Mega Man (SSB4)

Mega Man in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Mega Man
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Mega Legends
Tier	E (28)

“	Mega Man Joins the Battle!	”
—Introduction Tagline

Mega Man (ロックマン, Rockman) is a newcomer in Super Smash Bros. 4. He was announced at Nintendo's E3 2013 Direct Conference presentation for the game. Mega Man is one of the six third-party characters in the game along with SEGA's Sonic and Bayonetta, Bandai Namco's Pac-Man, fellow Capcom character Ryu, and Square Enix's Cloud, and was the first third-party character to be revealed for the game. He does not widely use hand-to-hand combat, and instead relies on his large arsenal of weaponry. His sound effects are reused from the vast number of retro Mega Man games he has appeared in.

Mega Man currently ranks 28th on the SSB4 tier list, in lower-mid E tier. Mega Man's biggest advantage is that he has among the best projectile games in Smash 4, with his very wide array of projectiles being able to keep opponents away. He also excels in pressuring as a result, with his Crash Bomber able to pressure shields easily. This is made more effective once combined with Mega Man's grab game; his grabs are among the fastest in the game, with his down throw being a decent combo starter while his back throw is a powerful KO option after 155%. His overall endurance is also above average, being a heavyweight with high falling speed; this allows him to take a lot of vertical hits before being KOed. He also excels in racking up damage, with his dash attack, up smash, up aerial, back aerial and back throw being useful for inflicting high amounts of damage. However, Mega Man's biggest strength is his raw power: he has among the strongest attacks of their kind, having the second strongest up tilt, third strongest down smash, and one of the strongest back aerials.

Despite these strengths, Mega Man still has flaws. His overall mobility, save for his aerial acceleration, is quite slow. This leaves Mega Man at an approaching disadvantage against characters with better mobility (e.g. Sheik, Fox. etc.). Mega Man's melee attacks also have short range overall despite their extensive utility, leaving him at a ranged disadvantage against characters with long and/or disjointed range (e.g. Marth, Link, Shulk, etc.), and the high ending lag on his attacks further puts stress on this flaw. In addition, Mega Man's aforementioned weight is also one of his bigger flaws as he is potentially vulnerable to vertical hits as a result of his very high falling speed. However, Mega Man's ironically glaring flaw is his projectile playstyle; he is more harmed by reflectors, absorption abilities, and other such methods to defend against projectiles than any other character, as a lot of his approach depends on his projectiles.

Overall, Mega Man is a character who has a high learning curve, but with overall good tournament results once mastered. As a result, he has many dedicated players, and has overall average matchups compared to the rest of the cast.

Attributes

As in his home series, Mega Man's moveset relies heavily on various projectiles, giving his attacks unusual functions and characteristics. This extends beyond his special moves and into his standard moveset. For his neutral attack, he fires shots from his Mega Buster, and for his forward tilt, he fires shots from his Mega Buster while walking. His up tilt, the Mega Upper, is a jumping uppercut, and his down tilt is a forward slide.

Despite having an unusual set of moves, Mega Man shines in approaching while spacing opponents at midrange and disrupting any approaches, for he is blessed with two projectiles that can cause opponents to react predictably: Metal Blade's ability to be thrown in eight directions and trapping opponents in high hitstun makes it a fantastic mindgame and shield-baiting tool, while Crash Bomber can cause panicky opponents to run towards Mega Man or shield the explosion. Both projectiles easily lead to a grab punish as Mega Man owns a great grab combo ability, having a fast grab and many of his attacks connecting reliably after a throw. This allows him to rack up damage easily once he grabs an opponent. He does not have much trouble KOing once his opponents are damaged either, for he has many finishing options: from his lightning-fast up tilt to his projectile based forward smash which can be used to edgeguard. His other projectiles are terrific, notably his aerials; up aerial can KO early if an opponent is high up, and his down aerial is one of the safest meteor smashes in the game. To top it all off, Mega Man is a fantastic spacer: his jab is a fast and useful projectile (that can be used while moving and jumping) which interrupts most attacks and weak projectiles at a safe range, and when combined with Metal Blades and Crash Bombs makes Mega Man difficult to approach. Due to his amazing pressuring ability and grab game, characters without a projectile or with low reach can have trouble approaching without being severely punished. Even if he does get knocked around, Mega Man is a heavyweight character , weighing only slightly less than Captain Falcon, meaning he is more likely to survive potentially lethal blows that could KO a lighter character, especially with proper DI and his good recovery move, Rush Coil.

Regardless of his good grab game and punishing options, Mega Man still has some flaws to counter his strengths. Since his projectiles are imperative in initiating combos, he suffers against opponents with reflectors or other methods to render his projectiles ineffective, such as the Villager's Pocket. His low speed and ending lag on his non-projectile moves significantly limit his approach. He lacks options in keeping away foes up close, with no actual melee jab or quick standard attacks to knock them away. Because most of his strongest attacks suffer from either noticeable startup or ending lag, Mega Man works best at mid-range where his attacks can connect safely, though at the cost of giving opponents a good amount of time to react to any of his attacks, somewhat making his finishers predictable.

In essence, Mega Man is a medium-ranged projectile fighter who has no trouble spacing opponents, though KO attempts can be risky for him as he suffers slightly at close range. He has to use his fantastic spacing and grab punish options to rack up damage at medium range while keeping his distance until the opponent is weak enough to risk using one of his laggy yet powerful finishing moves.

Mega Man gains various additional options from his custom moves. Shadow Blade and Ice Slasher are good for immobilizing opponents and are less susceptible to being used against Mega Man himself. Hyper Bomb and Danger Wrap are harder to land, but deal much more damage and knockback. Tornado Hold has more offensive value due to it dealing damage and granting Mega Man new combo potential. Plant Barrier does not last as long as the default Leaf Shield, but can deal and absorb more damage. Skull Barrier lacks a hitbox when circling Mega Man and deals less damage when thrown, but it reflects projectiles when orbiting and cannot be destroyed, giving it a more defensive value than both Leaf Shield and Plant Barrier lack.

Update history

Mega Man was slightly buffed in game updates. He initially only received very minor buffs to his Leaf Shield since 1.0.4, but in update 1.1.1, he has had the speed of his Ice Slasher and Hyper Bomb custom specials slightly improved as well, along with a slight increase to Hyper Bomb's power and splash damage. However, the changes to shield mechanics make some of his projectiles, most notably his forward smash, less safe on shield due to their low hitlag.

1.0.4

• Leaf Shield can be acted out of sooner.
• Fixed bug where Mega Man could use Rush Coil to cancel hitstun.

1.0.6

• Leaf Shield starts moving sooner when thrown (though the animation length is unchanged).
• Landing lag glitch has been fixed.

1.1.0

• Leaf Shield ending lag reduced: 59 → 53.

1.1.1

• Hyper Bomb ending lag reduced by 5 frames.
• Hyper Bomb direct damage increased: 8% → 10%.
• Hyper Bomb splash damage increased: 6% → 8%.
• Ice Slasher ending lag reduced by 6 frames.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack		Mega Buster	2% (shot), 1% (Mega Buster)	Mega Man fires up to three shots from his Mega Buster, which have limited range and do less knockback at longer range. He lacks a proper forward tilt and neutral air due to his ability to shoot while walking forwards or jumping, though the moves do have minute differences. The Mega Buster itself does slightly more damage when combined up close with the shots fired.
Forward tilt		Mega Buster	2%	Behaves identically to Mega Man's neutral attack, except the Mega Buster itself does no damage, and Mega Man fires while running forwards.
Up tilt		Mega Upper	17% (clean), 12% (mid), 8% (late)	A jumping uppercut. Based on the move of the same name from Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters, Marvel vs. Capcom and Street Fighter X Tekken, which is itself a tribute to the Shoryuken from the Street Fighter series. For a tilt, it has incredible power (in fact being stronger than his uncharged up smash), with the sweetspot having as much power as some smash attacks and being a reliably KO medium-light characters under 90%. It has little starting lag but very much ending lag and little horizontal range.
Down tilt		Sliding	8% (clean), 5% (late)	Mega Man's signature sliding kick attack; he slides approximately four character lengths forward with a kick. Very little startup; the hitbox lasts all the way until the slide is finished, which can hit opponents attempting to roll away. A good surprise move, but only if not overused, and has low knockback. Behaves more closely to the Charge Kick, Charge Man's weapon from Mega Man 5.
Dash attack		Top Spin	1% (hits 1-7), 3% (hit 8)	Mega Man boosts forwards while spinning, damaging whatever he touches. Good priority. Small noticeable ending lag. Based on Top Man's weapon from Mega Man 3.
Forward smash		Charge Shot	11.5%-19.5%	Mega Man charges up energy in his Mega Buster, before firing off a bigger and more powerful burst that functions like a Smash Attack. Like regular Mega Buster shots, this shot disappears after traveling a moderate distance. The longer it is charged, the further the resulting shot will go, and its size, damage and knockback also increase significantly when it is fully charged. Based on the Super Mega Buster's Charge Shot from Mega Man 4 onwards. Interestingly, despite dealing electric damage, the Charge Shot has a hitlag multiplier of only 0.3x.
Up smash		Spark Shock	2% (hit 1), 1.5% (hits 2-6), 6% (hit 7)	Mega Man turns both of his hands into electrodes, creating a powerful multi-hitting surge of electricity above him. Based on Spark Man's weapon from Mega Man 3.
Down smash		Flame Blast	17% (clean), 14% (mid), 9% (late)	Mega Man plants both arm cannons into the ground, causing two vertical flaming pillars to erupt from the ground either side of him which launch the opponent upwards. Great knockback when hit with the first frames of the hitbox, which can KO starting at 60% when fully charged. By far the third strongest down smash in SSB4, with only Lucario at full power and Ganondorf having a stronger down smash. This move has very long endlag. It is based on Flame Man's weapon from Mega Man 6.
Neutral aerial		Mega Buster	2% (shot), 2% (Mega Buster)	Behaves identically to Mega Man's neutral attack, except Mega Man fires while jumping or falling in the air. The move's Mega Buster sweetspot has high base knockback.
Forward aerial		Flame Sword	8% (clean), 5% (late)	Mega Man quickly summons a flaming sword to his hand and swings it downwards in front of him. It is based on Sword Man's weapon from Mega Man 8. Can lead into a down tilt at low- to mid-percentages.
Back aerial		Slash Claw	3% (hit 1), 4% (hit 2), 5% (hit 3)	Mega Man quickly turns around and swings his arm, generating three crescent-shaped energy trails behind him. It is based on Slash Man's weapon from Mega Man 7. Has decent knockback and can surprise opponents when edgeguarding.
Up aerial		Air Shooter	3% (early hits), 2% (middle hits), 1% (later hits), 2% (latest hits)	Mega Man fires a small tornado straight above him. It travels a fair distance, drawing in opponents who touch the tornado. It is based on Air Man's weapon from Mega Man 2. Can easily Star KO opponents when around mid-high percentages, especially if the opponent tries to jump out of it.
Down aerial		Hard Knuckle	14% (clean), 12% (late)	Mega Man points his fist straight downwards and fires it downwards as a short-ranged projectile. The fist deals the most damage in the first few frames, but afterwards, it turns into an aerial-only meteor smash. It is based on Hard Man's weapon from Mega Man 3. Megaman can move himself left or right slightly during the first few frames before launching the fist.
Grab		Super Arm	—	Mega Man grabs his opponent with one hand and lifts them over his head. It is based on Guts Man's weapon from Mega Man.
Pummel			3%	Mega Man squeezes his opponent with his Super Arm.
Forward throw			8%	Throws the opponent forward. Low base knockback.
Back throw			11%	Mega Man turns around and throws the opponent behind him.
Up throw			7%	Throws the opponent upward. Can KO opponents at high percentages.
Down throw			4.5%	Throws the opponent downward. The opponent flies straight up after hitting the ground. When done at low percentages, this can combo into many other moves.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Sweep kicks in a circle around himself.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Does the same sweep kick as his front floor attack, but hits behind Mega Man first instead of his front.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Mega Man kicks both feet out while spinning.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	Mega Man jumps up and performs a kick in a similar fashion as his down tilt.
Neutral special	Default	Metal Blade	3% (usage), 5% (as item)	A spinning saw blade projectile that can be thrown in one of eight different directions. The blade can be picked up and thrown by players like a regular item. Mega Man cannot throw another Metal Blade until his previous one disappears. The move is based on Metal Man's weapon from Mega Man 2.
	Custom 1	Hyper Bomb	10% (direct), 8% (splash)	A bomb that can be thrown in 8 directions and will explode in contact with the ground or an enemy, but it has a form of vertical movement, giving it an arcing motion. Despite the bomb's fuse, it will not explode until it hits something. The move is based on Bomb Man's weapon from Mega Man.
	Custom 2	Shadow Blade	2% (per hit)	Throws a shuriken that has a boomerang effect, returning to the same position it was thrown from. It can be still thrown in 8 directions, but does not stick on the ground, has less range, and cannot be picked up either. It is based on Shadow Man's weapon from Mega Man 3.
Side special	Default	Crash Bomber	1% (loop), 4% (last)	Fires a grappling bomb attached to a drill that latches on to any surface or fighter it touches, before exploding a few seconds later. Much like a Gooey Bomb, it can be transferred between players before it detonates. The drill can travel a good distance until it disappears. The move is based on Crash Man's weapon in Mega Man 2.
	Custom 1	Ice Slasher	4%	Fires an arrowhead-shaped ice projectile that deals less damage than the Crash Bomber, but can go through multiple enemies and also freeze them on contact, provided that they have sustained a moderate amount of damage beforehand. It is based on Ice Man's weapon from Mega Man.
	Custom 2	Danger Wrap	3% (loop), 7% (last)	Fires an explosive wrapped in a bubble that floats upwards in an exponential arc and will explode if it comes into contact with an enemy, or on its own after a few seconds. Whilst harder to use than both the Crash Bomber and Ice Slasher due to its unusual trajectory, it deals more damage and knockback. It is based on Burst Man's weapon from Mega Man 7.
Up special	Default	Rush Coil	0%	Mega Man briefly summons his robotic dog companion Rush, who acts similar to Sonic's Spring Jump. A second bounce will make Mega Man jump even higher than the first bounce. Other players will also be able to bounce on Rush, even if he is in the air. The move is based on the Rush Coil from Mega Man 3.
	Custom 1	Tornado Hold	2% (center), 1% (sides)	Drops a spinning fan onto the ground that creates a tornado and pushes anyone caught in it upwards, dealing multiple hits. It can be also used to combo into the Flame Sword, Slash Claw or Air Shooter. If used in mid-air, it causes the fan to fall as it pushes Mega Man up, giving it better offensive potential but slightly less vertical distance than the Rush Coil. It is based on Tengu Man's weapon from Mega Man 8.
	Custom 2	Beat	0%	Mega Man summons his robotic bird companion Beat, which he grabs onto as he lifts him upwards with greater horizontal distance but less speed than the Rush Coil. Based on the Beat Call from Mega Man 7, which allowed Beat to appear and rescue Mega Man from falling off the screen. Capable of letting Mega Man fly under Final Destination while none of his other custom moves can.
Down special	Default	Leaf Shield	2% (circling), 3.8% (thrown)	Mega Man summons leaf-shaped units that electromagnetically orbit around him. The leaves block projectiles, and can be fired forwards by pressing an attack button to land multiple hits, or used with the Super Arm to deal additional damage. The move is based on Wood Man's weapon from Mega Man 2.
	Custom 1	Skull Barrier	0% (circling), 2% (thrown)	Produces a skull-shaped energy shield that orbits around Mega Man. It can reflect projectiles, but travels much less distance and does much less damage when thrown, and no damage at all when it is orbiting around Mega Man. The move is based on Skull Man's weapon from Mega Man 4.
	Custom 2	Plant Barrier	3% (circling), 4.2% (thrown)	Mega Man summons flower petal-shaped units that orbit around him. The petals are more durable than the Leaf Shield, as they do not disappear when hit and deal slightly more damage when thrown, but it moves slightly slower and has less range when thrown. The move is based on Plant Man's weapon from Mega Man 6.
Final Smash		Mega Legends	3% (init), 39% (attack)	Mega Man fires a Black Hole Bomb, Galaxy Man's weapon from Mega Man 9, in front of him. After it explodes, it can suck opponents in. If anyone gets sucked in, then Mega Man X, MegaMan.EXE, Mega Man Volnutt, and Geo Stelar will join Mega Man to fire their Mega Busters in unison in a cinematic Final Smash.

On-screen appearance

• Warps down on to the stage, similar to how he does so in the classic Mega Man games.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Mega Man changes his outstretched hand into a Mega Buster, then pumps his Buster arm.
• Side taunt: Mega Man spins around and strikes a pose with his back facing the camera as he smiles.
• Down taunt: Mega Man warps out of and immediately back onto the stage, similar to his teleporting animation in the classic Mega Man games. Can dodge attacks with the right timing.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• His left arm turns into his Mega Buster, then taps his elbow on his hand.
• Looks around himself.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Me-ga Man!	Rockman! *claps 3 times*
Pitch	Group chant	Group chant

Victory poses

A short remix of the beginning of the title screen music from Mega Man 2.

• Fires two shots from his Mega Buster and does a pose.
• Warps on to the screen and initiates the pose done on the Japanese title screen of Mega Man (Rockman) while smiling.
• Lands down, points his Mega Buster towards the air, then poses (similar to a scene at the beginning of his reveal trailer).

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Mega Man	1313	1312	1311	1323	1322
	1112	1122	3323	3313	1333

Notable players

Active

•  Daiki
•  DarkBlues
•  Greward
•  Kamemushi
•  SWAG
•  ScAtt
•  Sinth
•  Sonicmega
•  Zucco
•  B

Inactive

•  NinjaLink

Trophies

Mega Man

The main hero from Capcom's 1987 action game, Mega Man. He travels from stage to stage, defeating Robot Masters to obtain new weapons. He uses this vast arsenal in Smash Bros. in a variety of ways. Metal Blades, for example, can be fired in eight directions and picked up off the ground!

In 1989, Capcom's new action hero, Mega Man, arrived in Europe! He made his way through levels, defeated bosses and took their weapons. He's got plenty of weapons in this game, too. His Metal Blade, for example, can be thrown in eight directions and goes right through foes! If it sticks in the ground, though, anyone can pick it up.

: Mega Man (12/1987)

: Mega Man 2 (07/1989)

Mega Man (Alt.)

Mega Man has more than 10 different weapons at his disposal. His forward air attack, Flame Sword, affects a wide area and doesn't leave much of an opening, making it useful in a variety of situations. His Leaf Shield special spins four leaves around him to deflect projectiles or hurt foes. He can also fire the leaves forward.

Mega Man has more than ten different weapons at his disposal. His forward air attack, Flame Sword, affects a wide area and doesn't leave much of an opening, making it useful in a variety of situations. His Leaf Shield special spins four leaves around him to block attacks or projectiles. He can also fire the leaves forwards.

: Mega Man (12/1987)

: Mega Man 2 (07/1989)

Mega Legends

For Mega Man's Final Smash, he teams up with all-stars X, MegaMan Volnutt, MegaMan.EXE, and Star Force Mega Man, and they fire their Mega Busters in unision. The Black Hole Bomb fired at the start draws enemies in, and as long as that hits, the Mega Busters will follow. Make your foes see stars!

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  Classic (3DS)

• MegaManAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  Mega Legends

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• Behind Enemy Lines: As Fox, the player must survive one minute against Mega Man and Bowser Jr.
• Mechanical Menace: The player, as Shulk, must defeat a metal Mega Man, R.O.B., and Metal Face.
• New Challengers 2: Mega Man is one of the seven opponents fought in this event, alongside Greninja, Palutena, Robin, Shulk, Dark Pit and Pac-Man.
• The FINAL Final Battle: The player must defeat Mega Man, alongside Mario, Sonic, and Pac-Man.
• Yellow Devils: Mega Man must defeat a giant Pikachu and Pac-Man, along with the Yellow Devil.

Co-op Events

• Robots vs. Dragons: Mega Man and R.O.B. must defeat a giant Yoshi and Charizard, as well as Ridley.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.

Alternate costumes

Reveal trailer

<youtube>aX2KNyaoNV4</youtube>

Gallery

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  Artwork of Mega Man used on the website.

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  Mega Man's splash screen.

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  Mega Man's amiibo.

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  Mega Man's appearance during E3 2013.

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  Mega Man's appearance in the 3DS version of the game.

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  Mega Man firing weak shots from his Mega Buster.

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  Mega Man's Sliding attack.

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  The Sliding attack on the 3DS version.

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  Mega Man performing the Mega Upper.

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  Mega Man charging his Charge Shot.

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  Mega Man firing his full Charge Shot.

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  Mega Man firing the Crash Bomber.

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  Mega Man's Leaf Shield.

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  Mega Man launching his Leaf Shield.

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  The Leaf Shield hitting Mario.

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  Mega Man using his Hard Knuckle move on Donkey Kong.

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  Mega Man's Flame Sword.

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  Mega Man using his Slash Claw on Link.

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  Mega Man using his Spark Shock on Fox.

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  Mega Man throwing Mario with his Super Arm.

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  A Crash Bomber on Luigi.

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  Luigi throwing Mega Man's Metal Blade back at him.

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  Mega Man and Sonic using Rush Coil and Spring Jump respectively.

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  Mario, Sonic, and Mega Man on Battlefield.

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  Pikachu behind Mega Man's back.

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  Mega Man after being hit by Marth's Shield Breaker.

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  Mega Man with Bowser and the Wii Fit Trainer in the Wii Fit Studio.

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  Mega Man watching Sonic and the Wii Fit Trainer running after a Soccer Ball.

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  Mega Man fighting Pikachu at Dr. Wily's Castle.

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  Mega Man throwing his Metal Blades.

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  Mega Man air dodging with Mario.

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  Closeup of Mega Man's Mega Buster.

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  Mega Man next to a Bumper.

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  Mega Man seen with the back of the Bumper.

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  Mega Man's Final Smash, Mega Legends.

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  A couple of Mega Man's Custom Special Moves.

Trivia

• Mega Man and Luma are the only characters to have different KO explosions than other characters. When Mega Man gets KO'd, he splits into multiple orbs with identical coloration to his outfit, referencing what would happen to him in the Mega Man series whenever he dies.
• None of the Robot Master weapons from Mega Man 5, Mega Man 10, Mega Man & Bass, or Mega Man V are included in Mega Man's arsenal, even though there is at least one weapon used from every other Mega Man game from 1-9, although the Black Hole Bomb from Mega Man 9 appears briefly during his Final Smash. Beat from Mega Man 5 also appears as a custom up special move.
• While Mega Man's eighth palette swap uses yellow as the light armor color, the stock icon uses white instead for unknown reasons.
• Mega Man's slide is an attack in Super Smash Bros. 4, Marvel vs. Capcom, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2, whereas in the Mega Man series it is actually a non-damaging maneuver.
• Mega Man's fully charged Charge Shot possesses the longest horizontal range of any smash attack in the Super Smash Bros. series.
• Mega Man is tied for highest air acceleration, true to the famously "twitchy" controls in the Mega Man series.
• Aside from his idle poses, Mega Man stands completely still when idle, like in the classic Mega Man games. In the Wii U & Nintendo 3DS Developer Direct at E3 2013, Mega Man is also seen blinking when idle, but this is not the case in the final game.
• Flame Sword shares the same name as Roy's up smash.
• Mega Man and Pac-Man are the only two third-party characters in SSB4 who do not speak in-game, despite both of them having spoken in their home series.
• Mega Man and Rosalina are the only two SSB4 newcomers to appear in the CGI portions of a newcomer trailer other than their own, namely Bowser Jr.'s.
• Mega Man, Villager, and Rosalina are the only newcomers whose Final Smashes are not shown in their reveal trailers.
• Mega Man and King Dedede are the only characters that have projectiles that can stick to walls.