Funny thing is, my interest never began with the original series, and personally, I don't find them all that great. It all started during the SNES era, when I was about 4-5, and the first games I remember were Mega Man X and X3. Personally, it was like Dragon Ball Z in an even MORE futuristic setting, filled with things that go BOOM!! (Not that I was pro, hell I think I asked my dad a few times to beat a stage for me, and never beat the games until 2 years ago, cheat knowledge in hand).
Then, when the PS1 came around, and forced to choose between MM8 and MMX4. I told my dad, "I wanted the one with the ninja robot!" (Didn't really care if Zero was a guy or a girl, someone with a melee weapon going against thousands of soldiers gets an award in my book). Eventually, I got both, but Mega Man then..."Meh, it's okay."
Only when I bought the MMAC when it came out did I really play the classic series. Even though I promised my dad a race who could go through the series the fastest, lack of a wall jump and "old-school difficulty" put my young mind to go for MM7. And even then, it was as good as 8. Call me what you will, but in general, 16-bit>8-bit. Classic series is fun, don't get me wrong, but I've found a home with the X and Zero series.
What keeps me around, though, is the potential for what the series could be. If they do find a way to expose the series in the right light...pretty much my fantasy realised.
Oh yeah, besides the cable ponytail and booblights, I relate to Zero. A defective robot who eventually sets the world straight from an unsightly mutation? Count me in!
...though until they de-pussify the hair and chest into something a little less like Ruroni Kenshin, I'm gonna dib Fef and Prometheus as mah mains. A guy can make up fanfics to make them look cool, right?