Sword Man
- "There's no second chance!"
- —Sword Man, Mega Man & Bass database
Sword Man (ソードマン Sōdoman) is a combat Robot Master from Mega Man 8. He was built by Dr. Wily to utilize an ancient sword that he stole from a museum. Unfortunately, the sword on Sword Man's right arm was too heavy to maneuver, so the upper and lower parts of his body were fitted with an anti-gravitational device to stabilize him, and as such, both halves of his body can act independently to improve his balance.
While he possesses a sharp wit, Sword Man tends to have an outdated mindset when it comes to fashions and modern traditions. He has a strong interest in the Japanese martial art of Iaigiri and dislikes faulty swords and chipped blades.
Video game appearances[]
Mega Man 8[]
Sword Man is one of the second four bosses. His main attack is Flame Sword, an attack that envelops his sword with flames for extra damage. Sword Man can also attack by spinning his upper part rapidly to cut enemies, and drops heavy statues. His stage is a Cambodian temple-like area shown located somewhere in Central Asia, but would be more southeast on the Asian mainland.
Strategy[]
Sword Man has a number of attacks:
Note: Attack names are not official.
- Fire Slash - When Sword Man does this attack, he will try to attack Mega Man by spinning his upper torso, separating it and having it return like a boomerang. Mega Man cannot attack Sword Man during this attack, but he can slide under him.
- Flame Sword - Sword Man will attempt to stop Mega Man with this attack at close range, which is a fire-based version of Slash Claw. Mega Man must maintain his distance to avoid it.
- Quake - When Sword Man jumps, a giant version of a Kao de Kahna will drop. Mega Man must slide to avoid it.
- Final Strike - When Sword Man jumps, his upper torso gravitates into the air while his lower torso rams at Mega Man on the ground. Mega Man must be fast to jump carefully and avoid it.
Sword Man can use Final Strike and Flame Sword in rapid succession.
When Sword Man's health is below 50%, he will place his sword on the ground and surround himself with a swirling fire pillar. Mega Man cannot hit him during this attack, except with Water Balloon. Touching the pillar does a tremendous amount of damage, but Sword Man tends to do it far away from Mega Man, so it is unlikely the player will get hit by it.
Rockman Strategy[]
Sword Man appears twice as an enemy in the game, and can also become a part of the player's team. His initial appearance is in the "Temple of the Moon" in Madagascar (no relation to the structure of the same name in Super Adventure Rockman) as one of Luna's backup units, along with Skull Man. The pair would later join Aqua Man and Bomb Man in working to protect the Wily Capsule α in "Dimensional Space".
Data[]
Voices[]
| Usage | English | Japanese | Rōmaji & Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intro (Stage Select) | I'm Swordsman. | ソードマンだ。 | Sōdoman da. |
| Pre-battle | Let's make this a fair fight. | 正々堂々、勝負だ！ | Seisei doudou, shōbu da! ("Let's fight fair and square!") |
| Pre-battle | I won't hold back. | 手加減はしない。真剣勝負だ！ | Tekagen wa shinai. Shinken shōbu da! ("I won't go easy on you. No holds barred!") |
| Pre-battle | I'll do my best. | 悪いが全力で行くぞ！ | Warui ga zenryoku de iku zo! ("I'm sorry, but I'll go with full power!") |
| Pre-battle | Nothing personal, but I've got orders. | 気は引けるが…お前を斬る！ | Ki wa hikeru ga... Omae wo kiru! ("With reluctance... I'll cut you down!") |
| Attack shout | Final Strike! | 必殺！ | Hissatsu! ("Special Move!") |
| Attack shout | Flame Sword! | フレイムソード！ | Fureimu Sōdo! |
| Attack shout | Fire Slash! | ファイヤースラッシュ！ | Faiyā Surasshu! |
| Overdrive Attack shout | Huuuh! | ふんっ！ | Hun! (One of the kiai or kakegoe) |
| Avoid completely Fire Slash attack | Impressive. | やるな…！ | Yaru na...! |
| Cry | Urragh! | ぐおっ！ | Guo! |
| Hit by Water Balloon | ''Euuugh'' | うおぉ！？ | Uoo!? |
| Hit by Water Balloon while using Overdrive Attack | Not yet. | まだまだ！ | Mada mada! |
| Defeat | Nice shot. | いい腕だ… | Ii ude da... |
Mega Man & Bass CD data[]
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Stage enemies[]
Enemies in Sword Man's stage.
| Image | Enemy |
|---|---|
 |
Sword Man (boss) |
 |
Gearna Eye (sub-boss) |
 |
Fire Metall |
 |
Batton M64 |
 |
Kao de Kahna |
 |
Kao na Gahna |
 |
Succubatton |
|
Batton Mommy & Petit Batton |
 |
Kao ga Mehda |
 |
Telly R |
Other appearances[]
Mega Man (Archie Comics)[]
Sword Man appears during the Worlds Collide arc as part of an army of Robot Masters assembled by Dr. Wily and Dr. Eggman. During the course of the battle, his sword gets stuck in the ground due to an attack by Sonic the Hedgehog.
Short Circuits[]
The sword used by Dr. Wily in the Short Circuits strip of Issue 36 bore a strong resemblance to Sword Man's.
Gallery[]
Alternate colors.
Concept artwork of Sword Man.
Katana Robot (Primary Form) template for Capcom's contest.
Keigo Matsuo's boss character contest submission.
Sword Man's CD database sprite from Mega Man & Bass.
Sword Man alongside other fire-related Robot Masters illustration by Hitoshi Ariga.
Trivia[]
- During Capcom's boss character contest for Mega Man 8, Sword Man was one of three robots created using a pre-made design template supplied to fans, along with Clown Man and Search Man. His template was known as "Katana Robot."
- Sword Man is one of the first robot characters to possess a noticeable accented voice (Australian), alongside Colonel (whose voice is coincidentally provided by the same voice actor who did Sword Man) and Iris. Matthew Meersbergen, who voiced Colonel and Sword Man, is Australian, and the characters Colonel and Sword Man have similarities, as well—they are both sword-wielding foes who have a high sense of honor and will not hold back in a fight.
- Sword Man was one of two Robot Masters from Mega Man 8 to receive a toy in the form of Bandai's Mega Armor model kit series, the other being Tengu Man. The model is not separated at the waist, instead closing the two halves together.
- Sword Man's name may be a pun on "swordsman", another term for a swordfighter.
- In the Mega Man: Anniversary Collection version of Mega Man 8, Sword Man's voice files are bugged, raising his pitch considerably. Many other Robot Masters, especially in Wily Stage 4, suffer from the same problem.
- Part of Sword Man’s stage music is similar to the tune that plays when obtaining a weapon in Mega Man 3.
| Rockman Strategy |
|---|
| Characters |
| Mega Man • Beat • Rush • Dr. Light • Roll Proto Man • Duo • Auto • Eddie • Fan • Dr. Wily |
| Bosses |
| Aries • Taurus • Gemini • Cancer • Leo • Virgo Libra • Scorpio • Sagittarius • Capricorn • Aquarius • Pisces Bass • Treble • Apollo • Luna • Wily Machine α • Wily Capsule α |
| Robot Masters |
| Fire Man • Cut Man• Bomb Man • Flame Man • Ice Man • Frost Man Guts Man • Metal Man • Elec Man • Spark Man • Cloud Man • Heat Man Napalm Man • Bubble Man • Freeze Man • Hard Man • Yamato Man • Tomahawk Man Pharaoh Man • Burst Man • Dive Man • Aqua Man • Stone Man • Astro Man Knight Man •Sword Man •Skull Man |
| Miscellaneous |
| Characters and Enemies • Screws • Dr. Light's Laboratory • Items • Script |