Mega Man

Mega Man (known in Japan as Rockman) is a robot created by Dr. Light and the titular protagonist of the Mega Man video game series. Originally created to be Light's lab assistant, Dr. Wily taking over six of Light's robots led Mega Man to be converted into a battle robot to fight Wily and stop him from taking over the world as well as achieve everlasting peace.

In the Mario series, Mega Man has only made appearances in the Club Nintendo comics, and is set to be a playable third-party guest character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U.

Club Nintendo comics
Mega Man's first appearance in Mario-related media is in the German Club Nintendo magazine comic "Super Mario: Die Bescherung". The comic shows him with several other characters at Mario and Luigi's Christmas party.

His first and only major appearance was in the 1993 comic "Super Mario: Die Verwandlung", where he serves as Dr. Light's assistant. Besides taking care of the doctor and welcoming his visitors, Mega Man also drives the car they use for catching Wario.

Mega Man is also mentioned in the comic "Super Mario: Mario im Wunderland". When Mario and Toad meet Kirby, the latter explains that he wants to see the wizard so that he can wish to look like Mega Man.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
After twenty years of not appearing in any Mario-related media, Mega Man appears a playable guest character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and the upcoming Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, as the third third-party character to be confirmed as a playable character.

Mega Man's appearance and aesthetics in this game are based on his appearance in the NES titles, possessing a moveset centered around shooting as his opponents; he can use the Mega Buster to fire multiple single shots as his standard attack, and use the Charge Shot as a side smash attack. His only melee attacks are the slide as his strong down attack, which made its debut in Mega Man 3, and the Mega Upper as his strong up, a move introduced in Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters which later appeared in Marvel vs. Capcom.

Much of Mega Man's moveset is based around the Robot Master weapons obtainable in the classic Mega Man series. His dash attack is the Top Spin, a move from Mega Man 3. His up smash is the Spark Shock and his down smash is the Flame Blast, from Mega Man 3 and Mega Man 6, respectively. His aerial attacks include Slash Claw from Mega Man 7 as his back air, Flame Sword from Mega Man 8 as his front air, Air Tornado from Mega Man 2 as his up air, and Hard Knuckle from Mega Man 3 as his down air. His grab is the Super Arm from the original Mega Man.

Metal Blade
Mega Man's neutral special move is the Metal Blade, a weapon originating from Mega Man 2 as the weapon obtained upon defeating Metal Man. Like in the original game, the Metal Blade can be thrown in eight directions by tilting the Circle Pad before throwing it; however, they can also be picked up and thrown by other fighters. Also unlike the game of origin is that Mega Man can only throw one Metal Blade at a time; he must wait for it to disappear before throwing another.

The first variant of this move is Hyper Bomb, the weapon obtained from Bomb Man in the original Mega Man; when using the weapon Mega Man throws a bomb in an arc that explodes on contact, but has less range. The second variant is Shadow Blade, Shadow Man's weapon from Mega Man 3, which flies a set distance before returning to Mega Man.

Crash Bomber


Crash Bomber is Mega Man's side special move, also originating from Mega Man 2 as Crash Man's weapon. When used, Mega Man launches a projectile bomb from his buster that flies across the screen, hitting any opponents in its path and eventually detonating. The Crash Bomber also functions like a Gooey Bomb in that it sticks to opponents and can be stuck to others by running into them. Like the Metal Blades, Mega Man can only shoot one Crash Bomber at a time.

The first alternative to this move is Ice Slasher, Ice Man's weapon from the original Mega Man, which fires an ice projectile that can freeze opponents on contact. The second alternative is Danger Wrap, Burst Man's weapon in Mega Man 8, in which Mega Man fires a bomb inside a bubble that arcs up and detonates on contact.

Rush Coil


Rush Coil is Mega Man's up special move. The Rush Coil is a recurring item within the original series starting with Mega Man 3. When used, Mega Man summons Rush to spring him up into the air. While on the ground, Mega Man can also spring off Rush a second time for a higher jump, though other fighters can also use the Rush Coil.

The first variant of this move is Tornado Hold, the weapon used by Tengu Man in Mega Man 8, which sends the player upward in a tornado that can damage opponents. The other variation is Beat, another recurring partner within the Mega Man series starting with Mega Man 5, which, when used, has Beat carry Mega Man for a limited time; he can also move while flying.

Leaf Shield


Mega Man's down special move is the Leaf Shield, Wood Man's weapon from Mega Man 2. Mega Man creates a barrier of leaves to temporarily surround him, though unlike the game of origin Mega Man can move while the barrier surrounds him; he can also launch it at his opponents by pressing the button again. When the barrier is attacked, the leaves disappear one by one.

The first variation for this move is Skull Barrier, Skull Man's weapon in Mega Man 4; using the weapon causes skulls to appear around Mega Man that reflect projectiles but lasts for a shorter time. The second variation is the Plant Barrier, the weapon obtained from Plant Man in Mega Man 6, which, when used, causes petals to appear around Mega Man that provide greater defense but do not travel as far.

Mega Legends


Mega Legends is the name of Mega Man's Final Smash. The attack involves him shooting a Black Hole Bomb that travels across the screen and sucks in opponents. Inside, him and Mega Man X, MegaMan.EXE, Mega Man Volnutt, and Star Force Mega Man shoot an energy beam, the combined beams dealing massive damage to opponents.

Trivia

 * Mega Man series creator Keiji Inafune took some level of inspiration from Mario when designing his own series.
 * Mario appears in a French commercial for Mega Man 2.