Name: Proto Man
Japanese Name: Blues
First Appeared: Rockman 3 (Famicom, 1990)
Quote: "Let me tell you something..."

Proto Man was the first Robot Master to be constructed by Dr. Light, being programmed with an advanced AI which was far superior to mere work-based robots such as Metools. As the prototype for an advanced, new era, however, Proto Man mysteriously disappeared without a trace, leaving the good doctor to continue with his research which would result in the birth of his "brothers." Because he is a protoype, Proto Man's energy reactor is unstable, which causes him great pain and gives him a limited lifespan. It was because of this that Dr. Wily eventually found and fixed him to do his bidding, but he was eventually betrayed by the rogue robot. Now Proto Man only appears to assist Mega Man when needed, whether it be through advice, training, or an upgrade.

Like his younger brother, Proto Man's design is perfect for moving and durable enough to take hits. To increase his defenses further, he was given a special shield called the Proto Shield which can be used to deflect attacks much like a Sniper Joe. His main weapon is called by many the Proto Buster, which can fire regular plasma shots as well as perform a long horizontal charge attack--usually, when performing this, he defends with his shield in order to buy himself time to charge, which is a very effective strategy. Unlike his brother, Mega Man, he is also able to dash, and by using his shield, can plow into targets without worry of any damage. Interesting to note is that he has a "special attack" called the Big Bang Strike, which is energy concentrated in his fist and then shifted over to his buster cannon where it is then released. The result is a damaging attack that can destroy practically any object it comes into contact with, but it also leaves Proto Man physically drained and could quite easily kill him. Proto Man also has an upgraded form called Break Man, which causes face plate to cover his mouth. Proto Man's attacks are shown to be slightly more effective in this form but not by much, which is why he probably does not use it that often.

Proto Man is a free spirited person and dislikes people who tries to take his freedom away from him, which is one of the reasons why he left Dr. Light early in his life and why he ended up betraying Dr. Wily to Mega Man. He does not believe that proving your strength necessarily proves that you are the best, and constantly berates Bass for his narrow-minded ways. Because of his mysterious nature Proto Man despises it when people try to interview him and one of his favorite pastimes is whistling, where he has already come up with his own theme song and tends to always whistle a short version of it before appearing. Proto Man may be one of the few robots during the Classic series era which has the ability to truly make his own decisions, as he refuses to follow anyone and will not even let Dr. Light touch his unstable energy reactor, preferring to make his own future, even if that leads to death.

Weakness: Proto Man's design was used as a base for both Cut Man and Mega Man, meaning that he has little armor protection other than his shield. Because of this a powerful weapon that is good for hacking through objects (see King's Axe) could easily harm the robot and even damage his fragile reactor.