Shadow Man

"You can only escape death once. This is your final burial!"

- Shadow Man

Shadow Man (シャドーマン) is a stealthy and powerful ninja-themed Robot Master that first appeared in Mega Man 3. Little is known about this mysterious robot, who is rumored of being a deactivated robot created by an extraterrestrial civilization and discovered by Dr. Wily, who remodeled and reprogrammed him. The metal body of Shadow Man does not match any material found on Earth.

Shadow Man, being a ninja, has amazing flexibility, but has been known to be rather impulsive and has a shallow way of thinking. Shadow Man loves sneaking up on others by using his ninja abilities and has come to dislike obvious and boring tricks.

Shadow Man's Special Weapon is the Shadow Blade, a large hira shuriken coated with a deadly substance that seems to not be from Earth, capable of deranging the function of mechanisms.

He is also a skilled martial artist and a master of ninjutsu magic- his abilities include being able to temporarily create duplicates of himself to distract or attack his foes, create smoke screens, and summon frog robots of varying sizes- including a giant frog robot to ride on or smaller ones to check areas for him. Shadow Man can also use the Kawarimi no Jutsu, a ninja technique that replaces the body of the user with an object, usually a piece of log, as defense in Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters and Super Adventure Rockman, as well as when he loses a race in Mega Man: Battle & Chase.

Mega Man 3
Shadow Man is one of the eight stage bosses. He attacks by jumping, throwing Shadow Blades, and sliding. He is weak to Top Man's Top Spin.

Mega Man III
Shadow Man is one of the first four bosses available. His attacks are the same from Mega Man 3. He is weak to Gemini Man's Gemini Laser.

Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters
Shadow Man is one of the six bosses from the "Search for Wily!" course. Like Mega Man 3, he attacks with Shadow Blades and slides, but he can also use makibishis and summon a giant frog (possibly a modified Croaker) when he loses half of his energy (depending of the difficulty and the order the bosses are defeated, having a higher chance to do it the later he is fought). The frog attacks with its tongue, a flamethrower in the mouth (Shadow Man says "Katon no Jutsu" before this attack), and can spit Kerones. Shadow Man is weak to Centaur Arrow.

Mega Man: Battle & Chase
Shadow Man is a playable character that uses a frog-shaped car called the Shinobi Master that can use the Shadow Blade to slow down opponents and release smoke screens. As he loves to surprise people, he entered in the Battle & Chase competition to use the prize money in the creation of a ninja house full of tricks. In his ending, he creates the ninja house and challenges people to enter it, saying he will give one million zenny to anyone who manages to reach the top. He wears a big red scarf in his ending.

Losing quotes:
 * You are a worthy opponent.
 * I blew it.

Rockboard
In Wily & Right's RockBoard: That's Paradise, Shadow Man is one of the three robots the player is transformed into when they land on the "Transformation" panel or are affected by Kalinka's rare ability. While transformed, the player can't use cards and money, but they can take one card from the owner of buildings they stops on.

Super Adventure Rockman
Shadow Man and the other fifteen Robot Masters from Mega Man 2 and Mega Man 3 were revived by Ra Moon in the Lanfront Ruins; Shadow Man appearing as the last boss of Episode 1. In battle, Shadow Man creates copies of himself and Mega Man must hit the real one. He attacks with Shadow Blades. If the player loses to him, Shadow Man will use an arm cannon to destroy Mega Man, and there will be no choice given to continue.

When Shadow Man appears, he tries to kill Mega Man, but Quick Man gets in the way of his Shadow Blade to protect him. Enraged by Quick Man's death at his hands, Mega Man attacks Shadow Man with full power, completely destroying him. Wood Man overhears the battle and tries to repair Shadow Man afterwards, but the damage proves to be irreparable. This in turn infuriates Wood Man to the point of attacking Mega Man himself at the beginning of Episode 2, in an attempt to avenge his friend.

Due to being completely destroyed, he is the only Robot Master who is not revived by Ra Moon towards the end of Episode 3.

Rockman ×over
Shadow Man appears as a boss in the 25th Anniversary Special World of Rockman ×over, and also in Battle Memory. From July 19 to July 29, 2013, a special event has as boss an upgraded Shadow Man with electric attributes that went out of control.

Other appearances

 * Shadow Man is a boss in the Mega Man 3 handheld by Tiger Electronics.
 * Several Shadow Men can be seen inside the cars in Blues Field and Needle Field from Mega Man's Soccer.
 * Shadow Man is a playable character in the game Rockman Tennis.
 * Shadow Man is an enemy in the arcade game Adventure Quiz: Capcom World 2.
 * Shadow Man is one of the five bosses present in the first version of Panic Shot! Rockman.

Rockman Complete Works data
このロボットにかんするデータがほとんどなく、なぞのおおいロボットである. すべての攻撃はジャンプでかわそう.

Translation: Concerning this robot's data, there is without a doubt, many mysteries. Jump to dodge all of his attacks.

Rockman Battle & Fighters data
せいかくなデータがほとんどしられていないなぞのロボット. ちきゅうがいぶんめいのつくりあげたロボットにワイリーがてをくわえたといわれている. とくしゅぶきは、シャドーブレードじゃ.

Translation: A mysterious robot with little known accurate data. It is said that Wily modified him from a robot created by an extraterrestrial civilization. Special Weapon is Shadow Blade.

Stage enemies
Enemies in Shadow Man's stage from Mega Man 3, an eldritch sewer filled with red mutagen:
 * Sub-boss: Proto Man
 * Bikky (Doc Robot stage)
 * Giant Springer (Doc Robot stage)
 * Hammer Joe (Doc Robot stage)
 * Hologran
 * Mechakkero
 * New Shotman
 * Parasyu
 * Peterchy
 * Pickelman Bull
 * Walking Bomb
 * Yambow

Enemies in Shadow Man's stage in the Game Boy Mega Man III:
 * Count Bomb
 * Hologran
 * Mechakkero
 * Parasyu
 * Pickelman Dada
 * Walking Bomb
 * Yambow

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

Mega Man (Ruby-Spears)
Shadow Man appeared in the episode The Day the Moon Fell. In the beginning he helps Proto Man, Cut Man, and Quick Man steal a helicopter to pick up Guts Man and Dark Man at a laboratory, and stays in Dr. Wily's Skull Fortress until Mega Man breaks in and takes the tachyon capacitor that was used by Wily to control the Moon. He and the other robots follow him to Dr. Light's lab, where Mega Man fools them with holographic copies and takes Dark Man's weapon, using it to capture the others and throw them into Wily's Skullker. They escape after this and the Moon is placed back into its orbit.

Captain N: The Game Master
Although Shadow Man didn't appear in Captain N: The Game Master, as Top Man was the last Robot Master defeated by Mega Man and the only seen, Mega Man uses the Shadow Blade in Wily's castle.

Mega Man (Archie Comics)
Shadow Man makes his first appearance in Archie Comics' series during the Spiritus Ex Machina arc, when Dr. Wily discover him in the Lanfront Ruins and he is repaired and redesigned by Wily and Ra Moon as Shadow Man.

Origin
In issue 42, it is revealed that over 20,000 years before he became Shadow Man he was part of an alien line of robots called Kuiper Droids that served Ra Moon and the Stardroids. When the Star Marshals attacked Ra Moon, Terra gave the Kuiper Droids orders to escort their master to safety, but they were all destroyed, except for Shadow Man, who manages to land on Earth with Ra Moon, but he goes offline. Shadow Man and Ra Moon's survival was enabled by the treachery of the Star Marshal known as Trio, who murdered his compatriot Quartet.

Becoming Shadow Man
Several centuries later, Wily, Heat Man, and Quick Man discovered him in the Lanfront Ruins. He is shortly repaired and redesigned as Shadow Man by Wily and Ra Moon. Surprised to be functioning again, he is recruited into Wily's growing army.

In Mega Man issue 30, he and Quick Man observe Mega Man, Rush, Guts Man, Bomb Man, and Cut Man forming a truce with Wood Man, Air Man, and Crash Man from the bushes. Quick Man is not sure about the validity of Mega Man's claim about the damage Ra Moon's EM field is doing, especially since he overhears Wood Man saying Wily would not go to such extremes. However, Shadow Man attacks immediately, piercing Quick Man with a kunai for his hesitation before dashing out from cover. He proves to be a formidable opponent, severing Crash Man's drills from his arms, knocking Wood Man down, nearly killing Mega Man (if not for Rush) with his first volley of Shadow Blades, and dodging counterattacks with superhuman speed and reflexes (even catching a Rolling Cutter and Metal Blade simultaneously). Shadow Man then proceeds to attack Mega Man, but Quick Man intervenes just in time, buying Mega Man enough time to copy the Crash Bomber from Crash Man's severed appendages. Shadow Man takes the opportunity to literally backstab Quick Man with his kunai, though even his ninja reflexes are too slow to dodge Mega Man's Crash Bomber. However, Shadow Man survived the blast, escaping into the jungle before he could be stopped.

He later participated in the fight between Ra Moon's forces and Mega Man/Dr. Wily's forces. He was paralyzed by Flash Man's Time Stopper, with Flash Man ordering for someone to finish Shadow Man off while he's still pinned down, and he is taken down with Hyper Bomb, Leaf Shield and Air Shooter. After Ra Moon is destroyed, he laments his master's death and escapes with a smoke bomb, swearing that they will pay for what they did.

Joining Dr. Wily
In issue 33, Shadow Man is seen running away from the rest of Wily's Robot Masters and Break Man. He is still loyal to Ra Moon, and when he sees Mega Man "desecrating" his master's grave in Mega Man #34, he tries to attack him, but is stopped by Break Man and the second generation of Wily Numbers. Appearing to have a Japanese warrior code, Shadow Man says that he failed his master and now has no purpose, and asks them to finish him. It turns out that they hunted Shadow Man down to get him to join Wily's side and to have a new purpose in life, which he decides to do.

Shadow Man and the other Robot Masters who served Ra Moon later appeared in issue 36 to steal the Energy Elements powering the giant robot Gamma as part of Wily's latest scheme. Dr. Light recognized the other Robot Masters as designs he and Wily had created together, so it is possible that Shadow Man's new design was likewise produced by the two doctors working in tandem. In issue 42, Mega Man faces Shadow Man in an asteroid. During his fight with Mega Man, he recalled his past, and declared he won't let his master down again. However, despite a harrowing fight, he ultimately was felled by Top Man's special weapon and Rush, with him realizing he'll die alone for real. Afterwards, Mega Man recovers the Energy Element that was with him, and later has him rebuilt by Dr. Light. A moody Shadow Man stood in a corner as his brothers were brought back online, his behavior earning him a look from Needle Man.

Worlds Collide
Shadow Man is mentioned in Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 249 of the Worlds Collide arc, where Doctors Eggman and Wily decided to send both Shadow Man and another Shadow Man (the latter being a Roboticized Master) to confront Sonic and Mega Man, after some initial confusion as to which one they should send. Shadow Man is then stunned by Mega Man with the Chaos Cannon ability after the latter ambushed and took out the roboticized Shadow Man, resulting in Shadow Man's restored identity, Shadow the Hedgehog, attacking the helpless Robot Master and smashing him to bits.

Shadow Man soon returned, however, time-cloned by Eggman and Wily as part of their massive Robot Master army. During the battle, he faced off with Espio the Chameleon, the pair apparently recognizing each other as fellow ninja.

Mega Man Megamix
In the manga, Mega Man Megamix by Hitoshi Ariga, Shadow Man first appeared in the story "Metal Heart" in Rockman Remix, and again later in "The Strongest Enemy to Date", and all stories from Mega Man Gigamix, including "Asteroid Blues" and "Burning Wheel". In the manga, Shadow Man uses the Shadow Blade and a sword, and can warp between shadows. His right eye has a sensor that can send data to Wily, though he usually keeps this eye closed. Sometimes he's seen with the Japanese symbol "kage" (影) on him, which means "shadow". Shadow Man acts as Wily's personal bodyguard and spy, and is very loyal to him. Similar to Ring Man, Shadow Man takes to wearing clothes over his armor, often appearing in different Ninja outfits as well as a face mask.

His first chronological appearance is in the story "Asteroid Blues" from Mega Man Gigamix, which is based on the events of Mega Man 3. In "Metal Heroes", Wily created the new Yellow Devil MK-II, but it went out of control and he orders Shadow Man and the other robots from Mega Man 3 to bring it back, and if not possible, destroy it. They have trouble bringing the Yellow Devil back and the struggle draws attention in the street. Mega Man arrives to investigate and makes a temporary alliance with Wily's robots to stop the Yellow Devil. In the end, only Mega Man and Shadow Man are able to continue following it, while the others where forced to stay behind by the security system of the building it entered. After finding the Yellow Devil, Shadow Man notices its weak point is the eye, and that it was damaged in battle. Seeing it would be difficult to bring the Yellow Devil back, Shadow Man decides to use his Shadow Blade to stop it.

In "The Strongest Enemy to Date", Shadow Man monitors the actions of Copy Mega Man. In "Burning Wheel", Shadow Man is in the Battle & Chase competition.

In "White Nightmare", Shadow Man saves Dr. Wily from the alien robot that was trying to kill him. During the showdown with the Stardroids, he manages to take out Neptune by burning him up in re-entry of the Earth's atmosphere, and is saved by Quick Man.

Rockman World 3
Shadow Man appears in the manga Rockman World 3, which is based on the events of the Game Boy game, known as Mega Man III outside Japan. He is the third robot to be fought by Mega Man.

Rockman: Yomigaeru Blues
Shadow Man is a member of the Wily Patrol and helps Mega Man defeat robots that were stealing a bank.

Rockman Battle &amp; Chase
Shadow Man lived in an old ninja house with an elder Shadow Man and his four young Shadow Man siblings. When the house begins to fall, a part of the roof falls on the elder and he asks Shadow Man to give a lair to the kids. Homeless, Shadow Man enters the Battle & Chase competition to obtain money for a house. He is determined to win, seeing all competitors as his enemies, but when he sees Ice Man in need of help, he takes the water from his radiator for his, being unable to continue. Despite this, He becomes friends with Mega Man, Ice Man, Blizzard Man and Chill Penguin, and after Mega Man tells Dr. Light of his situation, he lets him and his brothers stay in Dr. Light's Laboratory.

Trivia

 * As Shadow Man is possibly alien in origin, he may be a precursor to other alien robots in the series, such as Sunstar and Duo.


 * Shadow Man is the only Robot Master in Mega Man 3 (other than Doc Robot, specifically when using Heat Man's data) to take damage from all Special Weapons in the game.


 * Shadow Man is the second Robot Master with the ability to slide.
 * Shadow Man's abilities to summon Frog Robots are a reference to Jiraiya, a rogue ninja hero from Japanese folklore who mastered frog magic.
 * Kunai function both like a knife and a crowbar in battle (contrary to popular belief and their depiction in several media, they were not meant for throwing). Shadow Man uses it both ways in Mega Man #30, pushing Quick Man aside after slashing him when he first attacks and later stabbing him in the back with it.
 * The fact that Shadow Man is a ninja is likely a reference to the fact that ninjas need to be in the shadows, unseen.