Mighty No. 9 Wiki
Countershade
カウンターシェード
Kauntāshēdo
    Model Number Mighty No. 8
    Nickname Shade
    • Characteristics•
    Race Robot
    Gender ♂ Male
    • Technical data•
    Height 193 cm
    Weight 273 kg
    Xel 54,600,000
    HP During Boss Battle:
    100 Units
    Abilities Radar
    Camouflage
    Marksmanship
    Weakness ReXelection/Variation Code: Dynatron (MN9)
    "Shock" Element (MGB)
    • Personal information•
    Status Active
    Affiliation SANDA Technologies
    Family Dr. White - Creator
    Ray - Sibling
    Trinity - Sibling
    Mighty Numbers - Siblings
    • Appearances•
    Games Mighty No. 9
    • Voice actors•
    Japanese Hochu Otsuka
    English Steve Blum
    French Frédéric Souterelle
    Template

    "Logistical support robot specialized in sniping. Utilizes espionage tactics through optical camouflage, and an ultra-long range shooting ability through a high-fidelity radar and sniper rifle."
    - Stage Select Description

    Mighty No. 8: Countershade, is a sniper robot, and the eighth member of the Mighty Numbers line created by Dr. White.

    Appearance[]

    Countershade resembles a cowboy, and uses a massive E-2C Hawkeye dish for a hat. He has a teal cape around his neck, and has cowboy boots with spurs on his legs. In his left hand is a sniper rifle. While he is mostly blue and yellow, certain areas of his body (like his rifle, left boot, and the very bottom of his right boot) are red. He only has one arm, as he lost his right one and does not feel the need to have it replaced. He holds a throwing dart in his mouth almost like a cigarette. He has the number "08" written on his waist. Countershade is 193cm/6ft 4 inches tall, and weighs 273kg/602lbs.

    Synopsis[]

    Countershade, the eighth Mighty Number created by Dr. White, fought alongside his siblings in numerous battles within the Battle Colosseum. When a mysterious virus corrupted nearly every robot, Countershade was among those affected. Seizing control of the Capitol Building, he devised plans for a robot uprising, using stealth tactics to maintain control.

    When Beck was sent to confront him, Countershade fired precise shots from the shadows of the hallways, engaging in brief face-to-face encounters before retreating once more. Eventually, he invited Beck into his “new office” to settle their conflict. Despite Beck’s attempts to reason with him, the two clashed in battle until Countershade was ultimately subdued and restored to his senses.

    Once freed from the virus’s control, Countershade appears in the Radio Tower stage, eliminating several robots that Aviator intended to use to ignite an airship Beck was standing on. Later, after the Mighty Numbers were cured, he joins Beck, Dr. White, and his siblings in an assault on the Cherry Dynamics Robot Factory to halt the production of malfunctioning robots.

    Following Beck’s victory over Trinity in the Battle Colosseum, Countershade and the other Mighty Numbers were dispatched to recover both Beck and Trinity from the collapsing structure.

    Personality[]

    Countershade is a calculating and efficient hunter, fiercely protective of his independence and the rights of his fellow robots. He envisions himself as the future leader of a robot nation, vowing to liberate all mechanical beings from servitude.

    While under the virus’s control, his disdain for humans and compliant robots became overt. He mockingly referred to the fleeing citizens of the Capitol Building as "meat sticks" and taunted Beck as a "little doggy" while relentlessly tracking him down. His speech carries a distinct western drawl, and he has a habit of critiquing his own work, often revising his assessments—most notably when contradicting his own sniper skills in the advice section of Aviator's level.

    Abilities[]

    Countershade excels in stealth, seamlessly blending into his surroundings to evade detection. His primary weapon is a high-powered sniper rifle, but his arsenal extends beyond it—his body is equipped with hidden weapons, including a concealed machine gun within his leg.

    In Mighty Gunvolt Burst, Countershade gains the ability to traverse wormholes, similar to Merak from Azure Striker Gunvolt, enabling him to attack from every possible angle. He can materialize explosives disguised as health items, setting deceptive traps for unsuspecting opponents. Additionally, he can generate real health items and will use them to recover if the player doesn’t claim them first. Once his health drops to half, he takes a dramatic turn—firing directly at the fourth wall, cracking the screen. Though this attack doesn’t damage the player, it effectively obstructs their vision, creating a chaotic battlefield.

    Development[]

    Countershade was supposed to be a female with the theme of "radar and optical camouflage" along with "espionage and assassination." As the Mighty No. robots were designed for robot gladiator tournaments, they decided bosses where either tailored to destroy other robots or cause damage in general, with as much variation as possible. Even though Imaeda asked for No. 8 to be female, Kimo Kimo made No. 8 a cowboy anyway. Inafune felt the design was great, and thought it would be a great idea for him to lose his right arm in addition to giving him cowboy spurs. The development team worked on the colour scheme until they decided on the current one.

    Trivia[]

    • Countershade appears to be based on Search Man and Dark Man 3 from the Mega Man series - specifically, SearchMan.EXE from Mega Man Battle Network. Countershade also share some traits with Gemini Man, such as being able to create clones and using projectiles that ricochets off surfaces.
    • The design of his face (a pointed goatee and eyes concealed by the brim of his hat) is reminiscent of expert marksman Daisuke Jigen from the Lupin III media franchise.
    • Countershade can also be based in the character Man with No Name, a antihero character portrayed by Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone's "Dollars Trilogy" of Spaghetti Western films.
    • Countershade doesn't actually "teleport" - if the player manages to attack him before he switches his position, it's revealed that he only becomes invisible. Also, it's hinted by the Variation Code: Countershade that he can also become intangible while he cloaks.
      • Using ReXelection: Cryosphere against Countershade will cause him to take damage even while he's become invisible. While the ice particle will disappear alongside him, the freezing noise will come from his current position when playing on stereo, making it easier to tell where he will appear next.
    • According to KIMOKIMO, as shown on one of the t-shirt designs, Countershade can transform his rifle into a hand.
      • Additionally, later shown in a drawing by him, Countershade has surveillance cameras for eyes.
    • He is the only Mighty Number to be faced more than once in their level.
    • In his stage, the player can 'cheat' Countershade if they don't like a room by either going backwards or leaving his room upon entering it, forcing him to move to another room. Why he does this is unknown.
    • Under rare circumstances, it's possible to cause extra damage to Countershade during the chase at the Capitol Building, allowing the player to get into the boss fight faster and skip half of the stage.

    Gallery[]

    Concept Art[]


    Mighty Numbers
    Pyrogen · Cryosphere · Dynatron · Seismic · Battalion · Aviator · Brandish · Countershade · Beck