Karma

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The information may not be complete or 100% accurate.

Add more details, specific effects of karma levels, how to gain/lose karma.

Karma is a fan term for the points system used in Mega Man Battle Network 4 and Mega Man Battle Network 5 that affects how close MegaMan is to embracing the darkness. The amount of karma points determines which abilities are available to the player. Karma goes down by using DarkChip and will go back up by abstaining to use DarkChips. Although DarkChips can still be used in Mega Man Battle Network 6 with the Beast Link Gate, the karma system was removed.

Losing HP

After each battle in which you used DarkChip(s) and/or DarkSoul, you lose 1 HP after the battle, unless you only have 1 HP or it's a multiplayer battle. Additionally, the game keeps track of how many battles you've lost HP in, and after 499 battles, you will not lose any more HP from using DarkChips, permanently. If you have 1 HP already, the battle doesn't count. In other words, if you start at 1000 HP, the lowest you can go is 501.

Karma Points

At the start of the game, MegaMan has 500 karma points. This amount can go up or down after every battle, to a maximum of 1000 points or a minimum of 0 points. However, once MegaMan has less than 300 karma points, he will no longer gain karma unless SoulClean is equipped.

• 1000 points: Good MegaMan
• 500-999 points: Normal MegaMan
• 470-499 points: Slightly Evil MegaMan
• 0-469 points: Evil MegaMan

HP values

• Maximum for Good MegaMan: 1000
• Maximum for minimum Evil MegaMan: 997
• Maximum for permanent Evil MegaMan: 836
• Minimum with all HP Memories: 501

Good MegaMan

• MegaMan is very bright in color.
• Can access Base, Full Synchro, Angry, Worried, and Anxious (BN5DS) emotions. When a DarkChip is used, MegaMan stays in an Evil emotion.
• DarkChips only appear in Worried emotion and do not appear at all in a NetworkDuel. In BN5 NetworkDuels, DarkChips will not activate if they are attempted to be used.
• Full Synchro (if not in Evil emotion).
• Double Soul system and Chaos Unison system (BN5) (if not in Evil emotion).
• Can use Good-only chips.
• Cannot use Evil-only BattleChips.

Mood

In BN4 and BN5, you can enter the Worried state if you take too much damage without fighting back. There is a hidden "mood" statistic in battle that determines whether you're in Normal state or in Worried state. It can't go lower than 1, and it's can't go higher than 255 (in BN4) or 254 (in BN5).

At the start of every battle, your "mood" is set to a specific value based on your karma:

• If you have 1000 karma, it starts at 190.
• If you have 470-999 karma, the value is calculated from the number of karma points you have:
  • In BN4, it starts at 128 plus your karma points divided by 20 (rounded down).
  • In BN5, it starts at 103 plus your karma points divided by 20 (rounded down).

If you have 0-469 karma, you're locked into the Evil emotion so mood does nothing anyway. The mood value goes up when you deal damage with attacks (buster shots and screen-dimming chips are excluded) and goes down when you take damage.
Once it falls below 65, you enter the Worried state.
When you get it to 65 or higher again, you go back to your normal state. Every attack has a "mood damage" value separate from its normal HP damage, so it's hard to tell what your current mood level is.

Multi-hit attack increase your mood value on every hit, so they are an easy way to get to 255.
When your mood value hits 255, you enter Full Synchro state. This can be done immediately by scoring a Counter Hit, or racking up enough mood points so that you hit 255. In BN5, however, it's not possible to go into Full Synchro this way, as mood will not go higher than 254. When you fire off an attack while in Full Synchro, your mood value gets reset to 153 in BN4 or to 128 in BN5.

Good-only BattleChips

These chips may only be used when you have 470 to 1000 points.

Battle Network 4

• GunSol series, including GunSolEX
• Barrier, Barr100 and Barr200
• HolyPanl
  
• BugFix
• Snctuary
• Regular Navi Chips except LaserMan and ShadeMan
• SP Navi Chips
• DeltaRay
• HolyDrem
• RollArrow series
• GutPnch series
• HawkCut series
• NumbrBl series

Battle Network 5

• GunDelS series, including GunDelEX
• Barrier, Barr100 and Barr200
• HolyPanl
• BugFix
• Snctuary
• Regular Navi Chips
• SP Navi Chips
• JustcOne
• MetrKnuk
• HolyDrem
• BigHook
• Otenko

Slightly Evil MegaMan

• MegaMan is dark in color but still can access Good MegaMan's abilities.
• All the same conditions as Good MegaMan but when MegaMan steps on a HolyPanel, it becomes a neutral panel.

Evil MegaMan

• MegaMan is black in color.
• Can only be Evil emotion.
• DarkChips appear in the Custom Screen at the start of battle (BN4 only).
• Cannot use transformation systems.
• When MegaMan steps on a HolyPanel, it becomes a neutral panel.
• Can use Evil-only chips.
• Cannot use Good-only chips.
• Cannot obtain HubBatch in Black Earth 2.
• Do not get support from Party Battle System team members (MMBN5DS).

If you just want Evil MegaMan to use in Multiplayer, the quickest way to get one requires only 3 battles, so you will lose only 3 HP. Do the following:

• 1. Use a DarkChip. Your karma become 480.
• 2. Use your DarkSoul. You can do this by using a DarkChip when you are about to die, but without killing the enemy, so you go into Evil mode. Then allow the viruses to kill you and it will activate DarkSoul. After this, your karma becomes 470.
• 3. Use a DarkChip (karma becomes 466) or your DarkSoul (karma becomes 460) depending on how long you want Evil MegaMan to last. You now have Evil MegaMan!

Evil-only BattleChips

These chips may only be used when you have 0 to 469 points.

Battle Network 4

• Static
• Hole
• Muramasa
• Anubis
• ElemDark
• BlakWing
• DarkLine
• DS Navi Chips
• BugCurse
• BlakBarr
• BugCharg
• DarkNeo Program Advance

Battle Network 5

• Static
• Muramasa
• Anubis
• BlakWing
• DS Navi Chips
• BugCharg

DarkChips

Mega Man Battle Network 4

DarkChips only appear in the Worried or Evil emotions. Each DarkChip inflicts a bug on MegaMan that lasts until the end of the battle. The 2 DarkChips that appear on your Custom Screen is dependent on your HP.

DarkChip Effects

Name	Bug
DrkCanon	Power Attack becomes a Flower buster. In NetworkDuel, this gives the opponent Angry Emotion.
DrkSword	MegaMan's movement is forced to the frontmost column.
DarkBomb	MegaMan's movement is forced to the backmost column.
DrkVulcn	MegaMan becomes confused.
DrkLance	HP drops during the Custom Screen.
DrkSpred	When MegaMan moves, panel he leaves becomes a poison panel.
DrkStage	1 less chip can be chosen in the Custom Screen.
DrkRecov	HP drops rapidly during battle and during the Custom Screen.

DarkChip Bugs

Name	1-49% HP	50-100% HP
DrkCanon	24/64	0/64
DrkSword	3/64	12/64
DarkBomb	3/64	12/64
DrkVulcn	3/64	12/64
DrkLance	3/64	12/64
DrkSpred	2/64	8/64
DrkStage	2/64	8/64
DrkRecov	24/64	0/64

Mega Man Battle Network 5

DarkChips are now part of the normal folder set-up. A folder can only contain 3 DarkChips each.

Name	Effect
DrkSword
DarkTorn	More tornadoes spawn for every time MegaMan flinches in battle.
DarkCirc
DarkMetr
DarkThnd
DrkRecov
DrkSonic
DarkInvs
DarkPlus
DrkLance
DarkDril
DarkWide

MegaMan's Appearance

MegaMan's appearance is affected by the number of karma points he has. In Mega Man Battle Network 4 and Mega Man Battle Network 5 for the Game Boy Advance, MegaMan's color palette gradually becomes darker as he loses karma points, and turns a light blue if MegaMan has the maximum of 1000 karma points.

Additionally, in Mega Man Battle Network 5: Double Team DS, MegaMan's expression on the bottom screen will change depending on the number of karma points he has, slowly growing twisted as his karma drops.

Appearance based on karma points

0-469 points	470-499 points	500-999 points	1000 points