Wily Machine

Wily Machine is the name of the machines that Dr. Wily uses in the end of most Mega Man classic games. Most off them have Wily's flying saucer on them and have two forms of attack, with the second form weak point being Dr. Wily himself. After Mega Man 4, the Wily Machines have been followed up by an escape pod, named the Wily Capsule. Also, starting with Mega Man 4, Wily's Machines have had an unmistakable skull motif.

Wily Machine Number 1
Wily Machine Number 1 (ワイリーマシン1号) is the final boss from Mega Man. First you need to attack the red gun using Fire Storm or the Mega Buster. Once the gun is destroyed, Wily appears, and the remaining hole shoots spiraling large balls of energy. The second form has no specific weakness, but Thunder Beam can hit it twice with one beam. Another, be it risky, method is to use the Rolling Cutter, which can hit it three times if timed correctly.

Interestingly enough, this Wily Machine is the only one of its kind to serve as the final boss of the main Mega Man console games. Other Wily Machines serve as penultimate bosses instead, with the final bosses being (in order of game appearance) the Alien, Gamma and, finally, settling with the Wily Capsules.

This Wily Machine is also used by Wily in the third episode of the OVA Mega Man: Upon a Star, where it's called "Skull Car" (スカルカー) and mistranslated as "Skullker" in the English version, the same name of Wily Machine No. 4 in the Ruby-Spears cartoon.



Wily Machine (Mega Man Powered Up)
The Wily Machine of Mega Man Powered Up is obviously different from the Wily Machine of the first game. Its first form is a skull tank. Its attack pattern varies depending on the difficulty. On Easy, it uses a weak cannon shot. But on Normal and Hard, it uses all of the Robot Master weapons except Super Arm. It's weak to whatever weapon the Robot Master it's copying was weak to. It can only be hit in the orange windshield where Wily is. The second form can only be fought on Normal or Hard; otherwise, Wily will escape and the mission is over. Wily tinkers with the defeated Wily Machine and then it rises from the wreckage of its first form and starts flying. In this form, it looks almost exactly like the second phase of the Wily Machine from Mega Man 1. It still uses all the Robot Master weapons, except they're harder to dodge because it moves up and down instead of left and right. It also gains two new moves. The first happens when its power is changed to Super Arm, where Wily may throw a hammer down at Mega Man. The other is a very hard to dodge move. It temporarily gains two mechanical arms with spike tips and rushes forward. However, there is an easy way. If Wily is copying any weapon aside from Rolling Cutter or Super Arm, attack him with his weakness before he rushes forward and he'll be shocked out of the move.

Wily Machine Number 2
Wily Machine Number 2 (ワイリーマシン2号) is the second Wily Machine made by Dr. Wily.
 * 1st form: The Wily Machine goes back and forth using energy shots that go down and rise in an arch to the top of the screen. It's very weak to Atomic Fire, being defeated with two fully charged shots or less, depending of the difficulty. If the player used Atomic Fire on Wood Man and there is no energy left for a charged shot, it's recommended to use Crash Bomber or Metal Blade. When all of its health is depleted, the front part of the machine will blow up and Wily will appear.


 * 2nd form: Damaged, it now shoots multiple bouncing balls that are difficult to avoid. This form is immune to Atomic Fire, but is still vulnerable to Crash Bomber but since the player is most likely going to be low or out of Crash Bomber from the previous fight, it's best to use the Metal Blades or the Air Shooter. Use his weaknesses to defeat him quickly and use E-Tanks if necessary. After destroying the Wily Machine, the floor will blow up with the Wily Machine and the player will fall to the last level, leading to the final battle against the Alien.

Wily Machine No. 2 is also used by Wily in the cartoon Captain N: The Game Master. Although this machine appeared in the second game, in the cartoon it is used in the episode "Mega Trouble in Megaland", which is based on the first game.



Wily Machine Number 3
Wily Machine Number 3 (ワイリーマシン3号), aka the Pinbot, is the third Wily Machine.
 * 1st: Its weak point is the gun under it. The gun shoots energy balls that spin throughout the screen.
 * 2nd: Its weak point is the dome Dr. Wily is inside. Hit him when he goes down to smash, or use Rush Jet in order to reach high enough to hit him. When destroyed, it is revealed that the Dr. Wily inside of it was a fake, and Mega Man will go to the last level to fight against the final boss, Gamma.



Wily Machine Number 4
Wily Machine Number 4 is a skull like machine that shoots energy balls. The attacks of this Wily Machine are easier to avoid than the previous versions, but his second form is more difficult to hit. When the first part is defeated, the skull face will break and Dr. Wily will appear.

The best way to attack the second form is with Drill Bomb or use the Mega Buster if you run out of it. Time it so you detonate the bomb and the explosion hits the blue gem just below Wily. Do this enough times to defeat the Wily Machine. But you still have to face the final Wily boss in the final stage, which is the beginning of the Wily Capsule bit that will haunt Mega Man for the rest of the series. For this, use charged Pharaoh Shot, since it can be aimed, and you can even hit Wily with the charged up fireball without launching it, saving energy.

Another lesser known way of attacking the second form of the Wily Machine Number 4 is to walk underneath the machine and use the Wire adapter to hit the vulnerable gem. If you are lucky, the wire will hit the gem once on the way up, and again on the way down. The second benefit is that if you are far enough underneath the machine, Wily's energy balls can't reach you. Normally, you'll be able to take out about half of the machines energy bar before the wire adapter runs out of energy. Then, use the Drill Bomb or Rush Coil to finish it off.

Wily Machine No. 4 also appeared as Wily's main transport in the Mega Man animated series, where it's called Skullker. A weakness of this Wily Machine 4 is water. When it has water near or it gets wet, it doesn't work properly.



Wily Machine Number 5
Wily uses two machines in Mega Man 5, the first one being the Wily Press in the third Wily Stage, and the second the Wily Machine.

The Wily Machine No. 5 (ワイリーマシン5号) is a giant skull machine. Its weak spot is the cannon in the skull's mouth, which releases missiles, bouncing orbs, and a magnet to pull Mega Man. His weakness is the Super Arrow. Unlike other Wily Machines, this one doesn't has a second phase. After its defeat, Wily uses the Wily Capsule II.



Wily Machine Number 6
Wily Machine No. 6 is a spiked machine based on the Wily Press from Mega Man 5. It makes a cameo appearance in the opening scene of Mega Man 7, and the Shadow Devil takes the form of this Wily Machine in Mega Man X5 as one of its attacks.

In its first form, it hops back and forth between ends of the screen, trying to crush Mega Man under the spikes, and every time it lands, it shoots three spiraling shots. The screen is moving (The machine and Mega Man are apparently both on a conveyor belt) and changes direction every time the machine jump. This makes dodging its jump a bit harder. The Silver Tomahawk is the best weapon to use against the two forms of the machine and the Wily Capsule but if you run out of it, use the Knight Crush or the Mega Buster for backup. When it is damaged (and thus goes into second form), its hopping is more erratic and it shoots one spiral shot at a time.

After the second form of the machine is destroyed, Wily appears into the Wily Capsule, which is the remains of the Wily Machine. It warps in the room and shoots in four directions. Again, it's weak to Silver Tomahawk, (as well as the Knight Crush) and with practice, one should be able to hit Wily quite well with this weapon. Defeat Wily to start his prison term and complete the game.

Wily Machine Number 7
The Wily Machine No. 7 at the end of Mega Man 7 is a giant walking skull. Wily used Wily Machine No. 3 as base for the construction of this Wily Machine, but he didn't had much time to work on it after his escape from prison, and as a result, it can only attack by hopping from one side of the room to the other to smash opponents and shoot out miniature versions of it. Its weakness is the Thunder Bolt, but the miniatures are immune to it, and they tend to get in the way, so it's recommended to just use the regular Mega Buster for them. The machine can be defeated without much difficulty, but after its defeat, Wily uses a powerful version of the Wily Capsule. 

Wily Machine Number 8
The only Wily Machine to appear in two games, with little variation. In Mega Man 8, throw Water Balloons or (better yet) slash the Flame Sword at Wily's face in the window. Astro Crush is also useful as it grants you invincibility while the attack is in effect. When he is about to deploy the big laser, shoot the mouth with your Mega Buster to get him to withdraw it back. Watch out for the wheel as well. Sometimes it comes out as a saw blade that either rolls or bounces toward you, other times its a spinning gun. Once the first form is destroyed, he goes into the Wily Capsule. Flame Sword does the most damage to the Wily Capsule, but Flash Bomb is easier to hit him with. See Wily Capsule to know what his tactics are.

This Wily Machine also came equipped with an exceedingly powerful Evil Energy cannon when it first appeared, which nearly destroyed Mega Man in one hit. However, Duo flew in out of nowhere to destroy the cannon, weakening both him and the machine.

In Mega Man and Bass, the Wily Machine and Wily Capsule look similar, but the attacks are slightly different. For example, the Mega Man and Bass Wily Machine can rush forward, unlike the Mega Man 8 one. For the Wily Machine, use Remote Mine and watch out for the big laser. Once Wily Capsule is deployed, use Magic Card (the best weapon against this particular version). 

Wily Machine Number 9
This Wily Machine from Mega Man 9 appears to be a dinosaur with a skull's head. The first phase shoots green exploding eggs with yellow polka dots. They must be deflected back at him and explode on contact with its jaw. Nothing else can damage this form. The Magma Bazooka, however is an effective choice in deflecting the eggs due to their directional capacity.

The second phase can squish, ram and shoot fire. It is weak to Concrete Shot, possibly due to the aesthetic reason that it gums up the mouth, as the secondary attack of this form is firing a stream of fire.

After this, Wily uses the Wily Capsule. Use the Plug Ball against it. This form's attacks are reminiscent of its incarnation in Mega Man 7, but each attack is now a moderate threat as opposed to one being frustrating and one being near-useless.



Wily Machine Number 10
The Wily Machine from Mega Man 10 is a pirate ship that can shoot out huge missile of three different sizes from the skull's mouth, which the player can jump on to reach the skull, and can launch small missiles. Its weaknesses are Solar Blaze (form 1) and Water Shield (form 2).

The first form, a giant skull with a pirate's hat, will launch huge missiles at two vertical levels in addition to firing small homing missiles. After destroying the skull, Wily will be visible and its attack pattern changes. The second form flies around in the top of the screen and fires spheres that can paralyze the player. After a while, it will fire two electric spheres that move to the floor and ceiling and create a electric line between them and move. The only way to avoid this is to move under the machine's lower jaw.



Wily Machine World Number 1
The Wily Machine from Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge is a large machine based on Dr. Wily's head. After the first form is defeated, the lower jaw of the machine explodes and Dr. Wily appears in the cockpit. The only weapon to take out the second form is Enker's Mirror Buster. Use this to send the shots back at Wily.



Wily Machine World Number 2
Normally when Wily's Machines are damaged, they become smaller yet more dangerous. Not so here. Form 1 is a sort of jet with frog-like legs. Form 2 is a rolling tank-like machine. And the third and final form is the dino mech shown here. All three are best beaten by the Mega Buster. One can also use the Sakugarne, but be warned that Mega Man can still take damage while on it. Oddly enough, this is the only Wily Machine from the Gameboy Mega Man games that features the skull motif. The Wily Machine World Number 2 is infamous for being disproportional with the regular Wily sprites.



Wily Machine (Mega Man III)
The Wily Machine from Mega Man III occupies half of the screen and changes from one side to other by flying up and coming down to try and crush Mega Man. It can only be hurt using charged shots from the Mega Buster on his eyes. When the first part is finished, it will be so damaged it will be unable to move, and it now shoots balls from the cannons. The cannon in front of Mega Man tries to hit him, and the cannon in the back protects Dr. Wily by always shooting where the Screw Crusher can be better used to hit Dr. Wily.



Wily Robo Iron Golem
Wily Robo Iron Golem (ワイリーロボ・アイアンゴーレム) is a giant robot that is like a Wily Machine for the fourth Game Boy game. It is a improved version of the Wily Machine in Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge. Wily wanted to create a giant robot and began its development in his space fortress. The robot was still incomplete when Mega Man arrived, but is able to fight. It's so tall, Mega Man begins the fight by attacking a green gem located on its chest. The gem occasionally launches energy balls while the fists attempt to punch and crush Mega Man, making objects fall when he tries to crush him. The fists can be used to reach the gem and attack it. It's weak to Crystal Eye, but the player can use Power Stone or Rush Coil to reach the gem more easily.

After damaging the gem, it falls down and attacks with the head, which follows a set pattern of sucking Mega Man towards it with the mouth, firing energy bolts from its antennae and charging into Mega Man. The charge can be held back by repeatedly shooting the head. It can only be damaged when the mouth opens to suck Mega Man in. It is vulnerable to Ballade Cracker. After destroying the robot, Wily uses a Wily Capsule to attack.



Brain Crusher
Brain Crusher (ブレーンクラッシャー) is a machine used by Wily. It attacks throwing bombs (Alabell) and small robots (Pikashu). The fight begins by fighting two giant robot fists that try to crush Mega Man and launch missiles. They can be damaged when they drop by shooting their eyes.

The robot body attacks with a set pattern of launching missiles, pulling Mega Man towards the spiking ceiling with the Pikashu and launching Alabell bombs. To defeat the robot body, the player need to send the Alabell bombs back at the machine by blasting them up against it with the Mega Buster. Once its life meter is drained, only the top portion of the robot body remains and attacks with shockwaves. The ceiling also drastically lowers, limiting Mega Man's jumping room. The tracking Spark Chaser works best to attack Wily while still focusing on dodging.



Wily Machine (Mega Man: The Wily Wars)
In the last stage of the Wily Tower in Mega Man: The Wily Wars, Wily uses a unnamed Wily Machine that is fought in three phases.

In the beginning only the lower part of the robot is visible, moving back and forth in the room. When close to Mega Man, it kicks the platforms Mega Man has to stand to reach its weakness, the blue joint in the leg, which releases homing missiles when distant. Its weakness is Thunder Beam and Spark Shock. You can also hit the joint below the blue joints with Crash Bombs to deal heavy amounts of splash damage to the blue joint. This will destroy any missiles currently being fired and kill the first form in 4 shots. Which is better than the electricity weaknesses

After destroying the joint, the legs explode and it falls, revealing the rest of the robot. It attacks by punching Mega Man, and the player has to jump above the hands to reach the head, its weak point. Its weakness is the Hard Knuckle ; only 4 hits from this weapon are necessary to defeat this form.

After destroying it, only the severely damaged head remains, with Wily visible inside it, resembling a Wily Capsule. The head fly around the screen and drop bombs on Mega Man. Sometimes the head fall on the floor, lifting again after a while. It's weak to Thunder Beam and Top Spin.

Wily Machine (Mega Man: The Power Battle)
The Wily Machine in Mega Man: The Power Battle is a giant floating machine comprised of 3 skull-like parts. It can be damaged in the torso or the bottom. When the machine has all parts intact, it will jump or hit you with its floating hands. If you destroy the bottom part, you will have to fight the flying torso of the machine. The torso attacks by throwing its spiked rings or sending electrical discharges. If you destroy the torso, Wily's pod will dock to the bottom of the machine. The bottom attacks with a jump or a missile barrage. No matter which second form you face, the third form is the same. Wily's pod creates a copy, and a timer appears. You have to damage Wily before time runs out. The only problem is that Wily and the copy switch places, making for an irritating fight.



Wily Machine (Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters)
The Wily Machine in Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters is a gigantic floating skull. This monster can fire energy bubbles, a massive energy beam, and a tracking explosion. He can also summon enemies to help him. Wily takes the most damage from the Slash Claw, Bubble Lead, or Super Arm. When it explodes, it leaves a defenseless Wily Pod that is weak to the Air Shooter, Thunder Beam, and Shadow Blade. However, the pod teleports around the room to prevent being hit.



Trivia

 * The design of Wily Machine Number 9 is an homage to the Daiku Maryu of the classic 70's super robot anime Daiku Maryu Gaiking.