Rockman Unity Teases "Ver.Ke" Sigma Figure for April Fools' Day

It's April 1st in Japan and that means it's time for Rockman Unity's annual April Fools' Day post.

This year, to mark the end of the Heisei period, Ucchy-san takes us on a journey back through time, showing off various Rockman Unity April Fools' Day pranks from the period. Most of these pranks actually didn't happen, like the construction of a 226-foot-tall golden Rockman statue, multi-colored Ver.Ke X figures, and a soft vinyl Battle & Chase-style Roll figure, among other things.

All of these things sound super neat and would have made for fun products. However, what really whets the appetite is the product behind Ucchy's incorrect April Fools' Day 2018 recollection: a Rockman X 25th Anniversary Keisuke Mizuno (Ver.Ke) Sigma figure. Hot dang.

As you know, this wasn't the real 2018 April Fools' Day prank. But it is no doubt the centerpiece of this year's festivities. So the question is, can we expect Ver.Ke Sigma to actually become a real product? Don't forget: many past Rockman Unity April Fools' Day pranks ended up becoming legitimate figures. There was the D-Arts Ultimate Armor X in 2013, Ver.Ke X in 2014, Gigantic Series Roll in 2015, and the "Subaru Style" Shooting Star Rockman 4Inch-Nel variant in 2017. You might even own some of this figures.

As per usual, only time will tell. For now, do admire that fine artwork by Keisuke Mizuno.

Source: Rockman Unity

Mega Man: Fully Charged Episodes 41-44 Now Streaming on Cartoon Network

A small batch of brand-new Mega Man: Fully Charged episodes are live on Cartoon Network's website and app. Episode titles and descriptions below:

Episode 41: It's Chemistry, Man

Chemistry Man lays siege to Silicon Central when he discovers that his replacement, Miss CHO, has been presented with a teaching award.

Episode 42: Flower Power 

Mega Man must battle Wood Man for the fate of the Corpse Flower, a rare and noxious bloom that's stinking up all of Silicon City.

Episode 43: Enemy of My Enemy 

When a grudge match between Fire Man and Namagem threatens to level Silicon City, Mega Man must intervene and ultimately choose a side to prevent collateral damage.

Episode 44: Old School

Mega Man must stop Chaotique from making Silicon Central disappear, as in literally erasing the school at a subatomic level, while learning life lessons from a rambling old-bot named Hal.

  

As usual, you'll need credentials from your cable provider to watch. If you don't mind a little wait, though, these episodes are expected to air over the next few weeks on Cartoon Network. See airdates/times at the link below.

 

Source: Cartoon Network

Mega Man Totaku Figure Revealed (Coming in Lte May)

Nearly an entire year after it was first outed to be in development, we finally have an image (and video!) of Totaku's Mega Man figure. As you can see, this little guy is based on a piece of Mega Man 11 key art, featuring a Block Man stage-themed base and packaging. You can see more of the figure in a video posted to Totaku's Instagram page here.

The Mega Man Totaku is expected to hit retailers in late May, the company says. Keep your eyes peeled to GameStop's Totaku hub for pre-orders.

Source: Totaku (thanks for the tip, Moscoto Bot!)

Bandai Ruby-Spears Mega Man "Test Shot" Prototype Images

A rare piece of Ruby-Spears Mega Man history is now safely in our possession. Rockman Corner contributor Mariomario64646464 has procured a Mega Man "test shot" prototype figure from Bandai's Ruby-Spears cartoon toyline (shown left). Compared to the 5-inch action figure that released in the U.S back in 1994, this resin prototype looks a lot more on-model. There's some other fun differences, too. Check 'em out after the break!

Mega Man Maker Version 1.5 Now Available

Mega Man Maker, everyone's favorite fan-game that should be an official game, just received a hefty update. Version 1.5 adds content from Mega Man 8 and Mega Man 9, among other highly requested updates. Here's the lowdown:

• 12 new weapons from Mega Man 8 and Mega Man 9
• 4 new bosses: Concrete Man, Tornado Man, Astro Man, and Grenade Man
• "Favorites Wheel", a new feature that allows you to quickly swap between your favorite items
•  You can now place MULTIPLE bosses in your stage!
•  Bosses can also drop items instead of triggering the end of the stage
•  "Boss Suppressor"added – when placed, the player must defeat all bosses before ending the stage

You can download the latest version of Mega Man Maker from the game's official website here.

The Voice of Mega Man/Aki Light Unboxes Every Mega Man: Fully Charged Toy

The folks at Jakks Pacific sent over a big 'ol box of Mega Man: Fully Charged toys to Vincent Tong, the voice actor behind Mega Man (aka Aki Light) himself . Every toy from the wave 1 line is here, from the 5-inch action figures to the mega-sized playset. It's a fun watch! Be sure to check it out.

Jakks Pacific's Mega Man Fully Charged toys are now available from Big Bad Toystore and select retailers throughout North America (Walmart, Target, GameStop, specifically). Happy buying!

New Shingo Adachi Artbook in the Works

Earlier today Aniplex revealed on Twitter that a new full color artbook by artist Shingo Adachi is to be released. From his animated work on Mega Man Star Force and Mega Man Battle Network to Sword Art Online, this is one fans won't want to miss.

Mega Man: Fully Charged Wave 1 Toyline Hits US Retail

Thanks to a little around a dozen tips from Rockman Corner readers and random Instagram users, it appears that most, if not all of Jakks Pacific's Mega Man: Fully Charged wave 1 toyline has hit US retail. The five-inch figures, roleplay Mega Buster, and play set have been spotted and scooped up by fans at Target, Walmart, and GameStop locations throughout the US.

Here's the full wave 1 lineup to keep an eye out for:

• 5-inch Mega Man
• 5-inch Ice Man
• 6-inch Air Man
• 6-inch Wave Man
• Deluxe 7-inch Guts Man
• Deluxe 7-inch Drill Man
• Deluxe 7-inch Drill Power Mega Man
• Role Play Mega Buster
• Mega Man Transforming Play Set

If instant gratification isn't your thing, you can buy these guys online from Big Bad Toystore. They're ready to ship to your door right now.

With wave 1 out of the way, we can look forward to wave 2! It's coming... sometime this year. You can check out a preliminary list of wave 2 products here. Thanks to everyone who sent in a tip!

Rockman EXE 1 2014 Developer Interview Translated

To commemorate the Rockman EXE series' 18th anniversary (today!), our friends at The Rockman EXE Zone have translated a 2014 interview between character designer and art director Hayato Kaji and character designer Yuji Ishahara. This interview was originally conducted in honor of Rockman EXE 1's Wii U Virtual Console release. You can check out a select portion of it below!

- I’d think giving everyone a Navi mark must be quite a bit of work, is that right?

Ishihara: It actually just kind of works out (laugh). I design them all at once with the character’s image and the Navi’s colors in mind. So when the Navi is complete, the mark just ends up somehow being complete, too. The simpler it is, the cleaner it fits in. It’s not that difficult at all, it’s fun, actually.

Kaji: Because emblems exist, you can relate to characters through them. Children are especially happy to have that sort of thing.

Ishihara: However, it’s always been unclear whether they’re supposed to be something like a family crest, an individual’s mark, or a Navi’s unique mark (laughs). Hinoken has the same mark for all of his Navis, but Meijin has a different one every time, for example.

Kaji: Rockman alone has the “H” from “Hikari Lab” in his design. At first, it was just a normal cross, but a different designer put in one more line and made it cooler.

Check out the full interview at The Rockman EXE Zone! 

"Capcom World-News" Scans Part 1: 1989 – 1991

I've got a neat blast-from-the-past to share with you all this weekend. A one "Brian" has graciously gifted Rockman Corner with several high quality scans of Capcom's oldest-known publication, "Capcom World News". Inside the pages of these age-old newsletters lies some very neat Rockman history.

Today I'll be sharing complete scans from Capcom World News Issues 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, and "Extra". You can download all of them from my Dropbox or Drive. Note that they're in .tiff format. After the jump below, I've written up a little breakdown of all the noteworthy gems inside each issue.

Rockman X2 25th Anniversary Band & Piano Albums Available to Purchase

Starting today, the Rockman X2 25th Anniversary Band & Piano albums are available to purchase in MP3 and WAV format, and also PDF Score for those who want to play the music by themselves. The albums in MP3 format are on sale until April 30th and the individual instrumental tracks (Guitar, Bass, Keyboard & drums) are deeply discounted – 540 yen (normally between 1,620 to 2,700 yen).
The Rockman X2 albums can be purchased here. And in case you missed the Rockman X albums, they can be purchased here.

Full list of prices after the jump.

Every Episode of "Ruby-Spears Mega Man" is Legally Streaming On YouTube

So this flew waaay under my radar but, hey, it's news to someone. So you know that 2019 marks the 25th anniversary of our beloved Ruby-Spears Mega Man cartoon, right? Well if you feel like getting into the spirit of things, you can binge watch the entire show right now – for free.

WildBrain, a subsidiary of DHX (producers of Mega Man: Fully Charged) quietly launched a YouTube channel called "Mega Man Retro" last year. The channel hosts all 27 episodes of the Ruby-Spears 'toon commercial-free. Video quality is between decent ("The Incredible Shrinking Mega Man") to "meh" ("Electric Nightmare"). Still, it's nice to finally have the show streaming somewhere in an official capacity. If the video quality here just isn't your thing, the still-in-print 2014 DVD box set remains a viable option.

However you choose to watch it, there's no better time to check out "Mega X", Cold Steel", "Curse of the Lion Men", and other wonderfully ridiculous episodes. The show's 25th anniversary officially kicks-off on September 11th, 2019.

Source: Mega Man Retro

First Rockman X2 "25th Anniversary Piano Album" Music Samples Are Live

Samples from the Rockman X2 25th Anniversary Piano Album are finally here! Most of the tracks are available.  You can listen to them right here.

GMStore will be regularly adding more samples to that page until they provide samples for all the tracks in the album. Alternatively, the majority of the Band Album samples are available and you can listen them in the link above. Release dates for both albums have yet to be revealed, but we are close to the announcement.

Don't Forget to Pick Up the Mega Buster Devil Breaker in Devil May Cry 5

Devil May Cry 5 is out in the wild and in case you forgot, you can also pick up Nero's "Mega Buster Devil Breaker" today, too. There's a couple different ways to get it:

• Buy the Deluxe or Collector's Edition of Devil May Cry 5 (includes Mega Buster Devil Breaker, among other)
• Buy separate "Deluxe Upgrade" to receive all Deluxe Edition content (Mega Buster, etc.)

When equipped, the Mega Buster bestows Nero with the ability to fire and charge projectiles. Nero will also strike a familiar Mega Man-pose when he jumps, too! See it in action in the video above!

Mega Man: Fully Charged Episodes 33-40 Now Streaming on Cartoon Network

Mega Man meets the prankster bot Chaotique (Episode 35, "All Work And No Work")

If you're a cable subscriber within the United States, you'll be happy to know that eight brand-new episodes of Mega Man: Fully Charged are now streaming on Cartoon Network's website. As per usual, you can also watch them on Cartoon Network app and on-demand via your local cable provider.

There's only TWELVE episodes left for season one, people. We're getting down to the wire!

Source: Cartoon Network

Mega Man: Fully Charged Guts Man Figure Now Available (And It Actually Farts)

Another Jakks Pacific Mega Man: Fully Charged product is now available on Amazon – it's Guts Man! The show's very literal interpretation of 'ol Gutsy is now a pose-able figure. Best of all, it features one heck of a gimmick: "[the figure] has an expanding belly and makes a fart sound!" Truly the epitome of Mega Man figures, people.

It also includes:

• Includes 6 points of articulation (shoulders, hips, knees).
• Includes a cannon accessory that can be swapped onto the 5-inch blue Mega Man figure.

Guts Man will set you back $14.99. Grab yours here!