MegaMan NT Warrior
| MegaMan NT Warrior | |
| Anime | |
| Directed by | Takao Kato |
|---|---|
| Studio | XEBEC |
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 by ShoPro Entertainment), is shown on Kids' WB in the United States and Teletoon in Canada. The anime has spawned three sequels, Rockman.EXE Axess, Rockman.EXE Stream, 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, and Beast in October 2005. 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. At this point, it does not look like Megaman NT warrior will return to the KidsWB schedule in the forseeable future, whether or not KidsWB will pick up the stream season is not clear 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.
The movie was shown together with 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 game "MegaMan Battlenetwork 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 very young audience. Among one of the more notable edits made were the editing out of words such as "fire", "bomb", and "napalm" (not "flame" or "flare"), which were thought to be inappropriate for younger viewers, which led to the change in names for FireMan, BombMan, and NapalmMan for the anime (it is to be noted, however, that 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 the prior lawsuit between Capcom and DC Comics when the original AquaMan appeared in the game MegaMan 8). Curiously, subsequent airings of the same episode reveal that some of the original edits were changed back - most notably, the FireTower BattleChip being originally edited to "FlameTower" and subsequently back to "FireTower".
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, although this phenomenon only occurs in the United States - viewers elsewhere saw the series in its entirety in the correct order. The show is slated to be released on DVD, but in edited format only. It is to be noted, however, that although the English manga names match the English anime names, they may not necessarily match the names used in Battle Network.
Plot
Like Battle Network, the series focuses on one Lan Hikari (Net Hikari [1]; his name is a pun on the Japanese loanword for "Net", which is written slightly differently, and pronouced as 'Netto'. The English name comes from "LAN", the English acronym for Local Area Network) and his NetNavi (Also known as Navi or 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 (the Japanese anime romanizes the given name as Mail when it is conventionally spelled "Meiru"), Dex Ogreon (Dekao Oyama), Yai Ayano (Yaito Ayanokoji), and Tory Froid (Tohru Hikawa), and their NetNavis Roll, GutsMan, Glyde, and IceMan.
Although the series originally remains fairly close to the games, it begins to diverge greatly partway into the series. For example, there is no evidence showing that Lan had a brother in the anime, unlike in the games where it is revealed near the end of MegaMan Battle Network.
EXE is roughly split into two separate storylines: the first concerns the original WWW and Dr. Wily's 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. There, at the conclusion of the tournament, saw the awakening of PharaohMan.EXE from its slumber, who proceeds to claim the net as its own, deleting MegaMan in the process. PharaohMan would eventually be weakened by the two tournament finalists, ProtoMan.EXE and a newly-rebuilt MegaMan, leading to its capture by Wily. The second half has the characters take on Gospel (Grave in the English version), a NetCrime organization spearheaded by Wily, who seeks to create a virus beast that would destroy the net. The last several episodes of EXE would serve as a lead-in to Axess.
In Axess, Lan's father Yuichiro Hikari, curiously absent for most of EXE, completes his research on the Synchro Chip, a technique that allow Operators and NetNavis to become one through the use of CrossFusion. This development coincides with a plot by Nebula (led by Dr. Regal and his NetNavi, LaserMan) and the Darkloids (led by ShadeMan, later LaserMan) to take over both the human and cyberworlds. It is at this point that the series greatly diverges from the games: because CrossFusion being the main difference (in the games, Lan is rarely ever placed in danger, and if so, only in a cutscene), much of the action takes place in the real world (rather than the cyberworld), which has lead critics of the series to label it a generic Henshin (transforming hero) series. The storyline in Axess is considerably darker, and many EXE regulars (including Maylu, who is labeled as being the female lead of the series) make only sporadic appearances.
At the start of Axess, Lan manages to use the (then-untested) Synchro Chip to CrossFuse with MegaMan and defeat the Darkloids in the real world. Because of this, Lan is invited to become a NetSaver (Net Savior), an Official NetBattler charged with protecting the Net. However, the process of CrossFusion also uncovers a new ability in MegaMan, where he can combine his powers with another NetNavi. Over the course of the series, the two battle Nebula and the Darkloids, with the help of other Operators and NetNavis.
Stream continues the storyline set off by Axess by introducing Duo, a NetNavi from outer space which seeks to destroy humanity for evils after seeing the chaos caused by Dr. Regal (as in the end of Battle Network 4), but not without subjecting the main characters to a test. In the process, Neo WWW is formed, with many of the human characters from Battle Network 3 along with their NetNavis (which had made previous appearances in Axess as Darkloids) and several from the fourth and fifth games. Cross Fusion becomes more prominent as more characters gain the ability, notably the allied operators from Battle Network 5.
The newest series, Rockman.EXE Beast (currently not slated for North American distribution), introduces the warring Cyber Beasts Greiga and Falzer, a wolf and phoenix, respectively. This series seems to be loosely based on the events of Rockman.EXE 6 for the Game Boy Advance. It also introduces a child Navi named Trill with mysterious origins, and other possible friends-or-enemies, including Slashman, Tenguman, Diveman, Killerman, Chargeman, and Circusman. Beast also introduces the "Beast Out" form, which, initially caused by Trill, seems to be Rockman reacting with the Cyber Beasts, and transforms him into a cross between himself and one of the Beasts.
The new Series Rockman.EXE Beast+ is part 2 of Beast and final season of the Series. Beast+ has shown the characters Zero.EXE and the Professor from MegaMan Network Transmission. Beast+ will also feature New Characters from Rockman.EXE 6 of Game Boy Advance like Count Elec's wife Ann Elecitel, ElecMan's New Operated. We hope to see other Characters from the Game Series of Rockman.EXE like: BlastMan, ElementMan, JudgeMan, Shun/Sean and Serenade. and we may get to see World Three III, Rockman's New Cross System & New Cross Fusions. It is unknown how long Beast+ will run.
Characters
- Main article: List of Mega Man characters (Battle Network series)
Cast
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. These are for the Japanese anime.
- 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 (undubbed)
A total of 51 episodes as well, with 30 in the first season and 21 in the second.
- Rockman EXE Beast (undubbed)
25 episodes, but Rockman EXE Beast continues with Beast Plus.
- Rockman EXE Beast + (undubbed; ongoing in Japan)
- Rockman EXE - The Program of Light and Darkness (movie)
This is a 45 minute long movie, released in Japan during March 2005, while Rockman EXE Stream was still airing on TV. It is canon, unlike most anime features.
The series after Axess have not yet been licensed.
Trivia
- "Net" is pronounced and conventionally romanized as "Netto" in Japanese.
- "Mail" (conventionally romanized as "Meiru") is a pun on 'mail' (as in e-mail).
- "Site" ("Saito") also means 'site' in Japanese. Site is the Japanese name of "Hub", Lan Hikari's twin brother in the GBA series, Hub who died at birth. Net's dad, heartbroken, based Megaman on Hub's DNA.
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
- Rockman.EXE Online, Information for the Anime Series