MegaMan NT Warrior
| MegaMan NT Warrior | |
| File:Megaexe.jpg | |
| Genre | Shōnen |
|---|---|
| Anime | |
| Directed by | Takao Kato |
| Studio | XEBEC |
| Manga | |
| MegaMan NT Warrior | |
| Written by | Ryo Takamisaki |
| Published by |  Shogakukan  VIZ Media |
MegaMan NT Warrior (MegaMan Network Transmission Warrior), or Rockman EXE (ロックマンエグゼ Rokkuman Eguze) in the Japanese version, is an anime and manga series based on the MegaMan Battle Network series of video games. Despite the common ground, the two works diverge heavily from both the games and each other.
Manga
The manga is made by Ryo Takamisaki. In Japan, it is serialized in Shogakukan's Coro Coro Comics. The manga is published in English by VIZ Media and retains its right to left format. The English manga uses a new set of names that are also used in the English anime.
Anime
The anime, licensed by VIZ Media (formerly ShoPro Entertainment before the two companies merged), is shown on Kids' WB in the United States and Teletoon in Canada. The anime has spawned four sequels, Rockman EXE Axess, Rockman EXE Stream, Rockman EXE Beast, and Rockman EXE Beast+, and a feature-length film within the Stream storyline. Axess aired on TV Tokyo on October 2003, while the English adaptation (titled MegaMan NT Warrior: Axess aired in January 2005 in the United States and April 2005 in Canada. Stream aired on TV Tokyo in October 2004, Beast in October 2005, and Beast+ in April 2006. KidsWB dropped MegaMan NT Warrior off the TV block at one point and revived only the final episodes from Rockman EXE Axess. There are currently no plans at this time to make an English adaption of Stream or Beast. Whether if the show will return to any U.S network or not still remains to be seen at this time. However, MegaMan NT Warrior has been announced to be a part of Cartoon Network's new online broadband service called Toonami Jetstream. However, as of Toonami Jetsream's start, this show has not been found on this service yet.
The movie was shown alongside the Duel Masters feature-length film as part of a double-billing. Although the two films are independent of each other, promotional material for the double bill seemed to indicate a fictional crossover (such as a Duel Masters Battle Chip in the Battle Network 5) between the two series. There are no plans to release an English version of the film.
The English adaptation, like many English adaptations of other anime series, has edits due to Americanization and the shifting of the target demographic towards a younger audience. Among one of the more notable edits made was the editing out of words such as "fire," "bomb," and "napalm" (not "flame" or "flare"), which were thought to be inappropriate for younger viewers. As a result, the names FireMan, BombMan, and NapalmMan also changed (while the original names were retained in the English games). Other inconsistencies between the English game and anime resulted from similarities in name to American superhero characters: an example is AquaMan becoming SpoutMan in the English anime to avoid confusion with the DC Comics superhero of the same name (although some speculation in the fan community of the series has suggested this was inspired by the prior lawsuit between Capcom and DC Comics when the original AquaMan appeared in the Mega Man 8). In addition, swords are blurred, and scenes of MegaMan pointing his buster at the screen are removed in earlier seasons. Curiously, subsequent airings of certain episodes reveal that some of the original edits were changed back - most notably, the FireTower BattleChip being originally edited as "FlameTower," and subsequently back to "FireTower". Other BattleChips that were named differently include "Blaster" (Shotgun), and "CyberSword" (Sword).
As with the WB's other previous and current dubbed series (such as Pokémon and Cardcaptors), some episodes were aired out of order, edited together, or skipped entirely. Viewers elsewhere saw the series in its entirety in the correct order. The program is currently being released on DVD (and a few earlier volumes on VHS), but in edited format only.
Plot
Like Battle Network, the series focuses on one Lan Hikari, known as Netto Hikari (光熱斗 Hikari Netto) in the Japanese versions, and his NetNavi (also known as a Navi/Navigator), MegaMan.EXE (Rockman.EXE) as they build their friendship while dealing with threats from various NetCrime organizations. Along with Lan are friends Maylu Sakurai, Dex Ogreon, Yai Ayano, Tory Froid, and their respective NetNavis: Roll, GutsMan, Glide, and IceMan.
Although the series originally remains fairly close to the games in terms of storyline, it begins to diverge greatly partway into the series. For example, there is no evidence showing that Lan and MegaMan were twin brothers in the anime, unlike in the games where it is revealed near the end of MegaMan Battle Network.
EXE
EXE is roughly split into two separate storylines. The first concerns the original WWW and Mr. Wily's (Dr. Wily) plan on finding the ultimate NetNavi, similar to the first game, but culminating in the N1 Grand Prix, a storyline that does not take place until the third game in the series. At the conclusion of the tournament, PharaohMan was awakened from his slumber, and proceeds to claim the net as his own, deleting MegaMan in the process. PharaohMan would eventually be weakened by the two tournament finalists, ProtoMan and a newly-rebuilt MegaMan, leading to his capture by Wily. The second half of the season has the characters take on Grave (Gospel), a NetMafia syndicate spearheaded by Wily that seeks to create a virus beast with the capability to destroy the net. The last several episodes of EXE would serve as a lead-in to Axess.
Axess
In Axess, Lan's father, Yuichiro Hikari, curiously absent for most of EXE, completes his research on the Synchro Chip, a device that enables Operators and NetNavis to become one through the use of Cross Fusion. This development coincides with a plot by Nebula (led by the notorious Dr. Regal and his Navi, LaserMan) and the Darkloids (headed by ShadeMan, and later LaserMan) to take over both the human and cyberworlds. It is at this point that events involving Navis become secondary to the action that takes place in the real world (rather than the cyberworld), which has led critics to label it a generic Henshin series. The storyline in Axess is considerably darker, and many EXE regulars make only sporadic appearances.
At the beginning of Axess, Lan manages to use a (then untested) Synchro Chip to Cross Fuse with MegaMan and defeat the Darkloids that materialize in the real world with the aid of Dimensional Converters. Because of this, Lan is invited to become a NetSaver (Net Savior), an Official NetBattler charged with protecting the net. The process of Cross Fusion also uncovers a new ability in MegaMan, Soul Unison (or "DoubleSoul") with which he can combine his powers with another NetNavi. Much of the series is devoted to dealing with the problem of the addictive Dark Chips, as well as the threat of Cross Fusion on the planet.
Stream
Stream continues the storyline set by Axess by introducing Duo, a being from outer space who seeks to destroy humanity after witnessing the chaos caused by Dr. Regal. Intrigued by Cross Fusion, he decides to spare mankind temporarily, bestowing a test upon the main characters to assess whether or not humans truly merit survival. He sends his subordinate, Slur, to Earth, where she hands Navis possessing the powers of Duo's asteroid to unsuspecting people to observe what they will do with such might. In the process, Neo WWW is formed by Tesla Gauss to cause havoc. Dr. Regal also returns toward the end of Stream, and the focus shifts to time travel. Cross Fusion becomes more prominent, as most of the allied operators from Battle Network 5) gain the ability.
Beast
The most recent series introduces the warring Cybeasts (Cyber Beasts) Gregar (Greiga) and Falzar (Falzer). Beast is loosely based on the events occurring in MegaMan Battle Network 6 and marks the arrival of the child Navi, Trill. Pitted against the newly-emerged Zoanoroid armies of the Cybeasts, Lan, MegaMan, and a select group of their partners, find themselves drawn into the parallel world of Beyondard. Guided by a mysterious girl, Iris, they join the human resistance in the fight to claim the "Synchronizer" powers of Trill, with which MegaMan is able to "Beast Out." Nearing the end of Beast, the android brain belonging to Wily of Beyondard reveals himself, along with his lackeys, Blackbeard (Captain Kurohige) and Yuika (Chirol), hoping to acquire the victor Cybeast as his new body. Ultimately, the two were merged together into the Super Cybeast Grezar, which became Wily's vessel.
Beast+
The continuation of Beast marketed as a stand-alone series. Episodes are reduced to only 10 minutes (approximately) in length, airing in the same 30 minute time-slot as the Saru Get You! anime. Beast+ consists of a string of arcs beginning with the appearance of the Professor and Zero (both from MegaMan Network Transmission). The Professor manages to capture the Super Cybeast, Grezar, intent on reviving it for his own purposes. Following its deletion and Zero's decision to break ties with his master, the second arc takes place. Stranded in the world that they perceive to be opposite of their own, Blackbeard and Yuika band together with Darkloid BubbleMan, committing various crimes in a Team Rocket-esque fashion. It is expected that the subsequent arc will involve a deeper plot surrounding Zero. It is during Beast+ that MegaMan gains the abilities of |Cross System/
Characters
- Main article: List of MegaMan Battle Network characters
Cast
Episode List
See Megaman NT Warrior media and release information.
Series
There has been a total of 5 series so far.
- Rockman EXE/MegaMan NT Warrior: A total of 56 episodes, with 25 in the first season and 31 in the second. (In the English version, 14 episodes comprised the first season, 28 in the second, and 10 - consisting of episodes skipped previously - in the third).
- Rockman EXE Axess/MegaMan NT Warrior Axess: A total of 51 episodes, with 27 in the first season and 24 in the second.
- Rockman EXE Stream: A total of 51 episodes, with 30 in the first season and 21 in the second.
- Rockman EXE Beast: 25 episodes, but continues with Beast+.
- Rockman EXE Beast+: On-going in Japan.
- Rockman EXE - The Program of Light and Darkness (movie): A 48 minute movie, released in Japan during March 2005 while Rockman EXE Stream was still airing on TV. It is canon, unlike most anime features.
Trivia
- In the dub, Lan's name is derived from "LAN," the English acronym for "Local Area Network."
- In the Japanese version, Netto's name is a pun on the word "net," and Meiru's name is a pun on "mail." Official sources [1] have sometimes referred to them as "Net" and "Mail," though the puns are more evident due to the phonetics of their names (Netto's when written in Kanji and Hiragana, Meiru's when written in Katakana), as well as nuances in pronunciation by the seiyū involved.
- In the original version of the series, Yaito's father's company, Gabcom, is a pun on Capcom, the original creators of most of the MegaMan/Rockman series.
- With each passing series, the number on Famous' shirt increases by one. It started at 15 in EXE, and is currently 19 in Beast+.
- The design of SharkMan's opponent in episode 12 of EXE is based off of Shin Getter Robo, and the design of ShiningMan is based off of Rainbowman.
- The final episode of EXE, "Virus Busters," includes references to Ghostbusters.
- In the Japanese version, episodes 18 and 25 of Axess include references to The Matrix. The latter of the two also parodies Star Wars, Harry Potter, and The Matrix Reloaded with its own popular movie, "StarPotter Reloaded."
- Callbacks to Tesla Magnet's age are made frequently throughout the series.
- Tesla's age is first revealed in episode 30 of Stream to be thirty. The robot that she hijacks is also named Thirty.
- In episode 48 of Stream, while Cross Fused with MagnetMan, Tesla stands on a bridge labeled "30."
- In episode 23 of Beast, Tesla's tantrum over the cancellation of her vacation is accompanied by a backdrop full of various spellings of the word "thirty."
- The name of Asteroid StarMan's operator, Romeda Andou (Andou Romeda), who appears in episode 38 of Stream, alludes to the Andromeda constellation.
- The Orbital Elevator featured in episode 40 of Stream is a concept from Mega Man X8. In the same episode, a mother in the crowd of people watching Neo WWW's broadcast is seen holding a grenade for unknown reasons.
- Certain plot points have evidently been changed during the course of the series. In the first Japanese ending credits for Stream, both Ribitta (Kero Midorikawa) and Higsby were featured, foreshadowing, at the time, the possibility of the two becoming Cross Fusion members (Maylu and Ms. Yuri were chosen as substitutes). Similarly, in episode 12 of Beast, Iris is chased down by a shadowy figure bearing a resemblance to Colonel. Given the events that unfold as the rest of the story progresses, this scene does not make sense, as Colonel had not yet become a Zoanoroid, therefore he would not be stalking her to discover Trill's secrets.
- In episode 6 of Beast, BubbleMan is seen attacking Internet City in a getup reminiscent of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.
- In episode 12 of Beast+, Gauss reads a NEWS WEEKs magazine while on the flight to Kingland, a play on the existing newsmagazine, Newsweek.
See also
- NetNavi
- MegaMan Battle Network
- List of anime
- List of manga
- List of television shows based on video games
- Mega Man (series)
- Rockman.EXE Catan
External links
- MegaMan NT Warrior English official website
- Kids WB MegaMan NT Warrior website
- MegaMan NT Warrior at TV.com
- Template:Languageicon ShoPro Rockman EXE website
- Template:Languageicon TV Tokyo Rockman EXE website
- Template:Languageicon TV Tokyo Rockman EXE Axess website
- Template:Languageicon TV Tokyo Rockman EXE Stream website
- Template:Languageicon TV Tokyo Rockman EXE Beast website
]