Met (Mega Man)

The Met (also Metall, Metool, or Mettaur) is one of the most common minor enemies found in the Mega Man video game series. The met is a tiny construction robot wearing a disproportionately-sized hard hat with a "plus" marked on it. Mets usually wait below their helmet (as it is invulnerable to nearly all of Mega Man's weapons) and then stand when he gets too close, shooting at the blue hero (typically three shots in three directions; however this has changed over time). This is normally the only time they may be damaged. Usually a single shot is enough to destroy a Met, though there are exceptions. The name of the Met/Metool is apparently formed from the "-met" of "helmet", due to the fact it is wearing one, or is a play with the words "metal" and "tool".

Types of Met

There are many different types of Met, some of which can withstand more punishment than others:

Standard Met- Appearing in nearly every game (except, oddly, the first one), the average Met hides in its hat until Mega Man gets close to it. It will then pop up and spray three shots in a wide arc. Some variants are stationary, while others will charge you after firing. A single shot will destroy it.

Peeping Met- The first type of Met ever produced, though not the one most gamers are familiar with. Hides beneath its hat, occasionally flipping it upward briefly and sending out its trademark volley of three shots. A variant of this type shoots a single shot aimed directly at Mega Man. One hit is enough to defeat this type.

Fission Met-Appearing in Mega Man 5 on the NES, the Fission Met will split into three tiny, bouncing miniatures of itself when shot. The miniatures do not themselves fire at you and are incapable of hiding beneath their hats.

Spinning Met- Most well-known from Mega Man 4, the Spinning Met is unique in that it can absorb 3 hits before being destroyed instead of just one. It pops its hat up as Mega Man approaches and spins on its feet, firing three slow shots in a row straight ahead.

Swimming Met- Just an ordinary Met with flippers (and occasionally a snorkel). They may fire either the standard triple shot or a single shot aimed at Mega Man. One hit will destroy it.

Astro Met- Appearing only in Star Man's stage in Mega Man 5, the Astro Mets are Mets wearing rocket packs and pressure suits. They cannot shield themselves as other Mets do, but they can move and hover at will.

Cannon Met- Found most commonly in Napalm Man's stage in Mega Man 5, this is a Met manning a cannon. Attacking the cannon or the Met will damage them both, and they seem to share hit points. Giant versions of this enemy appear as minibosses in the final stages of Mega Man IV on the Gameboy.

Met Machine- Appears in Mega Man 6. While not itself a Met, this machine endlessly produces a variant of Standard Mets that can hop short distances.

Additionally, some of Wily's robots are "dummy" machines that use a Met as a (relatively) intelligent pilot, from the jackhammer-like Pickelmann Dada of Mega Man III on the Gameboy to some of the fortress guardians in the later games. Additionally, Mets themselves have sometimes been minibosses or guardians; this type is always ludicrously outsized and attacks with giant-size versions of its own shots (Mega Man 3, Needle Man's stage the second time through), calls on regular Mets as backup, and even shakes the floor to stun Mega Man (Mega Man 4, Wily's Fort).

Strategy

The downfall of the Met is its low intelligence; it's not too smart and can be provoked into attacking Mega Man simply by getting within its range. The key to defeating any type of Met is to shoot it in its vulnerable face, which is only exposed while attacking.

In the case of the Standard and Peeping Mets, jumping between the horizontal and one of the angled shots from some distance is the best way to avoid damage and still be close enough to fire before the Met retreats into its helmet again. Uneven terrain can be used to your advantage against these types of Met, especially if you are at a lower elevation, which allows you to jump up from below and blast the Met as its shots fly overhead.

Spinning Mets require three hits to defeat and attack differently; they shoot three slow-moving shots in a row. While this leaves them vulnerable for a sufficient amount of time to shoot them three times, the shots are hard to avoid because they're too slow to jump all at once, but too quick to jump one-by-one. All games in which Spinning Mets appear allow Mega Man to charge his Mega Buster; do so and use the charged shot to defeat the Met in one fell swoop.

Fission Mets are dealt with the same way as Standard Mets; afterwards, a volley of normal shots or one charged blast will take out the three miniatures left behind. These will also explode on their own if left along long enough.

Astro Mets are annoying because they like to swarm you, and because controlling Mega Man is difficult in the low-G environment of Star Man's stage. Take out large groups from a distance with the Charge Shot whenever possible; unlike their brethen, Astro Mets cannot shield themselves.

Cannon Mets can only be damaged when they poke their hats up to fire the cannon they are sitting in. The Met and the cannon are one enemy, so hitting either will damage it.

The Met Machine's weak point is the spout at its conical bottom. Charge Shots are effective, but the Flame Blast weapon will destroy one in 4 hits and should be used it at all possible.

The Giant Met in Wily's Fort in Mega Man 4 is vulnerable to the Ring Boomerang.

The miniboss Giant Mets in Needle Man's revamped stage in Mega Man 3 do not seem to have any specific weaknesses, but their shots are slow and they do not shield themselves at all.

Finally, in Mega Man 4, the Rain Flush weapon seems to be able to penetrate the shells of the Mets and destroy them while they are "hiding;" this also works on other "shelled" enemies like the time-released cannons and single-wheeled motorcycles in Drill Man's stage. While the Yamato Spear in Mega Man 6 seems to be an armor-piercing weapon, it cannot penetrate a Met's hard hat.