DCN #029 Ring Man: John

Who's this guy again?

Ring Man is a member of Cossack's Comrades. Originally built by Dr. Cossack years ago for law enforcement, Cossack upgraded his combat abilities in an attempt to counter Mega Man (thanks to Wily holding Kalinka hostage). After Wily's plans unraveled, Ring Man was repaired and began working alongside his 'siblings' as part of the Comrades (and, depending on who you ask, Creations and Soldiers). Though he's been known by several nicknames over the years, he's currently referred to as 'John.'

What kind of nickname is that?

'John' refers to the blank slate of the personal created by Doctor Cossack (i.e. 'John Doe'), though there are rumors the nickname came from Dive Man after a certain conversation (it is said a bad case of the runs were involved, but Dive’s robotic nature just adds mystery to the rumor). A backup copy of his personality was kept in storage throughout all these years by Kalinka, giving her an easy way to reload the robot’s operating system when bringing Ring Man back into working order.

This guy sounds boring to me. Where are the character traits?

Getting to his personality (impatient little...), John acts as an investigative unit for the team, drawing on Ring Man's purpose as a police bot. He tends to analyze situations before acting, sometimes acting too cautious to make decisions on the fly. This does however provide him with forming more useful strategies than one would make if they tend to shoot first, ask questions later (i.e. Dive Man). While his confidence is average at most, sometimes it grows to the point where it clouds his judgement and causes his strategic side to suffer. He has an eye for details and his attacks tend to be quick and accurate.

Tell me more about his attacks.

As Ring Man, John employs the trademark 'Ring Boomerang,' a chakram-like weapon that employs a special magnet that can attract itself back to its source. Though the rings seem dull at first glance, they are very effective at causing both blunt and piercing damage, and can reduce many armored foes to useless scrap fairly quickly. The magnetic properties of the rings can also be used to attract small objects and return them to Ring Man, handy for acquiring hard-to-reach items. The Ring Boomerang is versatile enough to be used in any direction, including straight down, even while Ring Man is jumping or airborne.

Sounds good. Anything else to add?

John, being relatively young in compared to the other Comrades (save Pharaoh), is a bit naive at times, yet also a bit of an optimist. He enjoyed his brief time with the Comrades before his reincarnation, and is glad to see many old faces still in service (in a manner of speaking). With Dr. Cossack gone, he looks to Kalinka as a mother/older-sister figure for advice along with his usual mission orders. Though not too fond of the RPD, his officer professionalism shines through and he still performs his duties with little to no complaints (at least in public). The only thing left mentioning is his sometimes awkwardness when confronting Bright Babe or Pharaoh Woman (mutual with the latter); but as far as anyone knows, romance is the last thing on his mind.