It’s kind of incredible the course theMega Manfranchise has taken since its inception in 1987. Although the first game didn’t sell particularly well, critical reception and great word of mouth gave the game a second life post-release. It didn’t take long for Capcom to greenlight a sequel, and it took even less time forMega Man 2to cement itself as one of the most successful– and important– video games of all time.
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ButMega Manwasn’t content with its legacy as is. Heading into the 16-bit era, the franchise spun-off intoMega Man X, an actionized sequel series taking place a century after the events of the original canon. Capcom wouldn’t stop there, however, asMega Man Xwould branch off intoMega Man Zerowhile a parallel universe ran alongside the main canon throughBattle Network.
It goes without saying, but eachMega Mansub-series has its own unique protagonist leading the experience. The originalMega Manhad Mega Man andXhad, well, X, but later entries got more creative with naming conventions. Not just that, so many different leads has allowed the series to experiment with different kinds of main characters. Most abide by the same core philosophies, but a few main characters stand head and shoulders above the others.
7Rock
The original main character, Rock was something of a blank slate for a very long time. This was to be expected from main characters of the era, but what made Rock interesting was that he had a clear backstory, one that saw him becoming Mega Man. Of course, this is something very much in the background, but the Classic series generally did an admirable job at fleshing Rock out.
Granted, more recent entries in the Classic series have outright made Rock his own character (kind, brave, and perpetually ready for action,) but he’s not a character who has a meaty arc or any kind of development. That’s not necessarily a bad thing– and his static nature works well for the less story centric Classic games– but don’t expect much from Mega Man himself.
6Lan Hikari
Lan Hikari technically shares the spotlight with his Net Navi, MegaMan.EXE, but ofBattle Network’s two leads, Lan consistently has more development while MegaMan.EXE mainly just serves as the player’s avatar during battles and the NetNavi portions of the game. Not just that, players are technically still controlling Lan during these segments as the implication is that he’s controlling MegaMan.EXE (to some extent.)
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That said, Lan’s arc isn’t always consistent across his six games. The first three games andBattle Network 6do a good job of highlight his character’s development, but four and five generally keep him in the background while 1 spends more time on MegaMan.EXE than it does Lan. Either way, Lan’s growth over the course of the sub-series is both noticeable and realistic. His arc isn’t always the spotlight, but he makes for a good protagonist– one who’s often funny and banters well with not just MegaMan.EXE, but his whole supporting cast.
5Chosen Ones (Vent/Aile & Ashe/Grey)
Individually, none ofMega Man ZX’s Chosen Ones are particularly interesting characters. Vent and Aile may as well be the exact same character, and neither Ashe or Grey are particularly compelling on their own. That said, the context surrounding these four characters (and their relationships with each other) really help them thrive as a group (and only as a group.)
Vent and Aile serve as the male and female protagonists ofMega Man ZXrespectively. Orphaned, they inherit the burden of their mentor, Giro, becoming Mega Man ZX in the process. Come the sequel,ZX Advent, they’ve been replaced by Ashe and Grey as leads. Interestingly, who players pick changes whether or not Vent or Aile is in the story.
Vent shows up as Ashe’s mentor and Aile as Grey’s. Both Ashe and Grey also have very interesting relationships with the sub-series’ main villain, tying all four Chosen Ones together by the end ofZX Advent, and keeping Ashe/Grey a fairly involved protagonist in comparison.Adventalso does a good job at pushing Vent and Aile’s characters further when they were so bland inZX. A thirdZXwould likely do the same for Ashe and Grey.
4Volnutt
Time will tell if we’ll ever seeMega Man Legends 3or Volnutt again (we won’t,) but he manages to come off as one of the more engaging main characters in the series in just two games. Tied to an old world long forgotten, Volnutt is an amnesiac who teams up with his sub-series version of Roll to generally dig for treasure and live an explorer’s life.
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This beingMega Man, nothing is as it seems and Volnutt falls upon an ancient conspiracy that fundamentally changes how he perceives his history, but he’s a strong willed character who never lets the truth about himself affect who he is or how he acts. Volnutt is able to reconcile his past with his present while generally being one of the most charming and traditionally cool main characters in the series.
3Geo Stelar
Mega Man Star Forceisn’t many fans’ favorite sub-series, but it’s hard to deny just how well written the first game is in particular. Geo Stelar’s character arc sees him dealing with feelings of loneliness, insecurity, and depression in a way that’s both incrediblymature and incredibly helpful for a young audience. Gero is a relatable character for anyone struggling.
And he grows and overcomes his flaws without relapsing. Throughout the second and third games, Geo still has baggage that follows him, but he’s more confident and in-control of his life. His growth is gradual and natural, akin to an actual adolescent finding their footing in this world– if only for a time. His musing on his missing father also helps give his character an important emotional layer. Geo doesn’t have much in the way of history andStar Force 2isn’t as well written as1or3, but he’s one of the best written protagonists in the franchise.
2X
Rock’s successor, not a single character suffers half as much as X does. He starts theXseries unsure of why he has to fight, but certain he has to. Over the course of the first four games, he slowly has his spirits beaten, to the point where he asks Zero to put him down at the end ofX4should he ever turn Maverick. Where other leads internally grow stronger, X grows weaker.
His ideals are constantly challenged, and in a way thatproveshe’s wrong: there will never be a truly peaceful world. It’s a dilemma that vexes him immensely, especially inbetween theXandZerosub-series where X becomes so desensitized to war, killing, and suffering that he effectively ends his life to transcend into the next plane of existence– serving as a mentor for Zero during the first threeZerogames. From hero to fallen mentor, few characters in gaming have as dynamic an arc as X.
1Zero
When it comes down to it, though, no main character in the franchise quite compares to Zero. X certainly rivals him when it comes to character depth and nuance, but Zero is just so much more layered and his history stems back to the very start of the series– connecting him directly to Dr. Wily, the main villain of the Classic series and Zero’s creator.
Zero was built to essentially bring the world of Wily’s control, but he denies his programming– his fate– and dedicates his life to saving the planet. Dr. Wily’s creation ends up accomplishing everything Dr. Light wanted for X. That Zero inherited X’s will and philosophies really only links everything together all the better. Living and dying a life full of tragedy, Zero is the best protagonist inMega Man.
