When adding to one of the subpages, please follow this format. Not everyone knows where a particular meme came from or how it's used. Even if it's potholed.
- Meme name: Explanationdescription of meme and how it's used.
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Classic Series (and Adaptations Thereof)
- JUMP 'N SHOOT MAN!
ExplanationFrom Egoraptor's Sequelitis episode on Mega Man (Classic) vs. Mega Man X, as he remarks on how simple the gameplay of the Classic series is. - LEMONS! ExplanationFrom the same video as the above example, Egoraptor refers to the standard X-Buster shots as lemons because of their ovular shape and yellow coloring. Many fans take to calling the Mega Buster and/or X-Buster as the lemon shooter as a result.
- Fight, Mega Man! For everlasting peace! ExplanationA line from the ending of Mega Man.
- Get equipped with (your favorite weapon goes here)! ExplanationThe "You got a new weapon!" message from Mega Man 2.
- Alternatively, YOU GET (or "GOT" depending on the game): MEME
- AND RUSH JET ExplanationWhenever a Robot Master has an Adapter for Rush, it's noted (but not demonstrated) after the weapon. The Jet adapter is in the most games and is arguably the most useful. Usually as an appendix to the "You Get" meme above
- In the Japanese versions, it's rendered as "MEME GET"
- You can't beat Air Man.ExplanationA famous song detailing a player's struggles against Air Man (and later, Wood Man). Almost singlehandedly responsible for the former's Memetic Badass reputation.
- Metal Blade ExplanationMany players in Mega Man 2 go after Metal Man first, because of how hideously broken his weapon, the Metal Blade is: It has ludicrously efficient energy use, can fire in eight directions, and cuts through minor enemies like tissue paper.
- Okkusenman ExplanationA famous remix of MM2's Dr. Wily Stage 1 theme (With Lyrics). It's so well-known that some people think it's the name of the song!
- mm2wood ExplanationA badly rendered MIDI version of Mega Man 2's Wood Man theme. Tends to be associated with a MIDIJam visualization, and this image as well◊. Both are often used in SiIvaGunner videos.
- nice >:] ExplanationThe Catchphrase and face of Wood Man as depicted in the aforementioned SiIvaGunner memes. A Running Gag in the comments of those videos, it has since become a common reaction to any piece of media featuring the character.
- "Hey, BASS! Why must I fight you? We are not ENEMIES!" "... Shut up!" ExplanationAn exchange between Mega Man and Bass during the opening scene of Mega Man 8. It's infamous half because of the awful voice acting, and half because of the pronunciation of "Bass" (like the fish, as opposed to the instrument).
- IT'S BASE! He's not a fish! ExplanationA common rebuttal whenever someone pronounces Bass's name wrong.
- We may at be abew to wokay anudda enuhgy emission fwom da wadah woom! When we fine dat meteah, we'ww fine Doctah Wahwee! ExplanationDr. Light's voice actor in Mega Man 8 is... questionable, to say the least.
- JUMP JUMP! SLIDE SLIDE!! ExplanationFrost Man's level and the first Dr. Wily level in MM8 have auto-scrolling sections that require you to jump and slide quickly to proceed, or risk getting killed. The automated warnings only added to these levels' infamous reputations.
- The Ruby-Spears cartoon is notorious for this. Here are a few examples:
- NOW I'VE GOT YOUR POWER! ExplanationFrom the second episode of Season 1 ("Electric Nightmare") during a scene where Mega Man is fighting Pharaoh Man. Mega Man manages to get the jump on Pharaoh Man and copies his power... only for Pharaoh Man to immediately punch him in the face. Notable for both the inherent comedic value and the fact that most Robot Masters end up cowering when Mega Man steals their weapon data, thus contributing to Pharaoh Man's Memetic Badassery.
- OH NO! HE'S GONNA BLAST PRESIDENT LINCOLN! ExplanationFrom S1E4 ("Mega-Pinocchio"), Mega Man takes a shot from Proto Man's blaster to keep him from destroying the Lincoln Memorial statue. A rather obvious setup by Proto Man that Mega Man still fell for and was taken out by, to the point that the video's title ("Mega Man you patriotic doofus") is often used as a response to Mega Man's apparent Patriotic Fervor.
- MAGNETMANG ExplanationAlso from "Mega-Pinocchio", Mega Man tricks Magnet Man into high-fiving him to copy his ability, at which point Magnet Man shouts "He's getting my poweeeers!"
- KUNG FU CUTMAN! ExplanationFrom S1E12 ("Future Shock"), Mega Man and Roll have to get through Dr. Wily's Robot Masters in order to get to the Time Machine. The main highlight in this scene is Cut Man, giving a very poor impression of a martial artist.
- GUTS MAN'S ASS (DUN-DUNNN!) ExplanationFrom S2E12 ("Bad Day at Peril Park"). Mega Man and his friends stumble upon a new amusement park called "Fun World" (which is actually a trap set up by Dr. Wily) and when they are met by one of the park's mascots, Mega Man's dog Rush tears off a part of a kangaroo disguise to reveal the posterior of Guts Man. The popularization of this began with the YouTube Poop video "GUTSMAN'S ASS" uploaded by Kajetokun on June 10th, 2007.
- Even the show's theme song has become a meme, with this remix right here.
- "Don't worry! Mega Man drops January 7th! LISTEN!" ExplanationTaken from a TikTok short created by rap artist Jay Eazy to promote his then upcoming single by the same name. Comments sections on various Mega Man-related videos and posts would parrot this or otherwise acknowledge the date, with one video taking the "drops (on) January 7th" part literally. When January 7th, 2023 finally arrived, the legendary SiIvaGunner team threw their hat into the ring, with every upload to the channel — beginning with the MM1 Stage Select theme that day and ending with the first game's ending theme the following day — featuring Jay Eazy's rapping, earning the rapper's attention and approval.
- I WAS NEVER BOOK SMART, I'M MONEY SMART! ExplanationThe opening and most well-known lines to the chorus of the aforementioned "Mega Man", which took on a life of their own for several reasons. For starters, nearly every video promoting the single involves Jay Eazy — usually decked out in a Mega Buster and matching boots (or, in one instance, the First Armor's X-Buster) — running towards the camera through a mall as the song begins, often flanked by extras or other people he got to participate in the video. Various internet denizens also began to mash up the lyrics with random music choices, perhaps most notably the Forest Maze BGM from Super Mario RPG (which gained enough traction to essentially become its own meme). It wasn't long before actual Mega Man-themed parodies started popping up, such as a handful of music syncs or having the Blue Bomber himself copy Jay Eazy's stride by tweaking the sprites from Mega Man 7. And then, as noted above, even SiIvaGunner got in on the trend.
- "Yo, bro, why are you doing that?" ExplanationFrom the beginning of the marketing short for the single, a question asked by Jay Eazy as he walks up to a guy who's attacking an electronic board in a mall. The reply he receives ("Jay Eazy ain't drop yet, bruh!") is one of the more common responses, but fell out of use in the context of this meme once "Mega Man" actually dropped.
X Series (and Adaptations Thereof)
- You've gone Maverick. ExplanationA term used to describe a Reploid that goes beyond their programming to hurt others that's constantly used by the protagonist in this series and later series like Mega Man Zero and Mega Man ZX. Mega Man fans like to use it to describe people they've lost respect for in real life or calling people Mavericks for doing the most insignificant things, with the latter becoming a sort of Ascended Meme with the plot of MMZ.
- Why would you program a robot to have crippling depression!? ExplanationAn uncommon but still notable phrase used to sum up X's condition. After learning that Dr. Light had installed a "suffering circuit" into him, phrases along this line became common to sum up how silly it sounds, even though in context (e.g. Vile's defective suffering circuit), it is clear that its purpose is to recognise suffering and make X refuse to do evil.
- Spark Mandrill Syndrome ExplanationSpark Mandrill is frozen solid whenever he is hit by his weakness, Shotgun Ice. If the player keeps shooting him during his thawing animation, the boss will be repeatedly stunned and the battle can be won with minimal effort. As a result, the gaming community adopted "Spark Mandrill Syndrome" as a generic term to describe bosses that can be locked into a pattern that turns them into a Zero-Effort Boss.
- "Oh no, you're a wall now!" "That's right, X!" ExplanationIn the first part of the fight against Sigma in Mega Man X, the wall in the background is darkened. After Sigma's first form is defeated, the wall brightens up, revealing Sigma's One-Winged Angel form. (In Maverick Hunter X, Sigma instead has the One-Winged Angel form burst out from behind the wall instead.) Terminal Montage made fun of this fact, making it look like Sigma's One-Winged Angel form is the wall.
- Pull a wheelie and die, GBD! For Everlasting Peace! ExplanationGBD ("Green Biker Dude") is a background character that appears at the start of Mega Man X2's intro stage simply to get shot by the enemy, becoming a memorable Memetic Bystander in the process.
- WHAT AM I FIGHTING FORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR?!!!!!!! ExplanationZero's reaction to Iris' death in Mega Man X4, a legitimate Tear Jerker moment that, naturally, was ruined by awful voice acting in the English dub. Tends to come up any time the subject of spotty English dubbing is brought up as well as whenever Zero appears outside of his home series, with Zero even getting to say the immortal line again in Project × Zone and TEPPEN (though fortunately with better voice acting). Capcom USA even made official merch of this moment, unveiling an acrylic standee in November 2022.
- Take a wild guess. ExplanationSaid by Split Mushroom just before his life meter shows up... revealing a plot-hijacking operation by the logo at the bottom. Though two other bosses also have this insignia (Cyber Peacock and Magma Dragoon), Split Mushroom is especially notable for lampshading/bringing attention to it with his dialogue, as it's delivered after X asks who's in charge.
- HU! HA! HO! ExplanationThe noise made by Zero when attacking with his Z-Saber in the infamous English dub of X4. So infamous, in fact, that it's a popular nickname for Zero in many Spanish-speaking countries, with the audio itself receiving the Voice Clip Song treatment in Mexico and other parts of Latin America.
- HIS NAME IS DUFF MCWHALEN!! ExplanationThe Maverick bosses in Mega Man X5 had their names changed for the English localization to Guns N' Roses references, which were removed in the Legacy Collection release in favor of names closer to the original Japanese. Tidal Whale, perhaps better known as Duff McWhalen, ended up becoming a meme icon to protest this change because his original name, GNR Shout-Out aside, was seen as stupid but endearing. The video was the most prominent meme evolution, where the narration launches a tirade about his flaws (weak weapon, level being That One Level, song is a remix of Bubble Crab's stage, and his name), but delivered in such hilarious frustration that the phrase became the rallying cry mentioned almost everywhere whenever Duff is mentioned and made people insist to call him Duff McWhalen instead of the more default Tidal Whale.
- "I hid myself while I tried to repair myself." ExplanationThe infamous in-game explanation for why Zero disappeared between X5 (which was supposed to be the end of the X series, and as such had what ended up being a Distant Finale scene of Zero being loaded into a suspended animation capsule to set up Mega Man Zero) and X6, roundly mocked for having an awkward translation and reeking of Voodoo Shark. Often misquoted as "I hid myself while I repaired myself." Ironically, Zero later admits to Dr. Light he actually doesn't know how he survived or who fixed him.
- Obentou. ExplanationThe scene that the above quote originates from is especially popular in Japan, with many fan arts parodying it. To be specific, the Japanese thinks their facial expressions looking more appropriate for Zero trying to make X a boxed lunch and X being happy to be given it. The meme's name (Boxed Lunch) is from Zero's quote in the meme: "I woke up early and made this boxed lunch for you." The parody also sees use with various duos in other media, especially with the "Zero" figure being a character thought to be dead (like Zero was in X6).
- THE BADDLE HAS JUSD BEGUN! JUSD DIE! ZELLLLLLLOOO!! I'LLSHOWYOUWHATATERRORISALLABOUT! ExplanationJust before the final boss fight of X6, Sigma kind of goes insane and begins speaking in Engrish. Possibly deliberately written that way to show that his consciousness is breaking down after being revived five times. Believe it or not, this is actually written text instead of being a transcription of such.
- "Phew! Somebody please tell me I'm through with the worst of it!" ExplanationAxl's line during the opening stage of Mega Man X7, right after completing his section and right before he's attacked by the boss of the level (Mega Scorpio). This is often used as a case of Tempting Fate because, in addition to Axl jinxing himself, that was just the beginning of what's considered the most controversial/worst X game, and is also used for other cases of Tempting Fate.
- Burn! Burn! Burn to the ground! Burn to the ground! Burn! Burn to the ground! Burn! ExplanationExpect to hear this a lot when fighting Flame Hyenard in X7, as he suffers from a serious case of Broken Record with his voicelines.
- "MEEEEEH, VIOLENCE!" ExplanationIn his review of the game, ProJared aptly sums up X's crack at Actual Pacifism (and its resulting execution) in X7 with this line. Twice.
- Alia's "upgrade" ExplanationWhile the new art style in Mega Man X8 was rather controversial, many fans were far more appreciative of Alia's Fanservice Pack in the same game.
- LISTEN TO ME! ExplanationPalette's nagging quote if you set her as your operator in X8 and don't immediately respond, particularly if she finds a secret in a level. Notable because Layer and Alia chime in with a far more neutral "X/Zero/Axl, can you hear me?"
- Although the line wasn't even spoken by any of the characters, only used in level descriptions, any parody written after X8 is guaranteed to have X dramatically vow to stop "Sigma...the cause of the entire situation!" This only gets more likely if Sigma is actually not responsible for any situation.
- NOT A CHARGE SHOT! ExplanationIn Vile's playable campaign in Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X, his final battle pits him against X and Zero. Despite the following cutscene showing Vile having easily defeated both Maverick Hunters (to say nothing of the player's competence and skill level), all it takes for Vile to lose is a single Charge Shot from X, leading to the above line.There's also the fact that a Charge Shot, while definitely powerful by itself, has never been demonstrated to be a One-Hit Kill on bosses like Vile.
- "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" ExplanationIn Yoshihiro Iwamoto's Mega Man X manga series, Bit has X publicly crucified on Christmas and yells this when he thinks he's dealt the Coup de Grâce (with exploding drills).
- Riding on cars! (guitar riff)
- Also, as mentioned in the Classic series section, the idea that Mega Man shoots lemons, which has retroactively made its way into the other Mega Man series as well.
- On this site, there have been times that either of the series' two incarnations of Zero has been compared to a certain other Zero. Later became Hilarious in Hindsight when that Zero's English voice actor went on to voice this Zero.
- The Ze-ERO series, a series of MADs (a rough equivalent of YouTube Poop) that mainly involves characters from this series, on Nico Nico Douga (and some of it has been exported to YouTube as well). Warning: NSFW.
Other Series
- Volnutt is stuck on the moon. ExplanationThe ending of Mega Man Legends 2 has Volnutt stuck on the moon waiting for Tron and Roll to rescue him. Due to Sequel Gap and the eventual cancellation of Legends 3, this has led to many jokes about him still being on the moon for all that time.
- "Health for you. Death for me! :D" ExplanationThe description for Hareff, one of the Nurse Cyber-Elves from Mega Man Zero which heals a bit of Zero's health before the elf dies. This description is also accompanied by the Cyber-Elf's oddly cheerful expression.
- "I'll jack into your squirrel if that's what it takes." ExplanationWhat Lan says when challenged by Charlie Airstar to find his NetNavi in Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team ProtoMan. It became a meme for two reasons - one, the "jack in" vernacular being very susceptible to Accidental Innuendo, and two, said vernacular resulting in Lan sounding like he's willing to fuck a squirrel.
- "Why so Sirius?" crosses over from Film memes when people talk about Mega Man Star Force 3. Take a wild guess why that is.
