Light Industries

Turning peace into action through the power of the Mega Buster.

Mega Man, known as Rockman in Japan, is the title character and main protagonist of the series created by Capcom. Conceived originally by Akira Kitamura for the 1987 release on the Family Computer, the character was refined by artist Keiji Inafune based on Kitamura's initial pixel art. While Kitamura first intended a white color scheme, he settled on blue to ensure animations remained clear. The name 'Rockman' references rock and roll music, working in tandem with his sister robot, Roll, before being localized to 'Mega Man' by Joe Morici of Capcom USA.

Quick Facts

Founder: Dr. Light
Primary goal: Everlasting peace for both humans and robots
Key creation: Mega Man (Rock)
Rival faction: Dr. Wily
Debut title: 1987

Lore & Background

In the original story, Dr. Light created a humanoid robot named Rock as a housekeeping assistant. When his colleague, Dr. Wily, went mad and began building an army to take over the planet, Light repurposed Rock into a fighting robot. This new hero, Mega Man, utilizes his signature Mega Buster arm cannon to battle Wily's forces. A defining mechanic of his existence is the ability to copy the special weapons of any boss robot he defeats, allowing him to turn their own power against them. Alongside Dr. Light and various cybernetic companions like Rush, whose adapter assembly designs Inafune struggled with due to realism concerns, Mega Man traverses harsh environments to stop Wily's menace. The ultimate goal remains the achievement of everlasting peace for both humans and robots.

Reader's Guide

To succeed as Mega Man, one must master the weapon-copying system introduced in the classic series. The core strategy involves defeating eight Robot Masters, analyzing their elemental weaknesses, and utilizing the copied weapons against subsequent bosses who share that vulnerability. Players should note that while movement is generally restricted to horizontal sidescrolling even on modern platforms like the PSP's Mega Man Powered Up, new mechanics are vital; for instance, the slide introduced in the third game and the charge shot from the fourth are essential tools. In the North American localization, players might encounter a version of the hero firing a pistol due to cover art decisions by illustrator Marc Ericksen, who admitted he was told to add the weapon because the art director did not recognize the Mega Buster. Voice actress Ruth Shiraishi provided the vocal performance for both Rock and X in separate sessions recorded simultaneously, noting that her voice was altered slightly to sound older for X.

Did You Know?

The name 'Mega Man' was chosen by Joe Morici of Capcom USA, likely due to trademark issues or cultural preferences rather than a documented personal opinion about the name's quality.
Marc Ericksen painted a pistol into the North American box art for Mega Man 2 after being told the character must have one because the original Japanese box art showed Mega Man without a visible weapon.
The color change mechanic when Mega Man changes weapons was present in the original Mega Man (1987) and is a well-known visual cue, widely attributed to Keiji Inafune for the early series.