In the near-future of 20XX, all facets of modern living have become reliant on a vast computerized network—one utterly vulnerable to hackers and viruses. Lan Hikari, like all fifth graders in the town of ACDC, is studying how to explore the virtual world of the Net with his avatar, the NetNavi MegaMan.EXE. As Lan’s proficiency with MegaMan.EXE grows, so does his interest in solving the crimes impacting other NetNavis and their NetOps. He soon discovers an organized crime ring called the WWW (World Three), led by Dr. Wily. Jealous over the lack of funding for his robotics research, Dr. Wily embarks on a quest to assemble a virus capable of disabling the Net, along with every device connected to it. It’s up to Lan and MegaMan.EXE to stop him!
WWW wasn’t the only group to threaten the Net. A chaotic group called Gospel emerged in Mega Man Battle Network 2. Though WWW and Dr. Wily returned for the third installment, Lan and MegaMan.EXE had a much larger problem in Mega Man Battle Network 4, namely an asteroid hurtling toward Earth! Only by demonstrating their prowess against a host of competitors in NetBattle tournaments could they get the chance to face off against Duo.EXE and save Earth. The series continued for Lan and MegaMan.EXE through to the sixth and final installment, after which Lan and his classmates are shown growing into adulthood, starting families, and building careers.
