Mr. Match (anime)

Mr. Match, known as Ken'ichi Hino (火野ケンイチ) in Japan, is a character in the MegaMan NT Warrior anime. He is the operator of TorchMan.EXE and also operated HeatMan.EXE for a short time. Originally a member of the World Three with Maddy, Count Zap, and Yahoot and an enemy of Lan Hikari and MegaMan.EXE, Match and his fellow World Three members become allies and friends to Lan and his friends over the course of the series.

Overview
True to his nature as a Fire-type NetNavi operator, Mr. Match has a short temper and a fiery passion. As an arsonist for the WWW, Mr. Match was a persistent villain who vowed to defeat Lan and MegaMan and cause chaos and confusion for the real and cyberworld. However after the defeat of the WWW, Yahoot opens Number 1 Curry where Mr. Match becomes the delivery man, and seems to quickly become a more civil character, aiding Lan on several occasions and serving him and his friends at the restaurant, ultimately becoming more of a friend and ally to the heroes as the series goes on. Despite this, he and his fellow WWW members wish for the return of Mr. Wily and the revival of WWW, though they are unaware their leader does not wish the same.

In the English dub, he speaks with a Scottish accent.

MegaMan NT Warrior
Mr. Match is the first villain Lan and MegaMan fight in the series as an arsonist under the direction of Mr. Wily. Despite a successful string of attacks by setting the oven on fire in people's homes, Mr. Match and TorchMan.EXE are stopped when a newly programmed MegaMan stops TorchMan's fire-type viruses in Lan's house. Mr. Wily orders Match to delete the Navi if he comes across him again. Later, when TorchMan sets Maylu Sakurai’s house on fire through her oven, MegaMan and TorchMan duel again, and Mr. Match logs TorchMan out after MegaMan cuts off his left arm.

He appears in episode 5 where he, Count Zap, and Maddy are scolded by Lord Wily for their failures. The trio then cooperate in the scheme to make robotic fish at an aquarium go out of control, but their scheme ultimately fails.

He appears in episode 8.

Later, Mr. Match is feeling dejected because of being defeated by MegaMan. He then decides to challenge MegaMan and Lan to a rematch. In anger, he unleashed TorchMan on the Net to overheat various electronics and to attract MegaMan's attention. His actions indirectly lead to Maylu and Roll having a spat, which distracted MegaMan and Lan from his actions. Mr. Match loses patience and rages before TorchMan raises the possibility that Lan might not know it's them. Mr. Match then sends TorchMan to challenge MegaMan directly. TorchMan threatens to destroy the Central Heating Grid if he doesn't, but gives the message to Roll and GutsMan instead. When Lan and MegaMan don't show up, Mr. Match berates TorchMan for that mistake. Even though, he enjoyed watching TorchMan dominate Roll, GutsMan and MegaMan, he panics when TorchMan's crest is damaged and logs him out.

He appears in episode 10 where he participates in the N1 Grand Prix with other WWW members and fights against MegaMan twice. After PharaohMan and Lord Wily were believed to be destroyed, Mr. Match and the other WWW members started their own curry shop, #1 Curry, to support themselves.

He appears in episode 11.

He appears in episode 12.

He appears in episode 13.

He appears in episode 28.

He appears in episode 29.

He appears in episode 30 (46 in the English dub), having accidentally boarded the wrong airplane to Namaste while chasing Lan to Kingland. He attempts to have the flight attendant stop the plane, but she denies him and he curses Lan while staring out one of the windows.

He appears in episode 31.

After returning to DenCity, TorchMan is deleted by FreezeMan in NetCity, and Match relies on the help of Mr. Famous to change TorchMan into HeatMan using his remaining data to save him. HeatMan is able to defeat FreezeMan during the incident with Gospel.

MegaMan NT Warrior Axess
Mr. Match returns to DenTech City in pursuit of VineMan.EXE. When he learns VineMan has already arrived when VineMan shuts down the rail system, he jacks HeatMan in to find him. HeatMan catches up with VineMan fighting MegaMan and saves MegaMan while Match catches up with Lan and Maylu. Match tells Lan that WackoMan, ElecMan, and MagicMan were all captured by VineMan’s plants, and that HeatMan barely escaped himself. Mr. Famous arrives, having brought equipment that Match asked for to repair HeatMan, and Match gives Lan a tracking signal they managed to place on VineMan before HeatMan logged out, telling him he will catch up when HeatMan is repaired. While repairing HeatMan, Match sees the silhouette of TorchMan, and Famous states that TorchMan’s data has been living inside HeatMan, and begins reformatting HeatMan’s data to separate the two.

The revived TorchMan saves MegaMan and MegaMan gains Torch Soul, and the two fight together and delete VineMan. Match thanks Famous for reviving TorchMan, and Lan thanks Match for his help in deleting VineMan, and Mr. Match replies that it was his pleasure. (This episode was censored and/or changed from the original Japanese version. )

Having apparently "trained" Dex and GutsMan to take on Lan and MegaMan with his fellow World Three members, Match sends Dex back to DenTech City, although this is merely a ruse to get him out of their hair, as he was useless around the restaurant, however Dex returns at the end of the episode, much to the frustration of him and the others.

When Dex returns to #2 Curry with the "Net Wrecker", a strange device that he bought from the shady storekeeper, Match and Yahoot scold him for taking it in exchange for not collecting the storekeeper's three month old tab. Match tells Yahoot to let it go and that he will collect the tab tomorrow. Later, when Dex tries out the Net Wrecker, Match fetches him when GutsMan grows to a massive size and starts causing trouble, and tells him to stop using it when Dex shows him what he did. Yahoot suggests keeping the Net Wrecker to defeat Lan, who is coming to Jyawaii, but Match wonders if their Navis can handle it. When Lan arrives, Match prepares Dex for his battle, and watches as GutsMan goes out of control, sending TorchMan in an attempt to stop him.

Rockman.EXE Stream
When Takeo Inukai’s accomplices attempt to get away with a new batch of Dark Chips they were attempting to smuggle, Mahajarama reveals that Hinoken had been on vacation near where they were docking and stopped them.

Later on, he stops by Maha Ichiban and compliments Dekao on his curry, stating it’s even worth coming over seas to eat. Yaito stops by on her rocket and takes Dekao and Dingo to make curry for her party and takes Hinoken along as well, who states it’s like being kidnapped and that people with money seem to do what they want. Yaito tells him if he wants to go home, they can give her a refund for the 64,800 plates of curry she ordered, and Hinoken quickly relents. When Yaito reveals the party is a contest for the girl with the most beautiful forehead, Hinoken wonders if winning this would really make anyone happy. He later assists in making the curry. When CloudMan.EXE and BlizzardMan.EXE attack the Yaito Memorial Dome, Hinoken tells Netto and Nenji Rokushakudama that they can’t plug-in unless they melt the ice covering the port, so Nenji gets into a fight with NapalamMan.EXE to make him heat up Nenji’s PET, using it to thaw the ice. Nenji, Netto, Hinoken, Dekao, and Dingo all plug-in to combat the Darkloids, and despite having the advantage over them, Dark Rockman summons Dimensional Converters and CloudMan and BlizzardMan form in the real world. BlizzardMan attacks Dekao, Dingo, and Hinoken before Netto cross fuses and repels them.

Hinoken is a guest at the event, where Yaito is chosen as the girl with the most beautiful forehead, though Hinoken points out that all of the other party guests are employees or relatives of employees of Gabcom, Yaito’s company. He then watches the fireworks with the rest of the guests.

He is with the other original WWW members as they watch in disgust as the Neo WWW cause destruction with massive viruses materialized in the real world by Asteroid VideoMan.EXE. Unbeknownst to them, Dr. Wily had been the sole customer at the restaurant, and tells them that they will show the Neo WWW the wrath of the original organization. Hinoken, Madoi, Mahajarama, and Dingo go to the car museum and get the Dimensional Area cars, and bring them to Wily and prepare them for use. The original WWW members, Dingo, and Dekao arrive just in time to save Netto, and activate a Dimensional Area for him to use. Wily reflects that his WWW has matured a bit before disappearing, much to Hinoken and the other’s distress.

When the Cross Fusion Members go to a “training camp” on the beach, it is revealed that Mahajarama set up a "Seaside Maha Ichiban", and Hinoken and the others were there on a business trip, joining several other cast members on a vacation. Hinoken watches on in disgust as Netto eats "curry ice", a cross between shaved ice and curry that Dekao invented. Later in the episode he flees from the "haunted mansion" (which was really Dr. Hikari's "test of courage) with the others, only to have been spit out at the hot springs nearby with the rest of the cast. Hinoken and the cast then enjoys the hot springs. This is his last appearance in the anime where he has a role beyond a cameo.

After the world is saved from Duo.EXE, Hinoken is seen watching Dark Miyabi eat curry alongside the other WWW members at Maha Ichiban.

Rockman.EXE Beast+
Hinoken is mentioned in episode 11, where Mahajarama talks about him working at MaHa Niban in Jyawaii. Ann Electel arrives searching for Count Elec, and Hinoken, believing she would not make the effort to come to MaHa Ichiban, told her where he was, much to his distress.

He has one more cameo in the final episode of the series, seemingly scolding Count Elec before being turned into cache data by Cache.

Trivia

 * Though HeatMan is a Link Navi in Mega Man Battle Network 6, neither he nor Mr. Match have any role in Beast or Beast+ outside of a cameo of Match in the series finale, despite all other Link Navis and their operators appearing.
 * Like in the video game series, Mr. Match has the honor of being the first villain that Lan faces.
 * Unlike in the video game series, Match never goes back to a life of crime after reforming like in Mega Man Battle Network 3, despite planning to with his fellow WWW members.
 * Match is never the operator of FlameMan.EXE like he is in Battle Network 3. Instead, Zoano FlameMan.EXE appears as a Zoanoroid under Glaga, and the two never even cross paths.