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| “ | Kept you waiting, huh? | „ |
| ~ Snake's catchphrase. |
| “ | We can tell other people about - having faith. What we had faith in. What we found important enough to fight for. It's not whether you were right or wrong, but how much faith you were willing to have, that decides the future. | „ |
| ~ Solid Snake to Raiden in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. |
| “ | I'm no hero. Never was...never will be. | „ |
| ~ Snake's emotional line to Meryl Silverburgh in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. |
David, better known as Solid Snake, is one of the two main protagonists (alongside Big Boss) of Konami's Metal Gear franchise.
He was a former spy, special operations soldier and mercenary, and a clone of Big Boss, the most legendary warrior of the twentieth century.
He is voiced by Akio Ōtsuka (who also voiced Hyo Amano in The Last Blade and Morrison in the Devil May Cry series) in the Japanese versions of the games and by David Hayter in the English versions, and both also voiced Big Boss in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.
Personality
| “ | Life isn't just about passing on your genes. We can leave behind much more than just DNA. Through speech, music, literature and movies... what we've seen, heard, felt ...anger, joy and sorrow... these are the things I will pass on. That's what I live for. | „ |
| ~ Solid Snake's philosophy on life. |
Snake possesses an IQ of 180 and is fluent in six languages. He 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, he has his emotions buried very deep inside himself during his missions, every one of which has different motives. He 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. But Snake's perceived stance on violence may be a case of denial, as Snake's enemies and at least one of his allies have claimed that, in truth, he enjoys killing, and label him as more evil than the people he has killed. When he is not on duty, he acts as a musher.
Abilities
- Superior Human Conditioning: Snake was revealed to be genetically engineered from birth along with his twin brother, then received further rigorous training from youth to adulthood. This makes him stronger, faster, agile, resilient, and smarter to the maximum ability of what a human can do. For example, even in his old age, he spent three minutes in a microwave hall that would evaporate a standard human in seconds.
- Genius-Level Intelligence: Possessing an IQ of 180 and fluent in six languages, Snake is far from a gun toting thug. His perceptive and crafty nature has won him battles against opponents who would otherwise overwhelm him in a battle of strength and artillery.
- Advanced Military Operator/Extensive Military Training: He has spent time with both the Green Berets during the Gulf War of 1991 and the elite-FOXHOUND unit, where he trained under Big Boss himself and learned CQC (Close Quarters Combat). If you can think of a piece of military equipment, Snake has probably operated it at some point, including a railgun.
- Master Marksman: Snake is highly skilled with various firearms such as Handguns, Shotguns, Sub machine guns, assault rifles, Machine guns, sniper rifles, and rocket launchers.
- Master Spy: He has infiltrated multiple heavily armed strongholds from military bases in the Middle Eastern mountains, to the Alaskan arctic, to even cruise liners, with no weapons or gear, picking up equipment on-site while avoiding alert and capture, even being able to sneak around in makeshift items such as cardboard boxes.
- Master Tactician: Snake is a highly skilled planner. He is able to infiltrate and escape enemy facilities, disguise himself as another person or object, and exploit an opponent's weakness.
- Master Combatant: Snake is an extremely efficient and experienced combatant who can take on equally armed opponents with just his bare hands and come out victorious. His fighting style is defined by ruthlessness and brutality, doing whatever he has to take out enemies as quickly as possible. He favors sneak attacks, choke holds, joint manipulation, quick punches to the face, elbow strikes, devastating kicks to the knees, chest and head, striking weak areas and using whatever weapons he has as well as his environment to his advantage. Snake's fighting style is a mixture of Krav Maga, Judo, Aikido, Jiujitsu, Boxing, Kali, Karate, Wrestling, Taekwondo and Muay Thai.
Equipment
- OctoCamo: A piece of advanced technology that allows Snake to blend into every possible environment. It is vulnerable to EMP Grenades.
- Body Armor: Armor that is said to be 5 times stronger than steel and is complete bulletproof; yet light in weight and flattens bullet upon contact.
- Solid Eye: An advanced observation system located in an eyepatch covering Snake’s left eye. It was invented by Otacon and contains both night vision and long-range binocular settings. It can see the footprints of soldiers, allowing for easier tracking and can observe/deduct various qualities about the enemy. This includes body temperature, physical/emotional state and basic facts or specifications about the weapons they are using. It has infrared/thermal vision as well, allowing Snake to spot hidden opponents.
- Gel Bandages: Bandages that stops Snake from bleeding.
- Cardboard Box: An empty piece of cardboard turned into a stealth tool. Snake loves to hide in these.
- Night Vision Goggles: Can see in the dark.
- Soliton Radar: Able to detect people by picking up the electromagnetic spectrum waves from the radiation waves.
- Gas Mask: Allows him to protect him from toxic gas.
- Bandanna: Allows Snake to have infinite ammo.
- Binoculars: Two times the vision.
- Handgun (Beretta M92F): A standard issue, semi-automatic pistol. Can be equipped with a suppressor and loaded with tranquilizer rounds.
- Ingram MAC-11: A lightweight submachine handgun. Can be equipped with a suppressor.
- M79 Grenade Launcher: Fires grenades, as the name suggests. Was used to destroy a bulldozer and Hind D in Outer Heaven.
- RPG-7V Rocket Launcher: A Rocket-propelled grenade weapon primarily used for defeating tanks and other armored personnel. Was used against Bloody Brad and Big Boss.
- C4 Plastic Explosive: Can be placed on nearly any surface and detonated remotely. Primarily used for destroying weakened walls. Snake can place them on his opponents in the Smash Bros series.
- RC Missile: A remote controlled missile that allows Snake to destroy and disable enemies and equipment from a safe distance. Used against Fire Trooper and Machinegun Kid.
- M68 Fragmentation Grenades: Shrapnel grenades that explode upon impact.
- Mines: Explosives that can be placed on the ground, and are set off by a proximity sensor.
- MK23 SOCOM: A .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol. This is Snake’s favorite weapon, and he is seen using it nearly every game. It comes with a laser aiming mode and suppressor option.
- FAMAS: A fully automatic assault rifle with a fast 1000 rounds per minute rate of fire and holding 25 bullets per magazine. It is the standard weapon of the Genome Soldiers, and used by both Liquid and Solid Snake.
- PSG-1: Semi-automatic sniper rifle holding 5 rounds per magazine. Used by both Snake and Sniper Wolf. Known for being unstable if Diazepam isn’t taken.
- Stinger: Surface-to-air missile launcher used to take down enemy hinds and Metal Gear Rex
- Nikita: Low velocity missile launcher which can be remote controlled.
- MP5: A silenced submachine gun with 30 rounds per magazine that reportedly can hold a maximum of 999 bullets. Is suggested to be superior to the SOCOM.
- Time Bombs: Explosives rigged to detonate after a set time. The maximum amount of time it was shown to be set to was 150 seconds.
- Claymores: Portable, ground-deployed mines which can be undetectable without specific mine sensors. Has proximity sensors which detonate from enemies that walk nearby.
- Grenades: Frag grenades that detonate after up to 5 seconds rather than on impact. Also has Stun grenades, which KO’d Meryl while Snake was fighting Psycho Mantis, and Chaff grenades that jam electronic equipment.
- SPAS-12: A combat shotgun that has a semi-automatic and pump action mode.
- Glock 18: G18C is available exclusively to military agencies. Its automatic rate of fire and small size make it inaccurate at a distance (although switching to semi automatic somewhat increases accuracy), but its sheer firepower is excellent in close quarters.
- PSS: A silenced pistol using a near soundless ammunition. It has 6 round magazines and fires around 660 ft/s.
- M4 Custom: A carbine model based off of the M16. It uses 5.56mms and has a 30-round magazine. It’s designed to be versatile, being able to be equipped with more or less every custom part in MGS4. This includes laser sight, a flashlight, a shotgun or grenade launcher mode, a suppressor, scope and red dot sight.
- AK-102: A carbine variant of the AK-101 and one of the various members of the AK rifle family. It uses 5.56 x 45mm NATO rounds and has a 30-round magazine. It shoots around 2,789 ft/s. A GP-30 grenade launcher attachment can be added on for extra firepower.
- M8A2: A recoil-operated, semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle. It can kill Gekko and most normal human enemies in a single shot. It fires 12.7x99mm/.50 BMG and has a 10-round magazine. It can destroy helicopters, Humvees, and Strykers in only a few shots.
- Railgun: A portable railgun with power comparable to that of a tank turret. Instantly kills most normal human targets. Snake took this weapon for himself after beating Crying Wolf.
- M224: A 60mm lightweight mortar; a smoothbore, muzzle-loading, high-angle-of-fire weapon used for close-in support of ground troops.
- Petrol Bombs: A Molotov cocktail, an incendiary weapon made from a bottle, a rag and a flammable liquid. Thrown at enemies or objects to set them on fire.
- Sleep Gas Mines: A remote-detonated sleep gas mine. Puts enemies to sleep.
- Phosphorous Grenade: A grenade that creates an intense heat of over 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat and phosphorus from the grenade can lead to both burns and organ failure.
- Smoke Grenade: Releases a colored cloud of smoke.
- Chaff Grenade: Can disrupt or disturb technology.
- Stun Grenade: Once on contact, releases a powerful bang with 175 decibels and 1.000.000 candelas flash of light.
- MK2 Ruger: Snake’s Ruger is equipped with a built-in suppressor, and the bolt is locked in place while firing, making it almost completely silent. However, as a single shot weapon, it is unsuitable for rapid-fire. Uses tranquilizer and emotion rounds. Because it is non-lethal, it is a valuable tool for covert infiltration and no-kill completions. It also includes a built-in laser sight for more accurate aiming without needing to use the iron sights. Tranquilizer rounds can be set to have various effects such as causing enemies to cry hysterically, laugh out loud, sleep or lash out against teammates.
- Stun Knife: A combat knife that can produce shock to stun enemies.
Other Media
Super Smash Bros. series
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Snake makes an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a playable character. He is also a newcomer to Brawl, as he is the first third-party character in the entire Super Smash Bros. franchise and the first character representing Konami. He is unlockable and is unlocked through three different methods: by playing 15 VS. matches on Shadow Moses Island, by playing 130 VS. matches on any stage of the player's choice, or by having him join the player's party in The Subspace Emissary after clearing Battleship Halberd Interior.
Snake is quite a unique character, as the player can trigger his Smash Taunt on Shadow Moses Island by pressing the down taunt input for one frame, making him the only character to do so. Afterwards, Snake will be involved in a Codec Conversation with Colonel Campbell, Otacon or Mei Ling about the opponent the player selected. It can only be triggered once per match and can't be triggered again until the player sets up another match. However, if the player selects Falco as the opponent, Slippy will be Snake's converrsation partner instead. If the Snake player who initiated the Smash Taunt is KO'd during the conversation, the conversation partner will shout "SNAAAAAKE!", referencing Game Overs in the Metal Gear series, and the conversation will end.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
After he was cut from Smash 4, Snake returned to being playable in Ultimate. During the World of Light opening cutscene, Snake was among the fighters summoned to the edge of the cliffside to defeat the Master Hand army. As opposed to other fighters who attempted to deflect or avoid the beams, Snake hid quietly in his cardboard box; this proved comically ineffective, as a beam of light vaporized him and his box, placing him under Galeem's imprisonment along with the rest of the fighters save for Kirby.
As in Brawl, Snake is also an unlockable character and can be unlocked by clearing one of three methods. Through playing World of Light, Snake is seen in the Base sub-area reminiscent of his series, where Galleom is fought. A cardboard box from his home series (presumably the very same one he tried to hide from Galeem in) can also be found here in a treasure chest. Alternatively, Snake can also be unlocked by clearing Classic Mode after unlocking Meta Knight, or by playing VS. matches as the 39th character unlocked after Meta Knight and before Ganondorf. Upon being fought, Snake must be defeated on Shadow Moses Island, otherwise he must be defeated on Final Destination upon awakening him in World of Light.
All of Snake's Codec Conversations return from Brawl, although they are the exact same reused conversations as they were in Brawl, and the Smash Taunt can only be activated for characters that were playable in Brawl. Consequently, there were no new Codec Conversations for the other fighters introduced in Smash 4 and Ultimate (all DLC characters from both games included except Lucas), as well as five fighters introduced in Melee that were cut from Brawl (Dr. Mario, Young Link, Pichu, Mewtwo and Roy) also not having Codec Conversations either. This is due to Snake being absent in Smash 4, with Palutena's Guidance serving as the Codec Conversations' replacement. This also leads to some misinformation, such as Mei Ling referring to Alph as Olimar or Otacon referring to Sonic as being "here in Brawl".
Snake's Classic Mode route in Ultimate is titled "Weapons and Equipment OSP", where he battles against fighters who all prominently use projectiles and explosives in their attacks. Projectile weapons and explosive items make up most of the item spawns on this route. The "OSP" in the route name stands for "On Site Procurement". The mirror match in the penultimate battle references Liquid Snake, the cloned twin of Snake from the first Metal Gear Solid game. Meanwhile, Galleom serves as the route's boss, which serves as both a reference to the Metal Gear machines themselves and, as Galleom uses explosive projectiles, continuing the route's subject.
Quotes
| “ | Colonel, mission accomplished. | „ |
| ~ in SSBB & SSBU.
|
| “ | This is Snake. I'm done here. | „ |
| ~ in SSBB & SSBU.
|
| “ | Not even close! | „ |
| ~ in SSBB & SSBU.
|
| “ | Ocelot: Right. Touch that wire and the C4 will blow up along with the old man! So you're the one the Boss keeps talking about. Solid Snake : And you? Ocelot: Special Operations FOX-HOUND. (twirls a revolver in his hand) Revolver Ocelot. I've been waitng for you, Solid Snake. Now we'll see if the man can live up to the legend! (rubs his gun slowly for Snake to see) This is the greatest handgun ever made. The Colt Single Action Army. (loads his gun) Six bullets. More than enough to kill anything that moves. Now I'll show you why they call me... "Revolver". Solid Snake: (crouches, ready to whip out his gun) Ocelot: (ready to whip out his own gun Ocelot does the same.) Draw! |
„ |
| ~ Solid Snake and Revolver Ocelot about to engage in gunfight, as well as the latter's introduction speech. |
Trivia
- Hideo Kojima based Solid Snake on many different characters, notably Snake Plissken from the classic film Escape from New York. Interestingly, his undercover name Iroquois Pliskin in Metal Gear Solid 2 was obvious reference to the latter.
- Solid Snake's appearance on the cover for Metal Gear was based on a screenshot of Kyle Reese's actor Michael Biehn in The Terminator.
- Solid Snake was ranked 19th greatest video game character by Empire.
- Electronic Gaming Monthly listed the character as #1 as the top ten video game characters of all time.
- In the 2011 Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition, the character was voted the fourth most popular video game character.
External Links
- Solid Snake on the Near Pure Good Wiki
- Solid Snake on the Metal Gear Wiki
- Solid Snake on the Super Smash Bros. Wiki
- Solid Snake on Wikipedia
- Solid Snake on the Ultimate Good Wiki
 Heroes
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Metal Gear Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake Metal Gear Solid Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Metal Gear Solid V | ||
