Mega Man (SSB4): Difference between revisions

Mega Man currently ranks 27th on the ''SSB4'' [[tier list]], in C tier as a high tier character. Mega Man's most prevalent advantage is that he has among the best projectile games in ''Smash 4'', with his wide array of projectiles being able to keep opponents away. He excels in pressuring as a result, with his [[Crash Bomber]] able to pressure shields easily, [[Metal Blade]] being an overall useful tool for forcing approaches, shield pressure and edgeguarding, and a useful mid-range spacing tool with his Mega Buster. This is made more effective once combined with Mega Man's grab game; his grab is among the fastest in the game, with his down throw being a decent combo starter, while his back throw is a decent damage racker and KO option at high percents. Mega Man also possesses above-average endurance due to his high weight and falling speed, which ties in with an effective recovery in [[Rush Coil]] that doesn't cause him to go [[helpless]]. Some of Mega Man's finishes are also among the strongest in the game, such as his up tilt and down smash. Finally, owing to his high [[air acceleration#air friction|air friction]], Mega Man also has extremely fluid control in the air, including the ability to zig-zag while jumping.

Despite these advantages, Mega Man is not without flaws. His grounded mobility is comparatively poor, with his [[dash]]ing speed in particular being the 13th slowest in the game. This leaves Mega Man at a disadvantage against characters with better mobility, such as {{SSB4|Sheik}} and {{SSB4|Fox}}. Mega Man's melee attacks also have short range overall despite their extensive utility, causing him to struggle up close against characters with [[disjoint]]ed range like {{SSB4|Marth}}, {{SSB4|Link}}, and {{SSB4|Shulk}}, while the high ending lag on his attacks puts more stress on this flaw. Mega Man's above average weight and falling speed also makes him an easy target for [[combo]]s and [[juggle]]s. Finally, Mega Man's projectile-heavy playstyle is also his biggest weakness, as he is heavily affected by [[powershielding]], [[reflect]]ors, [[absorb]]ers, and other anti-projectile tools, which can shut down both his approach and defense options.

Overall, Mega Man is a strong contender in the ''Smash 4'' metagame, and he has placed well at some tournaments, with both {{Sm|Kameme}} placing 2nd at [[EVO 2016]] and {{Sm|ScAtt}} placing 5th at [[Super Smash Con 2016]] with him. Despite this, Mega Man's high learning curve has prevented him from attaining as large of a playerbase as other characters in his tier.

Despite having an unusual set of moves, Mega Man shines in [[approach]]ing while spacing opponents at midrange and disrupting any approaches, for he is blessed with two projectiles that can cause opponents to react predictably: [[Metal Blade]]'s ability to be thrown in eight directions and trapping opponents in high [[hitstun]] makes it a fantastic [[mindgame]] and [[shield]]-baiting tool, while [[Crash Bomber]] can cause panicky opponents to run towards Mega Man or shield the explosion. Both projectiles easily lead to a grab [[punish]] as Mega Man owns a great grab combo ability, having a fast grab and many of his attacks connecting reliably after a throw. This allows him to rack up damage easily once he grabs an opponent. He does not have much trouble KOing once his opponents are damaged either, for he has many finishing options: from his lightning-fast up tilt to his projectile based forward smash which can be used to [[edgeguard]]. His other projectiles are terrific, notably his aerials; up aerial can KO early if an opponent is high up, and his down aerial is one of the safest meteor smashes in the game. To top it all off, Mega Man is a fantastic [[spacing|spacer]]: his jab is a fast and useful projectile (that can be used while moving and jumping) which interrupts most attacks and weak projectiles at a safe range, and when combined with Metal Blades and Crash Bombs makes Mega Man difficult to approach. Due to his amazing pressuring ability and grab game, characters without a projectile or with low [[range|reach]] can have trouble approaching without being severely punished. Even if he does get knocked around, Mega Man is [[weight|a heavyweight character]], weighing only slightly less than {{SSB4|Captain Falcon}}, meaning he is more likely to survive potentially lethal blows that could KO a lighter character, especially with proper [[DI]] and his good recovery move, [[Rush Coil]].

Mega Man gains various additional options from his [[Character customization|custom moves]]. Shadow Blade and Ice Slasher are good for immobilizing opponents and are less susceptible to being used against Mega Man himself. Hyper Bomb and Danger Wrap are harder to land, but deal much more damage and knockback. Tornado Hold has more offensive value due to it dealing damage and granting Mega Man new combo potential. Plant Barrier does not last as long as the default Leaf Shield, but can deal and absorb more damage. Skull Barrier lacks a hitbox when circling Mega Man and deals less damage when thrown, but it [[reflect]]s projectiles when orbiting and cannot be destroyed, giving it a more defensive value than both Leaf Shield and Plant Barrier lack.

|utiltdesc=A quick rising uppercut. Based on the move of the same name from ''Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters'', ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' and ''Street Fighter X Tekken'', which is itself a tribute to the [[Shoryuken]] from the ''{{uv|Street Fighter}}'' series. For a tilt, it has incredible power (in fact being stronger than his uncharged up smash), with the sweetspot having as much power as some smash attacks and being able to reliably KO medium-light characters under 90%. It has little starting lag but very high ending lag and little horizontal range. It also pushes Mega Man forward a slight distance; if Mega Man uses the move near a ledge, he will fall off and grab the ledge.

|dtiltdesc=Mega Man's signature sliding kick attack; he slides approximately four character lengths forward with a kick. Very little startup with low knockback; the hitbox lasts all the way until the slide is finished, which can hit opponents attempting to roll away. A good surprise move, but only if not overused. The actual sliding ability introduced in ''Mega Man 3'' is a non-damaging maneuver, though said ability becomes weaponized with the Charge Kick, Charge Man's weapon in ''Mega Man 5''.

|dashdesc=Mega Man boosts forwards while spinning, damaging whatever he touches. Good priority and long lasting, equivalent to {{SSB4|Luigi}}'s dash attack. Useful for mindgames against shields due to its moderate shield stun, which often makes opponents drop their shield too early. Small noticeable ending lag. Based on Top Man's weapon from ''Mega Man 3''.

|fsmashdesc=Mega Man charges up energy in his Mega Buster, before firing off a bigger and more powerful burst that functions like a Smash Attack. Like regular Mega Buster shots, this shot disappears after traveling a moderate distance. The longer it is charged, the further the resulting shot will go, and its size, damage and knockback also increase significantly when it is fully charged. Fully charged, this is the longest-reaching forward smash in the game, although it has travel time to compensate. Based on the Super Mega/Rock Buster's Charge Shot from ''Mega Man 4'' onwards. Interestingly, despite dealing [[electric]] damage, [http://opensa.dantarion.com/s4/mastercore3/dump/160/rockman_chargeshot the Charge Shot has a hitlag multiplier of only 0.3x].

|usmashdesc=Mega Man turns both of his hands into electrodes, creating a powerful multi-hitting surge of electricity above him. It is overall useful due to its large hitbox, anti-air properties and quick startup, though it has noticeable ending lag. If an opponent is made tiny by a [[Lightning Bolt]], it's possible to OHKO them. Based on Spark Man's weapon from ''Mega Man 3''.

|dsmashdesc=Mega Man plants both arm cannons into the ground, causing two vertical flaming pillars to erupt from the ground either side of him which launch the opponent upwards. It has quick startup, but notoriously long endlag that leaves it highly punishable if not landed. Immense knockback when hit with the first frames of the hitbox, which can KO starting at 60% when fully [[charge]]d. It boasts incredible power, being the fourth-strongest down smash in ''SSB4'', behind {{SSB4|Lucario}} at maximum [[aura]], {{SSB4|Ganondorf}}, and {{SSB4|Bowser Jr.}}. It is based on Flame Man's weapon from ''Mega Man 6''.

|nairdesc=Behaves identically to Mega Man's neutral attack, except Mega Man fires while jumping or falling in the air much like in his original games. The move has a sweetspot on the Mega Buster that has high base [[knockback]] and can serve as a surprise KO option when [[edge-guarding]]. Due to Mega Man's effective aerial movement, his neutral attack can be used as a very effective "wall" to deny approaches.

|dairdesc=Mega Man points his fist straight downwards and fires it downwards as a short-ranged projectile. The fist deals the most damage in the first few frames, but afterwards, it turns into an aerial-only [[meteor smash]]. It is based on Hard Man's weapon from ''Mega Man 3''. Mega Man can move himself left or right slightly during the first few frames before launching the fist. Has a weak floating effect before firing.

|dsdefdesc=Mega Man summons leaf-shaped units that electromagnetically orbit around him. The leaves block projectiles, and can be fired forwards by pressing an attack button to land multiple hits, or used to deal additional damage to a grabbed enemy. The move is based on Wood Man's weapon from ''Mega Man 2''.

|desc-2=Warps on to the screen and initiates the pose done on the Japanese title screen of ''Mega Man'' (''Rockman'') while smiling.

|desc-3=Lands down, points his Mega Buster towards the air, then poses (similar to a scene at the beginning of his reveal trailer).

Mega Man was seen as a very obscure and unorthodox character since the game's release. His strange playstyle mainly comprised of projectiles always saw a large topic of debate for him, though the general consensus was always of him being at least a mid-tier character. Alongside very limited tournament representation and tournament results, he would at first rank 28th on the first ''4BR'' [[tier list]]. However, his popularity would become stronger after game updates nerfed {{SSB4|Sheik}}, {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}} and {{SSB4|Bayonetta}}, and his tournament representation, while limited, saw strong results from smashers like {{Sm|ScAtt}}, {{Sm|Smasher1001}}, and most notably {{Sm|Kameme}}, who would travel to the USA to compete at [[EVO 2016]] and get 2nd place at the tournament. This spike in tournament results allowed him to be seen much more favorably and allowed him to rank 15th on the second tier list, reassesing him as a high-tier character and gaining the third largest rise between the first and second tier lists.

Mega Man would later rank 16th on the third tier list, a very slight drop in favor of {{SSB4|Marth}} claiming 10th place. Currently, however, due to his huge lack of consistent results, Mega Man is currently ranked 27th on the fourth and current tier list, suffering the largest drop between the third and fourth tier lists. Some smashers have said said that Mega Man should be higher due to his amazing projectile game and his matchup spread, while others like  {{Sm|ZeRo}} think that Mega Man is overrated and that his placing is somewhat accurate.

Mega Man and Pikachu Dr Wily's Castle.jpg|Mega Man fighting {{SSB4|Pikachu}} at [[Dr. Wily's Castle]].

Smash.4 - Bumper Backside.jpg|Mega Man seen with the back of the Bumper.

*While Mega Man's eighth palette swap uses yellow as the light armor color, the Wii U stock icon uses white instead for unknown reasons. The 3DS version uses yellow like it should be.

*Mega Man's forward aerial, Flame Sword, shares the same name as {{SSB4|Roy}}'s up smash.

*Mega Man and {{SSB4|Pac-Man}} are the only two third-party characters in ''SSB4'' who do not speak in-game, despite both of them having spoken in their home series.

*Curiously, in Mega Man's trailer, he is seen pulling out two Metal Blades, something that can't be done in neither ''Smash Bros.'' nor ''Mega Man''.