Servbot

Servbots first appear in 1997's Mega Man Legends as antagonists under the command of Tron Bonne, who sends them to rob banks and cause mischief. In The Misadventures of Tron Bonne, a prequel to the first Mega Man Legends, Tron commands a total number of 40 Servbots created by her, although there is a hidden 41st Servbot which has escaped her attention.[4] The Servbots assist the Bonne family with the management of their airship, the Gesellschaft, and assist Tron with reaching places and performing maneuvers too delicate for her bulky armor suit.[7] The management and training of Servbot units by players form an essential gameplay element of The Misadventures of Tron Bonne. By the events of Mega Man Legends 2, the Servbots have developed a somewhat amicable relationship with Mega Man Volnutt, the main character and protagonist of the Mega Man Legends series, as a result of the improved relations between Volnutt and Tron Bonne.

The Servbot is the titular character, under its original Japanese name Kobun, of a series of Japan-exclusive mobile spin-off titles of the Legends series released in the 2000s.[8][9][10] Servbot characters have appeared in the manga adaptations of the Mega Man Legends series.

The Servbot's iconography has a prominent presence in the Dead Rising series as a form of intertextual reference: for example, the series' protagonists could wear in-game items like helmets with Servbot faces.[11][12] The Servbots' appearances in other games developed by Capcom include Bionic Commando, Street Fighter X Tekken, and Onimusha 3: Demon Siege.[3]

Servbots appear as playable or supporting characters in crossover games such as the Marvel vs. Capcom series, Project X Zone, and Namco x Capcom. The Servbot is incorporated into Dead Rising series protagonist Frank West's moveset in the latter's crossover fighting game appearances.[13]

Capcom have used the Servbot character for various promotional purposes.[18][19] The company gave away free Servbot-themed pudding to attendees at the 2000 Tokyo Game Show.[20][21] In 2009, Capcom released a line of limited series Servbot-themed coffee mugs, which were only distributed in South Korea.[22] The mugs were personally signed by Servbot creator Keiji Inafune, and contain a drawing of Mega Man on the underside.[23] To promote the release of Dead Rising 2, the PlayStation Home service released an update in September 2010 which allowed players to acquire a Servbot helmet from the PlayStation Home Mall for their avatars.[24] Servbot figures were placed alongside a statue of Mega Man at the lobby or reception area of Capcom's Tokyo branch office from 2009 until 2011, when they were replaced by statues of Felynes from the Monster Hunter franchise.[25]

The Servbot was the first line of Bobble Budd branded figures to be produced by Multiverse Studios. According to creative director Alan Ning, it was one of several concepts that was originally pitched to retailers, which Capcom was quick to accept. Originally sold at San Diego Comic-Con 2010 and later on the Capcom Store, the bobblehead figures became a sales hit and quickly sold out, which encouraged Multiverse to produce more Bobble Budd figures for licensing and promotional work.[26] Other noteworthy Servbot-themed merchandise include a collector’s pin featuring Tron Bonne riding a Servbot mecha,[27] and plush toys.[28]

Writing for Destructoid, Ben Davis considered the Servbots, along with the Bonne family, as the best aspects of the Mega Man Legends series due to their comical antics, though he felt bad about beating up Servbot characters due to their "adorable" appearance. He praised a story arc which made a gag out of the Servbots' desire to seek redemption by opening a restaurant, which is misinterpreted as a bank-robbing operation by other characters.[2] Mike Fahey from Kotaku expressed a desire for a game which features Servbots dressed up in various Mega Man-themed power armor, and to see more merchandise about Servbots being produced.[29] In a retrospective assessment of the Mega Man Legends series, Neil Foster noted that the development and release of The Misadventures of Tron Bonne was due to the breakout popularity Tron Bonne and the Servbots enjoyed from the first Mega Man Legends.[4] He felt that the Servbots overshadow Tron Bonne at multiple points and she is presented as more reactionary to their antics and inquiries. For Foster, the Servbots are the source of many of The Misadventures of Tron Bonne's gleeful moments, and that its gameplay mechanics are a showcase of how focused the development team was into spotlighting Servbots as the game's real stars.[4]