YMMV / The Protomen

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• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Some have interpreted Light as being just as much a coward as the citizens he condemns, noting specifically how he builds robots instead of doing heroic things himself. Similarly, Act II only lends further credit to this interpretation, as, unlike the others, where you could at least argue What Measure Is a Non-Human?, Joe is very human and Light still sends him off on a mission he knows may very well kill him.
  • This interpretation takes the idea of not only Joe but also Light being The Alcoholic and runs with it the whole way through, to a hilarious extent.
  • Invoked in The Sons of Fate, where many lines are interchangeable between Mega Man and Proto Man when performed live, most notably the "You will never have another hero!" rant (Spoken by Proto on the official album) and "Kill them all!" which is not spoken at all on the album, but is changed between Mega Man and Proto Man live.
• Complete Monster: Dr. Albert Wily, the dangerously charismatic former partner of the brilliant Dr. Thomas Light, took the latter's revolutionary ideas and twisted them in order to take over the city. When Light and his love Emily oppose his designs, Wily murders Emily and pins it on Light to turn the city against him and drive him into exile. As dictator, Wily keeps his citizens under the perpetual watch of a one-eyed robot sniper, later models of which he spitefully named after Light's fallen friend Joe, while other dissidents like Mega Man and Proto Man are shattered by Wily's cruel manipulations. At the end of Act I, Wily has a crowd of his own people massacred to keep them under control. Wily's Villain Song, "The Hounds", shows him to have willingly and happily "passed and forgotten" any chance to redeem himself, and he never spends a moment not reveling over how he's wrapped the entire world around his thumb.
• Contested Sequel: Although both acts are agreed to be good, opinions are split over which one is better. Act I is liked for its balls-out rocking, and Act II is liked for flowing better.
• Creepy Awesome:
  • The rebuilt Proto Man, who is nightmarishly evil and tragic, but correct in his assertions and extremely charismatic. Notably, he tends to get massive cheers, despite being who the audience is about to condemn to death.
  • Turbo Lover as Dr. Wily in live performances of The Hounds, who presents wide-eyed insanity and evil with a manic grin.
  • The Sniper/Light's Monster, who keeps the entire city terrified and under Wily's thumb, and is able to keep up with a motorcycle. He never says a word of his own, only copying his foes.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Murphy, Turbo Lover, Heath Who, the Keymaster, and Cobra T. Washington. The latter two are notable as they had short tenures with the band.
• Evil Is Cool:
  • Turbo Lover, AKA Dr. Wily. He wears a 50's style suit, tie, fedora, and a 'W' on his face.
  • The Sniper, a Cyber Cyclops Cold Sniper who singlehandedly terrifies an entire city into submission.
• Fandom Rivalry: There's a friendly rivalry with The Megas, as they're both Mega Man-themed rock bands that involve lyrics (with little else in common). Jokingly brought up by the Protomen when their site was hacked, as they joked that it was the Megas' fault. Over time they became Friendly Fandoms, especially as the bands began to affiliate more with each other.
• Fan Nickname:
  • A handful of people are already calling the Act III lead "Roll", even though it hasn't been confirmed if that's who she is in the story.
  • Nobody knew who Robobot was (he confirmed his name himself), so they called him "that blonde-haired guy."
  • Cobra T. Washington was named "Jesus Guitarist," due to him having a Jesus-like beard at his first show and nobody remembering his name.
  • The Gunslinger was nicknamed "Brick Cat" because his face paint apparently looked like a cat. Then he changed his face paint and received the nickname Gorgoroth.
• Foe Yay Shipping:
  • For a good while post-Act II's release, the tension between Light, Wily, and Emily was a popular fandom conversation, with Light/Wily fanfics in particular, both serious and not, being written.
  • Ditto for Megaman and Protoman a la their Ruby-Spears selves as brothers in battle who, if circumstances were different, could have been friends.
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • The entire song "Funeral For A Son" in light of Act II, where we see how bad Dr. Light's life was up to this point. In particular, this excerpt from the liner notes:
  Light notices a tear streaming down the dorsum of his hand and feels a breathtaking weight in his chest. What is this? Frustration? Humiliation? Hatred? Certainly, these are there too.
  But no, this is more than that. These emotions are his life. He has lived with them for so long that they no longer affect him. Over the years he has learned to fight them, then to ignore them, and finally channel them into his work, his creation, his machine, his son.
  • Light's impassioned "You are all that I have left", from 'Unrest in the House Of Light', in light of Act II, becomes even more chilling, as does "They have chosen their own end."
  • With revelations from Mega Man 11, the "We will be heroes/We will build heroes" bit from "The Good Doctor" isn't far off from actual canon.
• Jerkass Woobie: While Protoman worked under Wily to help placate the City and had no problem fighting his brother, the City watched him die trying to save them, did nothing to help him, and when he told them to stand for themselves, they ordered him dead.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • "Light Up The Night" is almost synonymous with the "Stu Makes Chocolate Pudding at 4 A.M." meme. It's also become synonymous with Guts getting off the boat.
  • HOW ABOUT I LIGHT UP YOUR NIGHT? was an image macro of David the Gnome looking ready to fight someone.
  • The phrase "There are no heroes left in man" is usually used in several Image Boards across the net.
    • "Even now there is hope for man!" is similarly used.
  • "WOOD MAN!" This one came from Panther saying "Wood Man" a lot in live performances of Due Vendetta.
  • After a rather snarky show notice described there being a "general lack of interest" in the band, the fandom picked up the phrase and ran with it.
  • Get down from there, Reanimator.
• Misaimed Fandom: Many fans, particularly those who prefer Act I, think that Proto Man was completely right about everything, and that his hatred of humanity was justified due to their self-centered apathy and ordering Mega Man to kill him. While he has a point, much of Act II, and Act III's Hold Back the Night, is dedicated to disproving the idea that all of mankind are cowards.
• Moral Event Horizon: Wily crosses it in Act I when he orders the deaths of hundreds of his citizens just for watching. However, Act II establishes that he actually crossed it years before: he ordered the machine that he built to kill Emily, watching her die simply because she chose Light over him. As if this wasn't enough, Wily further cements his status as an irredeemable villain by pinning Emily's murder on Light, and taunting him for his inability to escape his fate. He even admits there's no turning back in The Hounds.
  Wily: "If there ever was a time, if there ever was a chance, to undo the things I've done and wash these bloodstains from my hands, it has past and been forgotten."
• Narm Charm: A reckless teenager suddenly trusting a homeless middle-aged man and plotting to save a city sounds like something that should be ridiculous. It isn't. It's awesome.
• Older Than They Think: According to an interview with a former member, Due Vendetta was created and recorded before the band was even formed.
• Signature Song: "Light Up The Night" and "The Stand".
• Suspiciously Similar Song: The band never quotes music from the original games note-for-note, but certain melodies are very similar.
  • They did quote a few riffs from the games, most notably Wood Man's stage's drumline in "Hope Rides Alone," and a segment of Flash Man's stage theme in "The Will Of One."
  • The second album features "Breaking Out", which has an opening similar to the title-screen music of Mega Man 2. Its piano breakdown is reminiscent of Elec Man's stage from Mega Man as well.
• Too Cool to Live: Joe and Protoman.
• The Woobie: Dr. Light. Seriously, after listening to Act II, one can get a sense that, useless as it may be, the old man needs a hug. He's been betrayed twice so far in the story (Wily framing him for murder, Protoman joining Wily), lost his girlfriend, his city, and at least one son, with many songs emphasizing his grief and reactions to the tragedies he goes through. At least one member of the official forums pointed out that with the way things have gone for him, the next bowl of cereal he pours will probably just burst into flames.

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