time gear
Eternity in an hour
I know the community here is more Sonic focused, but I'm also aware there are some Mega Man fans here, there's a lot of overlap between the Sonic fanbase and Mega Man fanbase in general, and this is the only forum community I participate in, so I figured I'd just do this here since it's a subject matter I'm passionate about and I wanted to get some thoughts I've been having off my chest for a while.
The matter of who does and doesn't count as "Mega Man" (or Rockman if you insist) within the series has been a matter of debate in the Mega Man community for some time. There are some who simply sum it up to whoever gets directly referred to as "Mega Man" in the games, and on this basis they will disqualify Zero since this never happens between the two series he's a part of. However, I do not hold this perspective. I view it as overly simplistic and completely missing the point. From here on, I will elaborate on my opinions and reasoning regarding this issue by condensing individual sections based on the specific subseries into spoiler tabs to keep this post from becoming too large. Keep in mind that I will be discussing story spoilers, so if you have not experienced the story of the Mega Man series for yourself this is your warning.
The matter of who does and doesn't count as "Mega Man" (or Rockman if you insist) within the series has been a matter of debate in the Mega Man community for some time. There are some who simply sum it up to whoever gets directly referred to as "Mega Man" in the games, and on this basis they will disqualify Zero since this never happens between the two series he's a part of. However, I do not hold this perspective. I view it as overly simplistic and completely missing the point. From here on, I will elaborate on my opinions and reasoning regarding this issue by condensing individual sections based on the specific subseries into spoiler tabs to keep this post from becoming too large. Keep in mind that I will be discussing story spoilers, so if you have not experienced the story of the Mega Man series for yourself this is your warning.
To get into how I view the mantle in question, I first have to get into the man who started it all: Dr. Light. Dr. Light was a man with a dream for the future. He wanted a future populated by man and machine alike, and crucial to this dream was peace and prosperity between both. He wanted the future to belong not to just one or the other, but to both hand in hand as equals and collaborators. To this end, he created an invention to set history on the path to realizing this dream: The Robot Masters.
However, Dr. Wily, his long time rival, had a different dream. He saw robots and AI as nothing more than tools, and harbored a deep seated belief that he had been wronged by Dr. Light and the committee who had decided to fund Light's research over his own. This spiraled downhill over time to the point that Wily eventually achieved a megalomaniac desire to rule over the world so as to enforce his vision of the future by force. He couldn't care less about bringing about peace, and so he captured eight of Light's Robot Masters and reprogrammed them to do his bidding, aiding him in his plans for world domination.
To protect the world and the future he envisioned, Light was forced to turn to a drastic measure he was hesitant to even consider. He converted Rock, one of his helper robots, into the ultimate Robot Master: Mega Man. It is here that I can finally define what it means to be "Mega Man". "Mega Man" is the one who fights to keep the peace, restore order, and helps to ensure the defense and/or fulfillment of Dr. Light's dream for the future. Rock is the first to take on the mantle, becoming the first and original "Mega Man", however he would not be the last.
However, Dr. Wily, his long time rival, had a different dream. He saw robots and AI as nothing more than tools, and harbored a deep seated belief that he had been wronged by Dr. Light and the committee who had decided to fund Light's research over his own. This spiraled downhill over time to the point that Wily eventually achieved a megalomaniac desire to rule over the world so as to enforce his vision of the future by force. He couldn't care less about bringing about peace, and so he captured eight of Light's Robot Masters and reprogrammed them to do his bidding, aiding him in his plans for world domination.
To protect the world and the future he envisioned, Light was forced to turn to a drastic measure he was hesitant to even consider. He converted Rock, one of his helper robots, into the ultimate Robot Master: Mega Man. It is here that I can finally define what it means to be "Mega Man". "Mega Man" is the one who fights to keep the peace, restore order, and helps to ensure the defense and/or fulfillment of Dr. Light's dream for the future. Rock is the first to take on the mantle, becoming the first and original "Mega Man", however he would not be the last.
Dr. Light would later pass on the mantle to his greatest creation, the first robot truly capable of independent thought: X. X's full name is "Mega Man X", or "Rockman X", and he was created so as to ensure the future would be protected in the absence of himself and the first Mega Man. X was intended to go through 30 years of morality training while sealed away, but would ultimately end up getting over 100 until he was finally dug up by Dr. Kain. Dr. Kain would soon go on to use X as the blueprint to create more similar advanced robots capable of independent thought: The Reploids (or Repliroids if you prefer). X, the father of all Reploids, makes it his personal mission to defend the peace and ensure that humans and Reploids alike can live together in peace.
However, Dr. Wily also had an ultimate creation before his passing: Zero. Zero was also designed with independent thought capabilities, but was also fitted with a sort of anti-malware called the Robot Destroy Program (revealed in the Zero ending of the Japanese version of X5) to ensure he carried out his intended purpose. This kept Zero in his "normal" personality state, a highly bloodthirsty and destructive individual. He seems to have been designed to destroy Dr. Light's creations, but ultimately never got the chance as Dr. Wily didn't survive long enough to unleash him on the world. Zero would end up being sealed away a bit longer than X, but was later found by Dr. Kain's greatest creation; the Reploid known as Sigma. My understanding is that the Robot Destroy Program ended up being passed along from Zero to Sigma and began acting like malware in Sigma's systems, becoming the Zero Virus. From here, it mutated into the Maverick (or Irregular if you prefer) Virus and Sigma Virus. Zero however was freed to think and act clearly, and chose to fight the resulting infected Mavericks alongside the Maverick Hunters, and eventually X.
The personality Zero chose for himself free of the effects of his forced programming is very simple in his goals. He protects those who are innocent and fights to achieve the future those he trusts desire. He wants whatever they want, and doesn't feel too strongly about it otherwise. During the events of the X series, this doesn't amount to much other than him being a collaborator towards the Mega Man of his time. It's in the next series that something very important happens.
However, Dr. Wily also had an ultimate creation before his passing: Zero. Zero was also designed with independent thought capabilities, but was also fitted with a sort of anti-malware called the Robot Destroy Program (revealed in the Zero ending of the Japanese version of X5) to ensure he carried out his intended purpose. This kept Zero in his "normal" personality state, a highly bloodthirsty and destructive individual. He seems to have been designed to destroy Dr. Light's creations, but ultimately never got the chance as Dr. Wily didn't survive long enough to unleash him on the world. Zero would end up being sealed away a bit longer than X, but was later found by Dr. Kain's greatest creation; the Reploid known as Sigma. My understanding is that the Robot Destroy Program ended up being passed along from Zero to Sigma and began acting like malware in Sigma's systems, becoming the Zero Virus. From here, it mutated into the Maverick (or Irregular if you prefer) Virus and Sigma Virus. Zero however was freed to think and act clearly, and chose to fight the resulting infected Mavericks alongside the Maverick Hunters, and eventually X.
The personality Zero chose for himself free of the effects of his forced programming is very simple in his goals. He protects those who are innocent and fights to achieve the future those he trusts desire. He wants whatever they want, and doesn't feel too strongly about it otherwise. During the events of the X series, this doesn't amount to much other than him being a collaborator towards the Mega Man of his time. It's in the next series that something very important happens.
It is about 100 years after the events of the X series that a scientist named Ciel finds and awakens the legendary hero known as Zero from his long slumber, sealed away long ago. It is in the nick of time that Zero is awoken, and rescues Ciel's life. It was not without purpose that she sought him out however. She had need of his legendary abilities to assist her in the fight against Neo Arcadia, and more specifically her own flawed creation Copy X. Dr. Light is long gone, and no longer able to pass on the mantle of Mega Man to a new generation. However, although X has sealed himself away to protect the world, he still exists quite literally in spirit as a Cyber Elf and personally passes on the mantle to Zero at the end of the first game in the Zero series to fight in his stead. Zero also fights for the future Ciel believes in, and this happens to also be the same future that Light once believed in long ago or is at least highly compatible with it. Because of these two things, although Zero is never outright referred to as "Mega Man", he does in fact properly have the mantle passed on to him and acts on it accordingly. For all intents and purposes during this timeframe he is in fact the acting "Mega Man". X passed the torch he received from Dr. Light to Zero, and Zero accepted it to fight for the future Ciel believes in, which is also the future Dr. Light believed in. He prioritized this even over his own life, and ultimately ended up sacrificing himself to defeat the immortal Dr. Weil (or Dr. Vile if you prefer) who merged with the space station Ragnarok, and to ensure the future Ciel believes in has a chance to come to pass.
Although it never did perfectly come to pass, Dr. Light and Ciel's shared dream did ultimately end up coming into fruition in time thanks to Zero's sacrifice. With the fall of Neo Arcadia, a new government was set up headed by three individuals known as the Sage Trinity; Master Albert, Master Thomas, and Master Mikhail. For new laws to pass, at least two out of the three making up the trinity needed to agree on them, and it would be Albert and Thomas who agreed to the passing of new Reploid equality laws to ensure their equal status to humans within society. There was relative peace for a time, and it seemed as though man and machine were finally able to put their differences behind them and stand as brothers and equals. However, fragments of the fallen Ragnarok fused with Dr. Weil's consciousness still existed, and were first discovered by Albert. Albert was corrupted by their influence, and used them to invent the first Biometal (or Livemetal if you prefer) technology: Model W (or Model V if you prefer). Those who possessed a Biometal and were compatible with its power could merge with it, gaining its power for themselves to use. Albert dubbed those who could do this as "Mega Men".
Ciel also survived into this future, in part due to cybernetic enhancements to her body. She reformed the Resistance into the Guardians, and tasked them with keeping the peace in this new world as their commander. After a Model W was discovered, she and a group of Guardians under her set up a research base to study it, and she ended up learning the dark truth about Model W through this research. To counteract it, she used Model W as a blueprint to create her own Biometal: Model X and Model Z based on the designs of the legendary heroes who once defended the world and its future. Those who used Model W would have the potential to rule or even destroy the world, but those who use Models X and Z would have the potential to save it. However, one of the researchers working under her, Serpent, was corrupted by Model W's influence and Ciel and the rest of the researchers working with her ultimately went missing as a result of his betrayal.
With Ciel missing, Alouette (now going by Prairie) took up the mantle as acting commander of the Guardians, however she didn't know the full details of what happened before she took power. While Ciel was still in power, she tasked a Reploid named Giro with safeguarding Models X and Z and the chosen ones who could one day wield their power. It was for this reason that he took in Vent and Aile, a pair of human children orphaned in a Maverick attack in the Area H Amusement Park as 4 year olds. 10 years after this attack, the time finally came for their initiation into the Guardians and the awakening of their Mega Man powers. However, things went south pretty quick and didn't go as planned, and Giro ended up sacrificing himself to ensure their survival. They already held possession of Model X due to events earlier in the day, but now he handed over Model Z to them as well. With both Biometals in their possession, Vent and Aile became the Model ZX Mega Men, uniquely capable of the Double Megamerge (or Double Rock On if you prefer) power. Although anyone capable of using Biometal were labeled as Mega Men, it would be only these two who were fighting to protect the world Dr. Light and Ciel had dreamed up and built. They alone took up the true mantle of "Mega Man", all others were something different entirely; something corrupt and sinister, and not at all what Dr. Light originally envisioned. At least for now.
Four years later, another pair of Mega Men would appear. Grey and Ashe, chosen ones of Model A. Although they didn't specifically take up the true mantle at first, their ambitions weren't outright evil either, and they would go on to become powerful allies of Vent and Aile. Something akin to the "Protoman/Blues" to Vent and Aile's "Mega Man/Rockman". After the final confrontation with Albert, Grey and Ashe each come to their own conclusions to protect the world and its future, finally taking up the true mantle alongside Vent and Aile properly.
Ciel also survived into this future, in part due to cybernetic enhancements to her body. She reformed the Resistance into the Guardians, and tasked them with keeping the peace in this new world as their commander. After a Model W was discovered, she and a group of Guardians under her set up a research base to study it, and she ended up learning the dark truth about Model W through this research. To counteract it, she used Model W as a blueprint to create her own Biometal: Model X and Model Z based on the designs of the legendary heroes who once defended the world and its future. Those who used Model W would have the potential to rule or even destroy the world, but those who use Models X and Z would have the potential to save it. However, one of the researchers working under her, Serpent, was corrupted by Model W's influence and Ciel and the rest of the researchers working with her ultimately went missing as a result of his betrayal.
With Ciel missing, Alouette (now going by Prairie) took up the mantle as acting commander of the Guardians, however she didn't know the full details of what happened before she took power. While Ciel was still in power, she tasked a Reploid named Giro with safeguarding Models X and Z and the chosen ones who could one day wield their power. It was for this reason that he took in Vent and Aile, a pair of human children orphaned in a Maverick attack in the Area H Amusement Park as 4 year olds. 10 years after this attack, the time finally came for their initiation into the Guardians and the awakening of their Mega Man powers. However, things went south pretty quick and didn't go as planned, and Giro ended up sacrificing himself to ensure their survival. They already held possession of Model X due to events earlier in the day, but now he handed over Model Z to them as well. With both Biometals in their possession, Vent and Aile became the Model ZX Mega Men, uniquely capable of the Double Megamerge (or Double Rock On if you prefer) power. Although anyone capable of using Biometal were labeled as Mega Men, it would be only these two who were fighting to protect the world Dr. Light and Ciel had dreamed up and built. They alone took up the true mantle of "Mega Man", all others were something different entirely; something corrupt and sinister, and not at all what Dr. Light originally envisioned. At least for now.
Four years later, another pair of Mega Men would appear. Grey and Ashe, chosen ones of Model A. Although they didn't specifically take up the true mantle at first, their ambitions weren't outright evil either, and they would go on to become powerful allies of Vent and Aile. Something akin to the "Protoman/Blues" to Vent and Aile's "Mega Man/Rockman". After the final confrontation with Albert, Grey and Ashe each come to their own conclusions to protect the world and its future, finally taking up the true mantle alongside Vent and Aile properly.
There's only a few other main series relevant to the discussion; Legends, Battle Network, and Starforce. The original Mantle of "Mega Man" created by Dr. Light does not exist in any of these games, however "Mega Man" does still exist in a way. There's a new mantle starting with Volnutt in Legends which as of yet has not been passed on to another, and there's another entirely separate mantle started in Battle Network that gets passed on into Starforce. Each of these are legitimate, but they are importantly distinct from the mantle that started with Rock and was passed on over time and eventually ended up in the possession of Vent, Aile, Grey, and Ashe. It could be said therefore that there's three different legitimate mantles for the title of "Mega Man", and one illegitimate one started by Albert in the ZX series. All Mega Men named as such only because of Albert's naming convention are something entirely different as they are not carrying out the true, original purpose behind the title but rather Albert's corrupted version of it. There's also Alberts Pseudoroids (or Falseroids if you prefer) who are referred to as "Artificial Mega Men". They similarly are not true inheritors of the title and are something else entirely based on Albert's corrupted vision. Albert's Mega Men and Pseudoroids can as such all be bundled together under a sort of "Anti-Mega Man" moniker, as they exist contrary to the intentions behind the original mantle and were intended to take its place in Alberts dark vision of the future.
There's also some spinoff titles such as X-Over and X DiVE, however there's no true Mega Man mantles getting passed on or established in these. There's also some alternative versions of characters from the games such as in cartoon series and comics and in the Powered Up and Maverick Hunter X reboot, however these either count as their own thing or are just alternative versions of the existing mantle.
There's also the matter of Copy Robot from Powered Up and the Archie comic series, and Copy X from the Zero series. Although these individuals are pretenders of Rock and X respectively, they are not true mantle holders as they never have the torch passed onto them by a rightful holder and do not fight based on Dr. Light's ideals. Protoman/Blues counts as a blueprint for what would eventually become the Mega Man mantle, but is not outright part of said mantle and is in more of a collaborator position rather than the main thing itself. The same goes to other assisting protagonists such as Roll, Axl, etc. Zero even fits into this role up until the end of Zero 1 when the mantle finally gets passed to him properly. Anything taking place before this, he doesn't qualify.
There's also some spinoff titles such as X-Over and X DiVE, however there's no true Mega Man mantles getting passed on or established in these. There's also some alternative versions of characters from the games such as in cartoon series and comics and in the Powered Up and Maverick Hunter X reboot, however these either count as their own thing or are just alternative versions of the existing mantle.
There's also the matter of Copy Robot from Powered Up and the Archie comic series, and Copy X from the Zero series. Although these individuals are pretenders of Rock and X respectively, they are not true mantle holders as they never have the torch passed onto them by a rightful holder and do not fight based on Dr. Light's ideals. Protoman/Blues counts as a blueprint for what would eventually become the Mega Man mantle, but is not outright part of said mantle and is in more of a collaborator position rather than the main thing itself. The same goes to other assisting protagonists such as Roll, Axl, etc. Zero even fits into this role up until the end of Zero 1 when the mantle finally gets passed to him properly. Anything taking place before this, he doesn't qualify.