Data

This article is about the concept of data. For the character, see Data (Legends era).

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Data (データ) is a recurring concept throughout the Mega Man series. It is a collection of digital values which can convey information. In the Mega Man series, it is associated with a wide variety of subjects including individuals, history, locations, or weapons, simply functioning as a method to digitally store information about a specific subject.

In the Games

Robot Timeline

Classic era

Data as a concept is used loosely throughout the Classic era. Arguably the earliest example of data is the usage of Special Weapons, as Mega Man can sample the data of defeated Robot Masters in order to gain new weapons based on them. The first explicit mention of data is with the Doc Robot in Mega Man 3, who is similarly capable of using the abilities of other robots by switching his program data. In Mega Man & Bass, King steals the data of hundreds of robots from the Robot Museum and uses it to construct an army, including resurrecting Tengu Man and Astro Man, whom Mega Man previously destroyed.

X era

Main article: DNA

In the X era, all Reploids and Mechaniloids have what is called DNA data, a type of data reminiscent of the DNA present in biological organisms. Even before the term was introduced in Mega Man X5, it was referenced previously by the Special Weapon chips that X took from defeated Maverick bosses as early as the first Mega Man X.

This data contains the blueprints and construction of the robot, but also their personality and inner self. In the ending of Mega Man X, Sigma states that his "soul lives on" despite his body's destruction, referring to how his data lives on through what would later be revealed as the Sigma Virus. This concept is built upon in Mega Man X2, where Zero's personality data is stored within his control chip and he can be given a new body to resurrect him, similar to Sigma, and later Vile in Mega Man X3. Colonel also has a control chip salvaged by Iris in Mega Man X4. In Mega Man Maverick Hunter X, the Boss Attack is contextualized as the eight Mavericks having their bodies recreated without their original data.

This concept is later built upon with the DNA Soul in Mega Man Xtreme 2. Reploids contain a type of DNA data comparable to a "soul", hence the name DNA Soul. This can be removed from their bodies in a process called Erasure, which reduces the Reploid to a lifeless husk. The DNA data can then be turned into upgrades and used by Reploids to grow stronger, as performed by the Soul Erasers. The Maverick Hunters similarly use the DNA Souls of defeated Mavericks to create Parts in multiple games.

Notably, Mega Man Xtreme introduced cyberspace, a digital world that robots can enter using bodies made of data. When doing so, it appears as though the robot is teleported, causing their physical body to disappear. If their digital form is destroyed while in cyberspace, they cannot return to the physical world. Techno hacks the Mother Computer to make data on previous Mavericks go berserk, wreaking digital havoc around the world, which forces X to enter cyberspace to destroy them.

Zero era

Main article: Cyber-elf

In the Zero era, data continues to be important to the story. A new type of digital being, the Cyber-elf, is introduced, which itself is entirely composed of data but can manifest as a fairy-like entity in the real world. Only Reploids or specially-equipped humans can see Cyber-elves.

ZX era

In the ZX era, both Cyber-elves and DNA data are important to the story, which begins to blur the lines between the two types of data. The line between humans and Reploids is also blurred by the creation of Humanoids, which allows humans to contain and utilize data with their own bodies. Transervers are capable of saving the character's data.

In Mega Man ZX Advent, DNA data is used by Model A to perform A-Trans, and it is also revealed to be how Albert made Mega Men. In the secret ending, Master Albert implies that he has plans for the original Reploid data from before they were made mortal, along with the original human bodies from before they were made Humanoids.

Legends era

In the Legends era, data remains important to mechanical beings such as MegaMan Volnutt. The monkey-like Data saves his game progress, but also literally stores backup data about MegaMan's identity. In Mega Man Legends 2, it is revealed that long ago, the Master reset MegaMan's parameters after his battle with Sera, while Data saved a backup of his data. This data contained all of MegaMan's memories, and also the genetic code of the Master. This reveals that the genetic code of Carbons and similar lifeforms is also a type of data.

Net Timeline

Battle Network era

In the Battle Network era, data is literally everywhere. Because human society is so tightly linked with computers and the internet, data influences every aspect of human life. NetNavis, Viruses, and all other programs that inhabit the Cyberworld are entirely made up of data.

Star Force era

In the Star Force era, the concept of data shifts slightly with the introduction of the Wave World. Radiation and wave technologies are just as capable of transmitting data as the internet, which can even interact with the alien EM Beings.