History Characters / MetalGearBigBoss

[[center:[-[[Characters/MetalGear Main Character Index]] | Characters/MetalGear1 ([[Characters/MetalGearSolidSnake Solid Snake]] | '''Big Boss / Naked Snake''') | [[Characters/MetalGear2SolidSnake Metal Gear 2]] | [[Characters/MetalGearSolid Metal Gear Solid]] | [[Characters/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty Sons of Liberty]] ([[Characters/MetalGearRaiden Raiden]]) | [[Characters/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater Snake Eater]] | [[Characters/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots Guns of the Patriots]] | [[Characters/MetalGearSolidPortableOps Portable Ops]] | [[Characters/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker Peace Walker]] | [[Characters/MetalGearRisingRevengeance Revengeance]] ([[Characters/MetalGearSenatorArmstrong Senator Armstrong]]) | [[Characters/MetalGearSolidV The Phantom Pain]] | [[Characters/MetalGearAcid Acid]] | [[Characters/MetalGearGhostBabel Ghost Babel]] | [[Characters/SnakesRevenge Snake's Revenge]]-]]]

* RedRightHand: Big Boss loses a good deal of his anatomy over the course of his story. If you played any of the previous ''Metal Gear'' games, you would know that this was going to happen anyway. In fact, his amputated (left) forearm was foreshadowed]] all the way back in ''[[VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake Metal Gear 2]]'', though it was assumed Solid Snake caused that injury. [[spoiler: [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain Except that's not what happened]]]].

* BadassBaritone: Creator/DavidHayter gives him the same baritone Naked Snake's famous for. Replaced later by Creator/RichardDoyle and Creator/KieferSutherland.

* TheOneThatGotAway:[[spoiler:''Portable Ops'' at least has it be clear that Snake still cares for EVA despite her betrayal, while Snake and EVA can meet again as part of a difficult side-quest with the implication they get together again, ''MGS4'' establishes this didn't happen.]]

** In the NES localizations, he's "Commander South" (a play on the controversial [[UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan Col. Oliver North]]), "Colonel Vermon [=CaTaffy=]" (UsefulNotes/MuammarGaddafi), and "Higharolla Kockamamie" (Ruhollah Khomeini — subtle, eh?).

For tropes pertaining to his [[spoiler:mental doppelganger Venom Snake]] in ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain The Phantom Pain]]'', go [[Characters/MetalGearSolidV here]]. [[Characters/SnakesRevenge Same here]] for the version of Big Boss in ''VideoGame/SnakesRevenge''.

* MoleInCharge: He was leading FOXHOUND and Outer Heaven [[spoiler:(via his doppelganger Venom Snake)]] by the 1990s. Ensuing that if the U.S.A. decided to act against his own forces, he could control what action the U.S.A. would take against him. Like sending in Solid Snake, an underequipped rookie that he personally trained with little chance of actual success. He's replaced by Colonel Campbell after his apparent death.

* RunningBothSides: Since he founded ''FOXHOUND'' and ''Outer Heaven'', he ran both organizations until Solid Snake exposed him. [[spoiler: Actually, [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain he]] wasn't really running ''Outer Heaven'', as his doppelganger Venom Snake took control of the organization in his place]].

** Like [[spoiler: Solid Snake/David]], he has an affinity for cardboard boxes, dog-sledding, and smoking (though he prefers cigars over cigarettes).
** Like [[spoiler: Liquid Snake/Eli]], he has a desire to outdo his predecessor, seeing them as both superior ''and'' inferior to themselves.
** Like [[spoiler: Solidus Snake/George Sears]], he has a habit of seeing his subordinates as his children, yet will dispose of them to accomplish their own goals, as well as being a NobleDemon willing to do horrible things to bring about his vision of a better world.

** When Quiet throws a knife into his shoulder, he only winces in pain momentarily. After [[KillItWithFire setting Quiet on fire]], he promptly throws it back at Quiet without too much difficulty and even shrugs off the (not inconsiderable) pain afterwards. Of course, being Big Boss himself, ''[[MadeOfIron even serious injuries don't slow him down very much]].''
** [[spoiler:He spouts a BondOneLiner when Ahab asks him whatever happened to the woman trying to assassinate him, something Naked Snake was noted to be quite found of doing.]]

** [[spoiler:A random patient is rather ''very'' [[HyperCompetentSidekick competent in both stealth and combat]], and certainly much more than Ahab who would do certain things to blow his cover, such as not ducking for cover against an attack helicopter searchlight, and not feinting death when investigated by XOF's death squad.]]
** Ishmael seemingly dies from a gunship unloading its bullets at their ambulance. And once Venom wakes up, he notices right away that he is missing, assuming that it was just in his head. In actuality, [[spoiler:Ocelot manages to recover Big Boss while Venom was still unconscious so that the former would able to create Outer Heaven under the radar]].
** Big Boss scoffs at the idea of peace, since fighting is all he knows, and did not agree with The Boss' ideologies, and deliberately misinterprets her will until the end of his life where he decides to make peace with his surviving son. Venom however does not, and looks forward to the day soldiers could lay down their weapons and live in peace.
** Speaking of the Sons of Big Boss, whenever the boys are mentioned in any capacity, he has nothing but contempt for their existence, but nonetheless tells Ocelot to treat them as any other person. Venom for his part is more than willing to bond with Eli, despite the latter's hatred for him because of his existence.
** During the fight against Peace Walker and [[spoiler:Metal Gear ZEKE]], he can bench-press and deflect these giants' stomps prompting awe from his comrades for his impossible feat of strength. Venom unfortunately do ''not'' display this same strength when dealing with giants and enabling Sahelanthropus to do the same will squash Venom flat without a prompt whatsoever.
** In ''Metal Gear Solid 4'', EVA shows Snake his charred body, and a closeup shows that he's missing his left eye. Big Boss actually lost his ''right'' eye in ''Snake Eater''. It actually hints that EVA [[spoiler:stole Big Boss' body from the Patriots, and was using Solidus' parts, who lost his eye in ''Sons of Liberty''.

* OffingTheOffspring: He tried to do this to Solid Snake on his first mission in Outer Heaven, but Big Boss' training went ''[[GoneHorriblyRight too well]]'' as Snake was able to traverse the entire fortress without issue, save keye hostages, and destroy Metal Gear T-55. Big Boss' final gambit was [[spoler:sending Venom Snake]] after him, but ultimately fail, and Outer Heaven was destroyed. He tries again in Zanzibar to confront him, but Snake's training allows him to defeat him yet again.

* StillBelievesInSanta: In the briefing file about NORAD in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'', it is revealed that Big Boss, despite being a badass Supersoldier, still believes Santa exists and refuses to listen to Huey's reason.

->'''Naked Snake voiced by''': Creator/AkioOhtsuka (JP; ''[=MGS3=]'', ''[=MPO=]'', ''[=MGSPW=]'', ''[=MGSV=]''), Creator/DavidHayter (EN; ''[=MGS3=]'', ''[=MPO=]'', ''[=MGSPW=]'')\\

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Like how he is with Solid Snake, his and and Snake's voice actors in the Japanese version, Creator/ChikaoOhtsuka and Creator/AkioOhtsuka, were not in good terms with each other prior to ''Metal Gear Solid 4'' and Hideo Kojima found out about it. Kojima would deliberately chose Chikao to voice Big Boss, and the first line he was given were to let go of the grudges they had for each other. They both eventually reconcile with each other just like Big Boss and Solid Snake would.

* AmbiguousDisorder: Shows shades of this in ''Snake Eater'' and ''Peace Walker''. Despite his charisma, he's not very sociable and tends to not handle emotions well, has a tendency for [[ParrotExposition repeating other people's phrases]], has unusually dedicated obsessions with guns and cardboard boxes, is surprisingly naïve and trusting towards people who end up deceiving him in some major way (EVA, [[spoiler: Zero]], Miller, Paz, Huey), and has some rather unusual beliefs (such as being afraid of vampires and believing in Santa Claus well into his 30s). [[SharedFamilyQuirks His sons also exhibit a few of these traits]].

'''Big Boss voiced by''': Creator/ChikaoOhtsuka (JP, ''[=MGS4=]''), Creator/RichardDoyle (EN, ''[=MGS4=]''), Creator/KieferSutherland (EN, ''[=MGSV=]'')

* KnifeNut: Big Boss is very handy with a combat knife. A firm stab will gut his opponent, or he can dice them up with skillful slashes. For a showy death, Big Boss can use CQC to slit their throats. In ''Peace Walker'', he swaps out the knife for a non-lethal stun rod. By ''Ground Zeroes'', he is back to using a regular knife.

* ArchnemesisDad: He's the nemesis of his own son [[spoiler: Solid Snake/David]] in ''Metal Gear'' and ''Metal Gear 2''. [[spoiler:Liquid Snake/Eli]] is ''inmensely jealous'', [[YouKilledMyFather having wanted to kill Big Boss for years]]. And [[spoiler:Solidus Snake/George Sears]] was the one to idolize Big Boss, modeling himself after the legendary mercenary.

* UndignifiedDeath: Subverted. Big Boss [[DisneyDeath seemingly]] dies at the end of ''Metal Gear'' when Solid uses an AerosolFlamethrower to burn him - a rather pathetic end for a [[BadassNormal man who used to fight superhumans]] and [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower once benched a 90-ton robot in his youth]]. Except this burning wasn't ''immediately'' fatal and he slipped into a coma and stayed that way for fifteen years. His actual death at the end of ''Guns of the Patriots'' is quite poignant, having a last smoke while burying the hatchet with his son.

* WeakToFire: The only way to cause his [[spoiler: alleged]] death in ''Metal Gear 2'' is to immolate him with a lighter and a can of hairspray.

** Apparently Big Boss is also capable of ''[[UpToEleven bench-pressing the equivalent weight of AI Weapon Cocoon's main body above his head]]''.

->''This is good...Isn't it?''

* {{Irony}}: His fight against Quiet turns out to be a mirror of the fight between him and Solid Snake in VideoGame/MetalGear2, except this time Big Boss is the one injured, weaponless, and forced to make an improvised incendiary weapon, against an opponent armed to the teeth. Quiet's [=XOF=] uniform's color palette being similar to Solid Snake's iconic Sneaking Suit in [=MGS1=] helps with the allusion. [[GenerationXerox Like father, like son, huh?]]

* PosthumousCharacter: His impact and legacy are felt long after Solid Snake immolates him in ''Metal Gear 2''. Many characters worship the ground he walked on (some more literally than others), and his body is even used as a MacGuffin in ''Metal Gear Solid''. [[spoiler: This ends up being subverted, as ''Metal Gear Solid 4'' reveals that he was being kept alive in a barely-cognitive state by the Patriots. ''Metal Gear Rising'', the only game in the series to take place after his FinalDeath, barely mentions him at all]].

* PosthumousCharacter: His impact and legacy are felt long after Solid Snake immolates him in ''Metal Gear 2''. Many characters worship the ground he walked on (some more literally than others), and his body is even used as a MacGuffin in ''Metal Gear Solid''. [[spoiler: This ends up being subverted, as ''Metal Gear Solid 4'' reveals that he was being kept alive in a barely-cognitive state by the Patriots. ''Metal Gear Rising'', the only game in the series to take place after his actual death, barely mentioning him at all]].

[[center:[-[[Characters/MetalGear Main Character Index]] | Characters/MetalGear1 ([[Characters/MetalGearSolidSnake Solid Snake]] | '''Big Boss / Naked Snake''') | [[Characters/MetalGear2SolidSnake Metal Gear 2]] | [[Characters/MetalGearSolid Metal Gear Solid]] | [[Characters/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty Sons of Liberty]] ([[Characters/MetalGearRaiden Raiden]]) | [[Characters/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater Snake Eater]] | [[Characters/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots Guns of the Patriots]] | [[Characters/MetalGearSolidPortableOps Portable Ops]] | [[Characters/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker Peace Walker]] | [[Characters/MetalGearRisingRevengeance Revengeance]] | [[Characters/MetalGearSolidV The Phantom Pain]] | [[Characters/MetalGearAcid Acid]] | [[Characters/MetalGearGhostBabel Ghost Babel]] | [[Characters/SnakesRevenge Snake's Revenge]]-]]]

** Big Boss scoffs at the idea of peace, since fighting is all he knows, and did no agree with The Boss' ideologies, and deliberately misinterprets her will until the end of his life where he decides to make peace with his surviving son. Venom however does not, and looks forward to the day soldiers could lay down their weapons and live in peace.
** Speaking of the Sons of Big Boss, whenever the boys are mentioned in any capacity, he has nothing but contempt for their existence, but nonetheless tells Ocelot to treat them as any other person. Venom for his part is more than willing to bond with Eli, despite the latter's hatred for him because of his existence.

->'''a.k.a.''': Naked Snake, Jack, John Doe, The Legendary Soldier, The Legendary Mercenary, The One-Eyed Man, Saladin, Vic Boss, [[spoiler: Ishmael]], [[spoiler: The Bandaged Man]]

->'''AKA''': Naked Snake, Jack, John Doe, The Legendary Soldier, The Legendary Mercenary, The One-Eyed Man, Saladin, Vic Boss, [[spoiler: Ishmael]], [[spoiler: The Bandaged Man]]