Dr. Light, A Fellow Who Has Too Much Guilt?

[Nz17]

So if we may take a moment to deviate from the standard discussion of games, I'd like to delve into the perceived psyche of one Dr. Thomas Light. The doctor is a revolutionary roboticist who graduated with top billing from RIT (Robot Institute of Technology) and created brilliant robot designs for use in everything from industry to hospitals to military applications. His most famous and ingenious invention however is Mega Man and robots like it which were designed to have complex human-like artificial intelligences.

Dr. Light created all this and more but quickly grew to regret and abandon his military work. At the time he saw it as a necessary evil to gain enough lucre to fund his other ventures and pursue his true dreams. He felt guilty over the lives he imagine his technology helped take.

Later on his rival, Dr. Albert Wily, stole and reprogrammed his robots to pursue his own megalomaniacal ambitions. These repurposed robots caused untold destruction and casualties before they were stopped. Undoubtedly, if Thomas felt bad about his military designs, seeing and hearing about truly wrought destruction would have weighed heavy on his soul.

So my questions to the audience are, "In your opinion, did Dr. Light feel guilty over any of this? How much so? After everything was stopped and the robots restored and peace reinstated, did the guilt linger? Basically, what was Dr. Light thinking during all this time? And what did he think about Dr. Wily's future actions? Did he feel responsible and in what ways?"

[isufje]

The only thing Dr. Light ever regretted was giving Megaman self determination. Season 1, Episode 3: Mega-Pinocchio... And even after that he realized that's what makes mega so great!

[Nirvana]

That music that that played when you found one of Dr. Light's capsules in Mega Man X just "sounded" like guilt. Almost as if Dr. Light was reluctant to make X more powerful to try and win the war against Sigma.

[thom_m]

I don't know...I think creating Megaman washed away all that guilt from his mind. He's always there to stop Wily, after all. So, even if all the chaos is somehow his fault, I'd think he's convinced he managed to "fix things".

[ubersaurus]

Sounds like somebody has been listening to the Protomen, and their album "The Father of Death."

[Matt-El]

I think he's faced more regret with the original mega, him volunteering to be a robot that fights, depriving him of his main functions as a peaceful robot, but sees the promise in it to stop Dr. Wily.

That and regret to Protoman in a similar way. Wanting to help but Proto refusing Light's help.

[G-Boobie]

I can never tell whether these threads are serious.

[Nz17]

That music that that played when you found one of Dr. Light's capsules in Mega Man X just "sounded" like guilt. Almost as if Dr. Light was reluctant to make X more powerful to try and win the war against Sigma.

That's quite true. When I heard the music for the first time, it sounded forlorn and regretful.

Sounds like somebody has been listening to the Protomen, and their album "The Father of Death."

Funny enough, but I don't like The Protomen. The idea actually sprung forth from the latest issue of the Mega Man comic book (#5). In that issue, Dr. Light is having the re-re-programmed original Robot Masters, alongside Rock and Roll, remove rubble from the destroyed parts of the city and help efforts to rebuild. Dr. Light is giving an interview to reporters explaining that he felt it was the least Light Labs could do to repay for the city for what had happened even if it was directly caused by Dr. Wily's actions.

I think he's faced more regret with the original mega, him volunteering to be a robot that fights, depriving him of his main functions as a peaceful robot, but sees the promise in it to stop Dr. Wily. That and regret to Protoman in a similar way. Wanting to help but Proto refusing Light's help.

I know in the comic book series (Issue Two or Three) Dr. Light feels quite bad about sending Mega Man to the battlefield even if it was the robot's choice. Dr. Light originally wasn't going to let him. And once Rock (Mega Man) got to the field and had to defeat his fellow automatons, he felt terrible, like he had murdered his own kind. Protoman denying Light's efforts to help him are probably quite difficult for the doctor - I think more so than the Light's feelings over the Robot Masters and Mega Man having to fight contrary to his "nature."