Main Character

Metal Gear Solid

Solid Snake

"WAR HAS CHANGED."

Solid Snake, born David, is a legendary soldier and former operative of FOXHOUND. A product of the Les Enfants Terribles project, he is a clone of the greatest soldier who ever lived—Big Boss. Armed with an unbreakable will and superior combat skills, Snake has prevented nuclear catastrophe multiple times, yet carries the burden of being a weapon designed for war.

Solid Snake - Metal Gear Solid

Shadow Moses (2005)

A nuclear weapons disposal facility in Alaska's Fox Archipelago. FOXHOUND has gone rogue, threatening nuclear war unless the government hands over Big Boss's remains.

Snake is pulled from retirement. One man against an army.

The Mission

Infiltrate Shadow Moses. Rescue the hostages—DARPA Chief Donald Anderson and ArmsTech President Kenneth Baker. Neutralize the terrorist threat.

Discover the truth about Metal Gear REX.

FOXHOUND

The Unit:

Liquid Snake

Snake's twin brother. The "inferior" clone who received Big Boss's dominant soldier genes—or so he believed. Liquid's hatred for his father and brother drives his every action.

He will launch a nuke to prove his superiority.

Les Enfants Terribles

The truth: Solid received the dominant genes. Liquid's rage was built on a lie.

Metal Gear REX

A bipedal nuclear-armed tank capable of launching untraceable nuclear strikes from anywhere on Earth.

Snake must destroy it—again.

Gray Fox

Frank Jaeger. Snake's former comrade and enemy. Killed by Snake in Zanzibar Land—or so he thought.

Now a cyborg ninja, his body rebuilt by science, his mind shattered by pain. He seeks only one thing: a final battle with the man who "killed" him.

The Patriots

A shadow organization controlling the United States from behind the scenes. They manipulate wars, governments, and soldiers like Snake.

The truth about their existence would shake the world.

1. Colonel Campbell

Mission commander. Gives orders and intel. Hides more than he reveals.

2. Mei Ling

Data analyst. Saves your progress. Shares Chinese proverbs. Creator of the Soliton Radar.

3. Naomi Hunter

Chief medical officer. Her brother was Gray Fox. She injected Snake with FOXDIE.

4. Otacon

Hal Emmerich. REX's creator. An anime-loving engineer who never wanted to build a weapon. Snake's closest friend.

Meryl Silverburgh

Campbell's niece (actually his daughter). A rookie soldier stationed at Shadow Moses. She becomes Snake's ally—and possibly more.

Her fate depends on Snake's endurance under torture.

FOXDIE

A engineered retrovirus injected into Snake without his knowledge. It kills specific targets through cardiac arrest—DARPA Chief, Baker, Liquid.

Snake is a walking bioweapon. The government's failsafe.

The Final Battle

Snake destroys REX with Gray Fox's sacrifice. Liquid survives. A fistfight atop the ruined machine. Brother against brother.

Snake escapes on a jeep. Liquid pursues. FOXDIE finally claims him.

"Snake... we're not tools of the government or anyone else."

Summary

Metal Gear Solid redefined storytelling in games. Snake's mission to Shadow Moses revealed truths about his origins, the military-industrial complex, and the nature of soldiers as tools of war. Kojima's masterpiece asks: can a weapon choose its own destiny? Snake's answer: "I'm not a tool. I'm a man."

"It's not about changing the world. It's about doing our best to leave the world the way it is." — Solid Snake