Hard Hat Showcase

Oh, those pesky little Hard Hats. Starting out in the first game as a single-stage inhabitant called Met, representing the construction-like features of Guts Man, those little yellow hats have become the series' mascot. As the most recurring enemy in the whole franchise, the Hard Hats have taken many different forms over the individual games. Below are several of those forms.

 

This was the first incarnation of the Hard Hats. Called "Mets," they appeared very scarcely in the first Mega Man. All they could do was just rest there, lift open their lids, and shoot a 3-directional projectile blast.

   

By Mega Man 2, they could stand upright, blasting a 3-directional shot before taking a short dash forward. This would become the standard form, even in the X games.

They can drive, too. Sticking with the construction theme, bulldozing is their choice of hobby.

Adding a propellor, they can take to the air. Though, now they switch their attack to shooting 3-directional projectiles downward.

Why, give them a little snorkel and they're all ready for underwater assault. They stick to the same 3-directional attack, but they can jump higher due to the watery conditions.

Wouldn't you know it, they can dance, too. This set of Hard Hats can get up and twirl around like a ballerina.

As if Wily hadn't made them annoying enough, they gained the ability to break into 3 smaller Hard Hats when damaged. The little guys can jump, sure, but they're good at slipping under enemy fire.

Slap on a spacesuit and they become regular little space travelers. There's no hat-lifting with these guys; they just hover and come right after you.

They finally get transportation of their own, as they can ride around on little trains; it helps give them little bursts of speed that they didn't have before.

Hard Hats even make quality single-blast cannon operators. Like the Hard Hats themselves, the cannons can only be damaged while the hat is lifted.

Instead of just having them patrol about, Wily made one of these to do the work for him—a machine that produces and drops out Hard Hats. Though, it just drops out plain ol' Hard Hats.

I guess Wily was the unsung creator of the Robot Ride armor from the Mega Man X games. Having said that, a Hard Hat was actually the pioneer of this craft. For the first time, a Hard Hat can throw a punch.

The suspected leader of the Hard Hats showed his robotic face in Mega Man 3. Rising out of the rubble, they attack like their smaller counterparts: a 3-directional blast, though much bigger. Also, he can spit out smaller Hard Hats whenever he wants.

This is the real leader of the Hard Hats. Picture him as a giant version of the Hard Hats from Mega Man 2. He abandons the 3-directional attack in favor of an earthshaking jump that causes smaller Hard Hats to fall from the ceiling.

 

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