{"rewrite":{"id":"r_dbe99b2d1edbe54aef4d0214","clusterId":"c_7313ebd9f69cb809226c5ade","slug":"proto-man-joins-mega-man-dual-override-as-playable-character-built-around-close-combat","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Proto Man Joins Mega Man: Dual Override As Playable Character, Built Around Close Combat","summary":"Capcom confirmed Proto Man as a playable character in Mega Man: Dual Override, set for spring 2027 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and PC. A Tokyo Game Show 2026 hands-on build casts him as a close-range fighter with the Proto Buster, a shorter-range but stronger weapon, and the Proto Shield, whose directional attacks use a gauge recovered over time or instantly via Cool Down.","whyItMatters":"Proto Man's return is the first for the character in a series entry since Mega Man 10, and the hands-on build shows Capcom giving that return its own combat identity rather than reusing Mega Man's all-rounder kit.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eProto Man plays nothing like Mega Man in the Tokyo Game Show 2026 build. Where Mega Man is the all-rounder with special weapons and long-range fire, Proto Man carries two tools and lives at close range.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Proto Buster trades reach for damage. The Proto Shield takes the place of special weapons: press the button with the stick neutral to throw the shield, tilt toward travel for a Shield Attack that advances while attacking, tilt up for an uppercut. Those actions drain a dedicated gauge that refills over time, or all at once through a Cool Down (Heat Exhaust) input on LT that leaves him briefly open. The practical favorite was the Shield Attack, which pushes through durable enemies and covers ground on stages without footholds.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Proto Man is playable in Mega Man: Dual Override, due spring 2027. The TGS2026 build gives him the Proto Buster and Proto Shield: close-range, gauge-driven directional attacks, plus a Cool Down input that refills the gauge and leaves him open.","twitterPost":"Proto Man is playable in Mega Man: Dual Override, due spring 2027 on PS5/PS4/Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One/Switch 2/Switch/PC. The TGS2026 hands-on build gives him the Proto Buster and Proto Shield: close-range, gauge-driven attacks with a Cool Down input.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Capcom is putting Proto Man in Mega Man: Dual Override as a playable character, and the Tokyo Game Show 2026 hands-on build shows him fighting nothing like Mega Man. He carries the Proto Buster and Proto Shield, works at close range, and spends a dedicated gauge on directional shield attacks that refills over time or through a Cool Down input. The game is set for spring 2027.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"GAME Watch (Impress)\",\"url\":\"https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/preview/2141061.html\",\"title\":\"\\\"Mega Man: Dual Override\\\" Proto Man Hands-On Preview! Experience \\\"Stylish Close-Combat\\\" Different from Mega Man [TGS2026]\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4701,"outputTokens":684,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1789610362,"createdAt":"2026-09-17T01:53:40.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-09-17T01:58:20.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-17T01:58:20.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_7313ebd9f69cb809226c5ade","canonicalTitle":"「ロックマン：デュアル オーバーライド」ブルースを先行プレイ！ロックマンとは違う“スタイリッシュな近距離戦”を体験【TGS2026】","representativeArticleId":"a_3e2b420afe582ebb72b467dd","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":1,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Mega Man: Dual Override\"],\"studios\":[\"Capcom\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"review\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-09-17T01:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-09-17T01:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-17T01:58:20.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"GAME Watch (Impress)","url":"https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/preview/2141061.html","title":"「ロックマン：デュアル オーバーライド」ブルースを先行プレイ！ロックマンとは違う“スタイリッシュな近距離戦”を体験【TGS2026】"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Mega Man: Dual Override"],"studios":["Capcom"],"people":[],"type":"review","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}