Metal Gear
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Tactical, Espionage, Action. A revered and long-running series directed by Hideo Kojima.


Overview

The Metal Gear franchise follows the story of protagonist Solid Snake (Character) as he tries to rid the world of Metal Gears and atone for his sins. The Metal Gear series is well-known for its elaborate, complex plot-lines and large amount of cutscenes. The majority of games in the franchise fall under the Metal Gear Solid (Franchise) series. Another sub-series is the Metal Gear Acid series.


Series Chronology

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (1964)

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Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Main article: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Setting: Russia - Groznyi Grad

Protagonist: Naked Snake

Allies: Eva, Sokolov (Character)

Radio team: Major Zero (Character), Sigint (Character), Para-medic

Enemies: The Boss (Character), Volgin, Ocelot , The Cobras - The Pain (Character), The Sorrow (Character), The Fear (Character), The Fury (Character), The Philosophers


Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (1970)

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Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops

Main article: Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops

Setting: South America - San Hieronymo Peninsula (Location)

Protagonist: Naked Snake / Big Boss

Allies: Campbell, Jonathan, Elisa (Character)

Radio team: Sigint, Paramedic, Ghost

Enemies: FOX unit- Gene, Null, Cunningham (Character), Python (Character), Ursula


Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (1974)

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Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Main article: Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Setting: Costa Rica (Location)

Protagonist: Naked Snake / Big Boss

Allies: Kazuhira Miller (Master Miller), Huey

Radio team: Amanda (Character), Chico (Character), Paz, Cécile Cosima Caminades (Character)

Enemies: Galvez (Character), Coldman, The Patriots (Concept), Dr. Strangelove


Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (1975)

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Meal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

Main article: Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

Setting: Cuba (Location)

Protagonist: Naked Snake / Big Boss

Allies: Kazuhira Miller, Chico (Character), Paz

Radio team: Kazuhira Miller

Enemies: XOF (Concept), Skull Face (Character)








Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (1984)

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Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Main Article: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Setting: Afghanistan (Location), Africa (Location)

'Protagonist': Punished Snake / Big Boss

Allies: Kazuhira Miller, Ocelot

Radio Team: ??

Enemies: Skull Face (Character)


Metal Gear (1995)

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Metal Gear

Main article: Metal Gear (Game)

Setting: Outer Heaven (Location)

Protagonist: Solid Snake (Character)

Allies: Gray Fox (Character), Pettrovich Madnar, Ellen Madnar (Character)

Radio team: Jennifer, Kyle Schneider, Big Boss (Character)

Enemies: Big Boss (Character), Bloody Brad (Character), Dirty Duck (Character), Fire Trooper (Character), Machine Gun Kid (Character), Shotmaker (Character)


Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1999)

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Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake

Main article: Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake

Setting: Zanzibar Land (Location)

Protagonist: Solid Snake (Character)

Allies: Holly White (Character), Gustava Heffner (Character), Kio Marv (Character)

Radio team: Campbell, Master Miller (Character), George Kassler, Johan Jacobsen

Enemies: Big Boss (Character), Gray Fox (Character), Black Ninja (Character), Pettrovich Madnar, Running Man (Character), Four Horsemen (Character), Jungle Evil (Character), Night Fright (Character), Red Blaster (Character)


Metal Gear Solid (2005)

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Metal Gear Solid

Main article: Metal Gear Solid (Game)

Setting: Shadow Moses (Location)

Protagonist: Solid Snake (Character)

Allies: Meryl Silverburgh (Character), Gray Fox (Character)

Codec team: Campbell, Naomi Hunter (Character), Mei Ling, Nastasha Romanenko, Master Miller (Character)

Enemies: Foxhound (Liquid Snake (Character), Revolver Ocelot (Character), Psycho Mantis (Character), Sniper Wolf, Vulcan Raven (Character), Decoy Octopus (Character))


Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2007-2009)

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Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Main article: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Setting: Big Shell (Location), Tanker (Object)

Protagonist: Raiden, Solid Snake (Character)

Allies: Richard Ames, Mr. X, Peter Stillman (Character), Emma "E.E." Emmerich

Codec team: Campbell, Rose, Otacon (Character)

Enemies: Dead Cell (Concept) (Solidus Snake (Character), Vamp (Character), Fortune (Character), Fatman (Character)), Ocelot, Olga Gurlukovich, Colonel


Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2014)

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Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Main Article: Metal Gear Solid 4: Gun of the Patriots

Setting: Unnamed Middleeastern Country, Unnamed South American Country (Location), Unnamed European Country, Shadow Moses (Location), Outer Haven (Location)

Protagonist: (Old) Solid Snake (Character)

Allies: Raiden, Metal Gear MK. II, Meryl and Rat Patrol 01- Johnny Sasaki (Character), Ed (Character), Jonathon, Mei Ling, Naomi Hunter (Character), Big Momma/Eva, Drebin

Codec team: Otacon (Character), Campbell, Rose

Enemies: (Liquid) Ocelot, Vamp (Character), Beauty and the Beast unit - Laughing Octopus (Character), Raging Raven (Character), Crying Wolf (Character), Screaming Mantis (Character) , The Patriots (Concept)


Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (2018)

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Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Main article: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Setting: Unnamed African Country, Abkhazia, Mexico (Location), Denver (Location), Pakistan

Protagonist: Raiden

Allies: Bladewolf (Character)

Codec team: Boris Vyacheslavovic Popov, Kevin Washington, Courtney Collins, "Doktor" Wilhelm Voigt

Enemies: Senator Armstrong, The Winds of Destruction - Jetstream Sam, Sundowner (Character), Mistral, Monsoon (Character)


Running Themes

Prisoner

In titles and Metal Gear Solid 1, 2, and 3. The main protagonist has been taken captive and must escape the prison on his own. Escaping consisted of punching a wall, faking your death, or just waiting to be saved.


Johnny

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Johnny from MGS4

Every Metal Gear Solid game in the series has a soldier with bowel problems named Johnny. The first son of every generation of the Johnny family is named Johnny. The Johnny of MGS3 is the grandfather of the MGS 1, 2, and 4 Johnny.


Cyborg Ninja

The cyborg ninja is a robotically enhanced super soldier that aids Snake in his missions. In MGS1 it was Gray Fox (Character), MGS2 Olga Gurlukovich (Character), and MGS4 Raiden.


Hind D

The Mi-24D is the helicopter of choice in the Metal Gear Series. It is featured in Metal Gear 1 and 2 and Metal Gear Solid as a boss and a transport vehicle in MGS3.


Cigarettes

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Naked Snake smoking a cigarette

Even though he is stripped down to nothing, Snake is always able to sneak a pack of cigs, probably by eating them. Big Boss on the other hand likes cigars instead.


Control

A major theme that Kojima gets across is that of control. Both Snake and Raiden follow orders without question, never thinking about why or for what purpose. Not only this, but The Patriots is an organization completely based on controlling all of mankind, and throughout the series Kojima clearly states how dangerous he thinks this can be.


Nanomachines

In the future, apparently, everyone will have nanomachines coursing through their veins. They allow people to have superhuman abilities, such as the ones exhibited by Vamp (Character). They can also be used to keep people's emotions repressed, such as seen with the various PMCs seen throughout Metal Gear Solid 4. Nanomachines are another form of control.


War Economy

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War

Metal Gear Solid 4 constantly emphasizes how in the MGS universe, the world has become a place governed by war, a slave to war. It is an age where countries can fight each other via proxy wars, not having to risk any of their own people or soldiers.

Games

Franchise details
Name
Metal Gear
Features
35 games
First game
Metal Gear (Game)
Aliases
Characters
Concepts
Objects
People