Canon

Canon refers to the body of works taking place in a fictional world that are widely considered to be official or authoritative. The Mega Man franchise has its own canon body of works that are recognized by its creators, such as Capcom. Generally, the mainline numbered video games released by Capcom are always part of canon. Where canon can become confusing is with spin-off games and non-video game media. This page will contain sources and explanations as to which works are part of each era's canon, and which are not.

Classic era

• All numbered video games (Mega Man to Mega Man 11) are canon.
• Mega Man Soccer is canon as it is directly stated to take place after Mega Man 4 and a trait of Mega Man is that he likes playing soccer.
• Mega Man & Bass is canon as it is directly referenced as an event in Mega Man 9 and narratively is supposed to be an event in between 8 and 9.
• All Gameboy series video games (Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge to Mega Man V) are canon as the Rockman & Rockman X Daizukan establishes their place in the main timeline. They are all also referenced in the CDs in Mega Man & Bass (includes the Mega Man Killers, the Stardroids and Tango) along with it being stated that Slash Man was based off Pluto multiple times. The Mega Man Killers also return in Mega Man 10's Special stages which are canon as they take place as Mega Man is escaping Wily's castle as this time it doesnt sink or blow up. Tango can also be found in the shop in Mega Man 10 while playing as Proto Man. Lasty, Enker also appears in Mega Man Soccer.

X era

• All numbered video games (Mega Man X to Mega Man X8) are canon. However, Zero's ending cutscene in Mega Man X6, where he seals himself away for a century, has been moved to be set as the final event in the era's timeline as it was originally meant to be the transition into Zero as X7 wasnt initially planned to happen. This allows for Mega Man X7 and X8 to occur. X7 & X8 are also both referenced as past Zero's in an official trailer regarding a research report of Zero era Zero in both an english and japanese.

Zero era

• All numbered video games (Mega Man Zero to Mega Man Zero 4) are canon.
• The drama tracks from Remastered Tracks Rockman Zero are canon and officially are released by Inti Creates.

ZX era

• Both main video games (Mega Man ZX and Mega Man ZX Advent) are canon.
• The canceled Rockman ZXC is non-canon, as it was never officially released.

Legends era

• Both numbered video games (Mega Man Legends and Mega Man Legends 2) are canon.
• The canceled Mega Man Legends 3 is non-canon, as it was never officially released.

Battle Network era

• All numbered video games (Mega Man Battle Network to Mega Man Battle Network 6) are canon. Differences between versions, such as Mega Man Battle Network 3: Blue Version and Mega Man Battle Network 3: White Version, rarely have enough bearing to require scrutiny.

Star Force era

• All numbered video games (Mega Man Star Force to Mega Man Star Force 3) are canon. Differences between versions, such as Mega Man Star Force 3: Black Ace and Mega Man Star Force 3: Red Joker, rarely have enough bearing to require scrutiny.
• The canceled Mega Man Star Force 4 is non-canon, as it was never officially released.

Crossovers

Crossover games, especially those that do not bear the Mega Man branding as part of their title, are generally considered to be non-canon. However, those that are part of the Mega Man brand require further scrutiny.

• Rockman Tennis is a simple mobile game with little to no story, so it is safe to assume that it is non-canon.
• Rockman.EXE Operate Shooting Star requires further research.
• Rockman ✕over is a time-travel story with evidence suggesting it is indeed canon, occurring between the Classic era and X era in the timeline.
• Mega Man X DiVE is a meta-narrative that breaks the fourth wall, such as a Player who is a fan of the Mega Man series itself starring as the main character of the story.

Other media

Most works referred to as "other media" on the Mega Man Wiki are not considered part of the main canon. Some works, such as Captain N: The Game Master or Mega Man: Fully Charged, have their own self-contained worlds that clearly diverge from the video games. Other works that adapt material from the video games, such as the 1994 Mega Man series, the anime Mega Man NT Warrior, or the Rockman X manga by Yoshihiro Iwamoto, are also treated as their own independent worlds despite directly drawing on the video games.