Mega Man’s journey from Blue Bomber to bombshell

polygon.com:

For decades, gamers have been helping Mega Man and the great Maverick Hunter known as X foil the plans of the evil Dr. Wily and Sigma. But even those familiar with the Mega Man franchise don’t know much about the differences between the two heroes headlining the series, as Capcom has left both as stoic icons with incomplete biographies. Thanks to the hundred-year difference between the original Mega Man’s crusade and the time of X’s adventures, though, one thing is clear: Much has changed in the franchise’s attitude, style, and accessorizing.

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Mega Man, introduced in 1987, was undoubtedly a hero, but that young construct was also very plain — all heart and no lasting impression. He was small, with rounded edges and squeezable cheeks, adorned in shades of blue except for the flesh tone on his face, trying so hard to just stick out (initially he was white until his creators realized the solid pale color made the sprite animations unclear). Back in his day, being fashionable simply involved gaining new powers and changing one’s color scheme, as a fresh splash of paint was meant to go an impossibly long way. Accessories were even more challenging, as he had to hope no one recognized his upgrades were hand-me-downs or that he had merely wrapped parts of his loyal hound around him (Rush always did the heavy lifting, a truly versatile pet). As hard as Mega Man tried, he was forever stuck at the robo-kiddie table.

X was a different breed. This creation, introduced in 1993’s Mega Man X, looked older, had less to prove, and didn’t need a long handle to signal what he was when a