25th Anniversary: Iris

Well, I'd say the "cutest picture" spot in my library has been decided. Iris always pushes me to give it my all. Doubly so, in this case, since I'm hoping it's good enough to convince to not cave in my skull. Sharing favorite characters can be tricky sometimes, eh?

Iris as a character emphasizes dreams and potential over the present reality (something you kind of need if you've been any kind of Mega Man fan at all since 2011). Being completely honest and objective, it would be hard to argue that she WASN'T introduced in X4 as a one-dimensional throw-away who could have easily sent a feminist media critic into a bloody rage. But being the first female of the X-series, the popular red guy's girlfriend, and not to mention so freaking sweet and cuddly, we just couldn't leave it at that. Both in and outside of Capcom, there's a widespread urge to see Iris as more than she first appeared, to go back and dig at what lies beneath the surface. This resulted in not only a boatload of fan-based media, but also her appearance in official merchandise, crossovers, and prequels as well. I can't be the only guy who spent the entire Zero series wondering why she didn't get a reference there...

Quite a bit of growth for somebody who died in her first appearance. Iris stands as a reminder to never remain complacent in a hopeless situation. There's always some way to make it better.

(*resists urge to make "What am I fighting for?" reference*)

This is one of my two entries for the Mega Man 25th Anniversary Collaboration:
[link]