Mega Man (SSBU)

Mega Man in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Mega Man
Other playable appearance	in SSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Mega Legends

“	Mega Man's standard and special moves use weapons copied from the bosses he's fought throughout the Mega Man series, so he has more projectiles than any other fighter. His Final Smash now features Proto Man and Bass!	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Mega Man (ロックマン, Rockman) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, officially confirmed on June 12th, 2018. Mega Man is classified as fighter #46.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play VS. matches, with Mega Man being the 42nd character to be unlocked.
• Clear Classic Mode with Pikachu or any character in its unlock tree, being the fourth character unlocked after R.O.B..
• Have Mega Man join the player's party in World of Light.

With the exception of the third method, Mega Man must then be defeated on Wily Castle.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Mega Man has been noticeably buffed overall in the transition to Ultimate. Most of his projectile attacks have longer range and less ending lag, with several notable examples. His Mega Buster shots, a staple of his neutral game in Smash 4, cover a longer distance, allowing him to apply more pressure from afar, and his forward smash has been drastically improved, with longer range and much less ending lag that enable it to be used much more safely as a projectile and KO option. Leaf Shield has also been buffed significantly, with the shield activating noticeably faster, hitting opponents at a quicker rate, and the leaves no longer disappearing on hit. Mega Man's close-up game has been improved as well, as his dash attack deals more damage and connects more reliably, and his forward aerial has decreased landing lag with considerably more knockback, allowing it to combo at lower percents and KO reliably at higher percents. Furthermore, alongside his direct buffs, Mega Man benefits drastically from the universal changes in Ultimate. The ability to run-cancel with any ground attack gives him more opportunities to land his powerful up tilt, and his overall faster mobility alongside the nerfs to air dodges allow him to challenge and pressure opponents more effectively with his projectiles, especially his up aerial to juggle them. The reintroduction of directional air dodges also increases his recovery's safety and total distance.

Alongside his buffs, Mega Man has received some nerfs. Most notably, because footstools can now be teched, his well-known jab lock and KO setups are less consistent, hindering his guaranteed damage racking and KO ability. However, his direct nerfs are comparatively scarcer, with the only significant ones being his forward smash's weaker power increase when charged, and his inability to shield or grab while using the Leaf Shield. As a result, Mega Man's arsenal is generally more potent, and he remains a solid character, though due to many other veterans also having received buffs to varying degrees, his specific position relative to the rest of the cast is currently unclear.

Aesthetics

• As with all veterans returning from Smash 4, Mega Man's model features a more subdued color scheme. Some of the mechanical details on his body are more pronounced.
  • Mega Man's metal areas also appear to show more of a shine.
• Mega Man's Mega Buster now emits a small, blue ring-shaped particle upon firing. This resembles the effect present in Mega Man 8, Mega Man & Bass, and Mega Man 11.
• Mega Man now opens his mouth a little while firing the Mega Buster on the ground, unlike in his own games.
  • Mega Man also has his mouth opened while shielding.
• Mega Man has a new shield break animation.
• All of Mega Man's victory animations have been changed in some way:
  • The victory animation where Mega Man fires two Mega Buster shots before posing is modified so he is running instead of falling from the sky.
  • The victory animation where he strikes his title screen pose from Rockman has been reanimated to be slightly slower.
  • Mega Man now shoots thrice instead of twice in his standing victory animation.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Mega Man's jumpsquat animation now takes 3 frames to complete (down from 4).
• Mega Man runs faster (1.456 → 1.602).
  • Mega Man's initial dash is significantly faster (1.5 → 1.958).
• Mega Man walks slightly faster (1.078 → 1.132).
• Mega Man's air speed is slightly higher (1.1 → 1.155).
• Mega Man's traction is significantly higher (0.06 → 0.094).
• Forward roll has less ending lag (FAF 31 → 30).
• Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-17 → 4-15).
• Back roll has more startup with less intangibility (frames 4-17 → 5-16), and more ending lag (FAF 31 → 35).
• Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 28 → 26).
• Spot dodge grants less intangibility (frames 3-18 → 3-17).
• Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 3-28 → 3-30).
• Air dodge has more ending lag (FAF 34 → 46).
• The reintroduction of directional air dodges improves Mega Man's recovery more than other characters', as due to Rush Coil not causing helplessness, he can get additional distance with a directional air dodge after using it.
• The ability to tech aerial footstools in Ultimate hinders Mega Man's KO setups at high percents.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack/Forward tilt:
  • Neutral attack and forward tilt's shots last longer (18 frames → 23), allowing them to cover more distance and thus increasing their range.
  • Mega Man centers his eyes for a bit after using his forward tilt.
• Up tilt:
  • The ability to use any ground attack out of a run in Ultimate benefits up tilt's usage, as combined with its sheer knockback and Mega Man's faster ground movement, it can catch landings and punish opponents much more effectively for KOs.
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack deals more damage (1% → 1.2% (hits 1-7), 3% → 4% (hit 8); 10% → 12.4% (total)), with knockback not compensated on the last hit, improving its KO potential.
  • Its linking hits deal drastically less hitlag, making them harder to SDI out of and allowing them to connect more reliably.
• Forward smash:
  • Forward smash has much less ending lag (FAF 71 → 55), significantly improving its utility as a projectile and long range KO option.
  • The shot travels faster, allowing it to cover more distance.
  • It deals less damage when fully charged (19.5% → 14.95%), reducing its maximum KO potential.
• Down smash:
  • Down smash deals more knockback, improving its KO potential.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial's shots last longer (18 frames → 23), allowing them to cover more distance and thus increasing their range.
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial has less landing lag (19 frames → 11). Combined with its launch angle, this grants it combo ability into itself from low to mid percents.
  • It deals significantly more knockback, now KOing reliably below 170% from the center of Final Destination, compared to being unable to KO below 250% under the same circumstances.
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial's first two hits launch grounded opponents vertically instead of horizontally along the ground, allowing them to connect more reliably.
  • The move has more ending lag (FAF 43 → 45).
  • The third hit deals slightly less knockback, hindering its KO potential.
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial's hits connect more reliably.
  • The changes to air dodges drastically benefit Mega Man's up aerial compared to others, as due to being a projectile, it can juggle opponents more effectively by constantly pressuring them into using up their air dodges.
  • Up aerial has one frame more landing lag (19 frames → 20).
  • It can no longer autocancel in a full hop.
• Down aerial:
  • Down aerial has less landing lag (24 frames → 14).
  • The shot lasts longer (11 frames → 13), allowing it to cover more distance and thus increasing its range.

Throws and other attacks

• Grabs:
  • Mega Man's grab range is slightly longer.
  • All grabs have increased ending lag (FAF 31 → 38 (standing), 38 → 46 (dash), 36 → 41 (pivot)).
  • Dash and pivot grab have slightly more startup lag (frame 8 → 9 (dash), 9 → 10 (pivot)).
• Mega Man's throws are no longer weight-dependent. This reduces down throw's combo potential on lightweights, but increases it on heavyweights.
• Mega Man's throws are all reanimated to be less stiff.
• Pummel:
  • Pummel is drastically faster, but deals much less damage (3% → 1.3%).
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 9%).

Special moves

• Metal Blade:
  • Metal Blade's damage outputs have been reversed: it deals more damage per hit when spawned (3% → 5%), but less when thrown as an item (5% → 3%).
  • Metal Blade wobbles once it sticks to the ground or another surface.
  • Mega Man centers his eyes while standing still with the Metal Blade in his hand.
• Crash Bomber:
  • Upon latching onto a surface, Crash Bomber can now explode on contact with opponents before its timer finishes, improving its utility.
  • Crash Bomber visually flashes more intensely.
• Leaf Shield:
  • Leaf Shield has significantly less startup (frame 50 → 7) and ending lag (FAF 54 → 34) when activated, making it much safer to use.
  • The leaves spin faster around Mega Man, do not vanish upon hitting opponents, and have a faster rehit rate (18 frames → 11). This allows the move to protect Mega Man much more effectively, with the hits of the circling leaves now comboing opponents in range until the shield is thrown.
    • This also increases the move's overall damage output, despite each hit from the circling shield dealing less damage (2% → 1.5%).
  • The shield can be thrown much faster after its activation (frame 22 → 13).
    • However, the throw's total duration has not been fully compensated (FAF 56 → 54), increasing its ending lag.
  • Leaf Shield now requires holding the special move button for it to spin around Mega Man; otherwise, it will be thrown automatically.
  • Leaf Shield no longer allows Mega Man to shield, grab, or hang onto ledges while the shield is active. This prevents him from dealing extra damage to grabbed opponents with the leaves.
  • The shield has a shorter maximum duration, and Mega Man always throws it automatically after it ends, potentially leaving him open to punishment if the shield's duration ends when he is close to opponents.
• Mega Legends:
  • Both Proto Man and Bass have been added at the end of the Final Smash's cutscene.

Moveset

• Mega Man can wall jump.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack		Mega/Rock Buster	2% (shot), 1% (buster)	Mega Man fires up to three shots from his Mega Buster, which have a fairly long range but do little knockback. The pellets have very high priority, being able to even nullify Corrin's Dragon Fang Shot in one go. The move has a sweetspot around the Mega Buster itself.
Forward tilt		Mega/Rock Buster	2%	Behaves identically to Mega Man's neutral attack, except the Mega Buster itself has no hitbox, and Mega Man fires while running forwards. Jumping after firing twice will immediately transition to neutral aerial, and can combo consistently as well.
Up tilt		Mega/Rock Upper	17% (clean), 12% (mid), 8% (late)	A quick rising uppercut. For a tilt, it has incredible power, with the sweetspot having as much power as some smash attacks and being able to reliably KO medium-light characters under 80%. It has little starting lag but very high ending lag and little horizontal range. Based on a maneuver of the same name Mega Man received in Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters.
Down tilt		Sliding	8% (clean), 5% (late)	Mega Man's signature sliding kick attack. He slides forward with a kick that has very little startup and is the only tilt attack in the game to have sex kick properties. 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. The actual sliding ability introduced in Mega Man 3 is a non-damaging maneuver, though said ability becomes weaponized with the Charge Kick, Charge Man's weapon in Mega Man 5. Additionally, it could be based on the Leg Breaker maneuver Mega Man can use in the secret fighting game mode in Mega Man 7.
Dash attack		Top Spin	1.2% (hits 1-7), 4% (hit 8)	Mega Man boosts forwards while spinning, damaging whatever he touches. Good priority and long lasting, equivalent to Luigi's dash attack. Useful for mindgames against shields due to its moderate shield stun, which often makes opponents drop their shield too early. Small noticeable ending lag. Based on Top Man's weapon from Mega Man 3.
Forward smash		Charge Shot	11.5%-14.95%	Mega Man charges up energy in his Mega Buster, before firing off a bigger and more powerful burst. Like regular Mega Buster shots, this shot disappears after traveling a moderate distance, though this distance was buffed in Ultimate. 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. Fully charged, this is the longest-reaching forward smash in the game, although it has travel time to compensate. Based on the Super Mega Buster's Charge Shot from Mega Man 4 onwards, but resembles its appearance in Mega Man 5.
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. It is overall useful due to its large hitbox, anti-air properties and quick startup, though it has noticeable ending lag. Based on Spark Man's weapon from Mega Man 3, though it is more based on how Spark Man uses the weapon.
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. It has quick startup, but notoriously long endlag that leaves it highly punishable if not landed. Immense knockback when hit with the first frames of the hitbox, which can KO starting at 60% when fully charged. It boasts incredible power, being one of the strongest down smashes in the game. It is based on Flame Man's weapon from Mega Man 6, though it is more based on how Flame Man uses the weapon.
Neutral aerial		Mega/Rock Buster	2% (shot), 2% (buster)	Behaves identically to Mega Man's neutral attack, except Mega Man fires while jumping or falling in the air much like in his original games. The move has a sweetspot on the Mega Buster. Due to Mega Man's effective aerial movement, his neutral attack can be used as a very effective "wall" to deny approaches. This is the only aerial attack in the game with no autocancel threshold, as to seamlessly combo into neutral attack or forward tilt.
Forward aerial		Flame Sword	8% (clean), 8.5% (clean tip), 5% (late)	Mega Man quickly summons a flaming sword to his hand and swings it downwards in front of him. It is a very useful combo move, and can net KOs fairly well at the edge of the stage. It is based on Sword Man's weapon from Mega Man 8.
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. Has high knockback and high speed, able to net KOs when edgeguarding, and can chain into itself at low percents. Cancelling it into the ground before the third hit connects can allow Mega Man to get a grab or even an up tilt KO. It is based on Slash Man's weapon from Mega Man 7.
Up aerial		Air Shooter	3% (hits 1-3), 2% (hits 4-6), 1% (hits 7-11), 2% (hit 12)	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. It can easily Star KO opponents even at low percentages, especially if the opponent tries to jump out of it. However, it will meteor smash Mega Man himself if it is reflected.
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. Mega Man can move himself left or right slightly during the first few frames before launching the fist. Has a weak floating effect before firing.
Grab		Super Arm	—	Mega Man grabs his opponent with one hand and lifts them over his head. Decently fast, but has one of the shortest ranges in the game.
Pummel		Super Squeeze	1.3%	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. It is a very solid KOing throw, being able to KO middleweights at around 110% at the edge.
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. His primary combo throw.
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			9%	Mega Man jumps up and performs a kick in a similar fashion as his down tilt.
Neutral special		Metal Blade	5% (spawn), 3% (item throw)	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, though it deals less damage upon being thrown a second time. Mega Man cannot throw another Metal Blade until his previous one disappears. Its fair amount of utility makes this Mega Man's most useful tool for edgeguarding, approaching and spacing, and can even initiate shield break combos. The move is based on Metal Man's weapon from Mega Man 2.
Side special		Crash Bomber	1% (hits 1-4), 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 but has a shorter timer and the explosion can be safely shielded. The bomb can travel a good distance until it disappears. Can be used to bait a shield grab, or shot against the stage while recovering to deny edgeguarding. When stuck to a wall, it will detonate as soon as a player gets near it. The move is based on Crash Man's weapon in Mega Man 2.
Up special		Rush Coil	0%	Mega Man briefly summons his robotic dog companion Rush. 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. Mega Man is unable to summon Rush again until he lands, or is hit by an attack after using it. It's possible to get incredibly early KOs by forcing an opponent into the air, and following up with an up air. The move is based on the Rush Coil from Mega Man 3.
Down special		Leaf Shield	1.5% (circling), 3.8% (thrown)	Mega Man summons leaf-shaped units that electromagnetically orbit around him. The leaves block projectiles, and can be held around Mega Man for a set time. The move is based on Wood Man's weapon from Mega Man 2.
Final Smash		Mega Legends	3% (init), 41.2% (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, all protagonists of their own spin-off series, alongside Proto Man and Bass, will join Mega Man to fire their Mega Busters in unison in a cinematic Final Smash.

Classic Mode: Variable Weapons System: Online!

Mega Man's opponents are stylized similar to the many boss fights that are in the Mega Man series, (e.g. Dr. Mario being Dr. Wily).

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music
1	Ice Climbers	Summit (Ω form)	Ice Man Stage
2	Samus	Coliseum (Ω form)	Metal Man Stage
3	Donkey Kong	Kongo Jungle (Ω form)	Wood Man Stage
4	Captain Falcon	Gamer (Ω form)	Quick Man Stage
Bonus Stage
5	Mega Man (×6)	Wily Castle	Mega Man 2 Medley
6	Galleom	?	Guts Man Stage
Final	Dr. Mario, then Mewtwo	Wily Castle (Ω form)	We're Robots (Dr. Wily Stage 2)/Mega Man 2 Medley

Note: Every round except the bonus stage plays a track from the Mega Man series.

Role in World of Light

Mega Man was among the fighters that were summoned to fight against the army of Master Hands.

During the opening cutscene, Mega Man was present on the cliffside when Galeem unleashed its beams of light. He was vaporized offscreen and placed under Galeem's imprisonment along with the other fighters, excluding Kirby. A puppet fighter cloned from him is later seen, alongside ones cloned from Mario, Pikachu, Palutena, and other fighters.

Mega Man can be found near the entrance of the military base sub-area, guarded by the spirit of Sigma.

Spirits

Mega Man's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Mega Man in World of Light allows the player to preview the spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a Fighter Spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate.

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  864. Mega Man

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Mega Man artwork, as posted on the official Japanese Mega Man Twitter account.

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  Mega Man's fighter card.

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  Mega Man's side taunt on Wily Castle.

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  Performing Crash Bomber in his red and white alternate colors on Summit.

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  Cooling down after performing Spark Shock on Wrecking Crew.

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  Using Leaf Shield with Ivysaur on Tortimer Island.

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  Performing his final smash, Mega Legends.

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  Idling with Rush on Great Bay.

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  Getting hit by Pichu's Volt Tackle on Pokémon Stadium.

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  Mega Man struck by R.O.B.'s Robo Beam on Battlefield.

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  Being thrown by Samus on Find Mii.

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  Mega Man, Peach, Diddy Kong, and Bayonetta fighting around Alolan Exeggutor on Pilotwings.

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  Being grabbed out of shield by Cloud on Great Bay Ω.

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  Mega Man on New Donk City Hall with Daisy and Pit in Stamina Mode.

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  Mega Man, Luigi, and King Dedede getting attacked by the Moon on Pirate Ship Ω.

Trivia

• Due to an error, Mega Man's character showcase video was originally not accessible on his fighter page on the Ultimate website. The error has since been fixed.
• Mega Man is the only third-party veteran with a new arrangement in their character showcase video, using a new remix of Wood Man’s stage music. Snake, Pac-Man, and Ryu use arrangements from previous games while Sonic, Cloud, and Bayonetta use music ported from their home games.
• Mega Man's pose in his official art is notably similar to his pose on the North American and European box art for Mega Man 7, albeit horizontally mirrored.
  • Mega Man also takes on a similar pose during his Final Smash.
• Mega Man's Classic Mode plays homage to his original NES games, primarily Mega Man 2.
  • The first four fights reference Ice Man, Metal Man, Wood Man, and Quick Man with the character choice, stage, and music.
  • The battle against multiple Mega Mans homage the boss rush that occurs near the end of the games.
  • Galleom is a tribute to the Guts Tank in Mega Man 2, further emphasized by Guts Man's theme playing in the background.
  • The final battle is a reference to Mega Man 2's final boss, with Dr. Mario being Dr. Wily and Mewtwo being Alien Wily.