Carbons

The Carbons, known as Decoys (デコイ Dekoi) in Japan, are artificially created humans that live on Terra (Earth). Carbons is the name that was given to them under The Master System. They were created to replace the human presence on Terra after the Ancient humans had all died off from Terra. They are also referred to as Betas by the Master (Although this is only in the English version of the game).

Characteristics
Carbons are essentially "artificial humans," and the question of what they are and what their purpose is is a major theme to the series' elements of mystery. Like normal humans, they are organic beings made of flesh, but are able to replace their regular body parts with mechanical implants, ranging from simple arm replacements to full-body overhauls. Many Carbons have mechanical portions of their bodies, some as simple as replacement parts and "patches." Additionally, Mega Man could be seen as an example of this as he is possibly actually switching out his arms for different weapons. Other examples of this are early character designs that show a nurse with a buster-like syringe on her arm.

Carbons, despite being artificial humans show no differences from normal humans. The Carbons seem more or less ignorant of the ancients who came before them, and in some cases, remember them as being religious figures, such as Goddesses. They also make use of technology left behind by the Ancients.

Reinitialization
A recurring theme in the Mega Man Legends series involves awakened Units of the Master System attempting to "reinitialize" the Carbons, i.e. wipe them out en masse. An example of this is when Mega Man Juno is awakened, he explains that it's his job to routinely reinitialize Kattelox Island to keep the Carbons living on the island from overpopulating. Later on, when Sera is awakened, she attempts to activate the true Carbon Reinitialization Program which is intended to wipe out the carbon inhabitants of the whole of Terra.

Because of how the Carbons are treated by the Ancients and the Master System, it's speculated that Carbons were originally created by the Master as a means to see if the world would be habitable by humans again. Their creation was possibly following whatever disaster occurred thousands of years in the past that resulted in the world being covered in a vast expanse of water. The games have yet to offer a complete explanation if this is entirely the case, however.

Notable Carbons

 * Roll Caskett - She is Mega Man's best friend and the main female protagonist who operates as the Spotter. She and Mega Man Volnutt work together as a team.
 * Barrell Caskett - A prominent Digger and scholar, known as The Invincible Barrell.
 * Banner - Now known as Joe. Roll's father. He journeyed to Forbidden Island with Matilda and supposedly never returned.
 * Matilda Caskett - Roll's mother. She journeyed to Forbidden Island with Banner and supposedly never returned.
 * Tron Bonne - Null
 * Teisel Bonne - Null
 * Bon Bonne - Null
 * Glyde - Null
 * Lex Loathe - Null
 * Amelia - Null
 * Ira - Null
 * Wily - Null
 * Jim - Null
 * Osh - Null
 * Bensley - Null
 * Museum Curator - Null
 * Anna - Null
 * Art - A Digger who came to Kattelox Island hoping to uncover the mystery of the Legendary Disaster.
 * Junk Shop Owner - A former Digger who now owns the Lightning Parts Center Junk Shop at the Apple Market on Kattelox Island.
 * Junk Shop Owner's Wife - A former Digger and the wife of the man who owns the Lightning Parts Center in the Apple Market on Kattelox Island.
 * Uncle Digg - An old and famous Digger that writes messages for other Diggers throughout the underground ruins. His last dig was in the Shala-Kun Ruins.
 * Dantz - A somewhat odd Digger. He is trying to explore the Shala-Kun Ruins.
 * Maude - A somewhat scary Digger. She is trying to explore the Shala-Kun Ruins.
 * Perl - A somewhat fake Digger. She is trying to explore the Shala-Kun Ruins.
 * Zhig - One of the two Digger twins. He is trying to explore the Shala-Kun Ruins.
 * Zhag - One of the two Digger twins. He is trying to explore the Shala-Kun Ruins.
 * Roxette - A somewhat mysterious Digger. She is trying to explore the Shala-Kun Ruins.
 * Tuttle - A somewhat philosophical Digger. He is trying to explore the Shala-Kun Ruins.
 * Russell - A somewhat honorable Digger. He is trying to explore the Shala-Kun Ruins.
 * Denise - Null
 * Maria - Null
 * Maria's Daughter - Null
 * Yosyonke Priest - Null
 * Youkan - Null
 * Ofuton - Null
 * Yaito - Null
 * Johnny - Null
 * Shu - Null
 * Appo - Null
 * Dah - Null
 * Mad Mossa - Null
 * The Guildmaster - A longtime Digger who became the leader of the Digger's Guild on Nino Island.
 * Verner Von Bluecher - A long time companion of Barrell's. He used his fortune to build the Sulpher Bottom to further his research on Forbidden Island.

Trivia
There is speculation that the Legends series is the farthest installment into the future of the series of Mega Man. This is according to theories that all Mega Man series are somehow connected (usually excluding the Mega Man Battle Network series and the Mega Man Star Force series. there are many possible connecting ideas that have been introduced in re-releases and future installments about how Carbons may have come to be. The concept of artificial humans is greatly linked with the entire franchise's themes of robotics and trans-humanism.

Here is a list of some of the common theories about the Carbons. Please note that none of these are confirmed to be accurate or true beyond a reasonable doubt.


 * It is possible that using Biometal, Humanoids and Reploids could have become the Carbons. It is equally possible that the Humanoids themselves are the Carbons.
 * In the re-release of Maverick Hunter X, Doctor Thomas Light's speech to mankind of the future made mention of his dream of where robots were capable of natural evolution akin to all living and organic beings, and how X, the world's first Reploid, was his instrumental hope for this dream to become reality. It is possible that Carbons are the result of Dr. Light's dream made reality.
 * After the fall of Neo Arcadia, Zero's sacrifice, and the demise of Dr. Weil, humankind and Reploids go as far as to bridge the gap between them by granting humankind mechanical bodies (making them humanoids) and Reploids limited lifespans. The humanoids are possibly the Carbons themselves.