Mega Man Battle Network
is a tactical role-playing video game series created by Masahiro Yasuma and developed and published by Capcom as a spin-off of the Mega Man series. Released in 2001 for the Game Boy Advance, it takes place in an alternate continuity of Mega Man where computers and networking technology was the main focus on scientific advancement, rather than robotics. There are a total of six mainline games, alongside several spin-offs.
Created amidst the success of Nintendo's and Game Freak's Pokémon series, alongside the rise of collectable card games, Mega Man Battle Network has players control MegaMan.EXE, a NetNavi operated by Lan Hikari as they attempt to stop the schemes of a net-crime organization called WWW, headed by the universe's interpretation of Dr. Wily. Players battle enemies on a 6x3 grid, selecting "Battle Chips" which allow for more powerful attacks.
The series has been met with positive reviews from critics, although later games, particularly 5 and 6, have been criticized for a perceived lack of innovation; the series was followed-up by a sequel series titled Mega Man Star Force, which is set 200 years after Battle Network and focuses on radio waves. A compilation of all six mainline entries, Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, was released in April 2023 for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Plot
Mega Man Battle Network is set in an ambiguous year in the 21st century in an alternate reality to the original Mega Man series. Within the world of Battle Network, the Net has become humanity's primary means of communication, commerce, and even crime. Users are able to "jack in" to the Net and other computerized devices, and explore their various aspects using Digital people called "NetNavis " as if they were physical locations. The Net and the inner workings of computers are displayed as a virtual world with which computer programs of all varieties, as personified in a humanoid form, can interact. Users often do so by accessing their NetNavis via a "PET " device.The plot of Mega Man Battle Network follows one such pair, Lan Hikari and his NetNavi MegaMan.EXE. Lan is a 11-year-old fifth grader in the town of ACDC. His father, Dr. Yuichiro Hikari, is one of the world's top scientists and NetNavi researchers. Most of the series involve Lan Hikari and MegaMan.EXE stopping an evil crime syndicate from taking over the world and the Net; "WWW" in the first, third, and sixth games, Gospel in the second game, and Nebula in the fourth and fifth games.
Characters
Lan Hikari and MegaMan.EXELan Hikari, is the main human protagonist of the series. He is a fifth-grade student who has a strong bond with his NetNavi, fellow protagonist MegaMan.EXE. Lan is the son of Yuichiro Hikari and Haruka Hikari and the grandson of Tadashi Hikari. He is voiced by multiple people, including Alex Doduk and Brad Swaile, while MegaMan.EXE is voiced by Andrew Francis.
Lan is a carefree boy who seeks adventure and fun and can be rash at times, but is also quick to notice small details and think calmly during situations. He frequently NetBattles, and is known to be dense about things unrelated to the Net. Despite his seemingly carefree attitude, Lan is always quick to do the right thing. He is talented on inline skates and commonly decorates his room with soccer-related things.
Mayl Sakurai and Roll.EXE
Mayl Sakurai, known as Maylu Sakurai in the English anime and manga, Lan's classmate and close friend and the operator of Roll.EXE. They are next-door neighbors and often seen as a couple, though Lan is clueless towards her affections. Mega Man Battle Network 6
She is voiced by Brittney Wilson in the English anime and by Kaori Mizuhashi in the Japanese anime. Roll.EXE is voiced by Lenore Zann and Sharon Alexander in the English anime and by Masako Jō in the Japanese anime.
Dex Oyama and GutsMan.EXE
Dex Oyama, known as Dex Ogreon in the English anime and manga, is Lan's classmate and friend and the operator of GutsMan.EXE, who is often portrayed as a bully with a soft spot. He has a younger brother named Chisao, who is seen infrequently in Battle Network, and a recurring character in the anime. In the anime, Dex later gives up NetBattling to focus on his new career as a curry chef.
Yai Ayanokoji and Glide.EXE
Yai Ayanokoji. known as Yai Ayano in the English anime and manga, is Lan's classmate and friend and the operator of Glide.EXE. She is younger than the other main characters, as she skipped grades due to her intelligence, and, in the anime, operates out of her father's company, AyanoTech. In the anime, and sometimes the games, she secretly adores Chaud after he helped guide her out of a stuck elevator.
Eugene Chaud and ProtoMan.EXE
Eugene Chaud, known as Chaud Blaze in the English anime and manga, is the son of IPC's president, and the operator and creator of ProtoMan.EXE. Aside from the introduction he gives in the first game, he is exclusively referred to by his surname, Chaud. His mother died when he was young, and he was forced into becoming the vice-president of his father's corporation, a position which contributed to his initial cold attitude towards Lan. Over time, he gains more respect for Lan and begins to open up to others, but maintains his serious outlook during battle. In the games, he is an Official NetBattler who meets Lan while investigating a water shortage that WWW caused. He is introduced as a ruthless operator who takes his job seriously and will delete any Navis who get in the way, and despite originally seeing Lan as a pest, they slowly became friends.
WWW
An organization formed by the main antagonist of the game, Lord Wily, formed to take over the real world and cyberworld out of jealousy that Tadashi Hikari caused his robotics research to be pushed aside in favor of network technology. Initially trying to conquer the internet through the Life Virus, Wily is forced to disband WWW's members and go into hiding after Lan and MegaMan.EXE foil his plans. Throughout the series, he recruits multiple human members to operate various NetNavis.
Bass.EXE
Bass, known as Forte in Japan, was intended to be the first fully autonomous NetNavi, completely independent of an operator. Bass was falsely blamed for causing problems in the original internet, and the SciLab Elite Corps nearly killed him. Dr. Cossack, his creator and the only human he trusted, was arrested before he could get Bass to safety, leading Bass to believe he had betrayed him and causing him to harbor hatred toward humanity.. In Battle Network 2, Sean Obihiro of Gospel attempts to make an army of Bass copies, eventually leading to the accidental creation of the Gospel Megavirus. In the game's ending, Bass is shown deleting a clone while swearing revenge upon humanity. Bass returns to fulfill this promise in Battle Network 3, where he assists Wily in using Alpha to destroy network society; however, he and Wily are later swallowed by Alpha. However, the remains of the Gospel Megavirus save him and fuse with him. He is later confronted by MegaMan in the secret area and defeated. It is revealed that he has amnesia, but MegaMan reminds him of his creator, Cossack, and he leaves in confusion. In Battle Network 4, Bass is found deep in the Undernet hibernating as a statue, and reawakens upon meeting Megaman. After being defeated, he retreats and vows to become stronger. In Battle Network 5, a post-game boss created through dark power takes on his likeness, but he can also be fought. When 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 several times afterwards. The final confrontation with Bass is him at his most powerful, having absorbed the power of a Cybeast into his body. After being defeated, he drifts away into the net and is available as a random encounter in the Graveyard area.
Gameplay
Mega Man Battle Network is a real-time tactical RPG series. To progress through the games, the player must alternately navigate the outside world as Lan Hikari and the Net as MegaMan.EXE, each containing certain tasks that must be completed to allow advancement in the other. Controlling Lan, the player may travel around the world map, interact with non-player characters, check email, purchase items, initiate Net missions, or speak with MegaMan.EXE through his PET. In contrast with traditional Mega Man entries in which battle and movement through the levels happen in the same setting, Battle NetworkThe battlefield itself is made up of 18 tiles divided into two groups of nine, one group being space in which MegaMan.EXE may freely move and the other group being space inhabited by enemies. Akin to other Mega Man games, MegaMan.EXE possesses an arm cannon called the "Mega Buster". The player can transition among the nine provided tiles and fire the Mega Buster at enemies from across the screen. The objective of each battle is to delete all the viruses by reducing their hit points to zero. If MegaMan.EXE's own health depletes, a game over occurs. In order to attack without the Mega Buster, the player must utilize Battle Chips, which are placed into a "folder" before the battle starts, and are drawn at random. Starting with the third game, Battle Chips are organized into three primary categories which limits how many of the same chip can be used in the same folder: Standard, Mega, and Giga. Excluding the asterisk code, which was introduced in 2, the player can only use Battle Chips that have either the same name, or share the letter. Selecting a specific combination of Battle Chips results in Program Advances, which give the player either a strong attack, or continual use of the Battle Chip used for several seconds. Each Battle Chip also has an element assigned to it, and hitting an enemy with its weakness will result in them taking double damage.
The series also has multiplayer functionality where two players can either fight, or trade chips with each other using the Game Link Cable; trading the opposite version's Mega Chips in 4–''6'' will result in them appearing as "Secret Chips" in the Chip Library, however Giga Chips cannot be traded.