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Mega Man was the first of many games released in a series of action/platforming titles by Capcom, Inc. and created by Keiji Inafune. This title was originally released in December of 1987 on the Famicom/NES and would be re-released on the PlayStation, GameCube, PS2, and XBox, and even remade on the PlayStation Portable.
The first title differs from later sequels in that it contains a point system, no way to save (no passwords or save feature), and only six Robot Masters (although Mega Man: Powered Up compensates for these shortcomings).
Backstory
To understand the story of Mega Man, one must look back at the events which occur before the game takes place, and to do so, once can look to sources such as Rockman Perfect Memories which have taken the time to document the information reported by Capcom over the years in regards to the series:
The story of the Mega Man universe begins in the mid-20th century with the birth of Thomas Light and Albert W. Wily (circa 1958). These men would become friends and attend the same university, studying the field of electronics and eventually receiving PhDs. By the 1990s, the two men would go into business together and form a company called Light Labs, a team whose ambition it was to use computer and electronic technology to benefit mankind in the coming era.
In the early 21st century, Light Labs made its first leaps in the field of robotics, creating the Sniper Joe police robots, Mettool construction robots, and various others to benefit mankind. Yet, Light and Wily both realized the potential of their project. They wanted to create robots that were human-like. They wanted to build robots that contained artificial intelligence within them.
Thus, around the year 2005, Light Labs produced the first one of such robots- Proto Man. Proto Man was based off of the design of the Sniper Joe robots, but was instilled with an artificial intelligence unlike anything the world had ever seen. Yet, Proto possessed a true sense of independence, one that made him much like true human beings, and because of this he ran from the lab before his diagnostic testing was completed.
Still, Light and Wily did not give up. The following year they set to work on building a pair of robots, thinking that two would work together and overcome the independence issue. It was thus that Rock and Roll were born. Rock became the lab's new assistant and Roll became a housekeeper. With the success of this project, the two scientists went on to create eight more robots, each for industrial assistance purposes: Fire Man, Ice Man, Bomb Man, Cut Man, Guts Man, Elec Man, Oil Man, and Time Man.
It was for the success of these projects that Dr. Thomas Light received the Nobel Prize for Robot Master Design in 2007, an award which Wily felt he deserved as well. [1]
Note: In the original version of the story, Doctors Light and Wily only built six robots in their industrial series, but Capcom modified the story with the release of Mega Man: Powered Up to contain two additional Robot Masters in order to make the game more in-line with its sequels.
Story
In December of 2008, Dr. Albert W. Wily had finally had enough of living in the shadow of his colleague, Thomas Light. Light's reception of the Nobel Prize the previous year, as well as his winning the LIT Manual Design Contest drove him over the edge. Wily realized the potential of what he and Dr. Light had been designing with the Light Labs team. Robots with true A.I. built for industrial purposes could be used for other means. It was to this line of thinking that Wily turned one night that month when he snuck down into the lab and reprogrammed all of the robots that he could get his hands on. However, he failed to get past the programming on Rock and his "sister," Roll. Still, Wily figured that in the end he wouldn't have much use for a lab assistant and a housekeeper, so he took his new army of industrial powerhouses and fled the lab.
When Light came in, he found his lab in shambles and soon discovered that his colleague was to blame. With Wily on the loose with an army of intelligent and powerful robots, Dr. Light knew that the world's police forces and armies weren't ready to deal with this new challenge.
It was thus that Rock, the lab assistant, volunteered to be converted into a fighting robot. Rock had a strong sense of justice and couldn't sit by and watch his "father's" work be destroyed before his very eyes. As such, Light reluctantly converted the former lab assistant into a robot of unimaginable potential. Equipped with titanium armor and a plasma cannon, Rock became known as the fighting robot Mega Man and set out for Wily's new fortress of Monsteropolis.
Would he be able to stop the evil madman from taking over the world?
Story from the NES Manual, (C) 1987 Capcom
It's MEGA MAN versus the powerful leaders and fighting forces of Monsteropolis -- that strange multi-faceted land of robot-like Humanoids. Brilliant scientist Dr. Wright conceived the construction of fully-operational human-like experimental robots to perform specific everyday duties. Dr. Wright, and his assistant Dr. Wily, encouraged with their very first near human robot -- MEGA MAN -- proceeded to develop six additional Humanoids, all programmed to perform prescribed rituals.
But, with the exception of MEGA MAN, all of Dr.Wright's near-human robot experimentation went awry. Assistant Dr. Wily turned disloyal, re-programming Dr. Wright's Humanoids, now bent on destroying opposition so Dr. Wily could control the world and its resources.
Resisting re-programming, MEGA MAN is chosen the defender of theuniverse and its inhabitants. MEGA MAN dares to single-handedly penetrate seven separate empires of Monsteropolis, eliminating the leaders and followers of these sovereignties.
Get ready for some very exciting challenges! [2]
Notes: In the NES version, Dr. Light is named Dr. Wright, but he is later renamed to Light. The time period is not stated for this game, but Mega Man 2, which takes place six months later, mentions the year of 200X (or sometime between 2000 and 2009). The dates are extrapolated from information from official sources, such as Capcom and Rockman Perfect Memories. [1]