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Franchises

Mega Man

40 titles in the catalog ⏱ 1987–2016 16 platforms
Mega Man – obaly dílů série

Mega Man debuted in December 1987 on the NES under Capcom's banner, built around a simple but remarkably clever idea: the blue robot Rock, renamed Mega Man for the West, fights his way through a set of factory levels each ruled by a Robot Master, and defeating one grants his weapon, which often happens to be the next boss's weakness. Players chose their own level order and built their own strategy, an unusual and refreshing twist at a time when platformers were almost always linear. The series was designed by Akira Kitamura and Keiji Inafune, and the first game already set the tone: tight controls, short but mercilessly tough stages, and a bold animated look with the mad scientist Dr. Wily as the recurring villain.

The classic line moved fast. Mega Man 2 (1988) is still widely regarded by fans and critics as the series' high point, thanks to its well-balanced bosses, iconic soundtrack, and additions like the Metal Blade weapon. Entries 3 through 6 kept the same formula while adding new fixtures such as the robot dog Rush, Mega Man's brother Proto Man, and the rival Bass, while Mega Man 7 (SNES, 1995) and Mega Man 8 (PlayStation, Saturn, 1996) moved the series into 16-bit and then 32-bit graphics with longer animated cutscenes. After years of near silence, Capcom brought the series back to deliberately retro pixel art with Mega Man 9 (2008) and Mega Man 10 (2010), released digitally as a conscious tribute to the 8-bit era, before Mega Man 11 arrived in 2018 with modern 2.5D visuals but the same core gameplay.

A rich family of spin-offs grew up around the main line, each with its own identity. Mega Man X (SNES, 1993) pushed the story generations forward, added a dash and wall-climbing along with an upgradeable armor system, and is considered the peak of that branch; the sequels X2 through X8 introduced the boss Sigma and carried the series through the PlayStation 2. Mega Man Legends offered a 3D action-adventure with larger worlds, full voice acting, and Roll as a mechanic heroine, though its story was left unresolved after Capcom cancelled the planned third entry, sparking real anger among fans. Mega Man Battle Network on Game Boy Advance turned the concept into a turn-based, card-driven network battle tied to the Rockman.EXE anime, which also spawned the Star Force spin-off, while Mega Man Zero and its follow-up ZX on Game Boy Advance delivered faster, harder action starring Zero in a darker, virus-ridden world. The brand's breadth also shows in smaller offshoots, from the arcade brawlers Mega Man: The Power Battle and Power Fighters to the portable remakes Mega Man Powered Up and Maverick Hunter X on PSP.

Around 2010 the series hit a real lull: the cancellation of Mega Man Legends 3 and the subsequent departure of co-creator Keiji Inafune from Capcom led to a years-long gap with no new mainline entry, and the brand survived mostly on crossovers. Popularity was kept alive in part by Mega Man's guest appearance in Super Smash Bros. (2014), which introduced the character to a new generation, before Capcom announced and quickly released Mega Man 11 in 2018 as a full-fledged return of the main series.

Mega Man left a lasting mark on the action-platformer genre: the idea of choosing boss order and absorbing their powers became a template for countless later games, and the series is still cited as an example of difficulty that is punishing but always fair, which kept a loyal following across dozens of games and several console generations.

Entries in the series (40)

  1. Mega Man · 1987

    The foundation of the whole series: a blue robot steals the abilities of defeated bosses, the Robot Masters.

    NES

  2. Mega Man 2 · 1988

    The peaks of the classic series; perfect music and design.

    NES

  3. Mega Man 3 · 1990

    The Blue Bomber returns and can slide for the first time; for many, the strongest classic entry in the series.

    NES

  4. Mega Man X2 / X3 · 1990

    A refinement of the already great X formula; wall-running and dashing in an even smoother form.

    SNES

  5. Mega Man 4 · 1991

    The fourth entry introduced the charging Mega Buster, which forever changed the pace of combat in the series.

    NES

  6. Mega Man II · 1991

    The second handheld entry remixes bosses from multiple NES games into one package.

    GB

  7. Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge · 1991

    Mega Man's handheld debut; a shrunken remix of bosses from four NES entries.

    GB

  8. Mega Man 5 · 1992

    A polished fifth entry with a story about the apparent betrayal of Proto Man, the hero's brother.

    NES

  9. Mega Man III · 1992

    The third handheld spin-off again assembles bosses and levels from several NES entries.

    GB

  10. Mega Man 6 · 1993

    The last 8-bit entry in the series; Rush Adapters combine Mega Man with his robotic dog.

    NES

  11. Mega Man IV · 1993

    An original handheld spin-off of the series, not a port of the NES entries; classic password-based saving.

    GB

  12. Mega Man X · 1993

    A modernization of the series; faster, darker, addictive.

    SNES

  13. Mega Man V · 1994

    The peak of the GB Mega Mans with its own bosses (not NES recycling). Excellent level design.

    GB

  14. Mega Man: The Wily Wars · 1994

    A remake of the first three games in 16-bit; nice.

    MD

  15. Mega Man 7 · 1995

    A classic action platformer where you blast through the Robot Masters' stages and collect their weapons.

    SNES

  16. Mega Man X2 · 1995

    X faces the remnants of Sigma's army and the mysterious X-Hunters; a follow-up to the revolutionary first X game.

    SNES

  17. Mega Man X3 · 1995

    Closes out the Mega Man X trilogy on SNES and, for the first time, offers Zero as a playable character.

    SNES

  18. Mega Man: The Power Battle · 1995

    An arcade spin-off of Mega Man stripped down to a pure boss rush with no filler.

    CPS

  19. Mega Man 8 · 1997

    The Blue Bomber's first full 2D-3D treatment; PlayStation alongside Saturn.

    PS1

  20. Mega Man Legends · 1997

    Capcom transplanted the franchise from 2D platformers into a full-fledged 3D action RPG.

    PS1

  21. Mega Man X4 / X5 · 1997

    X4 is the peak of 2D, Legends a bold 3D experiment.

    PS1

  22. Rockman & Forte · 1998

    The last Mega Man game on SNES, released only in Japan; and all the more demanding in its level design because of it.

    SNES

  23. Rockman & Forte: Mirai Kara no Chōsensha · 1999

    A standalone title for the WonderSwan, not a port of the Super Famicom game; the classic Mega Man formula.

    WS

  24. Mega Man 64 · 2000

    A three-dimensional port of Rockman Dash, the first Mega Man game on a Nintendo console; a radical departure from the 2D series.

    N64

  25. Mega Man Legends 2 · 2000

    Action-adventure starring Mega Man Volnutt on a quest for the legendary treasure Mother Lode.

    PS1

  26. Mega Man Xtreme · 2000

    Condensed levels and bosses from X1 and X2 in a pocket package, without losing Mega Man X's pace.

    GBC

  27. Rockman Battle & Fighters · 2000

    A combination of two arcade boss battles against Mega Man; winning carries a weapon into the next fight.

    NGPC

  28. Mega Man Battle Network série · 2001

    Grid-based action RPG; a huge, addictive series.

    GBA

  29. Mega Man Xtreme 2 · 2001

    Content from X3 and X4 plus a choice between X and Zero — the richest pocket trip into the X series.

    GBC

  30. Mega Man & Bass · 2002

    One of the last classic 2D entries in the series; your choice of character fundamentally changes the style of play.

    GBA

  31. Mega Man Battle Network 3 · 2002

    Grid-based battles inside computer networks — RPG, action, and card game in one cyberpunk package.

    GBA

  32. Mega Man Zero (1–4) · 2002

    Brutally challenging, stylish action; a cult favorite among hardcore players.

    GBA

  33. Mega Man Zero 2 · 2003

    Zero with a lightsaber instead of Mega Man — one of the most demanding platformers of its time.

    GBA

  34. Mega Man X: Command Mission · 2004

    An unusual departure for Mega Man X toward turn-based JRPG instead of traditional platforming action.

    GCN

  35. Mega Man Maverick Hunter X · 2005

    A complete 3D rebuild of Mega Man X; a remake that aims to modernize, not just copy.

    PSP

  36. Mega Man Powered Up · 2006

    A cute 3D remake of the first Mega Man without losing its old devilish difficulty.

    PSP

  37. Mega Man ZX · 2006

    The linear action series was replaced by an open, interconnected world with backtracking to old areas.

    DS

  38. Mega Man ZX Advent · 2007

    A sequel to Mega Man ZX; transforming into Biometal forms changes both combat and movement style.

    DS

  39. Mega Man 9 · 2008

    Capcom deliberately returned the series to the 8-bit look and rules of the late 1980s.

    Wii

  40. Mega Man Legacy Collection · 2016

    A portable collection of the first six NES Mega Man games, with faithful emulation and bonus extras.

    3DS