UPDATE: The original tweet was deleted voluntarily, according to Mihara. He apologized for "any trouble to the rights holders". (The image was not intended for public viewing, it seems.)
Original Post: Ichiro Mihara, the Vice President of Arika and former Mega Man director, recently shared a small, cropped screenshot showcasing an unfamiliar design of classic series Mega Man (above). Notably, this render features additional details not seen in any previous iteration of the character, particularly the helmet's distinct paneling and a bolt. What's more, Mega Man's complexion is strikingly off-white, and the glowing eyes bear some resemblance to X's portrayal in Capcom's Teppen.
The image was accompanied by the (translated) caption, "I used to make Mega Man's **** and **** and **** official **** ****, so I know a little bit about Mega Man!" Mihara, who's made no secret about his past involvement with Mega Man on the NES, appears intentional in being discreet about the specifics related to the image.
For some added context, Mihara's tweet was in response to Hitoshi Ariga, who shared his own experiences with the series, concluding with the phrase "I know a little bit about Mega Man."
Although Arika is not a subsidiary of Capcom, the company has collaborated with the developer in the past on Mega Man Network Transmission in 2003. More recently, Arika has entered into partnerships with Bandai Namco to co-develop Tekken 8 and with SNK to develop titles based on non-fighting IPs.
So, where does this Mega Man fit in? There are a few viable possibilities. One, Mihara might be hinting at an unannounced collaboration involving Tekken 8. Alternatively, Arika could be co-developing a new title featuring this design. Lastly, it could be connected to a canceled project with ties to Arika. Regardless of the outcome, this is something I'll be keeping tabs on.