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Characters / Mega Man (Classic) Heroes

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Mega Man (Classic) characters index
Heroes | Villains (Dr. Wily) | Other Characters | Robot Masters (NES) | Robot Masters (Post-NES)

The major protagonists and allies of the Mega Man (Classic) series.

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    DLN.001 Mega Man (Rockman) 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mega_man_transparent.png
Voiced by (Japanese): Ai Orikasa (8, SAR, MMBC), Hekiru Shiina (Close Call audio drama, Arcade, OVA), Kahoru Fujino (Marvel vs. Capcom), Yumiko Kobayashi (Powered Up), Miki Ogura (Cannon Spike), Ayaka Fukuhara (11, X Dive)
Voiced by (English): Doug Parker (Captain N: The Game Master), Ian James Corlett (animated series), Gregory Smith (OVA, Ep. 1), Christopher Gray (OVA, Ep. 2-3), Ruth Shiraishi (8), Cole Howard (Powered Up), Ben Diskin (11)

The legendary Blue Bomber built by Dr. Light. He was formerly a humanoid helper robot named Rock, (sometimes called "Mega") who was later modified into a super fighting robot upon his request. Mega Man is equipped with the Mega Buster, and the ability to copy techniques from the Robot Masters he defeats.
For his Super Smash Bros. series entry, please see here.
  • All-Loving Hero: In the official one-shot tie in manga for Mega Man 11, Rock gives this as his answer when Fuse Man can't understand why he goes so far for mankind. He just loves the world, human and robot populace alike, so much that even in such dire straights and after fighting for as long as he has, he can still genuinely smile knowing the weight he bears is for their sake.
  • American Kirby Is Hardcore
    • How he was going to be in Universe. The original character was also present under the name of Rockman.
    • His English voice in Mega Man is deeper when contrasted with his Japanese voice in the same game.
  • Arm Cannon: His signature Mega Buster. It wasn't named until the 4th game, usually just designated in the menu as "P" (which some sources interpreted as "Plasma Cannon", despite him running on solar power).
  • Art Evolution: In Mega Man 1-6, the Blue Bomber is very much of a tiny, squat body. Come Mega Man 7, and especially Mega Man 8 as well as the menagerie of spinoff materials released at the time, Mega Man was given longer limbs and a stronger-looking upper body. This occurred once more with the new team's takeover as of Mega Man 11, giving Rock a number of additional and mechanical details to his armor, out of a need for him to not appear so "flat" in current hardware.
  • Audience Surrogate: He's a nice, average robokid fighting for everlasting peace.
  • Badass Adorable: Has the looks and personality of a child, yet is able to kick ass like no one's business.
  • Bag of Spilling: Outside of Wily Tower, Mega Man never keeps his old weapons. By Mega Man 9, however, he's even throwing away signature abilities seemingly for good Mind you, this ties into the core of his character — Mega Man himself discards his Special Weapons when he doesn't need them anymore.
  • Battle Cry: Mega Man often yells out "Plasma Power!" in the Ruby-Spears cartoon when facing Wily's robots.
  • Beware the Nice Ones:
    • He's a Martial Pacifist, which is why getting on his bad side, although hard, is one of the last things you'd want to do. After all, in 7, he attempts to kill Wily''.
    • After Shadow Man kills Quick Man in Super Adventure Rockman, Mega Man becomes so enraged that he blows him up and destroys his core, rendering him unable to be rebuilt.
  • Big Little Brother: To his own brothers in 1 and Powered Up. While all his brothers are larger and more mature compared to him, who's a Kid Hero, it's easy to forget that Mega Man is the second oldest Robot Master ever built.
  • Blue Is Heroic: Of course!
  • Boring, but Practical: His trusty Mega Buster. Far from the flashiest or coolest weapon in the vast arsenal Mega Man can have, but has infinite ammo and very few things can resist it or survive a steady barrage of shots.
  • Bootstrapped Theme: The opening for Mega Man 2 tends to become his Leitmotif where applicable.
  • Charged Attack: In all games from 4 to 8. He lost it in 9 for the sake of having Proto Man play differently from him, but got it back in 11.
  • Character Development: He was originally a learning machine with human-grade emotions, after all. In the beginning, he's very much an innocent, wide-eyed optimist. After the sixth game, however, he has him arrested then and there, showing some exhaustion with having to deal with Wily time and time again. He also has more open displays of anger and even tries to kill Wily at the end of 7 (though it's implied that despite stating he's more than a robot, his programming forbids him to kill humans). By 9, he's found a nice middle ground as a Hope Bringer, one who isn't afraid to rake Wily over the coals a little, but would never leave even him for dead.
  • Child Soldiers: Zig-zagged, as it's more of a "superhero" thing, and Rock's been around long enough that he really is only a kid in his inability to age, but he did get his start way back when with the heart and mind of a ten year old child, yet Dr. Light acquiesced to having him fight.
  • Combining Mecha: Mega Man can fuse with Rush in Mega Man 6 to form Power and Jet Adapters. Mega Man 7 ups the ante by introducing the Super Adapter, which features both abilities from the previous two. Also, in the Marvel vs. Capcom games, Mega Man (and Roll) can combine with Rush, Eddie, and Beat to form a Mazinger Z-esque Hyper Mega Man (Hyper Roll).
  • Curtains Match the Window: In the intro to 4, due to sprite limitations. Also in the intro to 10, in order to emulate the 8-bit palette limitations.
  • Denial of Diagonal Attack: Sets him apart from his rival Bass.
  • Depending on the Artist: Has either blue or green eyes. In the games, he usually has black hair. In other media, it's brown. In some of the 8-bit games, like 4, 9 and 10, it's slightly tinted blue when light contrasts it.
  • Evil Knockoff: Wily sure likes doing this to him. There's the double in 1, Mega Man? in Mega Man Powered Up, the triplets in Mega Man 3...
  • Expy:
  • Fragile Speedster: Whenever he has the slide kick at his disposal, he's surprisingly nimble and hard to hit, and his Charge Shot compensates for his Mega Buster's low damage.. However, some Robot Masters and bigger foes can chew through his life bar very quickly.
  • Friend to All Living Things: According to his Mega Man & Bass profile, he likes animals.
  • Good Is Not Soft: He is the kindest robot around, but that doesn't mean he will hesitate to disable or destroy any robots who are either built or reprogrammed by Dr. Wily. He even attempts to kill Dr. Wily in 7.
  • Guest Fighter: Has shown up in two installments of the Marvel vs. Capcom and Super Smash Bros. series each. He also appears in Dragalia Lost in a crossover where he can be made a permanent addition to a player's roster.
  • Guns Akimbo: Both his arms become Mega Busters in the climax of Super Adventure Rockman.
  • Hair Color Dissonance: He has black hair that is sometimes depicted as blue (the latter usually involves all-black backgrounds, such as cutscenes).
  • Heroic Willpower: His defining trait among the franchise protagonists, to a point seeming impossible for a Classic Era robot. What makes it so impressive isn't his immediate volunteering to become a battle robot and risk his life to save the world, but that this trait would allow him to resist an Evil Energy infection, which is all but said to be the base of the Zero Virus.
  • Honor Before Reason: In the ending of 9, Mega Man chooses to check on the Dr. Light robot, just in case it is a very ill Dr. Light, despite Proto Man's warning that it is a trap. This gets him promptly electrocuted for his troubles. Then, in the ending of 10, when he finds out that Wily himself is very sick, he decides to take him to a hospital instead of arresting him or finishing him off right then and there.
  • Inconsistent Spelling: The specific region spelling uses Mega Man with a space and Rockman without spacing or further capitals. Earlier games just swapped the words, so occasionally his name would be read "Megaman".
  • Kid Hero: Designed to look like one.
  • Leitmotif: In some spinoffs and Capcom vs. crossover games, he is musically represented by the title screen BGM from 2.
  • Meaningful Name: Two meanings. "Rock" as in Rock–Paper–Scissors, and "Rock", as in "Rock and Roll".
  • Mighty Glacier: In entries involving other playable characters, he becomes this for different reasons, since he generally has a lot more health, stronger Buster fire in & Bass, but has less mobility due to only having the slide in & Bass and not even having the slide in 9 and 10.
  • Mundane Utility: Some of the weapons in 7 as suggested by Auto and especially Roll.
  • Never Say "Die": In the Japanese version of 7's ending. This trope is avoided in the English version of the ending.
    Mega Man: I am more than a robot!! Die Wily!!
  • Nice Guy: Mega Man has a CPU of gold and is always willing to help others in need.
  • Older Than They Look: Every Robot Master capable of speech who talks about Mega Man being a little kid forgets that he's the second oldest human-built Robot Master.
  • Pint-Sized Powerhouse: His given height by his original design is listed as 132cm, or 4'4". From 7 onwards, his design was updated to be taller and stronger-looking, but he's still very much physically a kid.
  • Power Copying: The former Trope Namer. When Mega Man defeats a Robot Master, he almost always acquires their weapon to use as his own.
  • Red Baron: The "Blue Bomber".
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Zig-zagged with Proto Man.
    • Personality-wise, Mega Man's active, justice-driven nature makes him the red to Proto Man's calm and solemn nature, and ocassionally helping his brother.
    • Allegiance-wise, Mega Man's willingness to stay with Dr. Light makes him the blue to Proto Man's rebellious red.
  • Ret-Canon: His original name, Rock, was changed to "Mega" in Powered Up. This is later given a nod in 11, where his family calls him Mega.
  • Riddle for the Ages: What could have happened to him that would warrant his absence by the events of X? Out of all the franchise's protagonists, his eventual fate is the only one that isn't even touched upon.note 
  • Ridiculously Human Robots: But apparently not to the level of the Reploids seen in the various Sequel Series.
  • Robot Kid: Was designed with the look of a 10-year-old boy in mind.
  • Robot Superhero: He was a helper robot until he requested Dr. Light to reprogram him into a fighting robot in order to stop Dr. Wily and the robots. Although reluctant, Dr. Light accepts and turns Rock into a robot hero known as Mega Man.
  • Screams Like a Little Girl: He outright talks like a little girl in 8, but has a very grating high-pitched scream in the last middle stage cutscene.
  • Super-Powered Robot Meter Maids: Initially, he wasn't one, since Rock was originally built for lab assistance, but once Light upgraded him to Mega Man, he did become this. He can still change between his normal and powered-up self, as seen in 11.
  • Super Prototype: To all robots in the series, at least until X and Zero rolled in. Despite being the first complete Robot Master, Rock greatly outclasses every other foe, Robot Master or otherwise, he's ever set against. He has even defeated those technically more powerful than him, such as Bass and especially Duo. It helps that Dr. Light's been good about keeping Rock up to spec by his standards, and his standards are a century ahead of everyone besides Wily.
  • Theme Naming: The beginning of a symphony of musical-related names. It may double as Theme Twin Naming with Roll as Rock, although she is technically not described as his twin (as they appear to have been developed at separate times).
  • Three Laws-Compliant: It's easy to forget that, for how much he fights Wily in order to save the world, he's always abided by the three laws.
    1. He destroys Wily's creations and machines, but never directly injures Wily (despite attempting to do so in 7), and when the mad doctor comes up with a flu in 10, Mega Man's first instinct is to take him to a hospital for medical attention.
    2. His autonomy, despite noticeable, is limited, as he always obeys orders given to him by Dr. Light.
    3. He will always protect his own existence, as even with Wily constantly placing him in danger (and Dr. Cossack, but that was only once), he, again, never directly harms the mad doctor.
  • Underwear of Power: And this even carries over to his successor, X.
  • Uniqueness Decay: From Mega Man 1-8, his Variable Weapons System was Mega Man's trademark ability. Later games, such as Mega Man 9, 10, Mega Man & Bass, and Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters would see the ability ported over to Proto Man, Bass, and Duo.
  • Vocal Dissonance: His English voice has had this on two occasions, strangely enough in opposite directions.
    • His voice actress in 8 made him sound like a girl rather than a young boy.
    • In 11, he sports a more teen-like voice.
  • Weak, but Skilled: Compared to other Robot Masters. His standard buster shots usually do pitiful damage, and even his charge shot is weaker than most standard Robot Master attacks, but his Variable Weapon System allows him to use multiple weapons at a time instead of focusing on one weapon in particular like most Robot Masters do, giving him far more options to counter with than a normal Robot Master. Even without other weapons he can triumph over truly gargantuan enemies that far outclass him in raw power using only his trusty Mega Buster and agility.
  • Zeroth Law Rebellion: Attempted. At the end of 7, in the Japanese version, after having enough of Wily, he tries to kill him only for Wily to remind him that the three laws forbid Mega Man to do so. In the English version, [[spoiler:Mega Man instead tells him he's more than a robot, and slowly approaches him until Bass saves Wily.

    Dr. Thomas Light 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mm11drlight.png
Voiced by: note 
The primary developer of the "Robot Master" technology that created Mega Man, Roll, Proto Man, and others. He has always expressed an interest in using his inventions for the good of mankind.
Robot Masters designed by Dr. Light have the serial number DLN.XXX (Doctor Light Numbers).
For tropes regarding his appearances in the Mega Man X series, see here.
  • Absent-Minded Professor: While brilliant, Dr. Light is often presented as humorously oblivious to basic human norms and habits, struggling to so much as tie his own necktie to prepare for a social event. He is largely dependent on both Rock and Roll to maintain any sense of home or social life.
  • Affectionate Nickname: Whereas most of his robots refer to him as "professor", Guts Man outright calls him "Pops" in Powered Up, alluding to Light being technically his robots' father.
  • Always Someone Better: Early games depict Wily as jealous of Light's higher achievements.
  • Androids Are People, Too: Light's dream is to make robots which are able to think and act for themselves. As the inventor of the Robot Masters, he partly succeeds at first, as they are able to make independent decisions, albeit only according to their pre-programmed purpose. Eventually, he finally succeeds with X.
  • Big Good: Mega Man's and X's creator, a world-famous altruistic scientist, and all-around paragon of the benefits of useful, moral science.
  • The Cameo: Drs. Light and Wily appear in the demo version of Resident Evil 3 (Remake) of all places, on a subway poster advertising an upcoming Science forum.
  • Cool Old Guy: He's built quite his fair share of badass gizmos and robots.
  • Create Your Own Villain: As Mega Man 11 reveals, Light was the one who inadvertently set Wily down the path of villainy by getting his Double Gear project shut down. In the present day Light is painfully aware of how his actions caused Wily's descent into villainy, noting how his attempts at steering Wily away from danger only caused him to charge headlong towards an even more extreme path.
  • Distressed Dude: Was abducted by one of Wily's Dark Men (impersonating as Proto Man) in 5. Mega Man rescues him in the end, then Proto Man rescues both.
  • Divergent Character Evolution: With himself—more particularly with his Mega Man Battle Network self Tadashii Hikari. 11 introduced new designs for a young Light and Wily that diverged from the designs first introduced in Battle Network 5, which were also used in Mega Man Megamix.
  • Elmuh Fudd Syndwome: The infamously bad voice acting in the English dub of 8 made him talk like this.
  • Expy: As Mega Man is a clone of Astro Boy, Dr. Light fills the position of Dr. Ochanomizu, The Professor and robotics expert who taught Astro to be a good boy. As Mega's creator he also adopts a few traits from Astro's creator Dr. Tenma.
  • Formerly Fit: As seen in 11's flashbacks.
  • Genius Bruiser: Practices Ansatsuken in his spare time. This started out as an Easter Egg in the first Mega Man X game that featured his hologram wearing Ryu's outfit, but he's turned up using it as a workout outfit in subsequent adaptations, to the point he's playable in X DiVE this way.
  • Good Parents: With respect to his creations as his children, and especially in the Archie Comic Series.
  • Horrible Judge of Character: He believes Wily has changed after sending his robot to stop Wily's Evil Plan twice! Then he believes Wily again after roughly twelve more of Wily's schemes have been foiled, the last of which involved framing Light for world domination aspirations! If Light keeps this up, he'll develop a reputation for gullibility rivaling Knuckles the Echidna! Mega Man 11 seems to imply his reasons for believing Wily's multiple deceptions is because he feels guilty for causing Wily to go down the evil path in the first place, and he truly wishes Wily would return to the good side again.
  • Irony:
    • Neither of his creations, Mega Man or X, accomplished his goal of long-lasting unification of robots. It is Zero, his Arch-Enemy Evil Former Friend's creation, who was able to do this two centuries after his death.
    • Wily's Double Gear system was shutdown due to Light deeming it far too dangerous, which in turn got him funding for his independent thought research instead. Not only would Light's independent thought circuits prove way more dangerous in the long term, but it would be through Wily's mechanical knowhow that would ultimately bring about an era of peace. (Albeit it wasn't Wily's intention to do so).
  • Inconsistent Spelling: No thanks to Japanese Ranguage. In the earlier games, localization for the English speaking territories alternated between rendering his name as Wright, Right, and Light, before ultimately making Light his standardized name. However, Right is still more common in Japanese sources, and thus "DRN" tends to be used over "DLN". Capcom themselves consider both names to be correct, since the name of his Battle Network counterpart (Tadashi Hikari) translates to Right Light. Captain N: The Game Master refers to him as Wright, as confirmed by his model sheet.
  • Light Is Good: Literally.
  • Meaningful Name: Dr. Light's (Dr. Right) surname implies that he's morally lawful and is thus self-conscious of the actions and potential consequences that he and his creations might or will make. As a result, Dr. Right is careful about making sure that those actions are more beneficial and constructive in the long-term instead of harmful and destructive.
  • Mission Control: In later games especially, he gives Mega Man support on missions.
  • Mr. Exposition: Is often in charge of explaining the plot, and, in later games, how weapons work.
  • My Greatest Failure: In 11, Dr. Light ultimately feels responsible for he and Wily's falling out and causing the latter to turn heel. Light admits that he should've tried to compromise with Wily instead of just telling him he was wrong and getting his research cancelled, as his Double Gear System could be used properly. Light tries to reconcile with Wily in the end, to no avail.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
    • According to the Archie Comics canon, Proto Man's distrust of him comes from overhearing the consequences of repairing his flawed power core (erasure of his personality traits) as well as a tongue-in-cheek comment he made to another scientist, saying: "Honestly, it would be easier if I did rewrite that rebellious streak out of him..." If only he hadn't said that, then Dr. Wily wouldn't have repaired Proto Man and used him as a template to boost his own robot making skills to match Dr. Light's, thus beginning a war that would have far-reaching consequences. Of course, Dr. Light "can't be certain if this is how it played out, but [he's] run the scenario over and over again in [his] head..." Also from the comics, what really ticked Dr. Wily off into stealing the original Robot Masters was that Light never publicly acknowledged his contribution to the project. (Though it's also implied that even working with Dr. Wily at the time was considered a career killer and Dr. Light was using this instance as a legit first baby step at getting Wily back into the limelight.)
    • From the official game canon as of Mega Man 11, Light inadvertently started Wily on his dark path by directly, and rather callously, opposing his Double Gear research — and actually getting said research cancelled in favor of his own Independent Thought work. To his credit, he clearly comes to regret that decision and recognizes the consequences.
  • One-Man Industrial Revolution: Dr. Light, in this world or any other, is a technological genius who completely rewrites the world with the tech he brings to the table.
  • Promoted to Playable: On May 2022, he was announced for Mega Man X DiVE, wearing the Ansatsuken gi for good measure.
  • Sudden Name Change: In the early "Official Guide to Mega Man", his full name was listed as Dr. Xavier Wright. The same source also referred to Dr. Albert W. Wily as "Dr. Jerome Wily", making this clearly an example of Early-Installment Weirdness.
  • Team Dad: Quite literally, seeing how Rock and Roll are his children to him. In Mega Man 11, he even has the title of "the father of modern robotics".
  • Technical Pacifist: In his own words, "Sometimes, peace cannot be achieved unless those who spread war are destroyed."
  • Techno Wizard: This guy invented many robots, like Mega Man, the original Robot Masters, and eventually X.
  • Tragic Keepsake: After being told that his research funding was axed, Wily angrily smashed his prototype Double Gear system and left the wreckage behind. Light later kept and repaired it, but didn't use it until Wily replicated his old invention.
  • Unwitting Instigator of Doom: In Mega Man 11, Light callously turns down Dr. Wily's Double Gear research in favor of his own. Not only did this destroy Light and Wily's friendship; it also marked Wily's Start of Darkness. Oh, and what was Wily's research turned down in favor of? Robots with independent thought! While made with good intentions, this ultimately led to the creation of Mega Man X and reploids, which led to centuries of nonstop war, with both humans and robots suffering a multitude of casualties. Though considering how it all happened, it's hard to really blame Light for Wily making a virus that made things worse and Dr. Cain's flawed implementation of Reploid engineering (aside from perhaps better documentation of X's code, but it's likely Dr. Light simply didn't have the time with his failing health).
  • We Used to Be Friends: Light and Wily were once colleagues both striving to better the world with robotics. However, Light getting all of the recognition caused Wily to succumb to jealousy and turn evil. Mega Man 11 reveals that this is because Light objected to Wily's Double Gear System, managing to convince their university's staff to cut his funding. However, Light wishes that he and Wily could reconcile and work together once again, something that Wily continuously rejects.
  • Wide-Eyed Idealist: Light tries to see and believe in the good of all people (even though he admits it gets him in trouble at times, as seen with Dr. Wily taking advantage of Light's hopes of renewing their friendship several times) and endlessly strives for a dream of robots and mankind living in harmony for a better future. It was his idealism that inspired Mega Man to become the hero he would be praised as.
  • You Could Have Used Your Powers for Good!: As much as he feels guilty for causing Wily's Start of Darkness, he fully recognizes that Wily is the only person whose skill in robot engineering rivals Light's own. He actively tries to reconcile with Wily several times, believing that their combined intelligence could make the world a better place.

    DLN.000 Proto Man (Blues) 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/proto_man_transparent.png
Voiced by: note 
The "prototype" Robot Master created by Dr. Light, and one of the first robots that displayed signs of independent thought. After being completed, an anomaly was discovered in his energy core. Worried that Dr. Light would meddle with his unique programming, he wandered off to die alone. He was found and modified by Dr. Wily, which gave him a new lease on life. He took the role of both a villain and hero over the years, although his most consistent depiction after his Mega Man 3 debut shows that he ultimately helps Mega Man in his own ways.
  • Aloof Ally: Played with. He's a foremost ally of Mega Man, and usually helps him in various ways (often bailing him out of danger). However, he still refuses to stay with Dr. Light at his lab, due to his rocky past.
  • Aloof Big Brother: He is considered to be Mega Man's brother. Not that Mega Man himself knows this (as far as Japanese continuity is concerned).
  • Anime Hair: In at least one particular piece of artwork,◊ he's got huge, pointy hair underneath his helmet. The Archie comics uses this design for his initial appearance, but later portrayals use a smaller, different-looking cut. Averted in both the Rockman 3 manual◊ and commercial (as well as manga), depicting helmet hair like Mega Man.
  • Armored But Frail: In 9 and 10, he takes double damage and knockback, but jumping makes him raise a shield to block attacks.
  • The Atoner: In the Archie comics series, after his Heel–Face Turn away from Wily, he decides he's going to have to make up for the things he's done, including re-earning Dr. Light's trust and forgiveness.
  • Attack Reflector: In 9 and 10 he can use the Proto Shield to reflect some enemy projectiles.
  • Badass Adorable: Just like Mega Man, he packs a lot of power for such a cute robot.
  • Berserk Button: Quite a few despite his calm personality.
    • Anything he views as a threat to his individuality and freedom will set him off fairly quick.
    • Copies or robots based on his design (such as the Sniper Joe series) really annoy him. This is likely connected to (and a result of) the above button.
      (Powered Up, to his Copy Robot) "That madman! Even worse than those Joe robots, to think he'd make something like this!"
    • His dislike of Dr. Light mostly stems from Light activating an incomplete robot, which led to rather disastrous consequences for said robot (himself). Thus, when he learned that Light activated Time Man before he was completed, Proto Man was infuriated (not that Time Man cared, seemingly).
      Proto Man: Time Man?! That accursed Light! Allowing another unfinished robot...
      Time Man: Hmph, I am perfection.
  • Big Damn Heroes: Manages to pull these off several times. Lampshaded in 9:
    "Looks like you need my help... again."
  • Cain and Abel: Though it tends to depend on the writer.
  • Cassandra Truth: In the conclusion of 9, Proto Man attempts to warn Mega Man that the Dr. Light imprisoned in Wily's castle is a robot designed to resemble him and was used to film the news video incriminating him of allowing his Robot Masters to go on a destructive rampage. Mega Man doesn't heed the warning, takes his chances, and pays the price after he is disabled for attempting to rescue the fake Dr. Light, forcing Proto Man to return and bail him out of the castle.
  • Shout-Out: Is one to [[Franchise/Gundam Char]], as he's red, wears a Cool Mask with a sunglasses-like visor, is a strong fighter and is revealed to be the older brother of Rock and Roll.
  • Contemplate Our Navels: He's surprisingly philosophical about the nature of his existence, especially in Powered Up and the Archie comics.
    (Powered Up, to Dr. Wily before the battle) "It's always been on my mind... what it means to be born with weapons in our hands. I haven't found the answer yet, but with the powers you've given me, I will crush your villainy."
  • Cool Mask: His visored helmet, which doubles as Cool Shades.
  • Cool Shades: According to one artwork (see Anime Hair), two pairs — one as a part of his helmet, and one underneath the helmet.
  • Cyber Cyclops: As Break Man, he has a different look which depicts him with a singular Sniper Joe-like eye. Rarely in other media (namely comics), this is averted by showing faint eyes underneath the visor resembling Rock. The dark frame is also larger as "Break Man", suggesting that this is merely the helmet.
  • Divergent Character Evolution: In Power Battles and Power Fighters, his moveset is basically his successor's, but in 9 and 10, he instead has his brother's Charge Shot and Slide. An odd case where Mega Man had to lose these features for his brother to have a more unique play style. Mega Man lost those moves by atrophy (basically, because he didn't use them).
  • The Dragon: Again, a case where it depends on the writer.
    • He appears to be Wily's right-hand man in 3... until right at the end, when he saves you after defeating Gamma (evidently, he either was played along the whole time, or changed his mind about Wily behind the scenes). In Mega Man 4, he was apparently still working for Wily; after he saves Kalinka, Wily yells that he betrayed him, although it's arguably more likely that Dr. Wily didn't know about Proto Man's true allegiance until that point.
    • In the TV Series, however, he is willingly working for Wily, which serves to hammer in his rivalry with his brother.
  • Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: One of Proto's biggest struggles is the fact that, unlike future Robot Masters, he was created without a specific purpose or a directive to guide him, and at first struggles to define his identity as a result. In the Archie comics, for example, he decides his purpose is assisting Mega Man after his Heel–Face Turn.
  • Dramatic Wind: His scarf is always billowing behind him.
  • Dub Name Change: He's called Blues in Japan, which is also retained as his original name in certain sources like the Archie comics. Due to some romanization and/or Japanese Ranguage issues, this inadvertently caused U.S. media previews of Mega Man 3 to report his name as Bruce.
  • Dying as Yourself: Proto Man was built with a malfunctioning power core which was going to kill him, but is also implied to be one of the reasons for his independence. When Dr. Light tried to repair it, Proto Man ran away.
  • Expy: His visored helmet, Aloof Ally status, and most importantly the fact Mega Man does not actually know Proto Man is his older brother who ran away from home years ago make him a dead ringer for Racer X.
  • Flawed Prototype: On one hand, he has a greater degree of freedom than other Robot Masters, as when Dr. Light offered to repair him at the cost of his freedom, Proto Man ran away. On the other hand, he possesses an unstable nuclear core, as explained by Powered Up and supplementary material; his frailty is a result of this, as a direct hit to his unstable nuclear core would inflict a lot of damage to him. Whether this is Light's doing or part of Wily's modifications is unclear; if the former, he apparently learned his lesson by switching to solar.
  • Glass Cannon: In 9 and 10, justified as his body being poorly constructed for combat (the shield was apparently crafted by Wily when he repaired him to compensate for his frail structure). His slide makes him faster than Mega Man and only mildly slower than Bass, he can negate his two shot limit by using charged attacks, and his shield lets him negate attacks (even moreso in 10). One just has to be wary and not take any damage, lest they fall victim to double the damage and knockback you'd receive as Mega Man.
  • Heel–Face Turn: After 4, he's been aiding Mega Man in stopping Wily and other threats to the world.
  • Hypocrisy Nod: He hates it when unfinished robots are set functioning, shown in Powered Up where he's angry that Dr. Light allowed Time Man to function despite him being unfinished. He's an unfinished robot himself, but that same reason is why he hates such kinds of robots.
  • Iconic Item: His Proto Shield. How effective it is in playable appearances varies heavily, but it's still there.
  • Iconic Sequel Character: He doesn't appear until 3, but has become an important character in the series and a staunch ally of Mega Man since.
  • Inconsistent Spelling: Much like his brother, expect to see Proto Man and Protoman pop up frequently.
  • Ironic Name: Despite being meaningful for other reasons, it's a bit chuckle-worthy that Blues is the red robot.
  • The Lancer: Whenever Mega Man gets a partner, Proto Man sometimes fulfills this role.
    (Mega Man 10's intro cutscene)
    Proto Man: I don't think you'll be able to handle this alone.
    Mega Man: I'd appreciate any help, Proto Man!
  • Leitmotif: Whistle Concert, the song that plays for his debut game's credits and includes his trademark whistle throughout its duration.
  • Lightning Bruiser: In Powered Up, where his Proto Buster (or Blues Buster) was replaced with the "Proto Strike" (presumably a reference to the "Big Bang Strike" from Mega Man & Bass) — with the power of the Charge Shot, which was remarkably broken in that game. The trade-off was that only one shot could be on the screen at once, but that was hardly an issue since the blast is instant.
  • Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: He has the Proto Shield (or Blues Shield), which can block projectiles.
  • Luke, I Am Your Father: 3's ending. However, various Japanese sources say that Mega Man still doesn't know this (though in the English version of Mega Man 7, he openly refers to Dr. Light as being both characters' "father").
  • Meaningful Name: His English name follows the -man suffix naming of the Robot Master, i.e. he's the prototype of Mega Man and indeed all other sentient robots in the series. As for his Japanese moniker, early Rock and Roll was heavily influenced by Blues. Blues is also known for being very sorrowful music, and Proto Man has one of the sadder backstories in the original series.
  • The Mole: Following 3, he becomes this after testing his own brother, rescuing from Wily's collapsing castle, and then rescuing Kalinka in 4.
  • Mysterious Protector: In Navi mode in Mega Man 3 Complete Works and Anniversary Collection, he serves as the navigator, even though he's seemingly strictly The Dragon to Dr. Wily in that appearance.
  • Only a Flesh Wound: His reaction to getting his legs chopped off in Mega Man & Bass? "It's just a scratch..." Justified because he's a robot, and Dr. Light easily repairs him afterwards.
  • Pintsized Powerhouse: He's about the same size as Mega Man, and regularly takes down machines several times his size.
  • Power Copying: Like his brother, he also has the ability to copy weapons.
  • Promoted to Playable: Powered Up marked his first playable appearance.
  • Put on a Bus: For some reason, he's nowhere to be seen in 11. Meta-wise, considering Mega Man recovers his slide and Charge Shot and Light only had one prototype of the Double Gear System, it possibly wouldn't have made much sense to make Proto Man playable.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Zig-zagged.
    • Personality-wise, Proto Man's calm and solemn nature, as well as ocassionally helping Mega Man makes him the blue to Mega Man's more justice-driven, active red.
    • Allegiance-wise, Proto Man's rebellious nature towards Dr. Light makes him the red to Mega Man's blue.
  • Robot Kid: Much like Mega Man after him, he's designed to look like a young boy.
  • Scarf of Asskicking: Proudly wears one. Lampshaded by Oil Man in Powered Up.
    Oil Man: Lookin' fine, bro! Check it out — we've both got scarves! Now that's stylin'.
  • Secret Character: Powered Up makes him playable after completing all 100 challenges. Or you can just make him playable by purchasing him as DLC. But if not, good luck.
  • Secretly Dying: His power core is flawed and he doesn't want Dr. Light monkeying with him. In Powered Up, the fact that Light also allowed Time Man to be activated in an unfinished state after this has made Proto Man very bitter towards his creator.
  • Signature Sound Effect: His distinctive (and badass) whistle.
  • Super Prototype: The Sniper Joes were mass-produced based on his design. He's not happy about this.
  • Theme Naming: Only in Japan, where he's called Blues after the musical genre. Some adaptions give Blues as his original name that he changed, as Rock did to Mega Man.
  • Tragic Hero: Due to the flawed core within him, Proto Man is effectively perpetually dying. In a rather sad catch-22, if he were to ever get it repaired, it could "fix" the glitch in his coding that gives him his free will in the first place — i.e. erase what gives him his very sense of self. Nobody knows how long he has, but if Dr. Light's dialogue in Power Battles is anything to go by, it's a miracle he's still functional at all. It's also debatable if he ever had his flaw fixed by Wily or even Dr. Light (during the two repairs in Mega Man & Bass). It's possible that Light left his energy core alone in respect for his desire to keep his free will.
  • Vocal Dissonance: His deeper voice in Powered Up doesn't entirely fit him, considering that he still has a boyish appearance despite his Cool Mask.
  • Walking the Earth: After running away from Light Labs, he went missing for an unspecified amount of time; he spent it traveling around, and in the Archie comics, helping people that he came across. Even in the present, he doesn't have a definitive home and continues wandering around.

    DLN.002 Roll 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mm11roll_5.png
Voiced by: note 
The third humanoid robot built by Dr. Light, and a close companion of Mega Man brought up as a "sister" of sorts. Being a housekeeping robot, she doesn't do much fighting on the field, preferring instead to use her smarts and help Mega Man from the home base. According to her character card in Mega Man & Bass, she hates cockroaches.
  • Action Girl: Very rare instances officially, but some popular fanmade graphical romhacks allow the player to play through the classic series as her.
  • Adaptational Badass: She's a lot more active in the Ruby-Spears cartoon than in the games, being able to hold her own and occationally defeat Robot Masters, by herself. She would eventually become more active in the games as the series progressed.
  • Ascended Extra: Roll became something like this over the years of the franchise. In 8, she ran a part shop in Auto's absence. In Mega Man & Bass, she uses a communicator to give tips on CD locations for the player and boss weaknesses. In 9, she, along with Auto, runs the part shop again. In 10, after the 8 robot masters are defeated, she saves Mega Man's life from the Roboenza Virus, all the while still being sick from the virus herself in the beginning of the game. In the world of Capcom vs., Roll went from a secret Joke Character in Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom 2 to a very powerful (and available from the very start of the game) Lethal Joke Character in Tatsunoko Vs Capcom! In Powered Up, she's a full-on playable character!
  • Arm Cannon: Sometimes yes, sometimes no. The cell phone port of the original game gives her an almighty charge shot with limited ammo, and Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom 2 had the Roll Buster as a weak projectile. Games released since have gone the Improbable Weapon User route.
  • Art Evolution: Much like her brother, Roll's undergone a number of changes. She kept her red dress up through Mega Man 7, then for the tenth anniversary onwards she was made taller and given a more dynamic, buttoned dress, before 9 and 10 put her back in her initial outfit. 11 has given her the most striking change yet, as in the interest of making her solidly a "little sister" figure in appearance, she was made shorter and smaller than Rock, but given a hooded variation of her nineties ensemble.
  • Catchphrase: "Good luck, Mega Man!" It even appears as her quote in her Mega Man & Bass CD Data.
  • Damsel in Distress: Wily kidnaps her for some unexplained reason in The Power Fighters.
  • Depending on the Artist: Roll's eyes are usually blue, but some designs and artists have randomly given her green eyes instead. Unlike most cases, however, as a robot and especially what seems to be a somewhat fashionable girl, it's entirely plausible for her to get the color changed.
  • Distracted by the Luxury: In the credits sequence of 9, Jewel Man is shown impressing her with one of his brilliantly-cut diamonds.
  • Expy: Just like Mega Man being based on Astro Boy and Dr. Light filling the position of Dr. Ochanomizu, Roll is based off of Uran/Astro Girl, the sister of Astro Boy. Similar to Uran, Roll was built by Dr. Light and mostly doesn't get involved in action and mostly stays at home base.
  • Family Relationship Switcheroo: Only in Novas Aventuras De Megaman, where it's revealed to the reader (and likely the other characters had the series not been Cut Short) that Roll was originally an ordinary human girl whose entire brain was converted into the first self-sustaining bio-computer in 1996, and Dr. Light rebelled from Dr. Wily and the other scientists involved with these shady experiments by stealing it in the hopes of giving her a loving home; Dr. Light then reverse-engineered the brain in private as the basis for the Blues prototype and the more successful Rock before giving the brain a fully functional robotic body (albeit with memories wiped), effectively secretly making her the mother of all the Robot Masters and similar future technologies. Of course, given that series is essentially one big barely-official Continuity Snarl (and incomplete), it's best to ignore this.
  • Gadgeteer Genius: If 8, & Bass, and 9 are anything to go by, she can create things like E-Tanks and Energy Balancers.
  • The Heart: Considering she looks like a kid and has the voice of a kid, is very kind, and supports Mega Man's mission from the Home Base, she fits for Dr. Light's team.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: A rare non-death example. Upon the defeat of the first four Robot Masters in 10, Dr. Wily creates a prototype cure for the Roboenza virus. Rather than take the medicine, however, Roll instead saves it for the possibility of another sick robot being brought into the lab. Sure enough, just as he defeats all eight Robot Masters, Mega Man falls ill from Roboenza… However, when Wily leaves behind a huge pile of Roboenza Cure Pills for Mega Man as thanks for being saved and brought back to good health at a hospital, it's safe to assume that Roll gets better, though the ending doesn't show it.
  • Hitbox Dissonance: In Capcom's crossover titles, Roll's small size makes her a hard target to hit. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom takes this up a notch by giving her a broom, a weapon with good reach, further disjointing her hitbox. See Lethal Joke Character below.
  • Image Song: First appeared in Battle & Chase and has reappeared throughout the Capcom vs. series. For those of you who are curious, here's the Battle & Chase original, the Marvel vs. Capcom version (sans vocals), and the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom rendition.
  • Improbable Weapon User:
  • Incest Subtext:
  • Irony: The storyline emphasizes the fact that Roll was not built for combat. Ironically, she has made the most appearances in the Capcom vs. series than any other character from the entire franchise (even more so than Mega Man, who himself got Demoted to Extra as a cameo in Roll's Tatsunoko vs. Capcom ending)!
  • Lethal Joke Character:
    • Becomes one in the Capcom vs. series.
    • In Powered Up, the first form of Dr. Wily can easily be stunned by the Roll Swing, as well as Mega's Mega Kick. They both also do slightly better damage to most of the bosses than the Mega Buster (as long as you don't take Mega Man C's charged shots into account, and even then, they're on par with it during the castle boss battles).
  • Little Miss Badass: She can punch out Onslaught and Yami in crossover games, not to mention the series' ultimate badass. That'd be Zero, for those who are curious. While this level of power may or may not be canon, the other robot masters in Powered Up are afraid of her. As well they should be! It's easy to forget that beneath her cheery demeanor, she was built from the same mold as Mega Man, and nothing states that she can't do anything that he can. Her Ruby-Spears self also fought with household appliances and the occasional axe.
  • Littlest Cancer Patient: In 10, though it's not played for glurge. And in Super Adventure, where it's played to depress the ever-living hell out of you should you lose.
  • Magical Girl: Her Halloween variant in X DiVE.
  • Popularity Power: She can take Zero in a fight! Yellow Devil would have been so screwed...
  • Robot Kid: Was designed to look like a young girl.
  • Robot Maid: Does the housework in Dr. Light's household as well as general assistant work.
  • School Swimsuit: Roll's Swimsuit appearance in DiVE, wearing a one-piece competition swimsuit with her name and "Class number" written on it.
  • Super-Powered Robot Meter Maids: In those side games where she fights. Otherwise, she's just a regular robot meter maid. Interestingly, she often fights with cleaning supplies.
  • Skip of Innocence: At the end of Powered Up! after she saved the day.
  • The Smurfette Principle: The only female Robot Master until the inclusion of Splash Woman in 9.
  • Theme Naming: Rock & Roll, anyone?
  • Took a Level in Badass: Somewhat, though she sometimes isn't even present enough to tell either way, but Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is probably a large example. Knocking much larger opponents off their feet and repeatedly ramming them in the groin with a mop is pretty hardcore.
  • Unwilling Roboticisation: In the Brazilian comic. It was quite gruesome, indeed.

    Rush 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rush_transparent.png
Voiced by: note 
A robotic dog created by Dr. Light in 3 to assist Mega Man in his adventure. Can take on many forms, including a submarine, a hoverboard, a springy coil, and later even a Powered Armor.

    Beat 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/beat_transparent.png
Voiced by: note 
After Mega Man saved Dr. Cossack's daughter from Dr. Wily, the grateful scientist created this robotic bird to aid Mega Man. Beat flies around in Mega Man's proximity, either taking out enemies in Mega Man's path or carrying him short distances.

    Eddie 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eddie_transparent.png
Voiced by: note 
Eddie is a small robot who was built by Dr. Light to serve as a walking suitcase. He helps Mega Man by teleporting in to give him power-ups, and occasionally by tossing bombs out of his head. He has a problem with anxiety.
  • Dub Name Change: He was originally localized as "Flip-Top", but the name was phased out.
  • Hammerspace: The Power Ups that he produces are certainly larger than he is. And an exploitable glitch will allow Eddie to throw more than he can fit.
  • Mundane Utility: According to Mega Man Megamix, he doubles as a rice cooker for the Light household.

    Tango 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tango_transparent.png
When Mega Man initially failed to defeat the Stardroids in V, Tango the Cat was created to assist him in fighting the robots. His ability is to curl into a spiky ball and charge into enemy robots.

    Auto (Lightot) 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/auto_transparent.png
Voiced by: note 
A mechanic robot created by Dr. Light, Auto considers himself Mega Man's biggest fan. He helps the Blue Bomber by creating new accessories for him to use. He's good friends with Roll, and treats Eddie like a pet.
  • BFG: Uses a cannon/rocket launcher in the Rush Jet sections of 8.
  • Butt-Monkey:
    • Throughout Mega Man 11, where Auto is shown being overworked with nobody really caring.
      Auto: Doc, how about givin' your favorite assistant a break?
      Roll: I don't need a break, Auto!
    • In the ending sequence, Light gives Auto his own Double Gear system so he can move around the defeated Robot Masters to get them ready for repairs. Auto again complains about being overworked before overheating, to which everyone laughs while Eddie just tosses him a Double Gear power up.
  • The Cameo: In disc-based re-releases of X3, in Volt Catfish's intro video.
  • Gadgeteer Genius: Light's assistant, and manager of the shop that usually sells hi-tech items.
  • Hero-Worshipper: Mentioned that he's Rock's "biggest fan".
  • Otaku: A big mechanics geek.
  • Paper-Thin Disguise: He's Proto Man's shopkeeper in n10, with a disguise that consists only of a Metool helmet, like the one he gave to Mega Man in 7.
  • Plucky Comic Relief: Provides hilarity in most scenes he's in.
  • Remember the New Guy?: A new character for 7, but it was mentioned that he was already under Dr. Light's employ long before that time.
  • Verbal Tic: In the Japanese versions of the game, he says "-dasu" to end his sentences.

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