Oil Man-alongside Time Man made an appearance in the final page of the fourth issue of the first story arc, Let the Games Begin, but only received his formal debut in Issue 5. Originally, he and Time Man were to be among Dr. Light's original Robot Masters, but Light thought they were too powered up, and decided not to finish them. Unknown to Dr. Light, Dr. Wily had taken the liberty of finishing them up. Like Bomb Man, Guts Man, Cut Man, Ice Man, Fire Man and Elec Man, he alongside Time Man had been stolen by Dr. Wily, and were even modified by the mad doctor. However, unlike the other six Robot Masters, they were not ordered to target Mega Man. Instead, they were placed on standby mode with orders to orchestrate Dr. Wily's escape in case he was stopped by Mega Man.