Number: DWN-011
Weapon: Bubble Lead
Weakness: Metal Blade
The first underwater robot created by Dr. Wily. He’s pretty cute when swimming around. Make use of your higher jump and attack him.
While he’s a bit goofy to look at, Bubble Man is expertly built for underwater combat. His maneuverability may only manifest itself in the form of tall leaps and controlled descent, but hey, he’s doing’ his own thing. I’m sure he’s better prepared for underwater battles than Wood Man!
As you battle Bubble Man, be aware of spikes that line the ceiling. These one-hit-kill baddies are even more dangerous is a room where your own leaping ability is enhanced by the water!
The Bubble Lead hugs the ground, tracing a path that both deals light damage upon impact and alerts you to possible invisible pits. The latter only happens a few times late in the game, so for the most part you’ll use this against Heat Man and – surprisingly – the final boss, who’s weak to only the Bubble Lead.
Bubble Man is often my first stop in modern MM2 replays, since the stage is pretty tame and the music is so good! The stage always reminds me of when this game first released and I played it at a friend’s house… on a black and white TV! Still a lot of those things floating around in 1988-89.
And as Uchida-san will mention below, discovering that Bubble Lead was the only way to beat the last boss was quite a suspenseful moment. The way that whole final area unfolds is so tense – especially for the NES era, and for 8~10-year-old kids!
Art from the Mega Man Legacy Collection Museum Mode
Takekuni Uchida, Rockman Unity administrator
“Not to fall second to Toad Man in terms of comical animations, it’s hard to tell if Bubble Man is a weak boss or a strong one, but one thing’s for sure: you just can’t hate the guy.
“I don’t recall ever having trouble against him, and the weapon you obtain from him, the “Bubble Lead,” seemed completely useless as an offensive weapon when I first tried it out, so much so that I completely forgot about it midway through the game. But then I realized you could use it to sniff out pitfalls. ‘Whoa!’
“And then, as you all know, there was the final boss. Nothing seemed to damage him, no matter what you did. I’d exhausted all the energy from all other weapons—Mega Man was near-death! All I had left were… those stupid bubbles I’d all but forgotten about.
“And then, the impossible happened. ‘Whoa!’ I uttered, once again.
“It was like a suspense movie, where you find out the person you least suspected was the bad guy all along! (Is Bubble Man Keyser Söze?!)
“Realizing the importance of the Bubble Lead gave me a new respect for him. Bubble Man offered a sort of “subtle flavor” to Mega Man that taught me the fun of strategizing and discovery in these games. That, and to not judge a book by its cover—everyone has something good to offer.”
David Oxford , The Mega Man Network ( +Robot Master Field Guide )
“Ah, poor Bubble Man. Among all the Robot Masters, is there any to be more sympathetic towards? Maybe, but that’s getting ahead of ourselves.
“Bubble Man was designed to excel underwater… and nowhere else, really. Unlike Mega Man, he was designed to be able to swim well (and even when Mega Man learned how, he wasn’t all that good at it — perhaps that’s why he stopped?). But while he could swim, his original waterproof design didn’t allow him to walk on land, only jump around. This was enough to send Dr. Wily into fits of laughter upon seeing it — a laughing stock, even to his own creator! How can you not feel sorry for that?
“To make matters worse, there is his special weapon: the Bubble Lead. To this day, people disagree on whether it’s supposed to be pronounced “ˈled” (as in the metal) or “ˈlÄ“d” (as in “leader”). Either way, the weapon is seldom used throughout the course of the game. Then again, there is one use for it which may just give Bubble Man the last laugh in the end .”
