General Info

Phantomire's MM7 Tutorial

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu9v9BR8l89jfhqU6G9YllrApwy_sv2zs

 

Version Differences

Weapon Get Cut Scenes

The most obvious difference between the US and Japanese release of the game are the cutscenes after clearing one of the 8 robot stages. On the US cart, you only ever see Dr. Light talk to Mega Man. On the J cart, you can see any of Dr. Light, Roll, or Auto.

Dr. Light is always the fastest conversation. Auto is usually the longest. The notable exception is "Burst Roll".

Timing Differences

Data courtesy PJ. Better Formatting in progress 

Bass dialogue

Segment NA (time) JP (diff) JP (Light) JP (Auto) JP (Roll) JP (Average) JP (Best) JP (Worst)
Intro 123.278 -6.922       -6.922 -6.922 -6.922
Bass Dialogue 12.995 -0.216       -0.216 -0.216 -0.216
Cloud proto 14.459 -0.765       -0.765 -0.765 -0.765
Cloud weapon get 27.521   -3.611 0.799 0.666 -0.715 -3.611 0.799
Junk end load 2.446 -0.017       -0.017 -0.017 -0.017
Junk weapon get 28.686   -3.943 1.032 -0.566 -1.159 -3.943 1.032
Freeze weapon get 26.306   -1.048 5.075 3.278 2.435 -1.048 5.075
Burst weapon get 27.754   -4.210 2.363 6.872 1.675 -4.210 6.872
Pre-museum lab 49.900 -11.913       -11.913 -11.913 -11.913
Post-museum lab scene 7.338 -0.383       -0.383 -0.383 -0.383
Turbo proto 14.093 -0.599       -0.599 -0.599 -0.599
Turbo weapon get 25.973   -1.414 2.047 3.311 1.314 -1.414 3.311
Shade load 19.651 -0.050       -0.050 -0.050 -0.050
Shade proto 1 18.486 -3.611       -3.611 -3.611 -3.611
Shade proto 2 36.106 -2.313       -2.313 -2.313 -2.313
Shade weapon get 28.486   0.150 5.724 2.529 2.801 0.150 5.724
Slash weapon get 23.910   0.083 4.509 6.123 3.572 0.083 6.123
Spring weapon get 27.920   -3.877 1.464 -0.266 -0.893 -3.877 1.464
Lab cutscene 76.456 -6.805       -6.805 -6.805 -6.805
Bass 1 intro 10.532 1.980       1.980 1.980 1.980
Bass 1 end 7.754 -1.864       -1.864 -1.864 -1.864
Bass 2 intro 18.885 1.697       1.697 1.697 1.697
Bass 2 end 8.719 2.629       2.629 2.629 2.629

Route Differences - 100% Route Choices

First 4 Robots

From PJ on why the first four robots are what they are

stage order is chosen to eliminate revisits and minimize buster usage on bosses, even though it means a pretty awful burst stage

Freeze-Burst-Cloud-Junk: standard
Freeze-Cloud(+19)-Junk-Burst(-15): +4 (time loss on Cloud from buster fight, time gain in Burst from having jet and weapons)
Cloud(+19)-Junk-Freeze(-19)-Burst(-15)-Junk(+36): +21 (time gained on Freeze from having weakness, but needs Junk revisit)

Second 4 Robots

Form PJ on why Shade 5th

Shade Man revisit (to the respawn point and exiting, since that is all the additional content):
2684 frames (44 seconds)
Minus the cost of death abuse and respawn:
91411 - 90650 = 761 (11 seconds)
Total cost of revisit: +33

Shade Man fight (first pixel to teleport frame):
Hyper fist: 93758 - 92147 = 1611 (26.8 seconds)
Regular S.Adapter: 71314 - 69692 = 1622 (27.0 seconds)


Turbo Man:
Good truck with T.Bolt: 9.8 (from slide-shot to movement after truck death)
Other trucks with T.Bolt: 11.5, 10.5, 14.5
Good truck with Noise Crush: 6.8
Difference: -3-8 seconds, based on pattern

Turbo Man fights (from first pixel of health to end teleport):
Buster (good): 74931 - 71773 =  3158 (52.6 seconds)
S.Adapter (good): 74725 - 71773 = 2952 (49.2 seconds)
Noise crush QK: 106034 - 104966 = 1068 (17.8 seconds)
Difference: 32-35 seconds (probably 33 best case, since health refill is needed)

Total Turbo Man difference: 36-41 seconds with good luck on boss.  Probably -48 vs really bad luck.
OVERALL route difference: 33 seconds lost during revisit and Shade Man fight without Hyper Fist, 36-48 seconds saved with Turbo Man QK and truck fight.  In all, 3-15 seconds faster.

Route Info

The two main categories being Any% and 100%.

100% collects all permanent upgrades, such as Protoman's Shield, the Energy Balancer, and the Exit Module.

Any%

  1. Cloud
  2. Junk
  3. Freeze
  4. Burst
  5. Slash (use Ice)
  6. Spring
  7. Shade
  8. Turbo

An alternate route would be to visit Shade early to get a second Quick Kill on Spring Man

100%

  1. Freeze (so avoid a Junk revisit)

Noise Crush Quick Kills

Shade Man's weapon bounces off walls, creating a unique opportunity to have a shot bounce around a robot master's room.

In theory, this can be used to strike a boss the moment its life meter appears, reducing it from the first HP it gained to 0, killing it.

In practice, even with the use of options to get Noise Crush early, there are only 2 viable places to use this trick - Spring Man and Turbo Man.

Execution

Mega Man must fire the noise crush as he moves into the gate, making the noise crush spawn on the other side of the gate and bounce around the room.

As a slow method, you can tap right and Y at the same time to have Mega Man inch forwards. This is slow, but faster than the boss fight. Faster methods certainly exist.

Weapon Notes

The Mega Buster

The charge speed is kinda awful. Lemons out DPS it against bosses (though if you do have free time to charge, do it).

Wild Coil (Spring)

This weapon can be charged. Charged springs do more damage (perhaps obviously), but can also bounce higher. Hold up when releasing Y to get a high bounce. This is extremely useful when fighting Shade Man and the Wily Capsule.

Freeze Cracker

Has 6 directional fire, hold up or down to fire diagonally.

If you use it against Freeze Man, it will heal him to full HP.

Rush Jet and Coil

Rush can get hit in this game. If Rush takes damage, he will cease being a platform for Rush Jet, so be careful.

Danger Wrap (Burst)

If you hold down when firing, the bubble will not spawn, and Mega Man will simply put a bomb on the floor. This is extremely useful to make the Cloud fight faster.

The bubble also flies up at a steeper angle if you hold up.

Noise Crush (Shade)

This weapon can be charged by firing a shot off a wall to bounce back into Mega Man.

It really only needs Mega Man inside the weapons' hit box to make Mega Man absorb the shot and charge the weapon. This can be done with a quick "shot slide". This technique is used often, especially when a wall is not available such as the boss of Wily 3.

Junk Shield

It's really strong, but super laggy

Fast Swap Weapon Wheel

This section is not complete

Pressing L+R at the same time resets Mega Man to the buster (just like most games).

Jet, Coil, Rush Search, the Super Adaptor, and the Proto Shield are not part of the rotation.

Otherwise, pressing R will select the next weapon on this list that Mega Man has available. Pressing L similarly goes backwards through the list to the next (previous?) available weapon.

Buster - Freeze...........Spring

Mega Man 7 Shop

While the shop is generally not used in top level speedruns, knowing how to access it is useful for beginners as a means of accessing E-Tanks.

Shop Access

The shop can be accessed from the stage select screen by pressing select.

Item Availability

At the start of the game only "the usual" items are available, mainly E-tanks and 1ups.

Beat Whistles can be purchased if you rescue Beat from Slash Man's stage.

More items become available, and most basic consumables become half price, if you recover Auto's Super Bolt from Spring Man's stage.

Auto's Bolt

This is in the top left of the very large room late in Spring Man's stage and (will be) documented in that stage's notes. It is behind a wall that must be knocked out by one of the punch springs.

Bolt Currency

The screws recovered in stages either in the open or as drops are the "money" spent on items here.

MM7 Damage Table

Damage table taken from https://megaman.fandom.com/wiki/Mega_Man_7_Damage_Data_Chart 

  Mega
Buster		 Freeze
Cracker		 Junk
Shield		 Danger
Wrap		 Thunder
Bolt		 Wild
Coil		 Slash
Claw		 Noise
Crush		 Scorch
Wheel		 Super
Adapter
Mad Grinder 1:1:2 1.5:1.5 1:2 2:3:4 3:1 2:3 1 2:4 4 4
Bass 1:1:2 1.5:1.5 1:2 2:3:4 3:1 2:3 1 2:4 4 4
Freeze Man 1:1:2 +4:+4 4:4 1:1:1 1:1 1:1 1 1:1 3 2
Junk Man 1:1:2 1:1 0:0 1:1:1 4:4 1:1 2 1:2 0 2
Burst Man 1:1:2 4:3 1:1 0:0:0 1:1 1:1 1 1:2 4 0
Cloud Man 1:1:2 1:1 0:0 4:4:4 2:2 1:1 1 1:2 1 3
Spring Man 1:1:2 1:1 1:1 1:1:1 0:0* 0:0 4 1:2 1 2
Slash Man 1:1:2 6:4 1:1 0:0:0 1:1 1:1 1 1:2 4 2
Shade Man 1:1:2 1:1 1:1 1:1:1 1:1 3:6 1 0:0 1 4
Turbo Man 1:1:2 1:1 1:1 1:1:1 0:0* 1:1 1 3:6 0 2
Shirokumachine 1:1:2 1.5:1.5 1:2* 2:3:4 3:1* 2:3 1* 2:4 4 4
Kanigance 1:1:2 1.5:1.5 1:2* 2:3:4 3:1* 2:3 1* 2:4 4 4
King Gojulus 1:1:2 1.5:1.5 1:2* 2:3:4 3:1* 2:3 1* 2:4 4 4
VAN Pookin 1:1:2 1.5:1.5 1:2 2:3:4 3:1 2:3 1 2:4 4 4
Truck Joe 1:1:2 1.5:1.5 1:2* 2:3:4 3:1* 2:3 1* 2*:4* 4 4*
Sisi Truck 1:1:2 1.5:1.5 1:2* 2:3:4 3:1* 2:3 1* 2:4 4 4
Proto Man 1:1:2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Mash 1:1:2 1:1 0:0 4:4:4 2:2 1:1 1 1:2 1 3
Bass 1:1:2 2:1 1:2 2:2:1 2:1 1:2 1 2:2 2 6
Guts Man G 1:1:2 0:0 0:0 0:0:0 0:0 0:0 2:4* 0:0 0 2
Super Bass 1:1:2 2:1 1:2 2:2:2 2:1 1:2 1 2:2 2 4
Gamerizer 1:1:2 0:0 0:0 1:0:8 0:0 2:3 0 0:0 0 0
HannyaNED² 1:1:1 0:0 2:0 0:0:0 0:0 0:0 3 2:4 0 0
Wily Machine 7 1:1:2 1:1 0:0 0:0:0 2:1 0:0 0 0:0 2 1
Wily Capsule 0:0:1 1:1 0:0 0:0:0 0:0* 1:2 0 0:0 0 1

Other Notes

Advancing Text

Outside of the opening cutscene that always takes 2 minutes, you should hold START to advance text as quickly as possible.

Note that the cutscene after the clown boss also lets you hold start.

Always Center After Bosses

Even the castle bosses.