History YMMV / MegamanBattleNetwork

* ScrappyWeapon: Lobbing chips -- where [=MegaMan=] throws something into the air to hit three panels ahead of him -- tend to be among the worst chips in each game. The travel time before being active combined with the highly specific attack range make them impractical for hitting anything that isn't stationary or moving predictably. They're only really useful in [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman Navi fights that seem specifically designed for them]], where the opponent is sticking to the back row and hiding behind obstacles that block most other attacks.

* MisBlamed: A [[http://lparchive.org/Mega-Man-Battle-Network/Update%2006/ Let's Play]] of ''1'' criticized some players for not knowing what is a Program Advance (P.A.) because they didn't talk to [=NPCs=] who mention it all the time. The problem is that it's not that they didn't know about ''what'' it is, [[GuideDangIt they actually didn't know which Battle Chip combinations form what kind of P.A. in the first place]].[[note]]There are some exceptions, but those only apply to really basic P.A.s.[[/note]] Making things even more confusing is that some P.A.s might get carried over to the next game but require different chips such as [=PoisonPharaoh=], [=2XHero=] [[note]]Pronounced "Double Hero".[[/note]] and [=MasterStyle=]. It's like the ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'' recipes, except that you cannot do things like bribing [=NPCs=] with gifts if you want them.

* VindicatedByHistory:
** ''Battle Network'' was rather divisive back in the day. While not ''quite'' to the ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends'' extreme, the series usually had a few camps, those who liked ''Battle Network'', and those who wished Capcom would have put more resources in developing the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series instead. (Not helping was [=MegaMan=]'s [[AudienceAlienatingEra falling reputation at the time]]). Now, the series is looked upon with fondness and nostalgia - its ValuesResonance, [[NarmCharm Campiness]], the [[SoBadItsGood riff bait that is 4]], as well as its still-to-this-day unique FightLikeACardPlayer system[[note]]A game called ''VideoGame/OneStepFromEden'' was released March 2020 with a similar system, but it's very clearly inspired by the series to the point ''Battle Network's'' speedrunning community included its demo in their marathons prior to release[[/note]] have made people look on the game with more forgiveness.
** The series' localization changes, which were largely seen as "watering down" the games during their heyday, are now seen in a slightly more forgiving light after it became known that the original developers left almost no ROM space for their international counterparts to work with. It invites criticism of the decision to stick with the same cartridge size for the English versions, but [[ExecutiveMeddling it is unlikely that this decision was up to the actual translation team]].

* SequelDifficultySpike: The first game was quite the cakewalk due to balancing issues (including how both the FinalBoss and BonusBoss had 1000 HP, an amount even ''[[PlayerCharacter MegaMan.EXE]]'' could reach) and most bosses being rather pathetic, including numerous [[StationaryBoss Stationary Bosses]]. The following games would introduce new gameplay elements, better chip balancing, and make Navi bosses far more challenging with tactics beyond "Stand there and hope you don't get deleted". One of the chief changes after the first game was the removal of AfterCombatRecovery, adding health management to the game.

** In the anime, Roll has an increasingly blatant crush on Mega, who is ObliviousToLove (much like his operator). However, some fanworks portray him as being so lovestruck that he is willing to do anything for her, sometimes at the cost of Lan. She's also depicted using the [[EvilIsSexy evil chip from the anime on herself]] intentionally and shamelessly flirting with the other Navis to make [=MegaMan=] jealous for [[ObliviousToLove not responding to her affections]]. This occasionally overlaps with Roll joining a villainous group, presumably because Harp Note, her SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute from ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'', did the same thing, [[SuperDickery albeit for different reasons]].

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: The first game was rather oddly balanced, with clear BroadStrokes showing as the programmers were still figuring things out. The second game refined the battle system and had better writing, such that it is regarded by fans as one of the best in the series, only matched by the third. The fifth game served as this to the fourth by ''actually having a plot''. The sixth is this to the fifth, with some seeing it as on par with the second or third in quality.

** As you could probably tell from many other entries on this page, fans did not like the fourth game. Thankfully, the fifth one is [[ContestedSequel contested]] at worst, while the sixth is a SurprisinglyImprovedSequel.

** Dark Rockman, no pun intended. He only appears in ''[[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork5TeamColonelAndTeamProtoMan one]]'' of the games for a brief time (two, if [=MegaMan=] DS from ''Battle Network 4'' is counted) and a minor arc in the ''Stream'' anime. Yet the concept of TheCorruption turning Mega Man into an evil version of himself is just so damn cool that Dark Rockman is one of the most popular characters in this franchise.

** In ''Falzar Version'', Cybeast [=MegaMan=] goes on a rampage and Lan is forced to send a friendly Navi to stop him. Problem is, as soon as the mission is complete, said ally will [[spoiler:be ambushed and nearly killed by Colonel]], and depending on who you pick this outcome will seem even crueller: Some of your choices are [=SpoutMan=], who is by all accounts a [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter child]]; [=TenguMan=], who feels extra pain from [[ElementalRockPaperScissors Sword-based]] attacks; or [=TomahawkMan=], who [[spoiler:is a former member of Team Colonel]].

*** Story-wise, the first three games work as a self-contained trilogy with a suitably climactic ending that tied up the plot threads concerning [=MegaMan=], Bass, Wily, and WWW; on the other hand, the second trio of games downplay continuity from the first three heavily and the first two work as their own story centering around Nebula, Dark Chips, and Dr. Regal, while setting up the sixth game as a GrandFinale with the return of [[spoiler:Wily and WWW]]. Naturally fans disagree on which story arc was better and if ''6'' was an appropriate GrandFinale or not, and if the series should have stopped as ''3'' since it felt like a cohesive end to everything, especially with how characters and story elements from ''3'' were largely forgotten in the second trilogy.

*** The gameplay changes in particular totally alter ''how'' you play the game; instead of Style Changes there's Soul Unisons, folder structure shifted from focusing on Program Advances and chip combos to folders focusing on Soul Unisons and their unique traits, and most V2 and V3 viruses (and their associated chips) don't appear until the postgame, so enemy variety is stagnant in the main story and the post-game has you hunting down the now-proliferated V2 and V3 viruses to farm their chips.

** The Life Virus. Not only is it by far the easiest final boss because of [=MegaMan=] getting his buster upgraded to busted levels immediately before the fight, but via a glitch it's ''skipable''.

** Dark chips in the fourth and fifth game, as well as dark-aligned chips. Dark chips generally lack the power required to make them worth the permanent HP reduction in battle, and ''5'' had the far better useful Chaos Unisons to use the chips anyway. Dark-aligned [=MegaMan=] also had a second LastChanceHitPoint that also had Dark Mega take the wheel for about ten seconds that is completely random in its usefulness, which is a neat gimmick but nowhere near as good as Full Synchro, Soul Unisons or SP Navi chips, abilities that you lose by going dark. Similarly, dark-exclusive chips are clearly strong (Static is strictly stronger than Tornado, and Muramasa has proved itself time hand again) but are not worth the tradeoff. Amusingly, they ''aren't'' this in the Japanese meta, where you're just as likely to see a dark player as a light player. The reasons for this are the previously listed dark-aligned chips, the emergency Darksoul, and either for emergency utility (four) or being able to use offensive dark chips that would suffer from PoorPredictableRock if used with Chaos Unison like Drill and Sword instead of utility chips like Thunder or requiring setup like Search (five).

** In ''Falzar Version'', Cybeast [=MegaMan=] goes on a rampage and Lan is forced to send a friendly Navi to stop him. Problem is, as soon as the mission is complete, said ally will [[spoiler:be ambushed and nearly killed by Colonel]], and depending on who you pick this outcome will seem even crueller: Some of your choices are [=SpoutMan=], who is by all accounts a [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter child]]; [=TenguMan=], who feels extra pain from [[ElementalRockPaperScissors Sword-based]] attacks; or [=TomahawkMan=], who is a former member of Team Colonel.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Forte/Bass is more popular in the American fandom.

** With ''VideoGame/OneStepFromEden'', since that game took inspiration this series. The grid-based battle system even uses blue for your side and red for the enemy. Naturally, ''Battle Network'' fans taking to ''One Step From Eden'' is far from unheard of, especially since the former series has been over for over a decade.

* DifficultySpike: In each installment, any of three things will represent a difficulty spike: Entering the [=UnderNet=] (where [[GoddamnedBats powerful and tricky viruses]] are suddenly abundant and random battles are now deadly), reaching the FinalBoss (who usually packs upwards of twice the HP of previous bosses, more damage with faster attacks, and regenerating shields or temporary damage immunity), or facing a [[RecurringBoss version 3 boss]] for the first time. Outside of those things, the main games are pretty easy if you're actually exploring, collecting powerups, updating your folder, and so forth - suddenly being at high risk of dying from any of those things even when well prepared is a pretty significant difficulty spike. And just when you get to the point where all those things become easy (And you will), there's always the ultimate [[BonusBoss Bonus Bosses]] to stress you to your limits.

* GoodBadBugs: The games have numerous glitches of varying severity; given that the English versions clean up many of them (while, naturally, including some of their own), the bugs are likely consequences of the grueling development cycle that was required to release these games each year. Examples that are present worldwide include ''two'' methods of skipping the final boss of the first ''Battle Network'', a duplication trick in ''Battle Network 2'' performed by collecting Mystery Data then beating the final boss without saving, a glitch to permanently have access to a chip of your choosing in ''Battle Network 3'', and being able to add chip-exclusive attack boosts to Tomahawk Cross's charge shot in ''Battle Network 6''.

** In ''5'' and ''6'', Colonel gains one of the most impressive-looking attacks in the entire series: once you're under a certain amount of HP he'll start throwing his cloak with no warning. If it connects, the screen goes black and a slash shreds across it, [[OneHitKill instantly deleting your character]] unless it is [=MegaMan=] with [[LastChanceHitPoint Undershirt]] on. His RV version will start performing this when you're at 550 HP. This is also notable in that it's the only attack in the ''series'' that activates depending on Mega's HP instead of the user's. If it won't (seem like it will) delete him, Colonel won't use it.

** Mamoru, [[spoiler:administrator of the Undernet,]] and Serenade never reappear after the third game.

** Some people cut off the entire second half of the series in their minds, though most people only behave as though the fourth game never happened (the fifth game certainly behaves as though ''Red Sun'' never happened, as Lan and Raika treat each other as new faces).

* TheScrappy: In ''Battle Network 4'', [[BrattyHalfPint Chisao]] gets kidnapped, and his kidnapper says he'll let him go provided Lan can find him and complete his challenges. Lan manages to find him shortly before his tournament match with Dex and Gutsman.EXE. After the tournament battle, Chisao admits he wasn't really kidnapped. Being the older sibling and having to be responsible for Chisao's behavior, Dex is angry and tells Chisao to apologize to Lan. Except Lan says there's no need for Chisao to apologize since he was just trying to help Dex and Gutsman. It doesn't help that in [[Anime/MegaManNTWarrior the anime]], he becomes a SpotlightStealingSquad to his older brother.

* TheScrappy: In ''Battle Network 4'', [[BrattyHalfPint Chisao]] gets kidnapped, and his kidnapper says he'll let him go provided Lan can find him and complete his challenges. Lan manages to find him shortly before his tournament match with Dex and Gutsman.EXE. After the tournament battle, Chisao admits he wasn't really kidnapped. Being the older sibling and having to be responsible for Chisao's behavior, Dex is angry and tells Chisao to apologize to Lan. Except Lan says there's no need for Chisao to apologize since he was just trying to help Dex and Gutsman. It doesn't help that in the anime, he becomes a SpotlightStealingSquad to his older brother.

* TheScrappy: Dr. Regal in the games is very disliked for being a cartoonishly one-dimensional CardCarryingVillain with nonsensical plans, obnoxious rants about how HumansAreBastards and flimsy motivations that amount to nothing more than him doing things just ForTheEvulz. This is much more prominent regarding his debut in the fourth game, where he acts very StupidEvil and borders on GenericDoomsdayVillain -- his notably [[FauxAffablyEvil more characterized]], [[ColdBloodedTorture more threatening]], and [[TookALevelInBadass smarter]] portrayal in ''Battle Network 5'' is easier to tolerate. [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap The anime and manga incarnations of Regal]] are also considerably less ridiculously cookie-cutter evil MadScientist and [[EvilIsCool much more efficient in villainous plans and deeds as well.]]