T-Shirt Contest Winners, and Who You Want to Represent Mega Man’s 25th

The time has finally come! After far too long a wait (my sincerest apologies– travel + illness + work does not a fun combination make. It’s not a good excuse, but it’s all I have), we are now ready to reveal the winners of our collaborative contest with Capcom Unity and the Capcom Store to give away three new Mega Man t-shirts!

Plus, we’ll take a look at who those that entered thought would be the ideal franchise representative for the 25th anniversary of Mega Man! Read on, as all will be revealed!

Our first winner, who receives the first choice from the three available t-shirt designs, is Dan Diemer! And who did he want to see represent 25 years of Mega Man?

“I want to see my fav: Rock Volnutt.”

Straight, to the point, and far from alone; following the cancellation of Mega Man Legends 3, 22 people– nearly a quarter of those who entered the contest– spoke up to show support for our favorite Digger. Here is what some other entrants had to say:

In an ideal world, the Mega Man 25th Anniversary logo will feature Mega Man Volnutt and be accompanied by an announcement of the resumption of the Mega Man Legends 3 Project. However, if that announcement does not occur I think it would be rather foolish for Capcom to use Volnutt, due to the bitter feelings on that subject. That being the case I would say Classic Mega Man would be the best choice, especially considering that it is the only series that has received any attention as of late. Seriously, where is Mega Man ZX3? There are so many unfinished stories…. –Nick D.

Volnutt all the way. Legends never Die! –Stephen C.

Although I’d like to give a vote for Zero (Rockman Zero) since he’s my favorite character and there’s also X (Rockman X) who I don’t think got enough spotlight and he’s earned to get his face smacked onto the anniversary logo, I’d say I would go for Rock (Rockman Dash). Rockman Dash has very few titles compared to it’s other Rockman brothers but I think it also deserves some credit for it’s revival (or should I say “attempt” at revival). This cold be a way for it to celebrate for it and maybe get some publicity for it.

Legends never die!!! XD –Eiko T.

I think MegaMan Volnutt should appear. I think that it would show the Legends fans some love, since they were so screwed over with Legends 3. –Rikman

…if I must choose only one, then given the support the MegaMan fanbase has shown Volnutt since MML3 was cancelled, I think the least Capcom could do is get him off the moon and onto the 25th anniversary logo. –Joe G.

If MegaMan Legends 3 is something that Capcom is at all regretting canceling, I think it would be a great nod to choose Volnutt. Whether or not Legends 3 will actually be revived, choosing Volnutt would be a very subtle, but kind way for Capcom to say “We’re sorry for this, we know you’re not happy, and we hope you forgive us.” This could potentially backfire and raise false hope, but I’d settle for thinking most fans will feel the former.

I myself never really got into the Legends series, which is even more reason why I feel Volnutt would be the best fit. Capcom has put an extremely bad taste in the mouths of their fans by making all their decisions very “business” in recent memory. Placing a character from a recently cancelled game, and an arguably less popular series, would seem like a silly business decision. Despite this, it would be a very friendly one towards their fans, especially the Legends fans. They could surely benefit from playing the friendly card. They owe it to us to play that card. –Ant V.

The day after the 25th anniversary, however, is the 15th anniversary of Rockman DASH. Mr. Volnutt deserves his own logo. –Cleveland Rock

Up next is our second winner, who gets the choice from what remains after Dan has his pick: Daniel Espino!

(Update: We attempted to reach Daniel for his information, but never received a response. As a result, Mario Chacon has been bumped up to our second place winner, and a new third will soon be chosen.)

While a number of entries picked from the usual suspects, there were a handful which thought outside the box and nominated options we never imagined we would see. In Daniel’s case, he believes that the 25th anniversary should usher in a new age of Mega Man with a new Mega Man:

“I would think maybe Capcom would use the Mega Man from a brand new series for the new logo… maybe from a new 3DS Mega Man or something? The other ones from past years have been the Mega Men that were made during that time, so I would think that maybe they would make a brand new one to complement the anniversary. Thanks!”

And at least one other entrant seemed to concur with the “new Mega Man” notion:

X definitely needs more love! You know what would be even better tho? If Capcom made a new game for the 25th anniversary where there is a new iteration of Mega Man that is a combination of all the old ones (minus BBA MM). That would be spectacular. –Andrew St. A.

Here are some of the other more unique suggestions:

It would be good to see a Mettaur on the 25th logo; it’s the only character that appears in almost every incarnation of Rockman games. Or maybe original Rockman with a Mettaur hat (just kidding). –Lucas M.

I grew up playing the classic series, and since that is the series turning 25, I feel it’s always appropriate for classic Mega to be the mascot. But it doesn’t have to be Mega Man himself. Why not Roll, Light, or Wily? They are also turning 25, after all. It would be kinda fun to have Wily’s smirk as the poster for the 25th anniversary. –Michael K.

I think Classic Mega Man’s helmet should represent the franchise’s 25th Anniversary. The helmet is as iconic the character himself, in much the same way that Boba Fett and Darth Vader are iconic for theirs, or Mario’s hat or Mickey Mouse’s ears.

Lord knows I love Mega Man X; having been born in 1988, X felt like “my generation’s Mega Man”. But, like Mickey Mouse, there’s just something timeless, magical even, about the classic Blue Bomber. I wholly embrace whatever future Capcom wishes to take the franchise (although I’m still not terribly fond of “BBA Mega Man” in SFxT), but it’s important to remember the past. After all, he was an icon of the 80’s, and even today, I suspect most people, gamer or not, could identify Mega Man if simply shown a picture of him. Like I said, he’s simply timeless. –Jared C.

I think the future character that represents Mega Man should be Cyber Elf X because I feel he represents hope in the event of prosperity. –Antoine P.

If I had to pick whoever to put on the 25th anniversary of Mega Man, I’d put Dr. Wily. I mean, without the guy, there wouldn’t actually be ANY games, would there? The guy seems to run the party and make sure everyone is along with it [even if they don’t want too…].

Besides, a game staring the guy would be hilarious; Maybe a flying saucer shoot-‘em-up or something for a mobile phone would be kind of cute. –May

In addition to these, two entrants had a similar idea:

The 25th anniversary (the silver anniversary) is a momentous occasion for any property. As we’ve seen in the past couple of years, companies will pull out the big guns for Mario, Zelda, Metal Gear, you name it. There’s just something about that number, twenty-five, that carries greater importance than twenty, thirty, or so on.

With that in mind, there’s only two ways Capcom could go with Mega’s 25th: the classic boy in blue or an ensemble. I’m shooting for the latter. We remember that piece of 20th anniversary art with all the Mega Men in a row, right? It would be amazing if the 25th logo could somehow incorporate minimalist renderings of all the various Mega Man helmets, similar to the Olympics rings, linked together. That would demonstrate just how far the franchise has come as well as how each sub-series is separate but part of a greater whole.

Wouldn’t that be amazing? –Tony P.

Not particularly the full guy, but the helmet of the original could make for an awesome design. More awesome would be all of their helmets rearranged around a 25. –Alex S.

And now we have our final winner: Mario Chacon!

“To be honest, I think the logo for this anniversary should be all the Mega Men including Zero. We’ve all had our share of good and bad memories with every single Mega Man so it would be unfair to leave any one of them out as they all need their love doses.

Though if I were to pick one I’d pick Star Force; he’s had it rough from the get-go to fit the fans’ expectations of having a new Lan and MegaMan.EXE and he’s also the only Mega Man who we’ve seen grow as a person from a cowardly child to a hero who would give his life for the world (Kinda reminds me of a certain Tsubomi from a certain Pretty Cure series I watched with my cousin once).

Anyway, the point is that for this anniversary we shouldn’t pick a favorite, but celebrate all of them. Though if it comes down to it, we must give a little more spotlight to the one who struggled the most both as character and person in both his world and our world.”

And while Mario might have been the only one to single out Star Force‘s MegaMan specifically, others shared in the feeling that the entire lineage should take part in representing the silver anniversary:

I’d want all the Mega Men on the logo. or just maybe a Mega Man who has a piece of armour/weapon/whatever of one of the other Mega Men, as a represantation of how much the franchise has grown. Mega Man started simple but has branched out to so many different kinds of games, it would only be fair to include the main character of each spin off. at least in some way. –Ute S.

I would love to see a logo that somehow included all the various incarnations of Mega Man. After all, it may be classic Mega Man that has been around the longest, but it’s X, Volnutt, EXE, Star Force, Zero, and ZX who have each in turn been passed the torch. As such, I feel that the franchise as a whole needs to be represented. –Joe G.

And that does it for our winners, who will be contacted in order to learn of their choice of shirt. However, those aren’t the only suggestions we received. As one would imagine, Mega Man X has his fair share of supporters:

I’d like to see X get some spotlight for once. I think if they used Trigger, it would more than likely just irritate an already irate fanbase. So, X, for great justice! –Chris H.

Mega Man X deserves some more love from Capcom! Let’s see an X9! The series seems far from concluded to me, although ZX also feels that way, and a Battle Network 7, as well as a classic Mega Man with SNES style graphics, are also in need. A new series might be interesting and draw in new fans, but I am not sure what they would do. Anyways, X9 should be there top priority! –Matthew B.

For the 25th anniversary, the best choice for a Mega Man should definitely be X. X came before EXE yet he has yet to appear for anniversary logo. He also looks the closest to the original Mega Man. –S.M.A.

Getting to the point, I believe Mega Man X should be the representative for Mega Man‘s 25th Anniversary and be featured on the 25th Anniversary logo. Seeing the release of Mega Man X for the iOS, the reveal of Project X Zone (with X being featured in it, along with Zero) and the upcoming Korean MMORPG Rockman Online (with X being being featured on many promotional posters and being one of the “character types”), X should get some glory this year. I mean the last game he had was back in 2005 was Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X, a remake of the first X game.

Also, gamers were mad when X was not included in the Marvel VS Capcom 3 roster, as well as its second version, Ultimate Marvel VS Capcom 3, and even though he was featured as a downloadable costume for Zero, it just wasn’t the same. Plus, D-arts is dishing out the X series characters and they are amazing, if I do say so myself. The X series has always been one of my personal favorite series ever, but I believe X should be better recognized. Hopefully, something happens in the near future to revive the Mega Man series in general, as well as show some love to X. After all, X is, quoting Dr. Light at the end of Maverick Hunter X, “the world’s hope.” Rock on, fellow Mega Man fans! Mega Man will come back and have his day (or hopefully his year)! –Eleazar V.

Naturally, some feel that the top honor should go to the one who started it all…

I would like to see the classic Mega Man represent himself for the 25th anniversary. He is the original icon and knowing the recent history of past events, no other series is currently trending or controlling a large popularity to represent this coming anniversary’s banner. Mega Man can don the banner himself, Proto Man, Roll, Either Doctor, Bass, even Rush can help stand proud alongside Mega Man, but I see no particular reason to represent any particular series over the other ones. There is one thing that the classic series has that the rest do not. It was the original, and it represents them all equally. –Michael B.

As much as I would like Volnutt to represent a show of solidarity among fans with the cancellation of Legends 3, I think the milestone belongs to the original Mega Man and considering he’s had games made about him and people are still interested in him 25 years later, he deserves the spotlight. –Aaron S.

I feel like the original Mega Man would be most appropriate. X has been the only series getting represented lately(we’re not even going to count Street Fighter x Tekken‘s contribution), so the public image to many non-Mega Man players is X and Zero when someone says Mega Man. The logo should be more targeted for the longtime fans of the series. MegaMan.EXE would be the next most logical choice, but there hasn’t been a game starring him in too long for it to feel proper. Star Force never garnered enough attention in the first place, and it would be an insult to many fans to use MegaMan Volnutt. –Doug B

Personally, I think Classic Mega Man should be the representative for the 25th Anniversary. He’s the one that started it all and, as you said, is the one turning 25 this year. X is awesome, but the Classic is always going to hold a special place in my childhood, being the first Mega Man game I played. –Grant Van S.

This is where it gets a bit more interesting. Rather than Classic or X, a surprising number feel that the man responsible for both (no, not Inafune) should have the spotlight…

I think with the de facto real-life “creator” of Mega Man having left Capcom more-or-less recently it would be nice to see the in-game creator of Mega Man featured: Dr. Light. –Zarshir

As in a soccer team the keeper doesn’t always get the most attention, he is most likely the most important member of said team. In a similar fashion Dr. Light is the under-appreciated star of the team. He built Mega, he built X and as such started the new era in his world, the era of robots. This era echoes all the way into Legends where this planet is populated by carbons, much like Reploids once were co-inhabiting Earth with the humans.

Let us hope that in our world too a new era may start, under the banner of Dr. Light, the era of Mega Man! –HeatPhoenix

For the 25th anniversary why not try someone different and outside the box for the mascot, why not Dr. Thomas Light, the creator of Mega Man. –Bertrand P.

Then, to our surprise and amazement, came these suggestions:

I personally wouldn’t mind seeing either Bad Box Mega Man from Street Fighter X Tekken, or the Universe art style of Mega Man for the 25th Anniversary’s logo. Mainly because they are the most recent versions of Mega Man that are available and known to the public. –Amir M.

I would like to see the original box art megaman on the 25th anniversary logo. –Michael P.

I was thinking about and then I realized that every year had a game come out, so it would make to most sense for Bad Box-Art Mega Man to be on the logo. LOL –Sean C.

Definitelly should be the Mega Man 1 box art lololol. — Nick F.

In my humble opinion, I think that the most suitable “Mega Man” for the 25th Anniversary logo is obvious! I’m surprised you guys didn’t suggest it in the original post. (We didn’t need to, apparently. –LBD)

“Bad Box Art/Old Man Mega Man” is obviously the face of this generation of Mega Man gaming. No ifs, ands, or buts. –Joseph C.

If Capcom is determined to make Bad Box Art Mega Man the new thing they just throw into games, I guess maybe he should be the mascot for the game’s anniversary. It’s sort of appropriate, I guess, since he actually WAS on the first game’s box. –Adam B.

Of course, there are also those strictly opposed to the idea…

The one thing I think we can all agree on, however, is that Bad Box Art Mega Man should stay out of this one. –Cleveland Rock

The above would seem to indicate otherwise.

Finally, another interesting suggestion would seem to bring us full-circle…

My opinion is sweet and simple, 🙂 I feel the 25th anniversary logo should be the classic 1up Mega Man because Capcom has not made any significant projects in awhile. –Bandit Bandit

8-bit Mega Man needs to be the featured iteration of Mega Man for the 25th anniversary. His is the only series in the past five years that has actually gotten brand new games, aside from Star Force, who not only just got a turn, but whose current relevancy is also surely less than the original Blue Bomber’s, and ZX Advent, which only had one game in the last five years. Choosing Ashe or Grey to be featured would just come off as somewhat… idiosyncratic.

So there you have it. Classic Mega Man in 8-bit glory all the way! –Ethan P.

I would pick the classic 8-bit Mega Man sprite because it is the one that is now 25. New ones got the nod, but the classic needs to be recognized. –Tien L.

The original Mega Man. It’s his birthday after all. Pixelated 1up preferred. Thanks for this contest. –Mortimur G.

You’re welcome!

I would like to enter the contest and I believe that since it’s the 25th anniversary of Mega Man, the original Mega Man from the NES days should be represented in the logo, preferably in 8-Bit form! –Steven T.

The best representative for the 25th anniversary is 8-Bit Mega Man. If not him, the runner-up would be Bad Box Art Mega Man. The cancellation of two major games plus the fact that the only truly relevant releases these past few years have been Mega Man 9 and 10 show a series in decline. The present isn’t worth celebrating, so we might as well celebrate the past. –Tim J.

I think that of the recent games, Mega Man 9 was the most prominent, and therefore the franchise should indeed be represented by a retro NES-style rendition of the original Mega Man. –Corlagon

I had thought about all kinds of things, like “Volnutt, like it or not he’s the Mega Man who has made the most fan impact in recent times” or “Bad Box Art, since at least he got to be in a game this year” or even “put a helmet on from each series and make it a GIF file (or for IRL merch, one of those optical stickers where the image changes with the direction you look at it from)” …but you know what? I rather like the 1-UP version. I say keep it. Mega Man needs a 1-UP right now. –#20

And with that, we will apparently have to change the password to keep certain mischievous Servbots from rummaging through our e-mail. Naughty-naughty, #20!

Also with that is the end of our contest. We thank everyone for participating; though we couldn’t post everyone’s reply here (though we did post quite a few, didn’t we?), it was a blast reading through each and every one of the entries! Hopefully, we can hold another contest sometime which invites this level of participation!

If you missed it above, we are notifying the winners in the order shown above, once we know the previous winner’s choice. So if you were selected, keep an eye on your inbox!

Edit: And I nearly forgot to mention that if you still want one of these shirts for your very own, you can order them (and/or the new Zero t-shirt) for $19.95 each in the Capcom Store!