Solid Snake ( Japanese : ソリッド・スネーク , Hepburn : Soriddo Sunēku ) is a fictional character from the Metal Gear series created by Hideo Kojima and developed and published by Konami , appearing as the main protagonist in many of the games of the series. He is depicted as a former Green Beret and highly skilled special operations soldier engaged in solo stealth and espionage missions who is often tasked with destroying models of the bipedal nuclear weapon-armed mecha known as Metal Gear . Controlled by the player, he must act alone, supported via radio by commanding officers and specialists. While his first appearances in the original Metal Gear games were references to Hollywood films, the Metal Gear Solid series has given a consistent design by artist Yoji Shinkawa alongside an established personality while also exploring his relationship with his mentor and father .
97-788: During the Metal Gear Solid games, the character has been voiced by voice actor Akio Ōtsuka in the Japanese version and by Canadian-American screenwriter and actor David Hayter in the English version. He also appears in Nintendo 's Super Smash Bros. series as a playable fighter, as well as the battle royale game Fortnite . Considered to be one of the most iconic protagonists in video game history, Solid Snake has been acclaimed by critics, with his personality and both Ōtsuka's and Hayter's voice acting being noted as primary factors of
194-540: A black armband on his left arm, and wields the Colt Single Action Army revolver, which he refers to as "the greatest handgun ever made". In designing the character, Hideo Kojima wanted to add Western tones to a character resulting in Ocelot's appearance, which is based on that of veteran Western film actor Lee Van Cleef . For Metal Gear Solid 2 , Yoji Shinkawa originally intended to give Ocelot
291-606: A "middle ground" between the younger Snake who was in the cover artwork of the first Metal Gear and the middle-aged Snake from the MSX2 version of Metal Gear 2 . For the initial events from the Big Shell chapter from Metal Gear Solid 2 , Snake's visual appearance was sightly modified with his hair being more blonde, and his appearance somewhat resembling the Man with No Name (as portrayed by Clint Eastwood ). Shinkawa commented that Snake
388-524: A case of denial, as Snake's enemies and at least one of his allies have claimed that he enjoys killing, and label him as more evil than the people he has killed. When he is not on duty, his favorite recreational activity is being a musher . Metal Gear introduces Snake, a rookie recruit of the elite special forces unit FOXHOUND . Snake is sent by Big Boss into Outer Heaven , a rogue nation in South Africa, to rescue Gray Fox and discover who or what
485-709: A clone created from tissue samples of the man from the original Metal Gear Acid , following the events of the Lobito Island mission; the Solid Snake from the original Acid is implied to be dead in the sequel. The character appears in his Old Snake form as a playable character in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus , a stand-alone expansion to the Portable Ops focusing on online play. In Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ,
582-420: A close ally to Venom Snake . Ocelot has been well received by video game publications for his role as a central villain in the franchise, and has often been considered one of its most important characters for his connections with various characters. Introduced in Metal Gear Solid , Ocelot is normally clothed in a duster, spurs, and gunbelts, the traditional garb of gunslingers in spaghetti westerns , as well as
679-403: A cybernetic arm in place of the one Gray Fox took from him, but this idea was not used as the staff intended to have Ocelot use the arm of Liquid Snake. While Kojima acknowledged fans finding the idea of Liquid's arm possessing Ocelot's mind ridiculous, he promised to answer the reason behind it in Metal Gear Solid 4 . Revolver Ocelot ( リボルバー・オセロット , Riborubā Oserotto ) is introduced in
776-552: A different name for 'Snake' in MGS , he probably would have been a totally different character." – Hideo Kojima Solid Snake was apparently named after the fictional special forces operative Snake Plissken , Kurt Russell 's character in Escape from New York . However, Kojima revealed in March 2014 that the character's name origins were something else. According to Kojima, he was given
873-600: A habit of referencing his previous work. In the Kojima-produced Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django (and Shin Bokura no Taiyō: Gyakushū no Sabata ), Snake appears as an unnamed character who sells items to the player. Konami's Evolution Skateboarding features Snake and Raiden as hidden characters, as well as two stages set in the Big Shell (the skateboarding minigame in Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
970-545: A hand-to-hand fight between two old people. 1UP.com also listed the scenes from the games in which Liquid Ocelot controls the PMC's weapons to attack the protagonists and his imitation of Liquid Snake's death from Metal Gear Solid as one of the most surprising moments in the game. VentureBeat were bemused by Ocelot's portrayal in Metal Gear Solid V , writing how he was "calm and the voice of reason" instead of being an "eccentric, sadistic man". They theorized, however, that Ocelot
1067-535: A heavily fortified enemy base in Central Asia that has aggravated an international oil crisis and declared themselves a nuclear power by kidnapping Dr. Kio Marv (after the creation of a bio-engineered algae that produces an oil substitute) and the Metal Gear engineer Pettrovich Madnar . Snake infiltrates the base and discovers that Pettrovich as well as Fox has defected to Zanzibar Land, and that Zanzibar Land
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#17327941924611164-640: A military squad briefly faced monsters from the Monster Hunter series , with Snake's equivalent in the narrative, US Army Ranger Artemis, being portrayed by Milla Jovovich . Solid Snake appears as an outfit in Fortnite , starting from the first season of the battle royale mode's fifth chapter in December 2023 and is unlockable from January 23, 2024 until the season's end date. "The name 'Snake' in MGS comes from creeping up on someone silently like
1261-574: A minor (yet significant) role in the direct sequel Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops . Initially in league with FOX's insurgency leader Gene , Ocelot assassinates the DCI in order to "end" the Philosophers before being invited to join the Philosophers' reorganized American branch . Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (set directly after Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2 ) features
1358-426: A snake. The adjective 'Solid' expresses Snake's strong and blade-sharp image - paradoxical when combined with a snake's litheness. Normally, 'snake' and 'solid' do not go together. It's like talking about 'hot ice.' I came up with the name to express this lack of balance and equilibrium. But when I decided the codename would be Snake, the character was more Plissken than snake-like at the subconscious level. If I had used
1455-507: A stolen Metal Gear prototype, Gander. Although the actual in-game artwork of Ghost Babel was done by Ikuya Nakamura, Yoji Shinkawa provided the promotional art like he did with the original Metal Gear Solid . In the second of these titles, Metal Gear Acid , Snake must retrieve "Pythagoras" from the Lobito Physics and Research Laboratory, in order to satisfy hijackers who have kidnapped presidential candidate Viggo Hach. This mission
1552-415: A team of FOX HOUND operatives as they infiltrate an undisclosed enemy base where the Metal Gear weapon is being mass-produced. Snake is addressed by the military rank of Lieutenant and starts the game already equipped with a handgun and a combat knife , in contrast to the first game, where Snake had to procure all of his weapons on-site. After the success of the original Metal Gear Solid , KCEJ produced
1649-551: A timeline as Solid Snake and Liquid Snake". Among the several characters he encounters, critics noticed that Snake's friendship with Otacon was one of the best parts of his character due to the contrast it has with enemies as well as how he Snake comforts him in Sons of Liberty . His rivalry with Big Boss was also popular according to journalists, especially when they are compared as son and father and genetic heir. Various gaming sites such as 1UP.com , Game Informer and Kotaku joked on
1746-518: A trilogy of Metal Gear spin-offs for portable platforms set in a parallel universe outside the main Kojima-directed series. All three of these portable games were directed by Shinta Nojiri . The first of these is Metal Gear: Ghost Babel (released outside Japan as Metal Gear Solid ), in which Solid Snake must infiltrate a rebuilt Outer Heaven (now called Galuade) to defeat a FOXHOUND-like team of rogue agents called Black Chamber and destroy
1843-605: Is a demo of Evolution Skateboarding composed exclusively of these elements). Solid Snake also appears in both halves of a crossover between the Metal Gear and Ape Escape franchises: the Ape Escape monkeys appear with Solid Snake in the "Snake vs. Monkey" minigame featured in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater . In turn, Snake appears in the corresponding Metal Gear Solid minigame featured in Ape Escape 3 , where he
1940-526: Is a tribute to the film 2001: A Space Odyssey that has a character with the same name (and coincidentally shared with his English voice actor David Hayter ). Kojima later described Snake's role in the original Metal Gear as the "player's presence", contrasting the defined personality acquired in Metal Gear Solid . In addition to expanding Solid Snake's backstory, as the first Metal Gear game to feature voice acting, Metal Gear Solid established his characteristic voice and appearance. Various scenes from
2037-435: Is also immediately shown as a loner, often with no intentions of taking orders from anyone anymore and he shows no sign of longing for the army or the country he was part of. However, along with these traits he has a more human side, being flirtatious, self-sacrificing and with a strong belief that even on a battlefield friendship and love can flourish, and that violence is not glorious. Snake's perceived stance on violence may be
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#17327941924612134-464: Is complicated by La Clown, an expert mimic who impersonates Snake's contact Teliko, and subtle brainwashing that nearly convinces him that he is Hans Davis, a ruthless scientist that worked at the Lobito facility. He overcomes both and contacts the real Teliko, then destroys the latest model of Metal Gear, Metal Gear KODOQUE . Metal Gear Acid 2 features a main character who is not the real version, but
2231-492: Is led by the true Big Boss. Snake destroys Metal Gear D, and defeats both Fox and the true Big Boss. Metal Gear Solid and its remake – The Twin Snakes – reveals Solid Snake's real name as David ( デビッド , Debiddo ) . He is pulled out of retirement by Roy Campbell to deal with the "Sons of Big Boss" led by Liquid Snake who seized an isolated American nuclear weapons disposal facility on Shadow Moses Island. Snake's mission
2328-480: Is most known for the roles of second generation Jigen Daisuke ( Lupin III franchise ), Black Jack ( Black Jack ), Solid Snake , Naked Snake , Solidus Snake and Venom Snake ( Metal Gear games), Gamigami Devil ( Popolocrois ), Ryoma Hoshi ( Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony ), Shunsui Kyouraku ( Bleach ), Lieutenant Garuru ( Sgt. Frog ), Gwendel von Voltaire ( Kyo Kara Maoh! ), Batou ( Ghost in
2425-466: Is once again enlisted by Campbell to assassinate Liquid Ocelot, CEO of a giant mother company that are trying to take control of the Patriots' AIs. He also learns from Naomi that his life has been artificially shortened as part of the cloning process so that his genes can't be used as a weapon in later research, thus explaining why he has the physical appearance of an elderly man despite being only forty-two years old. Snake and his allies are forced to destroy
2522-440: Is one of the only characters to appear in almost every Metal Gear Solid game and is thus considered "one of the only characters to have a major role in all five Metal Gear Solid titles" by Game Informer . Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine called Revolver Ocelot underrated in comparison to Final Fantasy VII iconic antagonist Sephiroth , describing Ocelot as "just a persistent, sneaky, and cool villain. Heck, just watch
2619-489: Is rescued by Pipo Snake (Snake's character design in this minigame is taken directly from Naked Snake's). He has also appeared in several cross-company fighting games. In DreamMix TV World Fighters , Solid Snake appears as a playable character alongside other Konami , Hudson Soft and Takara characters such as Bomberman and Optimus Prime . Similarly, in Super Smash Bros. Brawl , the third installment from
2716-479: Is seemingly under Sergei Gurlukovich 's employ, but ends up betraying his old friend when Ocelot hijacks Metal Gear RAY , framing Snake and Otacon for the deed. During the game's main Plant Chapter, Ocelot then forms part of the terrorist group "Sons of Liberty" with Solidus Snake but ends up betraying the former President as well after revealing his true allegiance to the Patriots , a group that controls
2813-672: Is the outcome for the rest of the game. In response to his role in Metal Gear Solid 3 , GameSpy called Ocelot one of the "series mainstay", hoping he would become an entertaining opponent. According to Edge magazine, with Liquid Ocelot "Kojima has forged a superb villain, far more complete than in MGS2 ." He was also listed by IGN as one of the fictional characters who required his own spin-off. GamesRadar too praised his role as Revolver/Liquid Ocelot, placing as seventh on their 2013 list of best villains in video game history. Ocelot's change to his Liquid Ocelot alter-ego persona of Liquid Snake
2910-441: Is to rescue Donald Anderson and Kenneth Baker but he is unable to prevent both hostages' deaths. As the game progresses, Snake infiltrates and learns about Metal Gear REX while meeting up with rookie soldier Meryl Silverburgh and REX's engineer Hal Emmerich , confronts and defeats each member of the corrupt faction of FOXHOUND (consisting of Revolver Ocelot , Decoy Octopus , Psycho Mantis , Sniper Wolf , Vulcan Raven , and
3007-483: The Cyborg Ninja . Despite his loss, Ocelot later appears to torture Snake after Snake is captured. During Snake's torture, Ocelot reveals he was originally from the former Soviet Union and a former member of Spetsnaz , secretly wishing for Liquid's and Big Boss 's dream world as well. Ocelot is the sole surviving member of FOXHOUND by the game's end. After the ending credits, it's revealed that he's in league with
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3104-631: The MGS3 trailer and you'll see that he was a badass even in the 60's." G4 's Filter placed him at number ten in their top list of video game villains in 2002. Ocelot ranked 28th on IGN 's top list of video game villains. Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition listed Liquid Ocelot as ninth in their list of "top 50 video game villains". Ocelot has been frequently featured in the lists of best Metal Gear villains. In 2008, he placed seventh in IGN's top list of Metal Gear Solid boss battles, and second on
3201-409: The U.S. President George Sears. Revolver Ocelot, now known as Shalashaska ( シャラシャーシカ , Sharashāshika ) , returns in the sequel Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty . He gains a new, surgically attached right-arm that originally belonged to Liquid, resulting in a dormant personality which takes over Ocelot's mind whenever Solid Snake is nearby. During the game's introductory Tanker Chapter, he
3298-519: The Worlds of Power novelization series created by F.X. Nine , Solid Snake appears in the second in the series, based on Metal Gear . In the book, written by Alexander Frost , he is Marine Captain Justin Halley. This version of the character is non-canon and is not referenced by other versions. Solid Snake has appeared in a number of other games, including other Konami games. Hideo Kojima makes
3395-407: The " Metal Gear " is. As his mission progresses, Snake finds out that he has been set up; Big Boss's phantom intended to use TX-55 Metal Gear (the experimental, nuclear-armed weapon) to establish Outer Heaven as a nuclear power. After destroying the Metal Gear, Snake confronts and defeats Big Boss's phantom. The sequel Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake sees Solid Snake called up to infiltrate Zanzibar Land,
3492-465: The "Snake" name because snakes are a symbol of stealth. Additionally, the "Solid" part of his code-name was given to give the opposite impression of a soft image. Kojima has compared Snake's personality with Lupin III of Monkey Punch 's Lupin III franchise, stating that in " MGS , Snake became this sharp-tongued, Lupin III-like guy who flirted with women and told lots of jokes". His real name David
3589-538: The Diamond Dogs' interrogator, frequently clashing with Kazuhira Miller over matters involving Skull Face and the White Mamba. Ocelot ultimately declares his support for Big Boss's covert war, foreshadowing his involvement in later Metal Gear Solid games. In the original Metal Gear Solid , Revolver Ocelot was voiced by Kōji Totani in the Japanese version and Pat Zimmerman (credited as Patric Laine in
3686-530: The Genome Soldiers), several confrontations with the Cyborg Ninja, is able to destroy REX, and personally confronts Liquid. During their fight, it is revealed that Solid and Liquid are twin brothers artificially conceived from Big Boss's genes during the "Les Enfants Terribles" government project designed to create the perfect soldier, in which one brother was genetically modified to be superior over
3783-575: The Japanese version of Scribblenauts , having been published by Konami in that region. Customizations in Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet for the PlayStation 3 allow the player character, Sackboy, to take on the appearance of Old Snake. In December 2020, Paul W. Anderson stated that his 2020 film Monster Hunter had been based on a 2010 Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker crossover event with Monster Hunter Freedom Unite , in which
3880-422: The Patriots . Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots features an aged incarnation of the character who nicknamed himself Old Snake ( オールド・スネーク , Ōrudo Sunēku ) as the protagonist once again. Thanks to Otacon and Sunny , he wears a sneaking suit outfitted with "Octocamo" technology which allows him to blend with his environment as well as a face mask which alters his appearance. For his final mission, he
3977-430: The Patriots' AI and fight through Ocelot's forces until Snake defeats Liquid's doppelgänger in hand-to-hand combat. Snake tried to commit suicide as his DNA contains a mutated FOXDIE virus that might trigger an epidemic, but Big Boss revealed a new variant overwrote the mutant version to which the two make up as father and son. David is told he still has a chance to live "not as a snake but as a man" so he decides to live out
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4074-688: The Patriots' AIs, Ocelot challenges Snake to a fistfight and appears to die from exhaustion after the final fight; however, Ocelot's death was actually caused by the new FOXDIE strain that Drebin injected into Snake. The character canonically appears in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain . He assists Venom Snake and the Diamond Dogs, playing a key role in facilitating Zero 's deception by subjecting both himself and Snake to hypnosis to cover it up and aiding Big Boss's and Snake's escape from XOF in Cyprus. Ocelot acts as
4171-629: The PlayStation release) in the English version. Both actors would reprise the role in Metal Gear Solid 2 . The character's young version in Metal Gear Solid 3 was voiced by Takumi Yamazaki for the Japanese version and Josh Keaton in the English version. Due to Koji Totani's death in 2006, the character was voiced by Banjō Ginga in Metal Gear Solid 4 and Ikuya Sawaki in the Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel recreations while Pat Zimmerman continued
4268-479: The Shell series and movies), Blackbeard /Marshall D. Teach ( One Piece ), Tadakatsu Honda ( Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series), twin police inspectors Sango and Jugo Yokomizo ( Detective Conan ), Bryan Hawk ( Hajime no Ippo ), All For One ( My Hero Academia ), Thorkell ( Vinland Saga ), Wamuu ( JoJo's Bizarre Adventure ), Anavel Gato ( Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory ) and
4365-482: The United States. Shortly afterwards, Ocelot is taken over by Liquid and escapes from Snake, Solidus, and Raiden to kill the Patriots' leaders. A young version of the character, known as Major Ocelot ( オセロット少佐 , Oserotto Shōsa ) , is featured in the prequel Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (set four decades before the original Metal Gear Solid ). He's a GRU Major under Colonel Volgin 's command and
4462-533: The VR Missions DLC add-on for the game's Japanese version includes a new weapon that can be used by Raiden known as the Hebidamashi , a talking wooden sword which speaks with Solid Snake's voice (as portrayed by Akio Ōtsuka); the weapon was never made available for the English version. Outside video games, Solid Snake appeared in the Metal Gear Solid audio drama that focuses on his missions following
4559-581: The battle from Shadow Moses. He also appears in Alex Garner's comic book adaptations of Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2 . Raymond Benson 's novelizations of these two games also feature Solid Snake; Benson's adaptation of the character frequently focuses on the comical aspects of his characterization. He also appears in Project Itoh 's novelization from Metal Gear Solid 4 where his actions are told from Hal Emmerich's point of view. In
4656-461: The change from Solid Snake's character. On the other hand, 1UP.com criticized it as the most gracelessly aging characters as it gave negative messages about aging. 1UP.com listed their fight as the 13 "most dumbass" boss battles for its simple style in comparison to other more challenging bosses from Metal Gear Solid 3 and its excessive length for a hand-to-hand fight between two old people. The design resulted in mixed reactions regarding whether or not
4753-497: The character as Liquid Ocelot ( リキッド・オセロット , Rikiddo Oserotto ) as the primary antagonist. He deliberately uses self-hypnosis and nano-machines to act as Liquid's mental doppelgänger to trick the Patriots' AIs. As "Liquid", Ocelot establishes a parent company that runs the five largest PMCs , fighting for the Patriots' control over the world. After hijacking the Patriots' systems, Ocelot's PMCs engage Old Snake. After Snake and Otacon use Naomi Hunter 's FOXALIVE virus to delete
4850-701: The character he was given to portray. Other than the aforementioned voice actors, Solid Snake has also been dubbed in four different languages for the European localization of Metal Gear Solid ; in French by Emmanuel Bonami , in German by Stephan Grothgar , in Italian by Alessandro Ricci, and in Spanish by Alfonso Vallés . Solid Snake's character was very well received by gaming media. Retro Gamer included him in
4947-782: The character kept his original sex appeal. GameDaily made Solid Snake top their Smash Bros. characters list, while PLAY listed him as one of the characters they wanted to be playable in Mortal Kombat . The character customization in Soulcalibur IV that allowed to create Solid Snake was listed by UGO as one of the best ones from the series owing to his popularity within gamers. Gavin Jasper of Den of Geek ranked Solid Snake as 12th of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters, and stated that "bringing Snake in Smash Bros.
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#17327941924615044-511: The character was thought to be the game's protagonist because of his physical resemblances with Naked Snake. However, later previews speculated how was it impossible for Solid Snake to be in the game's settings, leading to the conclusion it was a young incarnation of his father. A comparison between Solid Snake's and Big Boss's characters was made by IGN in article "Stars Thunderdome: Snake vs. Big Boss." The character's appearance in Metal Gear Solid 4 has received mostly positive opinions. Before it
5141-438: The character's appeal. In the early games, Solid Snake's visual appearances were references to popular actors. He was given his own consistent design in Metal Gear Solid . He also establishes Philanthropy, an anti-Metal Gear organization carrying the motto "To let the world be", with his friend Otacon . In Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots , he has access to OctoCamo, which allows him to change his appearance to match
5238-601: The character's survival. In Metal Gear Solid 4 , Old Snake is modelled after Lee Van Cleef who appeared in Escape from New York . In the games, Solid Snake has been voiced by Akio Ōtsuka in the Japanese version, and by David Hayter in the English adaptations. When working in Captain Planet , Hayter met the casting director of this show, Kris Zimmerman , who would later also be the voice-over director for Metal Gear games. When debuting in Metal Gear Solid , Hayter
5335-517: The deaths of Volgin and The Boss, Ocelot is revealed to be a triple agent, taking orders from the Philosophers and the KGB , while also receiving orders from the Director of Central Intelligence . He was supposed to intercept and assist Snake; a mission he failed when another agent of the Philosophers, EVA , got there first. The young version of Ocelot, also known as ADAM ( アダム , ADAMU ) , plays
5432-464: The deed. During the game's main portion, Solidus Snake steals Snake's identity, and leads the "Sons of Liberty" (consisting of Revolver Ocelot, Fortune , Fatman , Vamp and Olga Gurlukovich ) while Snake himself uses the pseudonym Iroquois Pliskin ( イロコィ・プリスキン , Irokoi Purisukin ) as a non-playable character who assists rookie agent Raiden through the remote offshore Big Shell facility and in taking down Solidus and RAY while also learning about
5529-517: The designer. Once Shinkawa showed his artwork of Old Snake to the staff, they were all also surprised by the idea of playing as an old version of the character. However, they were satisfied with the end product as the staff began to like the character. In Metal Gear Solid 4 , one of Kojima's endings would have had Snake and Otacon turn themselves in for breaking the law, and subsequently they would be convicted and executed. However, comments from Kojima's staff who were disappointed with his death resulted in
5626-412: The final phase. Furthermore, UGO.com listed this fight as the seventh best cutscene ever in 2011, owing to the fighting styles employed and the interaction between the two fighters. On the other hand, 1UP.com listed such fight in their article about the 13 "most dumbass" boss battles for its simple style in comparison to other more challenging bosses from Metal Gear Solid 3 and its excessive length for
5723-420: The game, with Kojima being inspired by the movie Sacco & Vanzetti in regards to how the duo use death as a penalty for how they are criminals rather than heroes. While the novel retained this idea, the ending in the game was changed with Snake and Otacon surviving. Following Kojima's departure from Konami, the company indicated that it does not intend to produce further Metal Gear games with Solid Snake as
5820-442: The games relate Solid Snake's ideals with Hideo Kojima's. During Metal Gear Solid 2 , Snake encourages Raiden to trust himself in making his own choices with the former representing the veteran developer and the latter the younger staff who are to decide whether a sequel to the series would be made without Kojima. In Metal Gear Solid 4 , Snake tries to protect the next generation by stopping Ocelot which represented Kojima working with
5917-403: The last 30 years." Critics have commented on his traits and appearance, often praising Solid Snake for his appealing personality. Rich Knight and Gus Turner from Complex acknowledged him as one of the best video game mascot, praising his "deep, human emotion that other characters fail to match." IGN also remarked their rivalry, saying "Few rivalries in games have spanned as massive and confusing
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#17327941924616014-478: The leader of his own "Ocelot Unit" within GRU. His encounters with Naked Snake are why he acquires a preference for revolvers (due to a tendency to absorb the gun's recoil with his elbow being more suited to shooting revolvers). Throughout the game, Ocelot's constant challenges with Snake eventually turn into a friendly rivalry. He is revealed to be Adamska ( アダムスカ , Adamusuka ) , The Boss 's illegitimate child. After
6111-512: The original Metal Gear Solid game and answer a series of trivia questions after fulfilling the mission. If all the questions are answered correctly on the Normal difficulty setting, the mission can be replayed with his low-polygon model from Metal Gear Solid in place of his father's standard character model. The Phantom Pain also shows that his low-polygon model from Metal Gear Solid can be an alternate outfit for Venom Snake after transferring
6208-419: The other characters also helped expand Solid Snake's character. His interactions with veteran Solid Snake identify the former as "a Metal Gear fan". As the game progresses it is stated that Raiden "has become Snake", having developed skills similar to those he gained from taking part in the Big Shell's fights that resemble Metal Gear Solid ' s Shadow Moses Island. Before Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater ,
6305-518: The other. Liquid harbors a strong resentment towards Snake since Solid was apparently given their father's dominant "soldier genes" and Liquid was seemingly cast aside. A grueling series of battles and Liquid dies from the FOXDIE virus that was previously implanted into Snake by Naomi Hunter in order to wipe out FOXHOUND without risking any damage to REX for retrieval. In the end, it is revealed that Liquid got Big Boss's superior "soldier genes" while Solid
6402-420: The poor relationship between the two of them as the father attempts to murder his own son. Among other character relationships, Snake and Gray Fox were popular due to the varitey of enemies the player faces. Solid Snake's Metal Gear Solid 2 design was at the bottom of the worst game character makeovers list by GamePro , condemning his conversion in hairstyle in comparison to his Metal Gear Solid design, and
6499-473: The popular fighting game series Super Smash Bros. , Solid Snake appeared as a playable fighter alongside Sega character Sonic the Hedgehog and a variety of characters from Nintendo franchises such as Mario , The Legend of Zelda , and Donkey Kong . Brawl Director Masahiro Sakurai has stated that Snake was included under Kojima's request, and that he had talked to Sakurai about adding Snake to
6596-586: The production of the game's packaging illustration. In the in-game portrait of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake , he resembles Mel Gibson . Yoji Shinkawa 's Solid Snake design, characterized by his navy blue bandanna and "sneaking suit", would serve as the template for all future incarnations in later Metal Gear games. According to Shinkawa, Snake's physique in Metal Gear Solid was based on that of action star Jean-Claude Van Damme , while his facial appearance inspired by actor Christopher Walken . Shinkawa described his rendition of Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid as
6693-445: The protagonist; Kojima has himself stated that Solid Snake "is one character that I don't want to entrust to other people". Much as Metal Gear began as a pastiche of action movies of the time, Solid Snake began as a pastiche of action movie heroes. On the cover artwork of the original Metal Gear he resembles actor Michael Biehn as Kyle Reese in the 1984 film The Terminator , although Kojima claimed to have no involvement in
6790-410: The remainder of his life in peace, vowing that he will live long enough to see what the future holds for the new world he has helped create. The Metal Gear Solid prequels alludes to Solid Snake's existence; Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops has him briefly alluded in a prophetic vision as Naked Snake 's "son [who] will save the world" (after Liquid and/or Solidus as Big Boss's "son [who] will bring
6887-487: The rendition being completely changed. Leaving the character's butt being reduced. Akio Otsuka's and David Hayter's performances as Solid Snake's voice actors has received praise. Ōtsuka remembers being surprised during his debut as a result of the large amount of dialogue Solid Snake was given. Hayter's performance was called one of the greatest in gaming as well as one of the character's most recognizable traits. In 2013, Game Informer ranked Hayter's role as Solid Snake as
6984-482: The role in the English version. In Metal Gear Solid V , the character was voiced by Troy Baker in the English version while Satoshi Mikami dubbed the character's voice for the Japanese version. Over the years, the character's motion capture has been performed by Taro Kazanawa, Kenichi Yoshida, Bill Yokoyama, Troy Baker, and Matthew Carlsen. The character of Revolver Ocelot has received a positive response by video game publications based on his role as an antagonist. He
7081-470: The roster of the previous game Super Smash Bros. Melee , which did not materialize due to the game being too far into production. Snake returned as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate , after being absent in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U . In addition, Snake has appeared as a playable character in other Konami crossover titles, such as New International Track & Field and Super Bomberman R . Old Snake has appeared in
7178-606: The save data from Ground Zeroes . David is also alluded to in association with Eli during a conversation between Big Boss and Revolver Ocelot. Solid Snake also serves as the protagonist in Snake's Revenge , a sequel to the original Metal Gear for the NES released for the western market in 1990 and developed without Kojima's involvement. Set three years after the events of the Outer Heaven incident, Snake's Revenge has Snake leading
7275-462: The section "top ten forces of good" in their 2004 list of top 50 retro game heroes. In 2005, Electronic Gaming Monthly listed Solid Snake as number one as the top ten video game characters of all time. Solid Snake appeared in multiple GameFAQs "Character Battle" contests, and was runner-up in three: the "Character Battle V" in 2006, the "Character Battle VII" in 2008, and the "Character Battle IX" in 2013. In an Oricon poll from 2008, his character
7372-505: The seventh most memorable character voice in video games for "a portrayal that's considered to be a real classic in the history of video game voice acting". In 2024, a poll conducted by BAFTA with around 4,000 respondents named Solid Snake as the fourteenth most iconic video-game character of all time. In the Tekken 7 Evo 2019 finals, the character was used to have a chat with developer Katsuhiro Harada . The organizers of Evo stated this
7469-469: The staff to avoid bugs from occurring within the game. Kojima introduced the cloning origins of Snake to Metal Gear Solid in order to provide Snake with an adversary who would be his equal, since the story, being a continuation of the original MSX2 games, established Snake as an experienced soldier. Kojima explained that his decision to introduce a new playable character in Snake's place for Metal Gear Solid 2
7566-459: The surface he is leaning on. And FaceCamo, which can change his facial appearance to make him look like other characters, as well as his younger self. Snake possesses an IQ of 180 and is fluent in six languages. Solid Snake has been on the battlefield for most of his life, and says that it is the only place he feels truly alive. He is a hardened veteran, burying his emotions within himself during missions, every one of which has different motives. He
7663-426: The top list of Metal Gear villains. Including him on their 2007 list of the best Metal Gear bosses, GameSpot called him one of the most important characters from the story alongside Solid Snake and Big Boss. In 2008, the torture he makes in Metal Gear Solid was listed by GameSpy as one of the best moments from the game due to how Ocelot toys with Snake and how difficult it is to pass it besides how significant
7760-405: The top of their 2009 list of manliest men in video game history. Complex ranked him as fourth on the list of top "pervs" in games in 2012 and as the seventh greatest soldier in video games in 2013. In 2021, Chris Morgan for Yardbarker described Snake as one of "the most memorable characters from old school Nintendo games". HobbyConsolas named Snake as third of their "The 30 best heroes of
7857-477: The various incarnations of Xehanort ( Kingdom Hearts series). Apart from voicing villainous or jokester characters, he also occasionally does narration for anime shows. He is the son of the late voice actor Chikao Ohtsuka . He is also the famous official dubbing roles for many western actors such as Steven Seagal , Nicolas Cage , Antonio Banderas , Dolph Lundgren , Samuel L. Jackson , Denzel Washington , Dennis Quaid and many more. On January 7, 2017, he
7954-489: The video game Metal Gear Solid as a gunslinger -themed member of the FOXHOUND terrorists involved with the hostile revolt on Shadow Moses Island which housed Metal Gear REX , serving as the team's interrogation expert and their leader Liquid Snake 's right-hand man. He challenges Solid Snake to a gunfight in the game's first boss-encounter, but their fight ends with Ocelot losing his right hand from an encounter with
8051-517: The world to ruin"), and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker shows Kazuhira Miller mentioning the "twin sons" that are two years old at the time. Solid Snake is featured/mentioned in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain . The unlockable bonus mission "Déjà Vu" on the PlayStation platform and later Xbox platform of Ground Zeroes in which Naked Snake must re-enact situations from
8148-625: Was a joke as many fans believed it was a hint for a possible usage of the character as downloadable content. David Hayter complained about this joke as Evo did not consult Konami or him when using the audio. Akio %C5%8Ctsuka Akio Otsuka ( 大塚 明夫 , Ōtsuka Akio , born November 24, 1959) is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from the Tokyo Metropolitan area. He is attached to Mausu Promotion . The astringent and calm quality of his deep voice has landed him many roles in films, dubbing, animation, and video games. He
8245-408: Was actually the inferior one. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty shows Solid Snake as a central character. During the game's extensive prologue sequence, he is sent by Otacon's anti- proliferation organization Philanthropy to infiltrate a cargo tanker and photograph Metal Gear RAY . During the operation, however, RAY is hijacked and the tanker destroyed, with Snake apparently dead and framed for
8342-524: Was also at the top of IGN 's list of the worst video game haircuts. The book Playing with Videogames states that Raiden's inclusion was intended to surprise Metal Gear fans who, instead of playing as Snake, played as his opposite. Writer James Newman commented that fans' reactions were highly negative; they acted as though Kojima had betrayed their expectations. He compared Raiden to the controversial Star Wars character Jar Jar Binks . Eurogamer ' s Tom Bramwell commented that his interactions with
8439-406: Was an act of pure dominance." Jeremy Parish of Polygon ranked 73 fighters from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate "from garbage to glorious", listing Solid Snake as 18th, stating that "The legendary super-soldier Solid Snake remains one of gaming's greatest and most tragic figures." People expressed some disappointment on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate when Solid Snake wears a skintight stealth suit, and
8536-440: Was done in order to develop Snake from another character's perspective, but also to avoid treating Snake as a rookie by having a new character be instructed via Codec instead. Snake was written to act as father figure not only to protect those he cares but also leave a message for the future generation despite his imminent death. As a pacifist message, Snake's stress increases when killing enemies. Snake and Otacon were meant to die in
8633-457: Was impressed by the game's cutscenes and the amount of dialogue. One of Snake's lines that Hayter liked was "I just didn't expect a world-class designer of military technology to be so… cute." when Snake interacts with Mei Ling, believing it showed a more fun side of him. Solid Snake's English voice was inspired by Hayter's experience with Japan's storytelling, resulting in minor changes for the script. Hayter himself felt shocked when Sons of Liberty
8730-510: Was married, according to Mausu Promotion. Ep. 1–13, 15–16, 21–30. Ep. 1–5, 7–8, 11–13, 16, 21, 25–26, 28–30, 34. Ep. 34. Revolver Ocelot Revolver "Shalashaska" Ocelot is a recurring fictional character in Konami 's Metal Gear video game series. Throughout the series, he takes on a variety of roles: a major nemesis of Solid Snake , a friendly rival to Naked Snake , the right-hand man to Liquid Snake and Solidus Snake , and
8827-482: Was one of the easiest Metal Gear characters for him to draw, as his appearance is consistent across games with only minor changes. According to Kojima, Snake's character model was specifically designed to have a well-sculpted buttocks, as the player spends the majority of the game staring at the character's back from a third-person view . By the time Metal Gear Solid 4 started development, Kojima told Shinkawa about his idea of making Snake look elderly, which surprised
8924-495: Was one of the few gaming characters that aged across video games. GamePro also listed Old Snake as one of the biggest surprises from the game, as the character was found interesting in contrast to pessimistic thoughts they had before the game's release. GameDaily listed the "old hero" as one of their list of top video game archetypes, using the old version of the character as an example of this. PLAY gave praise to his moustache considering how highly detailed it is, and represents
9021-520: Was opined by GameSpy to be one of the most nonsensical events from the Metal Gear series, but they still praised his action scenes at the start of Metal Gear Solid 2 . UGO.com speculated that, because of being born from the medium The Sorrow, Ocelot could communicate with dead people which ended in Liquid Snake taking possession of his body. GamePro described the final fight against Liquid Ocelot as "epic" even as he became "a punching bag" in
9118-440: Was released as the narrative focused more on newcomer Raiden rather than him. Although there were no news about Snake's future role in Metal Gear , the actor believes Guns of the Patriots gave the character a proper closure. One of Snake's final scenes in this game bothered Hayter as during the ending the character hesitates to kill himself despite having killed multiple enemies in fights. Nevertheless, Hayter stated that he "loves"
9215-473: Was released, various speculations were made regarding his role. As he was the only one who suffered from a drastic change in appearance, IGN commented that the most famous rumor was the one of his body deteriorating across the game. Moreover, since it had been announced it would be his last appearance, IGN and GamesRadar wondered whether the character would die during the game and if Raiden would replace him following his death. GamesRadar commented that his character
9312-421: Was voted as the fourth most popular video game character. In 2011, Empire ranked Solid Snake as the 19th greatest video game character, adding that "beginning as an action pastiche, he swiftly evolved into his very own character". In 2007, ScrewAttack ranked him as the sixth "coolest" character in video games . 1UP.com listed him second in the list of top video game smokers, while GamesRadar placed him at
9409-573: Was voted as the most popular video game character in Japan, tying with Nintendo's Pikachu . In a Famitsu poll in 2010, Solid Snake was voted by readers as the most popular video game character. His character was amongst the last 16 contestants on the greatest video game hero on GameSpot contest held in 2009, and lost out to Gordon Freeman on a tiebreaker. In the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition from 2011, Solid Snake
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