Dark MegaMan and the Double Souls from Mega Man Battle Network 4.
Double Soul, known as Soul Unison (ソウルユニゾン,Sōru Yunizon) in Japan, shortened as "DublSoul" in-game, is a term used in the Mega Man Battle Network series of video games and MegaMan NT Warrior anime and manga. It is an ability employed by MegaMan or any NetNavi to gain added powers and techniques in combat using the powers of an allied NetNavi.
Unlike Style Change, which can be performed by a single NetNavi, Double Soul occurs when a Navi's soul communes with MegaMan. This usually happens after battling against the respective Navi in Battle Network 4, or completing a "Liberation Mission" that occurs after having them join the player's team (excluding ProtoMan/Colonel, which is obtained near the end of the game instead).
Unison Custom Screen Image
Once the player has gone through the Double Soul tutorial, a "Unite" button (Unison in Japan and European MMBN5DS) appears under the "OK" button in the Custom Screen, and lights up whenever the player has previously selected a Battle Chip that is eligible for initiating the Soul. Initiating the Soul will sacrifice the Battle Chip and render it unusable for the rest of the battle, while also taking up a slot for selection for that turn (thus limiting the player to 4 chips for selection if he chooses to initiate a Soul at the same time). Souls last for 3 turns (including the one where they were initiated) by default, though Battle Network 5 introduced NaviCust programs that can prolong the Soul's duration.
Chaos Unison
Introduced in Mega Man Battle Network 5, Chaos Unison (カオスユニゾン,Kaosu Yunizon) occurs when sacrificing a Dark Chip. It is an immensely powerful transformation, having the attributes of both the power of the Dark Chip and Double Soul. MegaMan gains the Soul's attributes, with an unusual Double Soul different color (usually turns purple or blackish). The charge attack now becomes the same as the sacrificed Dark Chip, and doing so does not affect Karma, self-inflict a bug, or have the effect of removing 1 HP permanently like using the chip normally would.
The catch is that Chaos Unison can only be used for absolutely one turn (cannot be boosted with the Navi Customizer), and when charging, the charge will rapidly transition between Teal-Green to Purple. If the player releases the Charge Shot while it is purple, the attack will execute flawlessly; if they release while it is teal-green, the attack fails and the Soul expires. A Dark Soul of MegaMan is also spawned in the enemy area, and will proceed to assault the player with Buster shots and random chip attacks for 13 seconds or until the battle ends. For each consecutive time a Chaos Unison's Charge Shot is used successfully during the battle, its charge time will increase slightly, in an attempt to throw off the player's timing and raise the risk of failing it.
At the end of Mega Man Battle Network 5, the destruction of the Dark Chip factory following Nebula Grey's defeat renders Chaos Unison impossible, due to there being no Dark Chips to sacrifice anymore.
List of Double Souls
Below is the list of all Double Souls appearing in the games and anime.
Rapid tapping of the B button causes MegaMan to fire a Guts Machine Gun, hitting 6 times for 5 damage each. MegaMan is invincible during this attack's duration.
Charge Shot: GutsPunch
Hits the panel in front of MegaMan for 60 damage. If it hits an obstacle, the obstacle will be pushed backwards.
All non-dimming Elec and non-elemental chips will paralyze.
Charge Shot: Zap Ring
Fires down the row, hitting for 20 paralyzing Elec damage. The Charge Shot has a very slow charge rate such that paralysis expires before charging finishes.
Invisible and PopUp will be removed from all enemies once the Soul is initiated.
Search Shuffle is available in the Custom Screen, which randomly shuffles all chips in the Custom Screen that are not selected yet. This can be performed up to three times each turn while the Soul is active.
Charge Shot: Scope Gun
Locks onto the nearest enemy, doing five shots of 10 damage each. This attack pierces Invisible.
Custom Screen capacity is expanded to ten while the Soul is active.
Charge Shot: Die Bomb
Throws a Dice Bomb three panels forward. If it does not hit the enemy, it will explode after a short delay, inflicting (10 x die roll result) damage to a 3x3 area around it. If it lands on an enemy, it only deals 10 damage.
Status Guard enabled, MegaMan will be immune to status effects.
MegaMan heals at an incredibly fast rate while standing on Grass Panels.
Non-dimming Wood chips can absorb the next non-element chip selected after them, adding the chip's displayed power to their own. The non-element chip can even be a Giga Chip.
Charge Shot: Twister
Hits two panels away for eight hits of 20 Wood damage each.
All enemies are confused and invisibility will be removed once the Soul is initiated.
Two previously used Battle Chips are recycled and placed in the two additional custom slots in the Custom Screen while the Soul is active. These "junk chips" will not be replaced after use. The recycled chips also include the opponent's chips, as well as Dark Chips.
Charge Shot: Poltergeist
Dims the screen while throwing all obstacles at all enemies, inflicting 100 damage per obstacle.
Reflect enabled. NaviCust programs that require B + ← to execute will be overridden by Reflect.
All non-dimming Sword attacks will not cause the enemy to flash, including the Charge Shot.
Non-dimming Sword chips can be charged for double damage. When MegaMan uses chips charged this way, he also jumps two panels forward before using the chip (with the exception of Z Saver and Slasher).
Charge Shot: Wide Sword
Hits a 1x3 area immediately in front of MegaMan for 80 damage.
Unlike most Soul Charge Shots, this one can counter hit.
Non-dimming Elec chips can be charged for double damage.
MegaMan is unaffected by Magnet panels.
B + ← will temporarily magnetize all enemies in the same row as MegaMan, making them unable to move.
Charge Shot: Mag Bolt
Drags the nearest enemy in the row to the front of the area. If they are pulled to the panel in front of MegaMan, the attack deals (10 x Buster rank + 30) paralyzing Elec damage.
Chaos Unison Charge Shot: Dark Thunder
Creates a purple lightning ball that slowly travels and homes in on the nearest enemy, inflicting 200 paralyzing Elec damage.
Using a non-dimming Wind chip will make MegaMan's propeller spin, doubling the damage dealt by the next non-dimming Wind or non-elemental chip used. The propeller will not stop spinning until the Soul expires, the battle ends, or a non-dimming non-elemental chip is used.
Charge Shot: Tornado Arm
Covers three panels in front of MegaMan, hitting once for the panel directly in front, twice for the panel after that, and thrice for the third. Each hit does (5 x Buster rank + 15) damage. It will also instantly remove barriers and auras upon impact.
Chaos Unison Charge Shot: Dark Tornado
Hits the second panel in front of MegaMan eight times for 50 damage each. The more MegaMan flinches, the more tornadoes will appear around the original one.
Invisibility will be removed from all enemies once the Soul is initiated.
Search Shuffle is available in the Custom Screen, which randomly shuffles all chips in the Custom Screen that are not selected yet. This can be performed up to three times each turn while the Soul is active.
If the enemy is holding any chips, the number of chips they're holding will be visible above them.
Charge Shot: Snipe Gun
Locks onto the nearest enemy, doing five shots of (2 x Buster rank + 10) damage each. This attack pierces Invisible.
Chaos Unison Charge Shot: Dark Circle
Dims screen and causes a cursor to quickly circle the enemy area perimeter. Pressing A will stop the cursor and hit both the selected panel and the next six panels for 300 damage each. Reducing the enemy area will cause this attack to hit multiple times.
The last two custom slots are replaced by capsules that can be fused with selected chips to give additional effects:
Pink: Recovers HP
Black: Blinds
White: Paralyzes
Yellow: Confuses
Purple: Causes a HP bug
Charge Shot: Capsule Bomb
Throws a capsule three squares ahead. If it lands on an unoccupied panel, there is a short delay before it explodes and hits the panels above and below it for (10 x Buster rank + 30) damage. Otherwise it damages only the enemy it lands on.
Reflect enabled. Navicust programs that require B + ← to execute will be overridden by Reflect.
Non-dimming Sword chips can be charged for double damage. When MegaMan uses chips charged this way, he also jumps two panels forward before using the chip.
Charge Shot: Wide Sword
Hits a 1x3 area immediately in front of MegaMan for (10 x Buster rank + 70) damage.
Chaos Unison Charge Shot: Dark Sword
Hits a 2x3 area immediately in front of MegaMan for 400 damage.
Non-dimming Breaking chips can be charged for double damage.
MegaMan turns invincible when using any battle chip on his front row. This lasts until he is able to move again.
Charge Shot: Royal Wrecking Ball
Hits the eight panels surrounding MegaMan, inflicting (10 x Buster rank + 30) Breaking damage, while also confusing all enemies it hits.
Chaos Unison Charge Shot: Dark Drill
Hits the two panels ahead of MegaMan up to five times for 100 Breaking damage each. Enemies which are hit are pushed back, but if they cannot move any further from the drill they continue taking hits.
Anti Damage and Float Shoes enabled. Navicust programs that require B + ← to execute will be overridden by Anti Damage.
Charging a non-dimming Sword chip will have MegaMan to warp behind the enemy, then using the chip.
Movement speed slightly increased, with reduced waiting time between moving from panel to panel.
Charge Shot: Long Sword
Hits the two panels directly in front of MegaMan, inflicting (5 x Buster rank + 65) damage.
Chaos Unison Charge Shot: Dark Invisible
MegaMan turns black and becomes invincible and uncontrollable, moving about and attacking randomly with Buster shots, any loaded chips and any other Battle chips and Program Advances the player has used.
Custom Screen capacity is expanded to ten while the Soul is active.
Charge Shot: Die Bomb
Throws a Dice Bomb three panels forward. If it does not hit the enemy, it will explode after a short delay, inflicting ((Buster rank x 5 + 5) x die roll result) damage to a 3x3 area around it. If it lands on an enemy, it deals damage only to that enemy as if the roll result was a one.
Chaos Unison Charge Shot: Dark Plus
Adds 50 attack to the next selected chip or Program Advance. This cannot stack with other modifiers used, except for Number Soul's innate +10.
Arm Change: Charge Shot can be converted to any non-dimming, non-element Standard chip with an attack value while the Soul is active.
Obstacles on the field convert to soldiers which attack enemies standing behind or in front of them.
Charge Shot: Screen Divide
Covers a V-shape formation centered on the nearest enemy in the row, dealing (10 x Buster rank + 40) damage. If no enemy is present in the same row as MegaMan, the attack is instead centred 3 squares ahead.
Chaos Unison Charge Shot: Dark Sonic
Summons a Trumpy virus that paralyzes all enemies while it plays its music.
Other Appearances
Anime
Megaman using Proto Soul.
In MegaMan NT Warrior Axess, MegaMan is able to perform Double Soul initially through a special bond between fellow Navis; he usually obtained new souls in dire situations, during which either he or the other Navi in question were subject to great peril. After initiating a given Double Soul once, Lan received a corresponding chip, allowing MegaMan to freely access it when needed.
While it is Double Soul that overrides MegaMan's Style Change option in the games, it is a side effect of Cross Fusion that serves this purpose in the anime.[1]
All twelve Souls from Mega Man Battle Network 4 appear in Axess. Only one Soul from Mega Man Battle Network 5 (Gyro Soul) appears in the Stream season.
MegaMan acquired the Double Soul program from Serenade and first used it during his third battle with Bass. Like in the anime, MegaMan is able to perform Double Soul through a special bond between fellow Navis. Unlike in the anime though, Lan doesn't receive a corresponding chip, requiring MegaMan's fellow Navis to be there for MegaMan to use Double Soul. Also, the Navis who perform Double Soul with MegaMan gives 99% of their data to MegaMan, leaving them at a state of near deletion. If the Navi who performs Double Soul with MegaMan is deleted, the respective Double Soul will disappear as well.
Only Proto Soul, Guts Soul, Search Soul, Tomahawk Soul, and Tomahawk Chaos appear in the manga.
MegaMan DS performs a NetNavi fusion as well, but instead of combining souls, he consumes the Navi instead. He uses this technique on Bass and LaserMan.
Yuichiro Hikari has created the Unison Program, an evolution of Style Change. When MegaMan activates it and fights another Navi, it'll collect emotion energy during the battle, resulting in a Unison Chip. The Unison Chip materializes in the cyberworld and Lan needs to speak the keyword, "Soul Unison", to activate it. In the manga's final chapter (Chapter 71), MegaMan goes into Proto Soul and works with ProtoMan to take down ShadeMan. While not in the manga itself, the manga's artist has drawn other Souls as extras.
A Bass Soul and Duo Soul was planned to be added to Mega Man Battle Network 4, but there wasn’t enough space on the cartridge [2]. Bass Cross MegaMan would be a spiritual successor to the idea. Within the game’s data, the framework for the souls still exist [3].
In the book, Rockman EXE no Himitsu, the design for Bass Soul was printed [4]. Many of the design concepts carried over to Bass Cross MegaMan. In the same book, a concept for Ice Soul, originally planned as an anime original, was also published [5].
The time period that Dark MegaMan appears following the fail of Chaos Unison charge shot is 13 seconds, a rather unusual nod to an unlucky number.
In Battle Network 4, during the ShadeMan fight in ToyRoboComp, the strange properties of the fight makes it possible for Soul to use Dark Sword. As well as uniting with Dark Sword for Proto Soul.
The following Soul abilities are not mentioned in the game's E-Mail:
Fire Soul's ability to absorb Lava Panels to heal is not mentioned.
Junk Soul's ability to remove invisibility in addition to causing confusion is not mentioned.
BN4 Proto Soul's ability to remove flashing from sword attacks is not mentioned. Furthermore, this ability is removed entirely in BN5, as well as the Charge Shot’s ability to counter hit.
Napalm Soul's ability to absorb Lava Panels to strengthen chips is not mentioned.
BN5 Search Soul's ability to see the number of chips the enemy is holding.
Thanks to Junk Soul recycling Dark Chips, Junk Soul and base form MegaMan can use Dark Chips without going Evil emotion and losing HP. However, the bugs from the chips will still be inflicted.
For some reason, in the English version of BN5, Search Soul's Scope Gun was renamed Snipe Gun. The name was the same in Japanese.
Due to Shadow Soul flipping MegaMan's sprite, there are some strange interactions from dimming chips if they are used in that period. However doing so is impossible, except with a dimming chip "cut in" during a multiplayer match.
In the English Battle Network 5 DS, there is an unused sound clip for Moltanic Soul. MoltanicMan being the NT Warrior dub's name for NapalmMan, meaning there was a point during localization they thought on using the dub name.
While the Soul designs are by the concept artist, the Chaos Unison colors are done by the Design Studio (the Official Illustrators)[6].
References
↑MegaMan NT Warrior / Rockman EXE Axess Episode #2, 2003