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Big Boss (Metal Gear)

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For other meanings, see Big Boss.
Big Boss (Naked Snake)
Metal Gear series character
File:Big Boss (Metal Gear).jpg
Big Boss was illustrated in Metal Gear Solid by Yoji Shinkawa. Although the character never actually appeared in the game, this illustration is used in the instruction manual and other official publications.
First gameMetal Gear (1987)
Created byHideo Kojima

Big Boss (Japanese: ビッグ・ボス, Hepburn: Biggu Bosu) is a fictional character from Konami's Metal Gear series. He is first introduced in the original Metal Gear as the commanding officer of protagonist Solid Snake, only to be revealed as the leader of the enemy forces as well, a role he would resume in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. Big Boss also appears as the protagonist of Metal Gear Solid prequels beginning with Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater where he is depicted as an American covert operative codenamed Naked Snake (ネイキッド・スネーク, Neikiddo Sunēku).

As Naked Snake, he is voiced by Akio Ōtsuka in the Japanese releases and David Hayter in the English releases. In his appearance in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Big Boss was voiced by Chikao Ōtsuka (the real-life father of Akio Ōtsuka) in the Japanese version and Richard Doyle in the English version. The character of Big Boss has been praised by video game publications for his role as a villain as well for his relationship with Solid Snake while the debut of Naked Snake as player character resulted in multiple speculations regarding his true identity as a result of his physical similarities with Solid Snake.

Appearances

Fictional chronology
in Metal Gear

Metal Gear games

Big Boss first appears in the original Metal Gear as the leader of the Special Forces Unit FOXHOUND and Solid Snake's commanding officer. He initially acts as a radio contact who provides Snake with information about mission objectives, as well as weapons and equipment.[1][2] However, near the end of the game as Snake destroys Metal Gear, Big Boss exposes himself as the leader of the Outer Heaven militia at the base's escape route and confronts Snake in a final battle where he is defeated.[3]

In Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Big Boss is revealed to have survived his battle with Snake in Outer Heaven, and has since taken control of another fortified nation in Central Asia - Zanzibar Land. This time, he establishes a military force along with his trusted lieutenant, Gray Fox, and commissions the development of a new Metal Gear model, Metal Gear D.[4] Snake confronts Big Boss once again while escaping from the Zanzibar Land detention camp, with the former incinerating the latter.[5]

Snake's Revenge, a non-canonical sequel to the NES version of Metal Gear released only in North America and Europe, features Big Boss as the final boss before the player's confrontation with "Metal Gear 2". He attacks Snake as a regular man, before transforming into a giant cyborg after sustaining damage.

Metal Gear Solid games

Despite his apparent death, Big Boss's presence figures prominently in Metal Gear Solid where Solid Snake is revealed to be a genetically-altered clone of Big Boss created from a secret government project known as Les Enfants Terribles (The Terrible Children) along with another clone Liquid Snake.[6] The Genome Army that Solid Snake faces in Metal Gear Solid are also genetically altered soldiers who were implanted with Big Boss's genes after his body was recovered.[7] A third clone Solidus Snake appears in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.

In the prequel titled Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, a young Big Boss using the codename of "Naked Snake" as a member of the newly-formed special forces unit FOX in 1964 that was founded by the CIA and Major Zero.[8] Snake states that his real name is John (ジョン, Jon), however he is called Jack (ジャック, Jakku), diminutive for John, by various characters. In the prologue sequence of the game, Naked Snake is given orders to infiltrate the fictionalized Soviet region of Tselinoyarsk and extract a defecting Soviet scientist named Nikolai Stephanovich Sokolov. After rescuing Sokolov, he is confronted by his mentor, The Boss, who defects to the Soviet Union and defeats Snake, before her new host, Colonel Volgin, deploys a Davey Crockett Recoiless Nuclear Warhead on a nearby research facility and leads the United States and Russia to the brink of war.[9] In retribution for the attack and The Boss' defection, the United States sends Snake back to Russia on a second mission where Snake's objective this time is to assassinate The Boss and her new benefactor, Volgin, rescue Sokolov once again, and destroy the secret Soviet weapon Shagohod. He loses his right eye when a bullet fired by a young Ocelot skims his eyeball and begins to wear his characteristic eye patch late in the game. Snake fulfills his mission and is awarded the title of Big Boss and the Distinguished Service Cross by President Johnson,[10] only to learn the true nature of The Boss' defection from a recorded confession left by EVA, a female spy he worked and became intimate with during the story. The Boss was deep undercover to retrieve the Philosopher's Legacy before Colonel Volgin does, but was ordered to become a scapegoat after she was blamed for Volgin's nuclear attack on Sokolov's research facility.[11][12]

In the direct sequel Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (set six years after Metal Gear Solid 3), Big Boss prefers to be addressed by his former codename "Naked Snake", believing that he has yet to surpass The Boss as a warrior. Snake finds himself involved in an armed uprising caused by the FOX unit (now led by Gene) in the fictional San Hieronymo peninsula in Colombia and learns that he has been convicted for instigating the revolt. Hoping to clear his name, Snake forms his own team of specialists by recruiting both old allies and defecting enemy soldiers to his cause, one of whom happens to be Roy Campbell. He faces not only the members of the FOX unit, but also the first built Metal Gear prototype known as the ICBMG. He defeats Gene and obtains the fund for "Army's Heaven", a precursor to Big Boss's own Outer Heaven.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots reveals that Big Boss and his former commanding officer Zero, were the founding members of The Patriots. A fallout between Zero and Big Boss occurred due to each of them interpreting The Boss's will differently, with Big Boss believing that she wanted a world where soldiers were not used as tools by the government. This caused Zero to initiate the Les Enfants Terribles project which caused Big Boss' defection from Zero and plot a coup d'état against him, causing the events of Outer Heaven (Metal Gear) and Zanzibar Land (Metal Gear 2).[13] Big Boss is revealed to have survived his defeats, but is placed in an artificially induced cryogenic coma, with his genetic code used for the Sons of the Patriots ID recognition system, the use of which allows access to the AIs that make up The Patriots. His body is recovered and preserved by EVA. After the fall of one of the five AIs his body is reconstructed using parts from the bodies of both Liquid and Solidus and he awakens from his coma. Following the voice casting credits at the ending, Big Boss appears before Old Snake (Solid Snake) along with a now-catatonic Zero. After revealing the truth about Zero and the Patriots, Big Boss shuts down Zero's life support system. He manages to come in terms with his feelings regarding The Boss[14] and then reconciles with his son before dying from exposure to the FOXDIE virus implanted in Snake.

Big Boss' past serves again as the scenario in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (set four years after Portable Ops), Naked Snake has established his new group, the Militaires Sans Frontières ("Soldiers Without Borders") or MSF, on Colombia's Barranquilla Coast with his new partner Kazuhira Miller. The story begins when two representatives of the Costa Rican government, Paz and Gálvez, seek to hire MSF to liberate Costa Rica of the "Peace Sentinels", a rogue CIA unit that has established bases in the country. Snake accepts the mission after Gálvez hands him an audio cassette with a recording of The Boss' voice. Following Miller's advice, the MSF takes over an offshore research platform in the Caribbean as their base of operations in a bid to expand the group's capabilities. Over the course of the story, Snake comes to learn about the true purpose of the MSF's campaign against the Peace Sentinels and gradually lets go of his guilt for killing The Boss, finally accepting the title of Big Boss.[15] Later in the game, Big Boss has finally created a weapon that will help make sure the world stays peaceful again: Metal Gear ZEKE, an AI-controlled machine that will only defend, not attack. However, during the course of the game, Paz (or going by her true identity "Pacifica Ocean"), sabotages ZEKE so she can pilot it. She had planned to use ZEKE to launch a nuclear strike on the Eastern Coast of the United States as part of an insurance policy by Cipher, should Big Boss refuse to rejoin them. Big Boss, after hearing her offer, refuses, and is forced to fight a now-manned ZEKE in order to stop Paz. In the end, he is victorious. However, ZEKE was heavily damaged, with Paz being ejected into the Caribbean Sea. After ZEKE's destruction, Miller tells Big Boss that from then on, they will no longer be able to see the outside world unless they reveal their true nature, as well as admitting that he was in on Cipher's plot. Big Boss rejects this idea, stating that his "life shall be different from the Boss'". After this conversation, Big Boss gives a speech to the Militaires Sans Frontières, telling them that if the times demand it, they will be vigilantes, criminals, terrorists, etc. Also, he states that if they are all heading to hell, "then what other place for us than this?" He tells the soldiers in the base that together they would build a new home for themselves, calling it "Outer Heaven".

Creation and design

During his first appearances, Big Boss' visual appearance was inspired by actor Sean Connery. However, for the ports of the game released as part of Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, the original design was replaced by Yoji Shinkawa's design.[16] In the making of Metal Gear Solid 3, Hideo Kojima asked Shinkawa to make Big Boss' younger self Naked Snake similar to Solid Snake but with the differences that unlike Solid Snake, Naked Snake was a rookie and thus acted more naive. Shinkawa stated he had no difficulties in designing Naked Snake as it was basically a revised version of Solid Snake. As a result, Naked Snake is virtually identical to Solid Snake from the previous Metal Gear Solid games in terms of appearance.[17] Since the game's trailers did not state that Naked Snake was the future Big Boss, Kojima stated in an interview prior to its release that he wanted fans to keep to their imagination which was Naked Snake's identity.[18] Although by the ending of Metal Gear Solid 3, Naked Snake was given the title of Big Boss, Kojima stated "he's not really the Big Boss yet." With Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, he wanted to explain how Naked Snake became the Big Boss who appeared in the first Metal Gear game as Solid Snake's enemy.[19]

Reception

The character of Big Boss' has been well-received with IGN having ranked him number 32 on their list of Top 100 Video Game Villains[20] and fourth in the Top 10 Metal Gear Villains.[21] In January 2010, Jesse Schedeen from the same site wrote an article titled "Boss of the Day: Metal Gear's Big Boss" which talked about all his appearances in the Metal Gear series finding him one of the most important characters from the franchise to the point his "influence is felt in every Metal Gear game, even if he isn't always present in the flesh."[22] Computerworld named Big Boss as one of the most creative "badass villains" in video games, citing the complexity of his betrayal of Solid Snake, fueled by Snake being his genetic heir.[23] Additionally, GameSpot listed him as one the twenty best Metal Gear bosses with focus on his importance within the series' plot.[24]

The inclusion of Naked Snake's role in Metal Gear Solid 3 has also received praise from critics.[25] Prior to the game's release, Naked Snake was often called Solid Snake or simply Snake by critics due to his resemblance with Solid Snake, although some still were not sure about his true identity.[26][27] Additionally, early speculation of Big Boss being the playable character from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was listed as one IGN's The Ten Biggest Rumors on the PlayStation 2.[28] GameSpy further noted that various fans started making theories about Naked Snake's identity before the release of the game as while they thought it was Solid Snake, the setting from the game made it impossible for Solid Snake to be the game's main protagonist due to their difference of years.[29] Finding the revelation of Naked Snake's identity was considered by GameSpy as "the single coolest thing Kojima could have done in MGS3" because of Naked's differences from Solid in regards to their personality as well as because it made fans wonder how Naked Snake would become the series' antagonist Big Boss.[30] Another comparison between Big Boss' and Solid Snake's character was made by IGN's Phil Pirrello in articled called "Stars Thunderdome: Snake vs. Big Boss."[31] GamesRadar placed his relationship with Eva in their list of "The Top 7... disastrous game romances" due to how it was ruined by the two's different roles in the story.[32] Play editor Nick Jones listed Naked Snake's final fight against the Boss in such game as the second best moment from the franchise, citing the emotional focus from their characters.[33] Various gaming sites placed him as one of the worst fathers in video games due to his poor relationship with Solid Snake and his attempts to murder him.[34][35][36] David Hayter's performance as Naked Snake's English voice actor has been criticized by Edge while discussing the dialogues from the game.[37]

References

  1. ^ "Metal Gear MSX2 version, instruction manual" (in Japanese). Konami. 1987. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help); Text "archiveda" ignored (help)
  2. ^ "Metal Gear 2 MSX2 version, instruction manual" (in Japanese). Konami. 1990. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help); Text "archiveda" ignored (help)
  3. ^ Kojima Productions. Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, Metal Gear. Konami. Big Boss: Solid Snake! You've finally come here. Yeah, I'm Big Boss General Commandant of Foxhound. And in charge of this fortress, Outer Heaven.
  4. ^ Kojima Productions. Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. Konami. Solid Snake: Big... Boss?! / Madnar: The very same! With Metal Gear and OILEX, he plots to rule the world. We cannot let the secret of OILEX fall into his hands!
  5. ^ Kojima Productions. Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. Konami. Big Boss: Even I make mistakes from time to time. Snake! This will be our final battle... Let's end this once and for all!
  6. ^ Kojima Productions. Metal Gear Solid. Konami. Liquid: There's a killer inside you... You don't have to deny it. We were created to be that way. / Snake: Created? / Liquid: Les enfants terribles... the terrible children. That's what the project was called. It started in the 1970's. Their plan was to artificially create the most powerful soldier possible. The person that they chose as the model was the man known then as the greatest living soldier in the world...
  7. ^ Konami. Metal Gear Solid. Liquid Snake: The Genome Soldiers. They too are his progeny, carrying on his genetic legacy. But they're different. They're digital. With the completion of the Human Genome project the mysteries of humanity were laid bare...Liquid Snake: Thanks to father's DNA, they were able to identify more than sixty 'soldier genes' responsible for everything from strategic thinking... to the proverbial 'killer instinct'. Those 'soldier genes' were transplanted, into the membrane of Next Generation Special Forces. That's how they became the Genome Soldiers. That's right... The Genome Soldiers that you've been killing are our brothers, with the same genes as ours.
  8. ^ Kojima Productions. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Konami. Zero: Do you copy? You're already in enemy territory, and somebody might be listening in. From here on out, we'll be using codenames to refer to each other. Your codename for this mission will be Naked Snake. I'll be referring to you as Snake from now on. You are not to mention your real name.
  9. ^ Kojima Productions. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Konami. The Boss: I'm defecting to the Soviet Union. Sokolov is a little gift for my new hosts.
  10. ^ Kojima Productions. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Konami. President: You are above even The Boss. I hereby award you the title of Big Boss.
  11. ^ EVA: The Boss's defection was a ruse set up by the U.S. government. It was all a big drama staged by Washington so they could get their hands on the Philosopher's Legacy. And The Boss was the star of the show. They planned it so that they could get the Legacy that Colonel Volgin inherited...and destroy the Shagohod at the same time. (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater) Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, 2005
  12. ^ EVA: (...) Everything was going according to plan, but then something happened that no one could have predicted. Colonel Volgin fired an American-made nuclear warhead at Sokolov's research facility. Khrushchev demanded that the U.S. government provide proof that it wasn't involved. (...) The authorities in Washington knew that in order to prove its innocence they'd have to get rid of The Boss...and that one of their own would have to do the job. (...) That was the mission she was given. (...) She sacrificed her life and her honor for her native land. (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater) Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, 2005
  13. ^ Kojima Productions. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Konami. Big Mama: "Give birth to Big Boss." To realize this, I asked to serve as the surrogate mother... And was more than happy to carry you in my womb. I loved him. Nine months later, I gave birth to two Big Bosses... You, and [Liquid Snake]. [...] Determined to oppose Zero and his plans, Big Boss broke away from the Patriots.
  14. ^ Big Boss: Ever since the day I killed The Boss... with my own two hands... I... was already dead. (Konami, Metal Gear Solid 4, 2008)
  15. ^ Kojima Productions. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Konami. Naked Snake: I won't make the same choice as her. My future's going to be different. / Miller: Then... / Naked Snake: Yeah, that's right. From now on, call me Big Boss.
  16. ^ Parish, Jeremy. "Gear Up! A Metal Gear Retrospective". 1UP.com. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  17. ^ Payton, Ryan. "The KP Report Session 027". Kojima Productions Report. mp.i.revo. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
  18. ^ C. Perry, Douglass (May 15, 2003). "E3 2003: Hideo Kojima Interview". IGN. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  19. ^ Totilo, Stephen (September 25, 2009). "Hideo Kojima Talks Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker And How You Can Help Him". Kotaku. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  20. ^ IGN editors (2010-07-04). "Top 100 Videogame Villains". ign.com. Retrieved 2006-10-20. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  21. ^ Scheeden, Jeese. "Top 10 Metal Gear Villains". IGN. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
  22. ^ Scheeden, Jeese (2010-01-11). "Boss of the Day: Metal Gear's Big Boss". IGN. Retrieved 2011-07-05.
  23. ^ Gagne, Ken. You can run, but you'll only die tired: Gaming's 'baddest' villains. Computerworld. Retrieved on 2008-09-16
  24. ^ Dodson, Joe (July 28, 2007). "Metal Gear 20 Years of Boss Battles". GameSpot. Retrieved July 5, 2007.
  25. ^ Ramsay, Randolph (2005). "Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Review". C NET Australia. Retrieved 2006-08-22. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  26. ^ "Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Preview". PALGN. 2004-02-29. Retrieved 2011-07-05.
  27. ^ Torres, Ricardo (March 16, 2004). "Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Updated Impressions". GameSpot. Retrieved 2011-07-05.
  28. ^ "Fact or Fiction? The Ten Biggest Rumors on the PlayStation 2". IGN. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
  29. ^ "Metal Gear Solid 3 -- Everything We Know". GameSpy. p. 3. Retrieved 2011-07-05.
  30. ^ "Metal Gear Solid 3 -- Everything We Know". GameSpy. p. 4. Retrieved 2011-07-05.
  31. ^ Pirrello, Phil (2010-01-11). "Stars Thunderdome: Snake vs. Big Boss". IGN. Retrieved 2011-07-05.
  32. ^ Meikleham, Dave. "The Top 7… disastrous game romances". GamesRadar. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  33. ^ Jones, Nick. "Metal Gear Solid – My Top Five Moments". Play. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  34. ^ Glasser, AJ (June 21, 2009). "Father Knows Best: The Best and Worst Fathers in Video Games". Kotaku. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  35. ^ Sharkey, Scott (September 9, 2010). "Gaming's Crappiest Fathers". Game Informer. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  36. ^ Ryckert, Dan (September 9, 2010). "Top 5 Crappiest Videogame Dads". 1UP.com. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  37. ^ Edge, January 2005; issue 145. Future Publishing. 2005. pp. 80–81.
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