Fighter Idea: Proto Man

[Lord_Brand]

Proto Man plays similarly to his brother Mega Man, but his Special Weapon selection is almost completely different. Furthermore, he has a passive shield much like Link or Hero that protects him from frontal attacks. Though I was originally going to have Proto Man's Specials include weapons from Mega Man 3 as a nod to his game of origin, I've found the weapons from Mega Man 9 make for a much better moveset, not to mention 9 was Proto Man's mainline playable debut. His seven alternate costumes are palettes featured in MM9.

Spoiler

Specials

• N: Magma Bazooka - Proto Man shoots three fireballs from his buster in a spread. The special can be charged to fire larger, more powerful fireballs.
• S: Black Hole Bomb - Proto Man shoots a BHB forward which can be steered and be detonated prematurely. The resulting gravity well functions similar to the Black Hole item, but on a smaller scale.
• U: Proto Coil - Identical to Rush Coil.
• D: Jewel Satellite - Similar to Leaf Shield, but the jewels can reflect shots. However, they can only hit opponents once before disappearing.

Ground

• N: Proto Buster - Identical to Mega Buster.
• S tilt: Proto Buster
• U tilt: Shadow Blade - Proto Man throws a shuriken directly above him. The shuriken returns after flying a short distance.
• D tilt: Concrete Shot - Proto Man shoots a glob of concrete from his buster which forms a block upon hitting an opponent or the ground. If an opponent is hit, they will be briefly trapped.
• S smash: Knight Crush - Proto Man swings a spiked ball and launches it forward, after which it loops back and returns to him.
• U smash: Pharaoh Shot - Proto Man conjures a fireball above his head, referencing the charged version of Pharaoh Shot in MM4.
• D smash: Plug Ball - A small pink electric spark travels along the ground in each direction.
• Dash: Shield Dash - Proto Man lunges forward shield-first. This move is taken from MM7.

Aerial

• N: Proto Buster
  F: Wheel Cutter - Proto Man produces a spinning blade at the tip of his buster which hits multiple times.
  B: Silver Tomahawk - Proto Man delivers a horizontal chop behind him with an axe.
  U: Tornado Blow - Identical to Air Shooter, except the tornado is green.
  D: Laser Trident - Proto Man shoots a laser trident downward. This is a nod to how Splash Woman uses the weapon.

Final Smash: Big Bang Strike - Proto Man charges up and fires a super-powerful charge shot that explodes on impact, dealing heavy damage and launching opponents.

Taunts

• U: Proto Man teleports away, whistles his signature tune, then teleports back in.
• S: Proto Man turns his back to the camera, then looks forward and waggles his finger, tsking.
• D: Proto Man takes off his helmet, revealing his hair for a brief time.

Victory

• Theme: Proto Man's Theme from Mega Man 3, with one exception.
  1: Proto Man blocks a shot with his shield, then returns fire. For this animation, the Get Weapon theme from MM3 plays instead of Proto Man's Theme.
  2: Proto Man flies in on the Proto Jet and rescues Kalinka from one of Wily's Robot Masters. He continues to fly while carrying Kalinka, intent on bringing her back to her father. This is loosely based on his returning Kalinka to her father near the end of MM4.
  3: Proto Man departs with a salutation. This is based on his solo ending from MM2: The Power Fighters.

Costumes

• P1: Red - Proto Man's default color.
• P2: Blue - Proto Man's palette when using Laser Trident.
• P3: Gray - Proto Man's palette when using Concrete Shot.
• P4: Purple - Proto Man's palette when using Black Hole Bomb.
• P5: Cyan - Proto Man's palette when using Jewel Satellite.
• P6: Pink - Proto Man's palette when using Plug Ball.
• P7: Green - Proto Man's palette when using Tornado Blow.
• P8: Orange - Proto Man's palette when using Magma Bazooka.

Stage: Wily Castle II

Dr. Wily's Castle from Mega Man 3. Just as Wily Castle has Yellow Devil as its boss, WCII has Mecha Dragon.

Spirit Board

Spoiler

Concrete Man

• Type: Support (Attack)
• Rank: ★★
• Cost: ⬡⬡
• Skill: Sticky-Floor Immunity
• Fighter: Giant Proto Man (Gray)
• Stage: Forest of Hope (Battlefield Form)
• Music: Concrete Man Stage
• Conditions
  • The enemy favors down tilts.
  • The enemy is weak to energy attacks.
  • The floor is sticky.

Tornado Man

• Type: Support (Grab)
• Rank: ★★
• Cost: ⬡
• Skill: Jump ↑
• Fighter: Proto Man (Green)
• Stage: Skyworld
• Music: Tornado Man Stage
• Conditions
  • The enemy loves to jump.
  • The enemy favors up air attacks.
  • The enemy is weak to lightning attacks.

Splash Woman

• Type: Support (Shield)
• Rank: ★★
• Cost: ⬡⬡
• Skill: Swimmer
• Fighter: Proto Man (Blue)
• Stage: 
• Music: Splash Woman Stage
• Conditions
  • The enemy loves to jump.
  • The enemy falls slowly.
  • The enemy favors down air attacks.

Plug Man

• Type: Support (Neutral)
• Rank: ★
• Cost: ⬡⬡
• Skill: Hothead Equipped
• Fighter: Proto Man
• Stage: Wily Castle II
• Music: Plug Man Stage
• Conditions
  • The enemy starts with a Hothead.
  • The enemy favors down smashes.

Jewel Man

• Type: Support (Neutral)
• Rank: ★★★
• Cost: ⬡⬡
• Skill: Franklin Badge Equipped
• Fighter: Proto Man (Cyan)
• Stage: Great Cave Offensive (Battlefield Form)
• Music: Jewel Man Stage
• Conditions
  • The enemy favors down specials.
  • The enemy starts with a Franklin Badge.

Hornet Man

• Type: Support (Grab)
• Rank: ★
• Cost: ⬡
• Skill: 
• Fighter: 
• Stage: 
• Music: Hornet Man Stage
• Conditions
  • The enemy is weak to fire attacks.

Magma Man

• Type: Support (Attack)
• Rank: ★★★
• Cost: ⬡⬡
• Skill: Fire Attack ↑
• Fighter: Proto Man (Orange)
• Stage: Norfair
• Music: Magma Man Stage
• Conditions
  • The floor is lava.
  • The enemy favors neutral specials.

Galaxy Man

• Fighter changed to Proto Man (Purple)
• Music changed to Galaxy Man Stage.

 

Edited December 28, 2022 by Lord_Brand

[AnonymousSpeed]

I think some Mega Man 3 weapons would be appropriate, given that was his debut game.

[Lord_Brand]

I did work Shadow Blade in as his U tilt, at least. Originally, that was going to be his N Special, but like I said in the OP, I found MM9 weapons worked better, especially as specials. I could probably find room for Needle Cannon and Search Snake as well, but most of the current weapons are preferable. Magnet Missile and Gemini Laser would not be as ideal for a Smash moveset. Ultimately, I prioritized what looked better and would be more fun to play while still being thematically relevant.

Edited September 5, 2022 by Lord_Brand