MegaMan NT Warrior Axess

MegaMan NT Warrior Axess, known as Rockman.EXE Axess in Japan, is the second season in the MegaMan NT Warrior anime series. It borrows story elements from Mega Man Battle Network 3 and Mega Man Battle Network 4, but has its own original story. It was followed by Rockman.EXE Stream, where the series only aired in Japan from then on. Axess aired in Japan from October 4, 2003 to September 25, 2004.

In America, the series aired similarly to the first two seasons: sporadically and out-of-order, running from February 28 through September 10, 2005, before abruptly disappearing after 35 episodes, ending on episode 22 (aired out of order). The series returned three months later, airing another ten episodes (having skipped six episodes throughout its run) and concluding the season at 45 episodes. After this, the dubbed version of the series was cancelled altogether.

Plot
Taking place a few months after MegaMan NT Warrior, Lan Hikari and his friends fight against the mysterious Nebula and ShadeMan.EXE’s Darkloids as SciLab attempts to find a way to create Cross Fusion. They are initially unsuccessful until they manage to capture a dimensional area converter, and Lan and MegaMan at first are the only ones who can Cross Fuse, though later Chaud Blaze and ProtoMan.EXE gain the ability to Cross Fuse as well, and the two fight the Darkloids in the cyber world and the real world. MegaMan also gains the ability to use Double Soul, which lets MegaMan combine with another Navi gain their powers.

ShadeMan and the Darkloids are the primary antagonists in the anime, with Nebula acting behind the scenes, eventually becoming the main antagonists for the second half of the series.

Main Cast

 * Lan Hikari
 * MegaMan.EXE
 * Mayliu Sakurai
 * Roll.EXE
 * Chaud Blaze
 * ProtoMan.EXE

Minor and Supporting Characters

 * Keifer
 * Manuela
 * Gorou Misaki
 * PrismMan.EXE
 * Anetta
 * Silk.EXE
 * Tamako Shiraizumi
 * HeavyMetalMan.EXE
 * Shuko Kido
 * SpoutMan.EXE
 * Raika
 * SearchMan.EXE
 * Ran Igarashi
 * WindMan.EXE
 * Tensuke
 * TopMan.EXE
 * Kosuke
 * MistMan.EXE
 * JunkDataMan.EXE
 * Shuuseki Ijuuin
 * Other characters

Darkloids

 * ShadeMan.EXE
 * SavageMan.EXE
 * BubbleMan.EXE
 * FlashMan.EXE
 * BowlMan.EXE
 * PlantMan.EXE
 * BurnerMan.EXE
 * DesertMan.EXE
 * VideoMan.EXE
 * GravityMan.EXE
 * SparkMan.EXE
 * ColdMan.EXE
 * SwordMan.EXE
 * BrightMan.EXE
 * StarMan.EXE

Nebula

 * Dr. Regal
 * LaserMan.EXE
 * Ms. Yuri
 * SpikeMan.EXE

Other antagonists

 * Bass.EXE
 * Allegro

List of episodes

 * 1) Cross Fusion!
 * 2) NetCity No More!
 * 3) Bubble Trouble!
 * 4) DoubleSoul!
 * 5) Metal Hot Spring! Ow It's Hot!
 * 6) A Dangerous Bowling Game!
 * 7) The CyberGarden of Doom!
 * 8) Friendship in the Mirror
 * 9) Dex Returns!
 * 10) Threat of the DarkChips!
 * 11) The Unsafe Safe!
 * 12) Code of Conduct
 * 13) CrossFusion for All!
 * 14) The Purloined Princess!
 * 15) The Incredible Guts!
 * 16) It's All How You Look at It!
 * 17) SavageMan Returns!
 * 18) The Man from Sharo
 * 19) SearchSoul!
 * 20) Dark Secret
 * 21) ShadeMan's Ambition
 * 22) BubbleMan's Plan
 * 23) The Super Power of Shiver
 * 24) Magma Battle
 * 25) VideoMan Returns!
 * 26) Anetta's Revenge
 * 27) Nebula's Secret Base
 * 28) Wavering Heart
 * 29) Chaud VS ProtoMan
 * 30) SpoutMan's New Hero!
 * 31) Space Junk!
 * 32) Commander Beef Returns!
 * 33) The BattleChip Gate
 * 34) Wanted: PrismMan
 * 35) Nebula's Great Invasion!
 * 36) The New PET
 * 37) Mysterious Masked Navi
 * 38) Flying to Shiisaa Island
 * 39) Go to Hell by Train?!
 * 40) Underground Hero
 * 41) Allegro
 * 42) Meiru's First Date
 * 43) Top and Grandchild
 * 44) MistMan's Tower
 * 45) Rush Runs Away
 * 46) The Great NetPolice Battle!
 * 47) Get Dr. Regal!
 * 48) Ms. Yuri's Mission
 * 49) ProtoMan Returns
 * 50) Dark VS Dark
 * 51) Dr. Regal’s Rampage

Music

 * Opening Theme: "二つの未来 (Futatsu no Mirai; Two Futures)" by Michihiro Kuroda


 * Ending Theme: "光とどく場所 (Hikari to doku Basho; The Place Where Light Reaches)" by Kumiko Higa & Akiko Kimura

DVD release
Despite having been dubbed to completion, MegaMan NT Warrior Axess did not receive any home media releases in any territories, though the Japanese version was released in Japan in 17 volumes of 2-3 episodes each between 2004 and 2005.

Trivia

 * NT Warrior Axess is believed to have cancelled the further dubbing of the Rockman.EXE anime series into the West due to, among falling viewership of the Kids' WB block into the mid 2000s, censorship of various scenes believed to be too "graphic" or "inappropriate" for Western audiences, and changes to the soundtrack. Alternately, a rising sentiment in the growing and thriving anime fan community around this time outright shunned dubbing and licensing companies that engaged in censorship and the alteration of original material; one such company that gained infamy from this was that of 4Kids Entertainment, who had previously done dubbing and changes to the Pokemon anime and held a programming block on other nationwide basic branch channels such as UPN that inadvertently showcased their work.