Proto Man is a mysterious robot from the Mega Man series, first appearing in Mega Man 3. Not an ally, but also not an enemy, he is one of Dr. Light's earliest experiments with robots with feelings, but Proto Man left Light to live life alone. However, he has both fought and joined Mega Man in his fight for justice against Dr. Wily several times.
Why Proto Man for Smash Bros.?
Proto Man is in an intersting situation in which his series already has an Assist Trophy (Elec Man), and he's too unique to be a costume for Mega Man. Mega Man also does not have the Proto Shield yet that we know of, and as such is missing a useful tool.
Proto Man can easily be a Lucina situation, a character that starts off as an Alternate Costume of Mega Man, but is then made into a semi-clone. He would fight similarly to Mega Man, but have some moves changed in order for his Proto Shield to come into play. Other than that, I don't have many ideas for a moveset, but any help from the community would be appreciated.
Third Parties won't get second reps, as Sakurai said he doesn't want the roster filled with third parties.
There's an easy situation this: If Snake does not return, it's not too farfetched that Capcom would get a second rep, much more a semi clone.
But why should Capcom get special treatment?
Mega Man has existed longer than Sonic, and the Mega Man franchise has more characters to pull form than the Pac-Man franchise. Also, Mega Man is one of the most hyped newcomers, if not the most hyped newcomer, so it wouldn't be unbelievable that he would bring a friend along.
Why Proto Man and not Zero, Dr. Wily, Roll, Tron, etc.?
Proto Man fits in with the classic Mega Man theme more than Zero and Tron do, and is easier to develop than Roll, as he has the same basic body structure as Mega Man. However, if we were to get a unique second Mega Man rep, my money would be on Zero.
Pros:
+ Another third-party character
+ Roster padding
+ A new, more defensive way to play Mega Man
Cons:
- Another third party character
- Another clone
- Capcom getting special treatment
So, what do you think? Do you support Proto Man as his own playable character, as an alt., etc.? If so, please comment, and I'll add more content as I get more time. But for now, enjoy this Brawl Hacks vid with Proto Man in it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuqhhokzuTM
And an Image Gallery!