Skull Barrier

MM4 Skull Barrier
Mega Man using Skull Barrier.
Weapon Information
Kanji:	スカルバリアー
Romaji:	Sukaru Bariā
In-Game Information
Obtained from:	Skull Man
Trajectory:	Barrier
Effective against:	Mega Man 4: Dive Man Mega Man III: Dive Man
Cost:	Mega Man 4: 2 units Mega Man III: 2 units
Capacity:	Mega Man 4: 14 uses Mega Man III: 10 uses
Series Information
In-game appearances:	Mega Man 4 Mega Man III

Skull Barrier (スカルバリアー, Sukaru Bariā) is Skull Man's Special Weapon. It creates a skull-shaped energy shield that rotates around the user, protecting him from attacks. Unlike the Leaf Shield, Mega Man can walk around while the shield is active, but he can't throw it.

Video game appearances

Mega Man 4/Mega Man III

In Mega Man 4, Skull Barrier automatically shuts off on contact with an enemy or projectile. In Mega Man III, the Skull Barrier was buffed, improving its durability: it can now take up to a maximum of three hits from projectiles unless the projectile is too powerful, though it still disappears after hitting an enemy. In both games, it is Dive Man's weakness.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

Mega Man using Skull Barrier in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

Skull Barrier is also used by Mega Man in the fighting game Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U as a custom move to his down special, Leaf Shield. It must be unlocked before it can be swapped out. To be consistent with the Leaf Shield and Plant Barrier, the Skull Barrier can also be thrown.

Upon activating it, an orbiting shield of skulls surrounds Mega Man to protect him. Unlike the Leaf Shield, the Skull Barrier does no damage at all; in fact, all it does is simply push nearby opponents, only causing 2% damage when thrown. It is able to reflect projectiles, however, and it becomes active faster than the Leaf Shield.

Damage data chart

Known damage values in units for Mega Man 4.

Skull Barrier
Boss	Damage
Bright Man	2
Toad Man	1
Drill Man	1
Pharaoh Man	1
Ring Man	1
Dust Man	1
Dive Man	4
Skull Man	1
Mothraya	0
Square Machine	0
Cockroach Twins	0
Cossack Catcher	0
Metal Daddy	0
Tako Trash	0/1*
Wily Machine 4 : 1st Phase	0
Wily Machine 4: 2nd Phase	0
Wily Capsule	0

• For Tako Trash, Skull Barrier doesn't harm him, but after the player hits him with Drill Bomb, it will do 1 unit of damage to him.

Capacity

Activating the Skull Barrier in Mega Man 4 and Mega Man III uses 2 weapon energy units. With a full weapon energy gauge, it can be activated 14 times in Mega Man 4 and 10 times in Mega Man III.

Other media

Only Skull Man is seen using Skull Barrier in other media. It is the only weapon from the eight bosses that isn't used by Mega Man in the Rockman 4 manga, and one of the two weapons he doesn't use in the Rockman World 3 manga.

In Mega Man Megamix, Skull Man uses the shield by scattering "Skull Barrier bits" from his shoulders in an electromagnetic field that he produces himself. By blocking any and all incoming attacks, the Skull Barrier allows him to attack without having to worry about avoiding or taking damage himself. Its main drawback is that the user's mobility is restricted while the barrier is in effect.

Gallery

Skull Barrier used in Mega Man 4.

Skull Barrier in Mega Man 4.

Skull Barrier in Mega Man III.

Mega Man using Skull Barrier in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U.

Skull Man activating Skull Barrier in Mega Man Megamix.

Skull Man attacking with Skull Barrier in Mega Man Megamix.

Skull Man using Skull Barrier in the Rockman 4 manga.

Skull Man using Skull Barrier in the Rockman World 3 manga.

Skull Man with Skull Barrier in Rockman 4Koma Dai Koushin.

Trivia

• Even though the artwork of the Skull Barrier shows Mega Man as white and light blue while using the weapon, his torso and limbs are cyan in-game.
• It and Plant Barrier are the only shield weapons that cannot be thrown.
• Skull Barrier is still helpful dodging enemies that rise and fall from pits.
• One of Psycho Sigma's attacks in Mega Man X5, where he surrounds himself with Sigma Viruses that rotate around him, resembles the Skull Barrier.