Bass.EXE

Bass.EXE, known in Japan as Forte.EXE (フォルテ.ＥＸＥ), is a fictional character in the Mega Man Battle Network series of video games and the MegaMan NT Warrior (Rockman EXE) anime and manga. His design is based off Bass of the original Mega Man series. In the anime, he is voiced by Matt Hill in the English version, and Keiko Nemoto in the original version of the series.

Game
Bass is the first AutoNavi (independent NetNavi) ever created. He is a mysterious AI who roamed the deepest recesses of the internet, seeking to do battle with the strongest opponents. His past is intertwined with that of Tadashi Hikari. He was created by a scientist named Dr. Cossack, whom he saw as a father, as a part of the AutoNavi project: a project to create a NetNavi that was not reliant on an operator or PET to function. Due to the Alpha (Proto) incident, Bass was blamed for the malfunctioning of several devices and was believed to have been deleted by the SciLab Elite Corps. Since that day, he vowed to destroy humanity as he felt betrayed, the scar inflicted upon his chest a constant reminder of the horrors brought upon him. His identity as a SoloNavi allowed him to escape detection. As seen in Mega Man Battle Network 3, Bass' presence also creates communication interference, which only complemented his escape.

Immensely powerful due to an ability hard-wired into him, the Get Ability program (which allows him to absorb the power of any foe he defeats in battle), Bass has had enormous staying power throughout the series. After the attack by SciLab, Bass crawled through the net, feeding on the data remains of deleted viruses and Navis to recover his strength. By stealing data from the Life Virus (Dream Virus), Bass adopted a self-regenerating Life Aura, and at some point, engaged in combat with Serenade. Dr. Wily would later seek Bass to reawaken Alpha, but since tracking him would be difficult, Wily opted to create clones of him instead. Ultimately, the scientist would strike a deal with Bass in Battle Network 3, wherein he and Cossack would at least be reunited through the use of a "Pulse Transmission System." Bass was amused that a "puny human" would dare to come into his world. He revealed the glowing white scar across his chest, telling Cossack of the trials and perils he went through to gain his power. Cossack attempted to "self-destruct" his own mind to destroy Bass, but was unsuccessful, though he did survive the ordeal. Despite the fact that Bass believes he was betrayed by his creator (which he did not - Cossack defended Bass when SciLab announced the plan to delete him), he apparently could not bring himself to kill Cossack.

Anime
Bass was born of the remnants of PharaohMan's data, which were extracted from the Navi by Wily, who wanted his Ultimate Program. Bass had no memories of his previous life as PharaohMan until he abducted MegaMan and read his memories, learning his origins and awakening his "true self".

Bass attempted to consume the data of Gospel (Grave in the English anime), for the two shared the same origin, to become whole, only to be consumed himself. When MegaMan destroyed Gospel and restored all the NetNavis devoured by the beast, Bass took residence in Shuryou Gospel's (Kid Grave in the English anime) android body. He left, vowing revenge against the world. He reappeared as the creator of the robot Allegro in Axess, and tried to absorb MegaMan and ProtoMan's Ultimate Programs at the beginning of Stream. He was easily defeated by Slur and imprisoned in the UnderNet, losing his means of travel through the human world in the process.

In Rockman EXE: The Program of Light and Darkness, a film exclusive to Japan, Bass is captured by Dr. Regal and is brainwashed to fight MegaMan and Colonel. Bass, upon returning to normal, wanted to make Regal pay for the "disgusting act" of a human using him as a pawn, even if meant siding with MegaMan. The duo were no match for Nebula Grey, so Megaman opted to have Bass absorb his Ultimate Program. The resulting BassCross eliminated Nebula Grey, but Regal summoned a black hole in a last ditch effort to destroy the Navis along with himself. Bass flung MegaMan out of harm's way as he himself got sucked in, ultimately absorbing Nebula Grey's power, which proved vital in his rematch with Slur. The tables had turned, and he deleted her, impaling her through the chest on his arm and suffocating her. He vanished, and his current whereabouts are unknown.

Manga
In the manga, Bass made his first appearance in Volume 3, when MegaMan and Protoman were investigating the UnderNet. Similar to his game counterpart, he faced Serenade in the past, and was determined to wield the same power one day. Constantly coming into conflict with MegaMan, ProtoMan and their operators, Bass would eventually be taken away by Dark MegaMan (Dark Rockman) and LaserMan, who had intentions to change the world into the Dark Kingdom. Dark MegaMan subsequently tried to absorb all of Bass' power to become the ultimate being, but, failing to consume his entire consciousness, was disconnected from the Navi's soul. Bass was last seen rescuing Colonel from Nebula Grey.

Trivia

 * Bass presumably wears his cloak to hide the scar on his chest inflicted by the SciLab Elite Corps. In the anime, he is seen without it during various moments of the series. The same goes for his appearances in the special manga chapter, Bass: The Ultimate Proof (Forte's Backstory), a moment in Mega Man Network Transmission and 4.5: Real Operation. However, in Bass: The Ultimate Proof, Bass's Navi mark is the musical symbol ƒ, even after receiving the scar; in other media, Bass' Navi mark is simply a white slash mark atop a black circle.


 * With the introduction of Battle Network 5 Double Team for the Nintendo DS, it is possible, by completing one of the Battle Network 5 GBA games with the Bass Icon on the title screen, to unlock a style featuring Bass.