There aren’t many characters more iconic than Metal Gear Solid‘s Solid Snake. Hideo Kojima’s fan-favorite mercenary has been through so much over the years, proving himself one of the greatest warriors in video game history. After all, the soldier has stopped some of the greatest villains we’ve ever seen. And thanks to Kojima, he has one of the most complex and captivating stories we’ve seen in the digital world. While most fans know about his status as a clone or that his only real love interest is Meryl Silverburgh, there are still quite a few factoids that have likely slipped past most Metal Gear Solid fans.
Here are ten facts about Solid Snake that most fans never knew.
1) Kojima’s Surprising Sources of Inspiration
At this point, most MGS veterans know that Snake was based on a rough combination of Snake Plissken from Escape From New York and James Bond. However, the inspiration behind his character model is a little more surprising. Designer Yoji Shinkawa based Snake’s body on Jean-Claude Van Damme, but his facial structure takes cues from Christopher Walken. That might seem strange nowadays, but Walken’s early career saw him appear in classic war movies like The Deer Hunter and The Dogs of War.
2) Snake’s First Name Doesn’t Come From His Voice Actor
Snake’s first name is David, that’s a fact most MGS fans know by this point. However, some of those fans think his first name comes from his English voice actor, David Hayter. Instead, Kojima picked the name from 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is why Otacon’s real name is Hal. It’s also a shoutout to another Kojima game, Policenauts, which had a character named Dave.
Metal Gear Solid 4′s return to Shadow Moses was a stunning moment for long-time fans. However, it probably isn’t the first time Snake went back to the iconic site. In MGS 2, you can find documents about a book called In the Darkness of Shadow Moses: The Unofficial Truth. The book details a journalist traveling to Shadow Moses, being captured, and then rescued by an invisible man. It’s not confirmed that’s Snake, but it would make sense.
4) Snake’s Constantly Changing Height
This one is probably an oversight from the developers, but it is a little strange that Snake’s height changes at least four times in official sources. In the Metal Gear Solid 2 manual, his height is listed as 5’10”, but it jumps to six feet even five years later. Snake gains another half inch in 2009 before dropping back down to 5’11” by Metal Gear Solid 4, though that could be related to him becoming Old Snake.
5) He Purposefully Hamstrung His Combat Abilities
One of Big Boss’s greatest weapons was the CQC fighting style, which he taught to a younger Solid Snake. However, when Big Boss betrayed him, Snake decided to stop using the fighting style, effectively hamstringing himself as a fighter. Instead, he uses the more common CQB and remains an effective soldier despite giving up CQC.
6) Snake’s Genius-Level IQ
Supposedly, Snake’s IQ is hovering around 180. For reference, that puts him around the assumed range of historical figures like Leonardo da Vinci and Marie Curie. It also helps explain how Snake has become fluent in six languages.
7) Solid Snake Was a Dog Musher
After a brief stint with the CIA, Snake left his military career behind and moved to Alaska. There, he purchased several huskies and had the aim to eventually take part in the Alaskan Iditarod. Before that could happen, Snake was roped into the Shadow Moses Incident.
8) He’s Also Not a Bad Car Salesman
This one is far from canon, but did you know that Snake teamed up with Colonel Campbell to appear in an ad for the Ford Focus SE? The ad is done in the style of a Codec call and is perfectly over the top. If you want to hear Snake and Campbell talk about the Focus’s gas mileage, the video is still up on YouTube.
9) Snake’s Tom Clancy Crossover
Speaking of crossovers outside the series’ canon, Metal Gear Solid is filled with those. Snake has appeared in Silent Hill, Smash Bros., and dozens of other series. However, it’s the mention in Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands that’s the most surprising. When you meet up with Sam Fisher, he mentions a character who wears a bandana who “finally retired,” giving MGS fans a subtle shoutout to Snake.
10) Solid Snake’s Japanese Voice Actor’s Father Voices Big Boss in MGS4
Snake’s Japanese voice actor is Akio Otsuka. Because Snake is a clone of Big Boss, Otsuka has also voiced the older version of the character and Snake’s twin, Solidus. However, Kojima decided to twist things up slightly in Metal Gear Solid 4, and Otsuka’s father, Chikao Otsuka, took over as Big Boss’s voice actor. Reportedly, Kojima made that decision at the time because the real-life father-son pair were on rocky grounds, and Kojima wanted to get them talking again by collaborating on the project.
What facts do you find most surprising about Solid Snake? Let us know in the comments below!