Proto Man

Proto Man
Mega Man character

Proto Man in Mega Man 10
First game Mega Man 3 (1990)
Created by Keiji Inafune
Voiced by (English) Scott McNeil (Ruby-Spears cartoon)
Kaj-Erik Eriksen (Mega Man: Upon a Star)
Matthew Meersbergen (1997-2005)
Jonathan Love (2006-present)
Voiced by (Japanese) Jin Yamanoi (Mega Man: The Power Battle, Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters)
Ryōtarō Okiayu (Mega Man 8, Mega Man Battle & Chase, Super Adventure Rockman)
Daisuke Kageura (Megaman Powered Up)
Urara Takano (Mega Man: Upon a Star)

Proto Man, known in Japan as Blues (Japanese: ブルース Hepburn: Burūsu),[1] is a fictional character from Capcom's Mega Man video game series. Proto Man first appeared in the 1990 Mega Man 3, and was known as Break Man (though Proto Man's in-game appearance differs slightly from Break Man's). At the end of Mega Man 3, Dr. Light reveals that Break Man's actual name is Proto Man, and that he is Mega Man's older brother.

Appearances

Video games

Proto Man is the early prototype of Mega Man that made his first appearance in NES game Mega Man 3 (1990) and is found in the Magnet Man, Hard Man, Shadow Man and Gemini Man levels. He has a grey and red uniform and a yellow scarf. He wears a red helmet with a silvery decoration and a dark visor which hides his eyes. He always appears after his distinctive whistle.

At the end of Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters, it is revealed by Dr. Light that Proto Man's body has a fatal defect in its energy system, and as a result is in great pain and has a more limited lifespan. In Mega Man Powered Up, Proto Man reveals in a dialog with the Yellow Devil that his reactor is already unstable, which due to being a Nuclear reactor, could result in disaster with "one big shock". In the various Mega Man manga, Proto Man has appeared in casual clothing, usually standing atop a building wearing a trenchcoat, sunglasses, slacks and black shoes. His scarf is tucked into the trenchcoat, but still noticeable.

He can be unlocked as a playable character in Mega Man Powered Up,[2] the PlayStation Portable remake of the first Mega Man game, as well as in Mega Man 9 as part of that game's extra downloadable content.[3] He is also a playable character in Mega Man 10.[4]

Other appearances

Proto Man's first game appearance, Mega Man 3, was adapted for animation in the Captain N: The Game Master episode "A Tale of Two Dogs". Proto Man did not appear in the episode, however.

In the Ruby-Spears Mega Man cartoon, Proto Man, having been reprogrammed by Dr. Wily, is villainous and serves as Dr. Wily's main henchman alongside Cut Man and Guts Man in the cartoon series, having similar capabilities as Mega Man and identical to his appearance in the games except the fact that he lacks his shield. He is obsessed with destroying Mega Man, and sometimes gets in the way of Wily's plots by going out of his way to do so.

In Dead Rising 2: Off the Record the player can unlock a Proto Man costume, which can be used by the main character Frank West.[5]

Proto Man also appeared in Mega Man's comics published by Archie Comics.[6]

Another spin-off of the series, Mega Man Battle Network, features Protoman.EXE as a friend and rival of the protagonist, Megaman.EXE. In this series, the characters are computer programs called "NetNavi" rather than robots and exist only in the digital world, although connections to the real world exist and progress through the series. Each person has his or her own NetNavi, and are known as "operators". Megaman.exe's operator is Lan, the series protagonist along with Megaman, while Protoman.exe's operator is Chaud, Lan's rival and a master operator, working with law enforcement.

Proto Man also features as a central character in the works of the band The Protomen, namely in their retelling of the Mega Man series as a dystopian rock opera.

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, Proto Man's armor and helmet (through paid DLC) can be worn by Mii fighters.

He is a playable character in the flash online game: Super Mario Bros. Crossover, on explodingrabbit.com.

Reception

Proto Man's character was generally received with positive critical response by publications for video games. In Mega Man 9 review, Mark Bozon from IGN criticized his character for taking a lot of damage.[3] Nevertheless, IGN's Colin Moriarty said Proto Man is "the biggest addition" to Mega Man 10, adding "playing as Proto Man adds more depth to the game, and gives you a reason to play through again once you've beaten Mega Man 10."[4] Complex stated the tenth game of main series "offers more of the same in terms of gameplay, save for the ability to play as Proto Man right off the bat instead of having to unlock him."[7] Complex also ranked eight a Proto Man action figure on its list of "The 50 Coolest Video Game Action Figures and Statues".[8] GamesRadar listed him and Mega Man as having one of the best brotherly rivalries in gaming, commenting that he is "quite the anti-hero" and "the cool cat of the two."[9] The same site also said "Everyone loves Mega Man, but some fans prefer the bad boy style of his rival/ally Proto Man", and listed Proto Man as one of the 30 best Capcom characters of the last 30 years, adding "It's hard to say who’s the better robot slayer, but Proto Man’s scarf and shield at least make him the more fashionable of the two."[10]

References

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Proto Man
  1. ↑ Interview with Kenji Inafune Mega. Man.Network (Originally published in Play magazine, volume 3, issue 4 (April 2004)). Archived from the original on December 15, 2005. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Mega Man Powered Up Cheats". GameRevolution. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  3. 1 2 Bozon, Mark (September 25, 2008). "Mega Man 9: Unlocking Proto Man". IGN. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Moriarty, Colin (March 11, 2010). "Mega Man 10 Review". IGN. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
  5. ↑ Conditt, Jessica (October 16, 2011). "Frank West can be Proto Man in Dead Rising 2: Off the Record". Joystiq. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
  6. ↑ "The Mega Man Network Interviews Ian Flynn on Proto Man & More". The Mega Man Network. June 20, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  7. ↑ "The 50 Best Next-Gen Platformers". Complex. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  8. ↑ Amirkhani, Justin (February 6, 2013). "The 50 Coolest Video Game Action Figures and Statues". Complex. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
  9. ↑ Rubens, Alex (May 18, 2012). "The 8 best brotherly rivalries in gaming". GamesRadar. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  10. ↑ "The 30 best Capcom characters of the last 30 years". GamesRadar. Future plc. June 25, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, May 04, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.