Sniper Joe
Sniper Joes (スナイパージョー Sunaipā Jō) were originally an unknown type of mass-produced humanoid robot created by Dr. Light. They appear as enemies in almost every game from the original Mega Man series, giving Mega Man a difficult time getting through as an obstacle. Their design is primarily based on Proto Man. Dr. Wily modified the robots for combat, creating the Joe series, which resemble Proto Man in his Break Man form.[1] They mainly fight with a shield and a blaster, but some variations also operate vehicles and have different attacks. Sniper Joes have a single eye that covers the upper half of their face with a black sclera and a red pupil, giving them a menacing look.
Types of Sniper Joes[]
Sniper Joe[]
Sniper Joes are guard robots. They will stand in front of Mega Man protecting themselves with an indestructible shield, sometimes shooting 1 to 3 bullets or jumping. If Mega Man tries to pass by them in the first Mega Man game, they will chase him, jumping to stay in front of him. They can only be damaged when they are jumping or shooting. They appear in Bomb Man's stage. In the remake Mega Man Powered Up their shields can be knocked off, rendering them defenseless.
- In Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge, most Sniper Joes are stationary, but in the last stage they will almost always jump around the area. They appear in the stages of Cut Man, Ice Man, Fire Man and the Wily stages.
- Sniper Joes appear in early scenes of Episode 2 from Super Adventure Rockman. Some are seen helping Dr. Wily build Ra Thor, and three Sniper Joes try to ambush Mega Man, but Proto Man warns him and they defeat the Joes.
- Sniper Joes are typically the same size as Mega Man, however they are shorter than him in Mega Man: The Wily Wars due to not being resized.
- Purple and red variants of this Sniper Joe appeared in the DOS games Mega Man and Mega Man 3 respectively.
Mega Man Legacy Collection data[]
A guard robot. For that reason, it's got an attack-deflecting shield. Its design is based on that of Proto Man.
HP: 10
AT: 04
Weakness: Hyper Bomb
Returning Sniper Joe[]
Returning Sniper Joe (帰ってきたスナイパージョー Kaettekita Sunaipā Jō) is a Sniper Joe from Mega Man 2 that always shoots three bullets and jump in place and can't walk. Usually it is seen piloting Sniper Armor, emerging from it when the bipedal vehicle is destroyed. They only appear without the armor in the first and fourth Wily Castle stages in Mega Man 2. They are orange in Mega Man 2 and lilac in Mega Man: The Wily Wars.
Hits data chart[]
Amount of shots/hits from Special Weapons it takes to destroy a Returning Sniper Joe.
| Mega Man 2 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Mega Buster | Metal Blade | Air Shooter | Bubble Lead | Quick Boomerang | Crash Bomber | Time Stopper | Atomic Fire | Leaf Shield |
| Normal | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | Y | 5:2:1 | 2 |
| Difficult | 10 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 | Y | 10:4:1 | 3 |
| Mega Man: The Wily Wars | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Buster | Rolling Cutter | Super Arm | Ice Slasher | Hyper Bomb | Fire Storm | Thunder Beam | |
| 10 | 5 | ? | Y | 1 | 5 | 3 | |
| Metal Blade | Air Shooter | Bubble Lead | Quick Boomerang | Crash Bomber | Time Stopper | Atomic Fire | Leaf Shield |
| 10 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 | Y | 10:4:1 | 4 |
| Needle Cannon | Magnet Missile | Gemini Laser | Hard Knuckle | Top Spin | Search Snake | Spark Shock | Shadow Blade |
| 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Sniper Armor[]
Sniper Armor
Sniper Armor (スナイパーアーマー Sunaipā Āmā) is a Sniper Joe that pilots a lilac jumping machine equipped with a machine gun. Destroying the armor will cause the Joe that was piloting it to attack on foot. It appeared in Mega Man 2, Mega Man: The Wily Wars, and Mega Man on the Game Gear. Mega Man 11 has a variety of this enemy named Sniper Armor D.
Hammer Joe[]
Hammer Joe
Hammer Joe (ハンマージョー Hanmā Jō) is an armored Sniper Joe that swings a ball and chain and throws it at enemies. Unlike normal Sniper Joes, they can only be hurt when their eye is open. Another weak spot is their legs. They appear in Mega Man 3, Mega Man II, Mega Man III, and Mega Man: The Wily Wars.
Skeleton Joe[]
Skeleton Joe
Skeleton Joe (スケルトン・ジョー Sukeruton Jō) are Skeleton-like Sniper Joes that throw bones and fall apart when damaged, temporarily becoming indestructible until they reassemble. They mainly appear in Skull Man's stage in Mega Man 4 and Mega Man III.
Apache Joe[]
Apache Joes (アパッチジョー Apacchi Jō) are purple Sniper Joes that pilot a small helicopter in Napalm Man's stage and in the final stages of Mega Man 5. Despite being novice pilots, they are experts in flying their helicopters. They aggressively fly after Mega Man while firing energy shots.
They also appear in Napalm Man's Stage in Mega Man for the Game Gear.
Hits data chart[]
Amount of shots/hits from Special Weapons it takes to destroy an Apache Joe.
| Mega Man 5 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Buster | Gravity Hold | Water Wave | Power Stone | Gyro Attack | Star Crash | Charge Kick | Napalm Bomb | Crystal Eye | Super Arrow | Beat |
| 4:4:2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4:4 | 4 | 2 | 2:2 | 2 | 2 |
Rider Joe[]
Rider Joe (ライダージョー Raidā Jō) is a Sniper Joe that appears while Mega Man is on the Marine Bike in Wave Man's stage in Mega Man 5 and Mega Man for the Game Gear, also using a marine bike that can shoot. They were created to take over the water control bureau. They can come from the front and behind.
Crystal Joe[]
Crystal Joe (クリスタルジョー Kurisutaru Jō) is a Joe in Mega Man 5 created by Dr. Wily that is made out of crystals. They charge up to create crystal shards that they then launch. They are indestructible when they are charging and can only be destroyed when they are attacking. They appear in Crystal Man's stage and the second Proto Man Castle stage.
Hits data chart[]
Amount of shots/hits from Special Weapons it takes to destroy a Crystal Joe.
| Mega Man 5 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Buster | Gravity Hold | Water Wave | Power Stone | Gyro Attack | Star Crash | Charge Kick | Napalm Bomb | Crystal Eye | Super Arrow | Beat |
| 3:3:1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3:3 | 3 | 1 | 2:2 | 3 | 2 |
Gunner Joe[]
Gunner Joe (ガンナージョー Gannā Jō) is an enemy in Mega Man IV that appears in the stage where Mega Man chases after Wily in space.
Cannon Joe[]
Cannon Joe (キャノンジョー Kyanon Jō) is a Joe inside a stationary cannon that can shoot to the sides. They appear in Blizzard Man's stage (on the submarine) and in the first Wily stage from Mega Man 6.
Sniper Joe 01[]
Sniper Joe 01 (スナイパージョー０１ Sunaipā Jō 01) is a Sniper Joe from Mega Man 7 that acts like the original Sniper Joe, except it shoots more often. They are infamous for only taking four shots from the Mega Buster to be defeated.
Truck Joe[]
Truck Joe (トラックジョー Torakku Jō) is a Sniper Joe in a big spike-fronted truck. It appears twice as the sub-boss of Turbo Man's stage in Mega Man 7. Truck Joe also appears in Mega Man: Battle & Chase as one of the extra opponent racers. He has a hidden boss incarnation called Black Joe (ブラックジョー Burakku Jō), who is a member of the Black Troop.
Joe Classic[]
Joe Classic (ジョー・クラシック Jō Kurashikku) is a Joe with an appearance similar to the Sniper Joes from the first Mega Man game. They appear in Clown Man's stage, as well as Grenade Man's, Aqua Man's, and the second and third sections of the Wily Tower in Mega Man 8. They also appear in the Opening Stage, Tengu Man's stage, Astro Man's stage, Dynamo Man's stage, Ground Man's stage, Burner Man's stage, Magic Man's stage, and the first, second, and third sections of King Castle in Mega Man & Bass. They act similarly to Sniper Joe 01, but can throw grenades too. Mega Man can shoot through their shields at point-blank range, as well as with the Laser and Arrow Shot Charge Shots. He can also destroy them with a well-placed Tornado Hold and Flash Bomb. The Ice Wave can also destroy them from below.
Machine Gun Joe[]
Machine Gun Joe (マシンガンジョー Mashin Gan Jō) is an enemy from Mega Man 9. It is a red Sniper Joe that has rapid fire, able to shoot bursts of eight bullets. Laser Trident can pass through their shields, while the Jewel Satellite and Proto Shield can reflect their bullets back to them. They appear in Tornado Man's stage and the second and third Wily Stages. It is possible to shoot through their shields with the Mega Buster by attacking them at point blank range.
Returning Machine Gun Joe[]
Returning Machine Gun Joe (帰ってきたマシンガンジョー Kaettekita Mashin Gan Jō) is a variant from Mega Man 10. It fire six shots in bursts of three. In Hard Mode, they can jump around. Their shields can be knocked off easily with the Bass Buster, Water Shield, and Screw Crusher, although hitting the shield rapidly with four shots from any weapon (pausing to eliminate shots when need be) will do the trick. They can also be easily defeated using the Mirror Buster, as the bullets just backfire. They appear in Nitro Man's Stage, Wily Stage 1, Wily Stage 3, Special Stage 1, and Special Stage 2. In Hard Mode, they also appear in Pump Man's Stage and Wily Stage 2. They also appear in Challenge #33, Special Force 1.
Sniper Joe (Mega Man 11)[]
Sniper Joe returns in Mega Man 11 with an attack pattern similar to their original version. Sniper Joes can be stunned if Mega Man hits their shields with a charged shot from his Mega Buster, but they will recover in a second or two. Most Sniper Joes are stationary and will only jump up, but some can also jump around to pursue Mega Man if he attempts to avoid them. Additionally, some Sniper Joes drop down from the ceiling to try to ambush Mega Man. Sniper Joes appear by themselves in Acid Man's, Tundra Man's, and Blast Man's stages, with some using a Sniper Armor D in the latter, and they also appear in the first two Gear Fortress stages. There's even a room in Gear Fortress Stage 2 filled entirely with Sniper Joes.
"Scuba Joe"[]
Two unnamed underwater Sniper Joes from Mega Man Rush Marine. One type shoots bullets like ordinary Sniper Joes, while the other uses harpoons to attack.
"Laser Joe"[]
An unnamed type of Sniper Joe from Street Fighter X Mega Man, found in Crimson Viper's stage. They shoot long laser beams.
Sniper Joe in Mega Man Network Transmission[]
- See also: Hammer Joe
Sniper Joes appear as a virus in Mega Man Network Transmission. When they do not have their shield up, they either shoot three shots consecutively or charge up one shot.
Virus stats[]
| SniperJoe | HP: | 100 | Element: | 
|
Damage: | 40 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dropped: | HiGuard, Recov80 | |||||
| Location: | Bank Comp |
Other media[]
Mega Man (Archie Comics)[]
Sniper Joes appear in the Mega Man comic series by Archie Comics and in several manga. Like in the games, they were derived from the design of Blues, as Blues had been the prototype to a military-grade robot.
They debuted in Issue 2 of the comic, where Mega Man encountered one while on his way to a construction site to confront Bomb Man. Dr. Light, when seeing the Sniper Joe, initially mistook him for Blues, and was shocked at his apparently working with Dr. Wily. However, he eventually got a closer look and saw it was actually a Sniper Joe, and told Mega Man to retreat for the moment, while also becoming a bit confused as to how Dr. Wily got a hold of Sniper Joes.
Another one appears in Issue 5, creating a diverison for the police while Time Man resuced Wily.
In the Proto-Type arc, which served as Proto Man's backstory, the Sniper Joes were mentioned to be a simpler version of Proto Man's design, due to the testing reaching an unexpected development regarding an unstable power core in him. In addition, their name was mentioned to have been given by Dr. Wily (then Dr. Light's lab partner) in reference to the Army, which he referred to them as "Army Joes".
A Sniper Joe makes an appearance in Issue 27, as part of the Worlds Collide special, getting a beatdown from Sonic. During the Worlds Unite crossover, they make an appearance with several Wily Bots from the first three games in Sonic: Worlds Unite Battles Issue 1.
Mega Man Megamix[]
Having discovered Proto Man after he left Dr. Light, Dr. Wily created Sniper Joe based off of Proto Man's specifications. Sniper Joe is a mass production model sentry robot who has a buster, shield, and advanced defenses like Proto Man. Following his success with Sniper Joe, Dr. Wily developed many variations of Joe robots, such as Skeleton Joe.
When Bass captured Roll to draw Mega Man's attention to fight him, Dr. Wily appeared with an army of Sniper Joes to help Bass. However, Bass tells Wily to stay out of his fight and they argue, resulting in Dr. Wily ordering the Sniper Joes to attack Bass. During the fight, Roll is almost hit, but she is rescued by Proto Man. Surprised to see that Proto Man is still alive, and with the Sniper Joes aiming to him, Dr. Wily asks why he appeared, saying that his answer will decide his fate. Proto Man destroys the remaining Sniper Joes and says that he can't stand having so many copies of him milling about.
Other appearances[]
Sniper Joes appeared in several manga.
The Sniper Joes also appeared in Jasco's Universal Fighting System TCG Mega Man series, with one artwork depicting a Sniper Joe being hit with an uppercut from Proto Man (alluding to the latter's distaste for the Sniper Joe line).[2]
Gallery[]
Front, side, and rear view of Sniper Joe.
Sniper Shield.
An early Sniper Joe
Concept art of Sniper Joe from Mega Man Powered Up.
Sniper Joe's render from Megs Man Powered Up.
Mega Man 11 final concept art.
.png "MM11-Sniper Joe (11).png (445 KB)")
Mega Man 11 Sniper Joe.
Sniper Joe in Super Adventure Rockman.
Sniper Joes in Super Adventure Rockman.
Crystal Joe in Mega Man: Upon a Star.
Sniper Joe in the Archie comics.
Returning Sniper Joe in the Archie comics.
Returning Sniper Joe in Rockman: Dr. Wily no Inbou.
Rider Joe in the Rockman 5 manga.
Apache Joe in the Rockman 5 manga.
Crystal Joe in the Rockman 5 manga.
Cannon Joe in the Rockman 6 manga.
An Apache Joe in Ben Bates' Mega Man picture.
King's Sniper Joes in the Rockman and Forte manga.
Sniper Joe in DOS
Trivia[]
- There are several enemies resembling Sniper Joes in the Mega Man X series. Hoganmer holds an indestructible shield and attacks with a chain mace. Disk Boy 08s attack by throwing spiked disks. Armor Soldiers and Rideroid Gs use Ride Armors. Road Riders and Hornets use Ride Chaser. Runnerbombs work for Red Alert and Guardroids are mass-produced new generation Reploids. All these variations work for Mavericks as foot soldiers. These Sniper Joes variations may have been replaced by Pantheons, and later by the Variants in the Mega Man Zero series. In the Mega Man ZX series, Pantheons and Variants are replaced by Galleons.
- Their design might be a reference to the Zaku from Mobile Suit Gundam, which also has green armor, a single red monoeye, and a shield.
- Sniper Joe's shield was based on the shield from the game Trojan.[3]
Similar enemies[]
Enemies similar to Sniper Joes.
References[]
| Mega Man |
|---|
| Six Robot Masters |
| Cut Man • Guts Man • Ice Man • Bomb Man • Fire Man • Elec Man |
| Other bosses |
| Yellow Devil • Copy Robot • CWU-01P • Wily Machine 1 |
| Mega Man's Special Weapons |
| Rolling Cutter • Super Arm • Ice Slasher • Hyper Bomb • Fire Storm • Thunder Beam |
| Mega Man's Support Items |
| Magnet Beam |
| List of enemies |
| Adhering Suzy • Blaster • Big Eye • Bunby Heli • Bombombomb • Changkey • Crazy Razy • Foot Holder • Gabyoall • Kamadoma Killer Bomb • Mambu • Metall • Pepe • Pickelman • Screw Driver • Sniper Joe • Super Cutter • Watcher |
| Miscellaneous |
| Script • Gallery • List of enemies • Damage data chart • Miscellaneous data |
| Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge |
|---|
| The eight Robot Masters |
| Cut Man • Ice Man • Fire Man • Elec Man • Bubble Man • Quick Man • Flash Man • Heat Man |
| Other Bosses |
| Enker • Wily Machine I |
| Special Weapons |
| Rolling Cutter • Ice Slasher • Fire Storm • Thunder Beam • Bubble Lead • Quick Boomerang • Time Stopper • Atomic Fire • Mirror Buster |
| Support Item |
| Carry |
| Locations |
| Cut Man Stage • Ice Man Stage • Fire Man Stage • Elec Man Stage • Wily Castle • Wily Station |
| Miscellaneous |
| Damage Data Chart • Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge Script • Enemies |
| Mega Man II |
|---|
| The eight bosses |
| Metal Man • Air Man • Crash Man • Wood Man • Needle Man • Magnet Man • Hard Man • Top Man |
| Other bosses |
| Quint • Wily Machine II |
| Special Weapons |
| Metal Blade • Air Shooter • Crash Bomber • Leaf Shield • Needle Cannon • Magnet Missile • Hard Knuckle • Top Spin • Sakugarne |
| Support Items |
| Rush Coil • Rush Jet • Rush Marine |
| Locations |
| Metal Man Stage • Air Man Stage • Crash Man Stage • Wood Man Stage • Wily Castle Needle Man Stage • Magnet Man Stage • Hard Man Stage • Top Man Stage • Wily Station |
| Miscellaneous |
| Damage Data Chart • Enemies |
| Mega Man IV |
|---|
| Robot Masters |
| Bright Man • Toad Man • Pharaoh Man • Ring Man Stone Man • Charge Man • Napalm Man • Crystal Man |
| Other bosses |
| "Satellite Cannon" • Ballade • "Bridge" • Hunter • Wily Robo Iron Golem |
| Special Weapons |
| Flash Stopper • Rain Flush • Pharaoh Shot • Ring Boomerang Power Stone • Charge Kick • Napalm Bomb • Crystal Eye • Ballade Cracker |
| Support items |
| Rush Coil • Rush Jet • Beat |
| Locations |
| Dr. Light's Laboratory • Bright Man Stage • Toad Man Stage • Pharaoh Man Stage • Ring Man Stage Wily Station • Stone Man Stage • Charge Man Stage • Napalm Man Stage • Crystal Man Stage • Wily Battleship |
| Miscellaneous |
| Damage Data Chart • Enemies • Script |
| Mega Man (Game Gear) |
|---|
| Robot Masters |
| Bright Man • Stone Man • Star Man • Napalm Man • Wave Man • Toad Man |
| Other Bosses |
| Wily Capsule II |
| Mega Man's Special Weapons |
| Mega Buster • Flash Stopper • Power Stone • Star Crash • Napalm Bomb • Water Wave • Rain Flush |
| List of Enemies |
| 100 Watton • Apache Joe • Asteroid • B Bitter • Baby Metall • Battan • Bomb Thrown • Bounder • Changkey Maker • Dachone • Daidine • Dompan • Gas • Giree • Gyotot • Hirarian 427 • Irucan • Jet Bomb • Lyric • Metall Cannon • Metall Mommy • Minoan • Mizzile • Mousubeil Power Muscler • Puyoyon • Rackaser • Ratton • Rider Joe • Rock Thrown • Rolling Drill • Scworm • Sniper Armor • Space Metall Springer • Swallown • Subeil • Sumatran • Taban • Tatepakkan • Teckyun • Tondeall • Toss Machine • Totem Polen Twin Cannon • Yudon • V |
| - Sub-Bosses - |
| Escaroo • Octoper OA |
| Locations |
| Bright Man Stage • Stone Man Stage • Star Man Stage • Napalm Man Stage • Wave Man Stage • Toad Man Stage |
| Miscellaneous |
| Mega Man (Game Gear) Damage Data Chart |