up less resources, but I was surprised to find out that my methods could actually eat up as many, if not more resource... (laughs) So I scrapped that." - (Hayato Kaji)

Nomenclature

Language	Name	Origin
Japanese	Launcher Octopuld (ランチャー・オクトパルド)	Named after rocket launchers and the octopus.
English	Launch Octopus