ShadowMan.EXE (anime)

"Traitor? I never intended to be loyal to you...if only for the reward, I don't listen to anyone's command. (...) You aren't even worth being used as bait to capture Gospel. So I'll delete you now."

- ShadowMan to FreezeMan.EXE before deleting him in a scene deleted from the dub version

ShadowMan.EXE (シャドーマン) is a character from the MegaMan NT Warrior anime series. At first, he was a seemingly Solo NetNavi assassin who took on several missions, having been hired to delete MegaMan.EXE by Gospel before as well as KingMan.EXE by an unknown client, and destroying the Flight X control system for Nebula. During that mission, ShadowMan was deleted by SearchMan.EXE. It was not until much later that he was revived by Dr. Wily and given to Dark Miyabi, where he became his NetNavi from then on.

Overview
ShadowMan is an arrogant and silent NetNavi who carries out his missions with a cold and undaunted heart. He will do anything for the right price, and will not stop unless the mission is complete, or in the case of Gospel, the organization collapsed and he was not obligated to fulfill his mission. He is a highly skilled ninja, making for a dangerous foe that is almost never taken by surprise and is able to find where his targets are hiding with minimal effort.

When he was given to Miyabi, he showed a steadfast loyalty to him as a fellow ninja, allowing the two to cross fuse, though he was still the same assassin-for-hire he was before.

In the English dub, Shadow Man speaks with a Japanese accent.

MegaMan NT Warrior
ShadowMan debuts in the virus factory under NetCity when he throws a large shuriken that nearly hits Roll.EXE, though she is saved by MegaMan.EXE. He appears before MegaMan, Roll, and Glide.EXE, and MegaMan asks if he is with Grave, which he denies. He reveals he is an assassin that was hired by Grave to delete MegaMan, and MegaMan tries shoots his Mega Buster at him, though ShadowMan easily parries his shots and charges at him. MegaMan dodges his slashes and Roll and Glide attempt to attack him, but he uses an immobilizing force and freezes them. He then uses a duplication technique to surround MegaMan and uses the clones to strike him from all directions and prepares to land the finishing blow, however SharkMan.EXE darts in and takes the blow for him. Frustrated at the interference, ShadowMan slashes SharkMan several times and gravely wounds him forcing him to log out, but not before SharkMan gives MegaMan a battle chip license to use Battle Chips within NetCity, allowing Lan Hikari to use a Barrier battle chip before ShadowMan could delete MegaMan. Lan supplies MegaMan with several rare and powerful battle chips procured by Yai Ayano in Higsby's shop and finally uses a Meteor battle chip to destroy the virus factory, forcing ShadowMan to retreat. (This episode was censored and/or changed from the original Japanese version. )

He appears in episode 38.

He appears in. episode 39, where he attempts to delete KnightMan.EXE.

He appears in episode 40, where he tries to pit Lan and MegaMan against Tora and KingMan.EXE, having been hired to delete both MegaMan and KingMan.

ShadowMan appears before a fatally injured FreezeMan.EXE and taunts him before unsheathing his katana. FreezeMan calls him a traitor to which ShadowMan replies he never intended to be loyal to Gospel: if he was not to get rewarded he wouldn't have helped them at all. He tells FreezeMan he isn't even worth being used as bait to capture Gospel and promptly deletes him. He states he is also simply there as the defendant and that the reward he was offered was beneath him, and that soon, something will important will happen, before logging out. (This episode was censored and/or changed from the original Japanese version. )

MegaMan NT Warrior Axess
ShadowMan is hired by Nebula to destroy the Control X flight program, a program that uses satellites in space to pinpoint thousands of objects in an instant, to prevent Nebula's plan from being discovered. During his first attempt, he is hunted by SearchMan.EXE, who manages to spot him from far away and fire on him, though ShadowMan deflects the shot. He sends several Dark Chip-possessed security Navis after SearchMan, who coldly deletes his comrades, impressing the ninja Navi for his cool and composer. He gets away when SearchMan is distracted by a nearly deleted security Navi latching onto his leg.

ShadowMan meets with his employer through hologram, who compliments him and states that once he has located ShadowMan's "operator" (ShadowMan being a solo NetNavi) he will pay him, and gives him five Dark Chips to make up for it. ShadowMan notes how generous the hidden Regal is for giving him so many and takes them, and Regal asks if they will be useful. He states they will, but asks if Regal believes his success will be thanks to the Dark Chips, to which Regal replies that ShadowMan's skills are evident, but he will want more Dark Chips once he has used one. ShadowMan replies he only wants them if they prove profitable, and Regal tells him to think what he wants before asking what his plan was. ShadowMan tells him they are going after Control X, and Regal tells him he should decrease the number of sensors, which ShadowMan agrees with, and leaves.

During the unveiling of Control X, ShadowMan sends dozens of viruses to attack the system, though they are deleted by MegaMan, and corrupts the security Navis with Dark Chips, who begin to destroy the Control X themselves. He appears before MegaMan as he tries to get the security Navis to come to their senses and notes that he is as soft as ever when MegaMan hesitates to attack the them, and prepares to destroy Control X. SearchMan, who had locked on onto him, fires and hits ShadowMan's leg, and he retreats through a portal.

He then uses another wave of viruses to attack the airport's emergency system's cyberworld and adjusts it, giving him control of a plane that was touring the facility, intending to crash it and kill all the passengers inside. He is confronted by MegaMan and states he thought SearchMan would have been with him and notes how cold he must be to stay with Control X before saying he will deal with him later. As the two fight MegaMan questions what ShadowMan hopes to accomplish, and he replies he does not care as long as he is rewarded and surrounds MegaMan with clones. Lan and MegaMan find the real ShadowMan and MegaMan attacks him with a Wide Sword, but ShadowMan uses a Dark Chip and easily overpowers MegaMan. He prepares to delete the blue NetNavi, but SearchMan, who had been targeting ShadowMan all the way from Control X's cyberworld, blows off ShadowMan's left arm. Stunned, he staggers to his katana and picks it up with his right arm and rushes at MegaMan, but SearchMan blows off his that arm as well before shooting him in the chest. He collapses while in complete shock of SearchMan's sniping abilities, and is deleted.

Rockman.EXE Stream
He appears in episode 36, saving Rockman from Dark Rockman.EXE and the new Darkloids with his new operator Dark Miyabi.

He appears in episode 42.

He appears in episode 43.

He appears in episode 46.

Rockman.EXE Beast
While not physically seen, ShadowMan is heard when he cross fuses with Miyabi in the season finale.

Rockman.EXE Beast+
TBA

Trivia

 * ShadowMan telling FreezeMan to not take his deletion at ShadowMan's hands personally as he is an assassin with no loyalty who will do anything as long as he is paid is echoed later by Miyabi in Stream, when he is hired by Tesla to delete MegaMan and tells Lan the same thing, as he and ShadowMan had saved Lan and MegaMan just recently and were now attacking them.
 * Despite SearchMan deleting ShadowMan in a cruel way in Axess, the two never address this when they meet up again in Stream, and are never shown interacting with one another.
 * While ShadowMan has always been Dusk’s Navi in the video games, it is implied in NT Warrior and Axess that ShadowMan was a Solo NetNavi until he was revived by Dr. Wily and given to Miyabi in Stream.