Box Cartel

Box Cartel

Artwork by Spin Attaxx

Information In-Game Information Affiliations: Themselves Occupation: Criminals Misc. Information Script: ボックスカーテル Romaji: Bokkusu Kāteru Designer(s): ParmaJon, CSketch Series Information MaGMML Game Appearances: MaG48HMML (Bosses, NPCs)

"...Remember. First rule of the Box Cartel: Keep your ears peeled, and an eye on all four sides of ya."

―Don Atetemino, Make a Good 48 Hour Mega Man Level

The Box Cartel is a criminal gang of five robots who are the main villains of Make a Good 48 Hour Mega Man Level. Led by the domineering Don Atetemino, they are a series of minor enemy robots (and two fortress guardians) who idolize Dr. Wily, and bear unique designs with his iconography to express their worship for him. Their ultimate goal is to earn their way into the mad scientist's forces, and they commit crimes under Don Atetemino's watch under the belief it will get them closer to their dream.

Their roster consists of:

• Don Atetemino, the leader of the Cartel.
• Kamikamin, the "Hidden Arts Yakuza" and reconnaissance agent.
• Dockalocker, the head of the reconnaissance squad.
• Blocky, a muscle-headed bruiser.
• Square Machine, a cold and logical combat robot.

MaGMML Series Appearances

Make a Good 48 Hour Mega Man Level

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Long before the events of MaG48HMML, the Box Cartel began as a fanclub for Dr. Wily formed by Kamikamin, Blocky, Dockalocker, and Square Machine (the latter of whom had been rejected by Dr. Cossack after Mega Man 4 and left without purpose), each of whom had their own reasons for liking him. However, they were forced out by every platform they congregated on, eventually forcing them underground. Meanwhile, Atetemino had been abandoned by Dr. Wily since his failure to rule the world with Evil Energy, and had turned to a life of petty crime to survive. It was then that the four robots, looking up to him as a commander in Wily's forces, approached him and asked for his help in joining. Despite no longer being affiliated with him, Atetemino took advantage of the four and restructured their fanclub into the Box Cartel, using them as a means to acquire as much money as possible.

In the present, the Box Cartel, hiding within a disused underwater military base, plots to hijack the SS Elroy, on which Mega Man is vacationing. Unknown to the rest of the gang, Don Atetemino chose this ship in particular so that they could defeat Mega Man and learn to live for themselves, without needing him or Wily. The first gangster he encounters is Kamikamin, who appears in the ship's cargo hold disguised as a chest. After being defeated by Mega Man, Kamikamin retreats to the Cartel Hideout before the gang anchor the SS Elroy to the fortress, with Don Atetemino holding the ship for ransom while challenging Mega Man to battle the rest of the Box Cartel. As Mega Man gathers Energy Elements to create a submarine with which to attack the Cartel Hideout, Don Atetemino gradually sends out Dockalocker, then Blocky, and finally Square Machine to duel him. Each member battles Mega Man in a different part of the ship, but each and every one of them are soon defeated. With each failure, Don Atetemino angrily berates the Box Cartel, which leads to its members growing resentful of their boss over time.

By the time Mega Man assaults the Cartel Hideout, the Box Cartel questions why they work for such an egocentric and overbearing boss, but briefly push it aside to battle Mega Man one more time while he fights his way up to Don Atetemino's office. Once again, they are swiftly defeated, and by the time he reaches the Don himself, the Box Cartel finally have enough of his attitude and decide to quit. Despite this, Don Atetemino both takes a Charge Shot for them, and battles Mega Man personally to give the four time to escape. Seeing this, the Box Cartel decide to stay behind, telling a defeated Atetemino that they now realise his toughness on them came from a genuine desire to bring out the best in them. Even when he admits the truth about his past and motives to them, they stick by him, declaring to Mega Man that rather than join Wily, they now sought to surpass every criminal group in history. The four proceed to gang up on Mega Man, who casually teleports away, making them think they destroyed him (though only Atetemino saw what happened). After an effort to get rid of the police goes wrong, however, the Box Cartel ends up trapped within their hideout after it frees the SS Elroy and sinks further beneath the ocean floor.

Trivia

• Each member of the Box Cartel is related thematically to boxes, with Don Atetemino using boxes as his weapon of choice, while the others are different types of "boxes" (a treasure chest, a locker, a pack of cans, and a giant square/cube).
• Don Atetemino was the first of the Box Cartel to be created, with his suggestion as the main villain of MaG48HMML preceding the concept of a box-themed group of villains. Blocky was decided on soon after, followed by Kamikamin and Dockalocker. Square Machine was the last of the Box Cartel members whose placement was finalized.
• Among the scrapped concepts for Box Cartel members were a "Box Golem" (a large Junk Golem that threw boxes containing box-shaped enemies), a Yonbain that split when damaged (gradually filling the room with multiple Yonbains sharing a lifebar), and a BomBoy from the Mega Man Battle Network series. Despite not making the cut, all three enemies appear in MaG48HMML as NPCs (though only Yonbain alludes to it almost being a member).
• Every music track related to the Box Cartel is written in Italian and relates to a Major Arcana tarot card:
  • "La Festa dei Folli" (used for Cartel member fights and the cutscenes beforehand) translates to "The Feast of Fools".
  • "La Presenza del Giudizio" (used for most Cartel intermission cutscenes) translates to "The Presence of Judgement".
  • "La Passion del Diavolo" (used before the Cartel hijack the SS Elroy and before the battle with Don Atetemino) translates to "The Passion of the Devil".
  • "La Morte che si aviccina" (used for the Cartel Hideout map screen) translates to "The Death that is approaching".
  • "La Ruota dei 2+X" (the main theme of Pandora's Parlor) translates to "The Wheel of 2+X".
  • "La Resistenza Dell'impiccato" (used for the final boss theme) translates to "The Resistance of the Hanged Man".