bobcatmoran | Rockman the Power Battles translation

Here’s something a little different: a translation of Megaman/Rockman the Power Battles, the first of the Megaman arcade games. If you’re unfamiliar with them, they’re quite different from the classic NES and SNES games. They’re basically a series of boss battles, and you can play as Megaman, Protoman, or Bass (or Rockman, Blues and Forte if you’re playing the Japanese version). Depending on which character you play as, you’ll get a different ending. In-game text translations are under the first LJ-cut. The game also has some actual voice acting, notes on which can be found under the second LJ-cut.

Official English script	Japanese game script	Bobcat's translation
Insert Coin	Insert Coin	Insert Coin
Join In	2人同時プレイOK!	2-person simultaneous play OK!
	Title
Mega Man the Power Battle	Rockman the Power Battle	Rockman the Power Battle
	Selection Screens
Player Select Megaman Protoman Bass	プレイヤーセレクトロックマンブルースフォルテ	Player Select Rockman Blues Forte
Course Select Megaman 1~2 Megaman 3~6 Megaman 7	コースセレクト Rockman 1~2 Rockman 3~6 Rockman 7	Course Select Rockman 1~2 Rockman 3~6 Rockman 7
Stage Select	ステージセレクト	Stage Select
	Rockman/Megaman’s Ending
	Rockman speeds away on Rush from the wreckage of Skull Fortress
	Back at Light’s lab...
Roll: Welcome back Megaman. Glad to see you made it.	Roll:　おかえり、ロック。ぶじだったのね。	Roll: Welcome back, Rock. You made it back safe.
Megaman: Yeah. But Dr. Wily got away again.	Rockman: うん。でも、またしてもワイリーに　にげられちゃった。	Rockman: Yeah. But Wily got away again.
Dr. Light: Megaman, I'm glad you came back in one piece.	Dr. Light: ロック、おまえがぶじもどってきただけでもうれしいぞ。	Dr. Light: Rock, I'm happy just at you coming back safe.
Megaman: Even so, if things don't change, the battle against Dr. Wily will never end.	Rockman: しかしこのままでは、いつまでだってもワイリーとのたたかいはおわりません。	Rockman: But the way things are going, no matter how many times I stand up to him, the fight against Wily doesn't end.
Dr. Light: It's just like you say but, this time we learned what robots need.	Dr. Light: たしかにそのとおりじゃが、こんかいのたたかいで、ロボットになにがひつようかわかったぞ。	Dr. Light: That may be so, but with the battle this time, we understand what robots need.
Auto: Yeah, a hero like me, right?	Rightot: それはズバリ、ワシみたいなヒーローダスか！？	Rightot: Isn't that definitely a hero that's like me, dasu?!
	At this utterance, the triumphant music comes to a screeching halt.
Dr. Light: Well...not quite.	Dr. Light: ちょっと、ちがうかな。	Dr. Light: Not really.
	Resume music.
Megaman (with a big "?" over his head): What exactly do we robots need?	Rockman (with a big "?" over his head): ぼこたちロボットにひつようなものとはなんですか。	Rockman (with a big "?" over his head): What is it that we robots need?
Dr. Light: Like humans, the robot has to determine what is right and what is wrong by itself. Robots are not suppose [sic] to hurt humans. We need to research more on A.I. program.	Dr. Light: それはにんげんと同じように考え、なやむことじゃ。　ロボットのパワーを強くするだけでは、おろかなたたかいなくならない。　しこうかいろのプログラムをもっとパワーアップさせなくてはならないな。	Dr. Light: It is that robots have thinking and troubles similar to humans. If only robots' power is strengthened, foolish fights will never end. We must further power up the cognitive program.
Megaman: When will there be world peace?	Rockman: 博士、せかいはいつへいわになるのでしょうか。	Rockman: Doctor, when will peace come to the world?
Dr. Light: That will be up to us.	Dr. Light: それはわれわれしだいじゃ。	Dr. Light: That depends on us.
Megaman: Okay, I'll fight for everyone's future.	Rockman: よーし。　みんなの未来はぼくがまもるぞ！！	Rockman: All right. I will protect everyone's future!
	Blues/Protoman’s Ending
	Blues stands on a cliff, watching the wreckage of Skull Fortress.
	Cut to a tall building in a city. Blues is standing quite high up.
Protoman... Who is he? Protoman, Dr. Light's first ever built robot just before completion, he ran away and vanished. He appears before Megaman from time to time and mysteriously disappears. Is he friend or foe? Where is he off to? Nobody knows.	ブルース。ライト博士がはじめてつくった、しさくロボット。かんせいちょくぜんににげたして、ゆくえふめいになる。その後たまにロックマンのまえにすがたをあらわしては、どくかへきえていく。　はたして、てきか、みかたか！？かれがなにを考え、どこへゆくのか　それをしるものは、だれもいない。	Blues. This prototype robot was the first made by Dr. Light. Just before completion, he ran away and went missing. Since then, he'll turn up from time to time in front of Rockman and then vanish away to somewhere. Is he really an enemy or a friend? What is he thinking and where is he going? That is something nobody knows.
	Forte/Bass’s Ending
	Forte deposits a rather beat-up looking Dr. Wily on a cliff overlooking the wreckage of Skull Fortress. Wily is fuming mad.
Wily: Noooo...! My laboratory! Bass, what are you doing!?	Wily: あー、ワシのけんきゅうじょがー！なんてことをしてくれるんだ、フォルテ！	Wily: Aaaagh! My laboratory! What are you doing, Forte?!
Bass: Now you know that I am the strongest. There's no need for you to make any more junk robots.	Forte: これでわかっただろ。オレが最強なんだ！！もうオレいがいのガラクタロボットをつくるひつようはない。	Forte: Understand this: I'm the strongest! Besides me, those junk robots you make aren't necessary any more.
Wily: The strongest huh? You've been beaten by Megaman before.	Wily: 最強！？まえにロックマンに負けたくせにか。	Wily: The strongest?! Didn't you lose to Rockman before?
Bass: I underestimated him that time. But I will conquer him this time!	Forte: あの時はゆだんしただけだ。こんどこそヤツをたおす！！	Forte: I was just careless that time. This time I'll defeat him!
Wily: Yeah right. You can battle with Megaman all you want. The robot that I'm making right now will blow the both of you away.	Wily: おまえなんか、まだまだまだまだまだまだまだまだ弱いわ！！　いまワシがひみつでつくっているロボットは、しじょう最強じゃ！！まだ、かんせいしてないけど。	Wily: The likes of you is still really really really really really really weak! Now I'm making a robot that will be the strongest of the strong! But it's not finished yet.
Bass: Ha! All you make is junk. Do what you want.	Forte: けっ、いつもガラクタばかりつくりやがって。かっていしろ！	Forte: Hmph, you never make anything but junk. To hell with you!
	Forte leaves, stranding Wily. It’s nice to see a robot and his creator getting along so well, isn’t it? ^_^;
Wily: Wait. Wait Bass. Don't leave me here!	Wily: ま、まつのじゃフォルテ。おいていかないでくれー！	Wily: W-wait, Forte. Don't go and leave me here!
	GAME OVER

Notes:

*The US version (as opposed to the SE Asian version, also in English), has a startup screen which reminds you that “Winners don’t use drugs.” It’s a bit pointless, since nobody will actually see the message unless they’re booting up the machine, but whatever floats their boat, I guess.

*If it's a two-player game, you will get the two player characters' endings consecutively, e.g. Player 1 is Rockman and Player 2 is Forte, you'll get Forte's ending followed by Rockman's ending. If both players are the same character, you only get one ending.

*There is one very notable graphics change from the English to the Japanese. On the "get weapon" screen, the Japanese version features a background of the game's title. Quite understandably, this was changed for the English version to a background of gears.

*Useless fact: Hekiru Shiina, credited as a voice actor for this game, went on to do Rockman’s voice in the PSX game Rockman 8.

*Playing the game in Japanese is much noisier than in English. There are a number of cases where there is dialogue either in Japanese or with such a heavy Japanese accent that it'd be nigh incomprehensible to a native English speaker, e.g. "Charge shot!" comes out more like "Chaaji shotto!" with four syllables instead of two.

Rather than hire new voice actors to record these snippets in English, Capcom apparently opted to simply cut them out, leaving silence in their place. Interestingly, however, if you go into the sound test mode of the English game, you can still hear all the Japanese voice acting.

The sound quality isn’t that great, and my reading skills are much better than my listening skills, so I aplogize for any transcription errors.

**Cases where the Japanese has dialogue while the English doesn't:
Intro:
When Rockman fires his buster just prior to the title screen, he yells, "Rockbuster!"

Title screen:
Rockman says the title, with a very heavy Japanese accent. ("Rokkuman za pawaa battoru!")

Selecting a character or beginning a stage:
Rockman: "Ikuzo/Ikou" ("Let's go!"--I can't determine exactly which phrase he's using, but they mean the same thing)
Blues: *whistle* (only cut for the English on the initial "Player Select" screen, otherwise kept in)
Forte: "Ikuze!" ("Let's go!")

Charged shots:
Rockman: "Charge shot!" or sometimes "Rock Buster!" delivered with a heavy Japanese accent
Blues: [darned if I can understand what he yells here...]
Forte: “Forte Blast!” or something which may be "Mega Blast!" both delivered with a definite Japanese accent

Rockman, Blues, and/or Forte saying the names of the shield weapons when they use them, i.e. "Leaf Shield!" "Plant Barrier!" and "Junk Shield!"

Cutman's "choki-choki-choki" ("snip-snip-snip") as he enters, via cutting a hole in the background.

Plantman's "Plant Barrier!" as he forms his shield--probably eliminated because of the heavy Japanese accent that manages to render "Plant" with three syllables

**Cases where dialogue/vocal effects remain:
"Ready, go!" at the beginning of the battles

"Win!" upon defeating a robot master

"Perfect!" if you defeat a robot master without taking any damage

"Time over!" if the clock runs out

Little hurt noises from the player characters

Iceman's yell as he fires his Ice Slasher at you

Slashman's noise when he dives at you

Plantman's shouts as he fires at you

Blues/Protoman's whistle as he teleports in