Break Man

Break Man (ブレイクマン) is an alias used by Proto Man in Mega Man 3. As Break Man, Proto Man's helmet covers his entire head, similar to the Sniper Joe's helmets (even with the single eye). It is unknown what this "transformation" changed in Proto Man and why he uses it in his last battle, but it is believed to be just a disguise to hide his identity from Dr. Light. The key difference is that in this form, Proto Man will not take damage from any Special Weapon—only the Mega Buster can damage him. Also, his shots are slightly bigger in this form, but they cause the same amount of damage as Proto Man's.

Proto Man will only appear as Break Man when all four Doc Robot stages are completed. After his defeat, Mega Man will return to Dr. Light's Laboratory, where Dr. Light announces that Dr. Wily has stolen Gamma.

Mega Man (Archie Comics)
Proto Man first appears as Break Man in issue #16 of the Mega Man comic book series by Archie Comics. Here the name "Break Man" was suggested by Dr. Wily, symbolizing a break from his past; he had previously expressed his dislike for his original name Blues and for Wily's alternative of Proto Man. He retained this identity through the adaptations of Super Adventure Rockman and Mega Man 3, and continued in this guise during the Worlds Unite crossover event with Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog lines. By issue 54, he discarded the Break Man identity and became Proto Man when he decided that it wasn't the kind of person he wanted to be.

Mega Man Gigamix
Proto Man appears as Break Man in "Asteroid Blues". He protects Mega Man from Needle Man and Gemini Man, but then proceeds to destroy Reggae and fight Mega Man. During the battle he is distracted when he sees Dr. Light, and his mask is broken by Mega Man, causing Dr. Light to recognize him.

Damage Data Chart
Amount of damage in units that Break Man receives from each Special Weapon in Mega Man 3.

Trivia

 * In the ending for Mega Man 3, Dr. Light recognizes Proto Man's signature whistle, revealing that Break Man was in fact Proto Man.
 * It seems that initially Proto Man was designed to have an animation for transforming to and from Break Man. The animation was removed before the game's release; he instead appears without making the transformation.
 * Break Man's name may be a reference to a popular style of street dance, B-boying, which is often referred to as "breakdancing".
 * Break Man's mugshot features him having red shoulders and a blue glare on his visor, while the ingame sprite shows him having grey shoulders and an orange glare. However, this could be due to the NES sprite limitations.
 * Proto Man's appearance in the Western cover art of Mega Man 10 has his face completely concealed, similar to Break Man.