Editing Mega Man (section)

=== Original series ===
{{Timeline of release years
| range1 = 1987 -
| range1_color = #e8000a #3da6e1 <!-- Based on logo -->
| compressempty = yes
|1987 = '''''[[Mega Man (1987 video game)|Mega Man]]'''''
|1988 = '''''[[Mega Man 2]]'''''
|1990 = '''''[[Mega Man 3]]'''''
|1991a = ''[[Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge]]''
|1991b = '''''[[Mega Man 4]]'''''
|1991c = ''[[Mega Man II (1991 video game)|Mega Man II]]''
|1992a = '''''[[Mega Man 5]]'''''
|1992b = ''[[Mega Man III (Game Boy)|Mega Man III]]''
|1993a = ''[[Mega Man IV (1993 video game)|Mega Man IV]]''
|1993b = '''''[[Mega Man 6]]'''''
|1994a = ''[[Mega Man V (1994 video game)|Mega Man V]]''
|1994b = ''[[Mega Man: The Wily Wars]]''
|1995a = '''''[[Mega Man 7]]'''''
|1995b = [[Mega Man (1995 video game)|''Mega Man'' (Game Gear)]]
|1996 = '''''[[Mega Man 8]]'''''
|1998 = ''[[Mega Man & Bass]]''
|2006 = ''[[Mega Man Powered Up]]''
|2008 = '''''[[Mega Man 9]]'''''
|2010 ='''''[[Mega Man 10]]'''''
|2012 = ''[[Street Fighter X Mega Man]]''
|2018 ='''''[[Mega Man 11]]'''''
}}
[[File:Megaman9 gameplay.jpg|thumb|left|[[Mega Man (character)|Mega Man]] battles mini-boss Hanabiran from ''[[Mega Man 9]]'' in Hornet Man's stage. Note the [[run and gun (video game)|run-and-gun]] and platform gameplay.]]

The original ''Mega Man'' series, dubbed ''Classic Mega Man'', marks the start of the franchise, released on the NES on December 17, 1987. In the original series, ''Mega Man'' is an [[Android (robot)|android]] originally named Rock (nicknamed "Mega" in later installments), created as a lab assistant by the scientist [[Doctor Light (Mega Man)|Dr. Light]] with [[Dr. Wily]] as his partner. Following treachery by Dr. Wily in which he reprogrammed most of Dr. Light's robots, Rock volunteered to be converted into a fighting robot to defend the world from Wily's violent robotic threats, thus becoming Mega Man.

''Mega Man'' is a [[Side-scrolling video game|side-scrolling]] [[action game|action]] [[platform game|platformer]]. The [[player character]] must fight through the levels using Mega Man's "Mega Buster"—a cannon attached to his arm—to shoot the robotic enemies inhabiting his environment. When Mega Man was released in 1987, the characteristic that made it revolutionary was the choice given to the player of which robot master to attempt first. After defeating a Robot Master—the [[boss (video game)|boss]] of a level—Mega Man gains the ability to use that Robot Master's special weapon. Each Robot Master represents a specific element or object, with bosses such as Fire Man, Ice Man, Guts Man, Cut Man, Elec Man, and Bomb Man. The weapons Mega Man gains share the theme of the defeated boss. After defeating all of the Robot Masters, Mega Man travels to a multi-stage fortress to confront Dr. Wily, the person responsible for the robotic enemies' destructive acts. In the fortress, Mega Man fights new bosses, clones of the game's Robot Masters, and Wily himself, who is usually in a large multi-phase war machine.

Enemies are weak to at least one weapon; for instance, Fire Man will take more damage from Ice Man's weapon than from other weapons. This concept draws inspiration from [[rock-paper-scissors]]. Robot Master levels can generally be completed in any order, resulting in a strategic hallmark of the series: determining the best order to defeat bosses and earn weapons. Sequels of ''Mega Man'' games contain new enemies alongside familiar ones, new bosses, new weapons, and occasionally new gadgets that Mega Man could use. Starting from ''Mega Man 3'', ''Rush''—Mega Man's trusty robot dog companion became a series mainstay, and later installments would provide Rush abilities for Mega Man to use. ''Mega Man 3'' and ''4'' gave Mega Man the ability to slide and charge his buster, respectively, though he was unable to use these abilities in ''Mega Man 9'' and ''10''. Later installments of the series give the player the option of commanding other [[player characters]] with different abilities, such as [[Proto Man]], Duo, and Bass.

The ''Classic'' series has yet to reach a definite conclusion. Originally developed for the [[NES]], the original Mega Man series experienced graphical improvements in fourth and fifth-generation installments. The series had no games developed for sixth-generation consoles but returned in the seventh generation purposely sporting graphics, sound, and gameplay similar to the original NES games to inspire a nostalgic look and feel, distributed as downloadable content instead of retail games like the previous installments.

On December 4, 2017, Capcom announced that a new game in the classic series, ''[[Mega Man 11]]'', would be released in late 2018. Unlike ''Mega Man 9'' and ''10'', this game makes a return to the modern era, featuring Mega Man in a 2.5D environment, with 3D cel-shaded graphics, and is presented in a widescreen aspect ratio. When using a special weapon, in addition to changing colors, Mega Man's armor also changes appearance.