Come HOT off of the success(?) of his appearance on Captain N: The Game Master, Capcom finally decided to give Mega Man his own cartoon.
In 1994 the company debuted Mega Man, a half hour animated show meant to capitalize on the popularity of the NES series. The show gave us the origin of Dr Light and Dr Wily, their creation of Mega Man and the turn to evil for the robots. Several of the game’s characters make their appearance as cast members on the show, from Rush the dog to Protoman to Roll.
It plays out like a typical monster of the week narrative, as Mega Man and team take down Wily’s forces each episode. Much like the video games, Mega Man would gain the powers of his enemies to help thwart Wily.
The show was quite popular in the US, having consistently high ratings. It ended after two seasons due to licensing issues. It had a genuinely interesting premise — evil robots — and Dr. Wily translated well as a cartoon antagonist. If you can get past the strangely proportioned Mega Man as a human, then the show is worth peeking into while you wait for whatever is next.
Mega Man was produced by Capcom, Ruby-Spears and Ocean and Ashi Productions.
Like reliving gaming show nostalgia? Check out our entire catalog of Saturday Morning Cartoon recommendations.
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