Image via Complex Original
Co-written with Random a.k.a. Mega Ran [@megaran]
Over two decades have passed since Capcom released the action platformer Mega Man on the Nintendo Entertainment System. From the day it hit shelves, the little blue robotic boy has pulled in fans from all over the world and has amassed a following so dedicated that the franchise has seen 10 titles from the main series with a number of spin-offs.
We've put together a list of 10 Things You Never Knew About Mega Man as both a tribute to the classic game and as a way for you to stick it to any know-it-all gamers you may come across.
Mega Man And Astro Boy Are From The Same Hood
Mega Man was heavily inspired by the old school anime character Astro Boy. Capcom once had the license for Astro but lost it, so they created their own version. At the end of the first Mega Man game, you'll see young Astro's cameo.
Astro Boy's cameo:
"Mega Man's" Soundtrack Is One Of The Most Covered Ever
There are over 30 cover bands dedicated to the Mega Man franchise including The Megas, The Protomen and of course, Mega Ran.
The Megas perform live:
Dr. Wiley Set Us Up The A-Bomb
By looks alone, it's obvious that the infamous Dr. Albert W. Wiley was based off of German physicist Albert Einstein. Since Einstein played a part in developing the world's first atomic bomb that would eventually be used on Japan, it's been rumored that Mega Man would portray him as an evil genius that's out to bring destruction to the world.
Most Of The Characters Have Music Based Names
In Japan, the characters in Mega Man all have music inspired names. Double M's name was Rockman, his sister's name is Roll, his bird's name is Beat while two of his enemies are known as Bass and Treble. Coincidentally, the eight bosses in Mega Man X5 were named after the members of Guns N' Roses. Alyson Court who came up with the American versions of the character names used the band member names as a salute to her husband who is a huge fan of Guns N' Roses. Capcom in Japan had no prior influence on Alyson's decision.
Mega Man Originally Had A More Colorful Name
Although Mega Man was originally called "Rockman," his proposed name before that was "Rainbow Battle Rock Man" for his ability to change colors when armed with different weapons. Because there was already a character named "Rainbowman" on TV in Japan, copyright issues kept Capcom from using it. Rockman became the debut name for who would later become Mega Man.
Mega Man Has Hip-Hop Credibility
In 2007 Random a.k.a Mega Ran teamed up with Capcom to be the first rap artist to get a licensing deal for a video game character. As an avid fan of the game, Mega Ran gained critical acclaim and is currently hailed as one of Hip-Hop's greatest nerdcore artists.
"Mega Ran"
Not Every Robot Boss Was Made In Japan
All of the robot bosses were created by Japanese developers except for Knight Man and Wind Man in Mega Man 6. They were created by American developers.
Oilman Was A Black man
Oilman from Mega Man: Powered Up had his looks tweaked to avoid African-American stereotypes. At first the greasy villain dawned a black suit and large pink lips that made it look similar to the racist Little Black Sambo character. For once the faux pas was realized, Oilman became dark blue with yellow lips.
Little Black Sambo:
The Blue Ain't So Deep
There is no hidden reason as to why Mega Man is the color he is. As it turns out, Mega Man is blue because of the limited palette of colors on the NES and most of the usable colors were shades of blue. That simple.
Mega Man Will Pop Up Where You Least Expect Him
Even in recent video games, Mega Man still has an influence. In Square Enix's 2010 release, Just Cause 2, there's an easter egg that allows you play the NES version of Mega Man 2.
How to get to Mega Man 2 in Just Cause 2:
