Wednesday, December 29, 2021

The Latest Rockman-chan Introduces "Perfect Rockman"

In Rockman-chan's previous chapter, Shade Man reformatted into Shade Woman after he ingested the energy that turned Kalinka into an adult. It was a weird chapter but this week's entry might just be the weirdest one to date. 

If you'll recall, chapter 2 introduced Super Rush Man. That was something to behold then, but now, in chapter 16, Rightot (Auto in English) comes up with some really crazy combinations to fight future enemies.  These include "Full Rockman" (a Rockman and Eddie mix), "Flying Rockman" (Rockman and Beat) and "Patriot Rockman" (a mix of Rightot and Rockman). 

Now, what will happen if we combine all these forms? 

That's right -- "Perfect Rockman"! A transformation capable of wiping out an entire mountain with its special attack, let alone any Dr. Wily base. It's crazier than Right Great from Otoranger, don't you think?

Anway, you can read the latest chapter here. The plot also brings Dr. Light's new plan into motion --to build new robots with a next generation cognitive circuit. Perhaps the first step towards creating X?

Monday, December 27, 2021

Kotobukiya Seeking Fan Requests for New Kits


Is there a particular Mega Man character you want to see immortalized as an official Kotobukiya model kit? Now's your chance to let 'em know.

Rockman X DiVE Welcomes 2022 With "New Year Iris"

A new year is about to start and with it, the return of the "Auspicious of the New Year" event stage. What's more, on the heels of New Year Cinnamon, the first new playable character for 2022 is New Year Iris.

Find all the details after the break!

Thursday, December 23, 2021

Mega Man ZX3 Was in Development at One Time, Says Inti Creates

During an unsuspecting Christmas livestream, the gang over at Inti Creates casually dropped a bomb: Mega Man ZX3 was once in development under the code name "ZXC". 

Rockman-san Chapters 9 to 12 English Translation Now Available


Our friend Midori cooked up another set of translated Rockman-san chapters to enjoy. This time we get to see Wood Man act as a sacred tree in a temple, Star Man and his "malfunctioning" armor, and Rock and Roll taking a break at a robot resort where they meet Bubble Man and Charge Man, among other Robot Masters.

You can find these three new chapters and all the chapters translated so far here!

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Rockman-san Chapter 16 Available Now

In Rockman-san's previous chapter, following their encounter in chapter 14, Rock and Guts Man returned to the lab to get repaired. Rock's body was heavily damaged -- so much so that there was no way to repair it, due to his body being made of hard-to-find, last generation parts.

The solution, our heroes deduced, was for Rock to get his old "battle body" back. The gang, including the secretary of defense, voted in favor. And after some reflection, Rock agreed too.

The latest chapter puts that plot in the backseat. Instead, we get to see a day in the life of Gyro Man, Drill Man and Burst Man! Hit up the link above to read the chapter!

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

The Men Who Made Rockman Part 2 Now Available in English

Hitoshi Ariga's The Men Who Made Rockman manga received its first ever English fan-translation in October. And as of today, the second part is available to read too! (courtesy of Azure Wind Productions)

Part 2 kicks things off with Keiji Inafune (alias: Kenji Izumi) and Akira Kitamura (alias: Shinmei) coming up with a Boss Character Design Contest for a hypothetical Rockman 2. However, they can't begin developing the game in earnest just yet. Shinmei has to convince his boss - a tough-as-nails suit wary of Rockman 1's tepid sales -- to greenlight the sequel. 

After some back and forth, Shinmei gets the O.K... but there's a tiny a caveat! Shinmei and co., who are already scheduled to work on a completely different project, have to finish Rockman 2 in half the time it would take to normally develop an action game. Oh dear!

Yeah; you already know the outcome to this story. There'd be no Mega Man today if they weren't successful. But The Men Who Made Rockman is a fun read. Ariga's passion for the blue bomber practically leaps off every page. You can tell just how thrilled he was to tell this story back in 1995.

Check out part 2 here and if you're just joining us, hit up the first part here!

Christmas Brings "Skin Store", "DNA System" and "Guild System" to Mega Man X DiVE

The Christmas event kicked off in Rockman X DiVE last week. This week, it's the Global Version's turn to celebrate its first Christmas holiday-themed event ever. Better yet, a myriad of new content and systems are available this week too.

Find all the details after the break!

Friday, December 17, 2021

Rockman 34th Anniversary News Recap


December 17 has come and gone in Japan. The Rockman series 34th anniversary and the Rockman X Series 28th anniversary celebrations are done and dusted. While nothing particularly big was announced (as expected), it's worth leaving a record of it.

Find all the details after the break!

Thursday, December 16, 2021

Mega Man 2+3 and Mega Man X Soundtracks Get New Vinyl Release


It's December 17th in Japan. And that means we're celebrating the classic series' 34th anniversary and the X series' 28th anniversary. Laced Records are the first to join the celebration with the unveiling of two special vinyls: Mega Man 2 & 3 and Mega Man X.

Find all the details after the break!

The 2021 Mega Man Holiday Gift Guide (BigBadToyStore)

As the year comes to an end, you may still be looking for that perfect Mega Man-themed gift for a loved one. Or for yourself. Whatever the case, you're in luck -- our friends at BigBadToyStore are here to help. 

After the break below, we'll go over some of the items that are currently in stock and a few goodies up for pre-order. You might find this especially useful if you live in the U.S -- no importing necessary! 

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Rockman-chan Chapter 15 (Part 2) Now Available


In Rockman-chan's previous chapter, Dr. Cossack sought the help of Dr. Light after accidentally turning Kalinka into an adult. The mishap came about from experimenting with the source of "next generation energy" used in the development of new robots.

With this week's chapter, the second part of "Grown Up Girl", the doctors try to revert Kalinka back to her original self with the aid of Shade Man... but something unexpected happens!

You can check the new chapter here!

Monday, December 13, 2021

Here's the Cover for "Ryo Takamisaki Rockman Works SSR"

If those recent preview pages weren't enough for ya, Fukkan just unveiled the cover design for Ryo Takamisaki Rockman Works SSR. It features three incarnations of our hero, each representing a different manga inside this massive tome: Shooting Star Rockman 3, Rockman 11 and the brand-new "Forte: Time of Reunion" one-shot.

Worth pointing out - and you may have noticed this as well - but the cover looks a little... off? It's not quite up to par with Takamisaki's previous handiwork. The title logo, lighting effects and finer details like classic Rockman's foot appear unfinished. Bit of a head-scratcher, no?

It's possible Fukkan uploaded an early work-in-progress version as a placeholder or by mistake. Given that Takimisaki hasn't posted the cover art to his Twitter at this time, it's possible Fukkan might have jumped the gun. 

Quality aside, SSR is shaping up to be a very nice book. If you have the means to do so, you can pre-order it directly from Fukkan or import it from CD Japan.

Rockman X DiVE - RiCO and Ciel Get Into the Holiday Spirit

It's that time of year. Last week saw the return of the "Merry Christmas!" event stage and the Christmas Leviathan gacha. This week, Rockman X DiVE spotlights a few additional holiday-themed characters and an event.

Find all the details after the break!

Sunday, December 12, 2021

Koji Izuki's "Rockman 8" and "Rockman & Forte" Manga Now Available Digitally

On the heels of Yoshihiro Iwamoto's Rockman X manga and Ryo Takamisaki's Rockman EXE manga, the next manga to receive the digital re-release treatment are none other Koji Izuki's Rockman 8 and Rockman & Forte adaptations.

Find all the details after the break!

Raid Boss Galore Coming to Mega Man X DiVE Next Week

The first Christmas event in Mega Man X DiVE is around the corner. But before that happens, we have a hectic week across all servers with the arrival of the Raid Boss event and, of course, new characters.

Find all the details after the break!

Saturday, December 11, 2021

More "Forte: Time of Reunion" Preview Pages


Ryo Takamisaki's brand-new Forte: Time of Reunion manga is shaping up nicely. And to mark its impending January 2022 release, Takamisaki took to Twitter to share a pair of work-in-progress pages. Check 'em out here.  (Previous sample pages here)

As previously reported, Forte: Time of Reunion will serve as the official successor to Takamisaki's much-adored Rockman EXE adaptation. The 106-page story will be published within the pages of Ryo Takamisaki Rockman Works SSR, a compilation of Takamisaki's previously-uncollected manga works (Rockman 11 and Shooting Star Rockman 3 manga). Plot details remain a closely guarded secret.

The book can be pre-ordered exclusively from Fukkan (limited set here,regular version here). For overseas fans like you and me, our best shot is CD Japan. They will carry the regular edition only.

Thursday, December 9, 2021

Unused Alternate Mega Man 3 Box Art (and More) Up for Auction

Looking to spice up your Mega Man collection a bit? A buddy of ours is looking to part ways with more than a dozen production and marketing cels. These were originally sent to video game magazines back in the day.

The lot includes logoless US NES box art, unused Wily Wars U.S box art (we've seen this one before), the full X3 print ad, and official character art. Perhaps most noteworthy of all is an alternate and ultimately unused version of Mega Man 3's US box art

Mega Man's face is decidedly creepy, among other small differences from the final version. It's little wonder why this went back to the drawing board. Also kinda unusual how late into the package's production the switcheroo was made. Perhaps a last minute decision on Capcom US's part. We may never know.

Anyway... grab some leftover Zenny (i.e a lot of dough) and check out the listings here

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Say Hello to Rockman X DiVE's Newest Original Character: Droitclair

This week's Rockman X DiVE update delivers a lot of content. There's the rerun of the "Merry Christmas!" event stage, new armor, new co-op stages and the seventeenth story mode chapter. The latter goes so far as to fully reveal one of three new characters.

Find all the details after the break!

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Rockman-san Chapter 15 Available Now

In Rockman-san's previous chapter, Rock and Gust Man teamed up to reduce the total number of robots inside the construction site. However, they had a strict deadline: 10 minutes. After that, the government would use anti-robot weapons to exterminate the "criminals" damaging innocent robots in the way.

Our heroes barely made it. Guts Man lost one of his legs, and Roll had to unlock Rock's full potential to fight a giant robot. What's more, Enker showed up to help and delivered the final blow!

However, Enker's intentions were not to save Rock and Guts Man for the sake of doing good. Rather, Enker wanted to ensure that he was the only one to destroy Rock, no one else. 

Now, in chapter 15 we get to watch the aftermath of the battle unfold! Rock and Guts Man get repaired and we get our first look at Rock suiting up as Rockman!

Monday, December 6, 2021

A Rockman Corner Interview with Hitoshi Ariga


It's been in the works for quite some time, but we're pleased to bring you our second interview with Hitoshi Ariga! Our first, brief interview took place in 2020.

Ariga needs no introduction for long-time fans. To name a few of his franchise contributions, he's the man behind the Rockman Megamix and Gigamix manga, the character designer of Dynamo Man and Burner Man in Rockman & Forte and he was one of the main driving forces behind the R20 and R20+5 artbooks.

You can read the new interview translated by our friend Midori after the break!

Magma Dragoon Becomes Playable in Mega Man X DiVE This Week


In the original Taiwan version of Rockman X DiVE, Magma Dragoon was added as a boss for the tenth story mode chapter. He later became available to fight in other game modes. With the Global Version of the game running on its own schedule, however, players won't have to wait months and months to play as the former leader of the Maverick Hunter 14th special unit. 

Find all the details after the break!

Thursday, December 2, 2021

Sounds Like The Live-Action Mega Man Movie Is Coming to Netflix

In 2020, Chernin Entertainment signed a "first look" deal with Netflix. This meant that Netflix would become the exclusive home for Chernin's upcoming film slate. We assumed the live-action Mega Man adaptation was part of the deal. Nothing was outright confirmed at the time, though.

However, we now have a much better idea about where things stand. I spotted a recent update on Supermarché's website that pretty much confirms it...

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

The Cossack Family Takes the Spotlight in Rockman-chan Chapter 15

After the defeat of Dr. Wily and The Men's 6 in the last chapter of Rockman-chan, the first part of "Grown Up Girl", the latest Rockman-chan chapter, launches a brand-new a new storyline.

Chapter 15 highlights include the discovery of a buried robot, the return of Dr. Cossack (following a brief apparition in chapter 8) and a grown-up Kalinka together with Beat visiting Dr. Light's lab.

Check out the chapter here!

New Supplemental Cards Bring Marino to Teppen


Marino recently appeared in a preview by the official Rockman Twitter account. However, she wasn't available for Teppen's last card pack Mission of Ruin when it was launched in early November. 

Now with the release of new supplemental cards (they can be purchased from the in-game the store), she has finally arrived to the game, bringing along a few extra cards.

You can check out all the details after the break!