Search Snake

Search Snake (サーチスネーク) is Snake Man's Special Weapon. It uses an improved version of Bubble Lead's search program and releases snake-like missiles that crawl across floors and up and down walls (but not across ceilings). Up to three snakes can be onscreen at the same time.

Damage Data Chart
Known damage values in units for Mega Man 3.


 * For Kamegoro Maker, a certain amount of damage will be taken from the health meter for each of the five Kamegoros produced, regardless of which weapon the player uses against them. Each Kamegoro has 3 health.

Capacity
One Search Snake uses half of a weapon energy unit in Mega Man 3 and Mega Man III. With a full weapon energy gauge, it can be used 56 times in Mega Man 3 and 38 times in Mega Man III.

Exploit
In the NES version of Mega Man 3, the player can use Search Snake several times without using energy by switching the weapon after each shot, avoiding a complete energy unit being used by the second Search Snake. This issue was fixed in later releases like Mega Man: The Wily Wars.

Bosses weak against Search Snake

 * Mega Man 3: Gemini Man, Snake Man (2nd Encounter), Doc Robot (Quick Man and Wood Man), Holograph Mega Men, Wily Machine No. 3, Gamma (2nd Form)
 * Mega Man III: Gemini Man
 * Mega Man: The Wily Wars: Mega Water. S
 * Super Adventure Rockman: Needle Man

Bosses immune to Search Snake

 * Mega Man 3: Hard Man, Spark Man, Doc Robot (Metal Man and Bubble Man), Yellow Devil MK-II, Gamma (1st Form)
 * Mega Man III: Spark Man, Punk, Wily Machine
 * Mega Man: The Wily Wars: Buster Rod. G, Hyper Storm. H, Wily Machine (1st and 2nd Form)

Mega Man (Ruby-Spears)
Mega Man obtains the Search Snake in the Mega Man animated series. Instead of simply acting like a tracing weapon however, it is changed to a snake-shaped missile that can chew through almost any surface. When in Snake Man's body in Episode 6, Mega Man uses it to elude the pursuit of several security robots.

In the episode Mega X, X obtains this weapon and uses it to destroy Dr. Wily's Super Blaster cannon.

Rockman World 3
Search Snake is the first weapon obtained by Mega Man. As Search Snake is able to detect the original Gemini Man, Mega Man uses it to defeat him. Later Mega Man tries to use it against Punk, but it is not effective against him.

Mega Man (Archie Comics)
Alongside Snake Man himself, the Search Snake appeared in Mega Man Issue 30, where he used the Search Snake to discover a secret passageway via eavesdropping on the Robot Masters and Break Man. In Issue 31, one was later detected in the tunnels by Rush, although Mega Man dismissed it as not being a threat, and ended up taking care of Needle Man when the latter attempted an ambush.

When returning to the Temple of the Moon to verify Dr. Wily's claims about Ra Moon using him, he sensed a Search Snake watching him, disturbing him. The Search Snakes, however, were meant to be tracking down Shadow Man.

Search Snake was later used during his battle with Mega Man, although Mega Man and Rush managed to outsmart him and defeat him. In addition, after copying the ability, Mega Man later used Search Snake to find the real Gemini Man due to the latter's use of his holograms. He later used Search Snake to detonate the Energy Elements.