Mega Man's Manga is Dope

Episode 8: Prepare for CAHNTENT
I love Mega Man. Like, so much. This was a herculean effort in some ways, a lot of fun in others. And I can't thank you all enough for being so patient. I'm planning a lot more longer form videos like this, so I hope you all stick around for them. On to the next one.
Sources:
www.rockman-corner.com
megaman.fandom.com/wiki/Mega_...
archive.org (for scans)
Music Used:
Boomer Kuwanger Stage - Mega Man X OST
ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION - GANASAI
Be Somewhere - BUZY
Napalm Jazz - ROCKMAN HOLIC
End Credits - Mega Man 3 OST
Frost Man Stage - Mega Man 8 OST
Search Man Stage - Mega Man 8 OST
Bass Battle Theme - Mega Man 8 OST
End Credits - Mega Man 8 OST
Dr. Wily Stage 2 - Mega Man 2 OST
Esperanto (Area Zero) - Mega Man Zero OST
For Endless Fight II - Mega Man Zero 2 OST
I Cannot Defeat AirMan - Team Nekokan
Light Up The Night - The Protomen

[@frozarburst6350]

"2000 years in solitary confinement." Its like they KNOW Wily is capable of so much that they ain't even giving him the chance to prolong his life

[@chasetuttle2780]

It kinda blows my mind that classic mega man has not gotten his own full anime…

[@DanielSong39]

Super Fighting Robot, Mega Man!

[@whos_there.]

He got a 3 episode OVA (based solely on MegaMan 5), so that's something

[@chasetuttle2780]

@@whos_there. yeah I used to watch that all the time when I was younger. I was so pissed it wasn’t a full series

[@RURLLY_JO]

Yes..

[@TheKing-uu7jn]

Protodude actually got some unfinished concept art that shows that there was supposed to be a Mega Man anime (no doubt it would’ve been leagues better than the Ruby Spears) but for whatever reason it fell through

[@kingbash6466]

I love how this manga adapted the Game Boy characters. They turned some unremarkable and forgotten antagonists into some of the most intimidating and rawest villains in the entire MegaMan series to this day. If they ever return in a future game, I hope they take inspirations from here because these are the definitive versions in my eyes.

[@shonenbois]

Finished the manga and yeah this series was a great love letter to the series like the Archie Comics and another thing I love about the ending is the scene between Light and Blues’ helmet. It just provides a lot of closure between the two as Dr Light got to know that Blues was still fighting to protect the Earth🌎

[@ffiiggyy]

There was also a short prologue manga for MegaMan 9 in this continuity that came with the MegaMan 9 Arranged Soundtrack. Although it only really set up the events for 9, it definitely left me wanting for more. Great video, I'm gonna reread this series again.

[@dudenamedzelda3179]

There's also Rockman NanoMix When the dust settles and Rockman Maniax more specifically Ariga's take on Rockman X with the Rockman X MegaMission manga which combines the MegaMission card game with Rockman X3.

[@StarForce99]

Another Mega Man manga you would like a lot is the "Mega Man NT Warrior" manga. It has the same name as the anime, but its writing and the way how it handles the continuity of the games is vastly different from the anime. The fight scenes are more brutal with Navis getting stabbed or eaten alive and we get more character motivations along with the context of what they do and why. It's my personal favorite video game manga series and I highly suggest you check it out and read it whenever you got time.

[@firewarrior8298]

So basically it’s the Megaman equivalent of Pokémon adventures.

[@dancingbeans7696]

@@firewarrior8298yeah basically

[@NetBattler]

The art style is fire ngl...shame that it doesn't get so much recognition that it deserves...

[@StarForce99]

@@NetBattler Agreed. My favorite character, Bass.EXE, had the best scenes tailored to him specifically. The manga did him so much justice compared to the anime.

[@NetBattler]

@@StarForce99 agreed. The manga deserves the attention man.. hopefully someone can make this manga popular

[@CrossTrash]

Thank you SO MUCH for making this video. I have been DYING to see someone give this series the time and love it deserves.

[@heartnet40]

The narrative growing that Keiji Inafune is a hack fraud regarding the majority of the MegaMan franchise is one that makes me uber happy. As someone who's been studying MegaMan for ages, you find an incredible amount of information that more than suggests that Inafune deserves far less credit than he constantly is given. Anyways, yeah, Hitoshi Ariga's manga is simply astounding, and you can tell he still has a huge passion for MegaMan as he's been drawing for the franchise and contributing to art collections for it for *ages.* That's a mangaka after my own heart right there.

[@elijahgarcia3727]

Where did this narrative come from exactly? I’m curious.

[@tylermorgan5230]

It's he really bad I thought he help with mega man x

[@harunocaleon5786]

So, Keiji is like Kojima?

[@dansmith16]

Literally Kojima if he was found out.

[@harunocaleon5786]

@@dansmith16 problem is, Kojima's meme status made him almost immune to criticism

[@beowolf3377]

Couldn't agree more, there's so many hype moments in the manga. Though I enjoyed the Archie Mega Man comics, the Megamix is straight up heat.

[@ThomasGameComicFan]

Funny thing about Burning Wheel's tone. The story was made all the way back in 1996/97, but because of personal issues it was held back for Gigamix. And considering the last story before it was THE GREATEST ENEMY, suddenly the tone makes a whole lot more sense, doesn't it? Either way, I'm so glad you covered the Megamix and Gigamix manga's. Ariga's continuity is my absolute favorite in all of the Classic series, and you going into what those final stories in Gigamix means so much when people barely give them the light of day. Although I appreciate and enjoy the Archie comics a far bit as well, I think Ariga set up so many precedents not with the Classic series, but the entire franchise.

[@CrossTrash]

Man i really hope this video gets a boost at some point... Deserves way more views than it has.

[@BenDaresAll]

It was an excellent manga! The Star Droids were terrifying! Didn't know how the Robot Masters were taking them down one by one.

[@dudenamedzelda3179]

Me coming when I come across this chanel: Oh cool this guy did a video on Berserk let's see what else he's done. Me when I see a video on Rockman more specifically Rockman MegaMix and GigaMix: LET'S FUCKING GO!

[@LinkSeasonMaster]

A friend of mine lent me his copies of Mega Mix and Giga Mix, and I finished reading the last volume a little over a week ago. I’ll admit that when it comes to the Blue Bomber, I am nowhere as familiar with Classic as I am with Starforce or Battle Network. But there’s absolutely no denying Hitoshi Ariga really did something special here with his incredible take on the Classic characters. What's also blatant is just how much Ariga loved working on the series as well, especially when you read his commentary in the manga volumes. In addition, he's WAY more in tune with other fans of the series than people might expect. For instance, when a fan on nicovideo took the jaw-dropping opening for Namco X Capcom and remade it as an unofficial opening for a Gigamix manga, Ariga outright asked the fan in question permission to upload it on his own KZbin channel. And I'll be honest. With how companies like Toei and Nintendo seem addicted to attacking fan creations, seeing creators outright acknowledge in their fans in such a positive, especially those from a nation notorious for their lack of free use protection (which is utterly hypocritical considering doujinshi are an outright market there), is astonishing yet heartwarming to me. But when you realize just how much love he poured into an adaptation of a series so near and dear to his heart, maybe it really isn't all that surprising that Hitoshi Ariga is the sort who's more interested in sharing what he's passionate about with like minded fans than telling people what they can or cannot do with the projects he was in charge of. We need more creators with that sort of mindset. Speaking of content creators, I am so glad I found this video, and I would honestly love to hear you talk more about not just this manga, but Mega Man as a whole. I have such fond memories of Mega Man 64, Cybeast Falzar, Command Mission, and the Starforce games in general, so hearing people gush about the Blue Bomber like this just brings a smile to my face. Regardless, you did a marvelous job here, with tons of great research and fun lines! PS: That bit about crediting Akira Kitamure while calling Keiji Inafune a hackboth made me laugh and hit me where it hurts. Back in college, I was all onboard for supporting both Mighty No. 9 and Red Ash...then I actually learned about the whole controversies going on with both properties...and actually played the former...as well as learned that he's effectively the reason we didn't get a proper Darkstalkers revival alongside Street Fighter 4...He and Yuji Naka really are credit-stealing, arrogant jerks. I'd rather entrust Hitoshi Ariga with writing the plots of a new Mega Man Legends and NiGHTS into Dreams games/spiritual successor than either of those two.

[@atsr_studios]

I'm so glad you made this video! I like the Megamix and Gigamix series alot! I think Hitoshi Ariga's artstyle is really nice-looking on Mega Man. The manga holds a special place in my heart because it was the reason why I got into Mega Man. Ice Man also became my favorite robot master because of how cute he looks in the manga.

[@Wild48]

I'm so glad this showed up in my recommended vids, cause the Mega/Gigamix mangas are some of my favorites of all time, and now they're being discussed in a really well put together video! Love that you're giving it some time to shine!

[@blueshot333]

Ive heard of this serie But never read it though i also wanna make megaman mangas and i am kind of envious of Hitoshi ariga for making this brilliant manga(i did read a chapter before) and i hope soon ill be able to make a manga that is as good as Megamix

[@_THE_LOG_]

don't let great work discourage you, get inspired by it! Go forth, create!

[@zackanderson7440]

Glad to see people still enjoy both the Mix Mangas and Archie comics.

[@theblazingpyro5914]

we need to have a mega man megamix anime. not what we got from cartoon network

[@brandonnguyen2959]

Great stuff as usual man!! You deserve so much more subs. Keep it up :D

[@Model_118]

Bass looks like he took him a “ Flinstone multi vitamin “. 🤣. Great video.

[@thefvguy5648]

Have you tried the Archie MegaMan comics? I heard a lot of great things about it.

[@narutopsp999]

That MegaMan anime opening is kinda fire

[@Pefonmo]

Really good analysis. Always nice to see Ariga's Mega Man love get some love.

[@colinmasterson666]

22:58 real robotic body horror shit right here.

[@colorfulkitsune]

Dude, I've spent the last few months trying to collect the mega and gigamix mangas. I started collecting them in middle school then picked it back up recently. I'm glad to have found all volumes after all this time cus they're really something to behold. These books are incredibly special for the mega man series as a whole. It is a perfect example of expanding these characters, usually thrown away after one game, and making some use out of them. On top of the story, I just love how much charm is put into the art and writing. Ariga's storyline is just excellent, and I'm glad that it's getting the attention it needs.

[@RaiderEX_]

This is the only video I’ve actually listened to the spoiler warning at the beginning, great job!

[@Horace-8]

I have not had the opportunity to read any manga unfortunately. But when I can, I will get this manga. Thank you for bringing it to a more available space so that those such as myself can seek it.

[@Adrians_Ideas]

The manga for mega man is criminally underrated. It should have got an anime. Ong

[@ClexYoshi]

the thing that got me to dive in on Gigamix was actually... the Arrange Soundtrack releases of Megaman 9 and Megaman 10. both of those albums are graced with Ariga's Mix designs for the characters and were enough for me to give it a shot.

[@Kusanagikaiser999]

This sounds like the ANIME I want Capcom approve to one day do about MEGAMAN (that could evolve eventually to X and then ZERO) since I discover this series with Megaman 5, I always been begging for a shounen style long anime series of Megaman that start light hearted but slowly turn more dark and mature, I always have seen Megaman story as the perfect one to adapt into a long shounen, and I never ever heard about these 1 mangas and not I NEED THEM.....but more so.....someone PLEASE ADAPT THESE INTO AN ANIME SHOW.

[@emmamaki5862]

Read this series a while back and yeah it absolutely rules. Not that this is the most important selling point or anything, but for any old man enjoyers out there, the way Ariga draws Light and Wily is kinda...... I Am Looking Respectfully 😳

[@xtracheesepls776]

Love the videos. You gotta do Pluto!

[@thewindthatblows]

I'm reading Pluto right now, reminds me of the more serious parts of Megamix, specially in how it updates the characther designs to be less cartoonish and more realistic

[@xtracheesepls776]

@@thewindthatblows it's so good!

[@megasoniczxx]

Never appreciated classic megaman up until the point I read this manga, it's so good i'm surprised it never got an anime. I also just really love how Ariga draws Megaman and the robot masters moreso than any other version of them.

[@megacrashthehedgehog5377]

I'm a big Mega Man fan. Mainly of the Classic and X series. In addition to the games, the comics published by Archie and written by Ian Flynn helped me get into the franchise. So when the comic got canceled, I was super bummer out. Then I discovered Megamix and Gigamix, and was so happy to find another Mega Man adaptation with compelling writing and a clear love for the franchise it's based on. The Stardroid arc in particular honestly felt like I was reading a movie in a Manga format. So it's great to see someone make a video on it and go into detail about why it works so well.

[@javib2978]

I am a boy. I am still a kid, a child. In my heart and mindset. An adult child, a pampered baby boy child.

[@javib2978]

Me, I am a young man. I am still like just a kid. A child. In my heart and mindset. I have simplistic ideals and views only. Naive, calm, determined, cute, happy, smart, fun, a pampered baby child, innocent, and passionate. That is my motivation and philosophy in my viewpoint.

[@javib2978]

My parents still consider me a youngster. It's like I'm still just a kid. I'm like a child. When I have a moment of rest from helping with errands. I like being treated like a pampered baby child. I am scared to be a man and a leader.

[@Chrisezo]

This manga and a couple of other works, clearly demonstrate how well an animated series for Megaman would have performed, as people are still clearly talking about it, but alas Capcom just has never had faith in Megaman in order to invest big money into it, and this was clear just from the first game, where even though it sold decently, since it didn't spoke the numbers Capcom wanted, the original developers from that game, were forced to work on Megaman 2 in secret or during breaks while they were working on other projects, and through their passion they were able to create Megaman 2, which to this day is considered the best Megaman game on NES, and arguably their most sold and successful game, but instead of Capcom giving time and funds to the developer group involved in it, they just attempted to milk the series for all it was worth, putting in impossible deadlines and being very stingy with the budgets they gave the games, and on top of that as they created other subseries in order to try other things with Megaman, instead of them pulling a Nintendo where they allowed the games to coexist with each other, as Nintendo schedules releases in a way, where they would not interfere with their other games, and are not afraid to delay stuff when its clearly necessary, what Capcom did during the 2000s is you would have Megaman classic, Megaman X, Megaman Zero, and Battle Network, all releasing games in the same year, where in some cases it was even on the same month, so the series just ended up competing with each other which of course would make it a financial failure, since the targeted fanbase were kids and teens, which have no jobs so they relied on their parents or family members to buy them a game for special occasions. I think that the series that would have benefitted the most from having an anime, would have been the Megaman Zero series, since by a lot of people it is considered the most complete and solid story in the series, and I would have loved to have seen the Elf Wars in action rather than reading up on it, from the data chips you could find in the games. With the way they had done Day of Sigma for Maverick Hunter X, I would have also loved to see more of that as that had been a really well done product, but Capcom had messed up in making Maverick Hunter X a PSP exclusive game. Its unfortunate but the downfall of Megaman is all owed to Capcom's decisions, but I can't hate them too much for it since at least they allow fans to make fangames and such, and not mess with them like Nintendo or other companies do.

[@Hrogoff]

Wait, Hitoshi Ariga did art of Shovel Knight? Where is that at?

[@rift3487]

I’m gonna read this after I finish the Archie comics

[@Doggieworld3Show]

No one sleep on Ariga!

[@dinothebetatt6733]

I've said this before, and I'll say it again... Mega Man is best man! And this manga series is partly proof.

[@grayson8633]

Im still partial to the x/zero/zx part of the timelime due to the expansion of what was set up in the original megaman, but i still have respect for the original

[@_THE_LOG_]

I think a lot of people can agree. I’m partial to that part of the timeline as well, but I think the Mix series is on-par with some of its best moments.

[@maxyellow3864]

yesssssssssssssssssssssss

[@theodorfons1551]

I just wish he would create a Megaman X/Zero Mix

[@lokmanbetahi4783]

I recommend you check the iwamoto rockman x manga

[@DanielSong39]

So did he ever get to go on a date with Roll

[@dontemorgan1517]

This manga needs to adapt it to anime.

[@DarthInfernusify]

It’s bender Rodriguez

[@zackman9230]

You should take a look at the Kamen Rider manga if you haven't already

[@user-hv6dk6du6p]

If you want to skip the filler than here you go 3:08

[@fjdpaco]

I thought Asimov's entire literary career was about how those three Laws can be manipulated or are flawed Also who starts a Mega Man Manga talk with Asimov? Wouldn't the lay Mega Man Fan be assumed to know what He is and the laws are?

[@bluesmallspark]

Damn my goat blues is dead

[@aaaaaaarrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhh]

Is it weird that the manga is some how much much much better than the game and Archie comic? It disappointing that the manga isn't talk much. Because this manga gives the characters more personality and narrative than the game

[@moosesues8887]

Nah that’s crazy

[@cobraviper11]

I don't get why people call him Blue " bomber"?? becuse they misunderstood the japanese game cover for the first game? Mega Man only throws Bomb Man's bombs in the first game and that's for "bombs". So why call him Blue Bomber? because that's what other say, so I say it?

[@_THE_LOG_]

Mega Man himself (or at least his helmet) is based on WWII Japanese Bomber Pilot Helmets. That’s the short answer, anyway.

[@alissonaxl]

Dope? Obviously you haven’t seen the brazilian Mega Man manga, the one and only.

[@JasperTedVidalTale]

I'm not buying the manga while mega man is my favorite character i must say that the manga puts me off because of ariga's design of mega man being a farcry from capcom's official design of mega man in my opinion archie comics did a great job than ariga in terms of faithfulness to the official capcom design of mega man.

[@mrmanju6989]

thats funny.. i really prefer this one to the archie

[@samuraispirit8D]

Another great video :) Keep it up