3 Mega Man Bosses Fans Still Argue About After Almost 40 Years

Mega Man has been challenging players for almost forty years, with the original game debuting all the way back in 1987. Since then, there have been dozens of memorable boss battles and wild enemies to take down, with the robot masters showcasing a wide variety of combat styles and challenges. Facing off with the bosses (and taking their weapons for yourself) is one of the primary appeals of any Mega Man game.

However, over the years, some bosses have stood out from others, with a few even developing heated debates over time. Sometimes, it’s due to the difficult nature of the enemies. For others, it’s because of their habit of being reused too frequently, to the point of distracting from other threats and characters. More than any other, these are the three Mega Man bosses that attract the most controversy among players.

Yellow Devil (Mega Man)

The Yellow Devil is one of the most iconic Mega Man bosses of all time. Introduced as the first boss of Wily’s fortress, the Yellow Devil also remains one of the most surprisingly tricky enemies the original Blue Bomber ever faced, explaining why some fans remain frustrated by the character. The Yellow Devil has a massive attack radius, caused by splitting parts of its body apart and shooting them at Mega Man. The enemy also only has one weak point, a large red eye, which is only ever open for brief windows of opportunity.

The Yellow Devil’s distinct approach to combat and memorable design resulted in it being featured repeatedly throughout the series, but it remains controversial with old-school fans of the series due to the difficult nature of the enemy’s hit box. Compared to Yellow Devil, subsequent enemies like Dr. Wily feel like a cake walk. Other games that brought the enemy back also made him slightly easier to fight, which itself was met with some pushback by fans who enjoyed the challenge of the Yellow Devil. While the unique design and memorably tough battle made Yellow Devil into a surprising fixture of the series, he remains one of the more conflicting bosses among the fan base.

Wily Capsule (Mega Man 7)

The final boss of Mega Man 7, the Wily Capsule puts all of the villain’s other vehicles to shame. Wily flies the small ship around after the Wily Machine 7 is destroyed, and it quickly proves to be an incredibly difficult challenge. The ship’s relatively small size makes it hard to hit, and it doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses that can be utilized by the player. Conversely, the vehicle has impressively powerful weapons and attacks with large hit-boxes, making it a very difficult enemy to dodge. This is all compounded by the Wily Capsule having different forms of attack, which keeps the player on their toes for the entire length of the battle.

Players have been mixed on the boss ever since it debuted, with players torn over whether or not the sheer challenge makes for a rewarding final boss. While fans who enjoy the game’s overall difficulty appreciate the harsh learning curve the boss forces them to take on, other players were just left frustrated by the challenge and the way it made the game’s final stretch a slog compared to the more inventive bosses of earlier levels. While the actual vehicle remains a popular part of the franchise visually, the actual challenge of the boss keeps it among the more controversial entries in the series.

Sigma (Mega Man X)

Sigma is the overarching boss in the Mega Man X series, and has been a consistent final boss multiple times over the course of the series. This is primarily why the character has become so contentious within parts of the fandom, however. Whereas other villains have been introduced after Sigma has been seemingly destroyed, the character keeps coming back to continue bedeviling the world (and the player). For some fans, this makes Sigma a consistent and welcome presence in the series.

However, similar to how Ganon has been featured as a surprise villain in several Legend of Zelda games that seemed to move past him, it’s also frustrated players hopeful for a bit of new blood in their sequels. Especially in light of Mega Man X‘s various storytelling twists and turns, always returning to Sigma can be frustrating for fans more focused on the moral quandaries faced by X and Zero. Sigma’s enduring place in the franchise has also made him representative of the Mega Man X series as a whole, which has frustrated players who wished to see the series move on beyond those standard enemies and elements.