• Top 10 Mega Man Bosses

  

  Written by Zeromage 45 Comments
  Last Updated:: June 4, 2008

  Is there a game with more recognized and appreciated bosses than the Mega Man series? Once one plays past the more hackneyed bosses of Mega Man 1, one is overwhelmed by the amount of memorable bosses in Mega Man 2 and 3. Both these games clearly make up the best in the series. While Mega Man 4 showed some strength in its boss creativity (Skull Man), once we got to Mega Man 5-8 the idea of specific elemental men to the ground with such monstrosities of “Centaur Man” and “Tomahawk Man”. When you look back at the bosses of Mega Man 2 and 3 specifically, you’re overwhelmed not only by how inspired the actual bosses themselves are, but also their respective stages and stage music. Flash Man WAS Flash Man’s stage, Snake Man was not just himself, but his stage which we will read about later. Mega Man hit its stride in these games not because of amazing graphics or overtly intricate storylines, but because of creativity and simplicity, combining a simple 2D shooter into a battle with all the elements epitomized by all the bosses that had to be cleared. One could make a list including every boss in the second and third installment of the series (except Top Man) but that would involve making no difficult decisions which is often the key in thinking about any “best of” list. The difficult decisions were made and we were left with these 10 bosses in the Mega Man series as the best.

  10. Ice Man (Mega Man 1)

  Ice Man was one of the first original boss robots in the Mega Man series. Being part of the first Mega Man, he wasn’t deserving of a cleverer name. “Ice Man” though covers all the winter elements and parallels the deities of antiquity. Real world parallels aside, this Eskimo could pack a punch with his ice slasher. His jumping power was mighty and so was his defense. Ice Man was one of the most elusive characters in the Mega Man series. Peculiarly though, he didn’t look like a robot, not even an Eskimo robot. He looked like a regular human Eskimo you see on the discovery channel when they visit Greenland. Besides fishing and making heat when necessary, these real world Eskimos always come across as the nicest of people. Not so with Ice Man, as his level is slippery and filled with ice enemies including “freezesugulls”, springbots, and flying sharks with propellers on their noses. Also in this level, we encounter reappearing and disappearing blocks that need to be traversed to finish the level. These are always vexing, especially in Heat Man’s stage in Mega Man 2, but they first made their appearance here in Ice Man’s stage. Many Ice bosses and stages would follow would be inspired by Ice Man and his stage including “Freeze Man” and “Chill Penguin”, but it was this original arctic blast of a boss and level that first stirred the arctic idea into reproduction.

  9. Magnet Man

  Why is Magneto arguably the most popular villain in Marvel comics? The answer is simple: Nerds like magnets. They like the idea of a simple scientific principle yielding a deadly weapon. So it was only a matter of time before there was a Magnet Man in the Mega Man series, which was realized in Mega Man 3. Boy was he one of the most scary looking bosses we encounter. Endowed with a magnet attached to his head, Magnet Man would not be someone we would want to encounter on the street. Wait until you had to battle him though and you saw how scary he actually was. With his magnetic power, he was able to draw Mega Man in from all distances and keep him from shooting any projectiles at him. Combine this with the actual magnet shot that followed the ceiling in a perfect line dropping magnets at every inch in the immediate vicinity. The music for Magnet Mans stage was a fine piece of composure. Try learning it on piano though and you would be sadly in for a long day. Master it though, and you can hear this ingenious melodicism in a new way beyond 8-bit sound. Magnet Man’s level was one of the best “electro” levels in the Mega Man series. Filled with wires throughout, and flying magnet bots that could lift you from the ground and carry you to empty pits of doom, this stage was loaded with peril. And of course, who could forget the appearing and disappearing blocks. If you had not mastered these yet from Mega Man 2, then you were to spend the day getting used to these often overlooked difficulties. The idea of Magnet Man was strangely creative. The level and character though, all dovetailed into one of the more memorable sequences in the series.

  8. Bubble Man

  Bubble Man has one of the stronger music themes for his stage. A pounding beat heavy on the snare accompanied by a floaty melody. His stage was also one of the more difficult stages in the Mega Man series. While the above ground jumps and enemies weren’t that difficult, it was the underwater jumps that proved to be most hazardous because of that spikes that would instantly kill you. These jumps created a perfect sense of tension. These deadly spikes would even be lining the ceiling of Bubble Man’s room, making it tough to jump without fear of being destroyed. Bubble Man himself is armed with harpoons and bubbles. While the bubbles don’t seem like they could do any damage to a robot, they do enough to make Mega Man have to worry about evading them. The Harpoons are even more dangerous as they take a sizeable amount of energy out of Mega Man. Bubble Man is one mean looking robot master too. He’s all business and his business is destroying hero robots such as Mega Man. Bubble Man was the first robot master created for underwater battle. This theme would be duplicated throughout Mega Man and its different series, but Bubble Man was the initial “Water Stage” coupled with a more creative “Water Man” in the name of Bubble Man. Also, without Bubble Man’s weapon, “you know who” could not be defeated, and the world, would not be saved.

  7. Air Man

  We meet Air Man in Mega Man 2 in the stage of the clouds. Air Man’s stage showed the afflatus that the creators of Mega Man inherited. The stage consisted of appearing and disappearing platforms for Mega Man to jump on and a lightening thrower hovering above the superhero on a mechanistic cloud. Airman himself was a figure of pure genius having the body and month of a fan that could suck you in when trying to get off your best shots. His projectiles that consisted of mini tornadoes were one of the more difficult trajectories to evade in the Mega Man series. There was only the smallest of space to jump over his tornadoes at the most exact of times. His defense and attack were both solid. Let’s not forget his jumping power too. He could jump across most of the screen in one up thrust. Beating Air Man required either skilled timing or as always, the correct weapon, which this time was the weapon procured from Wood Man. The leaves thrown at Air Man ostensible clog up the fan, which doesn’t make too much sense, hence the “ostensibility”. Big and noticeably irritable (check out those eyebrows!), Air Man is a memorable figure in the collection of Wily’s robots. His aggressiveness shocks the player into his full attention.

  6. Metal Man

  Is there any weapon in the Mega Man series that feels better to use than Metal Man’s buzzsaw augmented with its sharp cutting sound? This weapon was quick, powerful, and extirpating of anything that came in its away including Mega Man. It could shoot in eight different directions, unlike Mega Man’s regular proton gun, and it imparted massive damage on everything whether it be boss robots or stage enemies. Metal Man who was originally designed as an improvement on the weak Cut Man from Mega Man 1, saw its improvement grow ten fold as Metal Man’s stage was equally as important as its insidious weapon to be procured. Metal Man’s stage was a mass of conveyor belts and electronic engineering throwing Mega Man into holes and making him jump the most difficult of jumps. While Metal Man himself was endowed with arguably the best weapon in the Mega Man series, his defense is what keeps him out of the top 5. He has a peculiar weakness to Mega Man’s average proton gun and is usually beaten as the first boss in the game if one wants a slightly more challenging battle for their first fight other than beating Flash Man in 5 shots with the weak proton gun. Regardless of his weak defense though, Metal Man was powerful in offense and overall design. Like Magnet Man, his weapon was attached to his head creating the sense of paranoia in the protagonist who knew he would have to encounter this mutative robot with weapons for heads. Great level, Great character design and arguably the best weapon to be had in the Mega Man series, places Metal Man at #6 on our list.

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45 Comments

1. #1 Jelly says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 6:24 pm

   Woodman was so easy
2. #2 Bobby says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 4:54 pm

   where’s Quickman….
3. #3 Eddie says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 8:35 pm

   This list sucks. Although I agree that Air Man and Metal Man are badass, Wood Man is a puss, Bubble Man is possibly the easiest boss to defeat, Ice Man looks like a human and Snake Man looks like a green sperm. Elec Man and Fire Man were hard as fuck and Guts Man and Cut Man are the most recognizable of all the bosses. If there is one boss that means business it’s Dive Man.
4. #4 TheGamesta says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 9:05 pm

   While its arguable that the series went downhill after pt. 3, I find it extremely curious that only listed bosses from the first three Mega Mans.
5. #5 Anthony says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 5:54 am

   Okay, where the FUCK is Tengu Man?!
6. #6 K says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 4:19 pm

   I gotta agree. Woodman was pretty weak. Quickman shoulda been on the list somewhere. Metal man wasn’t the toughest boss by any means, but buzz saws? Hell yeah!
7. #7 md says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 11:45 am

   i liked megamanx bosses alot more… like those 3 fuckers you have to beat in x2 to get zero’s parts back, or the two in x3, bitz and byte (think) way better than the bosses in the original megs.
   remember chill penguin? or armoured armadillo?
8. #8 kogomaro says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 1:08 am

   WERE THE FUCK IS TENGU MAN????????????????????
9. #9 Quickman says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 1:55 am

   I AM THE BEST FUCKING BOSS IN THE ENTIRE SERIES. I WAS FASTER THAN A FAT BOY ORDERING A 12 PIECE CHICKEN BUCKET AT KFC.SNAKEMAN? WHAT A DAMN JOKE.
10. #10 skittlespider says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:18 am

    I do somewhat agree with your list. I think some of the games beyond the first three should have at least had some representation though.
11. #11 MMH says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:54 pm

    The list is unimpressive. It seems to take the levels into account more than the actual robot masters. Although Snake Man’s level was awesome and I love the character design, he was the easiest boss in 3 (that’s right, even easier than Top Man!). Plus what’s up with claiming Wood Man is difficult? >_> And Skull Man innovative? Skull Man was a generic Master with a leaf shield knock-off and a mega buster. Even Bright Man was more innovative.

    The most iconic Mega Man Robot Masters are probably Cut Man, Air Man, Guts Man, Wood Man, and maybe Fire Man. Yet instead of Cut & Fire showing up, they get a diss. #1 may have been a little unpolished (pt system, uneven boss power, etc), but the bots were pretty solid.

    Props for mentioning Crash/Clash Man, though, he’s too often neglected. Metal Man was easy, but his weapon is wicked (and he gets a nice refresh in MMBN3; MagnetMan also got a decent overhaul in MMBN2 and he’s playable in MMBN5). And Top Man was possibly the coolest Robot Master of all time, simply for being one of the weakest bosses yet having an attack that can pretty much OHKO one of Wily’s forms.
12. #12 Eddie says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 2:37 pm

    MMH, Top Man is one of the worst robot masters ever. He’s in the same category with Ice Man, Centaur Man and Gravity Man. I do, however, agree with you that Skull Man is as generic as they come. I don’t know about anyone else, but I think Magma Man is pretty freakin awesome in MM9. He’s one of the hardest bosses in 9.
13. #13 Lanz16 says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 8:54 am

    The list for the best level design is good but not all of the levels are not on my list.

    * Gemini Man’s level is the best one, the music and the level theme really fits and very memorable same as Snake Man.

    * Magnet man’s level design is okay but lacks on more creativity and enemies for it.

    * I really adore the Ice Man’s level because of its very icy theme(I like the color blue though) and the difficulty to walk through.

    * Bubble Man’s level is quite massasive and the difficulty is so a-little-bit challenging and the design is really good.

    * The level of Clash Man(or Crash Man by the Japanese) is very impressive.
    There’s a special effect on the BG as you progres through the level. I like the Pipe lines design and the music were I found memorable.

    That’s it!
14. #14 Trav says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 7:46 am

    1. Pharoh Man – 2nd strongest, 2nd fastest, most difficult pattern, can only be damaged by megabuster

    2. ElecMan – Most Powerful Attack

    3. Quickman – Fastest Boss
15. #15 ibehv says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:30 am

    i dont think snake man would be a good #1 choice.
    What about centaur man, tengu man, turbo man, and astro man? they are the best ones
16. #16 Eddie says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 2:50 pm

    ibehv…Seriously?
17. #17 Bass(Forte) says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:22 am

    that’s true!! Tengu Man had the best song in megaman and Bass and perhaps could rank high on top,he’s clearly the underdog of the series and was a clever robot altogether
18. #18 Name not wanted to be shared says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 8:25 pm

    Quite frankly, from the small amount of what I’ve played, Woodman was utterly badass if you only used the mega buster.
19. #19 Meta Knight 293 says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:35 am

    I think number 1 should be mecha Dragon
20. #20 naetoru says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:34 pm

    I definately think Gemini Man was the best. Dunno y, I just do. Gemini Man was badass though, and he is the inspiration behind GeminiSpark, one of the fastest, hardest hitting bosses in MMSF 1 and 2, and I cant wait to use Gemini Noise in SF3. As for bosses in MMX I think Mach Jentra from command mission was awsome. In the BN series its gotta be Bass, I mean, is there a boss in ANY game better than Bass? I don’t think so.
21. #21 Leroi says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:43 pm

    this list sucks a big one. looks like you have only played the first three games and don’t even remember a shit about them.

    proof:
    (what you typed about wood man’s weapon)
    “…This was especially helpful in Dr. Wily’s castle stage as Mega Man had to ride a conveyor with a multitude of spikes below him. Coming at him from all angles were birds dropping eggs on him that could knock him off into certain peril on the spikes. With the leaf shield though, no one was able to touch him…”

    they were not birds dropping eggs, they were tellies you asswipe. and woodman’s weapon is not needed in any part of the game.
    ice man is a farty eskimo dude, magnet man is a weak pussy (your basic weapon does 2 damage to him instead of 1), bubble man is just plain retarded, not menacing in any way, crash man has a ridiculously buttfucked design (the helmet) and is not that hard to beat with your good old buster, wood man is just a silly fuckhole, quite funny tho, but not scary in the least. and snake man… probably the first one to take the buttfuck, so easy, so stupid, the AI is so fucked up, he’s just wanking around…
    air man and metal man are decent men with their original designs. gemini man is kinda cool too, that mirror image thing was ace, and how he reacted to your moves… but your list sucks some serious fart, no post-megaman 3 robots… how gay is that? you fucking elitist nipple of a man.
22. #22 Zeromage says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:56 pm

    @Leroi: I think you should find an affordable prostitute and get yourself laid.
23. #23 Leroi says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:07 am

    @Zeromage: where to find one? any help? i have only 2 rupees, is it any good here? or maybe i can buttfuck YOUR gay nerd ass for actually taking my post seriously.
24. #24 Zeromage says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:04 pm

    Rupees are no good out here. I need something more real.
25. #25 Leroi says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 2:19 pm

    you no accept link currency? fictional rupees no good for your pocket? you no come ta town, eh…
26. #26 Zeromage says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 2:27 pm

    Its funny. Before I saw your comment yesterday DM and myself were just talking about how video games seem to push people’s buttons online more than anything else. For instance we released a list of top 5 reasons not to vote (http://old-wizard.com/top-5-reasons-not-to-vote) questioning the entire political system in which our society is based, and we get 10 comments. But when we put Woodman ahead of Metal Man on a list, or make a list about why the SNES is better than the Sega Genesis (http://old-wizard.com/top-10-reasons-that-super-nintendo-dominated-the-sega-genesis)we get tons of passionate comments and hate mail telling us how much we suck and how wrong we are.
27. #27 Leroi says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 2:58 pm

    it’s call’d pashernate loffin’ u mozzarella dick. can’t we express ourselves in this little world? if you make a list like this you have to stand the consequences. if i see you’re wrong i correct your ass and that’s it. it’s nothing personal.
28. #28 Zeromage says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:13 pm

    Let me know how many of these categories you fall into:

    http://old-wizard.com/top-10-ways-to-know-youre-a-hardcore-gamer
29. #29 Leroi says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:23 pm

    2., partly.
30. #30 jEzEp says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:31 pm

    You could argue with my views, but here are some that I think should be up there.

    Gravity Man (MM5)- great/fun stage, great music, and such an interesting boss fight (being on the ceiling when he is on the floor and vice versa).

    Quick Man (MM2)- difficult yet amazing stage, excellent music, and such a simple yet amazing concept for a boss. The fight was fun, and insanely hard.

    Ring Man (MM4)- I loved his stage. The disappearing floors, the ring/eye sub-boss, and the boss battle overall. I enjoyed the boss battle.
31. #31 Adam says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 3:05 pm

    I completely agree with jEzEp, all those bosses are great.
    By the way that is a awesome name.
32. #32 Jon says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 9:43 pm

    Dr. Wily was always my favorite boss in a Megaman game. But I have no clue why Woodman is on this list. It only takes one shot to kill him, two shots on hard mode, and I never have any use for his weapon.
33. #33 ThepureLight7 says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:06 pm

    I have to agree with everything you said. Snakeman, Woodman, and… HAHAHAHAHAAh!!! I… I’m sorry, but I just can’t say that with a straight face! Hahahaha! Seriously!? They sucked!

    Here are some of my favorites.

    Quickman- Personally my favorite, he is one of the most recognized of all Megaman bosses. Not only was the lazer part on his level the most freaking impossible yet fun thing ever, b
    ut the level song was awesome as well. Also, he, himself, as a boss was impossibly hard without the correct weapon.

    Diveman- Three words… Heat seaking missiles. Diveman is one of the coolest and most difficult water-based bosses in the entire Megaman series, seeing as how you can never get away from him… Ever. However, his level wasn’t very difficult at all. If you have the right weapon, he’s pretty easy to beat.

    Elecman- One of the classic Megaman villains. Although his level can be passed with ease, he himself can destroy you in a couple of hits. I quote SydLexia.com in saying ‘Elecman fires electric currents that fry both man and machine. Megaman is a little of both, so he’s twice as fucked.’

    Gutsman- Another classic. Coupled with one of the hardest Megaman 1 stages, and the ability to throw freaking boulders at you, this guy will keep you busy for a while (That is, if you can even get past the first part).

    Heatman- Impossible to get to without the jet, impossible to beat without the bubble, an all-out challenging fire-based enemy. Enough said.

    Napalmman- Ah, I love the smell of Napalmman in the morning… This guy was beast. He jumps around, and throws bombs and missiles at you. He’s almost impossible to beat with the Mega Buster, and his level was pretty cool too. However, seeing as how ‘Napalm’ ends with an m, and ‘Man’ starts with an m… His name just looks odd.

    Shadowman- He’s a ninja… Compared to that, nothing else I can say about him really matters.

    This is my opinion on the matter… QUICKMAN!!!
34. #34 Eddie says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 9:36 pm

    Why is everyone so afraid to hop across the blocks in Heat Man’s stage? It looks intimidating but if you actually try it, the pattern is very simple and there aren’t any blocks that can really screw you into falling off. Magnet Man’s blocks are more difficult to navigate in my opinion. I don’t know if there is a list on this yet, but you guys could stir the pot with a top ten hardest bosses list.
35. #35 Bud says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 5:19 pm

    NO DIVE MAN = EPIC FAIL.
36. #36 Baalirock says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 7:18 pm

    Some hits and misses in your list. Metalman’s awesomeness is unquestionable (he is, after all, totally metal), but Woodman was a wimp of a boss, but his stage and music was pretty badass. Gemini man (along with his stage), are also pretty great. Not so convinced on Snakeman being #1, though.
    I’ve always been partial to Dustman myself. He wasn’t particularly challenging, but his look and the concept of his stage – being inside a giant vaccuum cleaner, was great. I also agree with Meta Knight 293’s sentiments on the Mecha Dragon from MM2. That thing gave me nightmares.
37. #37 Marvin says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:07 am

    This list is SHIT. Really??? Snake Man is your number one??? His music isn’t even that great! It’s generic. When you think of memorable bosses, MM2 is undeniably the most recognized of them all! Metal Man should Number 2 because of how bad-ass he and his level AND his music AND his weapon are!

    And QuickMan should be Number One! QuickMan was hard as shit without the right weapon and he’s also kind of a dick, as well. One of the few Robot Masters that actually had personality. QuickMan was cocky and arrogant and had every damn reason to be so!

    Mega Man 1 had the hardest bosses of all. Seriously, you had to be a Mega Man Grand Ultimate Master to be able to take on Elec Man by yourself. And even Elec Man’s music is better than Snake Man’s!

    NO bosses from beyond Mega Man 3 should be on this list. Gemini Man is cool, but only belongs in the 8th spot or higher.

    Best Level – Gemini Man (or possibly Flash Man)
    Hardest Level – Quick Man
    Most Annoying Level – Heat Man
    Best Level Music – Bubble Man
    Second Best Level Music – Metal Man
    Best Weapon – Metal Man’s Buzzsaw Blade
    Coolest Robot Master – Metal Man
    Most Charismatic Robot Master – Quick Man
    Best Robot Master of all Time – That will always be up for debate…
38. #38 Shadsilvson says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 5:02 pm

    If this list was to be remade I wonder where Splash Woman would be?
39. #39 yep says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:22 am

    @Shadsilvson

    in the kitchen