Joker

Joker (ジョーカー) is a highly-ranked member of the Dealer criminal organization in MegaMan Star Force 3, and in particular a mysterious servant of Mr. King. Very little is known about his past, though he has a powerful connection to Acid, the Wizard of Arthur "Ace" C. Eos, WAZA, and with the Joker Program and Meteor G. He seems to be Dealer's chief field operative, as he primarily appears overseeing the activities of Jack, Queen Tia, and their Wizards, Corvus and Virgo. When Jack and Queen Tia are incapacitated later on in the game, he is given acting orders directly.

In his earliest appearances, Joker is notably curt and to the point, he rarely acts out and follows orders to the hilt, which is what makes him such an effective superintendent. However, as time progresses, Jack and Queen Tia begin to prove insufficient and Joker is ordered to pick up the slack. As he grows more involved with the plot, his crisp, controlled personality (notably closer to the poise of Queen Tia than her crazed brother) begins to peel away and reveal a stunningly ruthless individual with a thirst for violence - even in situations where his involvement was not explicitly called for, such as his assault on Luna Platz at Alohaha.

The chief reason for this seems to be closely entwined with his true nature - Joker is in truth a Wizard, in spite of his remarkably human countenance, forgiving his massive stature. By his own claim, he is the "ultimate battle Wizard", and, drawing his own power from the Joker Program (which was replicated by the Satella Police from several programs Ace stole when he defected from Dealer), not only capable of wielding Noise as a weapon, but demonstrably invulnerable to any and all negative effects as well. As a self-sufficient EM Being, he has no proper EM Wave Change, but he is capable of Finalizing into Dread Joker, known as Grave Joker (グレイブ・ジョーカー) in Japan, a devastatingly powerful warrior whose attacks focus on beastly strength.

Appearance
Joker has two modes of appearance - his primary form for activities that do not require much force, and his secondary form for battle, as Dread Joker.

Normally, Joker appears as a human being of elephantine proportions, perhaps between 8 and 10 feet tall. The darkness of his skin suggests NetFriccan descent, though as he is a Wizard, it appears to be merely a choice in his programmed design. His hair is notably thin and cut almost to the skin, running along his skull in a strange pattern that leaves several lines of bare scalp leading behind him. He also sports a likewise close-shaven beard, also with a pair of bare gaps. He wears a pair of glasses that fits snugly over his eyes and the bridge of his nose, running in an uninterrupted single pane.

As Joker, he wears a unique, dark brown, long-sleeved garment that runs uninterrupted to his knees, though its straight collar is rimmed with a golden material that runs down forming a key-hole like design across the torso of the garment - within the pattern of lines, the garment is colored grey. Similar strips of color are found on both shoulders of the robe. Extending from the bottom hole of the garment are a pair of what seem to be steel-toed boots with massive, brass-colored heels (the same color as his gloves).

When he becomes Dread Joker, rather than forgoing his "civilian" ensemble, it rather seems to be enhanced. The strips of dark hair along his head are suddenly thin, plated armor in the colors of grey and blue - he is even given a thick jaw guard to match his beard and the edges of his glasses now recede to join the makings of his unique, incomplete helmet. The yellow pattern of lines along his garment altered only slightly, thickens and spreads, introducing shapes of bright red into the pattern, which seem to serve as armor. His formerly seamless boots separate into shoes and thick leg guards, he gains a pair of gauntlets not unlike Mega Man Red Joker's Meteor Noise Irradiator, and the color of his gloves darkens to almost black. Most notably, he also gains a power of thick, heavy-seeming tower-style pauldrons with a like color pattern sporting the Joker symbol on their outmost face.

Dread Joker's appearance is remarkably similar to Mega Man's appearance as Red Joker, especially regarding the latter's armor, the Cloud of Crimson, which is described as being created from generated crimson and as powerful as an iron wall, which would apparently be consistent with the capabilities of Dread Joker's armor.

No Reason to Live
Joker first appears beside Jack and Queen Tia, as they give a report on Diamond Ice's Crimson generation. King spends a few moments discussing his goal, and Jack, increasingly agitated, starts demanding to fight Mega Man. Joker chastises him for being quite rude to Mr. King, which prompts Jack to respond directly to him, though it's not until Heartless admonishes him that he returns to his place. Following some criticism of Jack's behavior, Mr. King has Heartless dispense his orders. She orders Jack and Queen Tia to continue their surveillance on Mega Man and to continue gathering Crimson, while Joker will receive a direct order from Mr. King later on, therefore he is to remain on standby. King explains that the next step of their plan is to crush National WAZA Headquarters, and to continue gathering Mega Man data to use in completing their ultimate weapon.

Four days later, Joker appears almost immediately after Club Strong is vanquished. Strong, now in control of himself, explains that he was approached by two mysterious individuals - both of whom were in Geo Stelar's company when they first met. As Mega Man and Omega-Xis wonder who he's talking about, Joker appears, leaping down from the rafters directly behind Strong while suggesting everyone calm down. When Mega Man asks who it is, he introduces himself as someone called Joker - a member of the organization, "Dealer", which will soon rule the planet. Omega-Xis and Mega Man demand to know if they're responsible for all the recent trouble and if they know how many people they've hurt. Joker laughs quietly at their fury, and Strong approaches Joker, informing him that those who disturb the peace of Alohaha will not be forgiven. Joker calls them arrogant fools and draws his arms back - Mega Man tries to call Strong back, only to watch Joker shove his energy-filled fists forward and unleash the Dread Lazer. In an instant, Strong is blown into scattered pieces.

Joker calmly states that he died because he was weak and that, in this "Dog Eat Dog" world, the weak lose and the strong win. There is no reason for weak Wizards to exist. Mega Man wonders why they would ever do such a thing - Strong was forced to lose control of himself, used, and then killed without hesitation. He then declares he'll make them pay for what they've done, demanding Joker fight him. Joker notes with interest how Mega Man's Battle Status has risen dramatically, wondering if it comes from his anger he feels for the death of that weakling Wizard. Joker then concludes that Mega Man grows stronger as his bonds to others are broken. Mega Man warns Joker to get ready, only for Joker to say that, regrettably, Mr. King gave him no order to fight Mega Man - he has only come to observe "those two meddlers". It seems they may be planning something. Joker laughs, bidding Mega Man farewell, sure that the day they face each other in battle will come soon. He, for one, is looking forward to it. After he leaves, a furious Mega Man is left no other alternative but to follow the harvested Crimson left behind from Club Strong's rampage.

Geo and Omega-Xis arrive at the beach to find Jack and Queen Tia holding a small vessel filled with Crimson and musing over the powers of Elite Wizards. They acknowledge themselves to be members of Dealer. They reveal their Wizards to be Corvus and Virgo, FM-ian criminals, and quickly EM Wave Change to form Jack Corvus and Queen Virgo. Jack Corvus takes the lead and fights Mega Man, only for the fight to be end prematurely with an exhausted Mega Man. However, as Jack Corvus laughs, Joker appears, insisting enough. He reminds Queen Virgo that their orders were to investigate Mega Man and to collect Crimson, nothing was ever said about fighting Mega Man. Jack grows frustrated, and Queen Virgo concludes that Joker was ordered to watch them. Joker confirms her observation, and just as Mr. King had predicted, they'd decided to make some of their own plans. Queen Virgo asks what he's going to do about it, and Joker says he won't do a single thing. Mr. King expressed to him that if they return immediately, there would be no penalties for their actions. Joker advises Queen Tia and Jack to take his advice and return. Queen Virgo says she guesses there's no other choice and tells a frustrated Jack Corvus that they will return.

Luna suddenly arrives, though she is startled by the three strangers, prompting a stunned reaction from Jack. Mega Man warns her not to get any closer, and Luna apologies, explaining that the islanders had told her Strong's signal had died out, and she didn't know what to... she pauses, recognizing Jack from behind his EM Wave Change. Jack turns around, refusing to face her - Luna also recognizes Ms. Tia, wondering what the heck is going on. Joker comments on the interesting situation, prompting Luna to ask just who he is. Joker recalls how Mega Man's power is magnified by anger and pain when the bonds between him and another are broken - and Joker knows he shares an important bond with that girl. Mega Man warns him not to dare lay a finger on her, only for Joker to flash directly in front of Luna and tell her to be gone. He launches a Dread Lazer only for Mega Man to yank Luna away at the last second. Mega Man tells Joker that's enough, and if he wants a fight, then bring it on, but don't bring innocent people like Strong or Luna into it. Geo gets so angry that Omega-Xis actually warns him to calm down - Joker disappears suddenly and Mega Man wanders away from Luna demanding Joker come back, and if he's afraid to face him.

Omega-Xis tells Geo to look behind him, and everyone discovers Joker already having charged his Dread Lazer attack - time slows down as Mega Man lunges for Luna, only to be too late to stop Joker from blowing her into blue fragments like Strong's green. Mega Man sinks to his knees and even Omega-Xis is stunned - and Joker starts laughing loudly. Queen Virgo quietly demands Joker explain why he just did that, what was the point of eliminating that girl? Joker explains his philosophy that weak people have no reason to live. He simply removed the person who went against his philosophy the most. ...She was a stain upon the earth. Jack Corvus shouts he's crazy, only for Joker to shrug off the insult, telling him to say whatever he pleases. He tells Mega Man that he's next, and then disappears. Queen Virgo tells a silent Jack Corvus that they're going back, and then they both disappear as well, leaving Mega Man wondering where Luna is, actually screaming for Luna to answer him and how this can't be happening.

The Unwelcome Newcomer
Later, Dealer has reconvened at headquarters, and King speaks about finally having Mega Man's data. Jack wants to know why King needed the data, only to be chastised. Upset, Jack skulks off down the stairs and out of sight. Joker addresses a silent Queen Tia, who takes a moment before she fully regards him. Joker notes how Jack has seemed a little strange ever since the incident at Alohaha Castle - he's been much more mild-tempered than usual. He asks if there's a problem, and Queen Tia says nothing is wrong, but then she says she sees no reason to hear from Joker every time they do feel down. There's silence for a moment, and then Joker concedes that there's no problem, then. He walks off and away, leaving Queen Tia, who is then joined by Virgo, who mimics him spitefully. Virgo notes Joker's been acting kind of strange lately, wondering how he dares act like that when he's Dealer's newest member. She notes with a cackle that if he upsets Corvus one more time, she doesn't know what will happen.

Some time after, Ace calls Geo, along with Bud Bison, Zack Temple, and Sonia Strumm to National WAZA HQ to discuss what has happened and who, exactly, is involved, explaining how Dealer uses data cards filled with Noise - Noise Cards - to make Wizards go out of control. Ace is supportive of Geo and Omega-Xis's fight against Jack Corvus, though he warns them that Joker is too far beyond their level at the moment, though he and Acid could probably pull something off. Ignoring, Omega-Xis's retort, Ace points out that having Joker in Dealer is quite a nuisance, which only infuriates him further. They are suddenly joined by Dr. Goodall, who asks "Arthur" if "he" really joined Dealer. Ace apologizes for the situation, and then introduces everyone to Dr. Goodall, the head of the Satella Police Science Department.

Following Queen Virgo's attack on WAZA Headquarters and Luna's reconstruction, Joker was present during Jack's audience with Mr. King in which the youngest member of Dealer demanded when Dealer would go after his sister. King claims he is certainly considering how to rescue her, though he mentions he's still figuring out how to deal with Mega Man and Eos - he suggests Jack treat it like strategy in a video game. Jack demands to be given orders, then, only to hear that the only acting orders at the moment are being given to Joker, who will not be as hot-headed as Jack. King asks Heartless how the Noise creation program is proceeding, and Heartless confirms it will soon be finished, but the Noise level controller is taking some time. The Noise to Real Wave process is not going very smoothly. King laughs at the "simpletons" who cannot complete the program, and decides he will complete it himself. Jack walks off, deciding he will act without King's approval.

Not long after, Heartless gives a report regarding Jack's theft of the Noise creation program, which he'd been using to summon Noise clusters, and thus viruses, throughout Echo Ridge, WBG Studios, and the Astro Wave. King, while notably upset, decides to make something good of this incident and summons Joker, to whom he gives the order to watch Jack and eliminate him if he goes the slightest bit overboard. Joker follows Jack and watches as he prepares to burn down the school, reporting his failure when he is defeated by Mega Man. King finds the news to be humorous - Jack can't even successfully act like a worthless pawn. King bids Joker return as quickly as he can, to decide on the next step.

Out of Control
As the sole remaining field agent, Joker waits as King lays out his plan, now that all WAZA HQs are out of commission and Meteor G is within their grasp. King points out their control is incomplete and they will need much more Crimson to achieve that - King never imagined Meteor G to be so gigantic. Heartless wonders if King plans to rescue Jack and Queen Tia, who were originally in charge of Crimson collection, and then Joker volunteers himself - and his idea. Soon after, Wizards begin going out of control all over Electopia, and the Satella Police have Mega Man help them clean up the problem. When WAZA calls a meeting, King hacks their network and confirms their suspicions - in doing their duty to stop out of control Wizards, the Satella Police are in turn harvesting masses of Crimson for Dealer to collect, thus solidifying its hold on Meteor G.

The final incident occurs at WBG Studios, where Lee Stern had brought in a small horde of Wizards for a action scene, providing Dealer with a great many targets. Acid Ace and Mega Man arrive, quickly dispatching the Wizards. This time, however, the Crimson does not immediately fly away, instead rising into the air where Joker is waiting atop Sonia Strumm's Real Wave Concert Stage. Acid Ace immediately jumps up and confronts Joker, thanking him for saving the trouble of finding him. Joker asks what he planned on doing after finding him, to which Ace answers stopping him. Joker's dangerous, and on top of that, a member of Dealer. He disgusts Ace, and then Acid Ace promptly strikes out at Joker, who disappears. Joker laughs and asks if this is the extent of his power, calling it a pity. He then aims his hand at Acid Ace, prompting Ace to ask what he's doing - Acid suddenly reacts negatively, and Acid Ace sinks to his knees, spewing dark red energy. Acid doesn't know what's happening, saying it hurts - Ace demands what has Joker done. Joker claims he has simply called Acid to him, and Acid is responding - they are of the same "shooting star power", after all. Ace wonders how he knew, and Joker explains it would be impossible for him not to, since they're linked together. Ace demands he stop, while Joker says he has no problem with the serious negative effects. Then Joker realizes the Noise level has reached 200%, and orders Acid Ace to Finalize.

Acid screams, his white body inverting into black. Joker orders him to re-awaken as his "true" self, and to prove their existence to the world. The light dims, revealing a black Acid Ace, Noise pumping out of his body. Joker starts laughing, asking Acid how he's feeling - Joker bets its wonderful. He then, tells him to go on and do as he pleases. With notably less grace, Acid Ace lunges at Joker, who warps onto the raised portion of the stage, and then collapses to one knee. Joker curses, realizing something has prevented Acid Ace from fully Finalizing - he concludes that the Satella Police must have altered Ace to prevent it. He tells Acid to listen to him - it is the destructive urge, and that alone, that confirms their existence, and he is to never forget that. He explains that the red shooting star is their bond - they are one. Joker then disappears as Mega Man finally arrives, finding Acid Ace B still hunched over where he'd attacked Joker. Mega Man asks him about the situation, and then Acid Ace B turns on him - Mega Man calls to him to get him to snap out of it. Acid Ace B approaches slowly, Geo and Omega-Xis deciding to fight him, Geo deciding ultimately to simply hold out until Acid's Auto de-Wave Change kicks in.

Acid Ace B eventually collapses, reverting to both Ace and Acid, and the massive amount of Crimson rises and flies away. Somewhere in the distance, Laplace is ordered to follow its trail. Back at WAZA, Acid and Ace are both in recovery, and Dr. Goodall explains the immediate aftermath of Acid Ace's rampage, but Ace interrupts her when Geo prompts her on what exactly happened to Acid, telling her it doesn't matter whether Geo knows or not. Ace then tells Geo they're going to attack Dealer's base directly, collapsing soon after. The next day, Dr. Goodall assigns Geo to investigate Noise Waves at Echo Ridge Elementary, Spica Mall, and WBG Studios. She suggests that by talking to the denizens of the Noise Waves (Noisms), he should be able to track "that child", Joker.

The Noise Code
By tracing where the savage Wizards had appeared, Mega Man was able to discover new Noise Waves in locations they hadn't been previously, gathering pieces of the Noise Code that would allow him into the sealed Noise Wave at WBG Studios. The fact that Geo and Omega-Xis were able to construct an entire copy of the Noise Code almost definitely suggests that Joker deliberately left the pieces behind.

The first incident took place in the school's lobby - a Hertz looking on from the Wave Road confirms he'd seen the principal statue break apart, allowing a black shadow in the shape of a person to emerge (though he seemed to believe the out-of-control Wizards were the result of a grudge held by the principal). Discovering the Principal Noise, Mega Man finds the first part of the Noise Code in a Wizard's possession, driving him out of control. After defeating him, the Wizard says he'd picked it up to return it to a man who dropped it - Geo asks if this man was wearing black and blue sunglasses, which the Wizard confirms. (It seems the power of the fractured Noise Code was powerful enough to spawn entirely new Noise Wave wholesale, as the Principal's Noise didn't exist until Geo's mission.)

At Spica Mall, where the Satella Police are investigating, Geo and Omega-Xis find and open three Noise Waves, the first located at some Hunter-VG advertisements not far from the main entrance. Inside the Shop Front Noise, they find a MalWizard noticeably unaffected by the Noise. Omega-Xis attempts to ask him about Dealer by affecting a disconcerting gangster accent, only for the MalWizard to shrug him off, instead asking for a Battle Card - a Cannon. Geo presents him with one, and in turn receives the second Noise Code piece - the MalWizard says he's heard that enough of the Noise Code, they can get into Dealer's hideout. At Spica Mall, Geo and Omega-Xis also find a new Noise Wave in the lighting system of the arena. In the Lighting Noise, they encounter a sleeping Noism, who informs him he'd seen several individuals before Mega Man, asking him if the people from outside could just go away and stop messing up their Noise Waves. The Noism describes three individuals, "big and scary, short and scary, and cute and scary", just traipsing Noise Waves all over. Mega Man wonders if "big and scary" refers to Joker, and the Noism hands him the third Noise Code piece, giving some analysis of it as broken into four pieces. They find the final Noise Code in Spica Mall's recently opened candy shop, in the Video Game Noise. Inside, they find a rather quirky Noism, whose affirmations consist of "'Sup." Upon figuring this out, the Noism immediately screams for a Quiz Noise, asking Mega Man what his (the Noism's) favorite color was, which item was stolen from Sonia Strumm at the beach, and how many times had the Noism said "'Sup!" so far. The Noism then hands him the 4th Noise Code fragment, explaining it was left behind by "Dollar", the organization using Noise Waves to terrorize everyone.

At WBG Studios, where the Satella Police are investigating, one of the Police Wizards notes that Guard Wizards' sensory abilities are superior to theirs, making them more suited to investigative work. One of the Guard Wizards in question was found over in the corner of the backmost lot, examining the "smell of an incident" - Geo and Omega-Xis find the Noise Wave, which they could access with the completed Noise Code, allowing them into Noise Wave 2, a massive, convoluted maze that could link both back to Noise Wave 1 and to Dealer's Hideout. Once at Dealer's Hideout, Geo calls the Satella Police Commandos in - Ace, who claims he's back in top form, briefs him, the Commandos, and Sonia on the mission, sending Mega Man in to knock down the "King Wall" Real Wave blocking their access. Mega Man fights the MalWizard3 at the console, and then returns - Ace leads the SP Commandos in, and after they are all in, Joker appears and begins to laugh, muttering about something "At long last..."

Joker's Purpose
The first section of the hideout that Mega Man traveled through was the Crimson Factory, which consisted primarily of massive tanks of Crimson, and a humongous Crimson Machine several stories tall. The initial attempt to destroy the machine prompted its defense system to activate, wounding the Satella Police commandos. In the end, Mega Man was left to scale the machine's Wave Road, as Sonia and Ace were drawing the wounded Commandos out of the firing range. Mega Man came upon three levels of security, each time being bailed out of trouble by Harp Note, the Satella Police wizards, and Rogue, Mega Man finally scaled the machine, now able to enter in the Casino-themed Dealer Base.

Almost as soon as he'd arrived, he was ordered to stand down by Ace, who appeared behind him, sounding exhausted and not thinking clearly. Ignoring his orders, Mega Man follows after, discovering Ace on his knees at the base of the second stairwell - as he approaches, Mega Man tries to get Ace to realize his body is in no condition to fight, only to be cut off by Ace's demand to get away from him. Ace says he can't keep it together any longer, and in this state he might even... Ace suddenly hears Acid B's voice, finishing his sentence with "Delete" and demanding "Prove your worth". And then Ace clutches his head, and suddenly he's back in Dealer's Base - Mega Man asks what he's talking about. Omega-Xis tells him to get back, and then there's a flash - Acid Ace B has returned. Acid Ace prepares to lunge, and Geo recognizes he won't be able to simply wait for the Wave Change to release, necessitating their full power.

After Mega Man defeats Acid Ace B, the latter remains on one knee for a moment, and then jokes about thinking an alarm clock to the face being a poor way to wake up. Acid Ace B rises, glad to be out of that nightmare, confirming that it's him in control - A.C.Eos. He acknowledges a debt to Mega Man, and then jokes that he's always. Mega Man realizes they can take on Dealer together, and Ace agrees - and then punches Mega Man in the gut. Omega-Xis demands to know what's going on, and Ace leaves him a message for Geo - as the strongest person in the world, it's Geo's responsibility to protect Earth; to make sure his children have a peaceful and happy world to grow up in. Geo can do anything - Ace wouldn't have picked him if he didn't believe that. He then addresses Mega Man as the Hero of Justice, the title he'd used only for himself previously.

Mega Man finally rises, following after Ace. At the top, he finds Acid Ace at Joker's feet, now back in his normal white color-scheme. Ace tells Geo he'd thought he could take Joker out, even in his state, but apparently Joker has quite the grip on he and Acid. Joker calmly orders Acid Ace to stand up and to give in to his urge to wreak havoc, confirming if Acid can hear him and to do as he says. Mega Man demands he shut up and steps between him and Acid Ace, prompting Joker to ask what he plans on doing to stop him. Mega Man asks if Joker thinks he can handle him, and Joker responds by telling him he has a lot of nerve - it is not his time to fight. Mega Man mentions everyone who Joker has attacked, demanding he pay for attacking everyone Mega Man cares about. Joker calls him a good-for-nothing, and how he was actually expecting a great deal from him - but he's only the same as the fool Acid Ace, who acts on his whims and is willing to sacrifice himself. And he will die just like him.

King inserts himself into the conversation with a laugh, noting he looks like he's having fun. Mr. King offers to let him play a little bit longer, and he might as well be as wild as he possibly can. He then orders Joker to show Mega Man his true form, to which Joker responds with an affirmation. King laughs again, venturing that this will be a blast and asking Heartless what her opinion is - he even offers to make a bet with her on the winner. Joker returns his attention to Mega Man and says that he must show him his true form, by the order of Mr. King. And then he starts laughing again, explaining only a few have seen the power of the red shooting star. Using its power is Joker's Purpose - it's his reason for existing. Mega Man is stunned, able to feel his power from a distance. Joker roars and the room starts to tremble, and then he Finalizes into Dread Joker.

Upon completing the transformation, he stands cloaked in an aura of Noise (compared to Acid Ace B's flames). Omega-Xis says he doesn't think the laughing Joker's a human being, which Dread Joker confirms. He then explains that the truth is that he is the most powerful Battle Wizard ever created - and that this form is the manifestation of the power of the red shooting star. Only he who accesses the "Meteor Server" can acquire this form of power. He asks if Acid is watching, if his Brother can hear him - this is also his true form. Mega Man asks how Joker and Acid are connected, to which Joker answers that they were both born from the same program, which was designed to create Wizards that can adapt to any level of Noise. Omega-Xis asks if he's talking about Noise Changing, and Joker laughs again, saying you could call it that. He notes Mega Man has also acquired the same ability. However, Joker identifies him as a low-grade imitation, only able to draw upon but a scarce amount of the Meteor Server's power - he calls Mega Man truly pathetic. Leave it to a human to be scared of the infinite power that Noise can bring them. Joker explains that Mega Man's program was actually stolen from Dealer, but it's only just a fragment of its true power.

Joker says that while it was humans who gave them their power, their reason for living... humans also felt they were too powerful, and mercilessly stole that power from them. Joker asks if Mega Man can possibly understand, how does he think it feels to have your reason for living taken away from him. Joker then says Mr. King gave him a new reason to live - as Mr. King's Wizard, he has been able to return himself to his original and true form. Omega-Xis scoffs at him, saying even a windbag like Joker could find that all by himself, prompting Joker to demand what he means. Omega-Xis explains he doesn't get all this "given" and "stolen" stuff he keeps talking about. Real Wizards don't whine on and on about stuff like that. Omega-Xis wonders if Joker wants to be human. Joker pauses, stunned for a moment, and actually considers the thought - and then he starts laughing again, describing that thought of him becoming a human as really funny, his laughter growing louder and louder.

Omega-Xis asks if he's broken, and Dread Joker suggests he must think he's quite funny, challenging Mega Man to use his great power to show him what he truly is. Wizard, human, or something else completely. Omega-Xis says it would be a pleasure - that's a favor he can do, as long as he's askin' for a can of butt whoopin'. Mega Man calls out to Joker, saying he's got bigger things to worry about, other than what he is. What he's doing is ruining billions of lives, including all the people special to Mega Man - he must be stopped, so Mega Man's bringing Joker down.

Even after the fight, Dread Joker makes a weak attempt at laughing, and then falls to one knee, losing his Dread Joker form. Omega-Xis is exuberant, and behind them, Acid Ace gets to his feet, just as exultant - Mega Man really is the world's greatest hero. Harp Note arrives, having finally caught up, exclaiming that the last thing to do is to stop King. Acid Ace notes its time for the final push, and then the three remaining commandos approach King, who sourly notes he should have placed his bet on Mega Man after all. But who would've thought he would defeat Joker, he says with a laugh. Acid Ace notes how King hasn't changed, and then how i's too bad he won't have a chance to reform. Dealer and all its doings end today.

King plays with his deck for a moment before bursting into laughter, complimenting Ace on his superb joke. He then calls Heartless forward, and she raises them both on a platform, where King decides it will be high enough, saying they look like despicable and worthless ants. Mega Man immediately charges after them, only to be told to wait - Jack and Tia appear behind everyone. King immediately notes how pleasant it is that his children have come home to him. He asks them to take out these "pieces of garbage" for him. They remain silent for a moment, and then approach, and Jack suggests King hand over all of his Crimson - it's not like he needs it anymore. When King asks what he's trying to say, Tia mentions how he lost Ace and then Joker was defeated. Dealer is done for. She and Jack will take everything from there, just the two of them. King asks if they would turn their back on the man who raised them, and then Tia rounds on him, demanding how he dares to presume to be their father. Jack says they never had and never would consider him as their father.

King starts laughing loudly, prompting them to ask what he finds so funny. King points out they came back here nonchalantly with their noses held high. And now they actually believe they had him defeated. Jack demands he spit it out, and then King summons Joker, who suddenly warps to the end of the room. Mega Man asks what he's going to do, and then Joker starts glowing red and trembling. Acid Ace thinks he's going to self-destruct, which King confirms - he always has a trump card up his sleeve. At least Ace will be in the company of friends when he goes down, King points out, his platform rising out of sight. Joker laughs again, asking what Acid Ace is going to do. Will he let everyone here be deleted? Both Geo and Tia call out to Ace, Mega Man actually jumping in front of him. Ace apologizes, saying there isn't time to explain - and then he converts to Acid Ace B, walking over to and lunging at Joker.

In an instant, Acid Ace and Joker have locked arms, and Joker laughs, encouraging Ace to absorb all of the explosive energy Joker's releasing. They'll be deleted, but the lives of his friends will be saved. Acid Ace retorts he can't think of a better way to go. Joker laughs, saying that is truly despicable. He is impressed by Ace's determination, nonetheless. Joker bids Acid Ace good-bye, and then starts screaming. Acid calls out to Queen Tia, explaining that he'd left Dealer to make his own wish come true - to see her smile again. Queen Tia says that if he wanted to make her happy, he should've returned - Ace says if he'd never left they could've stayed together. And then he notes regret doesn't make any difference at all. And then he bids her good-bye.

As the light dies down, King returns and applauds Joker and then Ace, who'd granted him more Crimson than he knows what to do with. He notes was such an overly serious and foolish lad. He asks how dare he leave Dealer and then oppose him - is that how he repays his father? King supposes his deletion is compensation enough, and then starts laughing.

Dread Lazer
Later, King and Heartless discuss their plans from Dealer's orbital base, currently located in the mesosphere, 50 miles from Earth's surface. They were able to put Meteor G under their control using the Crimson Joker provided. King decides it's time to declare his intentions to the world. He hacks into televisions and Air Displays the world over, describing how Meteor G is a gigantic Noise cluster that will collide with Earth - and he alone has the sole power of stopping it. To demonstrate the power of the Meteor - the shooting star power that his Wizard, Joker, possessed is now his. He orders Meteor G to target WAZA, and then fires the Dread Lazer. In an instant, Meteor G's "Jamming" engulfs WAZA and King explains he can aim it at any location in the world. He then informs world leaders he awaits their letters of submission, if they don't want their countries to drown in Meteor G's Jamming - they have three days or their countries will cease to exist.

Geo and Omega-Xis travel there at Aaron Boreal's behest, finding they can smash open holes in the Jamming - from which they rescue Dr. Goodall, who had relocated WAZA and the Satella Police to Alohaha Castle. Asking Geo to be patient, Dr. Goodall sends him home. He returns home, only for Akane to confront him about where he'd been all day. Almost immediately after, Geo receives a mysterious e-mail from Acid, encouraging him to keep fighting - also included was a Giga Card, featuring the signature attack of either Acid Ace or Dread Joker.

That night, Geo has a dream - by himself in an abyss, he wonders what he can really do. He'd said he would fight for Ace, but King has control of Meteor G, and Jack and Ms. Tia are missing. Is there anything he can do? Dread Joker's voice echoes from nowhere, calling him pathetic. There's a flash, and then Dread Joker appears, repeating his words from when they'd first met - weak creatures like Geo had no reason to exist. And those who don't acknowledge their weakness are worthless themselves. The first step to gaining true power is to accept your weaknesses. In doing so... one would finally be able to join the battle as a fierce and proud warrior. Geo, perhaps not used to Joker taking an encouraging stance, immediately tells him off, demanding what he could possibly know about a person's worth.

And then they are joined by Acid Ace, who points out everyone is weak in the beginning, asking if Geo knows that. To fight is to live. To fight with courage and not succumb to difficulties and hardships. When in the midst of battle, a powerless human being will come to know both weakness and strength, bestowing them with true power. He acknowledges how much Geo has been through, pointing out he is no where near powerless. In fact, his power to fight and persevere cannot be rivaled.

Finally, they are also joined by Geo's father, Kelvin Stelar, who points out that no matter how difficult, never giving in, never being afraid, continuing the fight - that is strength. He points out that Geo is a young man who has fought through many hardships in his short life. And that has enabled him to understand others' pain as if it was his own. "Righteousness" is when you believe from the bottom of your heart that you must help people. "Strength" and "righteousness" - there is no stronger combination of attributes for a warrior, for a hero. He points out that Geo's already a true hero - he's a strong, righteous young man, and he makes Kelvin so proud. And then Geo is left in his room, wondering if that was really a dream.

The next day, Geo almost immediately receives an e-mail from Aaron Boreal - WBG Studios has put on a broadcast involving Lee Stern and Belle encouraging everyone to maintain hope. As Geo predicts, King re-hacks the transmission and launches another Dread Lazer, enveloping WBG Studios in another wave of Jamming. Geo and Omega-Xis arrive on the scene and are able to successfully break open more Jamming Noise Waves, from which they rescue Lee Stern and Belle. As the two are brought to a hospital to receive a medical examination, Mega Man receives a mysterious e-mail inviting him to Dealer's Orbital Base, complete with Dealer Key.

At the Orbital Base, King muses over how the world leaders are behaving miserably, unable to realize the sheer power of Meteor G. After a moment, he turns to Heartless and asks if she's learned anything about Meteor G's resistance - her failure to achieve a break in information infuriates him, and he gives her a time limit of another day. A voice muses that the strain of controlling Meteor G must be wearing King out. Jack Corvus and Queen Virgo appear and declare their intentions to take over - King's attempts to remind them who raised them fail to move them, as they cite he did the same for children all over the world through the King Foundation, only to have them commit increasingly dangerous criminal activities - Jack and Tia were the only ones who survived. King scoffs at them and their attempts, and in an instant, revokes their EM Wave Change, binding them in Real Wave shackles. He then orders Heartless to take care of them, except Heartless doesn't move.

Heartless releases Jack and Tia, stepping between them and King. She laughs, suggesting that he thought her to be his most loyal lieutenant, the one that would never turn on him - the revelation stuns Jack and Tia. Heartless then points out that Joker was the last of his loyal subordinates - and then she checks herself, pointing out Joker was only his Wizard to fulfill his own Purpose. King had been surrounded by Traitors from the very beginning. Heartless regards Jack and Tia, pointing out she hadn't expected them to show up so soon - King speaks up, declaring their insolence disgusts him. He begins to threatening them, when Heartless tells him not to bother - opening a warp hole beneath King into Meteor G and having him sucked into it. In the silence after, Jack and Tia explain their goal to throw Meteor G at the planet - they turn into Jack Corvus and Queen Tia and warn her not to get in their way. Heartless points out that they sure aren't innocent children, but she doesn't want to make them cry, so she won't get in their way, choosing to wait for Mega Man.

R and RR
Joker disappears from the story from that point forward, with little to no other activity. During a repeat examination of Dealer's ground base, Mega Man finds Dread Joker's ghost data on the Wave Road. Later, not long after he returns to earth after having vanquished Meteor G and War Rock and his father return with him, it comes to Geo's attention that Planet FM is under-fire from a mysterious EM Being named Sirius. As Mega Man fights off his minions, many of whom being individuals reconstructed from the data of Noised Wizards and EM Beings he's fought, he eventually comes to the Black Hole Server - along the way coming across a pair of individuals created as instances of Acid Ace and Dread Joker. However, Acid Ace R and Dread Joker R are notably different from the Acid Ace and Dread Joker Geo and Omega-Xis knew (as compared to Queen Virgo R and Jack Corvus R, who were reborn directly from the original Virgo and Corvus). Sirius' two personal guards got along disconcertingly well - not only does Dread Joker R points out their power only goes up as a result of teamwork, Acid Ace R goes so far as to refer to his brother as "Jokey". However, Mega Man needs to reach Sirius, a situation which necessitates a fight, first with Dread Joker R, and then with Acid Ace R.

...It is unknown whether the process used to restore Ace was used successfully on Joker, though such restoration is certainly implied: much later, Mega Man fights and defeats both Dread Joker RR and Acid Ace BB - Dread Joker and Acid Ace at the full height of their powers.

As Dread Joker
Attacks:
 * Gigaton Building (Jp. Gigant Building): Dread Joker strikes the ground, summoning two black towers from the ground and a third from the air above the primary target. The towers not directly attacking may limit the target's movement. The towers can be destroyed via an attack with the Break attribute.
 * Damage Rate: V1 - 60, V2 - 100, V3 - 150, R - 200, RR - 300
 * This is the featured attack of Dread Joker's Battle Card.


 * Gigant Swing (Jp. Full Double Swing): Dread Joker jumps in front of Mega Man and swings his fist like a maul. The attack consists of two such strikes.
 * Damage Rate: V1 - 50*2, V2 - 70*2, V3 - 100*2, R - 150*2, RR - 200*2


 * Dread Lazer (Jp. Grave Meteor Laser): Dread Joker's signature attack, and the only one he has ever used outside of combat. He rears back, summoning as much Noise as he can, and then fires it in a massive beam that cracks every panel on the field and strips away Mega Man's HP bit by bit if he gets caught in it, though Mega Man can block it with his shield. Joker has used this attack several times outside of battle, once on Strong and once on Luna - both times they were fragmented into several pieces. Following Dread Joker's demise, King was able to launch a much more powerful version of this attack from Meteor G to create a strange material called Jamming).
 * Damage Rate: V1 - 10 * 14, V2 - 15 * 14, V3 - 30 * 14, R - 35 * 14, RR - 40 * 14
 * This attack is featured in the DreadLazer Giga Card, which is equivalent to the V3 instance of the attack.


 * Million Kicks (Jp. Thousand Kick): Dread Joker pauses a moment to activate the attack, then moves up to the player's position and unleashes a total of 24 kicks throughout Mega Man's row.
 * Damage Rate: V1 - 5 * 24, V2 - 10 * 24, V3 - 15 * 24, R - 20 * 24, RR - 25 * 24


 * Break Time Bomb (Jp. Break Count Bomb): Dread Joker pauses a moment to activate the Battle Card, and then places a Break Time Bomb on a random panel. The explosion cannot be avoided or blocked, so the bomb must be destroyed.
 * Damage Rate: V1 - 100, V2 - 200, V3 - 300, R - 400, RR - 450


 * Destroy Missile (Jp. Missile Stream): Dread Joker fires off a constant stream of missiles at the player that will travel down the row he is on when they were launched. These missiles can be destroyed while in flight.
 * Damage Rate: V1 - 10*12, V2 - 10*16, V3 - 10*20, R - 10*30, RR - 10*30
 * The attacks "Million Kick", "Break Time Bomb", and "Destroy Missile" each correspond to the Giga-class Battle Cards "MilliKick", "BrkTmeBmb", and "DestrMissl"

Equipment:
 * Super Armor: Dread Joker cannot flinch, and therefore cannot be knocked out of his attacks.

Etymology
Joker is named after the playing card of the same name, in reference to being a part of the Dealers. When allowed in the game, Jokers often serve as Wild Cards.

Trivia

 * The joker card is not a part of a standard deck of playing cards, which symbolically contradicts that he is the only member of the Dealers who doesn't betray Mr. King.
 * When Geo Stelar and crew first meet Dr. Goodall, she and Ace have a small conversation about someone they knew who recently joined Dealer. When this is compared with the surprised and negative reaction Jack and Queen Tia have to Joker being so upstart in spite of his status as a newcomer, it would seem that Joker may have been originally working with WAZA before defecting to Dealer, mirroring Ace's defection from Dealer before the events of the story. This may be because Joker would be allowed to exercise as much of his power as he was wont to do under Dealer in a way he could not while with WAZA.
 * The Japanese-only "Battle Black Box" sourcebook (which contains information on the Noise Modification Gear and various other battle mechanics), describes Joker in his profile as being both involved with WAXA (Eng: WAZA) and as Trans-Code:000.


 * Dread Joker's armor, specifically his coat and shoulder guards are highly evocative of LaserMan.EXE, who likewise occupied a high position in his own organization, and whose signature attack(s) involved a "laser".


 * When MegaMan reaches Dealer's Orbital base, he can speak to a pair of MalWizards - one of whom used to look up to Joker.