Skull Barrier

Skull Barrier (スカルバリアー) is Skull Man's Special Weapon. It creates a skull-shaped energy shield that rotates around the user, protecting him from attacks. Unlike the Leaf Shield, Mega Man can walk around while the shield is active, but it cannot be thrown.

Mega Man 4/Mega Man III
In Mega Man 4, Skull Barrier automatically shuts off when it takes a hit, but it can stand against a maximum of three projectiles in Mega Man III, disappearing if it hits an enemy or the projectile is too strong to hold up against. In both games it is Dive Man's weakness.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
Skull Barrier is also used by Mega Man in the fighting game Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U as a custom move to his down special, Leaf Shield. It must be unlocked before it can be swapped out. To be consistent with the Leaf Shield and Plant Barrier, the Skull Barrier can also be thrown.

Upon activating it, an orbiting shield of skulls surrounds Mega Man to protect him. Unlike the Leaf Shield, the Skull Barrier does no damage at all; in fact, all it does is simply push nearby opponents, only causing 2% damage when thrown. It is able to reflect projectiles, however.

Damage Data Chart
Known damage values in units for Mega Man 4.


 * For Tako Trash, Skull Barrier doesn't harm him, but after the player hits him with Drill Bomb, it will do 1 unit of damage to him.

Capacity
Activating the Skull Barrier in Mega Man 4 and Mega Man III uses 2 weapon energy units. With a full weapon energy gauge, it can be activated 14 times in Mega Man 4 and 10 times in Mega Man III.

Other media
Only Skull Man is seen using Skull Barrier in other media. It is the only weapon from the eight bosses that isn't used by Mega Man in the Rockman 4 manga, and one of the two weapons he doesn't use in the Rockman World 3 manga.

In Mega Man Megamix, Skull Man uses the shield by scattering "Skull Barrier bits" from his shoulders in an electromagnetic field that he produces himself. By blocking any and all incoming attacks, the Skull Barrier allows him to attack without having to worry about avoiding or taking damage himself. Its main drawback is that the user's mobility is restricted while the barrier is in effect.

Trivia

 * Even though the artwork of the Skull Barrier shows Mega Man as white and light blue while using the weapon, his torso and limbs are cyan in-game.
 * It and Plant Barrier are the only shield weapons that cannot be thrown.
 * Skull Barrier is still helpful dodging enemies that rise and fall from pits.
 * One of Psycho Sigma's attacks in Mega Man X5, where he surrounds himself with Sigma Viruses that rotate around him, resembles the Skull Barrier.