Mega Man (1994 TV series)

Plot

Dr. Light and Dr. Wily, robotic scientists working together, completed an advanced prototype that destroyed their laboratory after activation. Light blamed the guidance system, which Wily had programmed. That night, Wily stole the plans and built Proto Man. Light later created Rock and Roll, along with Ice Man, Guts Man, and Cut Man. Wily and Proto Man stole and reprogrammed the three industrial robots, then attempted to reprogram Rock and Roll. Rock tricked Wily into releasing them by claiming Light had built super warrior robots. After escaping, Light rebuilt Rock as Mega Man to protect the world from Wily's forces.

Characters

Mega Man, voiced by Ian James Corlett, was originally Rock, an assistant robot rebuilt as a fighting robot after Wily's attack. He wields a plasma cannon on his left arm and can copy abilities of Wily's robots by touching them. His catchphrases include "Sizzling circuits." Dr. Light, voiced by Jim Byrnes, built Rock, Roll, Cut Man, Guts Man, and Ice Man, and later rebuilt Rock into Mega Man.

Jim Byrnes also voiced Dr. Light in the English dub of Mega Man: Upon a Star. Roll, voiced by Robyn Ross, is Mega Man's sister and a household robot who assists on missions using home appliances like a vacuum cleaner; she appears as a young adult woman rather than her usual younger video game depiction. Rush, voiced by Ian James Corlett, is Mega Man's robot dog with enhanced senses and a jet-board mode. He has limited speech, repeating phrases like "Mega, Mega.

Right back. Messages" during commercial bumpers. Eddie, voiced by Scott McNeil, is a suitcase on legs that delivers Energy Cans when Mega Man is low on energy. Met, also called Doc, is Dr. Light's assistant with a flexible grabber arm.

The Mayor of New York City, voiced by Garry Chalk in most appearances, calls on Mega Man when Wily threatens the city; a new black mayor appears in "Crime of the Century." Bree Ricotta, voiced by Robyn Ross, is a news reporter whose name derives from cheese types.

Production

The series initially matched the games' artwork, but the animation style changed due to the high budget. The first episode of Mega Man: Upon a Star was made as test footage intended as a special episode of this series, using the same animation and voice actors. The new art style was based on Keiji Inafune's personal redesigns. If the original style had been kept, the series would have aired alongside two cancelled shows: an English dub of Magic Knight Rayearth and an American adaptation of Sailor Moon mixing live-action and animation.

John Mitchell and Tom Keenlyside composed the theme and background music at Anitunes Music. An official soundtrack released in 1996 featured songs by Sugar Ray, Machines of Loving Grace, Skid Row, Junior M.A.F.I.A., CIV, Mr. Big, The Bucketheads, and Inner Circle. Much of the show's background music was reused in the Westwood Media/Ocean Productions dub of Dragon Ball Z.

Release

Mega Man entered first-run syndication in the United States on September 17, 1994, with new episodes airing through January 1996. Fox Family Channel reran the series from 1999 to 2001. Sony Wonder released episodes on VHS beginning in January 1995. Capcom announced a 2024 release on Amazon Prime Video and pay-per-view rental in Japan.