List of recurring characters in the Metal Gear series

The following is a list of recurring fictional characters that appeared throughout the "Metal Gear" series in more than one canonical installment. The series' canon comprises (not including re-releases and remakes) "Metal Gear" ("MG") and ' ("MG2") for the MSX2, "Metal Gear Solid" ("MGS") for the PlayStation, ' ("MGS2") and ' ("MGS3") for the PS2, ' ("MPO") for the PSP and "" ("MGS4") for the PS3.cite web |url=http://www.konami.jp/kojima_pro/event2007/index-en.html |title=KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS EVENT SITE 2007 |accessdate=2007-07-24 |format=html |work= ] cite video game|title=Metal Gear Solid 4: Database|developer=Kojima Productions|platform=PlayStation 3]

Codename "Snake"

The early "Metal Gear" games centers around the rivalry between protagonist Solid Snake and his commanding officer-turned-nemesis Big Boss. This rivalry served as the basis of the "Les Enfants Terribles" storyline introduced in "Metal Gear Solid", where Solid Snake is revealed to be a clone/son of Big Boss, along with his two brothers: Liquid Snake and Solidus Snake.

olid Snake

Solid Snake is the series' primary protagonist and the player's character in "Metal Gear", "Metal Gear 2" and "Metal Gear Solid". In "Metal Gear Solid 2", he is playable only in the main game's prologue sequence, while "Metal Gear Solid 3" and "Portable Ops" are prequels set before his birth. He returns as the protagonist of "Metal Gear Solid 4", where he appears as a prematurely aged soldier under the new codename Old Snake.

Big Boss

Big Boss is introduced as Solid Snake's commanding officer in "Metal Gear", but reveals himself to be the enemy leader at the end of the game and fights Snake a second time in "Metal Gear 2", apparently killed. In "Metal Gear Solid", his remains are part of a terrorist group's ransom demand. He appears as the protagonist of "Metal Gear Solid 3" and "Portable Ops" under the identity of Naked Snake and makes an appearance and dies in the ending of "Metal Gear Solid 4".

Liquid Snake

Liquid Snake (voiced by Banjo Ginga in Japanese and Cam Clarke in English) is introduced in "Metal Gear Solid" as the main antagonist. He is the twin brother of Solid Snake and the second of Big Boss' clones. He battles Snake numerous times throughout the Shadow Moses Incident; ["Snakes and Gears: A Metal Gear Overview," "Game Informer" 182 (June 2008): 106.] inside a Hind, inside Metal Gear REX [after he used Snake to activate the PAL for REX's ability to launch nukes] , and on top of a destroyed REX. Towards the end of "Metal Gear Solid" Liquid attempted to kill Snake, but before he could, he was killed by FOXDIE, leading Snake to question when " [his] time is up".

In "Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty," Liquid's essence still exists, returning as a dormant personality that would possess former ally, Revolver Ocelot. This is because Ocelot transplanted Liquid's right arm onto his body, replacing the one that Ocelot lost to the Cyborg Ninja. Liquid would possess Ocelot via the right arm whenever Solid Snake was in the vicinity. He first appearance is when he hijacks Metal Gear RAY during the Tanker Chapter.

During the Plant Chapter of "Metal Gear Solid 2," Liquid again possessed Ocelot towards the end, revealing that he was the one who sent the data of Arsenal Gear to Otacon and lured Snake out to the Big Shell, claiming Snake was "the only one who can free [him] ". He then set off in RAY to hunt the Patriots, claiming he chose Ocelot as his "host".

After his appearance in the original "MGS1", Liquid Snake received the "Best Villain" award from IGN.

As Liquid Ocelot

In "Metal Gear Solid 4", he returns under the persona of Liquid Ocelot (voiced by Banjo Ginga in Japanese and Patric Zimmerman in English), having supposedly taking control of the "body once known as Ocelot". However it is revealed that Liquid's possession was only part of Ocelot's plan. As stated above, Ocelot removed Liquid's arm (perhaps due to the fact the 'possessions' by Liquid tended to occur when he was in close proximity to Solid Snake- an issue that would severely impair his ability to enact his plans) and had the latter's personality transplanted from Liquid's corpse onto himself via nanomachines and psychotherapy, becoming wholly Liquid Snake, as opposed to suffering infrequent bouts of Liquid's personality taking over, as a part of his plan to deceive the Patriots and release Big Boss from Zero's captivity. Therefore Liquid's entire second 'existence' as Liquid Ocelot was all a part of Ocelot's plan, who allowed Liquid to control his body so that he would continue his war with the Patriots, knowing that the Patriots would respond in a way he could predict, allowing him to form his plan to rescue Big Boss.

Liquid proceeds throughout to attempt to conquer the Patriots, assimilating SOP and causing a world-wide cease-fire by disabling every weapon in the world, and then stealing Metal Gear REX's railgun in order to fire a stealth nuke from his warship, Outer Haven. Snake succeeds in his mission, uploading the virus to GW and disabling Liquid's railgun, but also unwittingly crashes the Patriot's system. Liquid then reveals, atop Outer Haven, that he forsaw Snake's plan and played him into uploading the virus, believeing that the world would be plunged into anarchy without the system in place, recreating his vision of Outer Heaven. He then states they have a 'score to settle' as the last warring sons of Big Boss, and engages Snake in one last fist fight, to see who really is the greater clone. During the fight, Liquid's nanomachine-induced personialty begins to crack under the brutality of the battle, with Ocelot's persona slowly regaining control, as evidenced by the drastic changes in fighting styles as the fight progresses. As Snake delivers the final blow, Ocelot's personality surfaces for the first and final time in the game as Liquid finally 'dies', stating 'you're pretty good' along with his trademark gesture, knowing that he has fufilled his final mission.

Liquid's original corpse, as well as the corpse of Solidus Snake, was used to surgically reconstruct missing pieces onto Big Boss.

olidus Snake

Solidus Snake (voiced by Akio Otsuka in Japanese and John Cygan in English) is first mentioned by name in the post-credits coda of "Metal Gear Solid", where he is revealed to be a third clone of Big Boss, as well as the President of the United States during the events of the game, George Sears. He appears as the antagonist of "Metal Gear Solid 2", where he is revealed to be the adoptive father of the protagonist Raiden. After he is killed in the events of that game, Solidus' body is used as a decoy for Big Boss's in "Metal Gear Solid 4".

Introduced in "Metal Gear"

Gray Fox

nihongo|Dr. Hal Emmerich|ハル・エメリッヒ博士|Haru Emerihhi Hakase, nicknamed nihongo|Otacon|オタコン|Otakon due to his fondness of anime, first appears in "Metal Gear Solid" as an ArmsTech employee who designed Metal Gear REX. ["Snakes and Gears: A Metal Gear Overview," "Game Informer" 182 (June 2008): 107.] After being rescued by Snake from the Ninja, he begins to assist him after he realizes that REX is being used by the terrorists to launch a new type of nuclear warhead. His assistance is instrumental to Snake's victory, but at a cost: he is forced to watch Snake execute Sniper Wolf, a woman he had developed a crush on. Kojima states that he created Otacon as his way of glorifying the otaku stereotype by having a character who fights the terrorists with his intellect rather than his brawn.cite video|title=Metal Gear Saga Vol. 1] According to Kojima, the original idea of Otacon was to make him "heavier, wearing a cap, and programming while eating a chocolate bar". However, the design Shinkawa did for the character was a slender one instead.cite book|title=Metal Gear Solid: Official Mission Handbook]

In "Metal Gear Solid 2", Otacon and Solid Snake form Philanthropy, an anti-proliferation organization. During the Tanker chapter, Otacon once again supports Snake via the codec and is in charge of saving the player's progress. He later appears in the Plant chapter, having infiltrated the Big Shell facility with Snake to save his stepsister Emma, who is among the hostages. Tragically, Emma is grievously wounded by Vamp and later dies in Otacon's arms. He later transports the surviving hostages to safety and then provides support to Raiden via codec for the remainder of the game. Lead character designer Yoji Shinkawa stated in an interview that Otacon was designed to look somewhat "tougher" than he did in "Metal Gear Solid". [citeweb|author= Colin Williamson|date = 12 December 2000|accessdate = 1 January|accessyear = 2007|url= http://ps2.ign.com/articles/088/088856p1.html|title = Yoji Shinkawa interview]

Though Otacon himself does not appear in "Metal Gear Solid 3" (the game being set in the 1960s), His grandfather (who was part of the Manhattan project) is mentioned in a radio call between Naked Snake and Sigint (although Sigint is unable to remember his name correctly) and he appears in a photograph alongside Russian weapons designer Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin. [Snake: Metal Gear... // Granin: But I won't be used so easily. No, no crying myself to sleep. For you see, I'm going to send these documents to my friend in the United States. ("Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater", 2004 PlayStation 2 game)]

Otacon appears in "Metal Gear Solid 4", still lending his support to Snake. He builds with Sunny (Olga's daughter) a robotic companion to Snake called Metal Gear Mk. II, which he controls remotely. The Mk. II is taken from a robotic character of the same name in "Snatcher". He becomes romantically involved with Naomi Hunter through the course of the story although he once again loses her to circumstances beyond his control, thus forcing him yet again to witness the death of a woman he cared about. In the coda of "MGS4", Otacon tells Snake that he and Sunny will live with Snake for the remainder of his life, to serve as witnesses of his existence.

Otacon is also seen with Solid Snake's crew in "Super Smash Bros Brawl".

Revolver Ocelot

Revolver Ocelot appears in "Metal Gear Solid" as a member of FOXHOUND secretly working as a spy for Solidus Snake, also the U.S. President. He becomes a recurring antagonist in subsequent games, appearing in "Metal Gear Solid 2" as an agent of the Patriots who gets possessed by Liquid Snake as the result of an arm transplant, and appears in "Metal Gear Solid 3" and "Portable Ops" as his young self, Major Ocelot. The son of "The Boss" and "The Sorrow".

Meryl Silverburgh

nihongo|Mei Ling|美玲(メイ・リン)|Mei Rin|Měi Líng in Pinyin is a Chinese-American data analyst in charge of saving the player's progress in "Metal Gear Solid". She is the one who invented Snake's wireless communication equipment, the Codec, as well the Soliton Radar, which detects the positions and field of vision of nearby enemy soldiers. Every time Snake saves his data, Mei Ling provides him with advice through Chinese proverbs, as well as quotations from Western authors. In the Japanese version, Mei Ling only quoted Chinese proverbs: she would cite the original proverb in Chinese and then explain its meaning to Snake in Japanese. According to Kojima, this made some of the proverbs redundant after translating them to English, since Mei Ling would be saying the same thing twice.cite book|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20070824194509/www.metalgearsolid.org/show_features.php?id=1196|title= Metal Gear Solid: Integral - Perfect Guide] The western quotes were added under Jeremy Blaustein's (the game's translator) suggestion. Her design was based on actress Shinobu Nakayama.

In "Metal Gear Solid 2", Mei Ling is part of Philanthropy, an anti-Metal Gear organization, but assists Snake and Otacon off-screen, attempting to steal equipment from the SSCEN. She makes a voice only cameo in the game as an easter egg during the Tanker chapter, after the player has saved their progress 13 times.

In "Metal Gear Solid 4", Mei Ling commands the museum-turned-training vessel "USS Missouri" and provides Snake and Otacon with backup, courtesy of her connections from the SSCEN. Due to her position on the "USS Missouri", she is dressed in a Navy uniform with the rank of Captain. cite journal | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | date = June 13, 2008 | title = New "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots" details | journal = Weekly Famitsu | volume = | issue = 1017 | pages =111 | id = | url = | accessdate = 2008-05-28 | quote = [http://i30.tinypic.com/34zhqo3.jp%E2%80%9D] ]

Mei Ling has made a few appearances outside the main series of "Metal Gear" games. She is a central character in the radio drama version of "Metal Gear Solid" (set after the events of the original game) and appears in the Game Boy Color version of "Metal Gear Solid" (a side story unrelated to the main series). Mei Ling is also one of Snake's support crew in "Super Smash Bros. Brawl".

Johnny

nihongo|Rosemary|ローズマリー|Rōzumarī|Rose for short is introduced as Raiden's girlfriend in the Plant chapter portion of "Metal Gear Solid 2". She is employed by the army as a data analyst, and saves the player's progress over Codec. Rosemary also supports Raiden by providing information about the Big Shell facilites and the other characters Raiden encounters in the game. Raiden and Rose spend most of their conversation talking about their relationship. By the end of the game, Rosemary reveals herself to be a spy for the Patriots. She is then taken off the mission and replaced by an A.I. duplicate of her who openly mocks Raiden. After the final battle, Raiden is reunited with the real Rose in front of Federal Hall, who is pregnant with his child.

In an early version of "MGS2" story, Rosemary dies in the game; in this version, Rosemary and Raiden never meet in person, as she's a supposed hostage in the Big Shell who communicates with Raiden via the Codec, which would lead the player to wonder whether she was real or just an AI construct. [http://www.mgstus.org/downloads/misc/MGS2_orginal_gameplan/metal_gear_solid_2_grand_game_plan.pdf Metal Gear Solid 2 Grand Game Plan Translation.] ]

In "Metal Gear Solid 4", Rosemary appears as a psychological counselor in a combat stress platoon, offering Snake tips on dealing with stress. [cite web|url=http://www.konami.jp/mgs4/jp/interview/01.html|title=Metal Gear Solid 4 - Hideo Kojima Interview|language=Japanese|quote=『２』で登場したローズも、今は戦闘ストレス小隊の心理カウンセラーをやっているという設定です。] Though she became engaged to Raiden after the events of "Metal Gear Solid 2", their relationship ended after Rosemary purportedly miscarried their child. Rosemary later marries Campbell, causing a rift between Campbell and Meryl. In reality, Rosemary did gave birth to Raiden's child, a boy named John; her marriage is a ploy to protect the boy from the Patriots, by having Campbell pose as John's father. After she reveals the truth to Raiden, the couple reconciles.

Introduced in "Metal Gear Solid 3"

EVA

Dr. Nicholai Stephanovich Sokolov is the rocket scientist who develops the Shagohod, the featured tank in "Metal Gear Solid 3". He is captured by Colonel Volgin, who forced him to complete the weapon, and seemingly dies off-screen after he is tortured for trying to escape. Despite his apparent death, he appears in "Portable Ops" as an informant named Ghost, revealing that he survived Volgin's torture and escaped to the U.S. with the help of the new FOX unit commander Gene. He builds the first Metal Gear model, the ICBMG, a quadrupedal model.

Groups and Organizations

FOXHOUND

nihongo|High-Tech Special Forces Unit FOXHOUND|ハイテク特殊部隊フォックスハウンド|Haiteku Tokushu Butai Fokkusuhaundo|also spelled FOX-HOUND is a US Army elite special forces unit that has appeared in numerous forms throughout the "Metal Gear" series. ["Snakes and Gears: A Metal Gear Overview," "Game Informer" 182 (June 2008): 106.] FOXHOUND was formed during the 1990s according to the original "Metal Gear" (later revised to 1971 in "Metal Gear Solid 3") to cope with local revolutions, regional complications, and global terrorist activities. This unit specializes in black ops, carrying out top-secret operations within "unauthorized" combat zones which are too politically-sensitive to intervene in through conventional means. In the original "Metal Gear", FOXHOUND is led by Big Boss (the team's commanding officer), with Solid Snake and Gray Fox serving as field operatives, although Big Boss betrays the unit in the end of the game. Roy Campbell, the unit's executive officer, becomes the new commanding officer in "Metal Gear 2", with him, drill instructor Master Miller and military strategist George Kasler forming part of Snake's support crew in the game.

In "Metal Gear Solid", Snake and Campbell are already retired from FOXHOUND and the unit turns rogue under the leadership of Liquid Snake, with five other members involved in the terrorist activity. Although the unit is disbanded by the time of "Metal Gear Solid 2", Raiden is led to believe that he is serving a newly-reinstated FOXHOUND under the command of "The Colonel" (an A.I. representation of Colonel Campbell controlled by The Patriots).

The FOX unit, a precursor to FOXHOUND led by Major Zero, is introduced in "Metal Gear Solid 3" as the special forces unit Naked Snake (Big Boss) belonged to prior to forming FOXHOUND. The FOX unit turns renegade in "Portable Ops" under the leadership of , leading to Naked Snake and his new partner Roy Campbell to form their own team of specialists, which forms the foundation of FOXHOUND.

In "Metal Gear Solid 4", Meryl's squad, Rat Patrol Team 01 sport the FOXHOUND logo as a team emblem. The emblem is used purely out of nostalgia as the squad has no official attachment with FOXHOUND.

Outside the "Metal Gear" canon, FOXHOUND is mentioned in "Snatcher" as a military unit that JUNKER Chief Benson Cunningham previously served; and in "Policenauts" as Meryl's former unit (the character being the basis for the Meryl in "Metal Gear Solid", has a paint tattoo of the team's original logo).

The Patriots

nihongo|The Patriots|愛国者達|Aikokusha-tachi, also known as the nihongo|La-li-lu-le-lo|らりるれろ are a secret cabal, revealed in "Metal Gear Solid 2", that control the United States of America. ["Snakes and Gears: A Metal Gear Overview," "Game Informer" 182 (June 2008): 106.] The group is initially revealed as an inner circle consisting of twelve people known as the nihongo|The Wisemen's Committee|賢人会議|Kenjin Kaigi. They initiate the construction of Arsenal Gear, and its A.I. GW, in order to censor the flow of digital information, and manipulate the events of the story through their trusted agent Revolver Ocelot. At the game's end, Snake acquires a disk containing the identities of the Wisemen's Committee and in the post-credits ending, Otacon examines the disk, he states that all members had been dead for about "a hundred years".

In "Metal Gear Solid 3", the Wisemen's Committee are actually the founding members of nihongo|The Philosophers|賢者達|Kenja-tachi, a preceding organization which was formed at the end of World War I with the leaders of the major Allied powers of the United States, China and Bolshevik Russia entered a secret pact with a stated purpose of pooling money to rebuild countries affected by the war. After the original Wisemen died during the 1930s, their followers began fighting amongst themselves to inherit "The Philosophers' Legacy", a fund left by the original members, which becomes the central plot of "MGS3". In the ending timeline, it is mentioned that the Patriots was formed by the American branch of The Philosophers after accumulating the missing fund.

Nevertheless, the ending of "Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops" reveals that Ocelot was ordered by a mysterious man to "end" the American Philosophers. Ocelot kills his former employer, the DCI, and obtains documents containing the identities of the Philosophers, as well as the locations of their funds. The mysterious man contacts Ocelot and invites him to form part of his new organization, the Patriots. Ocelot agrees under the condition that Big Boss joins the organization as well.

In "Metal Gear Solid 4", the mysterious man is identified as Major Zero, who formed the organization with Big Boss and Ocelot, along with EVA, Sigint and Para-Medic. The organization was formed to fulfill The Boss's ideal of a unified world. However, Zero, Para-Medic, and Sigint eventually grew too powerful and greedy. A fallout between Zero and Big Boss led to the group being split into two factions: with Ocelot and EVA on Big Boss's side; and Sigint and Para-Medic working for Zero. Para-Medic is revealed to be Dr. Clark, a character mentioned in "Metal Gear Solid", who was killed by the Cyborg Ninja prior to the events of that game. Sigint became the DARPA Chief, a minor character in "Metal Gear Solid" who was killed by Ocelot. (According to EVA -- later called Big Mama -- both killings were intentionally done for the "pro-Big Boss" faction.) By the time of "Metal Gear Solid 4", Zero is in a vegetative state, and the Patriots now consist of four computer AIs: GW, TJ, TR and AL (named after the U.S. Presidents depicted on Mount Rushmore), all controlled by a fifth proxy AI named JD (John Doe). Over time, the system evolved from simply maintaining economic and political systems into creating an entirely new world order, one which is based on war economies.

The Patriots' network is shut down by a computer worm that used GW as a conduit to access the others created by Naomi and Sunny. With the deaths of Zero and Big Boss during the game's surprise epilogue, the Patriots' demise is ensured and The Boss's dream is realized to be words of wisdom as opposed to her words calling for control of people and countries.

ee also

*
*

References