In 2007, a group of Mega Man fans under the name Team.Nekokan uploaded an animated music video titled “Air Man ga Taosenai.” Also known as “I Cannot Defeat Airman,” the fan song describes a fruitless campaign to beat the Mega Man 2 boss with a box fan in his chest. It’s a viral video so old that you might’ve encountered it on the forums or at an anime convention tape swap before a YouTube link. A few days shy from its 19th anniversary, McDonald’s summoned the original artists to recreate the video. This time in service of iced coffee.
Where the original video grappled with the vanishing blocks in Heat Man’s stage or Wood Man’s tricky Leaf Shield, McDonald’s remix pits the blue bomber against the summer heat and need for a refreshing, caffeinated beverage. Regardless of the lower stakes, it all filters into a confrontation with the Robot Masters. Particularly Air Man, who now has a coffee dispenser on his back on top of the giant cooling fan out front.
In addition to recreating the video, McDonald’s also reassembled the original artists, as confirmed by the original vocalist. “I handled the music production aspects,” posted Team.Nekokan singer nyanyannya. “Even though it had been a while, once we got together, we were able to jump right back into the vibe from back then and keep going.”
音源制作まわりを担当しました。
久しぶりなのに集まったら当時の感じでそのまま走り出せてしまいました。
ぜひ楽しんでもらえたらうれしいです！Team.ねこかん[猫]
（ボーカル担当：nyanyannya ギター担当：sham）#PR #マクドナルド#エアーマンが倒せない https://t.co/PTjdpiLmrv— nyanyannya（大天才P）🐸⚡ (@neko_nekokan) May 22, 2026
While Japanese McDonald’s have run cross-promotions with the likes of Dragon Quest, Godzilla and even a Neon Genesis Evangelion happy meal, resurrecting a meme predating the label “meme” is an insane pull. The song is a deep cut, even for Mega Man fans, though it was briefly used by Kenny Omega for entrance music. As long as we’re talking about pre-2010 Japanese memes, it isn’t even the first video that would come to mind for the golden arches. Though McDonald’s might logically pause before conflating Ronald McDonald with Giygas’ final form or barking the Cave Story theme.
