Artists Hicham Habchi and Sangtaek Woo have shared a selection of concept art from the Secret Level episode Mega Man: Start. Habchi, known for his work on League of Legends, Marvel Rivals, and Overwatch, contributed designs for Mega Man/Rock. Meanwhile, Woo handled the design of Bomb Man, and brings us a look at an early version that differs slightly from the final design depicted in the episode.
After the break, I've collected some of the images they've shared along with commentary from Woo. You can see additional pieces at their respective socials and portfolios here and here.
Woo on Bomb Man:
"As a big fan of the Love, Death & Robots series, I was thrilled to work on this. It was even more exciting because I had enjoyed playing the Mega Man series as a child, making this project incredibly fun for me. My role was to design the Bombman, the main antagonist in this Mega Man installment.
The task involved transforming the classic small Bomberman into a massive robot. After the initial concept phase, we moved into production, adding detailed elements that matched the scale of the character. The result was a much more impressive design. Personally, I felt the chest area of Bomberman was initially lacking, but it underwent some fantastic revisions that made it look amazing."
The final designs are the best.
ReplyDeleteI liked the art
DeleteNo they aren't.
DeleteSome of the hair designs really remind me of vulnutt!
ReplyDelete>Habchi, known for his work on [...] Marvel Rivals [...]
ReplyDeleteAnd Rock and Light outright look like designs straight outta Marvel Rivals to me in these concept arts.
Ergo, I shall make the obvious remark here:
Marvel vs. Capcom Rivals
I like the sound of that. I wouldn't mind seeing a Marvel vs. Capcom Rivals.
DeleteThat...actually sounds awesome.
DeleteIf they can get the art and animation right, sure. MvCI looked a bit wonky in some cutscenes from what I remember. Zero and X gliding across the floor while limping/walking, I think?
DeleteThey really went all out for a five minute short. Imagine how they would have done with a full series.
ReplyDeleteYeah it would be even more gritty and unrecognizable, no thanks to this studio doing a full series.
DeleteOr an OVA, I swear if Studio Trigger does the best for it.
Delete@6:11, I’d love a series or ova made by a Japanese studio. They wouldn’t mess with the character designs and overall tone like these western studios feel the need to do. Unfortunately I don’t see Capcom really caring enough to approach one of the Japanese studios.
DeleteMy understanding is that Japanese IP holders approach western studios specifically when they want to overhaul stuff, see: Sonic Boom & an entire 2010s-worth of western remakes of Japanese ips (bionic commando, silent hill, etc.). Not really fair to berate them for doing as theyre told...
Delete@8:45
DeleteDing ding ding! There’s a reason the pantheon of maxims is full of idioms that say just that (“hate the game, not the player,” “don’t shoot the messenger,” etc.). I wish more people against those productions realized that, if only so they could properly focus their outrage towards their actual problem.
That is, unless they want things to be angry about, then they’re good. :p
Wow, that's some amazing art, i'm also an mega man fan too wish i could see that episode.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah i forgot to mention, i'm a artist as as well.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that there's no visor in the concept art for Mega Man. Makes me wonder where it came from.
ReplyDeleteI can see it in the second image underneath the reference art. It's not super-obvious, though.
DeleteI still wonder why they couldn't have just used the regular designs instead of westernizing Mega Man. Also, in before the (accept everything and like it or your are not a fan crowd).
ReplyDeleteThe only western Mega Man I will accept is Ruby-Spears' version. It's close to Inafune's design, at least. Not so much his Roll, though.
DeleteThe "accept everything and like it or your are not a fan crowd" are not "fans" in the truest sense of the word. They are consumers. Big difference.
DeleteFans are fanatics. It's in the name. They take things personal and nit pic every detail. They don't just eat up every piece of 3rd rate slop because it has laser swords and flying solar panels in it, for example.
@shrap Not always. Fans are just people who enjoy a series and like talking about it with others. The term hasn't been used strictly in regards to outright fanatics in ages. When it gets to the point where someone actively hates everything new that comes out because it's not up to their personal standards, the argument could be made that they've become more of a hater than a fan. Especially when they become a toxic presence in discussions.
DeleteAdditionally, I don't see any "Accept everything and like it or you are not a fan" around here, so I'm going to chalk that bit up to basic strawmanning. People genuinely enjoying new things that aren't 1 to 1 the same as older interpretations are not the same thing as the "consume product" crowd, and I certainly never see that argument being used against people who enjoy, say, any of the various different animated Batman spinoff universes.
Nice strawman. In my 35 years of being a fan, I don't think I've ever come across an "accept everything or you're not a fan" type. I've debated all things MM online for over 20 years now with all kinds of fans, some who have had very sound criticisms of games, storylines, shows, manga, toys, etc. If they presented them in a mature and rationale way, it's always a good conversation.
DeleteThere's also a very small contingent of fans who come on this site to wail about anything that's not a game. These people have proven via their repeated posts that they have no concept of how licensing works (believing Capcom makes everything), and anything that doesn't look like it was lifted straight from Inafune's initial drawings isn't worthy of the brand. They can't stand that some fans still find joy in things, so they tend to criticize them as "sheep", who eat up "trash", put out by "Crapcom", and proudly remind us all how they won't be buying said content/merchandise. It's immature.
If there's one thing I've learned over the years though, it's that said group is very small, likely in the hundreds, they just seem larger because they are some of the most frequent posters on here and other social media. I have a feeling some of these people are actually upset that the Secret Level episode was so well-received. In their misguided ways to be proven right, they almost rooted for it to fail, like they did with the Legacy Collections when they were first announced.
@12:26 PM Yeah I agree. Most MM fans I've talked to online are pretty chill, it's only a few content creators on Youtube and some of the individuals here on this site that I've seen pushing the anti-Capcom agenda and being toxic to other fans who aren't like them.
DeleteJust figure yourselves about the three Western Sonic cartoons from the 90s. I wished a decent anime adaptation of both franchises, but the companies have refused likely to make animes due a request from their Americans branches.
Delete@shrap wow you're miserable. it's not 3rd rate, it's good art. it may not be mind blowing but the character artists on the team certainly know what they're doing. if you don't like it, fair, but actively being a downer isn't being a fan imo.
DeleteOP won.
Delete@Rs Proto, same here the only western Mega Man design I’ve ever liked is the 95 cartoon design because you can still tell he’s Mega Man just buff. The other western studios that attempted redesigns within the last 10-15 years just can’t get it right for some reason. I’m not hating I just don’t see the need to make a character unrecognizable.
Delete@4:28 am, actively accepting any scraps like a drone isn’t being a fan either.
Delete@Arbiter of truth No, OP didn't "win". People pointing out the strawman and saying that others have the right to not like it but not to be a downer actually proves OP wrong.
DeleteYet again OP is right.
Delete@12:04 PM Zip it, zippy.
DeleteNone of you people can take any criticisms.
Delete@24th, 11:53am
DeleteMega Man's own equivalent to trukk not munky.
@8:43 pm, nice try but that is a pretty poor comeback.
Delete@8:43
DeleteWouldn’t that be “Robbit not Porgrim?” :p
It’s funny how a lot of you guys just have your head stuck in the sand to not have noticed the “accept anything or your not a fan” attitude, it’s happened in many other articles on here in the past. Btw the op didn’t win anything, this isn’t a competition.
DeleteHow does OP do it? He keeps winning even while doing nothing.
Delete@2:24 PM Why imply anybody's a mindless drone? The Secret Level guys wanted to do their own take on Mega Man, and so that's what we got: Their own take on Mega Man. It's no different from a webcomic, artist, or even manga author doing their own rendition of a similar idea. Someone liking the majority of the series' catalogue doesn't make them a mindless drone who consumes whatever Capcom puts out.
DeleteYou're just looking for scapegoats, I'd say.
You guys take everything out of context.
Delete@12:26 PM
DeleteNot verbatim, but there's definitely an extremely small group that throw the fans under the bus for any criticism and make stuff up to defend side content. Also, people are allowed to complain as much as they want about there being no games in a VIDEOGAME franchise. Whether Capcom made them or not is irrelevant, they endorse it and your pushing of the licensing narrative at 35 years old proves that you are very immature yourself.
"I have a feeling some of these people are actually upset that the Secret Level episode was so well-received."
See? You have to make stuff up.
@10:42 am, agreed. Some guys can't take criticism no matter what or accept other people's opinions. 12:26 pm is a prime example of that.
DeleteThat's some interesting concept art. I'm fine with all final designs though.
ReplyDeleteHideous!
ReplyDeleteAnd proud!
DeleteSo it was a studio decision to make Bomb Man gigantic, and the artist seemed to be okay with that. I guess it pays the bills.
ReplyDeleteRock's got some nice art. His face makes him look like a troublemaker, but that's just me.
I still think this Bomb Man design looks like a generic Disney robot.
DeleteOh, I don't disagree in disliking it. I wasn't sure if they gave the artist the green light to do whatever, and in that case I'd be like "Why did you do that?"
DeleteThe more I look at Bomb Man here, yeah, the more he looks like some generic Marvel Disney thingy. :/
Delete@rs proto man, he's basically giant Pixar man at this point.
DeleteI'm not sure how I feel about the short or the designs. I don't think they're bad, but they just don't feel "right" to me. I'm glad to hear that folks really enjoyed the short, but personally, I thought that Mega Man 11 really nailed the look for me with 3D visuals, and I wish they would've leaned into something more akin to that. Then again, I can tell they were going for a grittier look overall with these Secret Level episodes, so they likely tried to stick to a theme. I would've preferred more variation in the styles, like with compilation works (like Star Wars Visions or Animatrix, etc.).
ReplyDeleteThe thing is though just because they were going for a more gritty tone doesn’t mean they had to redesign all the characters to look more western.
DeleteI'm in the crowd who is not a fan of the designs for the short.
ReplyDeleteAs such, not a fan of these. That said, I appreciate the effort. Art, even as an adaptation, is not easy.
It’s not that hard to adapt the original designs to a show. They didn’t need to change them.
DeleteSome of these are rather good but what they went with (especially with DLN-001 on his shirt) was best.
ReplyDeleteOnly thing I didn’t like was Bombmans design could have been better. Maybe go with a different Robot Master. Since they said Metalman go with a MegaMan 2 or 3 Robot Master
I can only imagine how they'd render him. Heaven help us all if he looks like the Metal Man from Captain N...
DeleteThey'd probably make him look like something out of the bayformers movies.
DeleteI kinda like these early Bomb Mans more than the final, with closer limb colors and something resembling a mouth. But it’s still missing one of the best Bomb Man features, the bomb belly!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad my idol designed my favorite character. I want to reach his drawing level and become a main artist for Megaman games in the future!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWe don’t need gritty western Mega Man in games.
DeleteI wish the would officially call him rock instead of mega. In honor of its creator homage to music
ReplyDeleteHe is officially called Rock. He's Rock in the 5 minute short, and in the canonical Japanese versions of the games he's always been Rock. He was Rock in the Archie comic series too. There's a few games that call him Mega in the international releases, but that's non-canon.
DeleteSkinny Dr Light is a trip.
ReplyDeleteI hate how people make fat characters skinnier like the Rose Quartz fanart incident.
Delete@2:57 Being fat is unhealthy. People only pitched a fit about that because "waaaaah, body shaming is bad". It's not anyone else's fault a person lets their weight go.
Delete@2:57, it’s just weird seeing him skinny. I wasn’t expecting that.
Delete>Rose Quartz
Deletebarfs
I know it's not accurate but a buff Dr Light would have been pretty funny.
Delete@1:30am It's from lifting Bombmax!
Delete@Rs Protoman, Bombmax is the workout routine for the robot masters of Mega Man 95. Imagine if Dr light followed the same regiment lol, someone needs to draw fanart of that.
DeleteA nice concept than the Disney-styled one. I wonder if Disney + Pixar would contact Capcom to make an animated movie adaptation...? 🤔ðŸ’
ReplyDeletePlease no, keep Disney away from Mega Man at all costs. if anyone would make a western animated Mega Man movie I’d want it done by the studio that did the Mario Bros movie.
DeleteYou want Mega Roll while Rock is a buffoon? Because that's what you are getting with disney. Honestly, the mario movie did this as well. Regardless of mario turning useful, peach teaches mario his own moves. It was ridiculuos.
DeleteIllumination isn't the best unless there are people from the now existing "MegaMan Dev Team" on their toes checking the development of a movie closely, cuz if they give them freedom on what to do they will make Mettaurs into Minions, the reason that the Mario Movie was successful was because Nintendo was over illumination checking what they were planning to do and how to make it right and faithful with original ideas. Dreamworks isn't an option unless there is a good direction and director but I highly doubt they will do any videogame movie as they are more into making kids literature into movies
DeleteAt least the Mario characters were still recognizable and didn't go overly gritty with completely different designs like this Mega Man episode did.
Delete@2:58 AM
DeleteWhy you don't try to pick Studio Trigger instead better?
2:58 AM
DeleteSanzigen or Marza? Please forget about of Disney, man.
To be fair, Nintendo was pretty involved with the Mario movie from the start.
Delete@7:22 am, that's because Nintendo has much higher standards for Mario compared to Capcom with Mega Man. They didn't want another repeat of the 90s live action Mario movie, meanwhile Capcom doesn't care as long as they can milk Mega Man.
DeleteYuck
ReplyDeleteDefinitely agree.
DeleteGross.
DeleteI liked the designs, but not the size of Bomb Man. If he's that massive, how big is Guts Man supposed to be? Plus, he hardly moved during the short battle. I'd like to see more, but I'm cautious of how good a series dedicated to this version of Mega Man would actually be.
ReplyDeleteThe animators and artists should not make Bomb Man gigantic like Baymax.
Delete@6:56 am, agreed it’s ridiculous. He’s not Bombman, he’s Bombmax Disney Pixar discount edition.
Delete