"The Men Who Made Rockman" Manga Available for the First Time in English

Originally published in Comic BomBom as a two-part manga in 1995, "The Men Who Made Rockman: Rockman Birth Legend" tells the story of how the first two Rockman games were made.

The manga was kept inside the pages of Comic BomBom for almost 15 years with no other way to read it but that changed when Wedge Holdings reprinted Rockman Megamix in 2009 with additional content where the story surfaced once more.

The first part of the manga covers the trials and tribulations of Akira Kitamura (Shinmei), Keiji Inafune (Kenji Izumi), Nobuyuki Matsushima (Honda) and Manami Matsumae (Momonai) developing the first game in the series. Highlights include Kitamura's first meeting trying to get the game development approved, the untold story of Robot Master Bond Man, and the team's advocacy for Rockman 2 despite Rockman 1's lukewarm reception.

 

Thanks to the efforts of Windii Gitlord and Speeps, we can read the first part of the manga in English! Part 2 isn't available yet, though. In the meantime, I recommend checking out the lengthy interview between Akira Kitamura and Hitoshi Ariga for more stories on the first two games' development. That piece was published in Rockman Maniax in 2011.

 

Enjoy!

"Halloween Sigma" and "Halloween Roll" Join Rockman X DiVE

It's almost that time of the year again! Rockman X DiVE will kick off their Halloween event this Wednesday, which brings "Halloween Sigma" and "Halloween Roll" to the game.

Find all the details after the break!

New Mega Man 11 Chibi Keychains Announced

 

Wowza! There's some new Robot Master merch on the block! Didn't see that one coming.

Eighty-Sixed have revealed a set of new Mega Man 11 chibi style keychains. As you can see from the image above, the Blue Bomber himself, Roll and Dr.Wily are present. But the biggest surprise are the Robot Masters. Blast Man, Fuse Man, Block Man and Bounce Man are also up for grabs! 

These keychains are available to order now if you live in the U.S. or Canada. They're priced at $10.00 a piece. 

Not much else to say than that, really. Head on over to Eighty-Sixed's store for the full lineup of Mega Man 11 merchandise here!

Rockman-san Chapters 4 to 6 English Translation Now Available

Our friend Midori has been working hard to bring Rockman-san English translations to the community as fast as possible. And so here we are: translations for chapter 4, 5 and 6 are all done! You can download them from the links below.

Chapter 4 · Chapter 5 · Chapter 6

 

In these three chapters, we get to see the lives of even more Robot Masters in a post-Dr. Wily world. Familiar faces include Air Man, Guts Man, Stone Man, Flame Man, Pharaoh Man and Wind Man. We even learn why Rock and Roll don't look like they did in the games too.

Also, if you need to play catch-up, you can find English translations for chapter 1 here and chapters 2 and 3 here. Enjoy!

Behind iCO's Design: An Interview with Yuri Kataiwa

Following a lengthy interview with Keisuke Mizuno in 2019, we've been granted the opportunity to hear the thoughts of another Rockman X DiVE's character designer: Yuri Kataiwa.

Kataiwa was an illustrator for Mega Man Star Force 3 and one of the artist invited to the Capcom vs. Osamu Tezuka Characters exhibit. Her work also frequently guest starred on Rockman Unity's App wallpapers, and she's behind the fan-favorite "Rolls" piece.

Kataiwa was in charge of desinging iCO. And thanks to the official Rockman X DiVE Japanese Twitter account, we can read a short interview that covers the process. It's been translated by our friend Windii Gitlord. Check it out below!

Rockman-chan Chapter 13 Available Now

With five of the "Men's 6" henchman defeated and one destroyed by accident, only two remain to be toppled: "Kaiten Shiisuu Man" and "Plasma-TV Man".

In Rockman-chan's previous chapter, Rockman approached the next Men's 6 base to find the place plagued with robots designed by Gekiga, based on a Showa era motif. In true spirit Rockman-chan spirit, the chapter ended with no boss battle. Gekiga was too busy making the lesser robots in the base and forgot about it!

Now, in the latest chapter, Rockman faces "Kaiten Shiisuu Man" and heads towards the final confrontation against Dr. Wily!

Check Out the Original Mega Man DOS Design Documents

It's been a little over thirty years since the debut of Mega Man 1 & 3 on DOS, and both titles are undergoing something of a renaissance. With Owlboy creator Simon S. Andersen's amazing "remake" mock-up making the rounds and The Gaming Historian's in-depth history on the subject, these delightfully crummy games have found new appreciation.

So to keep the ball rolling here, I'm happy to present you with this: Stephen Rozner's original Mega Man DOS design documents. The thirteen pages within include Rozner's handwritten notes, sketches and level design concepts. Unfortunately, Rozner threw a lot of other pieces away over the years. But at least we can study and admire this!

The documents come to us courtesy of the Gaming Historian himself, Norman Caruso. Some of these pieces were featured in Norm's "The Story of Mega Man on DOS", which brought us a wealth of previously unheard history. I highly recommend giving it a watch. You might just find yourself viewing these games in a different light.

Enjoy and thank you, Norm, for the generous donation!

Review: Kotobukiya Mega Man X Fourth Armor Rising Fire Ver.

Kotobukiya is back at it again with their latest release in the Mega Man X line: Mega Man X Force Armor Rising Fire Ver. Is this kit just a recolor, or is there more to it? Find out after the break!

Unboxing First 4 Figures' Mega Man 11 Statue

Later this November, First 4 Figures' much-anticipated Mega Man 11 resin statue will be in the hands of collectors. And to keep appetites whet till then, F4F took to YouTube to share an official unboxing video.

The video proudly shows off the ins-and-outs of the Standard Edition, Exclusive Edition, and the Definitive Edition. The Exclusive and Definitive Editions include LED functionality for the base, explosions, boots, helmet, and the Mega Buster. The Definitive Edition also features a Met and a missile for the base.

If you like what you see but missed the pre-order window, you can still get on the waitlist. Hop to it here!

BigBadToyStore Canceling Riobot Falcon Armor X Pre-Orders

Sentinel's Riobot Falcon Armor X figure has been available in Japan for some time. But for folks who didn't want to import it for a pretty penny, they turned to BigBadToyStore for domestic shipping. 

Sadly, it appears that's no longer a viable option: they're canceling pre-orders.

Mega Man X DiVE Pre-Registrations Are Open in Europe

Following early access in LATAM territories, NebulaJoy are ready to launch Mega Man X DiVE across Europe.  Pr-registration is     open for Android devices, although there's no sign of iOS at this time. The game is expected to support Spanish, Portuguese, French, German and Russian at launch.

You can follow all the news via the official Twitter account, Facebook Page or join their Discord Channel to chat with other players about the game!

Rockman X DiVE Introduces Three Mysterious Characters, "DNA Code" System

There's a lot happening in the world of Rockman X DiVE this week. If the prospects of a Switch version weren't enough, there's a bunch of in-game content and features dropping, too.

 

iCO joins the playable roster and -- with the "Pulsing Force of Destruction" event stage closing out her storyline -- a new menace looms on the horizon!  Plus, the "DNA Code" system goes online alongside plenty of free pulls to celebrate the Japanese version's 1st anniversary.

Before you continue reading, be advised that this post contains SPOILERS!