Robot Master

A Robot Master, also known as a Number (ナンバー) or often just a Boss (ボス) in Japan, is a recurring term from the Classic era. It is used to describe the advanced humanoid robots who control the game's stages, being fought as bosses at the end of each. They are first seen on a game's Stage Select screen, and must be defeated in order to gain Special Weapons and open the Last Stages of the game.

Both the terms "Robot Master" and "Number" have never been used in any video game's in-game dialogue, only in supplementary Capcom sources such as game manuals, strategy guides, and encyclopedias. "Robot Master" in particular was phased out of Capcom's 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.

In the Games

All mainline Robot Master bosses share a specific set of traits:

• A humanoid design, often with "Man" or "Woman" in their name.
• A stage on the Stage Select screen, at the end of which they are fought as a boss.
• A Special Weapon that the player receives upon victory, and a weakness to another Special Weapon.
• An assigned serial number.

Additionally, many were designed by fans in official Capcom Boss Character Contests. 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). The game has six bosses who are all industrial robots 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.

Introduced in Mega Man

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 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.

Introduced in Mega Man 2

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 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.

Introduced in Mega Man 3

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 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).

Introduced in Mega Man 4

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 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. Dark Man is not part of the main eight bosses, and therefore won't included as a Robot Master.

Introduced in Mega Man 5

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 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).

Introduced in Mega Man 6

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 bosses were all created or stolen and modified by Dr. Wily, at some point prior to his imprisonment. Six months later, they were activated to free Wily and conquer the world. They belong to the DWN.

This game was the first to avoid the term Robot Master in its English material. These bosses fulfill the same criteria as previous Robot Masters, and so are categorized as such.

Introduced in Mega Man 7

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 bosses 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.

Introduced in Mega Man 8

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 bosses 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.

Fake Man is not part of the main eight bosses, and therefore won't included as a Robot Master.

Introduced in Mega Man 9

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 bosses 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.

Introduced in Mega Man 10

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 bosses 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 Games

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 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).

Introduced in Mega Man V

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 bosses 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.

Introduced in Mega Man & Bass

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 bosses were added to the original game's six for a total of eight. The first Mega Man was originally planned with eight bosses, which was reduced to six during development. They are part of the DLN, but their exact numbering varies between early promotional material for Mega Man Powered Up (Oil Man as DLN-009, Time Man as DLN-010) and the Archie Mega Man comics (Time Man as DLN-00A, Oil Man as DLN-00B).

Introduced in Mega Man Powered Up

Name	Image	Special Weapon	Serial No.	Designer
Time Man		Time Slow	DLN-00A	Keiji Inafune
Oil Man		Oil Slider	DLN-00B	Keiji Inafune

Spin-Off Games

These bosses match the description of mainline Robot Masters, but originate from third-party video games that are not directly developed by Capcom and are never referenced in official timelines. Some are even set in completely alternate continuities. Therefore, their canon status is dubious at best.

Mega Man (DOS)

In Mega Man (DOS), the three Robot Masters are controlled by Dr. Wily and the supercomputer CRORQ.

Introduced in Mega Man (DOS)

Name	Image	Special Weapon	Designer
Sonic Man		Sonic Wave	Stephen J. Rozner
Volt Man		Force Field	Stephen J. Rozner
Dyna Man		Nuclear Detonator	Stephen J. Rozner

Mega Man 3 (DOS)

In Mega Man 3 (DOS), the six Robot Masters are again controlled by Dr. Wily and the CRORQ.

Introduced in Mega Man 3 (DOS)

Name	Image	Special Weapon	Designer
Torch Man		Torch Arm	Stephen J. Rozner
Bit Man		Bit Cannon	Stephen J. Rozner
Blade Man		Blade Launcher	Stephen J. Rozner
Shark Man		Shark Boomerang	Stephen J. Rozner
Oil Man		Oil Stream	Stephen J. Rozner
Wave Man		Water Shooter	Stephen J. Rozner

Rockman & Forte: Mirai Kara no Chōsensha

In Rockman & Forte: Mirai Kara no Chōsensha, the six bosses are a group of robots from the future called the Dimensions. Led by Rockman Shadow, they seek to destroy the world of the past.

Introduced in Rockman & Forte: Mirai Kara no Chōsensha

Name	Image	Special Weapon	Designer
Dangan Man		Rock Vulcan	Bandai
		Forte Vulcan
Konro Man		Flame Shower	Bandai
		Flame Mixer
Aircon Man		Barrier Wind	Bandai
		Forte Cyclone
Komuso Man		Doppel Crash	Bandai
		Doppel Attack
Clock Men		Time Switch	Bandai
		Time Bomb
Compass Man		None	Bandai

Rockman Strategy

In Rockman Strategy, there are twelve bosses who are extraterrestrial robots based on the Western Zodiac signs. They are led by Apollo and Luna, who seek to heal the god of their home planet but are manipulated by Dr. Wily into attacking the Earth. In the game, they are simply called "the aliens" (外星人). Lacking Special Weapons, the twelve alien robots each have one of four elemental alignments instead, directly corresponding to their sign's element in the Zodiac.

Additionally, many previous Robot Masters from Mega Man to Mega Man 8 appear as enemies alongside the game's bosses.

Introduced in Rockman Strategy

Name	Image	Element	Designer
Aries		Fire	Dream Come True
Taurus		Earth	Dream Come True
Gemini		Air	Dream Come True
Cancer		Water	Dream Come True
Leo		Fire	Dream Come True
Virgo		Earth	Dream Come True
Libra		Air	Dream Come True
Scorpio		Water	Dream Come True
Sagittarius		Fire	Dream Come True
Capricorn		Earth	Dream Come True
Aquarius		Air	Dream Come True
Pisces		Water	Dream Come True

Rockman ✕over

In Rockman ✕over, one new boss and several new Battle Memories inspired by Robot Masters were added to the game after a contest.

Pachislot Rockman Ability

In the alternate canon of Pachislot Rockman Ability, six bosses are created by Dr. Wily, all of whom are themed after the pachislot format.

Other Media

These Robot Masters originate from non-video game media, and are almost definitely non-canon to the main Classic era timeline.

Captain N: The Game Master

In Captain N: The Game Master, there is one original boss robot who does not appear in the games.

Mega Man: Upon a Star

In Mega Man: Upon a Star, there are two original robot bosses created by Dr. Wily.

Mega Man (Dreamwave Productions)

In the Dreamwave Mega Man comic, Robot Master-like bosses are commonplace like criminals.

Mega Man (Archie Comics)

In the Archie Mega Man comic, there are several original Robot Masters. In the "Worlds Unite" arc, there are also Roboticized Masters, who are created in a combination of Dr. Wily and Dr. Eggman's technology by capturing characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog universe.

Mega Man: Fully Charged

In Mega Man: Fully Charged, the main villains of the series are called Robot Masters. Most of the Robot Masters are based on pre-existing Robot Masters from the Classic era, though there are several original ones.