Mega Man

Mega Man (created 200X), civilian name Rock, is the main protagonist of the Mega Man comic series, and a character that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs, published by Archie Comics. He is a human-based helper robot from an alternate reality in the year 20XX, who protect Mega City.

Rock and his sister Roll were created by world-renowned robotics engineer Dr. Light as his lab assistants, but quickly came to be regarded by Dr. Light as his children as well. They helped him build his Robot Masters, robots designed to help humanity. Unfortunately, Dr. Light's old colleague Dr. Wily became jealous of Light's successes and reprogrammed the Robot Masters for his own efforts in taking over the world. With no one else capable of stopping Wily, Rock agreed to be modified into a combat robot in order to stop the renegade Robot Masters, and thus became the heroic Mega Man. He would go on to challenge Dr. Wily and other threats, and gain new allies along the way.

When Wily joined forces with other-dimensional villain Dr. Eggman to take over their universes, Mega Man teamed up with the heroic Sonic the Hedgehog. They would later join forces again to help battle the evil Sigma from the future of Mega Man's world.

Appearance
In his civilian form, Mega Man resembles a young human boy with brown hair, peach skin and blue eyes. He wears a blue shirt with short white sleeves, black pants, and blue boots that he retains as Mega Man. Upon transforming for battle, he gains light blue armor around his wait, a blue helmet with light blue squares on it that leaves his face exposed, and blue gauntlets and gloves. He can also transform his forearms into his signature weapon, the Mega Buster. His armor changes colors when he equips the weapons of other Robot Masters or Roboticized Masters:
 * Orange and white: Tails Wind
 * Dark and light green: Acoustic Blaster
 * Purple and black: Chroma Camo
 * Black and yellow: Rapid Stinger
 * Black and red: Chaos Cannon
 * Lavender and white: Fire Tornado
 * White and teal: Psycho Burst
 * Red and pink: Piko Hammer
 * Red and white: Sharp Knuckle
 * White and black: Black Wave

Prelude
Having stopped Wily twice and the tranquility of the doctor's absence was continuing, Mega Man celebrated his birthday with the entire Mega City civilians. However, Mega Man's estranged brother, Proto Man (under the guise of Break Man) appeared in Mega City to attack the celebrating citizens. Leaving his Robot Master brothers Bomb Man, Guts Man and Cut Man to aid in evacuating the area, Mega Man pursued the red figure (unaware of his identity) aboard Rush. The tussle between the two ended with Mega Man on the losing end. Accepting his fate, Mega Man pleaded with the enemy not to destroy his I.C. Chip (the source of a robots personality) as it would hurt his father, Dr. Light. Break Man hesitated upon hearing Mega Man's plea, before attempting to escape, but Mega Man, determined to found out his identity, grabbed him and attempted to remove Break Man's helmet, but not before the world around them suddenly faded into white from the Genesis Wave.

Kindred Spirits

 * Note: The "Worlds Collide" storyline takes place after the events of Mega Man 10, whereas in the main comic world outside and before "Worlds Collide" takes place before the adaption of Super Adventure Rockman.

After the Genesis Wave washed over his world, Rock found himself at Light Labs in the near future, after a series of further adventures against Dr. Wily that involved defeating such threats as Ra Moon. Here, Dr. Light was working on a new addition to the Robot Masters. Just then, Roll came in and informed the pair that Proto Man was involved in a battle in downtown Mega City. Transforming into Mega Man, he rushed to the aid of his sibling, saving Proto Man from destruction at the hands of the Roboticized Masters. After being informed of their theft of a large gemstone and being warned about their powers by Proto Man, Mega Man left his brother on the sidelines to engage them. He offered the group the chance to surrender, but was then attacked by the robots. In the course of the fight, he learned that his Mega Buster's charged shot was capable of stunning the robots, only to be struck down by a rapidly moving blue figure. Recovering, he then pursued the Roboticized Masters and their newest ally through a Warp Ring, ending up in the Green Hill Zone of Mobius. The Masters scattered, and the blue blur continued to attack Mega Man, drawing him away from the escaping robots. Following the attacker, he was inadvertently attacked by Sonic the Hedgehog, who mistook Mega Man for his doppelganger Copy Robot, while Mega Man came to believe that the Hedgehog was his previous quarry. Mega Man was surprised that his sensors registered Sonic as a living being, but dismissed it as damage taken from the hit. With that, the pair engaged in battle.

The two continued to battle each other in the Green Hill Zone, and Mega Man continued to note with confusion that Sonic was registering as an organic being on his sensors. He dismissed the notion based on Sonic's incredible speed-beyond that of his old foes Quick Man, Nitro Man and Flash Man-which he believed no living being could attain. He was further confused by Sonic's remarks about missing friends and a doctor whom he assumed was Wily. Believing that Sonic was another rebellious robot like Bass, he determined to defeat it and take its Integrated Circuit Chip back to Dr. Light for repairs, but quickly learned that it would not be so easy. During a brief lull in the battle, Mega Man realized bleakly that Sonic's speed might just be too much for him to overcome. A sudden counterattack from Sonic, utilizing the curious setup of the Zone, briefly stunned Mega Man, but he managed to get back up and continue fighting. In the midst of the fighting, another Warp Ring opened up-courtesy of Dr. Light-which Mega Man recognized as a means of returning home. The distraction cost him, as Sonic was able to remove an essential component of his Mega Buster, rendering it useless. Recognizing the need for repairs, as well as to keep Sonic in his sights, he decided to trick Sonic into following him through the portal, which worked like a charm. Arriving back in Mega City, Mega Man expressed his appreciation for his father's efforts, surprising Sonic-though not as much as he did by calling his allies Rush, Tango, Eddie, and Beat.

With assistance from his robotic friends, Mega Man quickly turned the tables on Sonic, repairing his Mega Buster and gaining an aerial advantage with help from both Beat and Rush while Tango attacked the Hedgehog directly. Sonic attempted to break away from the fight, and in pursuing him Mega Man recognized the potential danger to civilians by their struggle. He tried to reason with Sonic again, only to be informed that the Hedgehog had no knowledge of the bank heist. Sonic also accused him of kidnapping several of his friends, which Mega Man likewise denied. Panicking that they're catching on, the doctors commanded Tails Man to intervene, prompting the blue heroes to form a truce to protect the civilians. After performing a duel strike-Mega Man's Mega Buster shot followed by Sonic's Spin Dash-Tails Man was left paralyzed, allowing Mega Man to absorb his weapons data, inadvertently restoring the young fox back to his original form. After recovering from his disorientation, Tails explained that he was kidnapped, not by Mega Man (as Sonic immediately assumed) but by Metal Sonic and a similar looking purple and gold robot, who Mega Man immediately recognized as his fierce rival Bass. Tails then explained further that he was taken to a laboratory run by Dr. Eggman and Dr. Wily.

The three heroes reasoned that everything they'd just been through was planned by the doctors, to which Sonic simply responded that they should go and "kick some doctor butt", leaving Mega Man astounded at the hedgehog's nonchalant attitude toward the fact that they attempted to kill each other just minutes before (as well as being worried over how his programming-to not harm life-was compromised). Recognizing the misunderstanding, and to show his appreciation for saving Tails, the blue heroes patched things up with a handshake, before deciding that they should head over to Light Labs to find out where the doctors were hiding; returning to find Dr. Light being carried away through a warp ring by Bass and Metal Sonic! After introducing Sonic and Tails to his siblings, they managed to pinpoint the doctors location. Opening a new warp ring into the unknown, Mega Man, Proto Man, Rush, and the Mobian duo stepped into the Skull Egg Zone.

Into the Warzone
Mega Man and Proto Man were initially unnerved by the sight of the Skull Egg Zone, but were boosted by the unshaken Sonic and Tails. Unfortunately, more disturbing discoveries awaited them in the form of Copy Robot and the Genesis Unit, who attacked them as they made their way through the Zone. Rock ended up in a battle with Copy Robot, who used a hoverboard to match Mega Man's use of Rush. Copy Robot claimed that their equal abilities made it so that Mega Man couldn't win, but Mega Man unleashed a surprise: the Tails Wind ability he had gained upon Tails' restoration to normal. This ability downed Copy Robot and then allowed Mega Man to aid his friends in defeating the Genesis Unit. Both he and Proto Man then discussed the unsettling presence of their old foes, whom they explained to Sonic and Tails had been destroyed with no known means of being recreated. This left them worried about what Eggman and Wily were capable of, but with no other options they pressed on along with Rush, Sonic, and Tails. The heroes soon ran into their next obstacle: the assembled might of all eight remaining Roboticized Masters.

Mega Man and his friends soon found themselves engaged in a heated battle with the Robot Masters while Eggman and Wily observed the proceedings with glee. Proto Man then broke away to go after Dr. Light, which prompted the villains to send five of the Roboticized Masters after him. This left Mega Man and the others to deal with Vector Man, Charmy Man, and Espio Man, a task that at first seemed impossible. However, after reviewing their battle with Tails Man, Sonic and Mega Man came upon the possibility that their combined attacks-Mega Man's Mega Buster shots and Sonic's Spin Dash-had the potential to restore the Master to normal. Sonic thus kept the Roboticized Chaotix busy while Tails modified Mega Man's weapon to mimic Sonic's abilities. The attempt worked, and the heroes gained allies in Charmy Bee, Espio the Chameleon, and Vector the Crocodile, who volunteered to track down Proto Man and aid him in their search. Mega Man also grew excited over being able to use his three new Roboticized Master Weapons to continue the rescue of Sonic's friends and his father.

Making their way deeper into the Skull Egg Zone, Mega Man and his friends were engaged by a pair of confusing foes: the Robot Master Shadow Man and the Roboticized Master of the same name. After overcoming the fact that their foes had identical titles, Mega Man managed to restore Shadow the Hedgehog to his normal form and use his Chaos Cannon to stop Shadow Man, whom Shadow then destroyed out of rage. He then teleported away using Chaos Control, which inadvertently reawakened the heroes' memories of how reality was supposed to be. Realizing that stopping the evil doctors was more urgent than ever, they set out again only to run into Silver Man and Blaze Woman. Mega Man managed to restore Silver the Hedgehog to normal despite being frozen by the time traveler's psychic powers, and they then worked together to restore Blaze the Cat. With the ranks of their allies growing, they set out once again to catch up to Proto Man and the others.

Mega Man and friends soon found themselves engaging the final pair of Roboticized Masters, Knuckles Man and Rose Woman. The two proved a formidable pair, and the situation grew dire as both were revealed to have orders to self-destruct. Thinking quickly, Mega Man employed his new weapons to overpower Rose Woman and turn her back into Amy Rose, which allowed him to turn her Piko Hammer weapon against Knuckles Man. In short order Knuckles the Echidna was back to normal as well, and the heroes were then contacted by Proto Man and the Chaotix with news that they had caught up to the Wily Egg, Wily and Eggman's flying fortress. Knowing they would need all the help they could muster, Mega Man and Tails went off to collect Silver and Blaze while Amy and Sonic went looking for Shadow.

Chaos Clash
Joined by the former Roboticized Masters-and by Shadow's ally E-123 Omega-Mega Man and the heroes soon gathered at the Wily Egg and found themselves facing the evil doctors' first line of defense: the Robot Master Army. As the battle was joined, Mega Man noted that the majority of the Robot Masters he had ever faced in the altered timeline were present, though thankfully not his brothers from the original line. The heroes soon realized that Eggman and Wily had to be time-cloning defeated Masters and sending them back into the fray, as old foes like Shadow Man and the Genesis Unit reappeared to challenge them. Mega Man and his friends fought bravely, though Mega Man tried to convince their foes to give up so he wouldn't be forced to defeat them again. They then defeated Rouge Woman, a surprise final Roboticized Master who led the army into battle, and restored her to her normal form of Rouge the Bat. However, it quickly became evident that the heroes couldn't win the battle, so Shadow and Proto Man urged Mega Man, Sonic, Rush, and Tails to board the Wily Egg and defeat the doctors while the rest of them held off the army. Reluctantly, the four set off to do just that, only to watch in horror as Dr. Light was thrown from the Wily Egg's interior towards certain death.

To far away to reach his father, Mega Man feared the worst, but was relieved when Shadow used his teleportation powers to rescue Dr. Light and bring him back to where the others were fighting. Dr. Light then contacted Mega Man and urged him to continue on, and the four heroes boarded the Wily Egg. Despite the urgency of their mission, Sonic and Mega Man found time to debate over whether the Wily Egg's design was more Wily or Eggman-themed, but soon ran across another obstacle: the Mega Man Killers. Mega Man briefly attempted to convince Ballade to stop attacking them, reminding him of his previous sacrifice on Mega Man's behalf, but Ballade had been time-cloned from before this occurrence and didn't know what Mega Man was talking about. They defeated the trio of Robot Masters, but Tails was badly wounded, prompting them to have Rush take him back to the others. Mega Man and Sonic were then forced to deal with the Chaos Devil, a monstrous fusion of Chaos from Sonic's world and a Devil Core based on robots from Earth 20XX. The creature proved too much for them to handle, but help arrived in the form of Duo, who imparted some of his power to the weary heroes before taking over the fight with the Chaos Devil. Unfortunately, Sonic and Mega Man soon found themselves up against another trio of enemies: Metal Sonic, Bass, and Treble.

The five were soon locked in an intense battle, one that the villains quickly gained the upper hand in. On Sonic's suggestion, they tried switching opponents to throw their rivals off, but Metal Sonic proved too much for Mega Man to handle alone just as Bass and Treble proved to be too much for Sonic. Sonic then suggested focusing on one enemy, and Mega Man won a game of rock-paper-scissors that determined they would go after Bass. Between Sonic's speed and Mega Man's collected weapons, they soon had Bass and Treble too badly damaged to fight or fuse together. They then attacked Metal Sonic, and defeated him as well. Unfortunately, Eggman and Wily had one last weapon up their sleeves: the Egg-Wily Machine X, a vehicle piloted by both of them. Weakened from their previous battles, Mega Man and Sonic were captured and imprisoned. Unable to escape, they then listened with horror as the deranged doctors revealed their ultimate plan: to use the Genesis Reactor-powered by all seven Chaos Emeralds-to completely rewrite reality and shape their universes as they saw fit.

With no way of stopping the doctors physically, Mega Man and Sonic tried to convince them of the foolishness of their plan, citing the possible dangers involved. Sadly, their efforts failed to sway the doctors, who prepared to launch the Super Genesis Wave. However, help arrived in the form of Knuckles, Proto Man, Rush, and Dr. Light, the former pair attacking the doctors while the second duo worked to free Mega Man and Sonic. At Dr. Light's suggestion, Mega Man combined with Rush using their Super Adapter feature, which inspired Sonic to take another step. When Dr. Light couldn't find a way to stop the Genesis Reactor, they followed Sonic's plan and drew in energy from the Chaos Emeralds, causing them to become Super Mega Man and Super Sonic. They then took over Knuckles and Proto Man's battle with the super-powered Egg-Wily Machine X even as the Super Genesis Wave began to wash over the Skull Egg Zone and the two universes it connected. After an intense battle they defeated the doctors, and Super Sonic then instructed Super Mega Man in how to restore his world to normal. Unfortunately, a defiant Eggman would attack Super Sonic in the midst of this, leading to dramatic consequences for their universe. However, Super Mega Man was able to follow Super Sonic's advice, and thanked him just before the effects of his actions swallowed him up.

Aftermath
Mega Man and the inhabitants of his universe were promptly returned to their proper place in their original reality, with only faint memories to indicate that any time had passed. Mega Man would then resume his battle with Break Man and the subsequent threats caused by Dr. Wily.

Deadly Fusions
Following Dr. Wily's apparent demise and the imprisonment of Xander Payne and his cohorts, Rock worked with the other Light Robot Masters to rebuild the recently destroyed Light Labs. After helping Elec Man jumpstart the generator, Rock headed into Mega City to pick up some more supplies. Roll advised him to take someone with him, but in his confidence that no threats remained Rock chose to go alone. This would prove to be an error, as Master Zik, Zomom, and Zazz of the Deadly Six soon arrived on Sigma's orders to capture him. Unsure whether they were living beings or robots, Mega Man gave a good account of himself, but ended up being forced by their powers to shoot himself with his own Mega Buster. Rendered senseless, he was taken to their base on the Lost Hex, where he joined fellow captive and forgotten ally Sonic. Eggman and Wily, who had also been captured by Sigma and renewed their alliance, set about using technology from Sigma's time period to transform the pair into a new set of Roboticized Masters. Thus corrupted, M'egga Man was dispatched to Mobotropolis to place one of Sigma's Unity Engines, making short work of the Honor Guard when they attempted to stop him.

With his arsenal augmented by Eggman's designs, M'egga Man proved more than a match for Mobotropolis' defenders, despite the fact that the New Freedom Fighters were joined by Knuckles the Echidna and Gemerl. With his victory, M'egga Man activated his Unity Engine, which linked up with the one set up by Sonic Man in Mega City. As the two worlds began fusing together and the pair were brought face to face, secondary programming installed by Wily and Eggman took effect, causing them to attack each other. After an intense battle, each deployed their signature weapon, and the pair cured each other, also activating a message left by the doctors that Sigma was responsible for their corruption. Now freed from Sigma's control, Mega Man and Sonic renewed their acquaintance, and Mega Man was told of the circumstances of their previous encounter. They then joined the allied force of heroes who boarded the Freedom Fighters' Sky Patrol base to launch a campaign against Sigma. Mega Man soon took advantage of the craft's training facilities, which gave him the chance to spend some time with Roll and X of the Maverick Hunters. The blue pair shared their experiences as robots built by Dr. Light for peaceful purposes who were forced to take up arms to defend others, and a bond soon formed between them.

Personality
Mega Man is an overall friendly, humble, and peace-loving robot. Programmed with many of Dr. Light's values and principles, Mega Man is a gentle pacifist, but is also heroic, determined, and possesses a strong sense of justice. He cares deeply for his friends and family, who are the driving force in his life, being willing to put his life on the line for them, and is eager to help those in need. While somewhat cocky, he is also smart enough to recognize his limitations.

While he takes a strong stance against violence and will try to resolve conflicts peacefully, Mega Man is willing to step into battle to protect the innocent from harm. However, he sometimes lacks faith in himself and can be very naïve, acting hesitant whenever he is tasked with a difficult choice, such as seriously hurting sentient beings and robots, which always leaves him with some form of regret over his actions.

Despite being incredibly human-like, Rock does not truly have free will; the depth of his artificial humanity is limited by his programming, and he is unable to act outside of that. He, like many other robots, are also unable to break the Three Laws of Robotics. One such Law prevents robots from harming humans, unless it is to protect other humans.

Powers and Abilities
Mega Man, as one of the Robot Masters, commands a number of powerful abilities. Strong enough to go up against weaponized Robot Masters and fight Sonic the Hedgehog to a standstill, Mega Man possesses enhanced speed and agility, and is strong enough to lift an entire car. His armor is also incredibly resilient to damage. He is also capable of teleportation, a skill shared by various other robots created by Dr. Light. When donning his Mega Man persona, Rock can change his appearance at will, giving him the outfit he wears as Mega Man, along with his "Mega Man" abilities.

Perhaps Mega Man's most potent feature is his "Cop Chip" which let him copy the abilities of other robots through touch. This changes the color of his armor, but he can only use one ability at a time. When used in conjunction with the properties of Sonic's Spin Dash, this process can reverse the roboticization, which usually cannot be done without a De-Roboticizer.

Mega Buster
Mega Man's signature weapon is his Mega Buster, which fires powerful pellets of highly-compressed solar energy or be charged for more powerful blasts.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U
Mega Man has also appeared in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U as a playable character. Among the first of the revealed "newcomer" characters for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, Mega Man is based from the main protagonist of the Mega Man franchise, and not from the Archie counterpart.

Metal Blade
The Metal Blade is Mega Man's neutral special attack. When performing this move, Mega Man throws a metal blade (hence its name) at his opponents for a limited time shortly before it vanishes. This move first debut in Mega Man 2, where it was given to the player when they had beaten Metal Man. It was infamously known for being the most powerful weapon in Mega Man 2. In order to not have this issue again in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, Mega Man can only throw one Metal Blade at a time.

Crash Bomber
The Crash Bomber is Mega Man's side special attack. When performing this move, Mega Man shoots a small mini-bomb that implodes within seconds after launch. Like the Metal Blade, this move first appeared in Mega Man 2, where it was given to the player once they defeated Crash Man.

Rush Coil
The Rush Coil is Mega Man's up special move. Upon using this move, Mega Man calls the assistance of his faithful robotic dog, Rush, to transport right below where Mega Man is falling to. Rush then grants Mega Man with a spring inserted inside the dog to provide an extra lift for the Blue Bomber. An alternate choice of this move involves Mega Man's other pet, the robotic bird, Beat, to carry Mega Man back on the main battle ground or to provide a lift.

It should be noted that this move is very similar to Sonic the Hedgehog's up special, the Spring Jump.

Leaf Shield
The Leaf Shield is Mega Man's down special attack. When performing this move, Mega Man acquires a shield of leaves around him, blocking enemy fire and attacks. Like both the Metal Blade and the Crash Bomber, the Leaf Shield appeared from Mega Man 2, as the player received it when defeating Wood Man.

A variant of the move, the Plant Barrier, which debuted in Mega Man 6 which can be granted to the player upon defeating Plant Man, can be selected in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, as well.

Final Smash
The "Rockman Special" is the Japanese-titled term for Mega Man's Final Smash upon the player collecting a Smash Ball. Mega Man's Final Smash includes him using the Black Hole Bomb, sucking in any opponents nearby. Then, other incarnations (Mega Man X, Mega Man.EXE, Mega Man Volnutt and Transcode 003 Mega Man) shooting a charged blast at the opponent(s), damaging the opponent(s). It is known as "Mega Legends" outside of Japan.

Trivia

 * Mega Man's name Rock is in reference to the musical genre. When combined with his sister's name, it creates the term rock and roll.
 * Most of Mega Man's special moves are primarily from the video game Mega Man 2. Also, his theme is a remixed version of the title screen theme from Mega Man 2.
 * Before the Archie Comics acquired the rights to create the Mega Man comic series, Mega Man made a few "Easter Egg" appearances in Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs, mostly in artwork by Patrick Spaziante (who was also working as a penciller on a different American Mega Man comic at the time). Some cameos include:
 * On the cover art of Sonic the Hedgehog #89 just above the title, in the form of a statue (only his torso can be seen).
 * On the opening page of Sonic Super Special #10, as a spray painting behind the Evil Freedom Fighters.