10 Best Mega Man Characters, Ranked By Fighting Ability

The Mega Man series is a Capcom franchise known mainly for one thing: its incredibly difficult enemies and bosses. Over the years, Mega Man has battled many robots across a variety of bizarre and fantastical worlds in an effort to stop Dr. Wily and save the universe.

While every robot is unique, the one thing that differentiates them from another is their unique fighting abilities. Robots like Pluto and Shadow Man are some of the best fighters in Mega Man, possessing a few traits that make them stand out from the crowd.

10 Yamato Man

Based on a Japanese samurai warrior, Yamato Man embodies the samurai spirit. He was built for combat purposes and is a skilled martial artist as well. His Yamato Spear gives him fighting capabilities that many other Robot Masters don’t have.

Yamato Man attacks with his spear in two different ways. He can spin his weapon and throw the tip at his opponent before retrieving it seconds later) or he can jump up high and spin his spear while firing spearheads that spread out. He can also use his spear for defense, spinning it around to deflect attacks. With his unique character design and devastating fighting moves, Yamato Man would rank as one of the best fighters in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 should Capcom ever decide to add him to the roster in a future update.

9 Search Man

Search Man is currently the only Robot Master with two heads. Intended to be a two-man sniper on one, Search Man, unfortunately, lacks two personalities, which in turn causes him to get confused quite often. However, that hasn’t stopped him from being one of the stealthier robots around.

Based on a camouflaged soldier, Search Man can set up traps at ease. He can hide behind one out of three strategically placed bushes, with the two other bushes rigged with a bomb. Search Man can snipe easily his opponents from a faraway distance, using a Homing Missile to hunt his foes down.

8 Pluto

A feline-based Stardroid, Pluto was primarily designed for jungle combat. This is easily reflected in his fighting style, which consists of agility and quick reflexes, both of which are very befitting for any feline.

With Break Dash, Pluto can move at superhuman speeds and can even jump from wall to wall. His claws are sharp enough to let him cling unto any wall he’s perched on. While on the wall, he will fire a few homing projectiles from a high enough altitude where he cannot be reached.

7 Duo

Duo is an extraterrestrial police robot hailing from outer space who can harness “Justice Energy.” Perhaps his most notable trait is his giant left fist, which can both absorb and destroy Evil Energy and cause massive damage to his opponents.

Duo usually attacks by punching with his left hand, which is capable of producing shock waves. Not only that, but he can also fly and turn himself into a comet to crush anyone into oblivion. His dash attack, the Giga Tackle, can deal plenty of damage thanks to the spikes on his shoulder.

6 Shadow Man

First appearing in Mega Man 3, one of the best games in the Mega Man franchise, Shadow Man is a skilled martial artist much like Yamato Man and also happens to be a master of ninjutsu. As such, he can pull off a variety of ninja-like moves that can quickly incapacitate his foes before they have a chance to strike back or cause significant damage to him.

A strong and agile robot, Shadow Man can set up decoys or replace himself with a log to block his opponent’s attacks. The Shadow Blade that he wields is a giant shuriken, coated with a deadly liquid that can hamper a robot’s mechanical functions. And just like any other ninja, Shadow Man is a master of stealth who can quickly dodge most attacks.

5 Shade Man

Shade Man is one of the more unique Robot Masters in Mega Man. His design is based on a classical vampire with wings that grant him the ability to fly. Aside from those traits, the way that he fights is also pretty unique in itself.

In battle, Shade Man will fly up high in the shade, before diving at his opponent. He will then bite his opponent’s neck to drain his oil to suck the life energy out of him. Shade Man’s stare beam can easily turn anyone to stone, and his weapon, Noise Crush, can be charged up if bounced off the wall and then bouncing back to him.

4 Sword Man

As one of the best bosses in the Mega Man games, Sword Man wields an imposing sword in battle. But due to how heavy the sword is, the upper part of Sword Man’s body has an anti-gravitational device to help with his balance. As a result, the upper and lower parts of his body act independently of each other, which makes Sword Man a unique Robot Master compared to most.

A capable fighter, Sword Man can either fight at close-range with his Flame Sword, or hurl his entire torso at his foe like a boomerang for a Fire Slash attack. His Final Strike has him utilize both his upper and lower halves separately for a rushing maneuver.

3 Pharoah Man

Arguably Dr. Cossack’s most prominent robot creation, Pharoah Man relies on solar energy to attack. He can channel this power in two different ways – a sphere of solar energy (Pharoah Shot), or a destructive wave that can be charged up (Pharoah Wave).

Aside from this special ability, Pharoah Man has other powers such as levitation, summoning portals, and an eye shield used for protecting himself. Not only that, but he is also one of the faster robots in the Mega Man series – with only the bright glow of a flashlight able to bring him down due to his tendency of exploring dark pyramids.

2 Sunstar

Sunstar is more than just an ancient robot from an ancient Stardroid civilization. He is also a doomsday superweapon who wants nothing more than to rule over the universe. Dr. Wily, one Capcom’s most popular jerk characters, reactivated this destructive robot to eliminate Mega Man, not aware of how dangerous he truly was.

Being the powerful robot that he is, Sunstar fights in three phases. The first phase sees him using a giant beam, becoming invincible while he’s charging it up. In his second phase, he fires a few fire blasts and bouncing sparks from his arm cannon. He then turns into a giant fireball in his final phase, before unleashing a destructive rain that not only burns the floor but is hard to avoid.

1 Terra

Terra is the leader of Stardroids, and he receives high praise from his extraterrestrial allies for his strong determination in battle. In terms of his fighting ability, he has a few powers that can keep his opponents on their toes.

Terra’s special weapon is the Spark Chaser – a slow-moving beam that chases down its foes and deals heavy damage upon impact. He also has a paralyzing beam that can paralyze opponents, and allow the Spark Chaser to land easily. Should anyone get close to him, Terra can easily warp away in the nick of time.