| 1 | ''Mega Man: Defender of the Human Race'' is a fanfic that acts as a retelling/continuation of the ''WesternAnimation/MegaManRubySpears'' cartoon, written by [=MegaBauer=]. |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Rather than being a straight adaptation of the show, it blends the games and the cartoon and features original characters and plotlines. It also mixes episode orders and excises infamous ones entirely, and has a deep focus on the characters and storyline, with many ''Series/TwentyFour''-esque plot twists along the way. The fic has a reputation for building suspense, even in smaller-scale episodes. |
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| 5 | After Episode 5, it features original stories set after the end of the show, acting as a story-driven continuation and conclusion to the open-ended cartoon. |
| 6 | |
| 7 | It can be found [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7267136/1/Mega-Man-Defender-of-the-Human-Race here]], and the author's Twitter can be found [[https://twitter.com/MMDefender here]]. |
| 8 | |
| 9 | After [[LongRunners 178 Chapters across eight years]] and [[DoorStopper over 1,200,000 words]], the author has announced that there is only one more episode to go for the story's conclusion, with episode 18 as the finale. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | While many spoilers are hidden, '''some will be unmarked'''. |
| 12 | |
| 13 | ----- |
| 14 | !! This fanfic contains examples of: |
| 15 | |
| 16 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 17 | |
| 18 | [[folder:#-K]] |
| 19 | * TwentyFourHourArmor: Unlike most adaptations, Mega Man is always in his armor and can't switch back to his Rock form. This causes him a little distress at times as it reminds that he can't really go back to being just Rock until Dr. Wily is defeated. By Episode 17, Dr. Light begins working on subverting this trope by creating an upgrade that would allow Mega Man to change forms at will. |
| 20 | * AbusiveParents: Wily's father abused him when he was a child. Wily later paid him back for it. |
| 21 | * ActionGirl: Roll, as in the show, fights against Wily and his robots as much as she can. |
| 22 | * AdaptationNameChange: |
| 23 | ** Bassnium now has a secondary name in the form of Quadirium, though both are used frequently. It also has a third name from the games: [[spoiler:Evil Energy]]. |
| 24 | ** Punk's weapon is changed from Screw Crusher to Punk Blade. |
| 25 | ** The Ballade Cracker is simply the Explosive Cracker. |
| 26 | ** The Super Adapator's charged shot is called the Power Fist instead of the Rocket Buster. |
| 27 | ** [[spoiler:Zero's serial number is left as DWN-000 in honor of it inspiring his name instead of being DWN-Infinity.]] |
| 28 | * AdaptationExpansion: The story elaborates on the episodes, mostly significantly "The Beginning" and "Bro Bots", has original ones, and continues far beyond them. |
| 29 | * AdaptationalBadass: |
| 30 | ** Gamma is much taller and shown with several powers he didn't have in the game, such as flight and a devastating laser mouth. |
| 31 | ** [[spoiler:The Mad Grinder in the games was just a mini-boss in the intro stage. Here, it can flatten whole armies and nearly kills Mega Man.]] |
| 32 | ** The Black Hole Bomb is as powerful as you'd expect mini black holes to be. |
| 33 | * AdaptationalBackstoryChange: [[spoiler:Ra Moon is a human creation instead of alien origin.]] |
| 34 | * AdaptationalHeroism: [=ProtoMan=] is a more heroic character than his Ruby-Spears self. |
| 35 | * AdaptationOriginConnection: |
| 36 | ** Instead of being discovered by accident, Bassnium is [[spoiler:a fragment of the Evil Energy used in the Stardroids. Likewise, the Evil Energy robot is a Stardroid leader rather than an unrelated threat.]] |
| 37 | ** [[spoiler:In game canon, the Z-Saber was gifted to Zero when he was rebuilt by the X-Hunters. The fic has Wily create an early version of it as a secondary weapon.]] |
| 38 | ** [[spoiler:Dr. Cossack is now involved in the creation of Ra Moon, due to the latter being a human invention.]] |
| 39 | * AdaptationalVillainy: Dr. Wily and several Robot Masters are far more villainous than in the show. |
| 40 | * AgeLift: Kalinka had her age changed to seventeen by her first appearance to make her relationship with Mega Man a little more plausible. |
| 41 | * AintTooProudToBeg: Like his game counterpart, Wily has no guilt about begging for help when he think he's cornered. Not quite as big on the classic bowing routine, though. |
| 42 | * AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:Ballade]], who makes a not-quite heroic sacrifice in order to save a little girl trapped where he was ordered to detonate explosives. |
| 43 | * AlienInvasion: Episode 14 deals with the Stardroids coming to Earth to conquer it. |
| 44 | * AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: In Episode 8, Wily takes over the Civil Defense Tower and locks it down in order to prevent anyone from stopping Drill Man from flooding the tower with lava. |
| 45 | * AlmostKiss: |
| 46 | ** This happens to Mega and Kalinka in Episode 10... twice. |
| 47 | ** [[spoiler:Bass and Roll]] have this in Chapter 181. |
| 48 | * AlwaysChaoticEvil: The Stardroids, any good ones were eliminated by Sunstar eons ago. |
| 49 | ** Subverted on [[spoiler: Neptune, as he destroyed everything that gets in the way just to be on Stardroids' good terms, but betrays Terra at the end]]. |
| 50 | * AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Dr. Cossack felt Light beat him in everything, though he changes his tune later on. |
| 51 | * AmbiguousGender: Before the Conduit's gender was revealed, he was always referred to as 'he/she/it.' |
| 52 | * AmplifierArtifact: |
| 53 | ** Wily used his protocol disruptor's signal inducer for Splash Woman, enhancing her brainwashing powers. |
| 54 | ** The Jadous Sphere can greatly power up robots, even if it's been shattered and reduced to a single shard. |
| 55 | * AndroidIdentifier: Federal law requires robots with human forms have a distinguishing physical feature. This is the way the story explains why Rock has his blue armored legs before becoming Mega Man. |
| 56 | * AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: [[spoiler:Bass]] has one with [[spoiler:Roll]] in Episode 17, Chapter 9, when he finally understands what she tried to tell him about the real meaning of love. |
| 57 | * AntagonisticOffspring: George Cochran is an honest politician who believes in equality for robots, but his son William is a fervent anti-robot racist. |
| 58 | * AntiHero: As of Episode 11, [[spoiler: [=ProtoMan=] after turning on Wily and destroying the Mad Grinder.]] |
| 59 | * AntiVillain: [=ProtoMan=] has a policy to not kill, and it's clear that Wily's programming is what makes him unable to defy the doctor. He was also ''very'' conflicted over {{the mole}} part of "Brothers." |
| 60 | ** Ballade turned out to be one, as he realized that being the robot Wily's most proud of meant others will fight for the spot, and while he showed respect to his enemies he got no respect from comrades. In the climax of Episode 10 [[spoiler: he sacrifices himself because continuing with the plan would endanger an innocent human life]]. |
| 61 | ** Mr. Black was revealed as this as more of his back story came to light, as well as his guilt and bad luck with the missions he's assigned. [[spoiler:Which is why he was being targeted by the Conduit's other associates]]. |
| 62 | * AnywhereButTheirLips: [[spoiler: [=ProtoMan=]'s first kiss to Nomad is on her forehead.]] |
| 63 | * ArchEnemy: The Stardroids are this to Duo, who defeated them long ago. |
| 64 | * AscendedExtra: Doc the Metool, who only appeared in the first episode of the show, is here a more prominent character who bonds deeply with Roll. |
| 65 | ** Newswoman Bree Ricotta gets a lot more screentime, as do other cartoon-exclusive humans. |
| 66 | ** Oneshot crook Ms. Lapierre returns in Episode 7, having stolen Knight Man. |
| 67 | ** Brain Bot, a favorite character of the author, ends up helping twice to develop new equipment for Mega Man. |
| 68 | ** In a non-show example, the Mad Grinder from ''VideoGame/MegaMan7'' appeared only in the game's intro, serving as a warmup boss. [[spoiler: In the fanfic, the Mad Grinder is Project G-2, and is as tall as he was in the intro cutscene]]. |
| 69 | * AscendedFangirl: |
| 70 | ** Kalinka eventually becomes Mega Man's girlfriend. |
| 71 | ** Tron Bonne ''wants'' to be this, but she doesn't know about Kalinka until late in Episode 13. |
| 72 | * TheAtoner: Drill Man, [[spoiler:[=ProtoMan=]]], and [[spoiler:Mr. Black]] after they each turn good. |
| 73 | * AxCrazy: Dr. Wily, and several of his Robot Masters. Both Wily and Bass love the sound of screaming, and Splash Woman goes berserk after Roll attacks her and threatens to destroy the entire cavern to get rid of her enemies. |
| 74 | * BackForTheFinale: After being exiled for her failure at the end of episode 13, Splash Woman returns in the interludes to the final episode. |
| 75 | * BackFromTheDead: The Stardroids' plan hinges on reviving Sunstar and Luna from the dead. [[spoiler:They succeed with Sunstar in chapter 153]]. |
| 76 | * BadBoss: Wily treats his robots terribly, especially when they fail. Also Vickers to a lesser extent. |
| 77 | * BadlyBatteredBabysitter: Tiesel Bonne has to look after his rambunctious baby brother... who pilots a mech suit. |
| 78 | * BeachEpisode: Episode 13 takes place while the Lights and Bonnes are on vacation, and both Kalinka and Splash Woman act a bit sensually towards Mega Man. The girls are also in swimsuits. |
| 79 | * BenevolentBoss: The Conduit is surprisingly generous and willing to help out his employees with money and supplies when they need them. However, not following orders gets you taken care of very quickly. |
| 80 | * BerserkButton: Wily's is being called out on his mental instability. |
| 81 | ** Bass's is hurting Roll or intending to hurt her. |
| 82 | * BigBlackout: Episode 12 involves a blackout set by Wily. |
| 83 | * BigDamnHeroes: [=ProtoMan=] borders on this when he saves Mega Man from Bass in Episode 7. |
| 84 | ** Bass inadvertently saves Mega Man from the Killers in Episode 10, restating his claim that he is the only one that is going to kill Mega Man. |
| 85 | ** Bass does this again in Episode 11, saving Roll from a collapsed building. |
| 86 | ** In Episode 11, chapter 11, [[spoiler: Mr. Black saves the President from Wily's execution]]. |
| 87 | ** Also in Episode 11, [[spoiler:[=ProtoMan=] saves Mega Man and the world]] by [[spoiler: turning on Wily and detonating the Mad Grinder]]. |
| 88 | * BittersweetEnding: Episode 15. Megaman and the World are saved, the Conduit and his associates have been arrested and Tron has gotten over her crush on Mega Man. However, Dr. Wily and Bass are still at large, and Nomad doesn’t remember anything at all. |
| 89 | * BloodKnight: |
| 90 | ** Punk loves fighting and not much else. |
| 91 | ** There's also Bass. In Episode 11 he comments that he loves the sounds of war, and the only thing better is silence before victory. |
| 92 | ** Duo is a heroic example as he comments that he serves ''no'' purpose other than to fight the greatest of evils. |
| 93 | * BodyguardCrush: Captain Tallarico's bodyguard, Ash Rose, has an obvious crush on her. They hit it off quite well, though she's sometimes distracted due to her duties. [[spoiler:The Conduit seeks to exploit this and make Rose part of his network]]. |
| 94 | * BoldInflation: The usual "italics for emphasis" shows up here. Underlines are also used for important terms and names, and unexpected events. |
| 95 | * BrainwashedAndCrazy: Aside from examples from the show, Splash Woman's song does this to Mega Man, Rush, and Plum, as well as sharkbots and other mechanical fish. |
| 96 | * BreatherEpisode: Episode 13, which involves the Lights on vacation in Hawaii. Wily still attacks, though. |
| 97 | * BrokenPedestal: |
| 98 | ** Marcus Vickers becomes disenchanted with Mega Man after he mistakenly believes he was left to die by him in the aftermath of one of Wily's attacks, driving him to take his own robot warrior project public. |
| 99 | ** Tiesel Bonne dropped his opinion with Mega Man after he broke up his Mega Crew antics. This moment of weakness lead to him being recruited by the Conduit. |
| 100 | * BrotherSisterTeam: Mega Man and Roll. As of episode 11, [[spoiler:[=ProtoMan=] is also included]]. |
| 101 | * TheBully: A couple Robot Masters get their kicks bullying others, especially the Mega Man Killer Punk. |
| 102 | * ButtMonkey: Drill Man and Tiesel Bonne tend to suffer mistreatment frequently, though both instances are played for drama. |
| 103 | * CallAHumanAMeatbag: [[spoiler:Proto Man sometimes falls into this post-reformation, mostly out of disgruntlement over his treatment by the public.]] |
| 104 | * CallBack: Episode 15 warns of another very bad week in everyone's lives, calling back to Episode 3, which had a week punctuated by Doc's death. It takes place 3 years later to the date. |
| 105 | * CameBackWrong: Dark Man was given a new memory core after death and became, essentially, a zombie. The author stated that this was like putting a new soul in the same body, and why Dr. Light didn't just give Doc a new memory core. Wily, on the other hand, had no such moral difficulty. |
| 106 | * TheCameo: Plenty at the Vick-Tek ball, including Keiji Inafune. |
| 107 | * CannotTellALie: Robots generally can't lie, except for ones with advanced programming, like [=ProtoMan=]. As of Episode 7, this also includes Guts Man, Cut Man, and Magnet Man. |
| 108 | * CanonImmigrant: The leader of the Mega Crew is revealed to be Tiesel Bonne, from the ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends'' games. Later, his siblings appear, and the Bonnes become supporting characters. [[spoiler:The Conduit is later revealed as Lex Loath, and his final associate is Glyde]]. |
| 109 | * CantKillYouStillNeedYou: With the FBI making recruiting a non-option, Tiesel is the best chance the Conduit has at making a working virus. |
| 110 | * CerebusSyndrome: Post Episode 5, the characters' morale and the tone of events in the story have taken an increasingly dark turn. This is best exemplified by the Episode 10 epilogue, which is a nonstop string of tragic events. Episode 11 is particularly dark, but has hopeful moments that become most prominent in chapter 11. |
| 111 | * ChaseScene: Episode 12 has a chase between the heroes and Mr. Black. [[spoiler:It ends with Mr. Black getting captured]]. |
| 112 | * ChekhovsGun: Many things, but a specific kind of head pain is a recurring one, happening to [=ProtoMan=] upon activation, Mega Man due to the scrambler chip, and Nomad upon activation. |
| 113 | ** Chapter 1 states that robots can't self terminate at the behest of humans. This saves Drill Man in Episode 8. |
| 114 | ** In Episode 12, [[spoiler:[=ProtoMan=] stealing Roll's [=SkyCycle=] led to it running out of fuel at a crucial time]]. |
| 115 | * CheshireCatGrin: Wily's grins are often described as this. |
| 116 | * ChessMotifs: Mr. Black has an unfinished chess game in his hideout. [[spoiler: It's one with his wife that he never finished]]. |
| 117 | ** These return for [[spoiler:Mr. Black's interrogation]] in Episode 12, and the conclusion of his story arc. |
| 118 | * ChildrenAreInnocent: A recurring motif with Janet, a young girl who shows up late in Episode 10. |
| 119 | * TheChosenOne: Terra believes either Bass or himself to be this, and wishes to make Sunstar proud of him by defeating Bass and proving his superiority. The chosen one is said to save the rest of the Stardroids. [[spoiler:As it turns out, Neptune is the Chosen One]]. |
| 120 | * ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Wily and the Stardroids form an alliance in Episode 14, but both parties plan to backstab each other as soon as it's convenient. |
| 121 | * ClearMyName: Mega Man is framed for Kalinka's kidnapping in Episode 6, and at the end of Episode 13, [[spoiler:Chief Toombs is falsely accused of being a mole for the Conduit]]. Episode 15 continues this, with [[spoiler:the Conduit framing [=ProtoMan=] for a massacre and controlling Governor Deacon with intent to frame him for his crimes]]. |
| 122 | * CliffHanger: A lot of chapters end on this. Episode 15 takes it further and ends the episode on one. |
| 123 | * ClingyJealousGirl: Tron is this towards Mega Man, especially when she learns Kalinka likes him. The beginning of Episode 14 has Tron planning to scare Kalinka into giving Mega Man up by knocking on her doorstep with the Gustaff mech. |
| 124 | * ColdBloodedTorture: |
| 125 | ** Wily inflicts this on Ice Man early on, and an innocent Metool in Episode 7. |
| 126 | ** He also pulls this on Chief Toombs and Bree Recotta through Elec Man during the Gamma incident. |
| 127 | ** In Episode 10's epilogue, [[spoiler: he inflicts this on ''[=ProtoMan=]''.]] |
| 128 | ** Episode 13 has a captive Mega Man being tortured with electricity, courtesy of Bass. |
| 129 | * CodeName: The Conduit and his/her/its associates all have code names. |
| 130 | * CombatPragmatist: [=ProtoMan=], who even calls himself this complete with capital letters, and even Mega Man at times. In early episodes, Proto was fond of bringing this side of his brother out. |
| 131 | * CombiningMecha: Bass has his ability to fuse with Treble. Mega Man and Rush later gain the Super Adaptor from the games to combine as well. [[spoiler:Proto Man later gains the ability to merge with Tango for a buster power-up.]] |
| 132 | * CompellingVoice: Splash Woman's powers let her brainwash almost anyone and tell them what to do, though they weaken the more time they spend away from her. |
| 133 | * CompressedAdaptation: "Mega-Pinocchio" is trimmed down to just "Dr. Wily takes control of Mega Man and uses him to attack Washington D.C.". |
| 134 | * ConsummateLiar: Bass is scarily good at lying to serve his own ends. |
| 135 | * ContractOnTheHitman: In episode 10 two of the Conduit's associates, Miss T. and Mr. Wire, make plans to deal with Mr. Black. |
| 136 | * ContrivedCoincidence: What are the ''odds'' that the one person Mega Man would happen to meet while on the run in Episode 6 would happen to be Castor, Lynn Wersching's missing brother? |
| 137 | * CorruptCorporateExecutive: Marcus Vickers as of Episode 7; before then he was mostly ineffectual. |
| 138 | * CowboyCop: Chief Toombs is described as such. Being chief means he does have to play by the rules and deliver a firm yet fair hand when dealing with his officers. But we're still talking about a man who [[ManInAKilt wears a kilt]] on the job, can and will backtalk and yell if he's got a point to make and will take on Dr. Wily's entire army with a rocket launcher if it would save even one more life. |
| 139 | * TheCracker: Mr. Wire and Tiesel can hack into just about anything. |
| 140 | * CurbStompBattle: Bass tends to deliver these to his opponents. |
| 141 | ** In Episode 11, [[spoiler: the Mad Grinder delivers one to the Robo-Commandos and US Army, killing everyone except Mega Man]]. |
| 142 | ** The Stardroids deliver one to both humans and robots alike as they invade London. Bass later pays them back, taking out seven of them in one fight. |
| 143 | * CurbStompCushion: The Stardroids' initial invasion is prevented from being a ''complete'' rout when Pluto takes damage from the Land Blazer and Bass is able to fight them on equal footing. |
| 144 | * CureForCancer: PlayedForDrama. Dr. Cossack's wife died of cancer prior to the start of the story and his grief drove him to try and find a cure to prevent others from suffering from it. But his devotion caused him to unintentionally neglect Kalinka and not realize how she needed help with her grieving, eventually resulting in her attempting suicide. |
| 145 | * CurseCutShort: In Episode 1, Dr. Light charges at Wily while cursing, but Fire Man's flames interrupt him before he can finish. |
| 146 | * CuteKitten: Played with when Brain Bot creates Tango to assist [[spoiler:[=Protoman=]]], who is disappointed that the cat isn't the size of a tiger. |
| 147 | * CuteMachines: Metools and Servbots, even in-universe. Everyone finds them adorable, especially Roll and Tron Bonne. |
| 148 | * CutenessProximity: Everyone, from the characters to the readers, squees over the cuteness of Peekaboo. |
| 149 | * CyberneticsEatYourSoul: Played with when Marcus Vickers has to have cybernetics in order to save his life; while that itself is jarring, what pushes him over the edge to cruelty is feeling betrayed by Mega Man. |
| 150 | * {{Cyborg}}: Rather than being straight robots from space as in the games, here the Stardroids are biomechanical beings. |
| 151 | * DarkActionGirl: |
| 152 | ** Wily brainwashes a cosmetics robot to attack and humiliate Roll, and sics Doris the maid on Dr. Light. |
| 153 | ** Nomad ''would'' have been this if she had stayed with Wily. |
| 154 | ** Splash Woman is also this; in addition to her brainwashing powers, she packs a plasma staff. |
| 155 | * DarkAndTroubledPast: Captain Tallarico had a shady past with Governor Deacon. In episode 15 it's revealed the two were in a relationship before he was elected, and [[spoiler:her influence helped turn Deacon against Mega Man]]. |
| 156 | * DarkerAndEdgier: |
| 157 | ** The fic is darker than the show that inspired it; Wily in particular is a much darker, twisted character, and the stakes of every battle are serious. The emotional toll war takes on people is also examined in detail. |
| 158 | ** In the cartoon, Metal Man was a camp if effective oneshot Robot Master. In Defender, he's a sadist who takes pleasure in destruction and has appeared multiple times. |
| 159 | * DarkestHour: The series has had a few of these. |
| 160 | ** The tail end of episode 11 has Wily in a position to finally kill Mega Man with an unstoppable weapon, and in the following chapter Mega Man is critically injured. The entire chapter is everyone reacting to it and trying to help. |
| 161 | ** Episode 16, chapter 5 ends with the Roboenza outbreak affecting many robots, Mega Man in dire straits, and the Conduit poised to take over completely if not discovered and stopped. |
| 162 | * DartboardOfHate: Tron Bonne made one of Kalinka after seeing her kiss Mega Man. She hit it with ''crossbow bolts''. |
| 163 | * ADayInTheLimelight: Episode 8 is Roll-centric; she even saves the day at the end. |
| 164 | ** Episode 9 is [=ProtoMan=]-centric, as he's in command of Wily's army [[spoiler: until the finale]]. |
| 165 | ** Episode 12 focuses on Mr. Black. |
| 166 | * DeaderThanDead: In a world where robots can usually be repaired even if severely damaged, Metal Man is [[spoiler: vaporized by Galaxy Man's Black Hole Bomb]]. |
| 167 | * DeadpanSnarker: [=ProtoMan=] often makes snarky comments about Wily's plans or new 'bots he's building. |
| 168 | * DeathTrap: Wily turns the Civil Defense Tower into this for those both inside and outside. |
| 169 | * DeconReconSwitch: Battles are costly and destructive, and no punches are pulled in regards to the loss of life both human and robot. Wily's robot attacks are serious, major events as he's treated like the terrorist he is. The failures of his actions take a heavy toll on Mega Man as he sees what the war is costing. Society, politics, the criminal underworld and the economy are all affected by the presence of what is essentially a burgeoning new life form. The strain of a fighting a relative and turning them to your side is shown to pain both Mega Man and Proto Man. And yet, in the end, life goes on. Mega Man continues to find reasons to go on and be the hero who fights until his last breath. Wily still retains his quirks and themed robots with convenient weaknesses. As the difficulties are ironed out, people are shown to accept and even love robots as a part of life. And with time, love and persistence, all but the darkest souls are able to be given a new lease on life and turn to good. |
| 170 | * DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Dick Ferguson is basically a deconstruction of [[ComicBook/SpiderMan J. Johan Jameson]]. Like Jameson, Dick works to undermine the hero and "expose" him as a menace to society. However, while Spider-Man suffers from a dodgey rep and bad luck, Mega Man is renowned as a hero from day one, so Dick's attempts fall flat. Also, as he lacks the authority and power to keep shoveling his beliefs even they're disproven, Dick just ends up getting fired at the end. |
| 171 | * DefiantCaptive: Both Roll and Kalinka are this when captive, as they try to impede Wily's plans or talk his robots down. |
| 172 | * DeflectorShields: Bass has these, stemming from gems on his forehead and chest. They absorb attacks rather than deflect them, which can cause him to power up. |
| 173 | * DefrostingIceQueen: [[spoiler:Miss T/Tallarico has begun to defrost due to her feelings for Ash Rose]]. |
| 174 | * DepravedBisexual: Splash Woman, who uses her hypnotic abilities to seduce male and female robots to do her bidding. |
| 175 | * DespairEventHorizon: |
| 176 | ** [=ProtoMan=] crosses this post Episode 10 [[spoiler: due to torture]], becoming a shell of his old self. |
| 177 | ** Mega Man crosses it in Episode 11 and has the next chapter being talked out of it. |
| 178 | * DiscontinuityNod: "Curse of the Lion Men," "Master of Disaster," and "Night of the Living Monster Bots" are referenced in tongue-in-cheek manners occasionally, as they're notorious for being poor-quality and just ''weird'', and weren't included in the story officially for those reasons. |
| 179 | * DistressedDude: Mega Man is captured for the latter half of Episode 13, and Roll, [[spoiler:[=ProtoMan=]]], and Kalinka set out to rescue him. Tron Bonne also tags along, unbeknownst to the other characters. |
| 180 | * DividedWeFall: By Episode 13, tension between [[spoiler:Roll and [=ProtoMan=]]] has hit a breaking point, though revelations later on cool things down before they can ''really'' fight. |
| 181 | * DivingSave: [[spoiler:Dr. Light pulls one in Chapter 184 to save the presidential candidates from an attack by Bass.]] |
| 182 | * DoNotAdjustYourSet: When the Stardroids arrive, Terra hacks every electronic device in the world to broadcast his message. |
| 183 | * DoNotCallMePaul: [=ProtoMan=] hates being referred to by his birth name, Blues. |
| 184 | * DownerBeginning: Episode 11 starts with many heroic characters in pain or worse, and Wily looking victorious. |
| 185 | * DownerEnding: Episode 10. While Wily's plan is stopped, an innocent girl was harmed in the carnage, and Mega Man blames himself. And even worse, [[spoiler:Wily tortures [=ProtoMan=]]]. |
| 186 | * DramaticIrony: |
| 187 | ** In Episode 10, [=ProtoMan=], who doesn't want to kill Mega Man anymore, is forced to train the Mega Man Killers, who are made to kill Mega. |
| 188 | ** Brain Bot is overjoyed when he sees the Stardroids, not knowing that the invaders do not come in peace. |
| 189 | ** Dr. Cossack dismisses tabloid news of Kalinka having feelings for Mega Man, unaware that she does. |
| 190 | * DramaticPause: There are a few pauses in the narration and sometimes in dialogue that are used for effect. |
| 191 | * DudeWheresMyRespect: [=ProtoMan=] calls Mega out on this in Episode 11; despite the heroic things he's done, he gets no respect and little trust for it. |
| 192 | ** Doubly so after [[spoiler: he turns on Wily]], though this time it's from the population of New York. |
| 193 | * EarlyBirdCameo: Galaxy Man from Episode 9 debuted in one of the author's side stories. |
| 194 | * EarpieceConversation: A non-comedic example. It's seen early in Episode 11, as [[spoiler: Wily coaches [=ProtoMan=] in a conversation with Mega Man]]. |
| 195 | * {{Egopolis}}: Punk plans to rename the Hawaiian islands "Punkatopia." |
| 196 | * ElectricTorture: Wily inflicts this on Ice Man early on, and in Episode 13, Bass does this to Mega Man by way of the Torment Generator. |
| 197 | * EmbarrassingNickname: Due to having a name that sounds like two types of dairy products, Bree Ricotta is known as the "Cheese Woman". She doesn't like it. |
| 198 | * EnemyCivilWar: Wily's Robot Masters have a habit of competing with each other, and they sometimes jeopardize chances at victory because of it. This becomes even more pronounced when Bass and Splash Woman are created, as both parties immediately set out to discredit the other. |
| 199 | * EpicFail: Early Vick-Tek robots engage in these, especially Toby, until [=ProtoMan=] fixes him. |
| 200 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: The Stardroids make clear their intent and threat to Earth when they shoot down Galaxy Man and broadcast an ultimatum to the people of Earth to surrender. |
| 201 | * EurekaMoment: A very creepy one when [[spoiler:Tiesel realizes Tron's virus is the perfect template for the Conduit's virus]]. |
| 202 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: |
| 203 | ** Wily is at first opposed to killing people during his conquests, preferring to rule through fear. This gradually fades as his desires get more out of control. |
| 204 | ** In Episode 12, Mr. Black is appalled at the idea of [[spoiler:sacrificing all robots in order to get at Wily. Unfortunately for him, his refusal to do so leads the Conduit to decide [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he's no longer useful]].]] |
| 205 | * EverybodysDeadDave: [[spoiler: The result of Operation: Badlands Strike in Episode 11, as every soldier but Mega Man is killed.]] |
| 206 | * EverythingFades: The Stardroids' bodies fade upon death, preventing anyone from studying them. |
| 207 | * EvilCannotComprehendGood: Goodness disgusts Terra, and he doesn't really understand it to begin with. |
| 208 | * EvilVsEvil: The Conduit vs. Dr. Wily; their forces get into a fight in Episode 12, and the Conduit plans to kill Wily, who they see as an obstacle. |
| 209 | * TheFaceless: Mr. Black, at first. |
| 210 | ** The Conduit is this as well. |
| 211 | * FailureGambit: In the past, [[spoiler:Terra deliberately lost to Duo to distract him from Sunstar and Luna destroying a planet and enacting a contingency plan]]. |
| 212 | * FallenHero: Mr. Black, who was once a top FBI agent. |
| 213 | * {{Fangirl}}: Kalinka is one to Mega Man, and so is Tron Bonne. |
| 214 | * FantasticDrug: Hydro-X, the stuff Caster had an addiction to. It's a bit vague what exactly it does, but it's addictive and causes long-term organ damage. |
| 215 | * FantasticRacism: William Cochran led an anti-robot group, and [=ProtoMan's=] not too fond of humans--nor are they fond of him, [[spoiler:even after he turns on Wily]]. |
| 216 | * FieldPromotion: [=ProtoMan=] talks Wily into putting him in command of the Robot Masters and operations in the interlude to Episode 9. |
| 217 | * FightingFromTheInside: |
| 218 | ** Mega Man tries to resist Splash Woman's brainwashing by thinking of Kalinka. |
| 219 | ** [[spoiler:When ordered by the Conduit to kill himself in a last-ditch effort to salvage his plans, Mitchell Deacon summons the inner strength to resist the Mindcracker device and hold off until the police arrive.]] |
| 220 | * FinalSolution: [[spoiler:The Conduit's plan is to destroy every single robot's memory core, killing them all]]. |
| 221 | * FirstContact: Episode 14 features the Stardroids, alien robots who do ''not'' come in peace. |
| 222 | * {{Foil}}: Dr. Light and Dr. Wily contrast in every way, from personality to backstory. |
| 223 | ** Mega Man, [=ProtoMan=], and Bass all qualify too. |
| 224 | ** Kalinka and Tron Bonne; both have an attraction to Mega Man but only one is love. Also, Roll and Tron both care for their robot companions, but Tron is more willing to bend the law. |
| 225 | ** Pretty much any major sibling relationship contrasts with Mega and Proto's. |
| 226 | ** George Cochran is an honest politician who believes in equality for robots, but his son William is a fervent anti-robot racist. |
| 227 | * ForcedToWatch: Mega Man is forced to watch in Episode 11 as the entire army sent to fight Project G-2 is slaughtered. |
| 228 | * {{Foreshadowing}}: Plenty. |
| 229 | ** [=ProtoMan=] mentions in Episode 4 that if the ion bomb had been any bigger they'd all be dead. In Episode 6 a much bigger ion bomb is seen, and it's in danger of exploding. |
| 230 | ** Blueprints for Splash Woman are seen in the interlude to Episode 8, and she's seen in Episode 13. Wily also mentions a Project G-2, which appears in Episode 11. |
| 231 | ** Chapter 1 states that a robot cannot self-terminate at the behest of a human. This saves Drill Man in Episode 8. |
| 232 | ** In Episode 7, [=ProtoMan=] stops Wily in the middle of testing a pain program on a Metool. [[spoiler: The whisper in Wily's head comments that he should use it on [=ProtoMan=]]]. In the Episode 10 epilogue, [[spoiler: he does]]. |
| 233 | ** Brain Bot mentions in Episode 8 that since Quadrinium is from outer space and usable with robotic technology, there exists the possibility of robotic life on other planets. Come Episode 14, that life does arrive in the form of the Stardroids. |
| 234 | ** After the Episode 10 epilogue, it's frequently mentioned that [=ProtoMan=]'s pre-programmed obedience to Wily's orders isn't what's keeping him in line, but his own fear, [[spoiler:foreshadowing said obedience being erased]]. |
| 235 | ** During Episode 10, Wily uses his rage to construct a sketch of a new robot heavily implied to be [[spoiler:Zero]]. He continues work on it in all subsequent episodes, using the ''mention'' of such a powerful force to keep Bass in line. |
| 236 | ** In Episode 11 the Conduit mentions a third, female associate. She is seen later on, as is a fourth associate. |
| 237 | ** In the interlude to Episode 13, Dr. Light starts work on a project heavily implied to be [[spoiler:Mega Man X]], and continues working on it in subsequent episodes. |
| 238 | ** An understated mention of Lex Loath, a character from the ''Legends'' games who's deceased in-story, becomes important when [[spoiler:it's revealed the Conduit is his grandson]]. |
| 239 | * ForeverWar: Mega Man is worried the war with Wily will be one. |
| 240 | * ForgottenFallenFriend: Averted. Doc is mentioned several times after his death and it continues to affect Roll throughout the story. |
| 241 | * FourLinesAllWaiting: Episode 15 and 16 are heavily split between Mega Man and his allies, the Conduit and his associates and Dr. Wily, each doing their own thing. The lines start coming together further into Episode 16 as everything builds to its conclusion. |
| 242 | * FrameUp: Dark Man frames Mega Man for his crimes in Episode 6, and [[spoiler:in Episode 15 the Conduit's plan is to frame [=ProtoMan=] and Governor Deacon for his crimes]]. |
| 243 | * FreudianExcuse: Subverted; while Wily does have an abusive father who colored his outlook on life, the story takes pains to show that Wily himself is a horrible man who deserves punishment and that he's actually worse than his father was. |
| 244 | * FromBadToWorse: Episodes 10, 11, and 15 have this; just when you think things can't get any worse for the characters' morale, something bad happens. |
| 245 | * FunnyBackgroundEvent: In Episode 9, Quick Man was still running when the black hole shut down, resulting in him crashing through a wall with an ImpactSilhouette. |
| 246 | * GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Roll does this to Mega in Episode 11, slapping him and lecturing him back to his senses--though it takes more than that to fully convince him. |
| 247 | * GirlsNightOutEpisode: Lampshaded in the final battle of episode 13, which is titled "Girls Night Out, Parts 1 and 2" and features Roll, Kalinka, and Tron Bonne versus Splash Woman. Another battle takes place at the same time, but the main focus is on the girls. |
| 248 | * GloriousMotherRussia: Dr. Cossack has this attitude at first, but changes his tune when Mega helps save him and Kalinka. |
| 249 | * AGodAmI: In his ultimatum to Earth, Terra claims the Stardroids are gods. The Conduit also describes himself to Tiesel as God. |
| 250 | * GoneHorriblyWrong: Gamma and the Civil Defense Tower. Both were projects meant to stop Wily, but he hijacked them both, causing a lot of destruction and terror. |
| 251 | * GoodCopBadCop: Seen briefly in Episode 12, though it doesn't get them anywhere. |
| 252 | * GoodFeelsGood: |
| 253 | ** [=ProtoMan=] realizes this in regards to [[spoiler: caring for Nomad]]. |
| 254 | ** Bass himself also experiences it when he stops some criminals. [[spoiler:He finally accepts it after Roll talks him to stop fighting in Episode 17, Chapter 9]]. |
| 255 | * GreenEyedMonster: Wily's jealousy of Light led to their falling out. |
| 256 | * HalfwayPlotSwitch: The first half of Episode 2 is about Mega Man fighting against Dr. Wily's new robot masters. The second half is Mega Man attacking Dr. Wily's fortress directly. |
| 257 | * HearingVoices: Wily hears whispers in his head that drive him to do ''very'' evil deeds. |
| 258 | * HeartDrive: Similar to the integrated circuit chips from the games, robots have a memory core that houses their experiences and personality. Destroying that is tantamount to killing the robot off for good. |
| 259 | * HeelFaceDoorSlam: Episode 14, chapter 9 has [[spoiler: Neptune; he was starting to turn on Terra in the previous chapter]]. |
| 260 | * HeelFaceTurn: Drill Man in Episode 8, partially thanks to Roll. |
| 261 | ** [[spoiler:[=ProtoMan=]]] in Episode 11, chapter 11. |
| 262 | ** Episode 12, chapter 2 has [[spoiler:Mr. Black]]. |
| 263 | ** In Episode 17, chapter 9, [[spoiler:Bass]]. |
| 264 | * HeelRealization: [[spoiler:Upon hearing a heartfelt conversation between Kalinka and Mega Man, Tron finally realizes just what she's been trying to do with her break-up attempts.]] |
| 265 | * HeroKiller: Bass, whose initial appearances inspired fear in Mega Man and managed to give both him and [=ProtoMan=] a good thrashing before barely losing or leaving due to outside circumstances. |
| 266 | ** Wily later builds Enker, Punk, and Ballade, the Mega Man Killers. They live up to their name; in-fighting is the only reason they ''don't'' succeed in their first encounter with Mega Man. |
| 267 | ** Later those two forces fight. Bass wins, and Mega Man is even more afraid of him. |
| 268 | * HeroWithBadPublicity: As of Episode 11, [[spoiler:[=ProtoMan=]]]. |
| 269 | * HeroicBSOD: Mega's been in the throes of one since about Episode 6, and it's only gotten worse over time--especially with the fallout from Episode 10. He recovers from it late in Episode 11. |
| 270 | ** [=ProtoMan=]'s in one too as of the Episode 10 epilogue; he recovers from it midway through Episode 11. |
| 271 | * HeroicResolve: Memories of his loved ones let [[spoiler:[=ProtoMan=]]] do this in Episode 11, [[spoiler:fighting Wily's fear programming and turning on him]]. |
| 272 | * HeroicSacrifice: In Episode 3, Doc the Metool does this to save Roll. |
| 273 | ** QN-60 and Dr. Cossack ''almost'' do this to save people, but Mega Man saves them. |
| 274 | ** In Episode 10, [[spoiler: Ballade]] does this to save an innocent girl trapped where he was ordered to detonate explosives. |
| 275 | * HeroicWannabe: The Mega Crew, doubling as a shout out to ''The Dark Knight'''s Batman wannabes. |
| 276 | * HeroicWillpower: Mega Man is able to resist Splash Woman's powers enough for her to become annoyed and give up on seducing him at the moment. |
| 277 | * HesBack: Villainous variant with [[spoiler: [=ProtoMan=]]] in Episode 11. |
| 278 | ** Heroic version with [[spoiler:Mega Man]] one chapter later. |
| 279 | * HiddenAgendaVillain: Mr. Black was initially seen as faceless, but eventually his face, backstory, and name were slowly revealed, as well as his motivations and target. |
| 280 | ** Also, the Conduit, as well as his associates. |
| 281 | * HitmanWithAHeart: [[spoiler:Mr. Black.]] |
| 282 | * HonestCorporateExecutive: Erickson. Sadly, he's also a YesMan. |
| 283 | * HorrifyingTheHorror: Bass is genuinely freaked when he sees [[spoiler:how destructive the Z-Saber is.]] |
| 284 | * HopeSpot: In Episode 11, chapter 7, everyone is geared up for a fight against Project G-2. There were heartwarming scenes before the battle, everyone is confident Mega will do his best, and he has the full support of the Robo-Commandos and the US army. [[spoiler: And then ''everyone but Mega Man is killed'']]. |
| 285 | * HumanPopsicle: Duo sleeps among the stars until the threat of the Stardroids awakens him, summoning him to Earth. |
| 286 | * HumansAreSpecial: Duo believes so, as humans have quite a varied culture compared to most species he's encountered. |
| 287 | * HumongousMecha: Gamma, which was built to stop Wily for good. |
| 288 | ** Project G-2, AKA [[spoiler:The Mad Grinder]]. Dr. Wily built it as a war machine. |
| 289 | * HurlItIntoTheSun: Duo disposes of Luna for good by hurling him into the Sun. |
| 290 | * IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Elec Man behaves this way towards Roll and Bree Ricotta. It's extra creepy with Bree as he ''knows'' she's married. |
| 291 | * IHaveYourWife: Dr. Wily ends up taking the family of one of the presidental debate's staff members hostage in order to gain access. |
| 292 | ** Splash Woman behaves this way with everyone she seduces, particularly Mega Man. |
| 293 | * IJustWantToBeNormal: Mega Man struggles with this throughout the story. |
| 294 | * IceQueen: Miss T is the most coldhearted of the Conduit's associates, and threatens Tiesel frequently. |
| 295 | * IfICantHaveYou: Splash Woman blows up her underwater hideout after losing, saying that if she can't have Mega Man no one will. |
| 296 | * IfIDoNotReturn: Roll gives such a speech in Episode 8. |
| 297 | * IgnoredEpiphany: Wily has one in the Episode 11 epilogue as he realizes [[spoiler:[=ProtoMan=] leaving]] was his fault. Then he decides it can't be ''entirely'' his fault and rages at Dr. Light. |
| 298 | ** Tiesel has one in Episode 13 when he feels guilty for what the Conduit is making him do, but suppresses his guilt when he remembers the Conduit's threats against him. |
| 299 | * ImpactSilhouette: In Episode 9, Quick Man was still running when the black hole shut down, resulting in him crashing through a wall with one of those. |
| 300 | * InSeriesNickname: |
| 301 | ** "Nomad" for the female Robot Master, who wasn't named before she escaped. |
| 302 | ** "Headless Joe" for the headless Sniper Joe. |
| 303 | ** Bree Ricotta is called the Cheese Woman because of her PunnyName. It doubles as an EmbarrassingNickname. |
| 304 | * InTheBack: Dr. Wily attempts to shoot Sunstar in the back with the Jadous Sphere shard, but is foiled when the Stardroid changes his mind about staying behind and leaves. |
| 305 | * InternalReveal: |
| 306 | ** In Episode 11, chapter 6, [[spoiler: Wily finds out about [=ProtoMan=]'s betrayal, courtesy of Bass]]. In the same chapter, Mega Man finally sees the full video of [=ProtoMan=]'s activation. |
| 307 | ** Episode 11, chapter 11, has [[spoiler: the reveal that Mr. Black is on the heroes' side]]. |
| 308 | ** In the Episode 13 epilogue, Tron learns about Mega Man and Kalinka's relationship and [[spoiler: Roll learns about [=ProtoMan=]'s secret meetings with Nomad]]. |
| 309 | ** Episode 15 has [[spoiler:Mega Man's family and Dr. Wily learn about Nomad's existence and [=ProtoMan=]'s feelings for her]]. |
| 310 | * IntrepidReporter: Bree Ricotta is a heroic version, in contrast to her RS-Mega Man personality. Her nasty comments from the Ruby-Spears episode "Mega-Pinocchio" were passed on to a reporter named [[MeaningfulName Dick Ferguson]]. |
| 311 | * IronLady: Police Captain Talia Tallarico is stern, tough, and unwilling to compromise. |
| 312 | * {{Irony}}: The Special Edition of Episode 1 has Wily applying for a job at Vick-Tek. In Episode 7, Wily tricks Vick-Tek into funding him to make Bass. |
| 313 | * ItsAllAboutMe: Splash Woman is vain and self-centered; her powers could, if she wanted, make everyone idolize her. She gets annoyed when Bass interrupts her time alone, calling it her "Just Splash Time." |
| 314 | * ItsPersonal: Roll has a personal vendetta against Wily for killing Doc. |
| 315 | ** Mr. Black has one [[spoiler: against Wily for killing Tonya]]. |
| 316 | ** As of Episode 11, Wily has one against Dr. Light running even deeper than before. |
| 317 | * JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Averted in [[spoiler:Mr. Black's interrogation]], as human rights laws mean they can't do him any harm. |
| 318 | * JadeColoredGlasses: Mr. Black has this mindset and believes violence is the only way to stop Wily. |
| 319 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Even though he's a bad guy [[spoiler:until the Episode 11 finale]] and is not fond of most humans, [=ProtoMan=] has demonstrated acts of kindness, especially to Nomad, Mega Man and Roll. |
| 320 | * {{Jerkass}}: Miss T is the most coldhearted of the Conduit's associates, and threatens Tiesel frequently. |
| 321 | * JustAMachine: Wily sometimes has this view on robots, and [[spoiler:the Conduit]] ''definitely'' does. |
| 322 | * KickTheDog: Wily does this ''a lot'', especially to his own robots. |
| 323 | ** In the Episode 9 epilogue, he [[spoiler: demoted [=ProtoMan=] in front of all the other robots when it was ''Wily's'' fault the plan failed, and made it so he can never leave the fortress without permission again]]. |
| 324 | ** Metal Man decapitates a Sniper Joe in Episode 9, though it isn't killed. |
| 325 | ** Centaur Man gets one in Episode 11 when he [[spoiler: imitates a heartbroken Mega Man]] while he's relaying information to Wily. |
| 326 | ** In Episode 11 Wily demotes [=ProtoMan=] to the lowest rung yet, prevents him from going on missions, and weaponizes a PetTheDog moment with Bass to further hurt him. Then, in a later chapter, he [[spoiler: burns [=ProtoMan=]'s photograph of himself and Mega Man together]]. |
| 327 | ** Episode 12 has Miss T ripping apart Tonya's wedding dress. |
| 328 | * KilledOffForReal: Seen a couple times. |
| 329 | ** Episode 3 has Flash Man and Doc. |
| 330 | ** Episode 9 has [[spoiler: Metal Man]]. |
| 331 | ** Episode 10 has [[spoiler: Ballade]]. |
| 332 | ** Episode 14 has [[spoiler: all of the Stardroids]]. |
| 333 | * KneelBeforeZod: In Episode 13, Wily fantasizes about making everyone grovel before him--or, if he chooses, killing them while they're on their knees. |
| 334 | [[/folder]] |
| 335 | |
| 336 | [[folder: L-Z]] |
| 337 | * LandslideElection: Mitchell Deacon wins his seat as governor by a landslide, and it's predicted former governor George Cochran will easily win his bid for President. |
| 338 | * LargeHam: Centaur Man was disguised as a wrestling champion, The Centaur, for quite a while. He still retains that attitude. |
| 339 | * LastOfHisKind: Invoked and subverted. Sunstar told everyone serving under him that they were the last Stardroids, galvanizing them to do well in battle... and hiding the existence of Terra's Milky Way group, who would preserve their race. |
| 340 | * LeaningOnTheFourthWall: When Bass arrives to attack the Mega Man Killers for harming Roll, Punk laughs at it and calls his reaction "your own personal fanfic shipping dream". |
| 341 | * LikeAGodToMe: Metal Man sees Wily as a god. It is not played for laughs. |
| 342 | * LiteralChangeOfHeart: To cement his character development, [[spoiler:[=ProtoMan=] offers his own internal regulator/heart to save Mega Man]]. |
| 343 | * LoopholeAbuse: [=ProtoMan=]'s fond of exploiting these in regards to his programming. |
| 344 | ** Drill Man does likewise in Episode 8, slowing himself down enough so that Roll can talk to and save him. |
| 345 | ** [[spoiler:After having his HeelFaceTurn, Bass knows that his programming won't allow him to attack or apprehend Wily directly, so he willingly steps aside so Mega Man and his siblings can do so.]] |
| 346 | * LosingYourHead: A Sniper Joe in Episode 9 has its head cut off by Metal Man, but just picks it up and wanders off. He loses it again later on, with the same reaction. |
| 347 | * LossOfIdentity: Sometimes Mega Man is so busy being Mega Man that he forgets he can be Rock. |
| 348 | * TheLostLenore: [[spoiler: Mr. Black's wife, Tonya Coupe-Barton]]. She was killed in Dr. Wily's very first attack, and he built a shrine to her in memoriam--and vowed revenge on Wily. |
| 349 | * LoveMakesYouEvil: Bass was already a villainous character. But his misinterpretation of Roll's words caused him to go back to [[BigBad Wily]] and commit more heinous acts, thinking she meant he wasn't strong enough yet for them to be together. However, [[LoveRedeems he starts inverting the trope]] later on when he starts [[GoodFeelsGood feeling well about stopping criminals and helping others, culminating in his HeelFaceTurn in Chapter 9 of Episode 17.]] |
| 350 | * LoveRedeems: In Episode 11, [[spoiler:[=ProtoMan's=] love for his family and Nomad is what enables him to turn on Wily]]. |
| 351 | * LovesTheSoundOfScreaming: Wily and Bass both ''love'' to hear people in pain. |
| 352 | * LowerDeckEpisode: Episode 16 mainly focuses on the supporting cast, as [[spoiler:Mega Man is incapacitated for much of the episode and the Conduit's plans shift into high gear]]. |
| 353 | * MachineBlood: The fic sometimes uses oil as an analogy for blood. One of the biggest instances is at the end of Episode 11 [[spoiler:after Mega Man's severe damage from the Mad Grinder, with Dr. Light hooking up an oil feed tube in a manner akin to a blood transfusion and Proto Man looking at how his own hands and chest were stained as he carried Mega Man to safety]]. |
| 354 | * MaliciousMisnaming: [=ProtoMan=] calls Tango "Bingo" and "Pongo" to tease him. |
| 355 | * MalignantPlotTumor: The Conduit gradually swells in importance as the story progresses to the point where one episode is dedicated to their final scheme. |
| 356 | * MauveShirt: Headless Joe, a Sniper Joe who befriended [=ProtoMan=] after losing his head. |
| 357 | * MindProbe: In the Episode 14 interlude, Bass has his brain hijacked by the Stardroids, giving them access to his memories and knowledge of Earth so they can prepare for the invasion. Even scarier is that they did so through his power source, and [[spoiler:someone who wasn't the Stardroids]] actually possessed him briefly. |
| 358 | * TheMole: |
| 359 | ** Metal Man in Episode 9 is this, spying on [=ProtoMan=] for Wily. |
| 360 | ** In Episode 13, the police and FBI suspect the Conduit may have planted a mole within their ranks. It turns out they're right. The mole turns out to be [[spoiler:Captain Tallarico, AKA Miss T]]. |
| 361 | ** In Episode 13 Splash Woman brainwashes Plum and has her spy on Roll, Mega Man, and their friends. |
| 362 | * MomentKiller: Bass interrupts Splash Woman attempting to seduce Mega Man several times. |
| 363 | * MomentOfWeakness: Mega has one in Episode 8 when he presses Wily's BerserkButton while trying to negotiate with him and Drill Man; he regrets it almost immediately. |
| 364 | * MoodWhiplash: In Episode 14, a funny scene with Tron giving her brother a computer virus turns scary when [[spoiler:he decides to use it as a template for the Conduit's virus]]. |
| 365 | * MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong: Dr. Cossack is a firm believer in this. This is most evident in Episode 6, where he espouses the strength of Russian technology. It's not all talk, since he creates the prototype of the Ride Armor that X and Vile will make heavy use of in a hundred years [[spoiler:as well as this continuity's Ra Moon]]. |
| 366 | * MotiveDecay: Discussed in Chapter 94, where Proto Man calls out Wily on going from wanting to conquer the world to simply trying to destroy Mega Man and letting his morals slip. |
| 367 | * MrsHypothetical: Tron refers to herself as "the future Mrs. Mega Man" at least once. |
| 368 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Dr. Light's reaction to the Gamma ordeal, and Vickers's when he learns the truth about Bass and his creator. |
| 369 | ** Roll gets this in the Episode 3 interlude after she brutally dispatches the cosmetic robot from "Electric Nightmare." |
| 370 | ** Dr. Wily gets this briefly in the Episode 11 epilogue, but soon his rage outweighs the guilt. |
| 371 | ** Bass in Episode 17, Chapter 6, when tries to shoot at [[spoiler:Kramer, but Dr. Light gets in his way and ends up [[TakingTheBullet takes the blast for him]].]] |
| 372 | * MyGreatestFailure: While Duo had failed to stop the Stardroids on occasion before, his greatest moment of doubt came when he watched them destroy a planet in front of his eyes. |
| 373 | * MythologyGag: |
| 374 | ** Duo's strongest attack, the Giga Fist, is named after his car in ''Mega Man Battle 'n' Chase''. |
| 375 | ** Dr. Light's first design for a fighting robot is Bad Box Art Mega Man. |
| 376 | ** Air Man's first design is basically his game design before being remade into his cartoon body. |
| 377 | ** Dr. Wily's list of rejected Robot Masters in Chapter 22 include Shout Man, Kong Man and Worm Man, who were all scraped Robot Master ideas. Later in Episode 17, other Robot Masters who were in the planning stages include [[VideoGame/MegaManPoweredUp Time Man]], [[VideoGame/MegaManAndBass Pirate Man]], [[VideoGame/MegaMan9 Concrete Man]], [[VideoGame/MegaMan11 Block Man, Acid Man and Bounce Man]]. |
| 378 | ** When out and about, Bass likes to wear a cloak like his ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' counterpart. |
| 379 | ** [[spoiler:Like in his debut game, Ballade sacrifices himself to try and do the right thing.]] |
| 380 | ** [[spoiler: [[VideoGame/MegaMan7 Mega Man once again nearly decides to kill Wily, declaring he is more than a robot while doing so]].]] |
| 381 | * NamedByTheAdaptation: The unnamed Evil Energy Robot from ''Mega Man 8'' is given the name [[spoiler:Luna, connecting it with the Stardroids]]. |
| 382 | * NearVillainVictory: Dr. Wily has come ''extremely'' close to winning the world and killing Mega Man at times. The most prominent example is Episode 11, where he ''would'' have won and killed him if not for [[spoiler:[=ProtoMan=] turning on him]]. Even after Wily loses in that episode, Mega Man almost dies anyway because of the wounds inflicted on him. |
| 383 | * NeatFreak: Terra hates dust and dirt, seeing it as a sign of imperfection. |
| 384 | * TheNeedsOfTheMany: In a flashback, [[spoiler:Terra and Sunstar use three other Stardroids as bait so their contingency plan and rest of their race will survive]]. |
| 385 | * NeverMyFault: Wily has this problem big-time, blaming everyone for failures except himself. He finally (and rightfully) blames himself for [[spoiler:[=ProtoMan=] leaving]] in the Episode 11 epilogue. |
| 386 | * NeverRecycleYourSchemes: Played straight most of the time, but averted in Episode 11 where Wily decides to repeat a semi-successful plan in the hopes of hurting Mega more. |
| 387 | * NiceJobFixingItVillain: Wily's foiled a couple of his own schemes, and Vickers ruined a potential deal with Cossack. |
| 388 | * NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: In Episode 12, [[spoiler:Mr. Black is brutalized by Bass, getting beat up and having his neck snapped]]. |
| 389 | * NoOneCouldSurviveThat: Lampshaded in Episode 12 where [[spoiler:Mr. Black survives having his neck broken]], though it's realistic in that he'd die ''very'' quickly if not treated. He ends up barely surviving. |
| 390 | * NoPlaceForMeThere: [[spoiler:Duo initially believed he would have no purpose left after defeating the Stardroids. After seeing Neptune's attempt at reformation, he decided he could still do good in other parts of the universe.]] |
| 391 | * NoSell: Episode 14 has [=ProtoMan=] attempting to destroy Wily's ultimate creation before it's finished, but he doesn't damage it at all. |
| 392 | * NobleDemon: Ballade, who treated Mega Man with dignity while his allies didn't. |
| 393 | * NotHimself: [=ProtoMan=] post Episode 10; the other characters begin to notice midway through Episode 11. |
| 394 | * NotHisSled: In Episode 3, when it looks like Mega Man is going to be crushed by the train car like in the original show, he instead manages to get out of the way before it hits. |
| 395 | * NotSoHarmlessVillain: With most of his crazy plots from the show carried over, and how he had a tendency to foil his own schemes, Wily was generally seen as a foolish, if evil, old man by the readership. Even given his villainous breakdowns, rants, and increasingly dangerous plots, he didn't threaten the characters personally much post Episode 4... until the Episode 10 epilogue, where [[spoiler: he personally and mercilessly tortures [=ProtoMan=] in cold blood. It ends with [=ProtoMan=] ''begging'' him to stop]]. |
| 396 | * NothingIsTheSameAnymore: Post Episode 5, nothing is necessarily safe, as it continues beyond where the show left off. The interlude to Episode 8 exemplifies this, with tons of new plot developments appearing. |
| 397 | ** Episode 11 has major changes in the status quo; even its title is "Things Change." The biggest one is [[spoiler:[=ProtoMan=] leaving Wily]]. |
| 398 | * OCStandIn: The Bonnes' parents, here named [[AlliterativeName Don Juan and Bonnie Bonne]]. |
| 399 | * OddlySmallOrganization: The Conduit is never shown to have more than four field agents at a time. When this trope becomes enforced due to the FBI limiting their hiring options, Tiesel uses this on Miss T to gain some leverage in the organization, [[spoiler:Tallarcio later considers making Ash Rose a new agent, and he's also revealed to have Glyde working for him, who lampshades this]]. |
| 400 | * OffscreenVillainDarkMatter: Like the show, the fic averts this several times. |
| 401 | ** Cold Steel and Fun World were one-time bad guy plots in the show. Here, their money finances Wily's plans for a while from music and ticket sales. |
| 402 | ** By Episode 7, two years of trying a new evil scheme each week leave Wily so depleted for funds, he even briefly contemplates having to surrender. It's only through taking advantage of the increasingly desperate Vick-Tek company that he even has the funds to keep going, let alone build Bass and Treble. |
| 403 | ** Episodes 12 and 13 both revolve around Wily trying to get a solid supply of cash back after spending the last bit on the Mad Grinder. |
| 404 | ** The Conduit initially played it straight, having a large number of supplies and cash, as well as access to high-profile events without any discernible source of income. Then this was subverted as constant setbacks and the loss of agents and robots took their toll on his finances, leaving him fairly desperate. [[spoiler:It later turned out to be justified by his government connections]]. |
| 405 | * OhCrap: Seen a couple times across the series. |
| 406 | ** Episode 6 has everyone's reaction when [=ProtoMan=] accidentally shoots an ion bomb and makes it go critical. |
| 407 | ** Episode 8 has Mega Man's reaction to realizing Roll is locked in the Tower as it's going to flood with lava. |
| 408 | ** Episode 10 has Governor Deacon's reaction to his Sky Car being broken into, but more importantly about the lab access code in the glove compartment. |
| 409 | ** Episode 11 has the President's reaction to Wily wanting nuclear weapons. |
| 410 | ** Episode 12 has the FBI's reaction when Mr. Black mentions the Jadous Sphere. |
| 411 | * TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: [=ProtoMan=] is like this towards Mega for a good while. |
| 412 | ** Bass is also this to a much more frightening degree. |
| 413 | * OriginalCharacter: Marcus Vickers, Lynn, Castor, the Conduit, and Mr. Black are just a few. There's also Nomad, who was originally a Robot Master before escaping Wily. |
| 414 | ** Three original Stardroids, Rigel, Taurus, and Beta, were defeated by Duo long ago. |
| 415 | * OriginsEpisode: Chapter 89 deals with the origins of Bass and Quadirium, while Chapter 153 deals with Duo and the Stardroids' backstory. |
| 416 | * OutsideContextProblem: The Stardroids, extremely powerful robot aliens that no one on Earth knew about before they invaded. Their mere presence en route to Earth enabled them to scan Bass's memories and even make him go haywire, when he was the most powerful robot in the series before they arrived. |
| 417 | * PaperThinDisguise: Wily's "Mr. X" outfit; possibly even ''worse'' is [=ProtoMan's=] alias, "Pro T. Mann." |
| 418 | * ParentalNeglect: The Bonnes' parents are on constant vacations and check in infrequently via communicators. |
| 419 | * PassThePopcorn: Wily has some popcorn while watching his robots attack the presidental debates. |
| 420 | * ThePerfectionist: Terra despises anything he sees as imperfect, even extending to dirt. |
| 421 | * PersonalityPowers: Splash Woman is vain and self-centered, and her powers make robots enamored with her. If she wanted she could have everyone worship her. |
| 422 | * PetTheDog: [=ProtoMan=] does this more and more as the series goes on. |
| 423 | ** Even Wily gets one in a twisted way when he attacks an hallucination of his father after it threatens [=ProtoMan=]. |
| 424 | ** Wily invokes and ''weaponizes'' this in Episode 11, using a hug with Bass to hurt [=ProtoMan=]. |
| 425 | * PlanetOfHats: Duo mentions that sentient species tend to have a homogeneous culture, and that humans are far more diverse than the norm. |
| 426 | * PokemonSpeak: Beat the robo-bird can only say his name. |
| 427 | * PoliceAreUseless: Gradually subverted. Initially, the police can't do much about Wily, but once they bring out heavier weaponry, they become much more effective and their coordination with Mega Man proves vital at several points. They're also still pretty good at dealing with regular crimes as well. |
| 428 | ** This is best shown in Chapter 16. While Mega Man's family lends their fair share of help, [[spoiler:it's ultimately good old fashioned police work that uncovers the Conduit's identity and leads to their capture.]] |
| 429 | * PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Punk is extremely sexist towards Roll, which infuriates her to no end. |
| 430 | * ThePowerOfHate: Dr. Wily's rage and anger fuels his creativity at times. |
| 431 | ** Bass also considers this his main source of strength, which causes him to become conflicted later on because he's not convinced that ThePowerOfLove might make him stronger. |
| 432 | * ThePowerOfLove: A frequent theme, particularly between Mega Man, his family, and Kalinka. |
| 433 | ** In Episode 11, chapter 8, [=ProtoMan=] [[spoiler:uses his love for Nomad to gather the courage to restore his old self]]. Two chapters later, he calms Nomad out of her destructive programming and pain by talking to her, and three chapters later, [[spoiler:his love for his family and friends is what enables him to turn on Wily and save his brother's life]]. |
| 434 | * PowerTrio: Enker, Punk, and Ballade are a villainous example. |
| 435 | ** As of Episode 11, [[spoiler: Mega Man, [=ProtoMan=], and Roll]]. |
| 436 | * PragmaticVillainy: Terra elects to not kill the humans of Earth until ''after'' his group conquers them, as he would rather they relinquished power to the Stardroids. |
| 437 | * PrecisionFStrike: |
| 438 | ** [=ProtoMan=] drops the fic's single f-bomb upon seeing Dark Man 2. |
| 439 | ** If you get someone like Dr. Light to swear at all, you've really done made him mad. |
| 440 | * PretendToBeBrainwashed: Roll and Bass do this when Splash Woman tries to brainwash them. Roll does it to catch her off-guard, while Bass hides that he ''can'' resist her powers until it's too late for her to do anything about it. |
| 441 | * PunBasedTitle: Episode 12, called "Fade to Black," focuses on the character of Mr. ''Black''. |
| 442 | ** Episode 13, "A Big Splash," introduces ''Splash'' Woman. |
| 443 | * PunchAWall: [=ProtoMan=] does this a number of times when he gets frustrated. Bass later finds himself doing this in Episode 17. |
| 444 | * PutOnABus: Vickers, Erickson, and Ferguson at the end of Episode 7. |
| 445 | * RageAgainstTheReflection: Bass comes across a mirror in Episode 17, Chapter 5. As he grows increasingly conflicted between embracing his own violent nature or trying to be good for Roll's sake, he smashes it in a fit of anger. |
| 446 | |
| 447 | * RealTrailerFakeMovie: This is seen in text format for Evelyn Ray's latest horror flick. |
| 448 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Governor Cochran and Governor Deacon, as well as President Henry, have helped and are helped by Mega Man at times. |
| 449 | * RedHerring: Mr. Black's hostile actions towards Mega Man were meant to make readers think [[spoiler: Mega was his target. In reality it was Wily]]. |
| 450 | * RedemptionEarnsLife: Happens with Drill Man, who stops following Wily's plan and thus isn't melted down in lava. |
| 451 | * RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Neptune turns on Sunstar and aids Mega Man and Duo, but dies from his injuries]]. |
| 452 | * ReformedButRejected: [[spoiler:Proto Man. Roll and the populace really doesn't trust him, particularly after he faked reforming previous. Finally subverted in Episode 17, after he helps apprehend Wily (and gives him a black eye on top of that), the people finally welcomes him as a hero]]. |
| 453 | * RemovingTheRival: The beginning of Episode 14 has Tron planning to scare Kalinka into giving Mega Man up by knocking on her doorstep with the Gustaff mech. |
| 454 | * RescueRomance: In Episode 13, Tron hopes Mega Man will fall in love with her if she rescues him. |
| 455 | * ResignationsNotAccepted: The Conduit makes it very clear when interacting with Tiesel and Mr. Black that you can only leave their employ in one of two ways: going to jail or going to the cemetery. Usually the latter. |
| 456 | * {{Retcon}}: The Special Edition Episode 1 makes it clear that the company Wily failed to get a job at was Vick-Tek; in the original it was an unnamed company and mentioned in passing. |
| 457 | ** It also has Lynn Wersching and AL-05 appear earlier as they investigate Wily's home. |
| 458 | * TheReveal: Several throughout the series. |
| 459 | ** Project G-2 is [[spoiler: the Mad Grinder]]. |
| 460 | ** [=ProtoMan=]'s weakness post Episode 10 was partly due to [[spoiler: Wily literally removing his positive traits]]. |
| 461 | ** Mr. Black's target is [[spoiler: Dr. Wily]]. |
| 462 | ** Project G-2 is powered by Bassinium. |
| 463 | ** Episode 12 has the reveal of the Conduit's master plan, which involves [[spoiler:a virus to destroy ''all'' robots' memory cores]]. |
| 464 | ** Episode 13 reveals that Nomad will [[spoiler: try to kill Mega Man on sight]] due to Wily's programming, and the epilogue reveals the identity of the mole on the police force. |
| 465 | ** Episode 14 reveals that Bass's power shards [[spoiler:contain the essence of a Stardroid named Luna]]. |
| 466 | ** Episode 15 reveals [[spoiler:the Conduit is a human man, his associate Mr. Wire is none other than Dick Ferguson, Nomad's name is Soprano, and the Conduit's true identity is Governor Deacon's chief of staff, Mr. Rehnquist--who turns out to be Lex Loath III, and is also working with Glyde]]. |
| 467 | * {{Revenge}}: |
| 468 | ** Roll wants revenge on Wily for killing Doc. |
| 469 | ** Tiesel Bonne wants revenge on Mega Man for dissolving the Mega Crew and perceived humiliation. |
| 470 | ** Mr. Black wants revenge [[spoiler:on Wily for killing his wife and leaving him paralyzed]]. |
| 471 | ** As of Episode 11, Wily wants revenge on Dr. Light for perceived involvement in [[spoiler:[=ProtoMan=] leaving Wily and turning good]]. |
| 472 | * RightHandAttackDog: Unlike in the games, Treble fights alongside Bass at times and has even helped him turn the tide of battle. |
| 473 | * RoboFamily: Played with. |
| 474 | ** As always, Rock and Roll are Dr. Light's kids first and foremost. [=ProtoMan=] is still their sibling by being constructed off the same plans. Since Dr. Wily was the one to finish assembling him in this continuity, Wily considers Proto more his kid than Dr. Light's. |
| 475 | ** Robots generally only consider each other siblings if they were built using the same base plans. Hence, the original six Robot Masters don't consider themselves brothers to Mega Man and Roll or each other. [=ProtoMan=] even asks if Bass is technically a new brother to him, which is given a negative as Wily built him using a new set of plans. Bass does like to rile up [=ProtoMan=] by calling him "big brother". Even Dr. Light comments that X technically won't be a sibling to his other robots in that sense. |
| 476 | * RousingSpeech: [=ProtoMan=] gives one in the interlude to Episode 9 as Wily gives him command of the battle operations. |
| 477 | * RunningGag: The author asking fans to point out any continuity errors big enough to [x], with [x] usually being something near-impossible, such as breaking a Met's hardhat. |
| 478 | * SacrificialLion: Doc the Metool, who dies in episode 3 after several scenes of bonding with Roll. |
| 479 | * SadisticChoice: Wily is fond of offering these, especially to those in power. |
| 480 | * ScienceAtTheSpeedOfPlot: Averted. Both Dr. Light and Dr. Wily often spend long periods of time and money working on their prospective plans and robots, usually for months at a time. [[spoiler:It took Wily over a year to design and build Zero, mostly due to acquiring the $20 million for parts and having to learn the components of the Jadious Sphere to make a sufficent power source. In that timeframe, X hadn't even gotten past the design phase with Dr. Light spending months just on the design and setting up the armor upgrades.]] |
| 481 | * SecretKeeper: [=ProtoMan=] is this for the fact that Nomad's alive. [[spoiler:In Episode 13, Roll also becomes this]]. |
| 482 | ** In Episode 10, Cut Man, Guts Man, and Magnet Man are this for [=ProtoMan=] meeting with Nomad. |
| 483 | * SeeYouInHell: Mr. Black delivers this line before trying to kill Wily. But he spends too long being dramatic, giving Bass time to save Wily. |
| 484 | * SeenItAllSuicide: [[spoiler:After atoning for his misdeeds by helping Janet regain the use of her legs, John Barton, a.k.a. Mr. Black, feels he's paid the debt owed to her family and refuses to get medical treatment for his developing health issues.]] |
| 485 | * SerialEscalation: It's noted in-story that Wily's plots keep getting bigger. |
| 486 | ** Project G-2, AKA [[spoiler: The Mad Grinder]], is even more dangerous than Gamma. |
| 487 | ** Episode 12 reveals the Conduit's plan [[spoiler:of robot genocide]], which is a threat to Dr. Light ''and'' Wily. |
| 488 | * ShellShockedVeteran: Mega Man, starting around Episode 6. |
| 489 | * ShoutOut: |
| 490 | ** To FanFic/MegaManRecut's "It's not a banana!" meme. |
| 491 | ** One to Film/TheDarkKnight with the Mega Crew, vigilante Mega Man wannabes. |
| 492 | ** There are several references to ''Series/TwentyFour'' scattered throughout the episodes. One noticeable one is a reference to the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) in Episode 9. |
| 493 | ** Punk's personality is a reference to wrestler Wrestling/CMPunk. |
| 494 | ** There are a couple shout outs to Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan, such as the no-win scenario and Mr. Black's choice of books. |
| 495 | ** Episode 11, chapter 8's title is one to a very famous ComicBook/SpiderMan story, specifically "Spider-Man No More." |
| 496 | ** Tiesel originally wanted to be known by the codename Creator/MrT. |
| 497 | ** The big two-part battle of Episode 14 is titled after ''Literature/AndThenThereWereNone''. |
| 498 | ** Chapter 76's title of "Tournament Fighters" is a nod to ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTournamentFighters''. |
| 499 | * ShrinkingViolet: Due to torture at the hands of Wily, Peekaboo is a very shy Metool. He's gotten less afraid of things under Roll's care, but is still easily spooked. |
| 500 | * SirensAreMermaids: Splash Woman can enthrall robots of any gender and brainwash them. |
| 501 | * SkipTheAnesthetic: When Mega Man's arm is blown off during Episode 3, he refuses being shut down when a new one is attached in case of an emergency. |
| 502 | * SmugSuper: Enker and Punk are constantly boasting about their powers and bullying other robots. And like always, Bass is all about him being the strongest robot ever. |
| 503 | ** Centaur Man was disguised as a wrestling champion, The Centaur, for quite a while. He still retains that attitude. |
| 504 | ** Terra is so arrogant he doesn't see ''anyone'' as a threat, and the Stardroids have the power to back up his words. |
| 505 | * SoProudOfYou: Part of the driving conflict for Drill Man in Chapter 8 is wanting to make Wily proud of him, even if it means going on a suicide mission that would kill a lot of people. [[spoiler:Roll eventually talks him out of it partially by pointing out that Wily would never be proud of him, but he can make robot-kind proud by proving he can be more than a bad guy.]] |
| 506 | * TheSpeechless: Nomad can't speak a word due to botched programming. |
| 507 | * SpellMyNameWithAnS: [=ProtoMan=] is one word with two capitalizations. In this 'verse, it's a shortening of Wily's suggested "Prototype Man" name. |
| 508 | * StalkerWithACrush: Bass is this to Roll, stalking her and wanting her to be his queen. |
| 509 | * StatusQuoIsGod: Played for drama in Episodes 5 and 9; [=ProtoMan=]'s HeelFaceTurn and promotion are temporary, but have lasting effects on him and other characters. [=ProtoMan=] even leaves Episode 9 in ''worse'' shape than when he started. |
| 510 | * StayInTheKitchen: Seen in early episodes, but faded when Roll confronted her family about it. |
| 511 | * StrappedToABomb: Played for drama in Episode 6 when Kalinka is shackled to a city-destroying ion bomb. |
| 512 | * SuperSenses: Bass has highly advanced senses that can scan through walls and detect human heartbeats. |
| 513 | * TabloidMelodrama: Mega Man has often been the subject of tabloid scrutiny, but this trope really takes effect in the interlude to Episode 14, where Tiesel Bonne gives the Conduit footage of Mega and Kalinka's kiss, which results in it being leaked to the public thanks to Tron. |
| 514 | * TakeAThirdOption: In Episode 11 the President decides to ''stall'' Wily until Mega Man can arrive. |
| 515 | * TakeMyHand: Seen in Episode 9 between [=ProtoMan=] and Metal Man. |
| 516 | * TakeUpMySword: [[spoiler:Mega Man asks Roll to do this when he begins to consider he may die from Roboenza.]] |
| 517 | * TakingTheBullet: In Episode 17, Chapter 6, [[spoiler:Dr. Light]] takes a blast from Bass, who intented to shoot at [[spoiler:Kramer.]] |
| 518 | * TakingYouWithMe: In Episode 9 [[spoiler: Metal Man tries to do this to [=ProtoMan=]]]. |
| 519 | ** Duo did this to Sunstar and Luna in a great battle long ago. |
| 520 | * TeamRocketWins: In Episode 9, Cut Man, Guts Man, and other Robot Masters defeat Mega Man. |
| 521 | * TenMinuteRetirement: In Episode 11 [[spoiler: Rock quits being Mega Man for about 1 chapter]]. It's played very well, and he himself notes that he may have been hasty. |
| 522 | * ThatManIsDead: Mr. Black claims this about who he used to be. [[spoiler:In the end it's reversed, with John Barton declaring Mr. Black dead]]. |
| 523 | * ThisIsTheFinalBattle: Dr. Wily spends Episode 17 gearing up for a final conflict and refers to it as the final battle a few times. |
| 524 | * ThouShaltNotKill: [=ProtoMan=] has a strict policy to not kill. [[spoiler: He breaks this vow in Episode 9]]. |
| 525 | * ThunderboltIron: The meteor fragments from Red Gulch, as well as Bassinium/Quadirium. The Jadous Sphere is also this. |
| 526 | * ToThePain: Dr. Wily likes to do this. |
| 527 | ** In Episode 1, Wily described the reprogramming process to Rock and Roll in detail, terrifying them even more. |
| 528 | ** In the Episode 10 epilogue, Wily describes the torturing program in excruciating detail. |
| 529 | * TouchTelepathy: Sunstar has this ability. [[spoiler:He uses it on Bass, seeing into his mind and briefly powering him up. It also lets Bass see into ''his'' mind]]. |
| 530 | * TragicVillain: [=ProtoMan=]. He was stolen and reprogrammed early in life. As a result, he can't defy Dr. Wily's orders even when he ''really'' wants to, such as being TheMole or abandoning a life-threatening situation. |
| 531 | ** In Episode 10, Ballade. He realized that being the robot Wily's most proud of meant others will fight for the spot, and while he showed respect to his enemies he got no respect from comrades. |
| 532 | * TrainingFromHell: [=ProtoMan=] puts the Robot Masters through this in Episode 9. |
| 533 | * TranquilFury: Mega Man spends most of the fortress raid in Episode 17 like this. His heroic banner is greatly reduced and any attempts by Wily to badger him are met with cold stares and a blast to the cameras. |
| 534 | * TrapDoor: Vickers has one in his office; once he ejected ''himself''. |
| 535 | * TreacherousAdvisor: Governor Deacon's adviser, Newkirk, didn't have well-laid plans. While not outright treacherous, he showed little to no concern for public safety. This got Newkirk fired. [[spoiler:Rehnquist is a much more malicious version, as he's secretly the Conduit]]. |
| 536 | * UltimateUniverse: For the ''Mega Man'' cartoon and the games. |
| 537 | * UnderwearOfPower: Lampshaded when Mega Man asks if his armor makes him look more superhero-like to Roll because of this. |
| 538 | * UnknownRival: Tron Bonne sees herself as a rival for Mega Man's affections, but both Mega Man and Kalinka don't even know who she is. |
| 539 | * UnskilledButStrong: During Mega Man's first fight, he's just been made into a top-of-the-line combot robot and possesses knowledge of the Robot Master's weaknesses, so he takes down the untrained, civilian-work designed robots fairly easily. But Mega only had a few hours to train at most while [=ProtoMan=] has had three months and equal firepower. That ends up just enough to give Proto an edge in their first fight, in which Mega Man would probably have lost if not for an energy refill and Wily deciding to cut his losses. |
| 540 | * UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Desperate for a robot hero, Markus Vickers accepts a offer to have one built without any background check and forks over $200 million for it. If he hadn't let his anger and greed cloud his judgment, there would be no Bass and Dr. Wily might very well have surrendered from lack of funds. |
| 541 | * UpdatedRerelease: The Special Edition of Episode 1, which tightens continuity, streamlines paragraphs, and fixes a lot of typos. |
| 542 | * VacationEpisode: Episode 13 involves the Lights on vacation in Hawaii. |
| 543 | * TheVamp: Splash Woman brainwashes and seduces Mega Man, and forces him to promise not to tell anyone about her. Even thinking about Kalinka doesn't free him from her control, and ''Rush'' is enthralled by her powers. |
| 544 | * VerySpecialEpisode: A secondary arc of Episode 7 involves Lynn finally dealing with her brother Castor's severe drug abuse, with some helpful advice from Mega Man. Castor is seen suffering drug withdrawals and is reluctant to recover. But, in the end, Castor breaks down in his sister's arms and finally agrees to seek treatment. |
| 545 | * VillainDecay: The Mega Man Killers undergo this. In their highlight episode, they nearly killed Mega Man twice before he managed to defeat them. After that, they just became as effective as regular Robot Masters. Punk got it the worst after he took a crippling blow from [=ProtoMan=] in Episode 11. His heart just wasn't in it anymore since then and he was more prone to griping and staying out of the way than actually fighting. |
| 546 | * VillainWithGoodPublicity: Bass, at least at first. |
| 547 | * VillainessesWantHeroes: Splash Woman muses that while she could destroy Mega Man, part of her would love to have him to herself and under her control. |
| 548 | * VillainousBreakdown: Ever since Episode 4 and the Gamma ordeal, Wily's been slowly losing it. |
| 549 | ** Mr. Black went through this as well, especially given his replacement, Tiesel Bonne. |
| 550 | * VillainousCrush: Bass has it ''really'' bad for Roll. Splash Woman for Mega Man, too. |
| 551 | * VillainsActHeroesReact: |
| 552 | ** Mega Man averts this in the latter half of Episode Two by storming Wily's fortress. |
| 553 | ** Dr. Light initially planned for Gamma to be an aversion of his trope once it was finished by using it to finish off Wily. |
| 554 | ** Marcus Vickers mentions this as one of his reasons for wanting to create a better robot warrior, as he wanted one that would be proactive and do more than just seemingly wait for threats and drive them off. |
| 555 | * TheVirus: [[spoiler: A memory core destroying virus is the crux of the Conduit's plan, first outsourced to Mr. Black and later created by the Bonnes. Willam Cochran and Wily get their hands on it after the Conduit is thwarted, with the implication that Wily will use it to create the Maverick Virus]]. |
| 556 | * WarIsHell: A clear theme of the series; despite his many victories over Wily, the battles he's fought and losses suffered affect Mega Man greatly. |
| 557 | * WashingtonDCInvasion: [=ProtoMan=] plans this in Episode 9, but it doesn't happen due to Wily's interference. [[spoiler: Wily then steals his idea to use in Episode 11]]. |
| 558 | * WeCanRuleTogether: As in the show, [=ProtoMan=] wants Mega Man to join him. In this continuity he extends the offer to Roll as well, and would be happiest with both on his side. |
| 559 | ** Bass wants Roll to rule at his side as a queen. |
| 560 | * WeNeedADistraction: The plot of Episode 13 is Splash Woman causing havoc in Hawaii so Wily can pull off a bank robbery in Hollywood. |
| 561 | * WeaponizedLandmark: The Civil Defense Tower. |
| 562 | * WellDoneSonGuy: Drill Man just wants to make Wily proud of him. This backfires horribly in Episode 8, as Wily gives him a suicide mission. |
| 563 | * WhamEpisode: Quite a few over the story's run. |
| 564 | ** Episode 3 has one in Doc's death. This event colored the entire tone of the series and gave Roll a personal vendetta against Wily. |
| 565 | ** Almost the entirety of Episode 4 is one, with Gamma being activated and defeating Mega Man. The fallout from this episode greatly affected later ones, even if Mega won the day. |
| 566 | ** Episode 7 has a ''huge'' one with the introduction of Bass and Treble. |
| 567 | ** Episode 9 is this, with ''super'' intense battles on both sides, the Robot Masters becoming stronger, implications that [=ProtoMan=] is doing a much better job leading than Wily, Metal Man being a mole, and the title of one chapter is "A Good Day to Die." [[spoiler: Not only does Metal Man die... [=ProtoMan=] kills him]]. The epilogue also introduces the Mega Man Killers and has [[spoiler:[=ProtoMan=] demoted from Wily's second-in-command]]. |
| 568 | ** Episode 10 has Mr. Black invading the Lights' home while Mega, Roll, and Rush are fighting the Killers, a very back and forth fight between the latter groups, and Bass interrupting the Killers when they gain the upper hand. The next chapter has Mr. Black blackmailing the Conduit, [[spoiler: Kalinka being kidnapped to force Mega to fight the Killers]], and in the climax [[spoiler:Ballade]] dies. The epilogue has the confirmation that [[spoiler: Janet is paralyzed]], ''many'' events go from bad to worse, and [[spoiler: [=ProtoMan=] is tortured by Wily]]. |
| 569 | ** Episode 11 promises major changes in the status quo; its title is "Things Change." As of chapter 6, Mega Man saw the full video of [=ProtoMan=]'s activation, Roll had a talk with Bass and at least ''tried'' to change his ways, Bass is back with Wily for good, and [[spoiler: Wily knows that [=ProtoMan=] betrayed him before]]. Then, we have an invasion of Washington DC, Mega Man [[spoiler:temporarily giving up]], and the full reveal of Mr. Black's intentions. Then, [[spoiler:Mr. Black establishes himself as a good guy by saving the President]], it's revealed that [[spoiler:the Mad Grinder is powered by Bassinium]], and [[spoiler: Bass is decisively defeated for the first time]]. And ''then'', at the very end of chapter 11, [[spoiler:[=ProtoMan=] turns on Wily]]. |
| 570 | ** Episode 12 reveals the Conduit's master plan, which is a threat to the entire world, including Light and Wily. In chapter 4, [[spoiler:Mr. Black is captured by the police thanks to Mega Man, Roll, and [=ProtoMan=]]]. And in Chapter 5, the Conduit casually mentions that there are ''two'' Jadous Spheres. The climax of the episode has [[spoiler:the first Jadous Sphere shattering and Bass breaking Mr. Black's neck--though he lives]]. The epilogue has [[spoiler:Mr. Black letting go of his hatred and vowing to honor Tonya's memory by helping others, starting with helping Janet]]. |
| 571 | ** Episode 14 deals with an alien invasion from the Stardroids, and has been described as so big and so important that a subplot was nearly cut out because the main plotline was so critical. During the invasion, we learn the Stardroids share Bass's shields and power shards, and [[spoiler:Bass's shards are the essence of a Stardroid named Luna, who turns out to be the Evil Energy Robot]]. The chapter before the big fight ends with [[spoiler:Tiesel giving the virus a name: Roboenza]]. |
| 572 | ** Episode 15's first chapters open with [[spoiler:Tron making good on her schemes to sell Mega and Kalinka's kiss to the tabloids, Proto giving an interview about how he feels about humans that just makes things worse, Chief Toombs being attacked and put into a coma, and the reveal that the Conduit appears to be a human man]]. The next chapters had even more shattering events, including [[spoiler: Nomad's name being revealed as Soprano, Dick Ferguson dying while passing on vital information, [=ProtoMan=] going berserk after Nomad is electrocuted attacking Tallarico and the corrupt Policebots, Nomad almost dying]], and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking ProtoMan finally getting Tango's name right]]. It ends on a cliffhanger where practically ''everything'' that could go wrong did, with [[spoiler:Dr. Light imprisoned, Mega Man and his siblings unconscious, Nomad still in danger, Wily and his bots meeting a weakened [=ProtoMan=], and Governor Deacon being controlled by the real Conduit, Alexander Loath III, who has backup help in the form of Glyde]]. |
| 573 | ** Episode 17, Chapter 6, has all hell breaking lose in the presidential debate, but what really drives the nail is Bass shooting [[spoiler:Dr. Light, albeit accidentally since he meant to shoot at Cochran and Kramer.]] |
| 574 | * WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong: Seen in Episode 10 with Bon Bon's mecha. Things go ''very'' wrong. |
| 575 | * WhenYouComingHomeDad: The Bonnes' parents are on indefinite vacations and check in very infrequently. |
| 576 | * WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: The episode to episode 16 shows vignettes of the supporting cast's fates as well as the main players. |
| 577 | * WideEyedIdealist: Brain Bot hopes that the Stardroids are peaceful to the point of wondering if they're in trouble when they arrive, and is very disappointed when they turn out to be hostile. |
| 578 | * WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Nomad is activated by mistake, feels pain almost immediately upon waking, is unable to speak, overhears Wily talking about ''wiping her memory'', doesn't get a name before running off, and is later given the name Nomad as she's constantly in hiding. She also has a mean shockwave that demolishes parts of Skull Fortress. |
| 579 | * WorthyOpponent: Terra sees Bass as this since they share the same power source, but Mega Man is beneath his notice. |
| 580 | * YesMan: |
| 581 | ** Scott Erickson, Vickers' second in command, is initially a complete sycophant. |
| 582 | ** Tiesel Bonne becomes this against his will to the Conduit. |
| 583 | * YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:The Conduit planned to have all his associates save for Glyde killed off after killing Wily in order to preserve his secrets.]] |
| 584 | * YouWouldntShootMe: When cornered by Mega Man at the end of Episode 2, Dr. Wily is confident Mega Man really wouldn't put a plasma shot through his head. He's right, both due to Mega Man's morals and his hard-wired coding, but it didn't mean Mega could freak him out a little by pretending to be willing to do so. |
| 585 | [[/folder]] |
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