The Servbots, known as Kobun (コブン) in Japan, are 41 small all-purpose support robots from the Mega Man Legends series created by Tron Bonne, each with its own distinct personality and talent. They serve as henchmen loyal to the Bonne family of air pirates and the crew on board the Gesellschaft.[1] They work several tasks like flying the Gesellschaft and piloting their machines on missions, cleaning and cooking, assisting Tron in building and fixing her machines, among others in their schedule.[2][3] Although Tron built forty Servbots, forty-one of them exist, with the origin of the forty-first Servbot being unknown to her. Their cute appearance is useful in avoiding suspicion, leading most to assume them to be harmless.
The Servbots have childlike personalities and love Tron as a mother, but often get in trouble for their mistakes, and she punishes them severely when they goof off. The Servbots are somewhat cowardly, timid and unreliable, but they are also steadfast and hard-working, always trying their best to aid the Bonne family. Though they obey Tron's orders without question, the Servbots are not malicious in nature, and are typically friendly towards others, even their enemies. No two Servbots are exactly alike in personality or ability, with some more skilled at tasks than others, and some having hobbies specific to them.
Due to their small size, the Servbots aren't very strong physically, but in the Nakkai Desert they are shown to be strong enough to lift a boulder of their size and hold it for a few seconds before letting it fall on them. They are considerably durable, being able to survive several dangers like flames, spikes, and large explosions, though they aren't indestructible. In Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, the playable Servbot will release smoke as he gets damaged, and when defeated he explodes and releases small Refractors similar to a Reaverbot. Should they be damaged, their maintenance and repairs are done by Tron. Although they are robots, the Servbots possess fully developed senses of taste and smell, and most of them are good at cooking. Their favorite food is extra spicy curry rice.
Mega Man Legends series[]
The Misadventures of Tron Bonne[]
In the beginning of the game, Teisel Bonne and Bon Bonne go to the Nakkai Desert to search for the ruins rumored to have a valuable Refractor called "Diana's Tear", Teisel piloting the Gustaff with Servbot #1 as the Sniper and accompanied by Servbots #2 to #7. When Bon locates the ruins, Teisel and the Servbots go to his position and are attacked by Glyde, who defeats them with his mecha Rafale. Glyde captures Teisel and Bon, and the Servbots are left behind with the damaged Gustaff. Tron, worried with her siblings and the Servbots, go to their last known locations and finds the Servbots crying and scared, who explain to her what happened and that Teisel owns a debt to Lex Loath.
Back in the Gesellschaft, Tron orders the Servbots to search the Gesellschaft and they find Teisel's IOU receipt, which says he owes one million Zenny to Loath. After that the Servbots assist Tron in her missions, and they can make multiple tasks such as attack or hold enemies, verify and use objects, pass by narrow passages, and bring items and money to Tron. Tron can interact with all Servbots inside the Gesellschaft, and she works with them to build items in the Lab, sell items in the Storage, train them in the Gym, and use the Torture Room to punish lazy Servbots. Tron can choose up to three Servbots to scout Ryship Island between missions to obtain items. All Servbots can be taken to missions, with a limit from one to six (seven with Gustaff's Sniper) depending of the mission, but as the Servbots are busy building the Gesellschaft, not all of them can be chosen from the beginning, becoming available when the rooms they are working on are completed after some missions. In some missions, the Servbots pilot the Servbot Borer, the Servbot Truck, and a forklift.
Servbots abilities[]
All Servbots have the following stats, though their skill levels vary. The Sniper Servbot ratings affect Gustaff's weapon.
- Attack: Affects performance during battles. Servbots with high Attack do more damage when ordered to attack with Gustaff's Beacon Bomb.
- Speed: Affects speed during a mission. Servbots with high Speed run faster.
- Brains: Affects the Servbot's performance in missions and in the Gesellschaft. Servbots with high Brains will pick up nearby Refractors without being told with the Beacon Bomb. In puzzle missions, they will give better hints for Tron. Some Servbots obtain their Skill by increasing his Brains rating to their max.
- Sloth: Affects the Servbot's attention to his tasks. If the Sloth increases to 4, the Servbot will goof around and can't be used in missions. Tron must punish lazy Servbots in the Torture Room to reduce the Sloth to 1, making them available again.
- NOTE: Attack and Speed stats can be raised by doing the Training Course 1 and 2 respectively, while Brains can be raised by taking Servbots to missions. Sloth is raised if a Servbot is not taken on missions for a while.
- There are also special items found on Scout missions that improves Servbot stats without the need to do training:
- Attack Cube: Raises Attack by 1
- Speed Cube: Raises Speed by 1
- Brain Cube: Raises Brains by 1
- Energy Cube: Lowers Sloth by 1
- There are also special items found on Scout missions that improves Servbot stats without the need to do training:
Some Servbots also have special skills that can be useful in combat or on the Gesellschaft:
Skill | Servbots | Details |
---|---|---|
Sniper | #1, #8, #9, #10, #25 | Improves the abilities of Gustaff's weapon when chosen as Gustaff's sniper. #1 and #25 start with this skill. Other Servbots must receive specific items to learn it: Contact Lenses (#8), Comic (#9) and Ancient Pistol (#10). |
Bazooka | #2, #13, #18, #23, #41 | Servbot attacks enemies with a bazooka. This skill is learned when the Servbot's Attack and Brains are rised to 4. |
Slings | #4, #6, #28 | Servbot attacks enemies with a slingshot. This skill is learned when the Servbot's Brains is rised to 4. |
Grenade | #17, #20, #27 | Servbot attacks enemies by throwing explosives. This skill is learned when the Servbot's Brains is rised to 4. |
Rapid | #3, #12, #15 | This skill is learned when the Servbot's Speed is rised to 4. |
Ramming | #22 | #22 attacks by ramming. This skill is learned when #22's Attack is rised to 4. |
Appraise | #14, #19 | Servbot can appraise and sell items in Storage. Items can't be appraised or sold if a Servbot with this skill isn't present in the storage. #14 starts with this skill, and his apprentice #19 learns it when his Brains is rised to 3. When #14 isn't present, #19 will take his place if he learned the skill. |
Tank Dev | #30 | #30 can increase the Gustaff's energy with E. Tanks. |
Bazooka Dev | #31 | #31 can create a powerful bazooka. |
Gatling Dev | #32 | #32 can create a gatling gun, a weapon with a high rate of fire. |
Bottle Dev | #33 | #33 can create E. Bottles to recover the Gustaff. Available from the beginning. |
Armor Dev | #34 | #34 can improve the Gustaff's armor. |
Train Dev | #38 | #38 is in charge of designing training programs for all Servbots. Available from the beginning. |
Painting | #35 | #35 can change Gustaff's color. Learned when he receives the Paint Set, and additional colors are unlocked with other items. |
Music | #36 | #36 can play music in the piano in Tron's Room. Learned when he receives a Shell, and additional music is unlocked with other items. |
Strategy | #37 | #37 gives advices for Tron. Learned when #37 receives the Strategy Notes. |
Poetry | #39 | #39 makes poems that shows which Servbots can have their abilities increased and gain skills. #39 sleeps tired after all Servbots obtain their skills and their abilities are at their limit. Learned when #39 receives the Poetry Book. |
Design (H in Japan) |
#40 | #40 obtains his skill by reading the Design Magazine. Afterwards he will keep jumping in Tron's bed and comments about the Gesellschaft's curtains. In the Japanese version he is a naughty Servbot smelling Tron's bed. |
Servbots #5, #7, #11, #16, #21, #24, #26, and #29 don't have special skills, although the game contains three unused skills called "Steering", "Cooking" and "Lookout" that are believed to have been planned for #11, #21, and #24, respectively.[4] It is also possible that #26 might have been planned to learn Cooking with #21, similar to how Servbot #19 is learning to Appraise with #14.
Favorite Servbot[]
After obtaining the "Red Head Parts" with Servbot #9, Tron can choose one Servbot to be her favorite, which will make the gray part in the top of his head red and give a bonus to his abilities. When Tron was making Servbot #1, she tried to use different colors and liked red, but she didn't have enough Zenny to use it for everyone. By talking with Servbot #17 after choosing a Servbot to be the favorite, Tron may rest in her room and leave the favorite Servbot in charge until she awakens, and the favorite can visit a casino to obtain money for Tron.
The favorite Servbot pilots the Gustaff in the end of the game to rescue the Bonnes and in the final battle against Lex Loath aboard the Colossus, a giant Reaverbot. If no Servbot is chosen before the final stage, Servbot #1 will automatically become the favorite. Servbots #22, #23 and #27 can have all their abilities increased to the limit if one of them is chosen to be the favorite.
In Marvel vs. Capcom 2, the favorite Servbot appears in one of the playable Servbot's introductions.
Mega Man Legends[]
The Servbots attack Kattelox Island with the Bonne family and are enemies that fight against MegaMan Volnutt. They pilot several fighting machines such as the Blumebears, Draches, Leopolds and Hornisses. Except for a few of them, the pilot Servbot will appear when the machine is destroyed, and he will run away from the area. If MegaMan attacks the escaping Servbot, he will be burned out when defeated, and hitting him again continuously will make him drop an energy cube, dropping up to three of them before stopping.
In the Bonne's first attack to the island, Servbots #1 to #6 are with Tron and #24 to #32 with Bon. When they are defeated by MegaMan, #33 to #40 retrieve Tron and Bon with Draches.[2]
The Servbots also appear in several locations of the city, where they do several things like visit Apple Market and the library. In a side-quest, the police believes that Servbots stole money from the bank and pursues them in Downtown, and MegaMan helps to stop them. The Servbots manage to escape, but they drop the trunk with 200000 Zenny and MegaMan finds it, having the choice to give it to the police or keep it for himself. If the money is returned, the Servbots will open a hamburger shop in Downtown called Stripe Burger. It is later explained that it was a misunderstanding and the Servbots had actually borrowed the money.
Mega Man Legends 2[]
Like the first game, the Servbots appear as enemies working for the Bonne family and they pilot several fighting machines in Saul Kada Island, some Servbots also fighting without machines by throwing bombs. Three Servbots assist Teisel when he fights against Mega Man with the Blitzkrieg, and Servbots #11 and #23 are with Tron in the Saul Kada Ruins. In the battle against the train Gemeinschaft, Servbots ride missiles on MegaMan's direction, and they can be picked and throw back at the Gemeinschaft. After approaching the train, Servbots will appear and throw bombs at MegaMan.
The Servbots also appear walking around Manda Island and the Sulphur-Bottom. In Manda Island, four Servbots are in the Pokte Plains before the battle against Tron's Jagd Krabbe. After her defeat, three Servbots will leave and one will stay behind and wonder where the others went, getting worried and scared after some time. He disappears after the second Key to the Mother Lode is given to Verner Von Bluecher, suggesting he returned to the others. In the Sulphur-Bottom there are three Servbots present. When the Third Key to the Mother Lode is obtained, the Servbots are found by the guards and they are given food and a work in the airship's Junk Shop.
MegaMan also receives two letters from Servbots #20 and #32. #20 asks MegaMan if he wants to become Servbot #42 to cheer up Tron, which has been depressed after her defeat in Manda Island. #32 asks what happened with Tron in the Saul Kada Ruins as every time they mention that mission her face goes red and she gets upset and depressed.
The Servbots are last seen helping Tron and Roll Caskett build a rocket to rescue MegaMan from Elysium.
Mega Man Legends 3[]
Servbots would appear in the cancelled game Mega Man Legends 3, where they assist Tron to build a rocket to rescue MegaMan. In the Prototype Version, Barrett has to retrieve several Servbots around Teomo City within a time limit in the mission "Yes, Miss Tron". Servbots also appear with Donner Wels in the mission "Bonne Family Showdown".
Other games[]
The Servbots also appear as enemies in Rockman DASH: 5tsu no Shima no Daibouken! and as playable characters in the mobile phone games Rockman DASH Golf, Kobun ga Tobun?, Oshioki Kobun, and Kumitate Kobun.
Other appearances[]
Marvel vs. Capcom series[]
Servbots follow Tron and appear in her attacks, and one Servbot is a hidden playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. The Servbot is one of the weakest characters in the game, having low attack and defense, but in compensation his small size makes it difficult to hit him, making him able to avoid many attacks, notably most of Abyss' second form attacks. He mainly attacks using utensils, food and the assistance of other Servbots. His most powerful attacks are Lunch Rush and King Servbot.
In Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, several Servbots appear as background characters from the Kattelox Island and Bonne Wonderland stages, and a large Servbot balloon appears in the Daily Bugle stage. Like Marvel vs. Capcom 2, one Servbot accompanies Tron in combats, and they are present in some of her special attacks. If Tron isn't fighting in the Kattelox Island stage, she appears in the background with a Servbot. The Servbot Mask also appears in two of Frank West's Hyper Combos in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3: "Blue Light Special" and "Funny Face Crusher". In Tron Bonne's ending, Tron reprograms a Sentinel to become Servbot #42. She then tries to convince MegaMan Volnutt to go out with her threatening to order #42 to attack should Volnutt say no. If Tron is defeated by Zero, he says that it'll take more than "an army of Reploid-wannabe servants" to best him. If she loses to Sentinel, he says that he halted the "fraudulent Sentinel" production.
Namco × Capcom[]
During the events of the game Tron is accompanied by Servbots #1, #17 and #28. The other Servbots work aboard the Gesellschaft with the same position from The Misadventures of Tron Bonne, having minor appearances.
Project × Zone[]
Servbots appear as playable characters alongside Tron Bonne.
Puzzle Fighter[]
A Servbot appeared as a playable character and in the background of the Ring of Destiny stage.
Mega Man X DiVE[]
Servbots appear in a group as a boss in Mega Man X DiVE. They also appear when Tron Bonne uses some of her skills. One Servbot was made playable beginning on April 1, 2021.
Cameo appearances[]
- In the Mega Man Battle Network series, Servbots (called Servebots) have cameo appearances in several games and in different locations. They appear in Mayl's house as a toy from a cartoon show in the first two games, as smaller toys that appear with Tron in the White version of the third game and Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge, as a poster and mat in Dex's house in the first game, a carpet in Yai's house in the third game, and in a small image in Lan's house in the sixth game.
- In Pocket Fighter, Servbots appear in the background of the Running Battle mode with Tron.
- The Servbots appear in cards from all games of the SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters series, and have their own card in SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters DS.
- In Auto Modellista, there are two Servbot figures that can be placed in the garage.
- In the 2001 version of Puchiguru, Servbot is one of the icons.
- In Onimusha 3: Demon Siege, a Servbot replaces Jacques Blanc's oni gauntlet in his second costume.
- In the Dead Rising series, the player can find and wear Servbot masks or put them on zombies. In the first game there is a large Servbot in the toy store Child's Play. In the second game the Servbot Mask can be combined with a lawnmower to be used as a weapon called Super Slicer, which is a Servbot Mask with a spinning blade on the top.
- Several Servbots appear in the background of the Gesellschaft stages from Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, and in MegaMan Volnutt's and Roll's mini-games from the Wii version of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes. In Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars, Frank West puts a Servbot Mask in the opponent in one of his special attacks.
- In Street Fighter ✕ Tekken, a large Servbot head makes a cameo which a Tekken Force member hides under in the background of the stage Urban War Zone.
- Kobuns appeared in the mobile games Minna to Capcom All Stars and Street Fighter x All Capcom.
- Kobuns appeared as event characters in the mobile game Otoranger.
- In Toraware no Palm, the player can find and gift Haruto different volumes from a popular manga titled Kobun no Daibouken (コブンの大冒険 lit. "Kobun's Great Adventure"). It is also possible to find a broken Kobun figure, have it repaired after finding all parts, gift it, and have Haruto pose for a photo with the figure.
- In its sequel, Toraware no Palm: Refrain, the player can find and gift Chiaki different volumes from a manga titled KOBUN.
- A Servbot appears in the Short Circuits for Issue 55 of the Archie Comics Mega Man series alongside various other characters, including X, Zero, a Met, and silhouetted figures resembling MegaMan.EXE and Star Force Mega Man.
- While they don't appear directly, Servbots are referenced in Tron Bonne's spirit battle in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate via a pair of tiny yellow ROBs.
List of Servbots[]
List of Servbots from The Misadventures of Tron Bonne.
- For Attack, Speed and Brains, first number is its starting value, second is the maximum it can reach (excluding the bonus from Red Head Parts).
- Servbot #41 can only be obtained in the Japanese version by playing a special demo that came bundled with the magazine Dengeki PlayStation Vol. 114 (D21),[5][6] from where they can obtain a special save file compatible for the game after beating both Training Course minigames, while in other versions, the only way to obtain the Servbot #41 is through the use of cheat devices (The NTSC GameShark code is 8009AF0C 0001, however, the code needs to be used everytime, since saving the game does not keep him). He's the only Servbot that can upgrade all his stats to the limit without the Red Head Parts, and can't be turned into the favorite because of his blue head part.
Gallery[]
Artwork[]
Concept art[]
Group arts[]
Misc.[]
Trivia[]
- Their Japanese name, "Kobun" (子分), means "follower" and usually refers to "henchman" within Yakuza groups.
- Their name is misspelled as "Servebots" in instruction manuals from the Mega Man Legends series and in some games from the Mega Man Battle Network series.
- Their name is misspelled as "Serbot" in the Mega Man Legends 2 credits.
- Servbots were inspired on the Telephone Pole Gang's underlings (下っぱ shitappa) from the manga Prefectural Earth Defense Force.[8]
- Servbots bear a resemblance to the Lego minifigures.
- Servbot #41 is mentioned indirectly in Mega Man Legends 2 when Servbot #20 sent a letter to MegaMan asking for him to become Servbot #42 to cheer Tron. Also, the Servbot's card from SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters DS says 41 of them exist, and the attack Lunch Rush from Marvel vs. Capcom 2 causes 40 hits when used by the Servbot and 41 hits (40 Servbots and Data) with Tron, who has one Servbot helping her, making a total of 41 Servbots.
- In Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and the mobile phone games Kobun ga Tobun? and Puzzle FIghter, some Servbots are shown to have retractable propellers in their heads, which allow them to fly for a short time. This is also shown in the Lunch Rush card from SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters 2 Expand Edition.
- After defeating one of the evil replicas of KOS-MOS (a Namco character) in chapter 25 of Namco × Capcom, Tron suggests to create a hybrid of Servbot and KOS-MOS with the remaining parts of the copies, and Servbot #17 suggests the name "KOB-MOS", but Shion, the co-creator of the original, was against the idea.
- In the MegaMan NT Warrior episode NetCity!, a NetNavi with the same shape as a Servbot can be seen briefly on NetCity.
References[]
- ↑ The Reploid Research Lavatory: Servbots!!
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Reploid Research Lavatory: A Day in the Life of a Servbot
- ↑ The Reploid Research Lavatory: Another Day in the Life of a Servbot
- ↑ The Cutting Room Floor: The Misadventures of Tron Bonne
- ↑ The Rockman Corner - Tron ni Kobun Dengeki Demo
- ↑ N1XT: 電撃PlayStation D21 - 多蓉與哥布 電擊體驗版 & 電擊哥布41號入手
- ↑ Rockman X DiVE Challenge from Tron
- ↑ Rockman DASH Daibouken Guide page 53 concept art.
Mega Man Legends series | |
---|---|
Main characters | |
MegaMan Volnutt • Roll Caskett • Barrell Caskett • Data • Tron Bonne • Teisel Bonne • Bon Bonne • Servbots • Glyde • Birdbots Lex Loath • Denise • Von Bluecher • Bola • Klaymoor • MegaMan Juno • Sera • Yuna • Gatz • Geetz • The Master | |
Games | |
Mega Man Legends • Mega Man Legends 2 • The Misadventures of Tron Bonne • Rockman DASH: 5tsu no Shima no Daibouken! Rockman DASH Golf • Kobun ga Tobun? • Oshioki Kobun • Kumitate Kobun • Roll-chan no 15 Panel | |
Related items | |
Flutter • Gesellschaft • Gustaff • Locations • Reaverbot • Refractor • Sulphur-Bottom • Support Car Terms • MegaMan Volnutt's equipment |