Jumping off sloped ground

If you jump while walking (not dashing) down a slope, your jump will be higher than normal. Sometimes, this trick allows you to gain access to areas usually only accessible through other means, but is more often used either to barely make it over a wall, or to jump earlier than normal to reach an overhang (if coming from the bottom of the slope), or to reach an overhang faster. Note that up-slopes are also down-slopes in disguise; when going up a slope, press the opposite direction for a couple frames and jump. The image to the right demonstrates how to clear a wall that is barely too high to dash-jump over.

Sloped ground also gives a horizontal boost, whether walking (not dashing) downward on it or jumping off of it from walking. This trick is useful when you do not have the dash (in the first part of MMX1). There is no negative boost for walking or jumping up-slope.

Water Hopping (MMX2, MMX3)

Double triangle-hop

The Ride Armor's Jets (MMX2)

Resetting the mid-air dash (MMX2)

Air-dashing close to the ceiling and grabbing the overhang from underneath (MMX2, MMX3)

Methods of luck manipulation

Dr. Light capsule manipulation (MMX2)

Passing through enemies

Passing through the giant fish’s laser in Bubble Crab’s stage (MMX2)

Dashing uncharged X-Buster

Shooting while charged and remaining charged (MMX1, MMX2)

Strike Chain (MMX2)

The Strike Chain is a weapon and grappling hook with many properties that are important in a speedrun:

The Strike Chain pulls X toward a wall. This method of horizontal movement is one of the fastest in the game, even though it is brief and limited. When charged, it pulls X even faster and from further away.

As the Strike Chain pulls X, vertical speed is preserved. X’s speed only resets if he reaches the end of the Strike Chain. If the Strike Chain pull is cancelled before then (by pressing opposite direction to the pull), X drops off the Strike Chain at the same vertical downward speed as when before being pulled, or even jump upward slightly if X was jumping upward before being pulled.

X can enter thin floors with Strike Chain. If X fires a Strike Chain prior to climbing down a ladder, the Strike Chain will continue and grab the interior of a thin floor when X climbs down. As a result, X is pulled into the floor. When X is inside the floor, it functions as a ladder. This trick does not work on floors with walls underneath.

The Strike Chain can reset vertical speed. If a Strike Chain grapples something and either pulls X completely or not at all, it resets vertical speed. Simply using Strike Chain close to an overhang resets vertical speed while keeping dash movement.

Beam Saber (MMX3)

The Beam Saber (or “Beam Sabre”) is the secret weapon that kills bosses in two hits. Yet much time can be saved from efficient usage:

• The Beam Saber will not fire until the charged shot is gone. The fastest way to clear a charged shot is to shoot it into a nearby enemy (the boss). It is necessary to prevent the boss from being harmed by this shot due to its 60-frame invincibility, so pre-hit the boss to make it flash beforehand in such a way that the charged shot does not harm the boss but the sword does. If it is not possible to do so in this manner, the next fastest way is to dash while shooting the charged shot off the edge of the screen.
• The Beam Saber strikes the fastest on the first frame on which it appears, which is behind X. X draws the Beam Saber one frame faster if he stands on the ground to start swinging than when in midair.
• To charge up a second Beam Saber, it is fastest to take damage after hitting with the first Beam Saber so that the slash animation is cancelled. Post-slash animation has no effect on charging.
• To cancel either the post-slash animation or the Beam Saber altogether before it slashes, quickly switch weapons. Useful for regaining full control of X.
• The Beam Saber allows charging of all weapons to the yellow level, even without X-Buster upgrade. This allows firing a special weapon and charging to prepare a Beam Saber.

Beam Saber/Charged X-Buster double-jump (MMX3)

Zero’s continuous Beam Saber (MMX3)

Cancelling damage animation near a wall

If you press left or right to grab a wall when X is forced toward it from being damaged, damage animation will be cancelled. Not only does this save time, but it prevents X from falling a long distance or recoiling, and thus plays a vital part in spike-shaft climbing.

Touching lethal ground while damaged

Gaining height from hit recovery

• Spark Mandrill (X1): Becomes vulnerable again while he is still frozen from Shotgun Ice.

• Flame Stag (X2): Invincibility is forced off when he starts throwing flames while on the ground. Bubble Splash can force this action.

• Overdrive Ostrich (X2): Becomes vulnerable again while he is still frozen from Crystal Hunter. When he breaks out of frozen animation, he is invincible for 60 frames. Just before he shoots charged Sonic Slicer, he can be hit. Then right after, invincibility is forced off and he can be hit again.

• Sigma 1 (X2): Becomes vulnerable every time he performs an action from the ground. This is notable when he dashes to slash you.

• Toxic Seahorse (X3): Becomes totally vulnerable (no recovery) for about 20 frames while he is still blinking from Frost Shield. Must be hit above a certain height.

• Volt Catfish (X3): Invincibility is forced off to Tornado Fang when he turns blue from his super attack. Still, avoid using Tornado Fang except on the last hit.

• Crush Crawfish (X3): Becomes totally vulnerable (no recovery) for about 120 frames while he is still blinking from Triad Thunder. Use a rapid-fire weapon.

• Neon Tiger (X3): Invincibility is forced off when he performs his next action from the ground.

• Gravity Beetle (X3): Invincibility is forced off when he is hit by Ray Splasher while flashing.

• Blast Hornet (X3): Gravity Well does damage to Blast Hornet in a unique way and has nothing to do with invincibility. The blinking is for show.

• Wire Sponge (X2): If Wire Sponge’s health goes below 10, then after he completes his current action, he becomes invincible for a long time while using his lightning attack. If his current action is hanging on the ceiling, then you can beat him before he finishes this.

• Wheel Gator (X2): Wheel Gator can be hit with Strike Chain right away at the beginning, and can be hit just before diving, thus forming a cycle.

• (MMX1): 358, 393, 445, 447
• (MMX2): 441, 444, 508, 510
• (MMX3): 441, 444, 519, 521

Explanation:

• The first press clears the opening as soon as possible (it is permitted to hold down any button to clear).
• The second one skips the intro scene by glitching.
• The third button presses "Game Start" from the menu.
• The fourth button clears this menu screen without having to wait for it to fade.

It is possible to, by delaying dialog scrolling when Zero jumps on Vile, to form a Vile/Zero mutation image.

1) By doing a shōryūken into the center of Zero's room during the final level, you place X in the middle instead of his normal location. When Zero punches a hole in the floor, X simply falls in and the script where Sigma prepares for his first attack runs at the same time as Zero saying “Sigma lies just ahead.” This trick requires collecting all of Zero’s parts and the shōryūken. For some invincibility fun, see Shōryūken invincibility while playing below.

2) From the rightmost point where you still maintain control of X, it is possible to dash and use shōryūken so that X ends up right between Sigma and his black Zero. From so far in, when Zero shoots at Sigma, he will hit X instead, giving him control. Then, just jump into the hole Zero makes and continue (if you are performing the invincibility trick later, use a sub-tank to refill health).

The first and most well known is during the first battle with Neo Sigma^[1]. Perform the Zero-Sigma dialog bug. When Sigma’s health gauge is charging, perform a shōryūken anywhere. If you are still doing it when the gauge reaches maximum, you will stop in midair and be invincible for the remainder of the battle unless you perform a shōryūken again or beat Sigma.

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwIkwuT8ZMI#t=0m54s

Note: The following three tricks are not of serious interest in a speedrun. They are completely out of the way.
The others are in Morph Moth’s stage, Magna Centipede’s (without Sigma), and Bubble Crab’s. For Morph Moth’s level, simply perform a shōryūken into the battle room with the second junk robot miniboss.

For Magna Centipede's level, you will need a sub tank. Use shōryūken into Chop Register’s room as far as you can. You will be hit by the materializing sword and regain control. Heal up and use the shōryūken as the battle would start.

For Bubble Crab’s level, use the Giga Crush just as the submarine exits its bay, so that the submarine travels underneath X, who falls on it. Again, heal quickly after taking a hit and then use shōryūken. Bubble Crab’s level requires very good timing and quick reflexes to accomplish compared to the others.

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAtozy0EItU

• Before all boss rematches in MMX2 which have X drop into a room (weapon switch only).

• In Crush Crawfish’s stage after you destroy the engine, just before you drop. (MMX3)

Using the junk heads, it is possible to enter where the heads dropped from. This glitch does not work in E version.

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAz3t856oCk

Note: This alternate path is slower, because of a mysterious climb somewhere along the way.

It is common knowledge that you must visit a certain area (near the end of Armored Armadillo’s stage, high up on the last wall with energy capsule) five times, and you must have all the items, weapons, and upgrades to get the hadōken. However, there are a couple misconceptions:

• It is assumed that you must have all the items, weapons, and upgrades to begin the sequence; this is not true. You can have nothing and start to visit the hadōken area and it will count as a visit. This is why it is sometimes reported that you need four visits (because the first visit to Armored Armadillo’s stage counts as a visit if you get close enough). As for having everything, it comes into play only on the last visit.

• It is assumed that you must grab the energy capsule; this is not true. Getting near the area where the capsule would appear is enough. You can simply make X hit the lower-left corner of the visit area, as shown in the image above.

Note that you also need full health on the last visit to make the capsule appear.

The number of visits is stored in memory address 7E1F7E. Check this address to make sure that you visit.

• Charge up Shotgun Ice and put it in a wall.
• When it forms a platform, stand on it.
• Start the hadōken sequence by pressing down, down-forward, forward, then press start to enter the sub-menu.
• Select X-Buster, then press fire on the first frame when you regain control.
• If done right, X will fire a hadōken in mid-air.

This trick is useful against Rangda Bangda (face boss) and Sting Chameleon.

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZs7vnEgglk#t=8m24s

As an example, it is possible to skip the Crystal Snail miniboss in X2 on a console by using a charged-up Silk Shot. Apparently, it cannot be done in Snes9x. It is demonstrated in the console speedrun of MMX2 at SDA.

• Game Resources ― we have resource pages for other games too!
• Common Tricks ― tricks common to many games
• Boss Fighting Guide ― tricks specific to boss fights