Mega Man Battle Network 5

Mega Man Battle Network 5, known in Japan as Rockman.EXE 5 (ロックマン エグゼ５), is a game from the Mega Man Battle Network series released for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance in two versions: Team Colonel (チーム オブ カーネル) and Team ProtoMan (チーム オブ ブルース). A few months later, Mega Man Battle Network 5: Double Team DS, known in Japan as Rockman.EXE 5 DS: Twin Leaders (ロックマン エグゼ５ＤＳ ツインリーダーズ), was released for the Nintendo DS which included content from both GBA versions together with extras. A sequel and the finale game in the Mega Man Battle Network series, Mega Man Battle Network 6, was released the following year.

Story elements from Battle Network 5 were loosely adapted for the Rockman.EXE Stream anime.

Introduction
Direct from the Instruction Manual

It's been a month since the battle with Nebula, the Dark Chip Syndicate - a battle for the fate of the earth itself. Today Lan Hikari and his friends are visiting Yuichiro Hikari in SciLab, the Department of Science. Lan's father has exciting news.

Just before Dr. Hikari shares his big news, a mysterious group of Navis appears out of nowhere and takes over the Internet!! Even the lab's own computers are hacked, and all systems shut down! Amid the chaos, suddenly sleeping gas is hurled into the lab. One person after another drops to the ground, including Lan's father.

Luckily Lan happens to remain out of sight when the sleeping gas goes off, and manages to hold on to consciousness for a while longer. Lying there in a groggy state, Lan sees Dr. Regal, leader of Nebula, towering over the unconscious bodies. So Regal is alive after all!

"...Well, well, Dr. Hikari...."

"Master Regal, what about his friends?"

"Confiscate their PETs. Without them, they'll be helpless anyway."

After stealing everyone's PETs, Regal rushes out of the Department of Science. And this is the last thing Lan sees before finally succumbing to the sleeping gas.

Main

 * Lan Hikari: A 6th-grader at ACDC Elementary School, in ACDC Town, Lan's grades aren't the best, but his Virus Busting Skills are top notch. His best friend is Mega Man, his Net Navi. In battles, these two make a powerful team.
 * MegaMan: The main character of the Mega Man Battle Network series, MegaMan is Lan's NetNavi and the character whom the player almost always plays as. His Order Point ability allows him to liberate 2 panels deep like a Long Sword.

Team Colonel

 * Baryl: Baryl is an official NetBattler, who formed Colonel's Anti-Nebula Corps. Baryl operates Colonel and is always doing his duty before emotion. Baryl's history before Battle Network 5 is unknown.
 * Colonel: Colonel is the first Navi fought. In battle on MegaMan's side, his charged attack is Screen Divide, a V slash with the point facing them. The attack automatically adjusts range, but the character will need to be on the same row as the enemy for it to do so; otherwise, the attack hits three panels ahead. His special chip is C-Cannon, which is a tank cannon that doesn't break panels. His liberation special command liberates three panels next to each other like a Wide Sword.


 * Princess Pride: Pride operates KnightMan and is harvesting MagnoMetal when Lan first meets her. Pride wishes Lan no harm, but KnightMan is driven crazy by the MagnoMetal she obtained.
 * KnightMan: KnightMan first joins the player's side after he is saved from the effects of MagnoMetal, which drove him insane, making it necessary to fight him to return him to normal. While controlling him, his Charged Buster is his Royal Wrecking Ball. His special chip is Kingdom Crusher, which fires his mace down the row he's on. He does not take any damage outside of battle, and will protect anyone in the same square as him.


 * Dusk: Dark is the operator of ShadowMan. Dark joins at the request of Baryl and is a mercenary for hire. Dark wishes to test Lan vigorously before agreeing to Baryl's request. These tests include a search, a game of tag and a battle.
 * ShadowMan: ShadowMan joins the player's side after he tests MegaMan in speed and agility. While playing as him, ShadowMan's Charged Buster is similar to AntiDmg, where he jumps in the air and throws a shuriken at the nearest virus. He is not affected by panels, and his special chip is Split-Up, where ShadowMan makes a clone that uses Long Sword on a virus. His out-of-battle ability is Sneak Attack, which does damage to an enemy two panels away, from a normal panel.


 * Dingo: Dingo is descended from natives of the land, and is the operator of TomahawkMan. Dingo steals the Booster System, and was going to destroy it, when Lan convinces him that he needs it for the good of Electopia.
 * TomahawkMan: TomahawkMan joins the player's side after MegaMan proves himself. While controlling him, he can't flinch, so charging his buster isn't a problem, and his charge is his Tomahawk Air Raid. His special chip is Tomahawk Swing, which does a 3x2 range swing. His special chip ability is also used out of battle, and can liberate a 3x2 area.


 * Higsby: Higsby is the owner of the most successful chip shop in Electopia. NumberMan is Higsby's NetNavi, and he begs to join Team Colonel so he can prove he is a "man".
 * NumberMan: NumberMan begs Baryl to join Team Colonel, and is only helpful for opening complicated doors. While playing as him, he can check a 3x2 area ahead of him, and collect items and remove traps without engaging in battle. In battle, his Charge Shot is Dice Bomb, and his special chip is Number Trap.


 * Ribitta: Ribbita is a news reporter, and tries to convince Lan to let her join Team Colonel, with a battle being the only way Lan succumbs to her pleading.
 * ToadMan: ToadMan is unconditionally joined to the player's team after he constantly asks. He is needed to open the flaming purple doors in the Undernet. While playing as him, his Charge Shot allows him to dive in and attack the nearest enemy, and his special chip is his Homing Note attack. He possesses a powerful ability, allowing him to sing to a Navi, making it able to liberate five panels in a straight line.

Team ProtoMan

 * Chaud: ProtoMan's NetOp and a rival of MegaMan and Lan. He is rather arrogant, which leaves him with very few friends. He is the sole heir of BlazeQuest Games, and the business rival of Ayano Tech games, so naturally he picks on Yai. He forms Team ProtoMan in the version of the game with same name.
 * ProtoMan: The somewhat arrogant Navi of Chaud's. ProtoMan is quick, powerful, and skilled with swords. He leads the Team ProtoMan liberation team. His Charge Shot is Wide Sword, and his special chip is Step Sword. Outside of battle, he can liberate three adjacent panels in a fashion similar to Wide Sword.


 * Tesla Magnus: The daughter of Gauss Magnus, former Gospel member. She harvests MagnoMetal in her job, and tends to get frustrated easily.
 * MagnetMan: A former Gospel NetNavi. Inherited by Tesla, he always obeys her orders, despite reluctantly doing so at times. His Order Point ability allows him to generate a barrier that will protect all teammates from damage outside battle. In battle, his Charge Shot is Mag Missile, and his special chip is NS Tackle.


 * Charlie Airstar: A mischievous and flirtatious helicopter pilot, and is enlisted on Chaud's request. He wishes to test MegaMan before he joins the team, though the test is more like a game of tag.
 * GyroMan: Charlie's NetNavi, able to fly over Dark Clouds and destroy the Dark Chips spawning them. Similarly, GyroMan can fly over Dark Panels, and liberate an empty one immediately without engaging in battle. In battle, he is unaffected by panels and can stand on holes, his Charge Shot is Gyro Cutter, and his special chip is Gyro Air Raid.


 * Fyrefox: A brash NetBattler hired to entertain the guests on the ship. He has a love of fireworks, and steals the Booster system to achieve his dream of making the greatest fireworks display. He joins the team to make up for what he did.
 * NapalmMan: Fyrefox's NetNavi. His Order Point ability allows him to liberate an extended cross-shaped area. He possesses a rapid-fire Buster in battle (he has no Charge Shot), and his special chip is Napalm Bomb, which lobs a bomb four squares ahead.


 * Raika: Raika returns from Battle Network 4 Red Sun, enlisted by Chaud so that he can lend his professional skills to the team. However, his "lone wolf" personality results in him preferring to take care of things by himself instead of as a team.
 * SearchMan: Raika's NetNavi. His Order Point ability allows him to scan down an entire row, liberating panels with items in them, and destroying traps. In battle, his Charge Shot is his invis-piercing Scope Gun, and his special chip is Satellite.


 * Jasmine: Initially searching for a cure for her sick grandfather, and ends up heading for the Undernet to get the cure. However, she accidentally causes ProtoMan to become a Darkloid, and convinces Lan to let her to join the team after some persuading.
 * Meddy: Jasmine's NetNavi, able to open the flaming purple doors that obstruct the team's path. In battle, Meddy's Charge Shot is Capsule Bomb, and her Special Chip is Meddy Capsule. Her Order Point ability is Twin Liberate, where she and another Navi can liberate a full line of panels between each other.

Others

 * Mayl Sakurai is Roll's NetOp and she's hip, smart as a whip, and full of life. Just like her Navi, Roll, she is all fun and games until it comes to NetBattling. Unfortunately, Roll is kidnapped during the start of the story.


 * Yai Ayanokoji is Glyde's NetOp and is a pint sized prodigy, with one heck of an attitude. Like Roll, Glyde is also kidnapped.


 * Dex Oyama is GutsMan's NetOp, and kind of a bully in the gang. GutsMan was also kidnapped at the start of the story.


 * GridMan is Mr. Famous' experimental Navi. Famous challenges Lan to Netbattle GridMan as he tries to get in sync with the Navi.


 * LarkMan is an autonomous Navi located in the Undernet. He sees himself as "free", and is willing to spar with anyone who can find him.


 * Bass is a Navi fought after the main plot is completed. He is confronted as the "Lord of Chaos", and afterward can be challenged in a random encounter for the Bass icon.

Nebula

 * Dr. Regal: The mastermind of the whole operation, Regal is in charge of creating Dark Chips, which corrupt a Navi's soul into evil.


 * Lackey: Lackeys only have ordinary HeelNavis, which can only attack with viruses. Their traditional garb is a single-tube gas mask uniform which needs a key to take off.

Bosses
Main bosses:
 * Colonel/ProtoMan
 * BlizzardMan
 * KnightMan/MagnetMan
 * ShadeMan
 * ShadowMan/GyroMan
 * CloudMan
 * TomahawkMan/NapalmMan
 * Dark MegaMan
 * NumberMan/SearchMan
 * CosmoMan
 * ToadMan/Meddy
 * DarkColonel/DarkProtoMan
 * Nebula Gray

Optional bosses:
 * GridMan
 * LarkMan
 * Bass

Liberation Mission
The largest change in Battle Network 5 would be the Liberation Missions, which blends the traditional battle system of the series with turn-based strategy elements. Players have a set number of turns where they must attempt to complete the Liberation Mission if they wish to get one of its better rewards. This is also the opportunity where players can control different Navis other than MegaMan, and do battle using these Navis.

Dark Chip
Dark Chips now have a library of their own - and can be inserted into the folder, complete with their own element and code. They are restricted to three per folder, and can be used to activate the new transformation - Chaos Unisons. They allow for characters to use the sacrificed Dark Chip as their charged shot without its side effects, at the risk of having to time it properly, lest they face bringing out Dark MegaMan if it backfires.

Boss Navis can now yield Dark Soul versions of their normal chips, and can be obtained if the player S-ranks the bosses Beta version, or score a rank of 8-10 for its Omega version.

Soul Unison
Soul Unisons also have undergone some changes. They can now be unlocked after finishing a Liberation Mission that focuses on that Navi. Their charged attacks are now Buster-dependent, and Navi Customizer parts have been introduced to allow their duration to be extended.

Double Team DS Extras
Mega Man Battle Network 5 Double Team DS is a collection of Team Colonel and Team ProtoMan packaged into one Nintendo DS game (though the games are still separate, so all elements from one game are separated from the other), with a few new features, including the new "Pinch" Emotional State. In this state, the Emotion Window would turn pink and the player would yell something into the microphone. If they succeeded, MegaMan would gain some randomly selected combination of two bonuses from instant Full Synchro, HP recovery or a barrier. This game features also:


 * Bass Cross: Gained by putting the Game Boy Advance games Team ProtoMan or Team Colonel with the Bass icon obtained inside the DS's GBA slot.


 * Sol Cross: Gained by putting Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django (or Boktai 3 in the Japanese version) in the GBA slot.


 * Party Battle System: In the non-critical parts of the plot, one can select two Navis on Lan's HP and one can use them in battles.


 * Transport Chip: A "Transport Chip", or TP Chip for short, can be used in Liberation battles. Basically it switches a Navi with a corresponding one in the other version (e.g. ProtoMan → Colonel). Up to three Navis can be switched with their counterparts at any one time during a Liberation Mission.


 * Remixed Battle Music: If one has a Battle Network 1, 2, 3, 4 or 4.5 game in the GBA slot, the game plays remixed battle music of that title. In fact, even with no Game Boy game in, all the music is re-arranged.


 * Additional Bonuses: Depending on what is inserted into the GBA slot, the player also gains other bonuses ranging from merchant discounts to information on Program Advances to a bonus sidequest that yields a large amount of Zenny.


 * Voice acting for several lines and for different characters, as well as additional sound effects.
 * The animation was very polished giving smooth movements on characters and cameras.
 * Lan, Mega Man and a few number of other characters (such as Dr. Hikari) in particular have extra dialogue portraits.

Small Plot Changes Between Versions

 * When asking Higsby to use the back of his shop as a base, in Team Colonel, Higsby himself after joining offers it himself, while he acts a bit more reluctant to Chaud's request in Team ProtoMan.
 * After MegaMan is captured by Nebula, Chaud/Baryl will call Lan to SciLab's harbor where Lan is asked to take a new Navi to continue on the next mission. Lan refuses and cannot believe that his leader is suggesting replacing MegaMan.
 * In Team Colonel, Baryl slaps Lan telling him to get to his senses to realize that taking this Navi is the only way to save MegaMan.
 * However, in Team ProtoMan, Lan's rage at Chaud causes him to slap/punch Chaud across the face and realizes on his own that saving MegaMan means taking the new Navi from Chaud.

Misspellings/Grammatical Errors
Many textual errors exist in the games' dialogue.
 * On numerous occasions, a character says lines that were intended for someone else, which is also present in other installments in the series. These are likely translations errors.
 * When Lan meets Mr. Famous at Oran Island's mine, he says "What am I, Mr. Famous, doing around here?"
 * When Lan meets Mayl in front of the Metroline Station, Lan asks "What am I doing here?"
 * When Lan tries to enter the End City castle and is stopped by the guard, the guard says "Sorry, but you can't come in now". Lan replies "Why, you ask?" (which makes no sense).


 * When Lan is asked to join team Colonel or team ProtoMan as the only way to save his father, Baryl or Chaud says that joining is "the only way to save me". He should've said "him", to refer to Lan's father.


 * When Nebula attempts to recapture Oran Area 3, if Lan talks to Mayl she will say "If you go on the net, be "Areful Lan". "Areful" is Careful without the "C".


 * When cornering ShadowMan in Scilab 2, Lan will yell "MegaMan, is coming!" before engaging in battle. It should read "MegaMan, he's coming!".


 * When Team Colonel arrives at Nebula HQ, Lan will ask Well, Beryl?.


 * The common syntax error of putting the word "will" after "if" was done on many occasions.
 * One line in the DS version is fully untranslated, and is still in kanji.

Trivia

 * A promotional version of the Team Colonel version, named Rockman.EXE 5: Team of Colonel: Gekijō Kōkai Edition (ロックマンエグゼ5 チームオブカーネル 劇場公開エディション), was sold on Japanese theather featuring Rockman.EXE: Hikari to Yami no Program. Besides the game, it also included a Forte Cross Rockman e-Reader card.
 * Intense hacking reveals an incomplete Chaos Unison tutorial, but it was scrapped and put in the instruction manual instead.
 * It is interesting to note the first Navis to join in both versions were related to the Gospel Organization from Mega Man Battle Network 2, except that MagnetMan.EXE was operated by Tesla Magnus, Gauss Magnus' daughter.
 * Other than Gospel, the teams also have a combined amount of 4 Navis who had ties with WWW (one in Team Protoman-Napalmman, and three in Team Colonel-Baryl and Colonel, Dusk and Shadowman, and Higsby and Numberman).
 * This is the only game in the series to allow four viruses in a battle.
 * In total, three NetNavis that were related to Gospel join Lan's team (one in Team ProtoMan and two in Team Colonel).
 * Battle Network 5 is the first non-spin off game to have the most playable characters in the Mega Man franchise, having eight playable characters in each version and fourteen counting both versions, including Lan.
 * This is the only Battle Network game that does not have Mr. Match in it.
 * Like Battle Network 3, one version of this game came out first; the other version came out a year later with more content.
 * It is likely that the Team ProtoMan version of the game is the one to take place after Red Sun due to Lan and MegaMan fully recognizing Raika and SearchMan.EXE. However, there was no interaction with Raika's reunion with Lan. At least it established it's own timeline differentiating from Team Colonel to the point it will have a proper sequel establishing an alternate universe in a different timeline. It shares in common with the original 3/White as both are versions released before the alternative enhanced came out.
 * he Team Colonel version may come from Red Sun and Blue Moon, but is confirmed to lead to both Gregar and Falzar version of Battle Network 6, due to Baryl's time spent with Lan and capturing Regal with Wily appearing in the ending. Another strong evidence is due to the mentioning of Dusk's relationship with Dark Scythe in Gregar and Dingo reappearing in Falzar. It most likely took place after 3 Black/Blue being alternative versions with upgraded features.
 * This game and Battle Network 6 do not have any GutsMan Navi chip.
 * Through hacking in the Game Boy Advance Versions of Team Protoman and Team Colonel, it is possible to find the chips of Chaos Lord and Leader's Raid, both of which are DS exclusive secret chips.