Hard Man

<-- DWN-019	Robot Master Serial Numbers	DWN-021 -->

Robot Master Info

Artwork from Mega Man 3.
Select portrait(s).
General Information
Name(s):	Hard Man, Hardman
Designer:	Kazuhiko Oguro
Game Information
Number(s):	Serial Number: DWN-020 Mega Man & Bass CD: 020
Creator(s):	Dr. Light and Dr. Wily
Weapon(s):	Hard Knuckle
Weakness(es):	Magnet Missile
Stage(s):	Hard Man's stage (Mega Man 3), Hard Man's stage (Mega Man II)

Hard Man (or Hardman) is a Robot Master first appearing in Mega Man 3. He is one of the Robot Masters created by Dr. Light and Dr. Wily to search alien worlds for energy crystals so they could power their peace-keeping robot, Gamma. Like his fellow Robot Masters, he becomes part of Dr. Wily's evil plan, and has since been cast as a villain in most of his appearances.

Hard Man is a dark blue, bulky robot with a keg-shaped body and helmet. His power, the Hard Knuckle, sends his rocket-powered arms away to punch enemies, while his heavy weight and hard head allow him to create earthquakes by diving head-first into the ground.

In the Games

Mega Man 3

Boss sprite from Mega Man 3.

In Mega Man 3, Hard Man is one of the main bosses that can be selected from the start and the fourth listed on the stage select screen, in reading order. His stage is set in a mine.

In battle, Hard Man has two moves that he alternates between. He can send out his two fists one by one, which fly towards Mega Man up to a certain distance before stopping and then returning to him (unless they went off-screen), and he is also able to jump high into the air, turn upside-down, and slam his head into the ground. The latter causes the screen to shake, stunning Mega Man for a duration; unlike similar stun effects, like the one from Guts Man in the original Mega Man, this stun cannot be avoided and will freeze Mega Man in place even while he is in the air.

Hard Man is weak to the Magnet Missile, which deals 4 damage and can easily hit him during his leaps, but he is completely immune to all other special weapons apart from the Gemini Laser (which only deals 1 damage) and his own. Like all of Mega Man 3's Robot Masters, he also takes 4 damage from his own weapon during his Teleporter Room rematch. Defeating him grants Mega Man the Hard Knuckle, allowing him to create a slow-moving flying fist like Hard Man's that can only go straight forward, but can break certain walls.

Mega Man II

Boss sprite from Mega Man II.

In Mega Man II on the Game Boy, Hard Man is one of the second batch of Robot Masters, accessible via the top-left teleporter hatch in Dr. Wily's fortress. His stage seems to be made out of steel rather than the rocky mine of the original, but includes the same range of enemies; his fight, however, is essentially the same.

Hard Man's weakness remains the Magnet Missile, which still deals 4 damage, and Metal Blade and Crash Bomber will also damage him, but only deal 1 each. As before, defeating him grants Mega Man the Hard Knuckle.

Super Smash Bros. series

Main article: Super Smash Bros. series

Name	Source Game	Weapon	Assist Trophy	Smash Tour Item	Boss	Stage	Mii Costume	Enemy	Trophy	Spirit	Music
Hard Man	Mega Man 3	Hard Knuckle, Mega Man's Down aerial	N/A	N/A	N/A	Wily Castle (Wii U and Ultimate)	N/A	N/A	N/A	889 -	File:SSBU - Hard Man Stage.oga File:SSBU - Mega Man 3 Retro Medley.oga

Official Data

Mega Man & Bass CD

Hard Man's CD in Mega Man & Bass is located in Burner Man's stage. It is found in a vertical section with sight-blocking elements, on the other side of an invisible hole, requiring tools such as the Ice Wall or Bass's double jump to reach.

020	Hard Man
		Made of ceramic titanium, he weighs almost three tons.	GOOD POINT: Hard nut to crack
			BAD POINT: Lazy bones
			LIKE: Sumo wrestling
		"Ohhh, what a drag..."	DISLIKE: Swimming

Mega Man Legacy Collection Database

Hard Man appears under "Mega Man 3" in the Database in Mega Man Legacy Collection and is the fourth Robot Master listed for the game. Like other Robot Masters, he can be fought by pressing a designated button while viewing his data.

			Hard Man
			He has a special body reinforced with ceratanium. He weighs three tons. Dodge his Hard Knuckle at the edge of the arena.
HP 28	AT 06

Trivia

• In Mega Man II, Hard Man has a weakness to his own weapon coded in (taking 3 damage from it), even though it can never be used against him in practice due to the absence of boss refights.
• Although Hard Man has no nose in any of his in-game or production art, some international artwork depicts him with one, such as the European box art for Mega Man 3, North American promotional art from Nintendo Power, and his 1994 animated appearance.