Self-awareness

Self-awareness is a major plot element in the Mega Man franchise. Beings with artificial intelligence such as robots and programs are normally bound to their programming and are unable to act or even think to act outside of it, however there are have been many exceptions to this rule even among robots who should not be able to think on their own, and as time went on newer model robots have shown an increased amount of independent thinking, eventually reaching complete independence.

Original series
Dr. Light

Proto Man.

Ballade, despite being made as a Mega Man Killer, sacrificed his life to allowed Mega Man escape by self-destructing to open a way out of the Wily Battleship after realizing the error of his ways. How he was able to make that decision is unknown, and when he was revived (or copied) in Mega Man V and Mega Man 10 it appears he longer possessed such deep thinking.

Sunstar.

Bass exhibits many traits of self-awareness, and often disregards Dr. Wily’s orders and has even fought against him on on several different occasions.

King, upon being defeated, showed levels of independent thought when he allowed Proto Man to leave his castle, and even more so when he reveals who made him - Dr. Wily. After being defeated again and turned back to normal after Wily brainwashed him, King allowed the hero (Mega Man or Bass) to escape, assuring them he would escape as well. In Mega Man’s ending it is revealed that King did indeed escape, and despite what he was made for and who made him, he had seen the errors in his ways and aspired to change, hoping to meet Mega Man again as friends. How King was able to amend his own programming is unknown, though he was built to be more advanced than the average Robot Master.

Mega Man X series
Mega Man X.

Zero.

Axl.

Sigma.

Vile.

Cyber Peacock

New Generation Reploid.

Mega Man Battle Network series
Tadashi Hikari

NetNavis

MegaMan.EXE