List of Metal Gear Solid 3 characters

See also: List of recurring Metal Gear characters

This is a list of characters appearing in the game known as Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Some of the characters from Snake Eater would return in the direct sequel Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops.

Contents 1 FOX unit 1.1 Naked Snake 1.2 Major Zero 1.3 Para-Medic 1.4 Sigint 2 Cobra unit 2.1 The Boss 2.2 The End 2.3 The Fear 2.4 The Fury 2.5 The Pain 2.6 The Sorrow 3 Supporting characters 3.1 EVA 3.2 Colonel Volgin 3.3 Sokolov 3.4 Ocelot 3.5 Granin 3.6 Raikov 4 Snake vs. Monkey 4.1 Solid Snake 4.2 Ape Escape monkeys 5 References

FOX unit

Naked Snake

Main article: Big Boss (Metal Gear)

Major Zero

Japanese voice actor	English voice actor
Banjō Ginga	Jim Piddock

Born in Exeter, England on August 12 of 1909 but living in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Major Zero is Snake's commanding officer. Zero is also the founder and leader of the FOX unit, and previously served with the British S.A.S. (where he met The Boss) and with MI6, where he was codenamed "O," from which the codename "Zero" is derived. Zero has a prominent scar over his left eye, although it is never revealed how this occurred. Together with The Boss, Zero organized and planned the Virtuous Mission, and throughout the game, he will relay orders, tactical advice, and guidance to the player. He initially uses the codename "Major Tom" during the Virtuous Mission, a reference to one of three tunnels dug by Allied P.O.W.'s in the movie The Great Escape. However, after the failure of this mission, Zero informs Snake that, upon watching the film again, the tunnel "Tom" was one of the two discovered by the Stalag guards. He then asks that Snake simply refer to him as "Major Zero" from then onwards, believing that his mistake had brought bad luck upon the Virtuous Mission. During both missions, it is revealed that Zero is very fond of tea, scones and Exeter City F.C., in stereotypical British fashion (although he constantly uses American words such as 'flashlight', although this may be to avoid misunderstandings with Snake, who is American). He is also an avid fan of James Bond, and is quick to launch into an angry tirade when Snake laughs at the idea of a globe-trotting, gadget-using spy who places himself in harm's way . Zero also despises coffee, referring to it as "mud," and tends to bore Snake with tales of his experiences in the service and comparisons of professionalism between Snake's operational conduct and his own former S.A.S. unit. Zero also believes that, at some point in his life, he was abducted by aliens. In Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, he and Snake are blamed for the FOX unit's revolt and Zero is kept in captivity in a military prison, accused of treason. However, he is exonerated after the mission's success and greets Snake on his return home. He can be recruited into the player's squad during subsequent play-through if the player has a save data of Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel in their Memory Stick or by a password at the Recruit menu.

Para-Medic

Japanese voice actor	English voice actor
Houko Kuwashima	Heather Halley

Born in Boston, Massachusetts on June 22 of 1936, Para-Medic is a FOX support team member, who provides Naked Snake with surgical and medical information, as well as general information on the local flora and fauna. As Snake Eater is set before the modern use of the word "paramedic", her name instead comes from a portmanteau of "parachute" and "medic," due to her utopian wish to be a medic coming from the sky in any moment and in any place. Para-Medic earned the nickname "Quack" during her employment as a doctor, which Snake quickly discovers is due to her penchant for chatting inanely for long periods of time, drifting off subject when relaying information and utilizing needlessly technical and specialized terminology, confusing to those unfamiliar with medical jargon and practice. She is generally repulsed by Snake's blatant disregard for selecting suitable plants and animals, which would generally be classed as "people food." This is most apparent when Snake is deciding whether or not he should use the Spetsnaz guard dogs and The Boss' Andalusian horse as a source of food. She also acts in an overprotective manner towards Snake throughout the game. Para-Medic also loves movies, particularly science fiction and horror titles, and often mentions them to Snake after saving the game or when something reminds her of them. For example, Snake's helmet and breathing apparatus used during the HALO jump immediately preceding the Virtuous Mission remind Para-Medic of the film The Fly. Para-Medic can also be considered a "Japanophile," as she seems completely smitten with the country, its culture and its fads, such as "Kerotan" and "GA-KO." She later created the first paramedic system in Seattle in 1970, and the modern usage of the name supposedly comes from her going on to found it. Para-Medic returns in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. She is a recruitable character in the single player campaign. She is part of the radio system, where she would chat about various things such as movies and food (in a humorous conversation, she asks the receiver if they would like to know which animal would be best, but the soldier replies (though unseen) that s/he would like to cook corned beef).

Sigint

Japanese voice actor	English voice actor
Keiji Fujiwara	James C. Mathis III

Born in Nashville, Tennessee, on November 11, 1939, Sigint is a member of the FOX unit, and the self-proclaimed "expert on weapons, equipment and cutting-edge technology", although his self-credibility would precede him as an arms specialist and engineer. He provides detailed information on weaponry, machinery and camouflage techniques, as well as gadgetry to Snake during Operation: Snake Eater. His codename refers to the military term "SIGINT", or SIGnal INTelligence. Sigint is the youngest member of the team, being only 24, and believes himself to be the only sane member of the unit. Sigint tends to become easily irate, reprimanding Snake on various occasions for his strange and conspicuous choices in clothing and face paint (one memorable example being when he questions Snake on his use of a cardboard box for a disguise). He is also the character most responsible for breaking the "fourth wall", as well as attempting to explain away things that seem odd or not right. For example, playing the game a second time with The Boss' Patriot pistol will result in Sigint asking Snake how he managed to get his hands on the gun if The Boss is still alive and using the weapon herself. Snake will reply that Sigint worries too much about "the details." He developed the Active Sonar, the Motion Detector, the AP. Sensor, and the EZ Gun (available only on the lowest difficulty setting or getting it by catching all 47 species of animals and plants in the game in any other difficulty) which Snake uses, as well as the Raikov mask (a reference to the main character of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty). In 1965, Sigint joined ARPA and takes part in the development of ARPANET. In a radio conversation, he reveals to Snake that he suffered racial discrimination in his former jobs, due to the fact that he is Afro-American, and that Major Zero recruited him without any prejudices. In 1970, he would later reprise his role as Snake's support in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. He is a recruitable character in the single player campaign. In Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence's Secret Theater, he has his own parody movie. In it, Sigint is in the field beating Snake to all his objectives with the exception of the death of The Boss, much to Snake's misfortune.

Cobra unit

The Cobra unit is a legendary group of soldiers led by Snake's mentor, The Boss. They serve as bosses in the structure of the game.

The Boss

Japanese voice actor	English voice actor
Kikuko Inoue	Lori Alan

The Boss (aka The Joy) is a legendary American soldier, the founder and leader of the Cobra unit, and is known as the mother of the US special forces. According to her tombstone seen in the ending, she was born in the 1920s. She is known in Russia as Voyevoda, literally meaning The Warlord. On June of 1944 mostly during World War II, she led the Cobra unit to victory at the Battle of Normandy. She was pregnant at the time with a baby fathered by The Sorrow and gave birth to a baby boy on the battlefield via a messy caesarian section that left her with a long, snaking scar across her abdomen. The baby was taken by the Philosophers and would later grow up to be the man known as Revolver Ocelot. The Boss is Naked Snake's mentor; he saw her as a mother-figure and she saw him as the son she never got to raise. EVA, however, notes that their relationship is far deeper than any mother-son relationship, almost like one between lovers, but when she suggests there was any sexual component to it, Snake denies it. The Boss and Snake took on numerous missions for the ten years they were together, and the two of them are responsible for creating CQC. During the events of The Virtuous Mission, The Boss defects to the Soviet Union and joins Colonel Volgin's renegade faction, becoming the lead instigator in the events that led to Operation Snake Eater. She serves as one of the game's main antagonists and as the final boss. Snake ultimately battles her in a field of white flowers. After being mortally wounded, The Boss hands Snake her 'Patriot' sidearm, who uses it to euthanize her. Shortly after returning to the States, Snake learns that the Boss had not defected, but was actually undercover and had willingly and knowingly sacrificed herself to benefit America.

The Boss officially hands over her title to Naked Snake at the end of Metal Gear Solid 3, saying, "There's only room for one Boss and one Snake." (A rewording of Liquid Snake's line near the end of Metal Gear Solid, "There's only room for one Snake and one Big Boss!") However during the events depicted in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Snake still refuses to go by the title of Big Boss as he feels he has not yet surpassed The Boss as a warrior. Hence he is referred to by his old codename, Snake, for the duration of the game.
The Boss is ultimately killed by Snake after relinquishing her 'Patriot' assault pistol to him. During this battle, if the player chooses to tranquilize her, they receive her 'snake' uniform, which provides fairly decent camouflage numbers regardless of the player's current surroundings.

The End

Japanese voice actor	English voice actor
Osamu Saka	Grant Albrecht

The End is a member of the Cobra unit with exceptional sniping skills, born in the early 1860's, and the only member of the Cobra unit without an emotion-based codename. The End uses stun grenades and a modified Mosin-Nagant rifle converted to fire sedative rounds. The End can also become "one" with the environment, flora and fauna included. He apparently can summon the spirits of the "holy forest" he waits in to revive his stamina through directed sunlight. His pet parrot (an Alexandrine parakeet) alerts him to Snake's presence acting as a spotter of sorts, and calls him "Grandpa". If Snake is defeated by The End, he will simply carry the unconscious protagonist back to the Graniny Gorki Laboratory prison cells, leave the door unlocked, return to his position and await Snake's inevitable return; he is the only member of the Cobras that will not kill the player under any circumstances. The boss battle with The End is noted by many reviews to be one of the most protracted and creative battles in the Metal Gear Solid series. If the player manages to perform a "hold up" on The End by creeping up behind him, The End will give Snake his "moss" camouflage uniform. This uniform not only provides a 100% camouflage index level in moss-covered ground such as Sokrovenno and Svyatogornyj, but will also allow Snake to regain stamina by lying in sunlight, just as The End does. If the player saves the game during the battle with The End and reloads the game one week later, a bonus movie is unlocked in which The End dies of old age, allowing the player to bypass the battle with him. It is also possible to unlock this feature simply by saving the game and setting the PS2's system clock two weeks ahead. However, returning to a saved game after several days (but within the two-week limit) triggers a cut-scene wherein Snake is ambushed and tranquilized by The End. The player can also snipe The End early on in the game when he is sitting in his wheelchair outside the Ponizovje warehouse, with the result that instead of fighting him, Snake will have to face off against members of the Ocelot unit when he arrives in the mountains. If Snake is able to defeat the End using only non-lethal weapons, he is able to acquire and use The End's customized Mosin-Nagant sniper rifle. The End was based on "Old Boy", a concept character originally created for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Old Boy was an ancient soldier who had, among other things, been a Nazi Third Reich Generalfeldmarschall, and a mentor to numerous soldiers, including Big Boss. The character was discarded early during development, but his concept was reused in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.^[1] The End was named the fourth greatest boss by Electronic Gaming Monthly in their 196th issue.^[2]

The Fear

Japanese voice actor	English voice actor
Kazumi Tanaka	Michael Bell

The Fear is a member of the Cobra unit known for his superhuman speed and agility, as well as his freakish, fearsome appearance. His elbows are double jointed, and he has a long, lizard-like tongue, forked through surgery, that he can use to grasp objects. Capable of dislocating his joints at will, he is able to crawl, walk on water, flip, leap extremely quickly in the manner of a spider, and also climb and jump around in trees with ease. He uses a variety of wires and ropes to enhance his mobility. On top of his incredible agility, he also uses Stealth camouflage to make himself nearly invisible; as a result, he is incredibly difficult to hit. He is also an expert in booby traps; the forest where Snake fights The Fear is riddled with them. The Fear is killed in a skirmish with Snake following his departure from Granin's lab. As with the other members of the Cobra unit, his codename comes from the emotion he brings with him onto the battlefield. If Snake defeats The Fear by tranquillizing instead of killing him, he may obtain the "Spider" camouflage, which is of a 'spider-web' effect, and is light-brown in colour. The camouflage provides a constant 80% camouflage index level regardless of Snake's position or whereabouts, but drains stamina rapidly. If Snake's stamina is depleted while wearing this camouflage, its effects wear off.

The Fury

Japanese voice actor	English voice actor
Takeshi Endo	Richard Doyle

The Fury is a former Soviet cosmonaut and a pyromaniac. He operates utilizing a flame-resistant Soviet space suit, in conjunction with a jet pack and a powerful flamethrower, both of which are powered by liquid rocket fuel. His codename reflects the relentless fury he feels towards the world while he is fighting. His fight with Snake commences in the concrete environment of the underground tunnel leading to the Groznyj Grad fortress. He comments to Snake that when he returned from space and descended into the Earth's atmosphere, he saw one vision; the world set ablaze. He claims to have felt a terrible fury for being alive. The ensuing battle is fought in a dark, damp surrounding, with the two combatants attacking between long paths of concrete and pillars. The following demise of The Fury produces two projectiles of fire that fly through the air destroying the scenery. If Snake defeats The Fury by stamina depletion, then he may obtain the "Fire" camouflage, which is predominantly red in colour and, when worn, reduces damage from fire and explosions by half and prevents burns. It should be noted that the Fury appears to have a caring side (and a deeper friendship with The Boss and The Sorrow than the other Cobra members) since he gives a soliloquy about how the The Boss should "...go on living..." before his ultimate demise. The Fury's nationality and scorched appearance may be inspired to the gruesome accident in which real life cosmonaut Valentin Bondarenko was killed and the stories about the Lost Cosmonauts.

The Pain

Japanese voice actor	English voice actor
Hisao Egawa	Gregg Berger

The Pain has the ability to control hornets at his will. Apart from his hornets, The Pain is also equipped with a Tommy gun and grenades, using his hornets in conjunction with these weapons. He also uses his hornets to shield himself and create the form of a body double to confuse and draw his opponents into the open. Throughout his meeting with the protagonist, he conveys a desire of wanting him to feel the pain that he has endured. Despite his rather large size, The Pain is remarkably swift and agile, making him difficult to corner in combat. He wears a balaclava to mask his disfigured appearance caused from his numerous hornet stings. The Pain also carries three dangerous queen hornets inside his body which he releases near the end of the battle as part of his final attack. (They are nonetheless edible if caught by putting out a captured Baltic Hornet's Nest on the ground and letting them swarm it.) If Snake manages to eliminate The Pain using only stamina-depleting weapons, he receives The Pain's "Hornet Stripe" uniform. Although this outfit provides very little in the way of camouflage, it enables the player to tame hornets to be used against the enemy. It will also prevent Snake from being attacked by the cobalt blue tarantula and allows him to move through water without being fed on by leeches.

The Sorrow

Japanese voice actor	English voice actor
Yukitoshi Hori	David A. Thomas, Jr.

The Sorrow was a powerful spirit medium and a former member of the Cobra unit who used his psychic powers to aid his fellow soldiers on the battlefield. He was romantically involved with The Boss and is revealed in the course of the game to be the father of her child. He sacrificed himself for The Boss when they met on a battlefield after the Cobra unit disbanded. It is interesting to note that his son, who would grow up to be Revolver Ocelot, would inherit some of The Sorrow's abilities; this is demonstrated by Revolver Ocelot's possession by the deceased Liquid Snake's arm that was grafted on to him. He makes many hidden appearances (in ghost form) throughout the game during cutscenes, although he can only be seen by holding the R1 button (which shifts the camera to Snake's point of view). In the beginning of the game at the end of Virtuous Mission when Snake is resting after his fight with The Boss, if the player switches into first person and searches around, The Sorrow's skeleton is seen propped up against a rock. Towards the end of the game, when the clock is counting down to a massive explosion of rocket fuel and C3, The Sorrow can be seen in a number of cutscenes holding up a sign displaying the amount of time left. Since The Sorrow is already dead at the time the game begins, Snake does not face off against him in a traditional physical fight. Instead, he meets him in the spiritual realm after being beaten to within an inch of his life and entering limbo. There, he must wade through a river swarming with the spirits of all the men he has killed, all the time dodging the attacks of The Sorrow, who twitches violently in mid-air in front of him. The number of ghosts that appear in this segment is directly proportional to the number of people the player has killed in the course of the game; hence, if the player does not kill any unnecessary targets, only the other Cobra unit members will appear to attack Snake. When the player reaches the end of the river, Snake dies. He must be brought back to life using the "revival pill" in his inventory; otherwise the player will receive a "game over" message and must restart the battle. After "defeating" The Sorrow, Snake acquires his "Spirit" camouflage uniform, a black and gray suit that allows Snake to move silently even while running and regenerate stamina by choking enemies. The entire river scene can be skipped if the player drowns Snake in the river and uses a revival pill, although the player will not earn the "Spirit" camo if he uses this method. Also, during the battle with The Sorrow, he says that Snake's sons and son's sons, will be cursed in the fact that they will kill mercilessly on the battlefield. This is a reference to Solid, Liquid, and Solidus Snake and the fact that not only do they all become killing machines throughout the course of their life, but pass on many of the qualities of such a life to the generation following them (examples including Raiden and Meryl Silverburgh). He also says that "you will be killed by your own sons", a reference to Big Boss' death in Metal Gear 2 and Solidus Snake's death in Metal Gear Solid 2 (though he was killed by his adopted son). At the end of the game when Snake kills The Boss, the player has the option of switching into first-person view mode, where upon they will see the ghosts of both The Boss and The Sorrow materialize and then disappear.
It should also be noted that when Volgin is struck by lightning on top the Shagohod if the player swaps to First Person view, The Sorrow can be seen smiling next to the tank which may be a hint that he caused the lighting to hit Volgin.

Supporting characters

EVA

Japanese voice actor	English voice actor
Misa Watanabe (MGS3, MPO) Mari Natsuki (MGS4)	Suzetta Miñet (MGS3) Vanessa Marshall (MPO) Lee Meriwether(MGS4)

Born on May 15, 1936 in Meridian, Idaho, EVA is a female spy in the service of the People's Republic of China (more specifically, the Chinese branch of The Philosophers) sent to retrieve the Philosophers' Legacy. EVA uses her charm and good looks to win over the trust of Snake and his enemies. In Operation Snake Eater, she infiltrates Colonel Volgin's base through the disguise of being Sokolov's lover named Tatyana and assists Snake through the alternative disguise of a KGB spy, to help him reach the Philosophers' Legacy so that she can later steal it from him. She and Snake fall in love over the course of the game and they have sex in the games conclusion. As a result, she cannot bring herself kill Snake as she was ordered, instead fleeing with the Philosophers' Legacy. EVA's presence in Snake Eater has been compared to that of the Bond Girls in the James Bond film series.^[3] After the operation, EVA is presumed dead, after disappearing in Hanoi, Vietnam in 1968. She appears in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops as a recruitable character by completing a series of side-missions. It is revealed that she was fired from her job as a spy by PLA Intelligence after giving them a fake microfilm she thought was the Philosopher's Legacy. She escaped from China before they could kill her and became a freelance pilot/delivery-woman, still using her alias, Tatyana, as seen in Russian writing in Snake's first conversation with her before recruiting her. She is also inside the magazine in-game as the centerfold. It is also revealed in a random radio conversation with Snake and Campbell in MPO that Snake still had feelings for her despite her betrayal toward him. She usually travels using a large motorcycle. According to Sigint in a radio conversation, it is a replica of a German model that is really designed to be used with a sidecar attached, giving it extra speed and power. She has stated that "[She] only truly feels like herself when on [the bike]". A few hints of her true origins are made in the beginning of Operation Snake Eater when she meets Snake. When they meet she reveals that her pistol is a Chinese copy of a Mauser C96. She also uses a technique that uses the muzzle jump to create a horizontal sweep. If Sigint is contacted after that cutscene, he reveals that it is a Chinese trademark technique known as "bandit shooting," in use since the Second Sino-Japanese War. On 20th July 2007, during the 20th anniversary presentations for the Metal Gear series, it was revealed that EVA will be present in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.^[4] The game takes place in the year 2014 (from the E3 2007 trailer), 50 years after the events of Snake Eater, making EVA 78 years old, based on her birthday from the info in MGS3. Her role is currently unknown but Ryan Payton of Kojima Productions along with an editor of PlayStation magazine discussed that it will be something along the lines of a mother type character. She tells Snake to refer to her as "Big Mama", and the Metal Gear Solid 4 Integral Website reveals that she is fighting against the Patriots.

Colonel Volgin

See also: List of fictional characters who can manipulate electricity

Japanese voice actor	English voice actor
Kenji Utsumi	Neil Ross

Born Yevgeny Borisovitch Volgin on November 25, 1924, Volgin is a sadistic Stalinist GRU colonel who attempts to seize control of the Soviet Union by overthrowing Nikita Khrushchev and installing Leonid Brezhnev and Aleksei Kosygin in his place. He is the primary antagonist of Snake Eater. Having illegally acquired the Philosophers' Legacy from his father's money-laundering activities, he now funds the development of the Shagohod, a nuclear equipped tank which he plans to use to win the Cold War for the Soviet Union. Volgin's body carries a charge of ten million volts, which he uses in conjunction with his fighting style, able to electrocute people and things as well as using it to manually discharge rifle rounds without using a gun. He is also an extremely strong man even for his large size. Not much is known about Volgin's personal life, except for his perverse sexual tendencies. He has taken lovers of both men and women, Tatyana (EVA) and Major Raikov specifically, and all attest to his extreme love of sadomasochism, a part of his personal life he makes professional whenever possible. Ocelot seems to have inherited this penchant for sadism; in one scene following Volgin's torture of Naked Snake, Ocelot shares a revelation of sorts he has had regarding torture being the ultimate form of artistic expression. He goes on to find his own preferred method of torture, via machinery and torture devices, as shown in Metal Gear Solid. Volgin is constantly suspicious of everyone in his domain, which drives him to beat several people to death during the course of the game. Although his intent had been interrogation, he shows no remorse, in fact barely notices, when his victims die. He also massacres numerous members of his own faction during the Shagohod chase and uses an American made Davy-Crockett miniature nuclear warhead on Russian citizens. It is also revealed that Volgin is a highly superstitious man, as he chants the phrase "Kuwabara Kuwabara" at the sight of rain, a traditional Japanese mantra to ward off lightning and ghosts. He will even recite the chant even in the presence of a tree frog, as they are a sign of rain and water. Ironically, the single time it begins to rain and he fails to chant the mantra, he is struck by a bolt of lightning summoned by the Sorrow--fatally wounding him and setting off each individual bullet on the ammunition belts he was wearing at the time, making for a slow and torturous death. If the player defeats Volgin through non-lethal means in the hangar they can receive the Cold War camouflage, which is a suit with the Soviet logo on the front. This camouflage causes enemies who are in front of Snake to refrain from firing. The only drawback is the American design on the back which will cause enemies to resume attacking. Volgin is briefly mentioned in Portable Ops, where it's revealed by Gene that Volgin was actually manipulated by an unknown person into firing the American-made Davy Crocket into Sokolov's lab. The red suit Volgin wears under his jacket features the same logo (БEИ) on the shoulder as The Fury has on his helmet: it is BAYS written in Cyrillic letters.

Sokolov

Japanese voice actor	English voice actor
Naoki Tatsuta	Brian Cummings

Nikolai Stephanovich Sokolov is a Russian nuclear scientist/overall elite engineer who was forced into serving Colonel Volgin during the events of Operation Snake Eater. He is a specialist in weapons technology, although he originally studied science to construct space rockets. He is the catalyst of the conflicts throughout Snake Eater. Sokolov defected to the U.S.A secretly, however America and the Soviet Union agreed that in return for the Russians removing their missiles from Cuba, America would send Sokolov back to the Soviet Union. Rescuing Sokolov is one of Snake's primary objectives in the game. However, Snake fails to save Sokolov, as he is seemingly beaten to death off-screen by Volgin when Snake is captured, as he is no longer needed by Volgin. Despite his apparent death in Snake Eater, it is revealed in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops that he survived and was put in a prison camp in Russia, but Gene rescued him and helped him defect to the United States to see his family. He joined Gene's research team in which he designed Metal Gear. He provides information to Snake as an anonymous informant named "Ghost". Sokolov can be recruited into the player's squad by fulfilling a side-mission near the end of the game.

Ocelot

Main article: Revolver Ocelot

Granin

Japanese voice actor	English voice actor
Takeshi Aono	Jim Ward

Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin is the director of OKB-812, the Granin Design Bureau. He is the man who originally came up with the concept of bipedal walking tanks (the blueprints for Metal Gear D and Metal Gear REX can be seen on his desk). His idea is rejected by Volgin in favor of Sokolov's Shagohod, causing a rivalry between the two in Granin's mind. He meets Snake in his office while in a drunken stupor and threatens to send his plans to his American friend (the grandfather of Hal 'Otacon' Emmerich as he also had presented the theory of the bipedal tank 'Metal Gear' to other American scientists but was rejected; something that he shared with Granin). Tatyana a.k.a. EVA gives him a pair of prototype K.G.B. transmitter shoes, which are discovered by Volgin and Ocelot after he is later beaten to death by Volgin, who suspected Granin of being a mole. At the end of the game Ocelot tells the head of the CIA that he found the plans for Metal Gear and that it could prove to be a useful weapon one day soon (making it uncertain if Otacon's grandfather ever got a copy of these notes). Ironically, his rival Sokolov would go on to help build one of the first Metal Gear prototypes. In the game, Granin assists Snake because of the compliment made about his shoes. He gives Snake the key to progress farther into the game by opening a locked warehouse door. Later, EVA contacts Snake and wonders how he has gotten past the locked door. He admits that Granin gave him the key. This leads EVA to wonder why Granin assisted him, with Snake leaving it to Granin's drunkenness. Granin is later killed by Volgin, as Snake watches through binoculars from a cliff above Groznyj Grad.

Raikov

Japanese voice actor	English voice actor
Kenyu Horiuchi	Charlie Schlatter

Major Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov is a high-ranking officer within Groznyj Grad and a parody of Sons of Liberty's Raiden. He is implied to be Colonel Volgin's secret lover, and subsequently has colonel-class authority even though he is only a Major. There are numerous references to Raiden, ranging from Raikov's likeness, his name, his fighting style, a locker poster, his effeminate nature and his effeminate voice in the English version. Raikov even says some phrases that Raiden says in the end sequence of Sons of Liberty like "No, never heard the name before" and "We'll tell them together". To get him to say these things, the player must use CQC to interrogate him. The name "Raidenovitch" is also a reference to both the character of Raiden, and the traditional suffix "-ovitch" used in many Russian names. He may have also picked up some sadistic tendencies from Volgin. A conversation with EVA reveals that he enjoys punching his subordinates in the face for no reason. When Snake questions this behavior, EVA explains it by saying, "Raikov's just that kind of guy." Snake knocks him out in order to steal his uniform and gain access to the room where Sokolov is being held. Snake can also choose to kill Raikov which will make him reappear later in the game in his thong as a ghost, covering his crotch with his hands, a reference to a part of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty where Raiden must sneak naked. In Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence's online mode, Raikov is a playable character who heads up the GRU unit. After the end of each round the player in the GRU unit with the highest score becomes Raikov. Raikov's special is a CQC move in which he grabs the crotch of his opponent which causes an instant stun. He also cannot be distracted by pornographic magazines. Raikov returns in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops in a side mission. His men put him in a cell in the Western Wilderness when they join Gene in retaliation for Raikov beating them. He was transferred to the base in Colombia by his superiors after Volgin's death. By fulfilling a side-mission, Snake rescues him and Roy manages to convince him to join them since he would be considered a hero for stopping a nuclear launch and would be promoted. In the game it is revealed that he has been an artist and an athlete in his career outside the Soviet Army.

Snake vs. Monkey

Solid Snake

Main article: Solid Snake

Solid Snake has been sent to the jungles of the Soviet Union by Roy Campbell to capture experimental military test monkeys a.k.a the monkeys of Ape Escape after they recently broke out of the military's control. Snake uses a special camouflage called "Banana" and a special tranquillizer gun that works on the monkeys. In Ape Escape 3's "Mesal Gear" side-storyline, Snake was sent to stop the release of "Mesal Gear" (the word "Mesal" is a portmanteau of "metal" and the Japanese word for ape, "saru") but was captured by Pipo Ocelot. With the protagonists of Ape Escape (Spike, Jimmy, Kei and Yumi) out to summer camp and the Monkey Net destroyed, Dr. Tomoki downloads the battle data of Snake into a monkey, turning him into Pipo Snake. P.Snake now must infiltrate the headquarters of Pipo Ocelot to save S.Snake and the world from Mesal Gear's "Lazy Cannon".

Ape Escape monkeys

The monkeys of Ape Escape have escaped from the military after being experimented on by the government and fled into the jungles of the USSR. Col. Campbell takes action by calling Solid Snake to capture the monkeys. The monkeys are hostile, so Snake must render them unconscious before capturing them, lest he be attacked by one. In one mission, Snake will encounter "Mesal Gear," a giant monkey-shaped mech which resembles the Metal Gears throughout the series, and a monkey that has an eye patch reminiscent of Big Boss's.

References

•  • e Metal Gear series
Creators	Hideo Kojima · Shuyo Murata · Yoji Shinkawa · Motosada Mori · Shinta Nojiri
Main series	Metal Gear · Metal Gear 2 · Metal Gear Solid (Integral · Twin Snakes) · Metal Gear Solid 2 (Substance) · Metal Gear Solid 3 (Subsistence) · Portable Ops (Plus) · Metal Gear Solid 4
Spin-offs	Snake's Revenge · Metal Gear: Ghost Babel · Metal Gear Acid · Metal Gear Acid 2 · Metal Gear Online · Metal Gear Solid Mobile
Major characters	Solid Snake · Raiden · Big Boss
Characters by game	Classic series · MGS · MGS2 · MGS3 · Portable Ops · Acid
Universe	FOXHOUND · Metal Gear