List of Mega Man characters

This is a list of characters from the Mega Man series. In Japan, the Mega Man series is known as Rockman. This refers to rock music, and is one of many musical puns in the series. Possible confusion over the name (i.e. believing it meant stone), or avoiding confusion with the former Marvel comics superhero Rockman, is the main reasons cited for the name change upon international release; many character name changes followed suit.

English names are listed first. Japanese names are listed second, if they differ.

Main characters

Mega Man

Main article: Mega Man (character)

Mega Man (ロックマン, Rokkuman, Rockman) is the hero of the games, created by Dr. Light. Originally created as a lab assistant named "Rock", he was modified for battle after Dr. Wily reprogrammed the original Robot Masters. Due to his Variable Weapons System, he can copy the weapon of any Robot Master he defeats in combat and use it as his own.

Dr. Light

Doctor Thomas Light (Dr.ライト, Dokutā Raito, sometimes misspelled as Right or Wright) is depicted as an aged British scientist, who is a peerless roboticist and winner of the Nobel Prize. He is the creator of protagonist Mega Man, several other robots, and ultimately X, whose design revolutionizes the world. While a pacifist, he reluctantly recognizes that the use of force can be a necessity. He plays a supporting role, often developing and distributing new gear. In the Mega Man X series, Dr. Light resumes his supporting role through enhancement capsules that contain upgrades to X's systems together with messages relayed by silver/blue, slightly translucent holographic projections.

Dr. Light graduates from Robot Institute of Technology's engineering department, where he meets his colleague Dr. Albert Wily. He soon creates Proto Man, Mega Man, Roll and the several other robots. While his robots are masterworks, they are still automata, programmable tools. The last creation of the aging doctor is X, the first robot capable of genuinely independent thought and decisions. Fearful of what might happen should X go wrong, Dr. Light seals him for extensive diagnostics, knowing that X will exceed his own remaining lifespan. When X is found roughly a century later, his design is used as a basis for the reploid race of machine life.

Dr. Light's first name is possibly named after American inventor Thomas Edison. The NES version of Dr. Light strongly resembles Santa Claus.

Dr. Wily

Introduced in the first Mega Man game, scientist Doctor Albert W. Wily (Dr.ワイリー, Dokutā Wairī) was originally Dr. Light's partner, and helped him create a series of humanoid robots to help mankind, such as the boy robot Rock and the construction robot Guts Man, though the world ignored his contribution. Out of jealousy for Light, he reprogrammed the robots, with the exception of Rock, to assist him in taking over the world. He was however defeated by Rock, who voluntarily upgraded to the combat robot "Mega Man". Wily returned as the antagonist in subsequent titles of the main series with a different scheme each time, only to be defeated and surrender to Mega Man at the end.

Wily has also been instrumental in the backgrounds of other characters in the series. He repaired the prototype for Mega Man, "Proto Man", and in Mega Man 7 used what he learned during the process to create his answer to Light's work, Bass. After Bass proved to be unreliable, Wily refined his design, creating the robot Zero. Zero would appear in the Mega Man X and Mega Man Zero games as a hero working alongside Light's last creation, "X". Though Wily died prior to the X series, his legacy continued through a virus initially carried by Zero and transferred to Sigma, creating the X series antagonist "Sigma Virus", along with all the Mavericks.

Dr. Wily's first name and appearance is most likely inspired by German-born scientist Albert Einstein.

Proto Man

Proto Man (ブルース, Burūsu, Blues) is the early prototype of Mega Man that made his first appearance in Mega Man 3, under the name of Break Man to help train Mega Man by fighting him. Beyond their armor and personality, Proto Man and Mega Man are supposedly completely identical. At the end of Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters, it is revealed by Dr. Light that Proto Man's body has a fatal defect in his energy system, and as a result, is in great pain and has a more limited lifespan.

As Proto Man's design is similar to Mega Man's, he has similar capabilities, with his primary weapon being an arm cannon. His arm cannon is much more powerful than Mega Man's and it can produce a variety of shots, including the "Big-Bang Blast", a large concentration of Proto Man's remaining energy put into a blast so powerful that it can damage his body. He has also been shown to have the same weapon-copying powers as Mega Man, with his body changing color in a similar fashion depending on the weapon acquired. He carries his unique Proto Shield, which can deflect projectile attacks.

The only main series game in which Proto Man is playable is Mega Man 9, and only through a downloadable content license. Unlike Mega Man in that game, he can slide and charge his arm cannon. He can also block attacks with his shield, but only while jumping, and shares the ability to absorb weapons from defeated Robot Masters. However, he suffers double damage and is knocked back twice as far on contact compared to his brother. Also, Proto Man may only shoot two pellets at a time, whereas Mega Man can shoot three.

In early release info for Mega Man 3, the lack of distinction between the "l" and "r" sounds in Japanese pronunciation caused Americans to misinterpret Proto Man's original name as "Bruce".

Bass

Bass (フォルテ, Forute, Forte) is a robot designed by Dr. Wily. He was constructed based on research conducted on Mega Man with the intention of matching his power. Wily makes mention of discovering the energy that powers Bass, Bassnium, the most powerful form of energy on Earth, entirely by mistake. Despite being created by Wily, Bass frequently rebels against his creator when he feels Wily is standing between him and defeating Mega Man. His desire to defeat Mega Man and be acknowledged as the world's strongest robot borders on fanaticism. Though he wants to defeat Mega Man, Bass often works together with him against a common enemy, though usually for his own purposes.

Bass's weapon is the powerful Bass Buster, which originally functioned similarly to the Mega Buster, albeit with slightly different shots. As of Mega Man & Bass, however, the Bass Buster has lost its ability to charge its shots in favor of a drastically increased rate of fire and ability to fire upwards and diagonally. Unlike the Mega Buster, the bullets do not travel through solid surfaces unless an upgrade is acquired and equipped. Like Mega Man and Proto Man, Bass can also copy the weapons of Robot Masters, his body changing colors to reflect the weapon currently equipped. He can also combine with Treble, allowing Bass to take flight and shoot more powerful projectiles from his buster.

Save for a cameo showing a schematic of Bass, Bass is absent in Mega Man 9. His absence wasn't explained. Although, according to the booklet that came with the Rockman 9 Arranged Album, Bass was undergoing some adjustments, and was being upgraded by Dr. Wily.

In Megaman 2: The Power Fighters, Zero makes a cameo appearance, and Wily says that it's a creation that will surpass even Bass itself. Bass says that he will destroy this creation, and that no other robot is more powerful than he is. It's not explained what happened to Bass before the events of the Mega Man X.

Supporting characters

Auto

Auto (Rightot in Japan) was created by Dr. Light as a lab assistant, due to Rock being unable to fulfill that role after his adoption of the superhero identity "Mega Man". He is introduced in Mega Man 7, where he provides Mega Man with upgrades and parts. In Mega Man 8, Auto assists Mega Man in the Rush Jet scenes, using a rocket launcher as well as a propeller in his head that allows him to fly. He also appears in Mega Man & Bass, creating upgrades for the player in exchange for 'bolts' dropped by defeated enemies. He also made a cameo appearance in CD versions of Mega Man X3, where if you pay attention to Volt Catfish's FMV intro, you can see Auto sitting in the background watching TV.

Beat

Beat is a robotic bird that has appeared continuously in many Mega Man games. He was created by Dr. Cossack to provide additional support to Mega Man during the events of Mega Man 5. Beat homes in on enemies, providing damage by physical contact. In Mega Man 7 and Mega Man 9, he rescues Mega Man from pits and in Mega Man 8, assists Mega Man during the Rush Jet scenes. He also provides Mega Man with an energy barrier in Mega Man & Bass. He assisted Duo and Proto Man as temporary invincibility powerups in Power Battle.

Bio-Devil

The Bio Devil is a mechaniloid first created by Dr. Wily. Other versions appear in the various series of the Mega Man metaseries. All of the Bio-devils consist of a ball-shaped body with over-proportionate hands and feet. At the center of the body is a single, mechanical eye. This eye is what keeps the bio-devil together and is also its one and only weakness. Each utilizes its malleable body substance and brute strength to lash out at intruders. Each version has a different name, including the Yellow Devil, Green Devil, Black Devil, Rainbow Devil, and Lava Devil.

Dr. Cossack

Dr. Mikhail Sergeyevich Cossack was a Russian colleague of Dr. Light. He appeared in Mega Man 4 as the game's main adversary; however, it turns out he was being blackmailed, as Wily had kidnapped his daughter Kalinka. When Kalinka was rescued by Proto Man and the truth was revealed, Dr. Cossack turned on Wily and joined Mega Man's side. He is the inventor of Beat and the Super Mega Buster, as well as numerous industrial and military robots. He also appears in the "Navi Mode" of Mega Man 5 in the Mega Man Anniversary Collection to provide gameplay hints to Mega Man. The comic "Bob and George" also prominently features both Dr. Cossack and Kalinka, who are "revealed" to be communists within the B&G continuity. It also features the Commie-Bot Ran, a fan-character of Dave Anez' that is now well-known among both the B&G and Mega Man fanbase.

Dr. Cossack is likely named after Peace Prize-winner and the last president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, although Gorbachev is not of cossack decent.

Duo

Duo is a robot made on an alien planet, designed to eradicate "Evil Energy". Duo was formally introduced in Mega Man 8, chasing the adult stage of evil energy in its final form. After crashing to Earth, he is repaired by Dr. Light, and soon becomes an ally of Mega Man. After finally defeating the evil energy on Earth, he thanks Mega Man and leaves Earth to resume his search. He later appears in Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters, which was actually released before Mega Man 8, Mega Man Battle & Chase, and Rockman Strategy.

The bulk of Duo's offensive abilities are attributed to his powerful left arm, with a fist nearly as large as his own torso, and his large spiked body. He attacks primarily by punching, though he is capable of using projectile weapons, the most powerful of which is a blast in the shape of his own hand. He also appears to have the same weapon copying abilities displayed by Mega Man, Proto Man, and Bass. As with them, his body changes color in accordance with the weapon he has equipped. Also, having been created for the purpose of destroying evil energy, he seems to have the unique ability to purge said energy from an infected victim's body, as demonstrated when saving Mega Man.

Eddie

Eddie, also known as Flip Top was created by Dr. Light (or possibly Dr. Cossack) as a "walking suitcase", usually sent to help Mega Man by providing recovery items during the game. He is also able to fire bombs out of his head while assisting Mega Man in the Rush Jet sections of Mega Man 8. Eddie first appeared in Mega Man 4.

Being that Eddie is a walking head, he might be a reference to Iron Maiden's mascot Eddie the Head.

Kalinka

Kalinka Cossacka is Dr. Cossack's daughter, who was kidnapped by Dr. Wily in order to force her father into declaring war against Mega Man on Wily's behalf. She was however rescued by Proto Man right before Mega Man managed to defeat Cossack in his citadel. Kalinka is not present in any other games in the series, but appears in the "Navi Mode" of Mega Man 4 in the Mega Man Anniversary Collection to provide gameplay hints to Mega Man.

Kalinka is named after the famous Russian song of the same name.

King

King is a robot appearing in Megaman and Bass that appeared to have free will and had decided to create a robot empire and wipe out humanity (similar to Sigma in the later Mega Man X series). In the game, Mega Man and Bass had to fight him and many robots that had "joined" him (two recurring from Mega Man 8). When either one finally defeats King, it's revealed that he had actually been programmed to form a rebellion along with the other robots (and thus didn't actually have free will) by Dr. Wily, at which point the player must then defeat Wily. While King is assumed dead, during the ending it is revealed that he survived and is now a wanderer, much like Proto Man. He then apologized for his actions that he had caused and wishes to meet up with Mega Man peacefully.

Sunstar

Sunstar is the ancient robot Dr. Wily based his "Stardroid" designs on in Mega Man V (Gameboy). He was apparently built by an ancient alien civilization in the Solar System that is long gone by the time Wily discovers him. These details suggest that Sunstar's creators are different from Duo's creators. Wily reverse engineers him to create the Star Droids both as very powerful new weapons and to disguise the true nature of the attack on Earth (at first they are assumed to simply be alien robots). When Mega Man finds Wily, he decides to activate Sunstar itself and orders it to destroy Mega Man. Instead, Sunstar reveals its independent nature by deciding to attack Wily, and then it decides that organic beings in general should be wiped out for creating so many weapons and attacks Mega Man for defending them. Sunstar is possibly the most powerful of the robots in the series (save for Duo) as his shots disintegrate entire floors during the final battle and he was able to knock out Wily's UFO with a single shot. Upon defeating Sunstar, Mega Man attempts to convince him that not all humans are bad, and while Sunstar seems to agree, he reveals that Mega Man has damaged his energy core and when he explodes it'll take out the entire space fortress, and so Mega Man is forced to escape without him.

Mega Man Killers

The Mega Man Killers are a series of robots appearing in the Game Boy series. The Mega Man Killers are robots created by Dr. Wily to destroy Mega Man, who in turn defeats each of them and foils Wily's latest plot. All four reappear as bosses in Game Boy version of Mega Man V.

• Enker is the Mega Man Killer of Mega Man in Dr. Wily's Revenge. He wields a javelin, but his main attack is his "Mirror Buster", which allows him to absorb Mega Man's buster shots and fire them back through his javelin, though by doing this, he damages himself. In addition to the later group appearances, Enker also appears in Wily and Right's RockBoard: That's Paradise and as the first fortress boss in Mega Man Soccer.

• Quint is the Mega Man Killer of Mega Man II. His weapon is a jackhammer/pogo stick amalgamation called "Sakugarne" which can attack his foes by collecting rocks and boulders from the ground. Some sources imply that Quint is actually a remodeled Mega Man, created by Dr. Wily when he traveled forward in time using the Time Skimmer. However, an earlier Japanese source states that he is an entirely new robot created during Wily's stay in the future.

• Punk is the Mega Man Killer of Mega Man III. He is armed with the "Screw Crusher", a weapon that flings blades at Mega Man, but he can also hurl himself after transforming to strike with his embedded blades.

• Ballade is the Mega Man Killer of Mega Man IV. His weapon is the "Ballade Cracker", which can lay immobile timed mines or fire smaller explosives from the tops of his arms. Ballade, after being defeated, seems to turn against Dr. Wily, and self-destructs to destroy a wall obstructing Mega Man, thus allowing Mega Man to escape back to Earth safely from his space fortress.

Met

The Met (short for the Metall, Metool, Mettenna, and Mettaur variants of the name) is another flagship enemy of the series. Appearing in nearly every game, the average Met is a tiny construction robot wearing a disproportionately-sized hard hat with a "plus" sign marked on it. Mets usually wait below their helmet before attacking, as it is impervious to nearly all of Mega Man's weapons. They appear in the various series of the Mega Man metaseries, with many different variations and forms. In the original Mega Man, another common enemy character named the Picket Man, has a head similar to the Metool, but with a full body. A common joke is that while Metool hats are abundant and impervious to all forms of attack, no boss is ever fully constructed with the substance (which would make gameplay impossible, as the boss in question would be invincible) despite the fact that the enemy would ideally want their bosses to be impervious to attacks.

Reggae

Reggae is a robotic bird who is the pet of Dr. Wily. He is featured in an anime featured only in Japan. He was featured in Wily & Right no RockBoard: That's Paradise (Or RockBoard for short) and Rockman & Forte: Challenger From the Future as a weapon for Bass. Its only known cameo outside of Japan is in Mega Man 7, in which if you type in an incorrect password at the pass word screen, it shows an image of Reggae.

Roll

Roll (ロール, Rōru) is a female robot designed for housekeeping instead of fighting. She is the younger female counterpart of Mega Man (formerly known as Rock, a play on the term rock and roll), and plays a supporting role in the games. Roll first appears very briefly during the ending of the very first game of the series. Because so, her name was never mentioned until Mega Man 3, where her entry in Dr. Light's robot list is shown during the ending. It is likely that Mega Girl, in the Captain N: The Game Master cartoon, is Roll.

She is usually depicted in a red outfit with blonde hair. While she was not designed for fighting, she is a combatant in the fighting games, Marvel vs. Capcom and Marvel vs. Capcom 2. She fights similarly to Mega Man and has an external "Roll Buster." She also appears in the similar Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars, where she uses her Powered Up model. She is also a playable character in Mega Man Powered Up, where she uses a broom as a default weapon with her skill, the Roll Swing, which she uses to swing a close range weapon that deals a large amount of damage. Roll can be played in several unlockable outfits, each with its own variation of the broom weapon. The version of Roll in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom appears to be based on the Mega Man Powered Up version. She is also confirmed to be in Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes.

Rush

Rush is a robotic dog belonging to Mega Man. He is introduced in Mega Man 3, and has appeared in many games since. Created by Dr. Light and Dr. Wily to be an all around support unit, Rush has the ability to transform into various forms. Rush Marine transforms Rush into a small, one-seated submarine, and Rush Jet transforms his legs into jet engines that let him take flight. Rush also has the Rush Coil, which is a spring that pops out of his back and helps Mega Man reach higher platforms that he normally can't access. Other games have him transform into a motorcycle and a drill car. In later games, Rush can attach himself to Mega Man, allowing him to float, shoot more powerful blasts, and launch his arms as projectiles. Rush's name is possibly a reference to the music group Rush.

Tango

Tango is a robotic cat and one of Mega Man's allies. Tango can change itself into a buzzsaw and dive into enemies, until all in-area enemies are defeated or his energy is expended. Tango only appears in Mega Man V for the Game Boy and Rockman & Forte: Challenger From the Future for the WonderSwan.

Treble

Treble (ゴスペル, Gosuperu, Gospel) is Bass' equivalent to Mega Man's dog, Rush. Like Rush, Treble can assume a jet-like form (as seen in Mega Man 8) and fly. After Bass stole designs for the Rush Adapter during the events of Mega Man 7, Treble has been able to transform into an armored suit for Bass, the "Treble Boost". This gives Bass limited flight capability and increased firepower. In Mega Man & Bass, the Treble Boost also grants Bass invulnerability while its energy lasts.