The game follows a young boy named Lan Hikari and his NetNavi MegaMan.EXE as they solve a series of crimes instigated by the "WWW (World Three)" organization.

According to producer Keiji Inafune, the development team wanted Battle Network to identify specifically with younger gamers by creating a setting resembling the real world and a gameplay model that mixes traditional action and RPG elements.

Users are able to "jack in" to the Net and other computerized devices and explore their various aspects using (or "operating") program avatars called "NetNavis (Network Navigators)" as if they were physical locations.

Some of the confrontations with the various criminals involve desperate, life-threatening situations including school students being re-educated as mindless slaves, the city's waterworks freezing over, oxygen being cut off at a large party, and a bus rigged to explode.

[12] Controlling Lan, the player may travel around the world map, interact with non-player characters, check email, purchase items, initiate Net missions, or speak with MegaMan.EXE through his PET.

This cyber world is represented by a series of branching pathways and nodes, where MegaMan.EXE can travel to both new and previously visited locations, find and purchase items, and fight viruses.

[7][13] The Mega Buster is quite weak on its own, so in order to delete viruses more efficiently, the player must access special abilities called "Battle Chips".

[7] Initially conceptualized with the intention of being a horror game,[5] Mega Man Battle Network was developed by Capcom Production Studio 2 amidst the success of Nintendo's portable RPG franchise Pokémon.

[6] While creating Battle Network, director Masahiro Yasuma found difficulty in blending action attributes with "the kind of fun you get from a Pokémon game" in order to make it enjoyable, new, and fresh.

[16] Producer Keiji Inafune stated that the development team wanted to add a "real world" feel to the Mega Man series by placing the protagonist of Battle Network in a location where the internet is prevalent.

[18][19] To ensure the game's popularity, Capcom marketed Battle Network alongside an afternoon anime adaptation, emphasized head-to-head matches between players, and provided fans with exclusive content via special events.

[23] The character's initial concept art went through a large number of changes before it was finalized to a much simpler design, so that even very young fans could easily draw it.

Ishihara explained that the artists chose size and shape variety among the characters to "provide a little bit of surprise and excitement" to fans familiar with their classic forms.

[30] According to series planners Masakazu Eguchi and Masahiro Yasuma, this beta build of the game involved the player fighting a malevolent WoodMan.EXE within the school's electronic blackboard.

[1][3] Ubisoft published Mega Man Battle Network in PAL regions as part of a seven-GBA game licensing agreement with Capcom.

Though Brogger called it "engrossing", Harris recognized the plot as the game's one major fault, describing it as "kiddy" and disliking the consistent use of computer terminology for character names.

In his Battle Network series decade retrospective, 1UP.com's Jeremy Parish felt the first game suffered from terrible plotting, unbalanced play design, and unattractive and annoying environment navigation.

Still, Parish perceived the game's combat mechanics to be its sole reason for success, marrying the original Mega Man action qualities with an RPG structure and requiring "a combination of sharp thinking and quick reflexes" on the player's part.

[39] Mega Man Battle Network entered Japanese sales charts at number 12, selling approximately 43,048 units during its first week.

[41] The success of Mega Man Battle Network led to several sequels and spin-offs on other consoles, mobile phones, and arcade; an anime series; and numerous pieces of merchandise.

[6][42] A successor series called Mega Man Star Force began in 2006 after Capcom decided to stop developing new Battle Network titles.

A Nintendo DS port of the game entitled Rockman.EXE: Operate Shooting Star was revealed at the 2009 World Hobby Fair in Japan, and released there on November 12, 2009.

[47] The PET interface was revamped to allow for touchscreen capabilities, including a map while traversing the cyber world, similar to its implementation in Double Team DS.

[49] However, unlike previous contests, it was unknown what upcoming Mega Man title the winning boss would appear in, nor was it revealed even after the winner was announced as Clock Genius in the April 2009 issue.

[50] At the 2009 World Hobby Fair convention in Japan, the new Mega Man title was finally unveiled as a crossover between the Battle Network and Star Force series.

Around the 20th anniversary of the Mega Man franchise, Capcom was receiving a strong sentiment from fans wanting a new Battle Network title.

"[52] According to the Japanese publication Famitsu, Rockman.EXE: Operate Shooting Star was the ninth best-selling game in Japan during its release week at approximately 23,000 copies sold.