MegaMan Volnutt

MegaMan Volnutt, Rock Volnutt (ロック・ヴォルナット) in the Japanese version, originally known as MegaMan Trigger, Rockman Trigger (ロックマン・トリッガー) in the Japanese version, is the protagonist of the Mega Man Legends series.

As MegaMan Trigger
A long time ago, MegaMan Volnutt was known as MegaMan Trigger. Trigger's primary function was as a Purifier Unit (Irregular Hunter in the Japanese version) on a synthetic planet called Elysium (or Heaven in the Japanese versions), a place that housed what is called the "Master System". The purpose of the Master System was to watch over the Carbons (essentially the equivalent to humans, though artificially created) on Terra. His job as a Purifier Unit was to eliminate any Aberrant Units (Irregulars in the Japanese version) that threatened the Master System. Trigger was also always close to the the Master throughout his tenure as a Purifier Unit. One day, the Master requested MegaMan to travel with him to Terra so he could see the Carbons, even though the Master could not survive long outside of Elysium. They used a shuttle pod and landed in Calbania Island, where the Master compares the life of the Carbons with Elysium, and realizes that while he lived in luxury for 3000 years, Elysium was cold and sterile, while the Carbons are happy even with hardship, pain, aging, and subsequently dying, and decides to give MegaMan the final command to destroy the Master System to make things right again. Before dying, the Master gives his genetic code sample to protect MegaMan, and orders him to delete all data in Elysium's library.

After the Master's death, MegaMan Trigger tried to fulfill his dying wish. The units from the System tried to stop Trigger, thinking he became an Aberrant Unit. As time went by, Yuna (Mother Unit of Terra) decided to take a neutral position, neither helping nor fighting against Trigger. Frustrated with Yuna's decision, Sera (Mother Unit of Elysium) traveled to Terra herself to stop MegaMan, and the two fought each other to a standstill, expending all their energy. Trigger's original body was almost totally destroyed in the fight, and all his parameters had to be reset to heal (similar to formatting a hard drive), transforming him into a baby without any memory of the past. To avoid his memory being wiped out and make sure Sera would never find the Master's genetic code, Trigger transferred his essential data files to Data. Yuna took the opportunity to seal both inside stasis fields, with MegaMan and Data being sealed inside a ruin in Nino Island and Sera with Geetz in Forbidden Island, where they stayed for a long period.

As MegaMan Volnutt
Several years later, Barrell Caskett was researching the ruins in Nino Island without the Guildmaster's permission, and found a diamond-shaped object near the entrance. When he touched the object, it melted away and awoke MegaMan and Data from their suspended animation. As Barrell had broken into the ruins without permission he could not reveal where he had found them, so he took the two under his care. Barrell's granddaughter Roll Caskett insisted on naming the baby after one of her favorite video game characters, so the child was named MegaMan Volnutt (in the Japanese version, Barrell named him Rock to make a pun with Roll). As soon as MegaMan was old enough, he embarked on the life of a Digger, searching for Refractors and other resources for the Caskett family as well as defeating Reaverbots in his many adventures.

Mega Man Legends
After exiting a digout in a tower, the Flutter began to malfunction and crashed on Kattelox Island, where the first game takes place. MegaMan helped to protect the island from the attack of the Bonnes, a family of air pirates searching for legendary treasure supposedly hidden in the ruins of the island, and that if its seals are broken, a terrible disaster will occur. Before facing the pirates, MegaMan meets Tron Bonne and helps her escape from the dog Paprika, and she develops a crush on him. The island's city mayor, Amelia, is an old friend of Barrell and gives them a Digger's License to allow them to search the ruins for parts to fix the Flutter. By Amelia's request, MegaMan also investigates the ruins of the island to learn about its past and if the legends are true, fighting against the Bonnes and Reaverbots during his search. When the Main Gate is opened he encounters MegaMan Juno, a mysterious person who knows about his past life as MegaMan Trigger. Juno captures MegaMan in order to keep him out of the way while he prepares to use Eden to eliminate everyone on the island. MegaMan is freed by the Bonnes and he fights against Juno to save Kattelox Island. After Juno's defeat, Data reveals he knows about MegaMan's past but can't reveal it to him yet, but when the time comes, he will tell him everything, including his mission. The game ends with MegaMan and his family leaving the island aboard the Flutter.

Mega Man Legends 2
In the second game, Barrell and his friend Verner Von Bluecher travel to Forbidden Island aboard the airship Sulphur-Bottom in the hopes of finding the Mother Lode. Unfortunately, the airship becomes stuck in the storm that perpetually surrounds the island when it is attacked by Gatz and "Matilda"—a woman who looks like Roll's long-lost mother. MegaMan and Roll go to Calinca to try to find a way to rescue the Sulphur-Bottom and to discover if Matilda really is Roll's missing mother. In order to get through the storm Roll plans to create a Dropship. While searching for parts at the Junk Shop in Calinca they encounter Joe, a man with amnesia who was also creating a Dropship. After MegaMan and Roll save him, he gives his Dropship to them as thanks. After traveling through Forbidden Island, MegaMan accidentally freed Sera and Geetz when he stopped the storm surrounding the island to prevent the Sulphur-Bottom from crashing. They were taken inside the Sulphur-Bottom where Geetz says they need to obtain four keys to unlock the Mother Lode. Bluecher requests that MegaMan search for the keys, and so he embarks on a journey that sees him fighting against Reaverbots and pirates to obtain them. After all of the keys have been collected Sera and Geetz turn on MegaMan. As Geetz engages him in battle Sera escapes to Elysium with the keys. At the conclusion of their fight Geetz explodes, causing heavy damage to MegaMan. Working together Yuna and Data are able to repair him, and during the repair process MegaMan recovers part of his memories as Trigger. Once restored to full strength, MegaMan follows Sera to Elysium to stop her from using the Carbon Reinitialization Program. At the end of the game MegaMan is left trapped on Elysium along with Yuna and Sera, while the enigmatic Elder System begins to reactivate. Back on Terra, Roll and Tron began working together on a rocket to rescue MegaMan.

Mega Man Legends 3
MegaMan would have appeared in Mega Man Legends 3, where he is still stuck in Elysium and would be rescued.

Personality
This version of MegaMan has lived two completely different lives. This is in contrast to all his other incarnations in the other series where he lives only one life and one basic role throughout the duration of the series. His first life as MegaMan Trigger is quite similar to that of the Maverick Hunters in the Mega Man X series where his role on Elysium was to protect the Master System from Aberrant Units as well as serve as the Master's special assistant. Thus, Trigger was one of the greatest and highest ranking Purifier Units, much like X was as a Maverick Hunter.

On the other hand, his second life as MegaMan Volnutt is actually closer in similarity to another key aspect of both the original Mega Man and X. MegaMan Volnutt does not like fighting and only does so as a last resort (as evidenced by his regret for "not taking it easy" on the Bonnes in the first game, when they fall after Focke-Wulf's defeat). Other than that however, MegaMan Volnutt is simply another Digger in search of adventure, Refractors, and other treasure just like all the rest on Terra. He also cares deeply about Roll and does his best to keep her happy, especially when she is despairing about her parents. Roll also cares about MegaMan, to the point of stating in her diary that she secretly loves him.

Abilities
Being able to exchange and customize parts of his body, MegaMan is able to use a variety of robotic armaments and abilities.


 * Interchangeable weapons: MegaMan can equip a variety of different Special Weapons for different purposes and situations. His default weapon is the Mega Buster, a standard cannon mounted from the left arm. With modifications from Roll Caskett, he can replace his right arm with a number of other weaponry. Roll can build new weapons to him using parts that he finds.


 * Body equipments: MegaMan can equip upgrades to his main body for easier tasks, such as battle and traveling purposes. Such additions include built in roller skates for higher speed, helmets, different levels of body armor, and upgrading the amount of damage the body can take.


 * Shield system: The game depicts MegaMan with a barrier system (shown by a blue capsule bar on the game screen) that lowers enemy damage and recoil. However, the bar is limited in power, and when decreased entirely without time to recharge, must be repaired by a recovery item.


 * Strength and speed: Unlike other members of the Mega Man series, MegaMan is not able to wall kick or perform dash maneuvers. His default speed is on par with a healthy, athletic human, and his strength is proportional to his size.

Namco × Capcom
In Namco × Capcom, Rock Volnutt appears alongside Roll Caskett as a playable team with their opposition being Rockman Juno. The game takes place during 20XX, but the characters from the Mega Man Legends series are from the distant future. In this game, the Flutter is able to travel through space and Rock is a Class A Digger that searches ruins on other planets.

Rock and Roll first appear in Chapter 21, where the Flutter suddenly crashed into the Third Moon, and they are attacked by its defenses, which included several Reaverbots and Rockman Juno. The two and the Digger Taizo Hori are rescued by the party and join them, using the Flutter to escape the Third Moon when Hiryu set it to explode in the beginning of Chapter 23. Rock and Roll face Juno a few times during the course of the game, having their final battle inside Eden in Chapter 44.

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom
In Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, MegaMan Volnutt appears as a playable character, along with Zero and Roll. His theme music is the "Flutter vs. Gesellschaft" from the first game. In his ending, he located a black red-eyed, skull-shaped treasure (actually the Dokuro Stone, a stone from Yatterman that grants wishes) that the Reaverbots were guarding, and managed to procure it before Boyacky, Tonzura and Doronjo did.

In the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes version of the game, MegaMan appears in Yatterman-1's ending, where he is wearing a blue mask and is identified as Yatterman-6. In the Wii version, MegaMan has a minigame where Servbots get in and out of four boxes, and players must guess how many Servbots are inside their box.

Rockman X DiVE
MegaMan Volnutt is a Hunter Program that has the Shining Laser and Crusher as his skills.

Other playable appearances
MegaMan Volnutt is a playable character in the mobile phone games Rockman DASH: 5tsu no Shima no Daibouken! and Rockman DASH Golf.

Cameo appearances

 * MegaMan Volnutt has a cameo appearance in the ending of The Misadventures of Tron Bonne
 * Volnutt appears in the mobile phone game Kobun Flies? when playing as Data.
 * MegaMan Volnutt appears in the background of the Running Battle mode from Super Gem Fighter: Mini Mix.
 * Volnutt has two cards in SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters 2 Expand Edition.
 * MegaMan Volnutt appears in Tron Bonne's ending in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, were Tron invites him to go out with her or else she will order Servbot #42 (a Sentinel) to "have a word" with him.
 * He appears in some Battle Memory from Rockman ×over.
 * He appears in Street Fighter x All Capcom.
 * MegaMan Volnutt appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U as part of Mega Man's Final Smash, alongside MegaMan.EXE, Mega Man X, and Star Force Mega Man. He also appears as a collectable trophy.
 * He retains his Final Smash appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and gained an additional appearance as a collectible Spirit.
 * Volnutt appeared as a costume in Breath of Fire 6.

Other media
Volnutt appeared in Rockman DASH, Rockman DASH 2 4Koma Gag Battle, 4Koma Manga Show Stadium: Tron ni Kobun, and CapYon.

Archie Comics
MegaMan Volnutt and his timeline were later featured in Issue 55 of the Mega Man comic series, an appearance made possible due to Dr. Light being sent on a journey through time. He also appears in the Short Circuits for the issue, where he complains about still being trapped on the moon at the end of his series.

Trivia

 * In all Mega Man Legends games, MegaMan is said to be 14 years old, despite the second game taking place one year after the first.
 * In Mega Man Legends 2, the design from MegaMan's armor is different from the first game, the most notable change being the inclusion of an orange backpack as a permanent fixture. He also appeared with this design in Namco vs Capcom and Street Fighter × All Capcom.
 * Except for the instruction manuals from the two Mega Man Legends games, his name is consistently written as MegaMan instead of Mega Man in all of his appearances.
 * In the Mega Man Legends 2 ending credits, the voice cast uses his Japanese name.
 * His name is written as "Rock-Volnatto" in the Japanese Rockman DASH 2 instruction manuals.
 * Susan Roman, who voiced Amelia in the first Mega Man Legends, did the voice of MegaMan in Mega Man Legends 2.
 * In the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom manual, his name was miswritten as "MegaMan Volunutt" on page 30.
 * Though MegaMan wears his armor almost all the time, in the opening sequence of Mega Man Legends 2, MegaMan is shown without armor and wearing normal clothes.
 * Volnutt is one of two Mega Man incarnations to not appear in all installments of his series (the other one is Copy X, who isn't involved in half of "his" series and was only a copy of the original Mega Man X), though he has a cameo appearance in the ending of The Misadventures of Tron Bonne.
 * In the manual for Cannon Spike, the image of MegaMan Volnutt appears on the section related to Mega Man, even though the game actually features classic Mega Man, not Volnutt.
 * MegaMan Volnutt is the only Mega Man incarnation who is rarely seen with a helmet, with several artwork and crossover appearances depicting him without one. However, the player can equip one on him in both Legends games, and the North American and European box art of Mega Man Legends 2 shows him wearing one.
 * MegaMan Volnutt is the only Mega Man incarnation who doesn't explode upon death. However, he was originally going to feature an explosive death while Mega Man Legends was under development, but was removed likely due to Volnutt being considered the most "human" Mega Man at the time.