Robot Master Superlatives

Mega Man is the king of themed enemies. Take a central idea like ice, wood, lasers, gravity, etc. and run with it. Simple, but effective.

With Mega Man 11 coming soon, I thought it would be fun to look back at the bosses across the entire franchise, and rank them based on their strengths.

Mid-bosses, story bosses, and final bosses don't count. Only the core stage bosses.

The rule I've set for myself is that I cannot choose a robot master for more than one category.

Here are my personal Robot Master superlatives!

1. Most Creative - Gemini Man

While most robot masters have a theme that easily translates into a combat ability, Gemini Man's thing is that there's two of him. There's nothing about that that has any inherent fighting ability, so the devs had to get a little more creative with him by giving him laser beams and a crystalline aesthetic. He ended up being one of the coolest looking robot masters despite his general idea being harder to come up with a design for. His name is also creative - they could have easily called him Clone Man, but instead chose the name of the gemini constellation.

2. Best Stage Theme - Snake Man

Mega Man is full of great music, and it was really hard to choose one that was my favorite. Snake Man's stands out to me because of the unique atmosphere it has compared to the others. Most Mega Man stage themes are upbeat and give a sense of drive, but there's something about Snake Man's that has an almost acid trip-like quality to it. His stage feels surreal and dreamlike because of it, especially because of the huge snake bosses and the nature of climbing all over a bunch of giant snakes. Perfect level and sound design harmony.

3. Most Fun to Fight - Burner Man

Most fun to fight? Well... maybe that's going a little far. But the sense of satisfaction gotten from beating him is definitely worth it. Burner Man is one of the hardest robot masters in the series, especially if you're playing as Bass. While most bosses can be cheesed with their weakness, Burner Man has to be strategically pushed off the side of the screen with a wall of ice, making him a skill based battle even if you have the ability he's weak to. His fight is definitely the one that stands out to me the most.

4. Best Stage - Flash Man

I actually had both Gemini and Snake Man in the running for this, but alas, I decided they were better fit for other categories. My reason for liking Flash Man's stage is admittedly pretty shallow. It just looks cool. Lots of glowing lights and a great cool blue color scheme. Just my kinda thing.

5. Best Copy Ability - Metal Man

Ah, the Metal Blades. Famous - or infamous - for being a weapon their own master is weak to. I chose this ability not because of its usefulness, creativeness, or coolness, but because I find its concept to be hilarious. If Metal Man ever tripped he could easily kill himself. It's made even funnier because he's one of the more menacing robot masters, making his flawed design even more outlandish.

Number One - Freeze Man

Freeze is definitely my favorite. For one, ice is my favorite element by a fairly wide margin, and he has the icy aesthetic down to a T. Secondly, he looks awesome even without considering his affinity for ice, with his shoulder pads and gem encrusted boots. Freeze Man is also one of the only robot masters to show a definitive attitude. He taunts you before the battle, and if you hit him with his own ability, he'll take no damage, gloat, and do a flashy pose. Everything about him is, well, cool.

These are my rankings, but looking ahead to Mega Man 11, some of them may soon be dethroned. The Robot Master design in 11 looks to be on point. Time shall tell if they're as cool as they look!