Dark Man

Dark Man (ダークマン) is the name of four Robot Masters created by Dr. Wily in Mega Man 5, one of which was created to frame Proto Man for various crimes by using a disguise. They appear in Proto Man's Castle, each occupying their own individual stage. All four also have cameo appearances in Mega Man 10's first Wily Castle stage.

[[File:Mm5dark1sprite.png]] Dark Man 1
Dark Man 1 is the first Dark Man who has tank-like treads instead of legs. He shoots at and tries to run over Mega Man.

Strategy
His pattern is simple, but eventually gets hard to avoid. He advances, stops to shoot, advances again then stops and repeats the pattern over and over. Every time he is hit, he stops to shoot. However, his speed increases as he receives damage. The best way for the player to attack him is to attack from afar if Mega Man is far enough away from Dark Man, then when he gets near, jump over him, slide to the side he comes, shoot him and jump so he shoots upwards, missing Mega Man, then repeating the steps as much times as needed to defeat Dark Man 1.

His weakness is Water Wave, which negates his shots, but if the player runs out of it, charged Mega Buster shots are also a viable option. Beat is also his weakness, but it is more recommended to save him for the battle with Dark Man 4. Any of his weaknesses will shatter him like glass in ten hits.

Another good strategy for Dark Man is for the player to use Charge Kick, which lets the player slip underneath his projectiles. While not a weakness, it is very difficult for Dark Man 1 to hurt the player while using the attack and, with full power, Mega Man can defeat him without taking any damage.

[[File:Mm5dark2sprite.png]] Dark Man 2
Dark Man 2 is the second Dark Man who can create electromagnetic barriers around himself. He is the only Dark Man without an arm cannon and the only one that appeared in the Mega Man animated series.

Strategy
Dark Man 2 uses two electromagnetic barriers to protect himself and walks towards Mega Man. His speed increases as he receives damage, like Dark Man 1. The player has to jump above him to avoid him, and must attack when an opening presents itself (just watch the movement of the barriers and you'll know what the opening looks like).

Dark Man 2's weakness is Crystal Eye as it can go through his barriers, but it should be used on a wall to increase the chances of more projectiles hitting him. Crystal Eye only deals two units of damage per hit, so using it on a wall can increase the damage per use. It takes him out, if all of the projectiles hit, in seven shots at the absolute minimum. Charged shots from the Mega Buster also deal good damage, although the player will need to time the attack to actually hit Dark Man 2 and not the barriers. Napalm Bomb is also a good weapon against him, since the bombs deal just as much damage as Crystal Eye, and they travel on the ground until they hit a wall, and are certain to hit him if done correctly. He is also weak to Beat, but like with Dark Man 1, it is recommended to keep him for battling Dark Man 4.

[[File:Mm5dark3sprite.png]] Dark Man 3
Dark Man 3 is the third Dark Man. He can paralyze enemies with a ring shaped shot from his chest. His shots can be fired at any angle. His right arm shoots rapid-firing plasma projectiles.

Strategy
Dark Man 3's strategy is almost similar to Toad Man's. He jumps and shoots five plasma shots and like the two previous Dark Men, his speed increases as he receives damage. Dark Man 3 will also fire three ring beams to paralyze Mega Man, so that he can easily hit him. He can be easily beaten by standing close enough to him, jumping at the right moment so the beams are fired below Mega Man, missing him. Attacking Dark Man 3 shortly after a beam is fired will ensure an easy victory.

Like the previous Dark Men, Beat is effective against him (you should know that by now). Gyro Attack is another smart choice, as it can hit him while he is airborne and after he has landed; the player just has to make sure to press the UP button while firing. The downside is that it deals 1 unit less damage than Beat and a charged Mega Buster shot, and it is recommended to keep Beat for the next battle, so it is better to wipe him out with a charged Mega Buster.

A lesser known method of fighting him is to use Charge Kick and to run into the paralyzing rings with it. If hit, Mega Man is frozen in place, invincible, and he is the source of touch damage to Dark Man 3, and there is a glitch with Dark Man 3's attack pattern so he misaims above the player while they are frozen on the ground (though this is largely moot because Dark Man's shots happen to be an attack that Charge Kick protects Mega Man from during use). After the appropriate amount of time, the player again has the privilege to move. However, Charge Kick only inflicts minor damage, so this is an optional method of fighting him. If timed correctly Dark Man 3 will take 2 hits and the player will slide away from him before taking contact damage.

A more effective strategy is to use Gyro Attack and switch to Charge Kick before sliding into the freezing rings, as this will prevent Mega Man from being harmed while frozen and deal more damage than the latter strategy alone.

[[File:Darksprite.png]] Dark Man 4
Dark Man 4 is the fourth and final Dark Man who impersonated Proto Man to frame him for Dr. Wily. His fake Proto Man disguise doesn't have a scarf (as he lost it when he kidnapped Dr. Light), and his whistle is low and flat compared to Proto Man's. His buster shots are also larger than Proto Man's, but travel at a slower pace.

When Mega Man reaches Dark Man 4, he won't want to fight against him (due to the fact that Mega Man thinks he is the real Proto Man). Dark Man 4 uses this to his advantage and will fire one shot at Mega Man, severely damaging him and leaving him with one point of health left. Dark Man 4 slowly closes in on Mega Man after this, but before the final shot is fired, the real Proto Man appears and blasts away Dark Man 4's disguise. Before leaving, Proto Man gives Mega Man an L Tank, fully restoring his health before the battle begins.

Strategy
His attacks appear to be a combination of the previous three Dark Men. He uses an electromagnetic barrier around himself (like Dark Man 2), but it's launched to the sides of the screen when he jumps (like Dark Man 3), and returns to him after landing. He also uses a buster (like Dark Man 1) that launches several waves of three shots at a time. However, unlike the others, his speed does not increase as he takes damage.

If the player saved energy for Beat, it's time to use him. Beat can hit Dark Man 4 wherever he is, saving time and energy. If not, use charged shots. Star Crash and Power Stone deal more damage than other weapons, but it can be difficult to hit him with them, as the player can easily miss.

Defeating the final Dark Man causes the screen to go black, and Dr. Wily will appear, saying that he didn't expect Mega Man to defeat the Dark Men. He had managed to frame Proto Man for his crimes, but the real one had appeared and spoiled his plans. Dr. Wily then reveals that Dr. Light is being held captive in his lab and dares Mega Man to come rescue him.

[[File:JunkedDarkMan.png]] Mega Man 10
Each of the four Dark Man robots appears in Mega Man 10's first Wily Castle stage, specifically in the paths between the first and second Weapons Archive, but only their heads are visible. Two can be seen during the spike drop, one occupies another wall, and the other can be found in the floor. As this area of the stage is filled with piles of scrap metal, it can be assumed that all four Dark Man robots were scrapped by Dr. Wily at some point after Mega Man 5.

Other appearances

 * Dark Man 1 appeared in Battle Memory from Rockman Xover.
 * Dark Man 1 has a cameo appearance in Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, specifically in the stage Dr. Wily's Military Base. He has hands in this appearance, and carries a damaged sandbag. He moves back and forth with the bag in his hands in the left corner of the stage. He is absent in the PlayStation version of the game.
 * Dark Man 4 appears as a collectible Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Mega Man (Ruby-Spears)
Dark Man 2 (referred only as Dark Man) appeared in the episodes The Day the Moon Fell and Brain Bot. In the animated series his electromagnetic barriers are replaced with an unnamed net-like energy weapon that works the same way, deflecting all incoming buster shots. However this makes it harder for him to use it offensively. To compensate, he uses his net to trap Mega Man when the opportunity presents itself. Mega Man is able to obtain his Special Weapon, unlike in the original game.

Though they were never in the actual show, Dark Man 1, 3, and 4 appeared in the tape of the Mega Man cartoon promotional pitch.

Mega Man: Upon a Star
The four Dark Man robots have a brief appearance in the first episode, Appearance in Japan.

Mega Man Megamix
The four Dark Man type robots are based on the same design that were in charge of defending Dr. Wily's fortress during his fifth attempt at world domination.

Dark Man 1 is a tank variation. Due to his low center of gravity, he gains greater stability while firing his two busters. The continuous tracks that serve as his feet allow Dark Man 1 to move quickly and turn on a dime. He diverts energy from his electromagnetic shield to power himself.

Dark Man 2 is the standard variation. He isn't equipped with any weapons, but has two separate electromagnetic shields that he can use. These electromagnetic shields allow him to swap features with other Dark Man robots, such as Dark Man 1's continuous tracks and Dark Man 3's Spark Shot. Dark Man 2's internal temperature constantly rises while his barriers are active, so his feet are designed to release the excess heat as needed.

Dark Man 3 is a sniper variation. His entire right arm is a large buster that is capable of repeatedly firing high-velocity projectiles. He is also equipped with a Spark Shot weapon located in his chest, which is capable of stopping his opponent's movements for a short period of time. To improve Dark Man 3's agility in combat, his feet were specially designed to allow him to jump much higher than would normally be possible.

Dark Man 4 acts as the leader of the other Dark Man robots, and was developed using the best features of the other three. His buster and electromagnetic shield are smaller, more efficient versions of those used by the other Dark Man robots. His body is made of a special alloy that allows him to not only transform into the shape of other Dark Man robots, but to also displace certain parts of his body to alter his overall form. This ability appears to have limitations, as his feet remain pointed and he is unable to change his expression when he is disguised as Proto Man.

In “Warrior’s Day Off,” Dark Man 1 and 2 first appear robbing a bank, but are stopped by Proto Man. Dark Man 4 also appears in one panel as a newspaper solicitor that promoted the park for Roll. In “Power Battle,” while running a shop, Dark Man 4 meets Roll, Auto, and Rush. When Roll recognizes him only as the newspaper guy, he calls the other Dark Man robots to kidnap them to present as hostages to Wily, in exchange for greater rank. When they corner the three, Bass intervenes calling them cowards for ganging up on Roll, easily beating the four Dark Man robots.

In the Mega Man Gigamix story “Burning Wheel,” Dark Man 4, under the disguise of Proto Man, enters the Battle & Chase race in order to pay off his huge debt with the prize money.

Rockman 5 (manga)
Like in Mega Man 5, Dark Man 4 pretends to be Proto Man, and, along with the other three Dark Man robots, is fought by Mega Man in Proto Man's fortress.

Archie Comics
All four Dark Man models are seen briefly in Issue 55, with Dr. Light seeing them in a vision of the near future.

Trivia

 * Since Dark Man 4 and Zero are both inspired from Protoman (with Dark Man 4 being built to impersonate Protoman), it might be possible that Zero is a Dark Man 5.
 * The Dark Man robots' name may be a nod to the movie hero "Darkman" from Universal Pictures (who would later produce the live action Street Fighter film) starring Liam Neeson, who, with his synthetic skin, can disguise himself as his enemies. Darkman had to apply his artificial skin on himself due to severe burns when his enemies attacked him. The main flaw is it disintegrates when exposed to 99 minutes of sunlight.
 * The Dark Man robots' designs appear to be an homage to the Hakaider Squad. Whereas the Hakaiders had a human brain inside their transparent domes, the Dark Men emulate the look with a visible, red computer. And while the four Hakaiders literally combined into a gestalt form, Dark Man 4 fights with a combination of the other 3's abilities.
 * Dark Man is the only Robot Master without a serial number to appear in the 1994 Mega Man Cartoon.
 * If Zero is a Dark Man robot, however, it might mean that their serial number is DWN-∞ (Doctor Wily Number Infinite), and that does not apply anymore.