Flash Man

"Even the clever Rockman can't stand up to my Time Stopper. Sorry, but it ends here, Rockman!"

- Flash Man

Flash Man (フラッシュマン) is a Robot Master created by Doctor Albert W. Wily to challenge the everlasting idea of controlling time. Flash Man's Special Weapon is the Time Stopper, a unique system that allows him to stop time for brief periods. To supplement his attacking abilities, he is also equipped with a rapid-fire buster on his right arm. The eight Robot Masters from Mega Man 2 have built-in devices that make them immune to the Time Stopper, but Quick Man's device has a flaw, making him vulnerable to it.

In combat, Flash Man can stop time to immobilise his opponents, before attacking them mercilessly with rapid barrages of shots from his buster while they cannot move. To his enemies, Flash Man appears to be moving at light speed or teleporting. It is believed that this ability is a perfected form of what the later-introduced Time Man was capable of- because unlike Time Man, who could only slow down time with Time Slow, Flash Man can stop it completely and, though not explicitly stated, apperars to be the direct upgrade on Time Man.

Whilst often miserable and prone to complaining, deep down he is a benevolent leader who cares deeply for the well-being of his subordinates. He likes cameras and photography, as well as making use of his time-stopping powers to play pranks on others and to spend longer bathing. He is bald, often lamenting the fact that Doctor Wily designed him without hair, and thus he dislikes commercials for wigs and hair products.

Mega Man 2
Flash Man is one of the eight bosses. He will run back and forth, from one side of the room to the other, attempting to collide with Mega Man. Sometimes he'll use Time Stopper to stop time and then fire his own arm cannon. It is recommended to jump from the top most stair in the room before he activates Time Stopper so the player can make every shot miss. It can be difficult to defeat Flash Man without the Metal Blade or Crash Bomber; however, the Mega Buster can defeat him in 7 shots (14 on Difficult setting).

If using Metal Blade on him, it will deal high damage, but its best to use it when Flash Man is at the top most stair so that he'll almost always get hit. Another strategy with the Metal Blade, is to let Flash Man ram into Mega Man while he is standing at either the left or right wall. Afterwards, throw a Metal Blade upwards to send Flash Man into the air. If the player keeps throwing the blades upwards Flash Man will remain in the air until he is defeated. This trick, however, was fixed in the Mega Man: The Wily Wars version of Mega Man 2.

If using Crash Bomber on him, it is best to use it before Flash Man is almost to the other side of the room or on a wall near Flash Man when he activates Time Stopper, so the weapon will score multiple hits on him. It is not recommended to use Crash Bomber while Flash Man is moving, as the weapon will not score the most hits possible.

Mega Man 3
The first Doc Robot in Gemini Man's stage copies Flash Man's moves, and before the battle, Flash Man has a cameo appearance as program data copied by Doc Robot. This Doc Robot is weak against Needle Cannon and Gemini Laser.

Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge
Flash Man is one of the four bosses from Mega Man 2 that appear in Dr. Wily's teleport system inside the Wily Castle. His actions are similar to Mega Man 2 and he is weak to Ice Slasher.

Mega Man's Soccer
Flash Man is an average player with low defense that doesn't have his own team. He is a member of the Cut Man, Elec Man, Wood Man, Pharaoh Man, Enker, and Wily teams in Tournament mode and the Fire Man and Skull Man teams in League mode.

Super Adventure Rockman
When Dr. Wily found a super computer named Ra Moon in the Lanfront Ruins, it analyzed his computer and rebuilt his robots from Mega Man 2 and Mega Man 3, including Flash Man. Flash Man is the third boss from Episode 1.

Later, Flash Man and the other robots are revived again near the end of Episode 3, but they are betrayed by Ra Moon and attacked, leaving them exhausted. If the player is defeated by the New Yellow Devil, Mega Man can ask the robots to give their remaining energy to him, and they shut down afterwards. Flash Man and the others are apparently destroyed when Ra Moon's temple collapses.

Other appearances

 * Flash Man is a boss in the Tiger Electronics Mega Man 2 handheld.
 * Flash Man appears in the CD database from Mega Man & Bass.
 * Flash Man was set to appear in the canceled game Mega Man Universe.
 * Flash Man appears in Battle Memory from Rockman ×over.

Rockman Complete Works data
みじかいが時をとめられるシステムをもつ. 攻撃力はひくい. 画面のまん中で戦うと、攻撃をかわしやすい.

Stage enemies
Enemies in Flash Man's stage, an underground venue predominantly made up of slippery crystal platforms.
 * Blocky
 * Shotman
 * Scworm
 * Sniper Armor

Robot Master Field Guide
Doctor Wily considers Flash Man to be one of his masterpieces- whereas Doctor Light's Time Man could only slow down time, Flash Man is capable of "Stopping" it completely, if only a short duration. When using his signature ability, the Time Stopper, it appears to his opponents as though he is teleporting around as he moves. While time is frozen, Flash Man attacks his immobilised opponent by unleashing a flurry of shots from his Arm Cannon, though the shots aren't very powerful.

Even though Flash Man tends to complain lot, he remains kind to his subordinates. He enjoys cameras, but because he is bald, he very much dislikes TV commercials that advertises wigs. In addition, word has it that he abuses the powers of his Time stopper to prolong his baths.

Damage Data Chart
Amount of damage in units that Flash Man receives from each Special Weapon in Mega Man 2.

Mega Man Megamix
Flash Man appeared in the story "Orders to Destroy R" from the manga Mega Man Megamix and Rockman Remix. In the manga, Flash Man's Time Stopper is a system which allows him to control the speed of light, which in effect halts the flow of time for those affected. He has several mirrors hidden around his body that are used as flashes when the Time Stopper is activated; two being in his shoulders, two in his left arm, four in his legs, and one in his chest. The sides of his arm cannon can also open, revealing 12 muzzles.

In Mega Man Megamix, Flash Man and Air Man are the first robots from Mega Man 2 to attack Mega Man. Flash Man is the first defeated, and he returns to Wily's base for repairs. Later, when Mega Man attempts to stop one of Wily's skull satellites, Flash Man appears again and interrupts Quick Man's fight against him, saying that he will take care of Mega Man. Not wanting interruptions, Quick Man cuts Flash Man into three parts, slicing through his upper and lower body and severing his right arm with his boomerang, so that he can defeat Mega Man by himself. The satellite explodes, but Mega Man uses Flash Man's Time Stopper to escape. Flash Man is later seen lying in the debris of the satellite severely damaged. He curses and swears to Quick Man that he will one day destroy him, thus hinting at a rivalry between these two.

In the original version of the story from Rockman Remix, Flash Man takes Roll as a hostage, but when Dr. Light's robots appear, she manages to escape and he is defeated by Mega Man. Flash Man returns to Wily's base for repairs and tries to help Quick Man fight against Mega Man, but Quick Man, wanting to fight alone, attacks Flash Man, making him unable to fight.

Mega Man (Archie Comics)
In Archie Comics's Mega Man comic book series, Flash Man first appears in the end of issue 8, where he is built by Dr. Wily. In issue 11, Flash Man is surprised and offended to see an exhausted Mega Man confronting him after evading all of his troops. He uses his Time Stopper to freeze time and knock Mega Man's helmet off, and for a moment, gazes at Mega Man's hair in envy. While questioning why Dr. Wily did not build him with any hair, he gets hit from behind with a Quick Boomerang and is immediately disabled. Quick Man appears saying he wants a duel, and without him noticing, Mega Man copies Flash Man's Time Stopper.

Flash Man is later revived by Ra Moon in Spiritus Ex Machina, along with the rest of the Mega Man 2 Robot Masters, and resents Quick Man for destroying him in the first place. While patrolling in the jungle, he found a large gem and gave it to Dr. Wily, starting the events from the crossover Worlds Collide. He and the other robots help Wily and Eggman create the Wily Egg. Later in Worlds Collide, he is one of the many Robot Masters that fighting against Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends. He uses Time Stopper to on Silver the Hedgehog and shows his obsession to hair by looking Silver's hair with great envy.

After the Super Genesis Wave was undone and Mega Man's realm was restored to order, Ra Moon took control of Flash Man alongside the rest of Dr. Wily's robots due to reconstructing them. Flash Man, alongside Heat Man, Bubble Man, and Metal Man, proceeded to attack Mega Man alongside Cut Man, Guts Man, Bomb Man, and Rush when the latter group arrived at the Amazon. Flash Man utilized his Time Stopper ability to evade attacks from Guts Man and Rush, although the former eventually managed to land a hit on Flash Man while the latter was distracted with pinning the Blue Bomber with Time Stopper in response to Mega Man's request for answers, while also refusing to supply them. He later got caught in a bear hug by Bomb Man, the latter intending to pin him in place while Cut Man finished him off with Rolling Cutter, although he used his Time Stopper to escape from Bomb Man, resulting in the latter getting hit with the attack instead. His escape was short-lived when Rush bit his arm cannon, distracting Flash Man long enough for the Blue Bomber and Cut Man to disable his Time Stopper by shearing off his arm cannon with Metal Blade and Rolling Cutter, respectively. However, unlike the last time where he was destroyed, Mega Man and co. decided to let them live and to tell them information. They refuse thus forcing Mega Man and co. to continue onwards.

Later, after being repaired, Flash Man and the others came around and decided to ally with Dr. Light's robots in stopping Ra Moon, after learning that what Ra Moon was planning was not what Dr. Wily would have supported. During the battle, Flash Man used his Time Stopper to halt Shadow Man in his tracks, also ordering for any Robot Masters to attack Shadow Man while he's still pinned down. Shortly after, Ra Moon removes the electromagnetic protection of the Mega Man 2 Robot Masters, disabling Flash Man and the others. Once Ra Moon is destroyed, Flash Man and the others are revived, and join the now loyal Mega Man 3 Robot Masters in setting up the next phase of Dr. Wily's plans by building a new fortress. He later appears to Wily at Light Labs, using his Time Stopper to appear unnoticed, and informs Dr. Wily of their progress.

Rockman World
When Mega Man invades Dr. Wily's base, Flash Man, Bubble Man, Quick Man, and Heat Man appear and attack him at the same time. Mega Man is weakened by their attacks, and Flash Man says they will make him work for Wily by using a chip on him. Displeased with the idea to work for Wily, Mega Man says he would rather die and resists by shooting Flash Man, taking him down off-guard. Happy with his luck, Mega Man takes the Time Stopper and uses it to stop the other three robots, easily destroying them.

Other appearances
Flash Man appears briefly in three panels from Rockman: Yomigaeru Blues as a member of the Wily Patrol. Flash Man also appeared in the book Worlds of Power and the manga Rockman: Dr. Wily no Inbou, Rockman wo Tsukutta Otokotachi - Rockman Tanjou Densetsu, Rockman 4Koma Dai Koushin, and Rock'n Game Boy.

Trivia

 * Flash Man was the only Mega Man 2 Robot Master not to be in Captain N: The Game Master. He was also the only Robot Master from Mega Man 2 other than Bubble Man to not make an appearance in the Mega Man animated series.


 * Oil Man's mugshot from Mega Man 3 for the PC, is an edited version of Flash Man's mugshot.


 * Flash Man is bald underneath his peculiar shiny helmet, and is often seen to be jealous of Mega Man's hair. His envy also explains his dislike of commercials for wigs and hair products.


 * One reason that Flash Man likes cameras and photography may be in how he can use his power to get a perfect still capture. Another reason may be due to how cameras flash as they take pictures- very much like how he does when he stops time.


 * His quote in his Mega Man & Bass CD data is a reference to the 1960s song of the same name by The Supremes.


 * Ironically, while the Quick Boomerang deals no damage to Flash Man whatsoever in the games (Mega Man 2 and Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge), Quick Man defeats him no less than twice with it in comic book adaptations of the series (Mega Man Megamix and Archie Comics' Mega Man).


 * M.Bison's theme, "Irreconcilably" in the Street Fighter EX series has a 14-15 second portion of Flash Man's theme which plays almost 36 seconds into the theme.
 * One of the Town Mission themes in Sonic 2006 bears a lot of similarities to Flash Man's theme.
 * He shares a name with the 1986 Super Sentai series Choushinsei Flashman.