Sniper Joe

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sniper Joe
Game series	Mega Man series
First game	Mega Man
Creator(s)	Keiji Inafune
In-Universe Information
Classification	Mechaniloid
Weapon(s)	Various long range weaponry
Loyalty	Dr. Wily

Sniper Joe is one of the most prolific recurring minor enemies in the Mega Man video game series. Due to his invulnerable shield and huge reserve of hit points, he is responsible for causing much frustration among players. For these reasons, "Joes" are often stationed in front of boss doors or valuable items such as 1-ups or E-tanks.

Sniper Joe has appeared in many different roles over the course of the Mega Man series. These are usually piloting roles, in which a Joe mans a cannon, jet ski, or even a giant walker. Some variants are more heavily armored than others, but on the other hand, some are also much lighter armored than others!

Contents 1 Sniper Joe Units 1.1 DRN-000, Proto Man 1.2 Sniper Joe 1.3 Return Sniper Joe 1.4 Sniper Armour 1.5 Hammer Joe 1.6 Skeleton Joe 1.7 Crystal Joe 1.8 Rider Joe 1.9 Apache Joe 1.10 Cannon Joe 1.11 Gunner Joe 1.12 Piripari 1.13 Sniper Joe-01 1.14 Track Joe 1.15 Joe Classic 1.16 Black Joe 1.17 Flail Joe

[edit] Sniper Joe Units

General Information:

• Joe units are considered the "generic soldier" of Wily's army.
• According to Mega Man: Powered Up, the Joes were based on Proto Man's design.

[edit] DRN-000, Proto Man

The prototype robot for most of Dr. Light's creations and the robot on which all Sniper Joe units are based upon. Also ran around in the guise of "Break Man" for a little while.

See main article Proto Man for further information.

[edit] Sniper Joe

Sniper Joe is the most basic form. In Mega Man 1, he was an agile, jumping menace about Mega Man's size with a tendency to hide behind his shield, completely negating any attacks. He will also occasionally jump. He will also actively chase after enemies that managed to hop over them.

Appearances: Mega Man, Mega Man: The Wily Wars, Mega Man: Powered Up

Additional Notes

• In Mega Man: Powered Up, it is possible to knock his shield away with certain heavy weaponry.

[edit] Return Sniper Joe

Return Sniper Joe("Kaettekita Sniper Joe" in Japan) is a slightly-altered version of the Sniper Joes from the original game. Not only are these Sniper Joes entirely stationary, but their shots also move a bit slower than the original Sniper Joes. They can also operate the powerful Sniper Armour.

Appearances: Mega Man 2, Mega Man in Dr. Wily's Revenge, Mega Man: The Wily Wars

Additional Notes

• The sprite for the Return Sniper Joe was altered quite a bit from the original Sniper Joe sprite. A frame from the firing animation was also removed for unknown reasons.(Possibly space limitations.)
• In Mega Man: The Wily Wars, the sprites for this unit replace all the sprites for the Sniper Joe units in Mega Man (video game).

[edit] Sniper Armour

The Sniper Armour is a large, bi-pedal walking armor carrying a Return Sniper Joe unit. The mech attempts to jump on an enemy and also fires a stream of bullets in an arc. It can take a lot of abuse, and when destroyed, will leave its pilot behind.

Appearances: Mega Man 2, Mega Man: The Wily Wars

Additional Notes

• According to the Rockman Perfect Memories guide book(and a few other documents), the Sniper Armour was actually something Dr. Light made for the purpose of lifting and moving heavy objects. However, Dr. Wily got ahold of the prototype("Item-4") and converted it into the walk-armor we see in the games.

[edit] Hammer Joe

Hammer Joe is one of the more heavily-armored varieties of Joe. He wields a ball and chain and is invulnerable while his helmet is closed.

Appearances: Mega Man 3, Mega Man II, Capcom World 2, Mega Man III, Mega Man: The Wily Wars

[edit] Skeleton Joe

Skeleton Joe is a unique enemy; no matter how many times he is blasted apart, he will simply stand up and screw his head back on a few seconds later. Only a powerful weapon(such as a fully-charged Mega Buster shot) can destroy him completely.

Appearances: Mega Man 4, Mega Man III

[edit] Crystal Joe

Crystal Joe is an unusual type of Joe in that he can convert energy to matter in the form of crystals which he then flings forward. He is invulnerable while creating crystals (they flash while doing so), and the crystals themselves will block shots.

Appearances: Mega Man 5, Mega Man IV

Additional Notes

• According to the Rockman Perfect Memories guide book, Wily created these units mostly to build crystals to sell for the purpose of making money to fund his expenses, such as building fortress and mass-producing robots.

[edit] Rider Joe

Rider Joe rides the waters in Wave Man's stage on his own jet scooter. He usually approaches from behind, although sometimes he approaches from the front in an attempt to ram into Mega Man. He has no shields, needing both arms to steer his craft as well as fire its blaster weaponry. He appears in Mega Man 5.

Appearances: Mega Man 5

[edit] Apache Joe

Apache Joe flies a helicopter with a bottom-mounted gun. He also has a habit of buzzing around his enemy and trying to crush them with his helicopter. Like Rider Joe, Apache Joe has no shielding, needing both hands to pilot his vehicle as well as aim and fire the attached cannon.

Appearances: Mega Man 5

[edit] Cannon Joe

Cannon Joe is, as his name implies, a Sniper Joe manning a turret cannon. The cannon can rotate and fire at angles, but the Joe itself has no shielding.

Appearances: Mega Man 6

Additional Information

• The top of the Sniper Joe operating the turret is actually the same as the top of the Crystal Joe sprite from Mega Man 5.

[edit] Gunner Joe

A Sniper Joe unit in a space craft unit equipped with seeker rockets.

Appearances: Mega Man IV

[edit] Piripari

Piripari(Sometimes called "Electric Joe") surrounds himself with an electrical shield for a few seconds before discharging the shield into a forward-flying projectile. The shield protects him from all attacks while it's up.

Appearances: Mega Man V

Additional Notes

• This unit is the "younger brother" to the "Biribari" robots; the two-eyed electrical units used in the main stages of the game. However, Biribari isn't part of the "Joe" unit while Piripari, on the other hand, is indeed a part of the "Joe" unit.

[edit] Sniper Joe-01

Slightly closer to the original Sniper Joe designs, these Sniper Joes will hide behind their shields and jump or fire off energy projectiles at random. Unlike the original Sniper Joe units, however, they will not actively chase enemies that jump over them.

Appearances: Mega Man 7

[edit] Track Joe

Wearing a white bandanna, this weaponless Joe drives a large plow with a spiked shovel on the front. He later appears in a slightly less-menacing vehicle as one of the "generic" drivers in a Battle & Chase Tournament.

Appearances: Mega Man 7, Mega Man Battle & Chase

Additional Notes

• According to the Rockman Perfect Memories guide book, Track Joe isn't actually licensed to drive in Mega Man 7. Regardless, he takes great pride in knowing how to drive, which is what drove him to enter the Battle & Chase Tournament.

[edit] Joe Classic

Going back to his roots, Wily uses these Joe units in his last two schemes. Despite being called "Joe Classic" units and despite being colored green with black boots(just like the first incarnation), Joe Classic units actually act quite a bit more like the Sniper Joe-01 units in that they will stand perfectly still and hide behind their shields, randomly poking out to fire a shot or randomly jumping. A new addition, however, is the fact that these Joes can toss low-impact grenades at their enemies.

Appearances: Mega Man 8, Mega Man & Bass

Additional Notes

• When these units are ducking and covering, they're vulnerable from all sides, despite their shield covering their backs.

[edit] Black Joe

A dark Sniper Joe unit driving an equally-dark vehicle, he's one of several Black Racer characters in the Battle & Chase tournament who will challenge you to a one-on-one race. If you can beat him, he'll divulge valuable information regarding the game.

Appearances: Mega Man Battle & Chase

[edit] Flail Joe

:Note: "Flail Joe" may not be its official name.

A variation on the Hammer Joe, this Joe unit swings a multi-flail around a few times before hurling it at his enemies. Also unlike Hammer Joe, it is entirely unprotected.

Appearances: Rockman & Forte WS

Additional Notes

• Flail Joe, and all the other enemies in Rockman & Forte WS, were created by Bandai as opposed to Capcom.

Related Links

• Page 86 from the Rockman & Rockman X Great Encyclopedia