Shield Attacker (シールドアタッカー Shīrudo Atakkā) is a recurring flying enemy that is indestructible in front. These robots were originally defensive shields, but were later modified for combat. It can only be damaged by attacking the back or attacking with some of the Special Weapons. They first appeared in Mega Man 4.
Types of Shield Attacker[]
Shield Attacker[]
Shield Attacker is an enemy from Mega Man 4 and Mega Man III. It appears in Dust Man and Skull Man's stages in Mega Man 4 and Mega Man III, the fourth stage from Dr. Cossack's Citadel and the third Wily Castle stage in Mega Man 4, and in Drill Man's stage and the Wily Station in Mega Man III. Though it is weak to Drill Bomb, Ring Boomerang is also a good choice against it, as it can pass its armor. Rain Flush destroys Shield Attackers instantly, although it uses a lot of energy, so it's best to use in areas with large amounts of enemies, such as the extra section containing the E-Tank in Skull Man's stage. Flash Stopper negates the shields of the Shield Attacker, but like Rain Flush it uses a large amount of energy so it is best to use it when incoming Shield Attackers cannot be avoided.
Design[]
The Shield Attacker was created by Hayato Kaji, who was a new Capcom employee at the time of Mega Man 4's development, wanting players to experiment more with the slide gameplay feature first introduced from Mega Man 3 onwards.[1]
Shield Guard[]
Shield Guard, known as Shield Attacker in Japan, is a version from Mega Man Powered Up that has a propeller instead of a jet engine, making them slower. Their shields can be knocked out by some attacks. They appear in Time Man's stage and Ice Man's stage.
New Shield Attacker[]
New Shield Attacker (新シールドアタッカー Shin Shīrudo Atakkā) is the Shield Attacker with improved armor and a ground search system that appears in Mega Man 5. It only appears in Crystal Man's stage. They are immune to Gravity Hold. As the area in which they appear in has a high ceiling, they can be avoided by sliding or jumping over them and waiting for them to fly off the screen.
Shield Attacker GTR[]
Shield Attacker GTR (シールドアタッカーＧＴＲ Shīrudo Atakkā GTR) is an upgrade of the Shield Attacker that appears in Mega Man 6 and is the third type of Shield Attackers, now having spikes on its shield. It appears in Blizzard Man's stage, Tomahawk Man's stage, the fourth section of Mr. X's Castle and the second section of Wily Castle.
Yamato Spear and the fully-charged Rush Power Adaptor shot ignores the shields of the Shield Attacker GTR, while Knight Crusher and Silver Tomahawk fired at the correct angle will also hit the Shield Attacker GTR from below and therefore ignores the shield. A similar strategy can be applied to Flame Blast - if a wall of fire is raised directly in front of a Shield Attacker GTR, once they run over the flame pillar they will take damage - Plant Barrier's energy petals can also slip beneath the shield and do damage in the same manner. Shield Attacker GTRs are immune to Beat.
True Shield Attacker[]
True Shield Attacker (真・シールドアタッカー) is another upgrade of the Shield Attacker that appears in Mega Man 7. It now turns its shield instead of turning around. It appears in Freeze Man's stage, Shade Man's stage, and Wily Castle.
A True Shield Attacker assists the Wily Machine in the "Search for Wily" course from Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters. It moves back and forth and can attack by increasing the fire from its engine or shot bullets from them.
Hannya Attacker[]
Hannya Attacker is a variant of Shield Attacker with an oni mask similar to HannyaNED². In Mega Man 8, the player will find it in Tengu Man's stage as well as the second stage in Dr. Wily's castle. In Mega Man & Bass, it appears in the stages of Tengu Man, Burner Man and Ground Man, as well as King Stage 1.
Shield Attacker RX[]
Shield Attacker RX is an enemy from Mega Man 9, and acts like previous Shield Attackers, having only a different appearance. It appears in the stages of Galaxy Man, Tornado Man and the third Wily Stage.
Shield Attacker TRL[]
Shield Attacker TRL (シールドアタッカー・ＴＲＬ Shīrudo Atakkā TRL) is a variety from Mega Man 10 that moves back and forth like previous Shield Attackers. Like the Shield Guard from Mega Man Powered Up, its shield can be taken down if hit by strong attacks, but this time with the Bass Buster and Water Shield. It appears in Commando Man's Stage, Sheep Man's Stage, the first stage of Wily Castle, and Special Stage 2. It also appears in Nitro Man's Stage in Hard Mode. and Challenge #30, Charge Force 2. They are easy to jump over if Mega Man is careful, but they can also be easily killed by Solar Blaze, which not only goes through its shield, but kills them in one hit. Thunder Wool and Commando Bomb can also be used against it if the lightning or explosion hits them.
Shield Attacker (Mega Man 11)[]
Shield Attacker is a variant that appears in Mega Man 11. It functions like other versions, but the shield is separated in two pieces, the top and bottom, opening and closing on different sides when turning around. They appear in Acid Man's stage and the second Gear Fortress stage.
Shield Attacker M[]
Shield Attacker M is an underwater variant of the Shield Attacker from Mega Man 11, seen only in Acid Man's stage. These enemies were given a special coat of paint over their body, allowing them to function in the chemical tanks of Acid Man's lab without suffering any damage. Scrap enemies sometimes take on the form of derelict Shield Attacker M's.
Shield Attacker (Mega Man Network Transmission)[]
Shield Attackers appear as viruses in Mega Man Network Transmission. They act basically the same as other Shield Attackers.
Virus stats[]
| HP: | Element: |  |
Damage: | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dropped: | ShldGard | |||||
| Location: | Bank Comp | |||||
Damage Data Charts[]
Shield Attacker[]
Amount of shots/hits from Special Weapons it takes to destroy a Shield Attacker.
| Mega Man 4 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Buster | Flash Stopper | Rain Flush | Drill Bomb | Pharaoh Shot | Ring Boomerang | Dust Crusher | Dive Missile | Skull Barrier | Wire | ||
| 4:4:2 | Y:4 | 1 | 1:1 | 2:1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ? | ||
New Shield Attacker[]
Amount of shots/hits from Special Weapons it takes to destroy a New Shield Attacker.
| Mega Man 5 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Buster | Gravity Hold | Water Wave | Power Stone | Gyro Attack | Star Crash | Charge Kick | Napalm Bomb | Crystal Eye | Super Arrow | Beat | |
| 6:6:2 | N | 6 | 6 | 3 | 6:6 | N | 2 | 3:3 | 3 | 1 | |
Shield Attacker GTR[]
Amount of shots/hits from Special Weapons it takes to destroy a Shield Attacker GTR.
| Mega Man 6 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Buster | Blizzard Attack | Centaur Flash | Flame Blast | Knight Crusher | Plant Barrier | Silver Tomahawk | Wind Storm | Yamato Spear | Rush Power Adapter | Beat | |
| 4:4:2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2:1 | N | |
Shield Attacker TRL[]
Amount of shots/hits from Special Weapons it takes to destroy a Shield Attacker GTR.
| Mega Man 10 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Buster/Bass Buster | Proto Buster | Triple Blade | Water Shield | Commando Bomb | Chill Spike | Thunder Wool | Rebound Striker | Wheel Cutter | Solar Blaze | ||
| 4 | 4:2 | 2 | 2 | 4:1 | 4 | 1:4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ||
- For Proto Buster, the first number is with a regular shot, the second is a charged one.
- For Commando Bomb, the first number is with the bomb, the second is the explosion.
- For Thunder Wool, the first number is with the lightning, the second is with the cloud.
Other media[]
Mega Man (Archie Comics)[]
A Shield Attacker is seen among some of the robots Dr. Wily is creating in Mega Man #54.
Other appearances[]
Shield Attacker has a single appearance in the Rockman 4 manga, Shield Attacker GTR appeared a few times in the Rockman 6 manga, True Shield Attacker is in the Rockman 7 manga, and Hannya Attacker in the Rockman 8 manga.
Gallery[]
Similar enemies[]
Enemies similar to the Shield Attackers.
References[]
- ↑ MM25 Mega Man & Mega Man X Official Complete Works page 51 "I was the new guy who came in for 4. I learned a lot under Inafune's wing, where I got to work on some of the minor enemy characters. The Shield Attacker was something I came up with by thinking from a gameplay perspective. Since you can only land attacks from behind, it kind of forces people to experiment with the new sliding feature. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I think the Shield Attacker was a pretty good idea. (laughs)"
| Mega Man Powered Up | |
|---|---|
| Playable characters | |
| Mega Man (Mega, S, C) • Roll • Proto Man Cut Man • Guts Man • Ice Man • Bomb Man • Fire Man • Elec Man • Time Man • Oil Man | |
| Bosses | |
| Cut Man • Guts Man • Ice Man • Bomb Man • Fire Man • Elec Man • Time Man • Oil Man Proto Eye • Mega Man? • Yellow Devil • CWU-01P • Copy Robot • Wily Machine Number 1 | |
| Special Weapons | |
| Rolling Cutter • Super Arm • Ice Slasher • Hyper Bomb • Fire Storm • Thunder Beam • Time Slow • Oil Slider | |
| Other weapons and support items | |
| Magnet Beam • Mega Kick • Roll Swing • Proto Strike | |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Walkthrough • Damage data chart • Script • Enemies • Challenge • Construction | |