Beat (ビート) is a supporting character in some Classic era games, debuting in Mega Man 5. He is a blue robot bird built by Dr. Light and Dr. Cossack to aid Mega Man,[1] which he does in various ways depending on the game, such as pecking at enemies, carrying Mega Man or performing other tasks that require his flight ability.
Beat makes his first appearance in Mega Man 5, though he is not yet complete at the start of the game,[1] requiring Mega Man to find the "Beat parts" scattered about before he can be used. The parts appear as letters spelling "M‑E‑G‑A‑M‑A‑N‑V" (or "R‑O‑C‑K‑M‑A‑N‑5" in the Japanese version), with one specific letter being hidden in each Robot Master stage.
After unlocking Beat, he appears as a weapon on the weapon select screen, with a wing as his icon. Selecting this weapon allows Mega Man to summon Beat, who flies near him and automatically homes in on nearby enemies, including bosses, to peck at them. Each peck deals damage, frequently enough to destroy a tough enemy instantly, but costs 2 points of weapon energy. If enemies are invulnerable, Beat typically will not attack them.
Rather than being hidden in the stage, the letters can be obtained by finding and defeating the "real" version of each stage's Robot Master boss, usually reached by taking an alternative path near the end of the stage. This real version is identical in every way to the "decoy" fought on the other path, but will remain in the stage even if it has already been completed by defeating the other instance of the boss.
Once unlocked, Beat behaves largely the same as in Mega Man 5, but has been downgraded a little, as he will no longer attack bosses. His cost also now depends on the damage he deals, draining one point of weapon energy for each point of damage, which can use up his weapon energy very fast when using him against strong foes.
Mega Man 7
Artwork of Beat carrying Mega Man, from Mega Man 7.
In Mega Man 7, Beat's role has been changed completely, becoming a helper that can rescue Mega Man from pits rather than an offensive weapon. To unlock Beat, he must first be rescued from Slash Man's stage, where he is imprisoned in a small bird cage near the end of the stage. The cage is hidden off the top of the screen and reached by following a ladder in the trees, which can be revealed by using Scorch Wheel to burn the foliage.
If Beat is available and Mega Man falls into a pit, the bird will dive after him and slowly lift him up, allowing the player to control him briefly. However, Beat will drop Mega Man after a short while, whether or not he is on safe ground, and each rescue will use up a whistle. Mega Man is automatically granted 4 whistles on rescuing Beat, and more can be purchased from Auto at Big Eddie's for 80 Bolts each.
Mega Man 8
Group art from Mega Man 8. Beat can be seen in the top-left.
Beat plays a more minor role in Mega Man 8, where he mainly appears as one of the possible power-ups in the Rush Jet sections of Tengu Man's stage and Dr. Wily stage 2. Beat will hover near Mega Man and occasionally dart forwards, harming enemies by flying through them in a similar manner as his original behaviour as a weapon, though nowhere near as powerful.
Mega Man & Bass
Sprite from Mega Man & Bass.
In Mega Man & Bass, Beat can be purchased as a "weapon" power by Mega Man (but not Bass) from the Shop. Very much unlike Mega Man 5 and 6, he does not stay around or attack enemies, but instead merely flies by to drop a blue energy barrier on Mega Man. The barrier protects him from taking damage, but drains Beat's weapon energy for each point of damage taken, disappearing when it has no more energy.
Mega Man X DiVE
Beat with Super Mega Man in Mega Man X DiVE.
In the mobile crossover game Mega Man X DiVE, Beat can be summoned by Super Mega Man as one of his core abilities. He acts similarly to his first two appearances, hovering near Mega Man and darting at enemies in range to damage them, though he disappears automatically after some time rather than using weapon energy.
Other Appearances
Beat appears on the password input screen for Mega Man IV on the Game Boy, representing the letter B, though he does not otherwise appear in the game.
Group art with Eddie, Mega Man and Rush, from Mega Man 6.
Sprite from Mega Man 7.
Sprite carrying Mega Man, from Mega Man 7.
References
↑ 1.01.1Mega Man 5 English Instruction Manual, p. 6 - "Dr. Light and I had been working on a special project, but it's not finished yet. Maybe if I can get it working, it might give you an edge."
Sprite from Mega Man 7.
Sprite carrying Mega Man, from Mega Man 7.
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