NumberMan.EXE

NumberMan.EXE is a NetNavi from the Mega Man Battle Network series operated by Higsby. Both were originally members of the criminal organization known as WWW.

Mega Man Battle Network
NumberMan is the second boss of the first game, but he and Higsby turn over a new leaf due to MegaMan and Lan's influence. Afterwards, Higsby opens up a Battle Chip shop in ACDC Town and NumberMan is effectively the mascot.

Mega Man Network Transmission
NumberMan appears as a merchant in the outer area and will sell Lan and MegaMan.EXE sub chips, HP memories, battle chips, and PowerUps. His stock will increase over time, allowing more of a variety.

Mega Man Battle Network 2
Higsby has gone on a 'quest' to find new and rare battle chips across the world. His NetNavi, NumberMan, can be found on the internet in certain areas, offering to sell MegaMan chips that he's collected.

Mega Man Battle Network 4
NumberMan appears in the City Battle Tournament as a random opponent in the Blue Moon version, and MegaMan can acquire the Number Soul. Before they battle, Lan and MegaMan must complete a sidequest in which they spread word about Higsby's shop in order to boost sales enough to keep the shop from being bought out.

Mega Man Battle Network 5
NumberMan joins Team Colonel in order to gain self-confidence. Higsby's Chip Shop is used as a base of operations in either version, and MegaMan can acquire the Number Soul again.

Anime History
Much like his video game counterpart, NumberMan serves as the NetNavi of Higsby, with the two of them starting out as minor antagonists before reforming and becoming allies with Lan Hikari, MegaMan, and the rest of their friends.

Abilities

 * Dice Bomb: NumberMan throws a Dice Bomb into the player's area. If it is not destroyed after a set time, it explodes, hitting a 3x3 area around it, and inflicting damage to the player depending on the dice roll result multiplied by ten. In the first Mega Man Battle Network, it hits the whole field instead, one column at a time.  Known as Doom Dice in the English anime.


 * Number Ball: NumberMan sends three balls down all three rows. Each ball displays how much damage it will do and how much damage is required to destroy it.


 * Time Bomb: NumberMan summons a Time Bomb. If it is not destroyed in time, it will hit the whole field, one column at a time. Used only in the first Mega Man Battle Network.


 * Number Ruler: NumberMan throws a Set Square onto the player's area. After a while, it will move off, turning at the player in a right angle. Used only in Battle Network 4.


 * Number Trap: Used only in Battle Network 5, NumberMan sets a trap on a random panel in the player's area. If it is set off, one of the following will happen:
 * A time bomb is set.
 * Area Steal will be used by NumberMan.
 * A 2x2 eraser block will fall on the player. A shadow of it will be seen before it lands.


 * Number Tenbou: In the anime, NumberMan can engage in close-range combat by using a tenbou (a stick used to record scores in Japanese Mahjong) as a sword. He also uses it for other purposes, like a baseball bat.

Battle Chips
NumberMan has two types of Battle Chips, the NumberMan Navi Chips and the Number Ball (ナンバーボール) Battle Chips.

Mega Man Battle Network 5
NumberMan chips can only be obtained in the Team Colonel version. They can be traded with the Team ProtoMan version, where they are Secret Chips.

Trivia

 * In early drafts of NumberMan, he was known as CurricularMan.
 * According to the Mega Man Battle Network Official Complete Works, NumberMan's inspiration came from bean sprouts, although Ishihara admits he is unsure why the team was convinced that bean sprouts made one smarter; the likely conclusion would be that bean sprouts represent in metaphor power in numbers, as bean sprouts come in bunches unlike other individual yet divisible vegetables.