List of Mega Man Battle Network characters

The following is a list characters from both the Mega Man Battle Network series of video games, and the MegaMan NT Warrior (Rockman EXE) anime and manga.

Note that when there is a discrepancy between the English and Japanese names, the English name will be listed first, followed by the Japanese.

Protagonists

Lan Hikari

Lan Hikari, known in Japan as Netto Hikari (光熱斗 Hikari Netto?), is a fifth-grade student with a strong bond with his NetNavi, MegaMan. He is the son of Yuichiro Hikari and Haruka Hikari, and the grandson of Tadashi Hikari. He had a twin brother, Hub Hikari, who died when they were young, and it is later revealed that MegaMan is actually Hub reincarnated as data. MegaMan has a .1% modified difference in his DNA to avoid a connection between the two, but it is eventually erased, which causes them to become synchronized. He is voiced by Alex Doduk and Brad Swaile[1] in the English version of the anime and Kumiko Higa in the Japanese version of the anime.

Lan is a typical carefree, happy-go-lucky youth in search of adventure and fun. However, he is quick at noticing the smallest details thus enabling him to think calmly during a sticky situation. Lan is also known as to be dense when things aren't Net related. He frequently NetBattles, and places the prospect of completing menial tasks like homework behind him. Despite his seemingly carefree attitude, Lan is always prompt to do the right thing, either for the world, or simply for a friend. He is talented on inline skates in every version of the franchise, loves curry in the anime and manga, and commonly decorates his room with soccer-themes. Lan can be quite rash at times, but his actions sometimes have a positive effect.

In the anime, Lan eventually becomes a NetSaver (Net Savior), aiding the Net Police in stopping crimes. This responsibility leads Lan on many missions involving the Darkloids and the Dark Chips in Axess, and his duties are expanded in Stream, as he becomes one of the Cross Fusion members opposing Duo.

Both the names Lan and Netto are references to networks, whilst the name Hikari, which is Japanese for 'light', is a reference to the main series' Dr. Light.

MegaMan.EXE

MegaMan.EXE (ロックマン.EXE Rokkuman.Eguze?, Rockman.EXE in the original) is the main NetNavi protagonist of the series. He is very close to his operator, Lan, and it is later revealed that he is actually Hub Hikari (Saito Hikari (光彩斗 Hikari Saito?) in the original), Lan's twin brother reincarnated as data. Hub died during early infancy from a rare heart disease, but their father, Yuichiro, managed to use Hub's DNA in his project to create the perfect NetNavi. Completely syncing DNA would cause them to connect and feel each other's pain, so MegaMan's eye color is different, though the difference is later removed in order to save MegaMan's life. He later spends much of his time in the real world by using a "CopyBot" as a body. In the anime, it is not revealed that he is not Lan's twin but his close friend. He is voiced by Andrew Francis[1] in the English version, and Akiko Kimura in the Japanese version of the anime.

MegaMan is sometimes accused of being uptight by Lan because of his constant lecturing. He is usually optimistic even in the worst of times, and extremely determined. He is also usually very polite with other characters, where even in a bad situation unrelated to him he'll feel the need to apologize and make peace with others. Outside of that, however, he often cracks jokes about "not being around" for Lan to wake him up or help with his homework. MegaMan's basic weapon is his Megabuster, and he can use various chips to enhance its abilities. He also has the special ability to "Style Change", which allows him to use different elements and abilities specific to the corresponding transformation, and later replaces it with "Soul Unison", which allows him to use the abilities of a friendly Navi. After being tainted by dark energy, he gains "Chaos Unison." After absorbing one of the Cybeasts, he gains the ability to take on their attributes. Falzar gives Megaman the ability to fly and a special "Talon Buster", while Gregar gives him stronger armor and the "Vulcan Buster."

Mayl Sakurai

Mayl Sakurai (桜井メイル Sakurai Meiru?) is a classmate and friend of Lan, and the operator of Roll.EXE (ロール Rōru?). The two are next-door neighbors, and are often perceived to be a couple, though in all incarnations, Lan is clueless towards Mayl's affections. During the epilogue following the sixth game in the series, it is revealed that Lan and Mayl are married and have a child together named "Patch" ("Raito"). The two have always been very close growing up. Mayl, being the more mature and intelligent of the two, is often having to beat some sense into Lan when he gets himself into trouble. The two do occasionally have oppositions, but the bickering only brings them closer. Mayl sometimes shows that she may have romantic feelings towards her lifetime friend. Roll and Megaman's relation strongly parallels that of Lan and Mayl's, though Roll is much more blatant with her affection towards Megaman. She was renamed Maylu Sakurai in the English anime and manga. It is revealed in the 5th game, when the character observes Mayl's house in a Visionburst 11 years in the past, that Mayl's father is Netopian making her at least half Netopian. Maylu's is voiced by Brittney Wilson[1] in the English anime.

Roll is the main female NetNavi of the series. In the Battle Network series Roll is a supporting character to the lead character MegaMan. Roll does not fight often but talks to MegaMan offering many pointers and helpful suggestions. Roll is very helpful to MegaMan whenever he needs her assistance. She is voiced by Lenore Zann[1] in the English anime. Mayl's name is a pun on the wasei-eigo word, 'mail'.

Dex Oyama

Dex Oyama, known as Dekao Oyama (大山デカオ Ōyama Dekao?), in Japan is a classmate and friend of Lan, and the operator of GutsMan.EXE (ガッツマン Gattsuman?). He is often portrayed as a bully with a soft spot. Dex has a younger brother named Chisao, who is seen infrequently in Battle Network, and a recurring character in the anime. In later anime episodes, Dex gives up NetBattling in order to focus on his new career as a curry chef. Renamed Dex Ogreon in the English anime and manga. Dex is voiced by Tony Sampson[1] in the English anime.

GutsMan is a large and strong Navi who believes that he and his operator are the greatest NetBattlers in the world. GutsMan is also shown to have a huge crush on Roll in the anime, mirroring Dex's feelings for Maylu. He is voiced by Scott McNeil.[1]

Yai Ayanokoji

Yai Ayanokoji, known as Yaito Ayanokouji (綾小路やいと Ayanokouji Yaito?) in Japan, is a rich classmate and friend of Lan's, and the operator of Glyde.EXE (グライド Guraido?), which from MegaMan Battle Network 2 onward, is misspelled as "Glide". She is considerably younger than the other main characters, as she skipped a few grades due to her intelligence, and (in the anime) operates out of her father's company, AyanoTech (Gabcom), the original name of which is a play on the name of Capcom, the original creators of most of the MegaMan / Rockman series. In the anime (and sometimes the games), she is known for her large forehead, her gigantic blonde braids, as well as her love of strawberry milk, and secretly adores Chaud. The English anime and manga shorten her last name to "Ayano."

Glyde is a cyber-butler armed with rare and powerful chips to help defend himself. He is based on Glyde of the Mega Man Legends series. Glide is voiced by Ted Cole.[1]

Eugene Chaud

Eugene Chaud, known as Enzan Ijuin (伊集院 炎山 Ijūin Enzan?) in Japan, is the son of IPC's (BlazeQuest in the English anime) president (Shuuseki Ijuin), and the operator and creator of ProtoMan.EXE, known in Japan as Blues.EXE (ブルース.EXE Burūsu.Eguze?). His mother died while he was still young, and Chaud was forced into becoming the vice-president of his father's corporation, a position which contributed to his initial cold attitude towards Lan Hikari. As the series progresses, he gains more respect for Lan, and also begins to open up to others, smiling more often. He does not, however, lose his serious outlook during battle, nor does he act impulsively before thinking. Chaud is voiced by Bill Switzer and then by Scott Perrie.[1]

In the games, Chaud is an Official NetBattler, who meets Lan while investigating a water shortage caused by WWW. He was introduced as a ruthless operator who took his job seriously and would delete any Navi who got in the way, and originally saw Lan as a pest, but they slowly became friends. Though only a couple years older than Lan, Chaud has progressed much more quickly through his education, and by the sixth (and final) game, he is already a college student. The ending of the sixth game reveals that he grows up to become a Worldwide leader of International Officials (IPC's president in the Japanese version). This incarnation of Chaud wears ProtoMan's Navi mark on the back of his vest for the first three games, unlike the anime and manga.

In the anime, Chaud retains his personality from the game, though his respectful side develops much quicker than in the aforementioned medium. He is the victor of the first series' N1 Grand Prix, defeating his opponents in mere seconds. In Axess, he becomes a Net Saver (Net Savior) and gains the ability to perform Cross Fusion with ProtoMan, but falls into depression after giving a Dark Chip to ProtoMan in order to defeat the Darkloid leader, ShadeMan. Because the process ultimately transforms his Navi into Dark ProtoMan (Dark Blues), Chaud feels responsible for his friend's suffering, and sets out to rectify his mistake. Chaud continues to make regular appearances in Stream, Beast, and Beast+.

Chaud's Japanese name (Enzan) translates to "flame mountain". This reference was translated in his English name through "Chaud," a French word meaning "hot". The anime followed suit by naming the character Chaud Blaze. Furthermore, being a French word, "Chaud" is supposed to be pronounced with a silent "D," but it is incorrectly pronounced. In the English games, Chaud is the character's family name, though he is only referred to as Eugene during his introduction of himself is the first game. The anime changes Chaud to being his given name.

ProtoMan.EXE is based on Proto Man of the original Mega Man series, while also borrowing key traits from Zero of the Mega Man X series. In the anime, he is voiced by David Kaye[1] in the English version, and Masaya Matsukaze in the original version of the series.

Antagonists

WWW (World Three)

Formed by Lord Wily to take over the real world and cyberworld, the WWW is an organization that makes recurring appearances throughout the series, constantly met with defiance from Lan Hikari (Netto Hikari) and MegaMan (Rockman). Initially trying to conquer the internet by constructing the Life Virus (Dream Virus), Wily was forced to disband WWW's members and go into hiding after Lan and MegaMan foiled his plans. A former WWW member, the Professor, would resurrect the Life Virus as Life Virus R, while his servants spread the Zero Virus. Wily and WWW eventually resurfaced, aiming to steal the Tetra Codes, which would allow them to gain access to the SciLab network and claim the Alpha (Proto) network program, which had gone haywire years prior, causing devices connected to it to malfunction. Attempting to synchronize with Alpha once it was finally obtained, Wily was absorbed into its body along with Bass, though his consciousness was retrieved following the incident. The WWW was revived one final time at the series' end, with Wily's goal being destruction of both worlds with the aid of giant Copybot (Copyroid) versions of the Cybeasts (Cyber Beasts), Gregar (Greiga) and Falzar (Falzer). In the anime, WWW serves a similar purpose to its game counterpart, breeding terror and chaos throughout society via the net whilst searching for the "Ultimate NetNavi," later revealed to be PharaohMan. Unlike the events of the game, the original WWW members, and even Wily himself, align themselves with the protagonists instead of starting anew in the end. In Stream, however, WWW is revived by Tesla Gauss (Tesla Magnets) as Neo WWW. The original and newer groups often come into conflict with one another due to tensions over which is more powerful. Dark MegaMan (Dark Rockman) and his Darkloid servants would take over after Neo WWW's last scheme, with the memories of its lower-ranking members erased.

Lord Wily

Lord Wily can be seen as the primary antagonist of the Battle Network franchise. He himself appears as the main villain of Mega Man Battle Network, Mega Man Battle Network 3 and Mega Man Battle Network 6. He manipulates Sean Obihiro into leading the NetMafia Gospel in Mega Man Battle Network 2, and his son Dr. Regal is the main villain of Mega Man Battle Network 4 and Mega Man Battle Network 5.

Mega Man Battle Network incarnation

Mega Man Battle Network 3 incarnation

Mega Man Battle Network 6 incarnation

NetMafia Gospel (Grave)

Gospel (ゴスペル Gosuperu?) refers to a NetMafia organization led by the mysterious Boss Gospel (ゴスペル首領 Gosperu Shuryō?) and the wolf-like monstrosity that is unleashed by the organization. In the games, the creature known as Gospel was created from a collection of bugs in various programs, while in the anime, Gospel and Bass were created from the remnants of PharaohMan. Shuryou Gospel is renamed Kid Grave, and the organization and creature are both renamed Grave and Grave Virus Beast respectively in the English anime. Gospel and the Cybeast Gregar are similar in appearance because of the way they were born; from a fusion of bugs.

Sean Obihiro

Sean Obihiro, known as Shun Obihiro (帯広 シュン Obihiro Shun?) is the true identity of Shuryou Gospel. As a child, Sean's parents were killed in an airplane crash. Ostracized by his peers, he decided to strike back at society by forming Gospel. Unbeknownst to him, he was manipulated by Wily the entire time. Sean would eventually change his ways when Lan offers him a hand in friendship. In Battle Chip Challenge, it was revealed that FreezeMan was his original NetNavi. In the manga, he works undercover as Kei Yuki, an extremely bright professor from Ameroupe.

Members of Gospel (Grave)

Nebula

DarkChip Syndicate Nebula is the antagonist group of Mega Man Battle Network 4 and Mega Man Battle Network 5. It is unique in that, aside from Dr. Regal (and Ms. Yuri in the anime), no human operators are shown to be involved with the group.

Dr. Regal

Dr. Regal (Dr.リーガル Dokutā Rīgaru?) is the human mastermind behind Nebula, and the operator of LaserMan. He is Dr. Wily's son and comes from the small, authoritarian country known as Nation Z.

He is introduced in Battle Network 4, as one of the scientists working together to prevent Duo's asteroid from striking the planet. However, near the end of the game, he reveals that he is behind the spread of "Dark Chips." He sends LaserMan into the asteroid, but MegaMan pursues the Navi. LaserMan is deleted in the resulting battle, and MegaMan manages to avert the crisis. Dr. Regal leaps from the top of the NAXA building to avoid arrest, and is presumed dead.

In Battle Network 5, he kidnaps Dr. Hikari and uses Nebula to take over the entirety of Cyberworld. As Team ProtoMan or Team Colonel slowly take back the internet, Regal prepares to activate the SoulNet system. Using SoulNet, which was developed by Tadashi Hikari and Dr. Wily to connect human emotions, and Nebula Grey, a monstrous program that is the embodiment of evil, he plans to forever corrupt the population. However, he is thwarted by MegaMan, who destroys Nebula Grey and the DarkChips. After the battle, Regal has a decade of his memory erased; the Team Colonel version of the game reveals that it was Dr. Wily that caused this amnesia. He is seen working at SciLab at the end of the game.

In the anime, Dr. Regal is the top energy scientist of Kingland. In the past, he was rescued from a plane crash by Duo, who selected him as a probe to monitor life on Earth, and adopted by Wily.[2] In Axess, he visits Dr. Hikari to look over a commandeered Dimensional Converter used by the Darkloids to substantiate in the real world, but is eventually recognized as the leader of Nebula. He, along with Ms. Yuri, collaborate with the autonomous Navis known as Darkloids to wreak havok on Cyberworld. When ShadeMan, leader of the Darkloids, becomes suspicious of the humans, he is assaulted by LaserMan and is forced to flee. Dr. Regal later uses Regal Tower to create a worldwide Dimensional Area. After deleting ShadeMan once and for all, the now-Cross Fused Dr. Regal moves to destroy SciLab.[3] He is thwarted by Lan and MegaMan, who use "Full Synchro" to badly damage him.

In Rockman EXE: Program of Light and Dark, it is revealed that Regal has become badly fragmented data. He fuses with Nebula Grey (a program created by Dr. Wily) and attempts to use the "Spectrum" phenomenon to gain access to, and eventually destroy, the real world. After being defeated by MegaMan and Bass, he reappears in Stream, using the Crests of Duo to obtain great power. However, he is destroyed once and for all by Duo himself.

Dr. Regal first appears in volume 10 of the Mega Man NT Warrior manga as the weapon development director for the country, Netopia. Later on it is discovered that Dr. Regal is behind the Darkloids in the Netopia Net Army and that he wants MegaMan's ability to merge with Bass, so that Nebula Grey can become even more powerful. However, using Beast Out, MegaMan destroys Nebula Grey. Bass then destroys Dr. Regal's submarine, killing him.

Duo

Duo (デューオ Dyūo?) is a mysterious being from outer space. In the games, Duo is the operation system for a rocket poised to destroy the planet. In the anime, he is a god-like entity, created by an alien race, that seeks to cleanse the universe of all evil. Fifteen years prior to Stream, Duo visits Earth and rescues Dr. Regal and Ms. Yuri from a plane crash, turning them into probes. He returns after having seen the violence brought on by Regal, but decides to spare humankind if it proves its worth. He is voiced by Kenji Nomura.

Duo possesses a variety of extremely potent abilities, many of them manifesting themselves in the form of space-age weaponry. His fists can detach and fire through rocket propulsion to strike his enemies. His chest cavity houses explosive artillery, which is launched in either a direct or homing fashion, as either mines or missiles. This cavity may also compress in on itself to release a powerful focused laser beam that fans out at certain points along the spectrum. His most devastating technique is Anger Impact, where he releases a wave of energy that resembles his face. In the anime, Duo also possesses the ability to separate Navis and operators from Cross Fusion with a mere thought, allowing them to take on physical bodies while in his asteroid.

Cybeasts

Cybeast Gregar

Cybeast Gregar known as Cyber Beast Glaga (電脳獣グレイガ Dennōjū Gureiga?) in Japan, is a legendary wolf-like sentient program created from accumulated bugs, much like the Gospel Megavirus. In the anime, he is the leader of the Gregar Army.

Cybeast Falzar

Cybeast Falzar known as Cyber Beast Falzer (電脳獣ファルザ Dennōjū Faruzā?) in Japan, is a legendary falcon-like sentient program created by Dr. Cain, Mayor Cain's Grandfather, to combat Gregar; the program would go awry, eventually becoming as much of a threat to Cyberworld as its original enemy. In the anime, he is the leader of the Falzar Army.

Bass.EXE

Bass, known as Forte (フォルテ Forute?) in Japan, was intended to be the first fully autonomous NetNavi, fully independent of an operator, and extremely powerful. Bass was falsely blamed for causing massive problems in the original internet, and was nearly killed by the SciLab Elite Corps. Dr. Cossack, the only human he trusted and his creator, ended up betraying him as well. Because of this, Bass has hated humankind ever since.

In Battle Network 2, Sean Obihiro of Gospel attempted to make a clone army of Bass copies, eventually leading to the accidental creation of the Gospel Megavirus. During the game's ending, Bass is shown deleting one such clone and swearing revenge upon mankind. Bass returns to fulfill his promise in Battle Network 3, where he assists Wily in using Alpha to destroy network society; however, Bass is swallowed up by Alpha along with Wily himself. He is then approached by the remains of the Gospel Megavirus, which saves him and fuses with him. He is later confronted by MegaMan in the secret area, and narrowly defeated. It is revealed that he suffers from amnesia, but Megaman is successful to remind him of his creator, Cossak. Thrown into confusion, Bass leaves.

In Battle Network 4, Bass is found deep in the Undernet hibernating as a statue, and reawakens upon meeting Megaman. Once again defeated, he retreats and vows to become stronger. In Battle Network 5, a post-game boss created by dark power takes on his likeness, but his true self can also be fought. Whenever defeated, he leaves of his own volition; this trend continues until Battle Network 6. There, Bass is confronted in his gravestone in the Undernet and numerous times afterwards. The final confrontation with Bass is his most powerful, when he has absorbed a cybeast's power into his body. When defeated, he drifts away into the net and is available as a random encounter in the Graveyard area.

In the anime, Bass was created from Pharoahman's data by Wily.

Other characters

Recurring

Dr. Yuichiro Hikari

Yuchiro Hikari (光祐一朗 Hikari Yūichirō?) is Lan's father, and the creator of MegaMan. He followed in his father's footsteps, working as a scientist and a renowned authority on anything having to do with the net. As such, he is often away, working on his latest project at SciLab. In Axess, his focus moves onto merging operator and NetNavi in a process known as Cross Fusion, which later inspired the "Double Soul" ("Soul Unison") concept in the games.

Yuichiro's father, Dr. Tadashi Hikari, is considered to be the founder of the computer networking system within the Battle Network series. As such, Yuichiro is looked upon as an expert in the subject of networking. Although he is not seen with a NetNavi of his own, he is the creator of numerous NetNavis, including MegaMan.EXE. In the games, in an attempt to save his dying son, Hub, he creates MegaMan by placing the boy's DNA into a Navi program.

In the anime, Yuichiro is often the scientist responsible for new designs and additions to already existing PET models, and his research into the nature of Dimensional Areas leads to the creation of the "Synchro Chip" permitting Cross Fusion, a unique ability that allows an operator to merge with his/her NetNavi.

Haruka Hikari

Haruka Hikari (光はる香 Hikari Haruka?) is Lan's caring mother, who works at home and prepares extravagant meals for her husband and son. In the anime, she is portrayed as somewhat naïve, though she always wishes the best for her loved ones. In the 5th game, Haruka ends up inviting Mayl over in order to teach her cooking, while Mayl returns the favor and teaches her to NetBattle.

Dr. Tadashi Hikari

Tadashi Hikari (光正 Hikari Tadashi?) is the inventor of Cyberworld. He bears a visual resemblance to Dr. Light of the Classic Mega Man series. He passes away long before the events of the Battle Network series, and only appears in the form of archived data.

He first appears in Battle Network 3, after Lan and MegaMan defeat Alpha. He speaks with his grandsons for a short while before Alpha began to collapse. He also indirectly saves MegaMan, as the Navi is found inside the area of Alpha that housed Tadashi's personality data.

Tadashi also appears in Battle Network 5 inside of a "Vision Burst." The Vision Bursts revolve around Tadashi's and Wily's work on the SoulNet, and reveal that the two scientists decided to stop working on the project in order to let their descendants finish it.

Mr. Famous

Mr. Famous (Meijin Eguchi (江口名人 Eguchi-meijin?) in the Japanese version) is a scientist working with Yuichiro. In the games, he is the creator of several powerful Navis, including GateMan, KendoMan, GridMan (Footman), and Punk, although he does not have one in the anime. In every game he has appeared in, each of his Navis were created by fans of the series in a Capcom-sponsored contest (with the exception of Punk). A running gag in the anime involves Famous repeatedly trying to convince Lan to not use "Mr." ('san' in the Japanese version) when addressing him. With each passing series, the number on Famous' shirt increases by one. It started at 15 and ended at 19, meant to represent the Mega Man / Rockman franchise's age. In real life, Masakazu Eguchi is the name of the scenario writer for the games, and he often cosplays as Meijin at official Japanese events.

Other Recurring Characters

Non-recurring

Anime-exclusive

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Megaman NT Warrior Cast and Crew". tv.com. http://www.tv.com/megaman-nt-warrior/show/17004/cast.html. 
  2. ^ MegaMan NT Warrior: Axess / Rockman EXE Axess Episode #48, 2004
  3. ^ MegaMan NT Warrior: Axess / Rockman EXE Axess Episode #51, 2004