Sniper Joe

Enemy Info

Artwork from Mega Man.
General information
Name(s):	Sniper Joe
Appearances:	Mega Man, Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge, Mega Man: The Wily Wars, Mega Man Powered Up, Mega Man 11
Game Info
HP:	10
Damage:	Mega Man 1: 4 (contact) 2 (projectile) Dr. Wily's Revenge: 3 (contact) 1 (projectile)
Points:	500 (each half)
Other Info
Variations:	Returning Sniper Joe, Hammer Joe, Skeleton Joe, Crystal Joe, Sniper Joe 01, Joe Classic, Machine Gun Joe, Returning Machine Gun Joe, other Joes

Sniper Joe is an enemy in the original Mega Man and is the original version of the recurring Joe enemy. It is a green, humanoid robot with a single, glowing eye in its helmet, an arm cannon, and a large shield that blocks incoming shots. Unlike later versions, its eye is the same colour as its body in-game, although it shows up red in artwork.

The enemy is the predecessor of a large variety of "Joes" appearing all throughout the Classic era and can be considered the most basic version, with most later ones resembling it either in appearance or behaviour. In-universe, its design is based on Proto Man, and specifically resembles his masked persona known as Break Man, though the character would not appear in games until Mega Man 3.

In the Games

Mega Man

Sprite from Mega Man.

In Mega Man, Sniper Joes appear only in Bomb Man's stage, and only three are found in the game, of which one is guarding an optional 1 UP. They are relatively strong and durable enemies, and have a complex behaviour that can make them time-consuming to take out.

As soon as a Sniper Joe is scrolled on-screen, it will jump to the left, then stand its ground, occasionally firing a green projectile forward or jumping straight up. As its large shield blocks shots from the Mega Buster, the only way to harm it without using special weapons is while it is jumping or attacking, which it will never do while actively being shot at, forcing Mega Man to wait for an opportunity. Attempting to get to the right side of a Sniper Joe will cause it to jump to the right, essentially sticking to Mega Man and requiring him to either destroy it or repeatedly suffer contact damage. If it cannot go any further right, it will jump continuously.

Once defeated, the Sniper Joe only properly respawns when approached from the left again, but not from the right, meaning it will never face that direction.

Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge

Sprite from Dr. Wily's Revenge.

In Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge, the original Sniper Joe (presumably) appears as a rare enemy alongside the Returning Sniper Joe from Mega Man 2, although the lack of colour makes them distinct only in behaviour. Unlike the Mega Man 2 variation, it is only found in the Wily stages, Dr. Wily stage 1 and Dr. Wily stage 2.

Unlike in Mega Man 1, it jumps almost constantly, keeping its shield intact while doing so (unless it is also shooting). It will attempt to stay at a certain distance to the right of Mega Man, backing away if he approaches it from the left. If it is approached from the right (which the level design attempts to discourage), it will face that way, but still only jump to the right, moving towards Mega Man rather than away from him until it has successfully switched to the other side.

Official Data

Sniper Joe appears under "Mega Man" in the Database in Mega Man Legacy Collection.

			Sniper Joe
			A guard robot. For that reason, it's got an attack-deflecting shield. Its design is based on that of Proto Man.
HP 10	AT 04

Related Enemies

Sniper Joe is the first of many Joe enemies in the Classic era, with most games including a "basic" variety more or less similar to the Sniper Joe. These include:

• Returning Sniper Joe (Mega Man 2) - A yellow Sniper Joe that cannot jump or move.
• Hammer Joe (Mega Man 3) - Throws a steel ball rather than firing a gun, which deflects shots.
• Skeleton Joe (Mega Man 4) - Throws bones and can only be destroyed permanently by a charged shot.
• Crystal Joe (Mega Man 5) - Charges up and launches a crystal rather than firing a gun, which deflects shots.
• Sniper Joe 01 (Mega Man 7) - A Sniper Joe that shoots and jumps, but cannot move sideways.
• Joe Classic (Mega Man 8 and Mega Man & Bass) - Like Sniper Joe 01, but may also throw grenades.
• Machine Gun Joe (Mega Man 9) - A red Sniper Joe with rapid-fire that jumps.
• Returning Machine Gun Joe (Mega Man 10) - A green Machine Gun Joe with a different rate of fire.

Trivia

• When attempting to spawn a Sniper Joe from the right in the original Mega Man, it can be seen flashing on the screen for one frame before disappearing. This may mean that its reluctance to spawn from that direction is not necessarily intended, but rather a side effect of its initial jump to the left, which in this case would make it go off the screen and immediately despawn again.