Mega Man's Top 5 Robot Masters

Mega Man has battled nearly 100 Robot Masters in his numbered series alone, blasting his way through hordes of lowly minions to topple and absorb the power of his greatest foes. So that got us thinking; which of these diabolical contraptions are the best of the best?

The Mega Man Legacy Collection is due out next week for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PC, introducing gamers to pixel-perfect recreations of the first six games in the Mega Man series. Along with all of those games, players will be able to enjoy a Challenge Mode, leaderboards and save replays. There’s also going to be a huge museum of artwork, a music box boasting each soundtrack and multiple display options that let you recreate the feeling of playing these games on an old monitor or CRT TV.

Similar to those Mario fellas, Link and Samus Aran, the Blue Bomber got his start on the Nintendo Entertainment System and has been one of the pillars of the medium ever since. In short, everyone knows Mega Man.

To prepare for Mega’s latest outing, we decided to rank the top five Robot Masters from the first six Mega Man games. Get ready for a nostalgia trip, fans, and prepare to face these baddies all over again when Mega Man Legacy Collection launches next week.

5. Quick Man

Introduced in Mega Man 2, Quick Man is one of those Robot Masters who embodies his name (Unlike Guts Man, who conjures up a much more terrifying image than what he actually looks like). While earlier Masters were typically about firepower, Quick Man’s strength was his speed, darting about the level and making himself an extremely difficult target to hit. Quick Man wasn’t completely defensive, though, as he also hurls loads of killer boomerangs that, when acquired, become a fun new weapon for Mega Man to use.

4. Skull Man

When it comes to Robot Masters, none look quite as radical to a 10-year-old child as Mega Man 4’s Skull Man. Sure, it’s odd that a robot was built with a skeleton design for armor, but we find it’s best not to question Dr. Wiley. This is the same guy who built killer robots designed specifically to throw baseballs and do whatever Pharaoh Man is supposed to do, after all. The Mega Man series is known for its great music, and Skull Man’s level is definitely one of the best from the collection. He’s got a handy barrier you can steal after besting him in combat and, again, the dude just looks really cool.

3. Fire Man

The OG brute of the Mega Man series, Fire Man first turned up the heat in the original NES game. His bulky size suggests he can take a beating, which is exactly the case. The guy also dons a crown of flames and, as I’ve made it abundantly clear with Skull Man, looking cool is worth major brownie points for this lot. On top of taking heavy damage, Fire Man can dish it out, too, blasting the Blue Bomber with smaller rounds and head-high walls of fire. I was also a sucker for fire-based weapons growing up, so the magma rounds Mega Man gets after defeating Fire Man were a go-to favorite upgrade.

2. Metal Man

Metal Man hit the scene in Mega Man 2, sporting a weapon that is still mimicked to this day. Honestly, I think I enjoyed firing saw blades with the gravity gun in Half-Life 2 so much because of all of these fond Metal Man memories. The dude looks like an insane doctor, which is fitting since he slices and dices with surgical precision. When you claim Metal Man’s gear for yourself, it also becomes one of the most useful upgrades in the series, putting the hurt on pretty much any enemy you come acros and allowing you to fire it in multiple directions.

1. Cut Man

This is the guy most people think off when they think about classic Mega Man villains. Sporting one of the most simplistic designs in the series, Cut Man’s iconic costume, fun fight and killer level soundtrack make him about as synonymous with the series as Mega Man himself. Oh, and did I mention he gives you the ability to launch death scissors at your enemies? Who wouldn’t get a kick out of that?