Beat

Beat (ビート) is a bird-type combat support robot from the Mega Man series built by Dr. Cossack for Mega Man to help him protect the world. He serves a support role by either attacking enemies or protecting Mega Man, depending on the game.

Appearances

 * In Mega Man 5, Mega Man 6 and Mega Man IV, Beat attacks enemies that appear on the path (he cannot attack bosses in Mega Man 6). Unlike Rush and Eddie before him, his internal radar cannot lock on to Mega Man from a distance, so he needs to rely on the signal of Plates to be able to fly to his aid. Beat can appear without the need of collecting Plates in later games, suggesting that the issue was fixed in some way.


 * In Mega Man 7, Mega Man 9, Mega Man 10 and Mega Man 11, Beat will appear when Mega Man falls into a pit and carries him for a while. The player must move to a safe area before Beat releases Mega Man, as he cannot hold his weight for too long. Unlike in most games, where he uses weapon energy, the item can be used only four times and must be refilled in the shop after usage.
 * In Mega Man 7 the item is called Beat's Whistle. Mega Man must save Beat in an area hidden in the part with bees in Slash Man's stage (the Scorch Wheel can burn the trees to reveal the area) to be able to use him. He receives four Beat's Whistles after this and can buy more later in the shop.
 * In Mega Man 9, 10 and 11, the item is called Beat Call (ビートコール), and is available in the shop from the beginning by spending 50 screws/bolts in Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 11. In Mega Man 10, one Beat Call costs 20 screws when playing with Mega Man and 30 screws with Proto Man. Its price may lower to 40 bolts in Mega Man 11. In Mega Man 9 only three can be carried, which is raised to nine in Mega Man 10. For Mega Man 11, initially only one Beat Call may be purchased, but after the Buddy Call Plus item is purchased at the store, it can be raised to three. However, in Newcomer Mode, the Beat Call can be used an unlimited number of times.
 * In the ending of Mega Man 9, Beat sees Hornet Man watering a flower garden.


 * In Mega Man 8, he helps out in the sections where Mega Man uses Rush Jet. He can damage enemies that fly into him and dashes forward when Mega Man fires a Charge Shot.


 * In Mega Man & Bass, he creates a shield to protect Mega Man. He also protects Proto Man and Duo in Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters.


 * In Rockman & Forte: Mirai Kara no Chōsensha, Beat will appear and make Mega Man invincible for a short period. While in effect, Beat will fly around Mega Man and damage enemies he touches.


 * In Super Adventure Rockman, Beat accompanies Mega Man throughout the game. He is often seen in cutscenes retrieving items such as weapon chips from the defeated Robot Masters, and could communicate with Mega Man through what appears to be his own language, which solely takes the form of bird sounds.


 * Beat can be seen above a Sniper Joe in Mega Man's Soccer.


 * In Mega Man: Battle & Chase, Beat appears in Mega Man's ending, and Roll's car has Beat's appearance.


 * In Rockman Strategy Beat is a member of Mega Man's party as he faces various Robot Masters and the alien robots led by Apollo.


 * In the fighting games Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, Beat takes the form of a small plane for a short time in the special attack Beat Plane (ビートプレーン) used by Mega Man and Roll. He also combines with Rush, Eddie, and Mega Man/Roll in the special attack Hyper Mega Man/ Hyper Roll to create a huge version of the player that shoots a wide beam across the entire screen with energy duplicates of Beat, Rush, and Eddie.


 * In Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Beat appears in Nova's ending as a member of the Mega Nova Corps.


 * In Otoranger, Beat combines with Rush, Eddie, and Tango to form the mecha Right Great.
 * In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Beat appears as one of Mega Man's custom moves for his up special, Rush Coil. It must be unlocked before it can be swapped out. Mega Man summons Beat, who carries him high into the air, much like the Beat Call item in the Mega Man series. This move serves as recovery, and it doesn't leave Mega Man helpless upon using it. It has greater vertical distance than the Rush Coil at the cost of more start-up time, slower speed and horizontal range.
 * In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Beat appears as a Spirit.

Damage Data Charts
Known damage values in units for Mega Man 5.

Known damage values in units for Mega Man 6.


 * In Mega Man 6, Beat cannot inflict damage on bosses—only enemies.

Rockman Complete Works data
コサック博士が世界平和のために開発し、ロックマンにプレゼントした鳥型攻撃支援ロボット.

Translation: Developed by Dr. Cossack for world peace, a bird type attack support robot that has been presented to Rockman.

Mega Man Battle Network series
Beat's counterpart in the Mega Man Battle Network series is a Navi Customizer program that appears once per battle in multiplayer NetBattles to take one of the opponent's Mega/Giga class Battle Chips for the player to use.

Mega Man (Archie Comics)
Beat appeared in the crossover Worlds Collide, where Mega Man called Beat, Rush, Eddie and Tango to assist him against Sonic the Hedgehog.

Mega Man Megamix
In Mega Man Megamix and Mega Man Gigamix, Beat is a support robot created by Dr. Cossack and given to Mega Man, becoming a member of the Light family. Armed with a powerful search function, Beat, attacks by physically hurling himself at his target. Though he is blessed with a strong body, Beat's energy output levels are quite high and he is therefore not the most efficient robot in that respect.

In the story Metal Heart, Beat, Tango and Snake Man go after the Yellow Devil MK-II, but Snake Man provokes the two supports and they fight, losing sight of the Yellow Devil.

In The Grim Reaper of Resurrection, Beat sees Skull Man kidnapping Dr. Cossack on TV and flies away to find him. Beat finds the doctor, but is beaten by Reggae and Dr. Wily.

In Burning Wheel, Beat stays inside Roll's car, which is shaped like him.

Mega Man Through the Ages
Beat, alongside Dr. Light, Roll, and Rush, appear at the 1987 banner at the beginning to bid Mega Man good luck as he travels through the area collecting 30th Icons.

Other appearances
Beat appeared in the Rockman manga series, Rockman 8, and Rockman 4Koma Dai Koushin.

Trivia

 * In the North American Mega Man 5 manual, it is said that both Dr. Cossack and Dr. Light were working on Beat before Dr. Light's kidnapping, and he is completed by Dr. Cossack during the game.


 * Beat would have appeared in Mega Man: The Power Battle, but was removed from the game before its release. However, his sprites remained in the game data, as he makes an appearance as a support unit in the sequel.


 * It is unknown if Roll's car in the game Mega Man: Battle & Chase only has Beat's appearance (as all cars in the game can have their parts exchanged), or if it is a transformation like the Beat Plane from Marvel vs. Capcom (as the car has a sweat drop in Roll's ending, implying it has intelligence). In Hitoshi Ariga's manga Mega Man Gigamix, Beat stays inside the square in the forehead of the car.
 * His Bad Point in Mega Man and Bass' CD Data, Wanderlust, may refer to the fact that in Mega Man 5, Beat could get sidetracked by projectiles fired by bosses and fly offscreen.