I'm sure you all know me and my love for Capcom's works by now, 'specially that of Mega Man (which I'll be referring to as Rockman from now on, it sounds cooler). This of course led to some disputes, I'm sure everyone knows this by now. I guess there's still some of it around, which still annoys me a bit even though I'm trying to not let it get to me.
However, then I noticed AprilSeven's post in that Astro vs MM thread, in which she viewed Rockman more as a cousin than a 'copy'. A cousin to Atom to continue the concepts of Atom's legacy, much like Jetter Mars did for about a year until Tezuka grew tired of him. Maybe Atom can even be viewed as the father of Rockman than a cousin, that's how some MM fandoms like to think of it. This actually made me feel glad. Yes there will only be one Atom, but it also made me feel good when I also started to think about it as a legacy being continued.
And as I thought more about it, I was reminded of a post made by Protodude (well known in the MM fandom), a post for the "A Zenny for your Thoughts" mini-contest thing that was over at MM Legends 3's DevRoom.
And then, it occurred to me,
Rockman Atom. Atom was the first Rockman.
To better understand this, I'll quote Protodude's post that won that mini-contest. It's rather long and I cannot really shorten this post for it to make much sense. And you probably won't get most of it, but still.
...Contrary to the belief, yes, actually, Legends is part of the main "robotics timeline." Legends is in the far, far future... estimated to take place a couple hundred years or so after ZX following the events of a great flood.
This "disconnected" feeling evoked by the Legends series, a sense that it doesn't belong, may indeed be intentional. Look at it this way: the worlds we knew of the classic, X, Zero and ZX series are long gone... buried under a sea of endless blue. Lost forever. Legends is so far off in the future that any true semblance to their respective time periods would shatter this concept... this feeling of a barren, post-apocolyptic world on the verge of reassurgance.
Legends is supposed to feel foreign. It's an island among a series of interconnected lands. Still, even so, islands are connected to the world no matter how far off in the distance they may be.
That said, yes, I do believe the series is worthy of bearing the title of Mega Man. Sure, Legends doesn't contain some of the more popular MM conventions and gameplay aspects, but the title itself, "Mega Man" is something that is deeply rooted in the Legends mythology.
The name Mega Man actually means something. It's not there just for the sake of IP identity, no. The overarching story of the entire Legends series focuses on Purifier Unit Mega Man Trigger, the formal name of the titular hero. The name, the classification of "Mega Man", serves as Trigger's identity -- a title shared by other servants of The System and The Master.
Those who served The System, biomechanical beings whose predecessors date all the way back to ZX, all bear the title of "Mega Man." Its the name, the name, that is our only connection to the past.
The name "MEGA MAN" can be observed as a surviving treasure of the past. While all things physical were washed away in the great flood, the name -- the idea, -- prospered.
Mega Man is a title that is synanomous with justice, good will and bravery. The name is a thousand year old a legacy... a Legend, if you will. The greatest treasure of all in this future isn't the Mother Load... it is the title of Mega Man, a true shining relic of the past.
Mega Man Legends... it's the story of a lone Mega Man Purifier Unit who ditched the norm for the greater good. Breaking all the rules for a higher purpose. There are many Mega Men in this future, but only one had the capability, the will, to break the mold. Trigger doesn't just bear the name of Mega Man, he carries on its idea.
... In short, 'Mega Man' or 'Rockman', is perhaps not a name for a being, but rather a title. A title for one who upholds 'justice, good will and bravery', something that we can also see in Atom too as well. And this title was continuously passed on, even if some characters had no relation to previous Rockmen. Perhaps even the whole title concept is canon to the franchise, for characters before (such as the character Zero) have been referred to as a Rockman even though that isn't their exact name.
So. With that and AprilSeven's view point, I have come to a conclusion that makes me feel better about being a fan of both Atom and Rock equally. Even though the name 'Rockman' obviously did not exist back then, I view Atom as the first Rockman, the first one to hold the concept of a Rockman and to pass it down through his influence.
Perhaps there might be many Rockmen out there...
Yes, I feel good about this and feel good about sharing my thoughts.
Mighty Atom shall be known as Rockman Atom to me.
