Solid Snake
Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid, drawn by Yoji Shinkawa. Shinkawa's design would mark the beginning of consistency and continuity in Snake's design, and similar designs would appear in all later games.
Game series	Metal Gear series
First game	Metal Gear (1987)
Created by	Hideo Kojima
Designed by	Yoji Shinkawa (Metal Gear Solid series) Ikuya Nakamura (Ghost Babel) Tsubasa Masao (Metal Gear Acid)
Voiced by (English)	David Hayter
Voiced by (Japanese)	Akio Ōtsuka
Motion capture actor(s)	Mizuho Yoshida
Information
Real name	David[1]
Also known as	Iroquois Pliskin (MGS2), Old Snake (MGS4)
Nationality	American
Affiliations	FOXHOUND (MG, MG2), Free agent (MGS) , Philanthropy (MGS2), Free agent (MGS4).

Solid Snake (ソリッド・スネーク, Soriddo Sunēku^?) is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Metal Gear series of video games by Konami.^[2][3] Introduced in the 1987 video game Metal Gear and created by series creator Hideo Kojima, Solid Snake is a combination spy, special operations agent, and mercenary who works for FOXHOUND, a fictional black ops and espionage unit, and Philanthropy in later games. He is repeatedly tasked with disarming and destroying the latest incarnation of Metal Gear, a bipedal, nuclear-weapon-armed mecha. He is voiced in the Japanese and English releases of the games by seiyū Akio Ōtsuka and actor/screenwriter David Hayter, respectively. Image File history File links MGS1_Solid_Snake. ... This article is about the original PlayStation game. ... Yoji Shinkawa Yoji Shinkawa (新川洋司 Shinkawa Yōji, born December 25, 1971) is a Japanese illustrator and conceptual artist. ... For the original video game titled Metal Gear, see Metal Gear. ... This article is about the 1987 video game. ... This article is about the year 1987. ... Hideo Kojima Hideo Kojima , born August 24, 1963) is a Japanese video game designer originally employed at Konami. ... Yoji Shinkawa Yoji Shinkawa (新川洋司 Shinkawa Yōji, born December 25, 1971) is a Japanese illustrator and conceptual artist. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... David Bryan Hayter (born February 6, 1969 in Santa Monica, California), is an American voice actor, actor, and screenwriter. ... Akio Ohtsuka, 2006. ... A fictional character is any person, persona, identity, or entity that is created from ones imagination or from an adaption of an existing entity. ... A protagonist is the main figure of a piece of literature or drama and has the main part or role. ... For the original video game titled Metal Gear, see Metal Gear. ... Computer and video games redirects here. ... Konami Corporation ) (TYO: 9766 NYSE: KNM SGX: K20) is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines and video games. ... This article is about the 1987 video game. ... Hideo Kojima Hideo Kojima , born August 24, 1963) is a Japanese video game designer originally employed at Konami. ... Special forces or special operations forces is a term used to describe relatively small military units raised and trained for reconnaissance, unconventional warfare and special operations. ... For other uses, see Mercenary (disambiguation). ... For the series named after the weapon, see Metal Gear (series). ... This article is about the term used in science fiction, anime, and manga. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Voice Animage, a magazine about all things about seiyÅ«. For the retail company named Seiyu, see Seiyu Group. ... Akio Ohtsuka, 2006. ... David Bryan Hayter (born February 6, 1969 in Santa Monica, California), is an American voice actor, actor, and screenwriter. ...

Controlled by the player, Solid Snake must act alone, supported via radio by commanding officers and specialists. He enters armed only with a two-way radio (the "codec" in later games), binoculars, and a pack of cigarettes. All additional equipment must be acquired (such as weapons, rations, or his signature cardboard box disguise) on site. Staple corrugated box Cardboard boxes are industrially prefabricated boxes, which are primarily used for packaging goods and materials. ...

Early Metal Gear games

Solid Snake's character portrait in Metal Gear 2 was based on actor Mel Gibson.

Metal Gear, initially released in 1987 on the MSX2 home computer and later ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System, introduces Solid Snake, the rookie recruit of the elite special-forces unit FOXHOUND. Snake is sent by team leader Big Boss into the rogue nation Outer Heaven to rescue his missing teammate Gray Fox and discover who or what the "METAL GEAR" mentioned in Gray Fox's last transmission is. After rescuing a member of the resistance, Snake discovers that he has been set up; the leader of Outer Heaven is actually Big Boss, who intends to use Metal Gear—an experimental, nuclear-armed mecha—to establish Outer Heaven as a nuclear power. After destroying the Metal Gear itself, he then confronts Big Boss and defeats him. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson, AO (born January 3, 1956) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American-Australian actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... Metal Gear ) (commonly abbreviated to MG) is a stealth-based game designed by Hideo Kojima. ... Sony MSX 1, Model HitBit-10-P MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s. ... In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed (e. ... “NES” redirects here. ... The FOXHOUND emblem from the Metal Gear Solid series. ... Big Boss ) is a central character in the Metal Gear series, reputed to be The Greatest Warrior of the Twentieth Century. ... The following is a list of recurring fictional characters that appeared thorough the Metal Gear series in more than one canonical installment. ... This article is about the term used in science fiction, anime, and manga. ...

Much as Metal Gear began as a pastiche of action movies of the time, Solid Snake began as a pastiche of contemporary action movie heroes. For example, on the cover artwork of the original Metal Gear, he resembles Michael Biehn in The Terminator, and the in-game portrait of Snake in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake resembles Mel Gibson^[4] (who was then starring in the Lethal Weapon movies). Solid Snake was even named after an action movie hero: Snake Plissken, Kurt Russell's character in Escape from New York.^[5] Kojima's fondness of Escape from New York meant that later revisions of Solid Snake would show more and more similarity to Snake Plissken.^{[citation needed]} Kojima later described Snake's role in the original Metal Gear as the "player's presence", contrasting the defined personality Solid Snake acquired in Metal Gear Solid.^[6] The word pastiche describes a literary or other artistic genre. ... Look up Action film in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Michael Connell Biehn (born July 31, 1956) is an American actor known for his roles in The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), The Abyss (1989), Tombstone (1993), The Rock (1996), and Grindhouse (2007). ... This article is about the first film in the series. ... Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake is a stealth-based game directed by Hideo Kojima and developed and published by Konami . ... Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson, AO (born January 3, 1956) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American-Australian actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... Lethal Weapon is a 1987 action film, the first in a series of American movies that were released in 1987, 1989, 1992, and 1998, all directed by Richard Donner and starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as a mismatched pair of LAPD detectives. ... S.D. Robert (Bob) Snake Plissken is a fictional character in John Carpenters films Escape from New York and Escape from L.A., played by Kurt Russell. ... Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. ... Escape from New York is a 1981 science fiction/action film directed and scored by John Carpenter. ... Escape from New York is a 1981 science fiction/action film directed and scored by John Carpenter. ... This article is about the original PlayStation game. ...

The NES port of Metal Gear was an unexpected million-seller in North America.^[4] Konami commissioned the production of an NES sequel for the North American market titled Snake's Revenge, which was developed without the involvement of the first game's director, Hideo Kojima. Given the North American success of his game and its sequel, Kojima went on to develop his own sequel to Metal Gear.^[5][4] This sequel, titled Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake and initially released only in Japan for the MSX2, follows after the original Metal Gear rather than Snake's Revenge; indeed, all later games ignore the events of Snake's Revenge.^[7] North American redirects here. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake is a stealth-based game directed by Hideo Kojima and developed and published by Konami . ...

Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake sees Solid Snake once again called up to infiltrate a heavily-fortified enemy base, this time in Zanzibar Land. Zanzibar Land has aggravated an international oil crisis and declared themselves a nuclear power by kidnapping Dr. Kio Marv, the creator of a bio-engineered algae that produces an oil substitute, and Dr. Pettrovich Madnar, the developer of the original Metal Gear. Snake infiltrates the base and discovers that Pettrovich and his former comrade Gray Fox have defected to Zanzibar Land, and that Zanzibar Land is led by none other than Big Boss. Snake destroys their new Metal Gear D, confronts and defeats both Gray Fox and Big Boss. Zanzibar Land is a fictional, heavily fortified territory in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, as well as the setting of the game. ... Gray Fox is a fictional character in the Metal Gear videogame franchise. ...

Metal Gear Solid series

Following the release of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Solid Snake did not appear in another game until 1998 (a full eight years later), when he re-emerged as the protagonist of the PlayStation game Metal Gear Solid. This game, which debuted at the 1997 Electronic Entertainment Expo to great fanfare, soon became an international hit and garnered critical acclaim worldwide.^[8][9] 1998 1998 in games 1997 in video gaming 1999 in video gaming Notable events of 1998 in video gaming. ... For other uses, see PlayStation (disambiguation). ... This article is about the original PlayStation game. ... 1997 1997 in games 1996 in video gaming 1998 in video gaming Notable events of 1997 in video gaming. ... E³ logo The Electronic Entertainment Expo (or Exposition), commonly known as E³ or E3, is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry. ...

Metal Gear Solid sees Solid Snake pulled out of retirement by Colonel Campbell to deal with FOXHOUND. Under the leadership of Liquid Snake, FOXHOUND has gone rogue, seizing Shadow Moses, an isolated American nuclear weapons disposal facility. Snake infiltrates the base and meets up with Meryl Silverburgh, a rookie soldier, and Dr. Hal "Otacon" Emmerich, the designer of Metal Gear REX. Snake defeats each member of FOXHOUND one by one, destroys Metal Gear REX, and confronts Liquid. Liquid reveals that he and Snake both are clones of Big Boss. He then challenges his brother, a confrontation which ends in Liquid's death. // Liquid Snake is the ultimate villain. ... Meryl Silverburgh is the name of two different video game characters designed by Hideo Kojima. ... The following is a list of recurring fictional characters that appeared thorough the Metal Gear series in more than one canonical installment. ...

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.^[10] Yoji Shinkawa's Solid Snake design, characterized by his navy blue bandanna and "sneaking suit", would serve as the template for all future incarnations of Snake in later Metal Gear games. According to Shinkawa, Snake's physique was based on that of action star Jean-Claude Van Damme, while his facial appearance was originally inspired by actor Christopher Walken. Shinkawa described his rendition of Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid as a "middle ground" between the younger Snake who graced the cover artwork of the first Metal Gear and the middle-aged Snake from the MSX2 version of Metal Gear 2.^[11][12] Kojima introduced the cloning storyline to Metal Gear Solid in order to provide Solid Snake with an adversary who would be his equal, since the story, being a continuation to the original MSX2 games, established Snake as an experienced soldier.^[13] Yoji Shinkawa Yoji Shinkawa (新川洋司 Shinkawa Yōji, born December 25, 1971) is a Japanese illustrator and conceptual artist. ... Van Damme redirects here. ... Christopher Walken (born March 31, 1943) is an Academy Award-winning American film and theatre actor. ...

Solid Snake in Sons of Liberty.

Solid Snake is the playable protagonist of the extensive prologue sequence of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, in which he is sent by the anti-proliferation organization Philanthropy to infiltrate a cargo tanker and photograph Metal Gear RAY, the latest Metal Gear model. During the operation, however, the Metal Gear RAY is hijacked and the tanker destroyed, with the apparently-dead Snake framed for the deed. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (commonly abbreviated MGS2) is a stealth-based game that was developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 in 2001. ... World map with nuclear weapons development status represented by color. ...

The remainder of Sons of Liberty follows the actions of the rookie FOXHOUND agent Raiden (the character now controlled by the player), who has been assigned to rescue the U.S. President and a number of other government officials being held hostage at a remote offshore facility. Solid Snake, who survived the explosion in the prologue, appears throughout the main portion of the game (initially adopting the pseudonym Iroquois Pliskin, taken from the name of the character Snake Plissken from Escape from New York) as a non-playable character who assists Raiden. Kojima explained that his decision to introduce a new playable character in Solid Snake's place 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.^[14] Raiden ), whose real name is Jack, is a character in the Metal Gear series. ... S.D. Robert (Bob) Snake Plissken is a fictional character in John Carpenters films Escape from New York and Escape from L.A., played by Kurt Russell. ... Escape from New York is a 1981 science fiction/action film directed and scored by John Carpenter. ...

An aged Solid Snake, now known as Old Snake, in Guns of the Patriots

The PlayStation 3 game Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots features an aged Snake, now identified as Old Snake by the game. Advanced cellular degeneration caused by the cloning process used to create him has aged him prematurely. In the game, 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 (allowing the player to use his younger look during gameplay as well and disguise Snake as other characters).^[15] According to Ryan Payton of Konami, Guns of the Patriots will be the final canonical Metal Gear game to feature Solid Snake as the main character, as he does not have long to live due to his accelerated aging.^[16] Kojima himself has stated that the series could continue, but does not want the character to be handled by anyone else.^[13] The PlayStation 3 , trademarked PLAYSTATION®3,[3] commonly abbreviated PS3) is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment; successor to the PlayStation 2. ...

In spinoffs

A trilogy of Metal Gear spinoffs which are side-stories, unrelated to the main Kojima-directed series was directed by Shinta Nojiri.^[17] The first of these games is the Game Boy Color version of Metal Gear Solid (released in Japan as Metal Gear: Ghost Babel). In Ghost Babel, Solid Snake infiltrates a rebuilt Outer Heaven (now called Galuade) to defeat a FOXHOUND-like team of rogue agents called Black Chamber and destroy a stolen Metal Gear prototype, Gander. While the promotional art for the game were drawn by Yoji Shinkawa, the actual in-game character designs were done by Ikuya Nakamura, who would go on to direct the Kojima-produced Boktai series. For the entire Game Boy series of handheld consoles, see Game Boy line. ... Shinta Nojiri (野尻 真太 Nojiri Shinta, born April 8, 1971) is a Japanese video game designer at Konami. ... The Game Boy Color , shortened to GBC) is Nintendos successor to the Game Boy and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan and in November of 1998 in the United States and 1999 in Europe. ... Boktai is a video game series developed by Konami for the Game Boy Advance handheld console. ...

Solid Snake, as drawn by Tsubasa Masao for Metal Gear Acid.

In Metal Gear Acid, Solid Snake must infiltrate the Lobito Physics and Research Laboratory, in order to retrieve "Pythagoras", to satisfy hijackers who have kidnapped presidential candidate Viggo Hach. This mission is complicated by La Clown, an expert mimic who impersonates Teliko (Solid Snake's intended inside contact), 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. The character designs in Metal Gear Acid were done by Tsubasa Masao (character designer of Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner). In Metal Gear Ac!d, the in-game models do not reflect Masao's anime-style designs, instead closely resembling the designs used in the Metal Gear Solid series. Image:UMD.jpg A UMD of the game. ... Image:UMD.jpg A UMD of the game. ... Animé redirects here. ...

The sequel, Metal Gear Acid 2, features a main character who is not the real Solid Snake, but a clone of Snake created from tissue samples of the Solid Snake from the original Metal Gear Acid, following the events of the Lobito Island mission. The character designs in the sequel were once again done by Tsubasa Masao, with the game's cel-shaded graphical style and more-stylized character designs adhering closely to his colourful, clearly-inked concept art. Metal Gear Acid 2 (rendered Metal Gear Ac!d², abbreviated MGA2) is a video game developed by Kojima Productions and published by Konami for the PlayStation Portable. ...

Other appearances

Snake fighting Mario in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, with Metal Gear RAY in the background

Solid Snake has appeared in a number of other games, including other Konami games, and more unusually, under license in games developed and published by other companies, such as Sony and Nintendo. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Mario ) is a video game character created by Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and the official mascot of Nintendo. ... Super Smash Bros. ... Sony Computer Entertainment, Incorporated ) (SCEI) is a Japanese video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, mostly in video game consoles and is a full subsidiary of Sony that was established on November 16, 1993 in Tokyo, Japan. ... For the video game system, see Nintendo Entertainment System. ...

Hideo Kojima makes a habit of referencing his previous work. In the Policenauts Pilot Disk for the 3DO (later ported to the PlayStation as Policenauts: Private Collection) features early conceptual illustration of Snake and Meryl, as well as a group shot of FOXHOUND commandos, from the then-unreleased Metal Gear Solid as an easter egg. In the Kojima-produced Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django (and Boktai 3: Sabata's Counterattack), 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 two stages set in the Big Shell (the Skateboarding minigame in Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance is a demo of Evolution Skateboarding comprised exclusively of these elements). Solid Snake's name is also used as an alias by Gillian Seed in the MSX2 RPG SD Snatcher; as the name of a vehicle in the PlayStation racing game Speed King; and as the name of a bar in Policenauts. Policenauts ) is a Japanese adventure game written and directed by Hideo Kojima and developed and published by Konami. ... For other uses, see 3DO. Crash n Burn on the 3DO, the systems first bundled title. ... From the custom of the Easter egg hunt observed in Western Nations and many parts of Europe, Easter eggs are hidden messages or features which may appear in movies, DVDs, books, on CDs, or in computer programs. ... Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django (Japanese name Zoku Bokura no Taiyou: Taiyou Shounen Django) is a video game created by Konami and released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004. ... Evolution Skateboarding is a video game of the sports genre released in 2002 by Konami. ... Raiden ), whose real name is Jack, is a character in the Metal Gear series. ... Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance is a stealth-based game developed by Konami for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and PC and first released in 2002. ... Sony MSX 1, Model HitBit-10-P MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s. ... Computer role-playing games (CRPGs), often shortened to simply role-playing games (RPGs), are a type of video or computer game that traditionally use gameplay elements found in paper-and-pencil role-playing games. ... Super Deform Snatcher, or simply SD Snatcher, is an MSX game released by Konami in 1990. ...

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 (voiced by Peter Lurie instead of David Hayter, his usual voice actor) appears in the corresponding "Mesal Gear Solid"^[sic] minigame featured in Ape Escape 3, where he is rescued by Pipo Snake. For the original video game titled Metal Gear, see Metal Gear. ... Ape Escape is a platform game for the PlayStation, which launched a video game series of the same name. ... Ape Escape is a platform game for the PlayStation, which launched a video game series of the same name. ... Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (commonly abbreviated MGS3) is a stealth-based game directed by Hideo Kojima, developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2. ... Peter Hill Lurie (born January 16, 1962) is an American voice actor who is best known as the English voice of Vulcan Raven in the video game Metal Gear Solid. ... Ape Escape 3 is a platforming video game published and developed by Sony for the PlayStation 2 video game console. ... For other uses, see SIC. Sic is a Latin word meaning thus, so, as such, or just as that. In writing, it is placed within square brackets and usually italicized—[sic]—to indicate that an incorrect or unusual spelling, phrase, punctuation, and/or other preceding quoted material has been reproduced... Ape Escape 3 is a platforming video game published and developed by Sony for the PlayStation 2 video game console. ...

He has also appeared in a pair of cross-company fighting games. In DreamMix TV World Fighters, Solid Snake appears as a playable character alongside other third-party characters such as Bomberman and Convoy (Optimus Prime). Similarly, in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, a popular fighting game from Nintendo, Solid Snake appeared alongside Nintendo-owned characters such as Mario, Donkey Kong, and Pikachu, and Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog. According to producer Masahiro Sakurai, Snake's inclusion in Smash Bros. was done under Kojima's request, who "practically begged" for Snake to be featured.^[18] DreamMix TV World Fighters ) is a 2003 multiplayer fighting game for the GameCube and PlayStation 2 in Japan. ... Bomberman ) is an arcade-style maze-based video game developed by Hudson Soft. ... Optimus Prime (known as Convoy in Japan) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Transformers universes. ... Super Smash Bros. ... For the video game system, see Nintendo Entertainment System. ... Mario ) is a video game character created by Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and the official mascot of Nintendo. ... Donkey Kong ), sometimes abbreviated to DK, is a fictional character who first appeared in Nintendos popular 1981 video game bearing the same name. ... Pikachu ) are one of the 493 fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the multi-billion-dollar[1] Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. ... This article is about the video game company. ... For other uses, see Sonic the Hedgehog. ... Masahiro Sakurai ) (born on August 3, 1970 in Tokyo, Japan) is a game concept designer, the creative force behind both the Kirby and the Super Smash Bros. ...

Snake has been confirmed to be a playable character in the upcoming Nintendo DS game, New International Track & Field, alongside fellow Konami characters such as Sparkster and Simon Belmont, as well as new original characters.^[19] The Nintendo DS (sometimes abbreviated NDS or more commonly DS) is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. ... New International Track & Field is an upcoming sports video game by Konami for the Nintendo DS. Developed by Sumo Digital, it is the latest game in Konamis Track and Field series. ... Rocket Knight Adventures is a fictional 16-bit generation side scrolling platform video game produced and released in 1993 by Konami for the SEGA Genesis console. ... Simon Belmont ) is a fictional protagonist in the Castlevania series of video games published by Konami. ...

References