Clown Man

**Clown Man** (クラウンマン *Kuraunman*) is a mischievous Robot Master from *Mega Man 8*. He was originally a robot designed for an amusement park, but was stolen, reprogrammed, and remodeled for combat by Doctor Albert W. Wily, gaining the ability to telescopically extend his arms and channel high-voltage electricity through them as part of his Special Weapon, the Thunder Claw. He can also temporarily surround himself in a ball of electricity and bounce around in fast and erratic patterns for a unique attack that he refers to as the Thunder Carnival. His leftover parts were used by Wily to create Frost Man.

Clown Man made his base in an amusement park somewhere in the east of Australia. Whilst he is of a mischievous, yet silly nature and is a good sportsman to his foes, he is also highly emotional, being particularly prone to having bouts of disliking everything and everyone around him. He is highly skilled on a flying trapeze, which he incorporates into his attack strategy to swing up and around repeatedly in an attempt to collide with his foes.

## Trivia

* Clown Man's weakness to Tornado Hold might be suggestive of the threat of windy conditions at higher altitudes; this is one of the main reasons that circus acrobatics shows are held in tents.
* During Capcom's boss character contest for *Mega Man 8*, Clown Man was one of three robots created using a pre-made design template supplied to fans (Search Man and Sword Man were the others). Clown Man's template was known as "Long Arm Robot".
* The North American *Mega Man 8* manual states that Clown Man was originally a robot used on a science fiction TV show that Wily rescued after its cancellation. Made of old sets and props, Clown Man displays the charisma of show business. As Dr. Wily can't stop laughing at his long arms, Clown Man became especially proud of them due to never getting a laugh while on the show.
* The basis for the Thunder Claw may stem from the joke novelty of the joy buzzer, which is a handheld device used to generate a harmless but surprising shock done for a handshake-based prank.
* Although ColorMan.EXE and CircusMan.EXE have some similarities with Clown Man, they aren't NetNavi counterparts of him. However, his original concept, shown during the credits of *Mega Man 8*, showed him standing on a giant ball. Therefore, some believe ColorMan.EXE could indeed be his NetNavi counterpart.
* Clown Man is the second Robot Master to perform an attack involving turning into a ball and bouncing. The other two are Blizzard Man and Strike Man. However, unlike the other two, Clown Man doesn't have a round body.
* Clown Man is one of two entertainer themed Robot Masters, the other being Magic Man. Interestingly enough, both are weak to Tengu Man's weapons.
* Coincidentally, Clown Man and Magic Man were both fan designs in a *Nintendo Power* contest. The prototype of Clown Man was designed by Eugene Han from Ridgewood, New Jersey. Most likely there is no connection whatsoever with Clown Man actually ending up as a Robot Master.
* His quote, "See you in my *dreams*" could be a reference to Stephen King's It. In a scene where the character Eddie takes a shower, Pennywise the Clown comes out from the water drain to terrorize him and before leaving says "See you in your dreams."