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Robot Master
A Robot Master,[1] also known as a Number (ナンバー)[2] or often just a Boss (ボス)[3] in Japan, is a recurring term in the Mega Man series. It is used to describe advanced, typically humanoid robots created by skilled scientists such as Dr. Light. They are most often the main group of bosses on the Stage Select screen, who must be defeated in order to open the Last Stages of the game.
Both the terms "Robot Master" and "Number" have never been used in any in-game dialogue, only in supplementary sources such as game manuals, strategy guides, and encyclopedias. "Robot Master" in particular was phased out of English media by the release of Mega Man 7. Despite this, the term remains ubiquitous within the fandom and third-party media, such as Mega Man: Fully Charged and the Archie Mega Man comic, with varying scope and definition.
Numbered Classic era
All mainline Robot Master bosses are humanoid, have a signature Special Weapon and weakness, and a name ending in "Man" (or "Woman"). Many also have an assigned serial number, hence the Japanese term. Although usage of the terms Robot Master and Number have been phased out, it can be assumed that all bosses matching these traits are Robot Masters, unless primary sources contradict this. This section only contains Robot Masters from the numbered entries in the Classic era Mega Man games.
Mega Man
Robot Masters were introduced in the first Mega Man, though the term wasn't used until Mega Man 3 (these ones are retroactively called Robot Masters in Mega Man: The Wily Wars).[4] The game has six Robot Masters who are all industrial workers in the DLN (Dr. Light Numbers) series, or DRN (Dr. Right Numbers) in Japan. They were kidnapped by Dr. Wily and reprogrammed into his evil servants.
Name | Image | Special Weapon | Serial No. | Designer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cut Man | Rolling Cutter | DLN-003 | Capcom | |
Guts Man | Super Arm | DLN-004 | Capcom | |
Ice Man | Ice Slasher | DLN-005 | Capcom | |
Bomb Man | Hyper Bomb | DLN-006 | Keiji Inafune | |
Fire Man | Fire Storm | DLN-007 | Capcom | |
Elec Man | Thunder Beam | DLN-008 | Keiji Inafune |
Mega Man 2
In Mega Man 2, the eight Robot Masters[4] were created by Dr. Wily to challenge Mega Man in combat. They are part of the DWN (Dr. Wily Numbers) series, though their numbering begins at the ninth entry, where the DLN from Mega Man left off.
Name | Image | Special Weapon | Serial No. | Designer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Metal Man | Metal Blade | DWN-009 | Masanori Sato | |
Air Man | Air Shooter | DWN-010 | Yōji Kanazawa | |
Bubble Man | Bubble Lead | DWN-011 | Takashi Tanaka | |
Quick Man | Quick Boomerang | DWN-012 | Hirofumi Mizoguchi | |
Crash Man | Crash Bomber | DWN-013 | Akira Yoshida | |
Flash Man | Time Stopper | DWN-014 | Tomō Yamaguchi | |
Heat Man | Atomic Fire | DWN-015 | Toshiyuki Kataoka | |
Wood Man | Leaf Shield | DWN-016 | Masakatsu Ichikawa |
Mega Man 3
In Mega Man 3, the eight Robot Masters[5] were created together by Dr. Light and Dr. Wily, and are deployed to collect eight Energy Elements in space. Some Japanese sources describe them as the DRWN (Dr. Right & Wily Numbers), though they are more commonly included as part of the DWN since Dr. Wily hijacks them for his own evil gains.
Name | Image | Special Weapon | Serial No. | Designer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Needle Man | Needle Cannon | DWN-017 | Nobihiko Akatsuka | |
Magnet Man | Magnet Missile | DWN-018 | Nagashi Kii | |
Gemini Man | Gemini Laser | DWN-019 | Yoshihito Hattori | |
Hard Man | Hard Knuckle | DWN-020 | Kazuhiko Oguro | |
Top Man | Top Spin | DWN-021 | Yasushi Konjiki | |
Snake Man | Search Snake | DWN-022 | Yuhjiro Ishitani | |
Spark Man | Spark Shock | DWN-023 | Mikihiro Suzuki | |
Shadow Man | Shadow Blade | DWN-024 | Takumine Yoshida |
Mega Man 4
In Mega Man 4, the eight Robot Masters[6] were created by Dr. Cossack for a variety of purposes. However, when Dr. Wily blackmailed Dr. Cossack into challenging Mega Man, he also altered his creations into fighting robots and inducted them into his own DWN series. In the manga Mega Man Megamix, they are instead listed as the DCN (Dr. Cossack Numbers).
Name | Image | Special Weapon | Serial No. | Designer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bright Man | Flash Stopper | DWN-025 | Yoshitaka Enomoto | |
Toad Man | Rain Flush | DWN-026 | Atsushi Ōtsuka | |
Drill Man | Drill Bomb | DWN-027 | Masayuki Hoshi | |
Pharaoh Man | Pharaoh Shot | DWN-028 | Takayuki Ebara | |
Ring Man | Ring Boomerang | DWN-029 | Hiromi Uchida | |
Dust Man | Dust Crusher | DWN-030 | Yūsuke Murata | |
Dive Man | Dive Missile | DWN-031 | Suguru Nakayama | |
Skull Man | Skull Barrier | DWN-032 | Toshiyuki Miyachi |
Mega Man 5
In Mega Man 5, the eight Robot Masters[7] were supposedly berserk robots led by Proto Man. In reality, they were all created by Dr. Wily and led by the impersonator Dark Man, in an attempt to frame Proto Man and conquer the world. They belong to the DWN.
Name | Image | Special Weapon | Serial No. | Designer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gravity Man | Gravity Hold | DWN-033 | Yukiko Mori | |
Wave Man | Water Wave | DWN-034 | Hideyuki Monno | |
Stone Man | Power Stone | DWN-035 | Kenta Ōnishi | |
Gyro Man | Gyro Attack | DWN-036 | Katsunari Oguri | |
Star Man | Star Crash | DWN-037 | Tatsumi Saegusa | |
Charge Man | Charge Kick | DWN-038 | Toshiaki Sugiura | |
Napalm Man | Napalm Bomb | DWN-039 | Shinichirō Seki | |
Crystal Man | Crystal Eye | DWN-040 | Yūsuke Murata |
Mega Man 6
In Mega Man 6, the eight Robot Masters[8] were created by scientists from all around the globe and entered in the Robot Tournament. They were then hijacked by the tournament organizer, Mr. X, who was later revealed to actually be Dr. Wily in disguise. They belong to the DWN. In the manga Mega Man Megamix, they are instead listed as the MXN (Mr. X Numbers).
Name | Image | Special Weapon | Serial No. | Designer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Blizzard Man | Blizzard Attack | DWN-041 | Hirofumi Ogawa | |
Centaur Man | Centaur Flash | DWN-042 | Kazuki Kidoguchi | |
Flame Man | Flame Blast | DWN-043 | Noritsugu Kurokawa | |
Knight Man | Knight Crusher | DWN-044 | Daniel Vallée | |
Plant Man | Plant Barrier | DWN-045 | Nobuhiro Hoshino | |
Tomahawk Man | Silver Tomahawk | DWN-046 | Yoshinobu Suda | |
Wind Man | Wind Storm | DWN-047 | Michael Leader | |
Yamato Man | Yamato Spear | DWN-048 | Rai Ichikawa |
Mega Man 7
In Mega Man 7, the eight Robot Masters were all created or stolen and modified by Dr. Wily, at some point prior to his defeat in Mega Man 6. Six months after his imprisonment, they were activated to free Wily and conquer the world. They belong to the DWN. This game was the first to avoid using the term Robot Master in its English media, though they fulfill the same criteria as previous Robot Masters and are categorized as such.
Name | Image | Special Weapon | Serial No. | Designer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Freeze Man | Freeze Cracker | DWN-049 | Shiegeaki Sakamoto | |
Junk Man | Junk Shield | DWN-050 | Jun Akiba | |
Burst Man | Danger Wrap | DWN-051 | Keishi Tsuchiya | |
Cloud Man | Thunder Bolt | DWN-052 | Isao Nakagiri | |
Spring Man | Wild Coil | DWN-053 | Akira Ito | |
Slash Man | Slash Claw | DWN-054 | Yoichi Amano | |
Shade Man | Noise Crush | DWN-055 | Tetsuya Watada | |
Turbo Man | Scorch Wheel | DWN-056 | Takashi Kino |
Mega Man 8
In Mega Man 8, the eight Robot Masters were created or stolen and modified by Dr. Wily. They are all powered by his newfound discovery, Evil Energy, and Mega Man challenges them in order to confiscate it. They belong to the DWN.
Name | Image | Special Weapon | Serial No. | Designer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tengu Man | Tornado Hold | DWN-057 | Capcom | |
Tengu Blade | ||||
Astro Man | Astro Crush | DWN-058 | Capcom | |
Copy Vision | ||||
Sword Man | Flame Sword | DWN-059 | Keigo Matsuo | |
Clown Man | Thunder Claw | DWN-060 | Hiroshige Sakai | |
Search Man | Homing Sniper | DWN-061 | Yūta Hata | |
Frost Man | Ice Wave | DWN-062 | Akifumi Nomura | |
Grenade Man | Flash Bomb | DWN-063 | Kenichirō Komaki | |
Aqua Man | Water Balloon | DWN-064 | Morito Kuriki |
Mega Man 9
In Mega Man 9, the eight Robot Masters are robots created by Dr. Light who supposedly went berserk. It is later revealed that they rebelled due to the tampering of Dr. Wily, who convinced them that Light planned to dismantle them someday and reprogrammed them. They belong to the DLN, though their numbering begins where the DWN from Mega Man 8 left off.
Name | Image | Special Weapon | Serial No. | Designer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Concrete Man | Concrete Shot | DLN-065 | Capcom | |
Tornado Man | Tornado Blow | DLN-066 | Capcom | |
Splash Woman | Laser Trident | DLN-067 | Capcom | |
Plug Man | Plug Ball | DLN-068 | Capcom | |
Jewel Man | Jewel Satellite | DLN-069 | Capcom | |
Hornet Man | Hornet Chaser | DLN-070 | Capcom | |
Magma Man | Magma Bazooka | DLN-071 | Capcom | |
Galaxy Man | Black Hole Bomb | DLN-072 | Capcom |
Mega Man 10
In Mega Man 10, the eight Robot Masters are robots from around the world who went berserk after being infected by Dr. Wily's Roboenza. Though not personally altered by Wily, they are considered part of the DWN series. The bonus track in Rockman 10 Image Soundtrack, where Wily lists the Robot Masters and their abilities, implies that he may have chosen these specific robots to make berserk.
Name | Image | Special Weapon | Serial No. | Designer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Blade Man | Triple Blade | DWN-073 | Capcom | |
Pump Man | Water Shield | DWN-074 | Capcom | |
Commando Man | Commando Bomb | DWN-075 | Capcom | |
Chill Man | Chill Spike | DWN-076 | Capcom | |
Sheep Man | Thunder Wool | DWN-077 | Capcom | |
Strike Man | Rebound Striker | DWN-078 | Capcom | |
Nitro Man | Wheel Cutter | DWN-079 | Capcom | |
Solar Man | Solar Blaze | DWN-080 | Capcom |
Mega Man 11
In Mega Man 11, the eight Robot Masters were created by various manufacturers from around the globe, but seem to regularly visit Dr. Light for tune-ups and hold him in high regard. They are kidnapped by Dr. Wily and reprogrammed into his servants, installed with the Double Gear system. They belong to the DWN.
Name | Image | Special Weapon | Serial No. | Designer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Block Man | Block Dropper | DWN-081 | Capcom | |
Acid Man | Acid Barrier | DWN-082 | Capcom | |
Impact Man | Pile Driver | DWN-083 | Capcom | |
Bounce Man | Bounce Ball | DWN-084 | Capcom | |
Fuse Man | Scramble Thunder | DWN-085 | Capcom | |
Tundra Man | Tundra Storm | DWN-086 | Capcom | |
Torch Man | Blazing Torch | DWN-087 | Capcom | |
Blast Man | Chain Blast | DWN-088 | Capcom |
Other Robot Masters
These Robot Master bosses originate from games that are not part of the original numbered Mega Man series, but that were officially developed with Capcom and are referenced in ongoing material. Thus, their canon status is debatable but very possible.
Mega Man V
In Mega Man V, the eight Robot Masters[9] are a group of alien robots known as the Stardroids. They are led by Terra, who works with Dr. Wily to help him take over the planet. They belong to the SRN (Stardroid Numbers).
Name | Image | Special Weapon | Serial No. | Designer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mercury | Grab Buster | SRN-002 | Capcom | |
Venus | Bubble Bomb | SRN-003 | Capcom | |
Mars | Photon Missile | SRN-004 | Capcom | |
Jupiter | Electric Shock | SRN-005 | Capcom | |
Saturn | Black Hole | SRN-006 | Capcom | |
Uranus | Deep Digger | SRN-007 | Capcom | |
Pluto | Break Dash | SRN-008 | Capcom | |
Neptune | Salt Water | SRN-009 | Capcom |
Mega Man & Bass
In Mega Man & Bass, the eight Robot Masters are robots who agreed to join or were constructed by King and his rebellion against humanity. They belong to their own KGN (King Numbers) series. Their ranks also include Tengu Man and Astro Man from Mega Man 8, who were evidently reconstructed and chose to join King.
Name | Image | Special Weapon | Serial No. | Designer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dynamo Man | Lightning Bolt | KGN-001 | Hitoshi Ariga | |
Cold Man | Ice Wall | KGN-002 | Kōji Izuki | |
Ground Man | Spread Drill | KGN-003 | Iwamoto Yoshihiro | |
Pirate Man | Remote Mine | KGN-004 | Iwamoto Yoshihiro | |
Burner Man | Wave Burner | KGN-005 | Hitoshi Ariga | |
Magic Man | Magic Card | KGN-006 | Iwamoto Yoshihiro |
Mega Man Powered Up
In the remake Mega Man Powered Up, two new Robot Masters were added to the original game's six for a total of eight. The first Mega Man was originally planned with eight Robot Masters, which was reduced to six during development.[10] They are part of the DLN, but their exact numbering varies between early promotional material for Mega Man Powered Up (listed as DLN-009 and DLN-010) and the Archie Mega Man comics (listed as DLN-00A and DLN-00B).
Name | Image | Special Weapon | Serial No. | Designer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Time Man | Time Slow | DLN-00A[11] | Keiji Inafune[12] | |
Oil Man | Oil Slider | DLN-00B[11] | Keiji Inafune[12] |
Spin-Off Robot Masters
These bosses match the description of mainline Robot Masters, but originate from third-party video games that are not directly developed by Capcom and never appear in official timelines. Thus, their canon status is questionable.
Mega Man (DOS)
In Mega Man (DOS), the three Robot Masters[13] are controlled by Dr. Wily and the supercomputer CRORQ.
Name | Image | Special Weapon | Serial No. | Designer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sonic Man | Sonic Wave | None | Stephen J. Rozner | |
Volt Man | Force Field | None | Stephen J. Rozner | |
Dyna Man | Nuclear Detonator | None | Stephen J. Rozner |
Mega Man 3 (DOS)
In Mega Man 3 (DOS), the six Robot Masters[14] are again controlled by Dr. Wily and the supercomputer CRORQ.
Name | Image | Special Weapon | Serial No. | Designer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Torch Man | Torch Arm | None | Stephen J. Rozner | |
Bit Man | Bit Cannon | None | Stephen J. Rozner | |
Blade Man | Blade Launcher | None | Stephen J. Rozner | |
Shark Man | Shark Boomerang | None | Stephen J. Rozner | |
Oil Man | Oil Stream | None | Stephen J. Rozner | |
Wave Man | Water Shooter | None | Stephen J. Rozner |
Rockman & Forte: Mirai Kara no Chōsensha
In Rockman & Forte: Mirai Kara no Chōsensha, the six Robot Masters are a group of robots from the future called the Dimensions. Led by Rockman Shadow, they seek to destroy the world of the past.
Name | Image | Special Weapon | Serial No. | Designer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dangan Man | Rock Vulcan | None | Bandai | |
Forte Vulcan | ||||
Konro Man | Flame Shower | None | Bandai | |
Flame Mixer | ||||
Aircon Man | Barrier Wind | None | Bandai | |
Forte Cyclone | ||||
Komuso Man | Doppel Crash | None | Bandai | |
Doppel Attack | ||||
Clock Men | Time Switch | None | Bandai | |
Time Bomb | ||||
Compass Man | None | None | Bandai |
Theoretical Robot Masters
These characters may share traditional traits with Robot Master bosses, such as being humanoid, having a name containing "Man/Woman", using a Special Weapon, or having a serial number, but they have never been explicitly referred to as Robot Masters in official video games or primary sources and do not appear in a traditional Stage Select screen format.
(Please note that outside of this page, these characters are not considered or categorized as Robot Masters on this wiki.)
Name | Special Weapon | Serial No. | Debut | Designer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Proto Man | Proto Shield | DLN-000 | Mega Man 3 | Keiji Inafune | Prototype of Mega Man, first of the DLN. |
Mega Man | Mega Buster | DLN-001 | Mega Man | Akira Kitamura | By extension of the other DLN being Robot Masters; never referred to as such. |
Roll | Roll Swing | DLN-002 | Mega Man | Akira Kitamura | By extension of the other DLN being Robot Masters; never referred to as such. |
Dark Man | None | None | Mega Man 5 | Hayato Kaji | No Special Weapon, not on Stage Select, and absent from the Robot Masters list in the game manual, but has "Man" in his name. |
Buster Rod.G | None | WWN-001 | Mega Man: The Wily Wars | Keiji Inafune | No Special Weapon, never called a Robot Master, but has a serial number. |
Mega Water.S | None | WWN-002 | Mega Man: The Wily Wars | Keiji Inafune | No Special Weapon, never called a Robot Master, but has a serial number. |
Hyper Storm.H | None | WWN-003 | Mega Man: The Wily Wars | Keiji Inafune | No Special Weapon, never called a Robot Master, but has a serial number. |
Enker | Mirror Buster | MKN-001 | Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge | Keiji Inafune | Has a Special Wepaon and serial number, but is absent from the Robot Master list in the game manual. |
Quint | Sakugarne | ??????[15] | Mega Man II | Keiji Inafune | Has a Special Wepaon and serial number, but is absent from the Robot Master list in the game manual. |
Punk | Screw Crusher | Mega Man III | MKN-002 | Keiji Inafune | Has a Special Wepaon and serial number, but is absent from the Robot Master list in the game manual. |
Ballade | Ballade Cracker | Mega Man IV | MKN-003 | Keiji Inafune | Has a Special Wepaon and serial number, but is absent from the Robot Master list in the game manual. |
Terra | Spark Chaser | Mega Man V | SRN-001 | Capcom | By extension of the Stardroids being Robot Masters, but absent from the list in game manual. |
Sunstar | Nova Weapon | Mega Man V | None | Capcom | By extension of other Stardroids being Robot Masters, but absent from the list in Mega Man V manual. |
Auto | None | Mega Man 7 | None | Keiji Inafune | Unclear. |
Bass | Bass Buster | Mega Man 7 | SWN-001 | Hayato Kaji | Has a Special Weapon and serial number, but never referred to as a Robot Master. |
King | None | Mega Man & Bass | None | Capcom | No Special Weapon and not a Stage Select boss. |
Fake Man | None | Mega Man 9 | None | Capcom | No Special Weapon and not a Stage Select boss, but has "Man" in his name. |
References
- ↑ Game manual, Mega Man 3. 1990.
- ↑ Rockman & Rockman X Daizukan. 1994.
- ↑ "What Are Mega Man “Robot Masters” Called in Japan?" by Clyde Mandelin. Legends of Localization. September 10, 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Wily Wars PAL version manual.
- ↑ Mega Man 3 North American manual.
- ↑ Mega Man 4 North American manual.
- ↑ Mega Man 5 North American manual.
- ↑ Mega Man 6 North American manual.
- ↑ Mega Man V North American manual.
- ↑ "English Translated Mega Man 1 Design Documents". Rockman Corner. July 2023.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Mega Man. Archie Comics.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Mega Man Official Complete Works.
- ↑ Mega Man for DOS North American manual.
- ↑ Mega Man 3 for DOS North American manual.
- ↑ Mega Man & Bass Japanese CD Data Base.