Count Zap (anime)

Count Zap, known as Count Elec (エレキ伯爵) in Japan, real name Jack Electel (ジャック・エレキテル), is a character in the MegaMan NT Warrior anime series, and the operator of ElecMan.EXE. He is a member of World Three who is originally an enemy of Lan Hikari and MegaMan.EXE, however over the course of the series he and his fellow World Three members Mr. Match, Maddy, and Yahoot become friends and allies of their former enemy, and team up with him on several occasions to stop other evil organizations or handle personal matters.

Count Zap has had several family members appear in the anime series, including his mother, his older brother Gauss Magnus, his niece, Tesla Magnets, and his wife, Ann Electel, making Count Zap the character with the most family members shown in the series.

Overview
Like his video game counterpart, Count Zap caused chaos in society as an agent of the World Three, but eventually begins to move away from a life of crime. Unlike his game counterpart however, he doesn't do so at the urging of his wife, but as a friend of Lan along with his fellow World Three members. In the anime, Jack and Ann are portrayed as much younger than their video game counterparts. The fact that Gauss is Count Zap's brother is made more apparent in the anime than in the video games. In Mega Man Battle Network 2, Gauss did mention that his brother, Jack, was adopted by a rich family and that he is jealous of him, but it is not made explicit that "Jack" is the same person as Count Zap. In the quiz question "What's the name of MagnetMan's operator Gauss's brother?" asked by QuizKing late in the game, the answer is mistranslated as "Jack Electricity", furthering the connection.

Count Zap is an energetic and eccentric man who loves to be shocked by electricity, hinting at a bit of masochism, and has a love for anarchy and chaos. Coming from a wealthy family from Kingland, Jack feels he is the black sheep of the Zap family and that his mother always favored his brother, Gauss, of who he holds a mutual grudge against, over him, though it is shown that this is not the case. He gives up easily, and falls into a bout of depression after the fall of the World Three and his defeat at Lan’s hands, though this is remedied later after Yahoot opens up #1 Curry. Despite crashing her arranged wedding and stealing her away, Jack has a strained relationship with his estranged wife Ann, and ran away from her upon finding out she is a frivolous money spender who spent most of his retirement money, and seems to fear her, though he stands up to her when confronted by her later. Though the two are not seen interacting much, his niece, Tesla, stated she adores her uncle more than Gauss, her father.

He likes to rock, and is often seen with his family heirloom: an electric guitar, which he plays often.

In the original Japanese version of the anime, Count Zap has a speech quirk where he uses English phrases in place of Japanese, notably "It's amazing!" and "Oh my God!". In the English anime, Jack speaks with a British accent.

Past
At some point before the series, a young Jack met Ann Electel and instantly fell in love with her because of her natural ability to manipulate electricity. Ann's parents had an arranged marriage for her, but Jack came and stole her away during the wedding, and the two married each other, though this love would turn sour as Ann turned out to be a heavy money spender, spending much of Jack's money and retirement for lavish things such as a "seven year trip around the world seven and a half times". It is implied he joined the World Three while he was still with Ann.

MegaMan NT Warrior
Count Zap is to crash a train in the second episode of the series. He orders ElecMan to disable electronic devices around the city and conduct electricity, making his light bulbs flash. One device includes an electric dog that steals Ms. Mari's purse. After the train is hijacked, he plays the guitar so loudly he's thrown across the room. However, Lan Hikari is on the same train, and he and MegaMan face off against them. Count Zap is ordered by Wily to delete MegaMan, but when ElecMan loses, his equipment explodes.

He, along with Maddy (Ms. Madd) and Mr. Match, participate in a scheme to take control of the robotic fish at an aquarium and subsequently watch MegaMan foil it.

He reappears a few episodes later, committing a string of thefts by using ElecMan to destroy security systems with electricity. His victims have progressively higher security levels and culminates in an attempt to steal the game, Maximum Valor, the day before its release in order to steal the "smiles of children". He flies into Yai Ayano's estate on a balloon and jacks in ElecMan onto an electronic fly. ElecMan bypasses all the security and downloads the data to Count Zap's PET. MegaMan battles ElecMan, but Count Zap uses Lightning to repair any damage that ElecMan sustains. All seems lost, but WoodMan intervenes by blocking the electricity and allowing MegaMan to defeat ElecMan. Count Zap finishes downloading the game data and is about to fly away when Black Rose (Sal) throws roses at him that shred his suit. He immediately covers himself, dropping his PET at the same time. Count Zap flies away in defeat.

When the WWW entered the N1 Grand Prix, he managed to make it to the second round, but was defeated by Chaud and ProtoMan using a Program Advance. Count Zap later attempts to mind control Roll using a devil Battle Chip called "Super Great White Angel", but his and the rest of the WWW plans fail and he ends up losing. When Lord Wily goes missing after his attempt to capture PharoahMan, he and the other WWW members work at a curry shop opened by Yahoot.

After the collapse of WWW, he wanders the world and ends up at his mother's house. He begins to hallucinate once inside and encounters his mother, who has been dead for ten years. Basically, the entire experience was produced from his mind and past experiences of what his mother would do and say. While engaged in the electric cage deathmatch against Lan Hikari and MegaMan, his mother still supports him in the battle and punishes him when he loses again. Oddly enough, his mother's voice could be heard throughout the battle by MegaMan.

It is revealed that his brother is Gauss Magnus and they actively hate each other. When the WWW goes to retrieve a Battle Chip with Wily's data imprinted on it, he agrees to become an officer at Grave and takes the chip, but only to spare his friends. Then, he challenges Gauss to a NetBattle for it and the blimp they are on crashes (because of the netbattle) and the chip is lost in the sea, with them arguing with each other on a glacier. Later, while infiltrating the old WWW hideout, he orders ElecMan to hold down MagnetMan while MegaMan used a Program Advance on him, ElecMan is deleted doing so.

He appears in episode 2.

He appears in episode 5.

He appears in episode 7.

He appears in episode 10.

He appears in episode 11.

He appears in episode 13.

He appears in episode 30, where he is the central character. He meets with his mother, seemingly back from the dead.

MegaMan NT Warrior Axess
He appears briefly in episode 9, where he and the other WWW members "train" Dex and GutsMan to take on Lan and MegaMan, however this was a ruse to get him out of their hair. Dex returns at the end of the episode, much to the frustration of him and the others.

He appears in episode 15.

Rockman.EXE Stream
He appears in episode 39.

He appears in episode 44.

He appears in episode 46.

He appears in the final episode.

Rockman.EXE Beast+
He appears in episode 11.

He appears in episode 12.

Trivia

 * In the anime, Count Zap and Ann are portrayed as younger than their video game counterparts.
 * The fact that Gauss is Count Zap's brother is made more apparent in the anime than in the video games. In Mega Man Battle Network 2, Gauss did mention that his brother, Jack, was adopted by a rich family and that he is jealous of him, but it is not made explicit that "Jack" is the same as Count Zap. In the quiz question "What's the name of MagnetMan's operator Gauss's brother?" asked by QuizKing late in the game, the answer is mistranslated as "Jack Electricity".