ShadowMan.EXE

ShadowMan.EXE is a ninja NetNavi operated by Dusk that first appeared as an optional boss in Mega Man Battle Network, but has a role in the story of Mega Man Battle Network 2 and other games, as well as the anime and manga.

Personality
ShadowMan is the NetNavi of the famous mercenary, Dusk. ShadowMan is one of the most feared Navis on the net, but only to the select few that have heard of or experienced his exploits. His operator is extremely secretive, and little is known about either him or his Navi except they'll do anything for enough money. For ShadowMan, "anything" means what it means, because almost nothing is impossible for this highly skilled assassin (except trying to delete MegaMan).

His Muramasa blade, cursed though it may be, gains strength as he gains damage, so even if he is in a tight spot, he can get the advantage back quite quickly. With his nearly impenetrable Kawarimi defense, it's rare he ever has to use the blade, since enemies often attack illusions instead of the real ShadowMan, or have to fight minions provided by whoever hired him. If they do successfully attack the real ShadowMan, he then resorts to sending out his cronies, which often causes difficult situations.

He has a lot of ingenuity and resources, so deleting Navis isn't the only job he's suited for. Because of his skill and power, ShadowMan is very confident and never takes his job seriously. He's very anti-social since he considers most Navis inferior to himself, and would sooner delete anyone he comes across. He doesn't believe in doing "freebies".

Mega Man Battle Network
ShadowMan is a secret boss in Mega Man Battle Network. He is located near the end of Internet Area 15 and will only appear if the player has collected at least 140 different Battle Chips in their library.

Mega Man Network Transmission
ShadowMan appears in this game as the NetNavi boss in the Vacant WWW Comp. Before Lan Hikari and MegaMan arrive, ShadowMan destroys the AuthCode, which is needed to access the Undernet. MegaMan and ShadowMan then battle. After ShadowMan is defeated, MegaMan retrieves the broken bits of the AuthCode (DestrDat).

Hit Points: 700

Element: Neutral

Abilities: MegaMan can slide under ShadowMan's legs to avoid attacks. Most of ShadowMan's attacks can be avoided by sliding, especially the smaller Shurikens. The larger Fuusha can usually be dodged by jumping over it. After defeating ShadowMan, the player will receive either a Muramasa battle chip or a ShadowMan battle chip.
 * Oboro (140) - ShadowMan creates two copies of himself; the real one attacks MegaMan with his sword. He will sometimes do it without creating copies.
 * Shuriken (120) - ShadowMan tosses several small ninja stars. He will sometimes toss them at an angle or horizontally after doing an Oboro. If doing them while standing, the stars will be tossed horizontally.
 * Fuusha (140) - ShadowMan tosses a large ninja star with a slight arc to its path.
 * Shadow Slash (140) - ShadowMan runs forward slightly, then jumps before coming down on you with a slash from his katana.

Mega Man Battle Network 2
ShadowMan has a role in the second game of the series as an assassin hired by the Netmafia, Gospel to annihilate YumLand, and then later to destroy Electopia. He was successful in the destruction of YumLand, but was thwarted by Mega Man in his attempt to destroy Electopia, with help from ProtoMan.

Mega Man Battle Network 5
In this game, he is discovered by Colonel and was asked to join Team Colonel. He helped the team with speed and agility.

Anime History
ShadowMan appeared in the second part of the MegaMan NT Warrior series as a hired gun of Grave to protect a virus factory hidden under NetCity. He was also hired to delete KnightMan, who was the Anti-Virus Program Princess Pride and her kingdom were working on. Having his plans foiled by MegaMan, he meets the injured FreezeMan after his battle with HeatMan. Saying he lost his worth, ShadowMan eliminated FreezeMan on the spot. In MegaMan NT Warrior Axess, ShadowMan is hired by Dr. Regal to destroy an airplane terminal, and was given Dark Chips to finish the job with MegaMan, but said he did not need them. Being overwhelmed, however, changed his mind and made him use them, exponentially increasing his power. However, being under the watchful eye of SearchMan, he had his arms blown off by the sniper, and was eventually deleted by him. In Rockman.EXE Stream, however, he is brought back to fight Duo with his operator, Dark Miyabi, using Cross Fusion. He was one of the few marked by Duo. He is later seen fighting the armies of Falzar and Gregar in Rockman.EXE Beast.

He is also seen in the 10th episode of Rockman.EXE Beast+.

Manga History
ShadowMan did not serve a major role in the manga. His personality is also vastly different from the game. He is reserved and much respectful to others, both human and Navi alike. He first appears when Lan, NumberMan, and ProtoMan went into Undernet to retrieve MegaMan and easily defeats ProtoMan. Noticing that Lan is a human and interested by the fact that a human went as far as entering the Cyberworld to retrieve a near-deleted Navi, he creates illusion of MegaMan surrounded by fire. Seeing Lan jumps without hesitation to save MegaMan and MegaMan is recovered as the result, ShadowMan ponders that he wish to test their strength next time. In volume 3, he senses a great energy and saves MegaMan and Lan from Bass, though he later revealed that it was Bass himself who spared them and warning them that many Undernet Navis will come after them since they are the first ones to survive a battle against Bass. He then gives them a map that contain a clue for them to become stronger before leaving. In volume 11, ShadowMan was shown in a bonus story as a member of Team Colonel, fighting against Devil Virus.

Abilities

 * Kage no Bunshin: ShadowMan often appears with one or two clones as soon as the battle starts. The clones can mimic his attacks, and can dissipate after being hit with a Buster shot. They regenerate over time. At first, the clones were all blue and nothing like the real ShadowMan, but over the game timeline, ShadowMan improved this ability to a level where he can create perfect, exact-looking clones (but much to his frustration, still retain the weakness of being taken out in one hit).


 * Fire no Jutsu: ShadowMan sends an explosion down his row. His Kage no Bunshin clones will do the same if they are present. Called "Bakuen" in MegaMan NT Warrior.


 * Kawarimi: Sometimes, ShadowMan will disappear after MegaMan seemingly lands an attack on him and immediately throws a few shurikens at him. This is his Charge Shot.


 * Image Slash: Occasionally, if MegaMan is close enough, ShadowMan's Kage no Bunshin clones will slash at him with their swords. This is his special chip. Also, he can send invincible blue clones to move around the player's field and slash rapidly if MegaMan is near them.


 * Sneak Attack: Sometimes, ShadowMan will appear behind MegaMan and attack.


 * Muramasa Blade: If his HP is low enough, ShadowMan will appear near MegaMan and slash him with the Muramasa, dealing damage equal to the amount of HP he has lost so far. Used only in Mega Man Battle Network 2.

Mega Man Battle Network 5
ShadowMan's Battle Chips are exclusive to the Team Colonel version, but they can be traded with Team ProtoMan, where they are registered as Secret Chips.

Trivia

 * ShadowMan is shown to have very weak armor, as a minor wound (like a cut on his headgear) can cause it to fall off, and that he has particularly lower health compared to other bosses. This is probably another reference to his ninja-like theme, as ninjas rely on stealth and speed to defeat their enemies, not brute strength or heavy armor.
 * Along with Roll, he is one of the few navis who walk on foot outside battles, but levitate in the battlefield, with levitating abilities such as floatshoes and airshoes included.
 * In the English anime, Shadow Man speaks with a Japanese accent, which is a direct reference to his ninja like design.