Sniper Joe (スナイパージョー,Sunaipā Jō?) was originally an unknown type of mass-produced humanoid robots created by Dr. Light based on Proto Man. Dr. Wily modified the robots for combat, creating the Joe series, which resemble Proto Man in his Break Man form.[1] They appear as enemies in almost every game from the original Mega Man series, giving Mega Man a difficult time getting through as an obstacle. They mainly fight with a shield and a blaster, but some variations also operate vehicles and have different attacks.
Sniper Joes will stand in front of Mega Man protecting themselves with an indestructible shield, sometimes shooting between 1 to 3 bullets or jumping. If Mega Man tries to pass by them in the first Mega Man game, they will chase him, jumping to stay in front of him. They can only be damaged when they are jumping or shooting. They appear in Bomb Man's stage. In the remake Mega Man Powered Up their shields can be knocked off.
Sniper Joes appear in early scenes of Episode 2 from Super Adventure Rockman. Some are seen helping Dr. Wily build Ra Thor, and three Sniper Joes try to ambush Mega Man, but Proto Man warns him and defeat the Joes.
Sniper Joes are typically the same size as Mega Man, however they are shorter than him in Mega Man: The Wily Wars due to not being resized.
Returning Sniper Joe (帰ってきたスナイパージョー,Kaettekita Sunaipā Jō?) is a Sniper Joe that always shoots three bullets and cannot jump. They pilot armors in Mega Man 2. They only appear without the robot armor in the first and fourth Wily Castle stages in Mega Man 2. They are orange in Mega Man 2 and lilac in Mega Man: The Wily Wars.
Sniper Armor (スナイパーアーマー,Sunaipā Āmā?) is a Sniper Joe that pilots a lilac jumping machine (similar to Big Eye) equipped with a machine gun that was originally created by Dr. Light. Destroying the armor will cause the "Returning Sniper Joe" in it to attack on foot. In Mega Man 2, they appear in Flash Man's stage, one is in Heat Man's stage, two are in Quick Man's stage, and are both with and without the walking armor in the final stages. In Mega Man: The Wily Wars, they appear in Wily Tower 2.
As this machine was created by Dr. Light, it's believed that it would have been used as a "Item-4", which is sustained by this image of Mega Man using the armor. It could also be that Mega Man took the armor direct from a Sniper Joe, like Skull Man.
Hammer Joe (ハンマージョー,Hanmā Jō?) is an armored Sniper Joe that looks similar to Air Man that swings a ball and chain and throws it at enemies. Unlike normal Sniper Joes, he can only be hurt when his eye is open. Another weak spot is at his legs. In Mega Man 3, they appear in Snake Man's, Spark Man's, Needle Man's and Hard Man's stages, as well as Shadow Man's Doc Robot stage and Dr. Wily's stages 1 and 3. In Mega Man: The Wily Wars, they appear in Buster Rod. G's , Hyper Storm. H's and the third Wily Tower's stage.
Skeleton Joe (スケルトン・ジョー,Sukeruton Jō?) are Sniper Joes in the form of skeletons that throw bones. They appear in Skull Man's stage and the first level of Dr. Cossack's Citadel in Mega Man 4. They can only be destroyed with a charged shot from the Mega Buster or Pharaoh Shot, or by using the Flash Stopper. Other weapons will only dismantle them and they will reassemble themselves in a short time. Dive Missiles will not home in on Skeleton Joes, and Rain Flush cannot even dismantle them. They also appear in the Rockman Megamix manga as Skull Man's henchmen.
Rider Joe (ライダージョー,Raidā Jō?) is a Sniper Joe that appears while Mega Man is on the marine bike in Wave Man's stage, also using a marine bike that can shoot. They can come from the front and behind.
Crystal Joe (クリスタルジョー,Kurisutaru Jō?) are Joes in Mega Man 5 that charge up to create crystal shards that they will launch. They are indestructible when they are charging and can only be destroyed when they are attacking. They appear in Crystal Man's stage and the second Proto Man Castle stage.
Piriparee (ピリパリー,Piriparī?) appears in Mega Man V. They basically use electricity, and appear in the Wily Star. They are invincible while charging their attacks. There is also a similar enemy in Jupiter's stage called Biribaree.
Cannon Joe (キャノンジョー,Kyanon Jō?) is a Joe inside a stationary cannon that can shoot to the sides. They appear in Blizzard Man's stage (on the submarine) and in the first Wily stage from Mega Man 6.
Sniper Joe 01 (スナイパージョー01,Sunaipā Jō 01?) is the Sniper Joe from Mega Man 7 that acts like the original Sniper Joe. It is notorious for being defeated with only four shots from the Mega Buster.
Truck Joe (トラックジョー,Torakku Jō?) is a Sniper Joe in a big spike-fronted truck. They appear twice as the sub-boss of Turbo Man's stage in Mega Man 7, one of them appearing near the beginning. If Noise Crush is used on them, they will pause to cover their ears. Truck Joes' personalities, like their driving, can be a bit rough, but actually they are not such bad guys.[1]
A Truck Joe also appears in Mega Man: Battle & Chase as a random driver as well as having a hidden boss incarnation called Black Joe. His car is able to drop mines.
Joe Classic (ジョー・クラシック,Jō Kurashikku?) is a Joe with an appearance similar to the Sniper Joes from the first Mega Man game. They act similar to Sniper Joe 01, and throw grenades. Mega Man can also shoot through their shields at point-blank range.
Machine Gun Joe (マシンガンジョー,Mashin Gan Jō?) is a red Sniper Joe from Mega Man 9 that has rapid fire. It fires in bursts of eight bullets. Laser Trident can pass through their shields, while the Jewel Satellite and Proto Shield can reflect their bullets back to them. They appear in Tornado Man's stage and the second and third Wily Stages. It is possible to ignore its shield with the Mega Buster by attacking them at point blank range.
Returning Machine Gun Joe (帰ってきたマシンガンジョー,Kaettekita Mashin Gan Jō?) is a variant from Mega Man 10. They fire six shots in bursts of three. In Hard Mode, they can jump around. Their shields can be knocked off easily with the Bass Buster, Water Shield, and Screw Crusher, although hitting the shield rapidly with four shots from any weapon (pausing to eliminate shots when need be) will do the trick. They can also be easily defeated using the Mirror Buster, as the bullets just backfire. They appear in Nitro Man's stage, Wily Castle 1, Wily Castle 3, Special Stage 1 and Special Stage 2. In Hard Mode, they also appear in Pump Man's stage and Wily Castle 2.
Sniper Joes appear as viruses in Mega Man Network Transmission. When they do not have their shield up, they either shoot three shots consecutively or charge up one shot.
Hammer Joes also appear as viruses. They act in this game the same way as they do in Mega Man 3.
Altered variations of Sniper Joes appear in the Mega Man X series. They hold an indestructible shield and attack with a chain mace, then retracting it. They can only be defeated while swinging the mace.
Sniper Joes may have been replaced by Pantheons and their multiple forms in the Mega Man Zero and ZX series'.