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Despite the fact that the plots of the games usually appear barebone, Metal Slug has its fair share of characters, all of whom have a great deal of backstory to them. The backstory to each character is where the real plot points stand out.

Characters who debuted in Metal Slug Defense and Metal Slug Attack can be seen here and here.

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Protagonists (Broken down by game appearance)

Metal Slug

    Marco (Marchrius Dennis Rossi) 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msd___marco_rossi.png
"Pull your finger out and get to the source code."

The main protagonist of the series, Marchrius "Marco" Dennis Rossi joined the military's vocational school following technical high school, and after graduating, joined the Peregrine Falcons Squadron, soon becoming its leader. Though generally a good-natured guy, he tends to go mad whenever Morden is mentioned, given the fact that Morden was responsible for the deaths of many of his good friends.

Off the battlefield, Marco is an expert computer technician, often creating computer viruses for fun, but one in particular that unintentionally made its way onto the net infected the military's mainframe, made it past all of the firewalls and almost caused the launch of several nuclear missiles. He intends to take that secret to his grave.

From Metal Slug 6 onward, Marco's unique ability is to deal double damage with his handgun. If playing on Easy, though, this ability transfers over to the automatic Heavy Machine Gun. In Metal Slug 7/XX, he can also use the Burst Shot, which allows for rapid fire, though he can't move.


  • The Ace: Marco is competent at a lot of things. Being a playable character, he is one of the top fighters, the scenario of the very first story shows he is a very good leader who can reassemble losing forces and counterattack against Morden, he is shown to be a very good computer technician, as only he and Fio hijack the Martian computer with next to no struggle in the third game, and he can ride vehicles just like everyone else who is playable.
  • All-American Face: More or less designed as the typical American war movie hero.
  • Badasses Wear Bandanas: He's been wearing that iconic white bandana of his into the battlefield ever since the first game.
  • Berserk Button: Anything involving General Morden, due to the latter killing many of his comrades during his attacks.
  • Big "NO!": He lets out one for his death cry.
  • Boring, but Practical: His ability in the later games is dealing double damage with a handgun. While this is hardly flashy, it is invaluable whenever if one is without any upgrades. In Defense, his special is to shoot his Heavy Machine Gun, which is hardly flashy but a good all-purpose skill.
  • Eagleland: He is a tanned, blonde-haired American who loves big guns and justice.
  • Emergency Weapon: Starting in 6, he is focused on making the starting peashooter of a handgun not so pathetic. By dealing double damage, the standard fallback weapon of Metal Slug protagonists is actually pretty decent. Another weapon is still preferable, but not as much.
  • Extendo Boxing Glove: An alternate melee attack for when he's crouching.
  • Handguns: His attack power is doubled while firing a handgun.
  • The Hero: The leader of the team and the poster boy of the series.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Tarma, who has been with him since the very beginning.
  • Playful Hacker: During his spare time. He accidentally almost launched nuclear weapons at one point.
  • The Smart Guy: Outside the battlefield he's an expert hacker.
  • Truly Single Parent: He is the "father" of MS-ALICE, MS-HEART and MS-PHI, AI he created; he's also the legal guardian of Midori Schumann.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: With Tarma. While they tease each other, they have been loyal to each other and kicking ass together since the very first game.

    Tarma (Tarmicle Roving III) 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vtegbs4mhid3subweaeq_6.jpg
"So what's your next move...?"

Son of a military man, Tarmicle entered the Special Forces Training School after finishing junior high. At age 20, he joined the Peregrine Falcons on a mission to rescue the president, at which point he met Marco, the two becoming fast friends. When he found out Marco had been selected to take part in the counteroffensive against Morden, Tarma was quick to volunteer. Though he often pokes fun at Marco, he holds his friend in the highest regard.

Whenever he is not engaged in battle, he builds custom motorcycles with such attention to detail that he puts most professionals to shame. If and when he can retire from active service, he intends to open his own motorbike shop.

Tarma's engineering skill from Metal Slug 6 onward allows him to make better use of the Slugs that he comes across. They can take twice as many hits, he can use the vulcan fix, the vulcan's damage is increased, and he obtains twice as many Slug Shells on pickup. In 7/XX, he can also kick Slugs, which can either recover or damage them. However, the double durability and recovery/damage kick only works on Vehicle Slugs.


  • Ace Pilot: His specialty on the team starting in 6. He is the best at handling vehicles and it translates to gameplay as tougher vehicles, stronger weapons in them, and new abilities.
  • Badass Biker: Off-screen. The Cool Shades and his backstory of expertly building bikes establish him as this.
  • Cool Shades: Tarma is never seen without his shades. It also helps distinguish him from Marco at a glance.
  • Demoted to Extra: Becomes a supporting character in 4, but regains his playable status in 5.
  • Gadgeteer Genius : He is the team's Slug expert, largely due to him tinkering with vehicles in his spare time.
  • Glass Cannon: In Defense, he has the lowest HP of the four main characters but his Shotgun does the most damage.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: He is the only character who has been with Marco from the beginning.
  • The Lancer: Marco's best friend and foil, as well as the default player 2.
  • Meaningful Name: As the Metal Slug technician of the team, his name last name is Roving.
  • Obligatory Swearing: F-Bombs upon a player's death. Some console releases alter the game so that he shares Marco's death cry. Averted in story-driven installments such as 3D and Defense. Tarma doesn't even cuss a single word in-story.
  • Percussive Maintenance : His Slug Kick. Sometimes averted, causing damage to the Slug instead.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds : With Marco.

Metal Slug 2

    Eri Kasamoto 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msd___eri_kasamoto_0.png
"You live then you die - all alone..."

Eri was found abandoned on the steps of a church. When she became wise to the ways of the world, she eventually ran off and became the leader of a gang of street kids. The Intelligence Department of the Regular Army noticed her leadership skills, and thus recruited her. She went on to receive spy training, and took part in a number of missions requiring assassination. She found these types of missions distasteful, and requested a transfer to the SPARROWS division. Given her impressive track record, it was approved. Once transferred to the SPARROWS division, she was assigned the role of team demolitions expert.

Given Eri's background of growing up among street children, her demeanor and attitude in life mostly boils down to "Rely on nobody but yourself."

Eri's unique talent from Metal Slug 6 onward is handling grenades. She starts each life with 20 instead of the normal amount, gains double grenades on pickup, deals more damage with them, and is the only one able to aim her throws, which includes straight upward.


  • Action Girl: Kicks as much ass as any of the men.
  • Badasses Wear Bandanas: She always wears one in nearly every appearance.
  • Brutal Honesty: In her first mission with Fio, Eri bluntly says that Fio's inexperience in combat is going to get them both killed, and that Fio was better hanging back so Eri could go on alone.
  • The Big Girl: While the whole team packs plenty of power, she's the explosives specialist.
  • Compressed Hair: Hidden in her bandana in her sprites. Some pieces of official art would have some of her hair spew out of the back of her head.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: We need to reiterate that her old career as an espionage agency assassin was apparently somehow so "distasteful" that she compares it unfavorably to blowing people up with grenades and flamethrowers.
  • Demoted to Extra: Becomes a supporting character in 4, but regains her playable status in 5.
  • Hard-Drinking Party Girl: She loves to drink spiritas (a 96-proof vodka).
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Fio.
  • Informed Loner: She's on a four person team by the time of her introduction and does little to show off her loner personality. Made more apparent in Attack, where one of her strongest memories is abandoning Fio on her first few missions because she was too slow.
  • In-Series Nickname: "Memphis Bomb Princess".
  • Japanese Delinquents: A variation. Eri was a former sukeban (female gang leader) and she still sports blond hair.
  • Kick Chick: She can sometimes use kicks as a melee attack animation.
  • Mukokuseki: While she does have (light) brown eyes, her hair's a shade of blond that is anything but Asian, let alone Japanese (she's from Hiroshima). It is unknown if her blond hair was a dyed leftover of her childhood as a sukeban.
  • Sdrawkcab Name: Spelling her name backwards in Hiragana will get the name of a famous Japanese pop star Rie Tomosaka.
  • Stuff Blowing Up: Starting in 6 her specialty is grenades.
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: Eri's the Tomboy. Her backstory, attitude, and appearance are much tougher than Fio's.
  • Younger Than They Look: Eri's two years younger than Fio, considering Eri's tougher personality.

    Fiolina "Fio" Germi 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20190401113417820.jpg
"Don't worry about me, I'm just fine."

Daughter of the massively wealthy Germi Family, hailing from Italy. The Germi family has historically been a military family, sending their oldest into service, so naturally her father wished for a healthy son to carry on the name. However, following Fio's difficult childbirth, her mother was unable to bear anymore children, making it the first time the Germi heir was female.

Eri's polar opposite, Fio was raised in a loving family, and has a cheerful and upbeat demeanor. Aside from her soldier training, she also studied chiropractics, acupuncture and moxibustion in university, and hopes to become a sports doctor in the future.

Fio's special trait from the sixth game onward is carrying extra ammo for her weapons. She starts each life with a Heavy Machine Gun, and gains 50% more ammo on weapon pickup. If playing on Easy, though, she automatically gets the Big Heavy Machine Gun as her initial armament.


  • Action Girl: No less a capable fighter than any of the men.
  • Big Eater: Downplayed compared to Nadia, but still present especially in the pachino slot machine spin-offs that Fio appears in which usually leads to her stuffing herself silly if players get a jackpot. Fio's actually been trying to avert this in recent entries due to it ruining her figure, as most of the extra weight goes to her already large bust size.
  • Badass Adorable: Best exemplified by her victory animation of her falling down coquettishly. Mind you, this is after wiping out hundreds of enemy troops. Fio's even this when she's sporting a big belly, which makes her more cuter compared to most examples.
  • Balloon Belly: Tends to get this treatment quite often in the spin-offs, especially the pachino slot-machines (Jackpot!). She's practically the poster-girl for this trope in the series. Though she has been trying to slow down on it in recent entries due to it ruining her figure since the extra weight causes her already large bust to get bigger.
  • Bespectacled Cutie: An archetypical example in video games. She's got the glasses, cute look, modest personality, and is overall moe because of it, her adorableness doesn't go away even when she's sporting a huge Balloon Belly, which actually makes her more cuter.
  • Dare to Be Badass: Eri's cold abandonment on their first few missions together basically had this effect on Fio, as shown in Metal Slug Attack. Eri's open willingness to call out Fio for being weak when she's spent her entire life being coddled is what pushed her into becoming as competent as she is now. That being said, she usually retains her meek demeanor off the battlefield.
  • D-Cup Distress: Her breasts are quite large, often to her distress, which is the reason she tries to slow down on her Big Eater tendencies in recent entries as all of the extra weight she gains makes her already large breasts bigger.
  • Finger Poke of Doom: Her melee attacks include swift tonfa strikes, hatchet slices, and prissy slapping and shoving. Enemy soldiers die horribly all the same.
  • Girly Bruiser: A hardened killer whose hobbies include embroidery and ballroom dancing.
  • Guest Fighter: She is playable in The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact 2.
  • The Heart: The medical expert of the team and also the most emotional.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Eri.
  • Heroic Self-Deprecation: She usually thinks less of herself in comparison to her teammates.
  • Last of Her Kind: Fio's parents' greatest fear, as she is the current and only heir of the Germi family in a very dangerous line of work, and her mother can no longer give birth to another child. See Stay in the Kitchen below.
  • Ms. Fanservice: A lesser one compared to Sophia, but is far better known among fans due to appearing earlier and is part of the main game series where as Sophia only appears in the mobile versions. A cute girl wearing glasses with with a nice busty figure (which is obvious on any piece of official art, especially next to the modestly endowed Eri), of which Fio has the biggest bust of the playable female cast with only Nadia (and her replacement Tyra) coming the closest, she's even this when she's under the Balloon Belly effect as it actually increases her bust size (much to Fio's chagrin as the weight she gains goes directly to her breasts), which explains why Fio's bust is so big compared to the rest of the female cast.
  • More Dakka: Her Specialty from Metal Slug 6 onwards. The Heavy Machine Gun is basically her default weapon.
  • Older Than They Look: Despite her appearance and character, Fio is two years older than Eri.
  • Revolvers Are Just Better: Her basic handgun is actually a revolver, though it does the exact same amount of damage as the other protagonists' pistols and isn't limited to a certain amount of shots (so you can keep mashing like everyone else).
  • Shock and Awe: A version of her in ‘’Attack’’ uses a Thundercloud and a Chain Lightning gun. Thing is, Fio is afraid of lightning. An entire Ops storyline is dedicated to her overcoming her fear to use it. A new "Super Devil" form wields Lighting Guns Akimbo.
  • Small Girl, Big Gun: The heavy weapons specialist is the smallest of the four main playable characters.
  • Stay in the Kitchen: Fio's father would rather she not be in combat so damn much. Whether it's because she's a woman or because she's an only child (Last of Her Kind and thus putting the whole family line in danger since she has no children of her own) is up for debate (possibly both).
  • Took a Level in Badass: She's normally the meekest of the main cast, but at the end of Metal Slug 3, she stands in a very proud manner atop of a floating Metal Slug. Eri, in comparison, has a hunched demeanor.
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: Fio's the Girly Girl compared to Eri's Tomboy. She's got a sheltered background, cuter looks, and is much less hardened in general.
  • Weight Woe: Becomes more apparent in the recent games, as Fio's Big Eater tendencies causes her large bust to get bigger, so she has been trying to slow down on eating.
  • Wimp Fight: Believe it or not, this is one of her melee attack animations, but it's subverted in that it can damage or even kill any human-sized enemy with her sissy flailing.

Metal Slug 4

    Nadia Cassel 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msd___nadia_cassel_0.png
"This is suh-sweet, non?"

Initially, Nadia wanted to go into the modeling business, but she couldn't stop eating, which meant she kept gaining weight, so she enlisted into the Regular Army for the exercise. She soon discovered her skills as a soldier, and was chosen to help in stopping the Amadeus Syndicate from releasing its supervirus. Here, Nadia is a stand-in for Eri, who had been assigned to other duties. The one thing putting her apart from Eri is that her alternate melee weapon is a souped-up taser, capable of shredding the enemy. Unfortunately, due to some in-game bugs, she doesn't get as many points for using her melee.


  • Action Girl: Runs and guns with the best of them.
  • Big Eater: Compared to the other characters whose powerup relies on eating, she takes it up a notch. Her idle animation almost always leads her grabbing a bite on a chocolate bar.
  • Balloon Belly: Almost on a daily basis due to her being the biggest Big Eater of the group, surpassing fellow female Fio.
  • Formerly Fat: Well, except the ending has her eating a big feast alongside the other heroes. And with Nadia being the biggest eater of the group, she'll likely be fat again in the future.
  • Girly Bruiser: Especially her Valentine's Day outfit in Defense and Attack. This doesn't stop her from kicking ass, though.
  • Girlish Pigtails: As evidenced by the fact she joined the military not to prove herself, defeat evil, or a love of fighting, she's just a girly girl who joined for girlish reasons. Her hair is appropriately in pigtails.
  • Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak:
  • Ms. Fanservice: Moreso than Eri, due to Nadia having the 2nd biggest breasts of the female playable cast next to Fio, she's even this when sporting Balloon Belly.
  • Mundane Utility: Joining the military in the midst of open conflict apparently seems like an easier way to lose weight than just eating less to Nadia, except for the fact that the game is literally a food filled paradise for a Big Eater like Nadia.
  • Rose-Haired Sweetie: She's definitely the cutie and probably the least militaristic of the protagonists, fitting her pink hair.
  • Set Swords to "Stun": Inverted. Her taser is set to essentially killing her victims outright like the rest of the team's melee attacks.
  • Spy Catsuit: "Special Nadia's" outfit.
  • Signed Up for the Dental: Joined the military as a way to exercise and lose weight, except she would rather eat and get fat.
  • Significant Green-Eyed Redhead: Rose-Haired Sweetie with green eyes in her portrait.
  • Static Stun Gun: She uses a taser as her melee attack.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute : To Eri, in terms of animations, she's also bustier than Eri by a lot.
  • Weight Woe: The main reason she joined the military is to lose weight, according to her desire to become a supermodel. Unfortunately this gets conflicted to the fact when she's admitted to be a known Big Eater which she's proud of and won't stop eating, which is made worse as the series is well known for its abundance of food items lying around.

    Trevor Spacey 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msd___trevor_spacey.png
"I'm going to make scrap metal out of you, pal!!"

Trevor received his first computer at age three. By the time he was seven, not only could he perform complex coding, he also worked on creating antivirus programs during summer break, many of which are still in use at the school he attended. When he ended up joining the Peregrine Falcons, he found a great deal of respect for Marco, whose own computer skills surpassed his own. Here, he acted as Tarma's stand-in. His melee involves kicking the enemy so hard, it shreds them apart; he gains double points for this, but he has to hold still.


Metal Slug: 2nd Mission

    Gimlet 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msd___gimlet.png

A recruit in the Peregrine Falcons squad who while on his way to investigate the Rebel Army's goals stumbled upon startling info from a rescued hostage: the rebels have made contact with aliens! After his requests for backup were ignored, he reluctantly decides to face the enemy himself.


    Red Eye 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/64feb4b319d2a90ccdb419bca017977a.png

A member of the Government Forces' Special Forces. Like Gimlet, she too stumbled upon info regarding the Rebels making contact with aliens while investigating a UFO sighting. After learning that Gimlet has decided to engage the enemy, she gives chase, not wanting to be beaten to the action.


  • Macross Missile Massacre: Favors an M202 FLASH like rocket launcher.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Of Fio, except she wears red, doesn't have nearly as big of a bust (making Red Eye the least endowned female of the group, even less so than Eri). And doesn't wear glasses.

Metal Slug Advance

    Walter Ryan 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msd___walter_ryan.png
"I'd rather be pumpin' iron."

Walter joined the Peregrine Falcons squad with the hopes to train his mind and body, knowing he had the stamina to keep up with the rest of them. However, he never would've guessed his initial "training" would turn out to be a rescue mission.


    Tyra Elson 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/story_act_127.png
"I guess everything's up to me."

Tyra's strong desire to fight evil is what motivated her to join the Peregrine Falcons alongside Walter. After getting the highest score on the written test, she was immediately put to the physical training course on the island where the game takes place.


Metal Slug Mobile

    Nathalie Neo 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2813036_1624486184_latest.png
A member of the Sparrows division.

    Roberto Nicola 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/story_act_048.png
A member of the Peregrine Falcons.
  • Ascended Fanboy: Was overjoyed to work with Fio, one of his favorite soldiers.
  • Bash Brothers: Works with Leona in games he stars in. In Metal Slug Attack, he is partnered with Fio.
  • Limit Break: The Roberto Combination, which is a set of shots from his gun and some bomb throws.
  • Trauma Button: Gets overly suspicious to any beautiful woman he gets in contact with. This is because in his first mission, he once got frozen by Beatriz posing as a helpless civilian.

    Alisa Stewart 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msd___alisa_stewart.png
A former mechanic of the Regular Army before joining as a soldier. Alisa is able to use her parachute in mid-air.
  • Dramatic Wind: Her victory animation has Alisa removing her hat and letting the wind blow her hair out no matter the location.
  • Hammerspace Parachute: She can deploy as many as she pleases.
  • Identical Stranger: Her Metal Slug Defense artwork has her similarly designed as Fio.
  • Wrench Whack: Uses a wrench as her melee attack.

Ikari Warriors

Ralf and Clark, in between their appearances in The King of Fighters series, appeared alongside the core team for Metal Slug 6, and are back for Metal Slug 7/XX. Joining them in XX is Leona and later Whip and Heidern in Metal Slug Defense. A better amount of information about these five can be found on their respective series' page.


    Ralf Jones 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/81fdedc32cdb5b6b070651d65a7bd7e632cc38cer1_428_423v2_hq.jpg
"OK, let's get this done!!"
Debut: Metal Slug 6

Aside from his participation in various fighting tournaments, little to nothing else is known about him or Clark. There's rumors flying around, but he tends to ignore them.

Though carrying half as much ammo and grenades as anyone else, Ralf makes up for this with his Vulcan Punch, capable of destroying tanks, and his melee speed is much faster than anyone else's (and his normal melee can also damage things that others cannot). He's also the only character capable of taking two hits. He's just that tough.


  • Blade Enthusiast: Collects knives as a hobby. And his normal attack (unless you use an alternate melee) has him use knives in combat.
  • Dash Attack: His other special move, the Galactic Phantom Punch.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Clark.
  • Hot-Blooded: The guy is willing to charge armed soldiers and tanks with his bare hands.
  • Lightning Bruiser: He can run and jump as well as everyone else, has fast (and highly damaging) melee attacks, and takes 2 hits to kill, unlike most of his allies.
  • Made of Iron: To the point that he can survive getting hit with a tank shell and keep on fighting like a pro. The one thing that can insta-kill him are incendiary weapons, man eaters, electric based weapons, being crushed, and bottomless pits.
  • Older Than They Look: He was born in 1992, making him 13 years older than both Marco and Tarma, 16 years older than Fio, 18 years older than Eri and about 40 years old by the time of his first appearance. Official art still depicts him as looking just as young as Marco and Tarma.
  • One-Hit-Point Wonder: Averted; he can take two hits, unlike every other protagonist. That said, certain things can still kill him in one hit as mentioned in Made of Iron above.
  • Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: His special move, the Vulcan Punch.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to Clark's blue.

    Clark Still 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msd___clark_still.png
"Hey, come on!!"
Debut: Metal Slug 6

Clark and Ralf have been longtime friends, even in the unit the two of them are assigned to.

Clark's unique ability is his Super Argentine Backbreaker, a special melee move capable of earning him a lot of points in a short time frame. He also gains a small window of invulnerability with each enemy he tosses with this. However, it only works on certain human-sized enemies.


  • Cool Shades: Much like Tarma. Echoing Tarma's relationship with Marco, the shades serve to differentiate Clark and Ralf.
  • Difficult, but Awesome: If you can overcome its short range and target limitations, the Super Argentine Backbraker will rip nearly any horde of (human) mooks a new one, earning you tons of points and a lot of invincibility time.
  • Hammerspace: In Defense, his special move is to pull out a large Exploding Barrel and hurl it. In Attack, his "Jet Clark" variant throws refrigerators.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Ralf. They've been together for years in several combat theaters.
  • Human Hammer-Throw: Thanks to his Argentine Backbreaker, Clark can send enemies roughly the same size as him flying aside with deadly effect.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Ralf's red. He's less hot blooded and more stoic.
  • The Stoic: Even when suplexing enemy soldiers, he's not exactly a Screaming Warrior.
  • Stone Wall: As Jet Clark, his ability to throw refrigerators to use as blockades make him very hard to wear down.
  • Wrestler in All of Us: His Backbreaker.

    Leona Heidern 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msd___leona_heidern.png
Debut: Metal Slug XX

Leona was adopted by Commander Heidern following her involuntary transformation and slaughter of her hometown, and Clark and Ralf helped to oversee her training.

Leona joins the team for XX, but has to be unlocked via DLC (she's only 99 cents, well worth it); the PS4 version includes her automatically. She carries an amalgamation of everyone else's skills (stronger pistol fire, 20% more ammo and grenades, Slugs can take an extra hit, and she retains her weapons after losing a life. Interestingly, her special melee, Moon Slasher, can destroy bullets). According to her profile, Clark, Fio and Leona finished a mission that also further bonded the three as being good friends.


  • All Your Powers Combined: In XX, she has basically everyone else's special skills.
  • Ascended Extra: Originally appeared in a cheap cell phone game before being moved to the main series.
  • Cat Girl: By donning cat ears, she can decrease her hit points while increasing her attack.
  • Close-Range Combatant: In Defense, her moon slasher is her only move.
  • Guest Fighter: She originates from The King of Fighters series.
  • Mythology Gag: Her "Silent Soldier Leona" unit, based on one of her KoF incarnations, has a victory pose where Chang Koehan appears in a thought bubble.
  • Signature Move: Her Moon Slasher, originally from KOF is a chop attack that destroys projectiles, and essentially turn into an absolute Game-Breaker if one knows how to use it consecutively and quickly.
  • True Companions: With Ralf and Clark, ever since KOF '96.

    Whip 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msd___whip.png
Debut: Metal Slug Defense

Whip makes her debut in Metal Slug Defense as part of the King of Fighters faction. Since the KOF faction does not exist in Metal Slug Attack, Whip has been moved to the P.F. faction.


  • Cast Herd: Whip was separated from Ralf, Clark, and Leona in Defense, since the latter three are part of the P.F. faction. While she eventually joined alongside them in the same faction in Attack, Whip is not part of the Wrath team, rather being placed next to the Slugnoid Type-B for the Agent Sally team.
  • Last Episode, New Character: Whip and Heidern were the final units implemented in Metal Slug Defense.
  • Revolvers Are Just Better: Her special attack is shooting a bullet from a golden revolver. Its range is short in Defense and much farther in Attack.
  • Weapon Specialization: Her standard attack is a whip swing. Her whip is able to cause knockback in Attack.

    Heidern 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msd___heidern.png
Debut: Metal Slug Defense

Heidern makes his debut in Metal Slug Defense as part of the King of Fighters faction. Since the KOF faction does not exist in Metal Slug Attack, Heidern has been moved to the P.F. faction.


  • Cast Herd: Heidern was separated from Ralf, Clark, and Leona in Defense, since the latter three are part of the P.F. faction. While he eventually joined alongside them in the same faction in Attack, Heidern is not part of the Wrath team, rather being placed next to the Donkey Slug (Eri) for the "Operation Ikari" team.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: Appeared as a drill instructor in Defense's Combat School before becoming a playable unit.
  • Hired Guns: The leader of the Ikari Warriors, who sends his troops to the Regular Army whenever there's a big conflict.
  • Last Episode, New Character: Whip and Heidern were the final units implemented in Metal Slug Defense.
  • Life Drain: His special attack has him jump and suck the life of the closest unit.
  • Precision F-Strike: Go. To. HELL!
  • Razor Wind: His long-range attack.

Antagonists (By faction)

Rebel Army

    Rebel Army 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_0124.jpeg

Debut: Metal Slug

The primary antagonists of the series, the Rebel Army was formed when Morden defected from the Regular Army over the deaths of his family. As he was A Father to His Men, they followed him out of sheer loyalty, and after merging with various terrorist groups, proved to be so dangerous that the Regular Army were forced to get their act together. Fanatics to the extreme, they would do whatever it took to overthrow the world's governments and install their own, even siding with alien invaders to get the job done. That said, they're certainly not stupid, and will side with the Regular Army to deal with threats far greater than them.


  • Armies Are Evil: Pretty much, though they're more comedic than one's usual evil army.
  • Army of Thieves and Whores: They certainly fit this trope after merging with the terrorist groups that had been plaguing the Regular Army for some time. However they all seem to get along pretty well and are zealous in their loyalty to Morden. Further shown in Metal Slug Attack, where multiple factions exist within the army, but they're all unified in their loyalty to Morden. Even the soldiers forced into conscription have been shown to eventually develop a loyalty to their squad and their general.
  • Artificial Brilliance:
    • The Rebel riflemen display a surprising level of competence not seen in other ranks; they regularly hide behind available cover (and will not take action if they are under sustained fire), will switch from cover-to-cover if their opponent jumps to their direction, will immediately duck back to cover if a player takes a shot too early, and swiftly duck from gunfire if they are not firing.
    • The orange hazmat Rebels, although they cannot dodge gunfire, are much more intelligent; they will actively back away from thrown grenades and will not attempt to advance, so long as the player keeps throwing grenades at them.
  • Determinator: Even after half a dozen games of getting slaughtered by the heroes, it is impressive to see that they're still trying to take over the world in spite of all their setbacks.
  • Elite Mook: Some of their future soldiers in 7 are tougher variants of normal Rebels, such as their homing missile mooks shooting three missiles instead of one and their shield mooks being able to attack without dropping their force field.
  • Enemy Mine: Though they oppose the Regular Army, they will join forces with them to deal with greater threats such as the Mars People and the Invaders.
  • Laughably Evil: For an evil army, yep. It's very common to catch them sleeping or simply off-guard (having a cookout, tanning on a beach, etc.), and they die in fairly comedic ways.
  • Made of Plasticine: Applies to the mooks, since one bullet is all that is needed to take them down. Of course, the heroes can keep shooting at them to earn more points until they fall over dead.
  • Mascot Mook: They've appeared in nearly every game barring 4 (where the Amadeus Syndicate are impersonating them) and 5 (where they got replaced by the Ptolemaic Army).
  • Nebulous Evil Organisation: As the biggest terrorist organization to be formed, even largely consisting of former terrorist groups.
  • Putting on the Reich: They are Western Terrorists (led by the North Americans, after all) who resemble Those Wacky Nazis in their uniforms and flags.
  • The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: Downplayed. They are a rebel group fighting against the government, though, while they achieve violent means to do so, they do not indiscriminately kill civilians in their revolution.
  • Stupid Jetpack Hitler: This is the 2020s/2030s, and even though they're not really Nazis (or even Neo-Nazis, for that matter), they still have some impressive war machines and weapons that can give the Regular Army a run for their money, and they always manage to make more after every defeat.
  • Suicide Attack: To show their undying loyalty to Morden and to showcase their fanaticism, some of the soldiers are very willing to strap explosive oil drums or missiles on to their backs to act as suicide bombers. The former is notable, as they have access to conventional sea mines, yet there are those who act as suicide bombers in the hopes of obliterating their targets.
  • Undying Loyalty: They bear a strong loyalty to Morden, since he is A Father to His Men. One of the fastest ways to get them to work with the protagonists is any part of the Rebel Army finding out that their General is in danger.
  • Villains Out Shopping: Some soldiers can be seen doing mundane things, such as sunbathing, sitting round a campfire or playing a handheld console.

    Donald Morden 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brwj2ymdufozvhwsfqrg1spujuvee6evendmymugqe6vzphc.png
Debut: Metal Slug

Morden was formerly a Vice Admiral in the Regular Army Marine Corps. Though a tough and efficient commander, he was also something of A Father to His Men, which greatly helped him to earn their respect.

Things went well for Morden, up until the Central Park bombing, which not only took away his right eye (hence the eyepatch he wears), but it also killed his wife and daughter. To twist the knife even further, he later found out that Regular Army Intelligence knew about the bomb threat and pushed for the high command to stop it, but due to rampant corruption in the system at the time, the higher-ups dismissed the threat as being a mere prank or so (later blaming the bombing on a lack of intel, even though they clearly had the intel to begin with), which, when combined with his emotional instability and rampant alcoholism following afterwards, ended in Morden's resignation.

When Morden left, all of the soldiers under his command (including Allen O'Neil) followed him out of sheer loyalty to him. This allowed him to form the Rebellion Army, and he began making swift tactical moves against the Regular Army, nearly destroying them and finally motivating them to get their act together. In fact, during his attack on the president, he gained his nickname as the "Devil Reborn", due to just how frightening he was.

Though he is the main threat in Metal Slug, in Metal Slug 2, it turns out he teamed up with the Mars People, who gave him the technology he needed, but were quick to turn on him. He barely showed up in games 3 (where a Mars Person is impersonating him) and 4 (there are robotic duplicates of him, possibly including the one in the intro demo), and is completely absent in 5, but makes a return in 6, where he (again) makes a pact with the Mars People, but this time, due to the Invaders invading, it is soon under different terms. Taking a certain route in Stage 4 will mean that he is the one who actually saves the player at the end of the game.

His biggest return to the spotlight was in 7/XX, where it turns out his own soldiers, from some unspecified time in the future, went back in time to help him out, again out of sheer loyalty to him.


  • Arch-Enemy: To Marco, as he was responsible for most of Marco's comrades being killed in his attacks.
  • Badass Normal: If he is abnormal in any way, it's probably not actually Morden. Doesn't stop him from trying to fight the heroes personally throughout the series, even fighting you directly early in the original game.
  • Big Bad: For most games, though sometimes he gets the title hijacked.
  • Big Damn Heroes: If the player took the top path in Mission 4 in Metal Slug 6, he appears to save them from a great fall after the Invader king dies.
  • Canada, Eh?: Hails from Canada, and has some hobbies that are stereotypical of Canadians like hunting and building log cabins according to his profile.
  • Cigar Chomper: It is not shown in the games, but his profile reveals that he likes to smoke cigars before heading off to battle.
  • Comedic Underwear Exposure: Gets stripped to his underwear by the Mars People in 2/X and 3, and gets his pants pulled off by the Invaders in 6.
  • Cool Plane: Despite being an army general, he seems to have a strong preference to copters and planes (the Hi-Do attack helicopter and Hairbuster Ribert) over tanks. The few times he is in a tank, it is a method of defense, not hiding.
  • Create Your Own Hero: He abandoned the Regular Army because of its incompetence and corruption, and then nearly wiped them out. But the remnants of the Regular Army finally got serious and actually heroic so they could defeat him.
  • Cynicism Catalyst: For Morden, it was losing his family and eye to a terrorist attack that could have easily been prevented were it not for corruption within the Regular Army.
  • Evil Laugh: Tends to laugh in a mocking tone upon approaching the player.
  • Eviler than Thou: Frequently on the receiving end of this.
  • Eyepatch of Power: The man certainly looks imposing thanks to his eyepatch.
  • A Father to His Men: Treats his men as if they are family, which led them to follow him out of loyalty when he defected and keep them fanatically loyal to him in the present.
  • Final Boss: Of the original and of 7/XX.
  • General Ripper: Right there in the name, though he was originally a Vice-Admiral in the Regular Army.
  • Joker Immunity: Despite being defeated and/or doublecrossed whenever he appears, he always survives to lead his army again.
  • Karmic Butt-Monkey: Appearing on screen is usually a sign that he'll suffer a Humiliation Conga. Considering he is a great terrorist leader and sometimes a legitimate threat to the heroes, it's not completely undeserved.
  • Made of Iron: When riding the Hairbuster Riberts and the Hi-Do in the first game, he can take an absurd amount of bullets than even Allen O'Neil could barely withstand. Only upon the destruction of his personal twin bladed helicopter that he goes down, alive but out.
  • No Celebrities Were Harmed: His design is quite blatantly a parody of Saddam Hussein.
  • Not Me This Time: Against all expectations, he is not the main villain of 4. The Amadeus syndicate actually abuses this expectation, having robot copies of both Morden and Allen.
  • Rank Scales with Asskicking: Don't let his Butt-Monkey tendencies fool you. He is strong enough to endure plenty of shots and wield a bazooka when he actually is fought, and is also good at fighting with flying machines and the giant Kraken.
  • Red Baron: "The Devil Reborn", a moniker he got during his attack on the president due to just how terrifying he was.
  • Shadow Archetype: He could be seen as this to Heidern, since both were military men who lost their eye and loved ones to circumstances beyond their control (for Heidern, he lost his family to Rugal, while Morden lost his family to a terrorist attack), the difference being that Heidern would go on to adopt Leona and move on from his past after Rugal's demise, whereas Morden...didn't.
  • Villain Decay: Morden goes on this trope after 2. In fact, the only time he has been the Final Boss since then was 7.
  • Villain Takes an Interest: One story in Attack has him take an interest in Leona's Orochi power after she underwent the Riot of the Blood, ordering Abigail to get samples from her and send them to Navy for further study.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: Distraught over the death of his wife and daughter in a terrorist attack that could have been prevented and angered at corruption in the Regular Army, he abandoned the Regular Army and formed his own terrorist group, the Rebel Army, and while he plans on removing corruption from the world, his ultimate goal is to create a world-wide military dictatorship.
  • Western Terrorists: He's Canadian and leads the global-wide Rebel Army.

    Allen O'Neil 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/allen_oneil.png
"See you in hell..."
Debut: Metal Slug

Morden's right hand man and his best fighter. When Morden resigned from the Regular Army, Allen (alongside all of Morden's supporters) followed him out. He is mostly known for his extreme endurance, capable of taking insane amounts of punishment and supposedly being killed each game (he is eaten by an Orca in Metal Slug 2/X, which spits out his bones), only to return later. In Metal Slug 3, he not only dies, but comes back in the same level. Aside from being nigh unkillable, he also has a wife and son to return home to at the end of the day.

He appeared in Metal Slug 4's second and final stages, whereupon fighting him at the latter reveals him to be a machine, possibly meaning the heroes also fought a robot Allen back in Stage 2. He comes back for Metal Slug 7/XX in a Rebel Gigant, still spouting his trademark quips and insults.


  • Assist Character: In the soldier minigame in the console port of 3, he acts as the Rebels' "bomb" when summoned, shooting up any Martians that are in the way. He also shows up in the third game's final mission proper during the clone corridor sequence helping the player fight off clones.
  • Bad Boss: Due to a quirk in X, he has a tendency to kill his own troops in his attempts to kill the player characters. This is a sharp contrast to his Sergeant Rock characterization where he enjoys fighting alongside with his men.
  • Bald of Evil: His hair is shaved bald and he is a part of antagonistic military force.
  • BFG: Wields a large machine gun one-handed whenever he is fought, which is typically meant for a two-man team to operate.
  • Blood Knight: He even leads his own squadron in Attack called the "Allen Platoon", who are this trope to the extreme.
  • Boss Banter: He loves dishing these out.
    "C'MON, BOY!"
    "YOU'RE MINCEMEAT!"
    "GO HOME TO MOMMY!"
  • A Day in the Limelight: He is the player character for the (Japan Only) Metal Slug: Allen's Battle Chronicles game and its enhanced American port, Metal Slug Mobile 3.
  • The Dragon: To Morden who acts as his best combatant.
  • Duel Boss: He almost always provides the player with a Heavy Machine Gun before his fight, to be a match against his own. In 7 he wields a Slug Gigant, which is matched by the player's own Gigant (though the fact that the two use the same weapon is happenstance in this case). The one time he uses a clearly advantageous weapon without giving the player something to compensate, it turns out to be a robot duplicate replacing him.
  • Eagleland: Type 2, a loud, boorish, towering macho muscleman who loves to shoot stuff up with his M60 MG and blow everything with grenades.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He has a son (Allen Jr., shown below) and wife, which according to Word of God is why he keeps coming back from the grave, so he can see them again.
  • Evil Counterpart: To the player character, on the grounds of both characters having similar abilities (Heavy Machine Gun, grenades, melee attacks...), the difference being that he can take way more punishment before giving up the ghost as opposed to the player (who is a One-Hit-Point Wonder, though they both can come back from the dead if the player has extra lives).
  • Hunk: Is absolutely ripped, and along with his height, gives him an intimidating presence.
  • I Shall Taunt You: Loves to throw insults at his foes as he fights them.
  • Joker Immunity: Like Morden, he always keeps coming back, despite having been riddled with bullets and falling to his death in the first game, the second having him fall down to the ice water but apparently getting eaten by an Orca (which spits out his bones afterward). The third game doesn't have anything notable besides him collapsing and falling about twenty feet, but his body still vanishes like regular enemies do after the fight. In Attack he gets impaled by Caroline's Augensterm and electrocuted in an Extra Ops story.
  • Implacable Man: He cannot be stopped. Just shooting him alone is barely going to phase him.
  • Improbable Weapon User: Get too close to him and he'll slap you with the ammo belt of his machine gun, which will actually kill you stone-dead.
  • Large Ham: He is the only character in the Metal Slug franchise to actually have spoken lines. And they are ALL taunts! He doesn't speak in 4, though, which ends up being a giveaway that you're not fighting the real Allen.
  • Lightning Bruiser: Despite being bigger than the playable characters, he's also faster than them.
  • Made of Iron: He is a human (except in 4), just like the player characters. Unlike the player characters, he has an obscene amount of health for a human, being able to last longer than a tank!
  • Mirror Boss: He is basically similar to the player character, using a Heavy Machine Gun like yours, stick grenades, and even a melee attack. The difference is that the heroes take only one hit (except for Ralf who can take two), he takes more than several dozen.
  • One-Man Army: Famed in-universe as one, as evidenced by his Red Baron entry below. This gets shown in-game during Enemy Mine situations, where he's fully capable of fighting off hundreds of enemies all by himself.
  • Red Baron: Known in-universe as the "Fearsome Army of Trillion".
  • Recurring Boss Template: In any game of the franchise, the moment you enter an area with two platforms on either side, you'll be facing Allen within seconds.
  • See You in Hell: This is his catchphrase whenever he goes down.
  • Sergeant Rock: A villainous version, Attack reveals he likes getting close to the frontlines to the point of refusing to get promoted just so he can fight on the battlefield.
  • Strong as They Need to Be: When normally fought, he can absorb lots and lots of punishment before he eventually goes down. During the final segment in 3 where he assists the Regular Army commandos in combating an army of clones (if they are not inside an SV-001 Slug), he can only withstand a few hits.
  • Turns Red: His skin turns more and more red as he takes more damage, and he accordingly speeds up.
  • Unexplained Recovery: All the time, despite apparently dying every game he appears in. Bonus points for Metal Slug 2 where he gets eaten by an orca (that spits out his bare bones afterward), and Metal Slug 3 for having him return during the attack on the Mars Peoples' Mothership despite you apparently killing him in the same level.
  • Walking Shirtless Scene: He is always seen without his shirt, even in cold place like Siberia or Alaska.

    Abul Abbas 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msd___abul_abbas.png
Debut: Metal Slug 2/X

The leader of the Arabian forces, Abul Abbas made an alliance with the Rebel Army. After their defeat in mission 1, a few Arabian rebels show up in the beginning of mission 2 as a last ditch effort.


  • Bad Boss: He has a terrible habit of refusing to own up to his own mistakes. In Attack he refuses to let his own troops stop to refuel their units, then blames them for running out of fuel at a critical moment.
  • Fat Bastard: He is noticeably overweight and is also a villain.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard:
  • I Shall Taunt You: Shows up multiple times commanding his troops and taunting the player.
  • Know When to Fold Them: Waves a white flag once things go bad for him.
  • Never My Fault: Has a bad habit of blaming his soldiers for his own mistakes, which oftentimes comes back to bite him in the ass.
  • Not-So-Harmless Villain: While he is one of the least threatening villains in the series, being a poor fighter and a poor strategist, he nevertheless managed to recruit the fearsome assassin Shizuka through his own merits in the Extra Ops.
  • Starter Villain: He serves as a first-level foe whose army is even worse equipped than the Rebels, and his troops lose all presence after the first level.
  • The Unfought: The player ends up fighting the mission's boss while ignoring Abul in the background.
  • White Flag: Raises one on his sword when he surrenders after things go south.

    Future Soldiers 
Debut: Metal Slug 7/XX

Morden's own troops from an unspecified time in the future. Presumably at some point in time after Morden was captured or killed, his own forces (again out of loyalty) gathered up their technology and, though the construction of what appeared to be a time window or portal, went back in time to help Morden out before he dies. Despite having new weapons and upgraded machinery, they still got their asses handed to them, and with their time portal destroyed, they were unable to do anything else.


  • Creative Sterility: Exaggerated to the point of hilarity, even though they came from the future (which the technological edge expected of this), their military vehicles (apart from the Slug and Rebel Gigant, Big Gate, their Mecha Mooks, and the Kraken) are all identical in appearance and design to their past counterparts. By contrast, the Ptolemaic Di-Cokka and Girida-O at least sport a modernized design that make them distinct, despite being reverse engineered from a stolen Regular Army discs (which also contain data from Rebel vehicles).
  • Elite Mooks: They are essentially upgraded Rebels, sporting advanced combat uniforms, weapons, and arsenal. Some even use nifty new tools such as a backpack that either launch Drop Shot-like mines, and micro-missiles. They still go down in one hit though.
  • Mecha-Mooks: They gradually deploy these, ranging from Laser Drones, Pods, and the Rebel Walkers.
  • Make Wrong What Once Went Right: Their goal: give Morden the necessary resources to defeat the Regular Army and change history in their favour. Unsurprisingly, they fail.
  • Trapped in the Past: Their ultimate fate after their Big Gate got destroyed.

    Allen O'Neil Junior 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d85nglu_76b8a292_da68_4237_8cd4_5cc568c09bc6.png
Debut: Metal Slug Advance

The son of Allen O'Neil himself. He posed as a training instructor, which allowed him access to the island where the Peregrine Falcon trainees were undergoing the test. From here, he was able to lead some of Morden's forces to launch a surprise attack on the trainees, capturing the most of them and allowing Morden's troops to set up a base.

Unlike his father, though, Junior tends to act more strategically in direct confrontation against the player. However, once injured past a certain point, he eventually loses his temper and starts acting more like his father in battle. However, finding and defeating him is easier said than done.


  • Generation Xerox: Just like his dad, though he does try to act smarter than him.
  • In the Blood: He tries to act smarter than his father, and indeed becomes more successful in attacking the Regular Army than him, but in the end gives in to the same rage his father is known for.
  • Like Father, Like Son: Get him mad enough, and he'll end up just like his father.
  • The Mole: He infiltrated the Regular Forces training camp by posing as a drill instructor.
  • Pistol-Whipping: One difference from his father is that he does not typically use a knife, instead preferring to slam his opponent with his ammo belt, which is one of the few non-lethal attacks in the game.

Martians

    Mars People 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msd___mars_people_5.png
Debut: Metal Slug 2/X

A race of squid/jellyfish-like aliens hailing from Mars (obviously). They possess spaceships straight out of a 50's B-movie and allied themselves with Morden, but were really using him to weaken Earth's defenses so they could take over with little to no opposition. Though defeated at the end of 2/X, they kidnapped Morden before the events of 3, sending a Mars Person to impersonate him, and eventually capturing one of the player's characters and creating clones of him/her.

At the onset of Metal Slug 6, it appears as though they've allied with Morden again, but this time it was to find their leader, Rootmars. Unfortunately, the Invaders showed up before Rootmars could be fully extracted, and they spent the rest of the game imprisoned at the Invaders' lair, if they weren't outright killed or eaten.

Taking a certain route in Stage 5 of 7/XX will show that the Mars People are back, and at the end of the game, just as Morden is about to be taken into custody, the Mars People swoop down and take him to safety.


  • Adaptational Badass: Both SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos and NeoGeo Battle Coliseum, has the Mars People as playable characters, which means they don't die in a few hits. They have some similar moves to Metal Slug, but their supers give them new powerful moves that involve summoning ships.
  • Aliens Are Bastards: They just want to conquer and destroy without much backstory. They only become more likable in 6, where they help you against the Invaders so they will not be eaten.
  • Alien Blood: They bleed green.
  • Animation Bump: In their fighting game appearances, the Mars People are drawn much larger and in a more realistic style, which means all their tentacles get animated in many attacks.
  • Assist Character: One of the Martian hostages in 6 will provide backup with its UFO once you rescue it.
  • Brain in a Jar: The Ring Laser Mecha units are operated by a brain in a jar.
  • Combat Tentacles: Not really in Metal Slug, but heavily employed in their fighting game appearances.
  • Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: They betray Morden twice, for no reason other than because they can. It's not a good idea as it turns out.
  • Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat: They betray Morden and the Rebels more than once, but it always backfires because the Rebels unite with the Regular Army thereafter.
  • Enemy Mine: They team up with both the Rebels and the Regular Army to fight an even greater threat, the Invaders.
  • Flying Saucer: Their main vehicle. Some of their units are unmanned ones that fire a laser. Their mothership is an even bigger one.
  • Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: In Metal Slug 2. Not so much in X, where they are foreshadowed better.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: Both their betrayals of Morden and the Rebel Army lead to an Enemy Mine that swiftly causes their defeat. The first time because a Rebel pilot rams their mothership with his plane and forces it to retreat, the second because the Rebel Army provides the player character with a rocket that allows them to reach their mothership, along with distracting the Mars People with their own attack (one of the Rebel missiles punches a hole for the player character to get into the mothership).
  • Homing Projectile: Martians primarily attack with three homing nuclei-like projectiles. Thankfully said projectiles are destructible.
  • Last Episode, New Character: They show up in the last level of 2. Averted in X where they appear in earlier levels.
  • Oh, Crap!: Their standard reaction when the Invaders show up.
  • O.O.C. Is Serious Business: They are so horrified by the Invaders, since the Invaders literally eat them, they team up not only with the Rebel Army once more, but with the Regular Army as well... and never betray their allies this time.
  • Promoted to Playable: In SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos, Mars People is a mid-boss, but can be played in all versions of the game with a code. NeoGeo Battle Coliseum makes one of them (called "Marpy") into a standard playable character. Also, in 6, you can play as Rootmars for a bit in one of the routes.
  • Ray Gun: Their main weapon is this, although said guns tend to fire out slow, homing, destructible nucleus-like projectiles.
  • Shout-Out: They look exactly like H. G. Wells' Martians.
  • Starfish Aliens: They resemble giant jellyfish/squid. Yet they have skulls, green blood, and mouths.
  • The Worf Effect: After establishing themselves as the premier threats of 2/X and 3, outshining the Morden Army, they're easily taken down, captured and imprisoned, and even eaten for breakfast by the Invaders in 6.

    Rootmars 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/metal_slug_3_two_column_01_psvita_ps3_ps4_eu_01jul15.png
Debut: Metal Slug 3

The leader of the Mars People, who orchestrated the events of 2/X and 3. Though originally looking like a larger Mars Person (just wearing a see-through helmet), his real form was revealed after his spaceship was destroyed (and it looked an awful lot like E.T.) He was defeated at the end of 3, with his brain being blown out, and sank into the ocean floor, presumably deceased.

At the beginning of Metal Slug 6, Morden and the Mars People are looking for Rootmars, and just as they locate him, the Invaders come in. It turns out that while Rootmars was on the ocean floor, he had apparently recovered from his freefall beating at the hands of the team, and learned a lesson as well. During Stage 4, if you take the alternate route, Rootmars will swoop down and grab your player, taking him or her to the next destination whilst also being outfitted with two gatling guns, helping take down the Invaders. Taking this route also means Rootmars saves you at the end of the game.


  • Big Bad: He is the main villain of 3.
  • Big Damn Heroes: If the player took the bottom path in Mission 4 in Metal Slug 6, he appears to save them from a great fall after the Invader King dies.
  • Brain Monster: He provides the page image.
  • Eldritch Abomination: He may look like E.T., but also looks like something out from H.P. Lovecraft's work, and his threat level is closer to the latter.
  • Enemy Mine: Rootmars is willing to cooperate with both the Rebels and the Regular Army to fight an even greater threat, the Invaders, and even becomes playable to an extent in 6.
  • Evil Laugh: Lets a high-pitched crackle as it grabs the player's SV-001. He also does this again when the player take the alternate lower route in mission 4 of 6, despite being on your side.
  • Foreshadowing: One of 6's cutscenes shows the Morden-Martian alliance trying to recover something out of the sea before the Invaders attack. This is in fact Rootmars.
  • Final Boss: Of 3 as well as Attack's Attack Mode campaign.
  • Free-Fall Fight: He is fought while you and the soldier you rescued (and another player, if any) fall down to Earth.
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars: He has a number of Frankenstein-like stitches on him.
  • Greater-Scope Villain: Rootmars is the one who masterminded the alien invasion in 2/X but was not seen in the game. You do fight his mothership, however.
  • Large and in Charge: The normal Mars People are human-sized, Rootmars takes up most of the screen you fight him on and can grab a Metal Slug (a SV-001) in one hand.
  • Meaningful Name: His name is Rootmars, he is from Mars and is the root cause of the invasion.
  • My Brain Is Big: Bonus points for it actually being visible, encased in a dome.
  • Power Floats: Likely owing to his psychic powers, Rootmars is always seen levatating on his own.
  • Promoted to Playable: In Metal Slug 6's fourth stage, taking the bottom path allows the heroes to ride Rootmars and the player controls both his hand and a cannon attached to his head. Using the Bomb button causes him to use his brain wave as a Smart Bomb.
  • Psychic Powers: Fitting for an alien with a giant brain, he has psychic powers.
  • Stationary Boss: When first fought in the Martians' mothership, it remains immobile in the center of the room, attached to the ship itself, while it attacks the intruders.
  • Super-Intelligence: Part of the reason he is the leader of the Mars People. He puts his abnormally big brain to good use, as he is a good schemer that knows how to employ strategies like backstabbing the Rebels properly.
  • Throat Light: Look closely during the final boss battle. Rootmar's entire mouth glows when it dispenses exploding energy balls on you.

Ptolemaic Army

    Ptolemaic Army 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_0127_3.jpeg

Debut: Metal Slug 5

A mysterious paramilitary group who attacked a Regular Army base and ended up stealing blueprints on Rebellion Tech, including that of Metal Slugs, which leads to them creating their own bastardized and upgraded versions. Due to the confusing nature of the game (and the fact that so much went unused), it is hard to tell who's really in charge. It appears as though they had gained the trust of the natives by the Corridor of Fire, and is using them to keep intruders away.


  • Combat Pragmatist: They are not as strong believers in Mook Chivalry as the Rebels are. You can and will die when a seemingly unarmed Ptolemaic at the top of some stairs pulls a machine gun from his pocket and ignores Denial of Diagonal Attack.
  • Elite Mooks: Their Special Forces troops can ambush the player by popping out of the background, move faster, and can throw grenades much farther than normal. Their officers (towards the end of the game when they actually fight) are also very tough and mobile, with a swarm of them serving as MS 5’s equivalent of an Allen O’Neil fight.
  • Gas Mask Mooks: The Ptolemaic Special Forces wear black body suits with gas masks on them.
  • Knight of Cerebus: While Metal Slug 5 has most of the series' usual silliness, the soldiers from the Ptolemaic Army, on the other hand, lack the silliness of their Rebel counterparts. For reference, whereas a typical Rebel will be issued with a minigun for an automatic weapon, a Ptolemaic grunt on the other hand will opt for a more practical submachine gun.
  • Middle Eastern Terrorists: Not as comically blatant as the Arabs in 2, but they’re named after an Ancient Egyptian dynasty, their boss theme has Middle Eastern motifs, and their standard troops have a more stereotypical modern insurgent aesthetic compared to the Rebels’ “20th century German” look.
  • More Dakka: They carry a lot more infantry-caliber firearms than other Metal Slug factions. Machine Gun Robots in particular run on this.
  • Power Copying: They specialize in stealing technical plans from the Regular and Rebel Army.
  • Religion of Evil: They are led by Ptolmaic Shamans, and apparently worship the Avatar of Evil.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Of the Rebel Army. Most of the enemies are even edits of Rebel soldier sprites. They're also one to the Brotherhood of Nod.

    Avatar of Evil 
Debut: Metal Slug 5

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avatar_of_evil_msa.png

A gargoyle-like entity, which no one knows what it actually is. This gigantic entity appears at the end of the final mission as the game's Final Boss.


  • Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Aside from the Mars Peoples' mothership Rugname (which is big enough to serve as an entire stage), it is easily the largest boss in the series, which is no small feat by any means.
  • Autobots, Rock Out!: The battle against the Avatar of Evil has a heavy metal remix of the "Final Attack" theme.
  • Background Boss: Spends most of the fight in the background, and the heroes have to shoot the glowing skull on its chest. Averted in Attack, where it acts like most units and fights in the foreground.
  • Big Bad: It is presumably the main villain for 5, but we may never know.
  • Bullet Hell: Downplayed in 5, but its appearance as a unit in Attack plays it straight, where it fires an obscene amount of energy shots as its main form of attack.
  • Celestial Body: Its entire body seems to be made out of the fabric of space.
  • Dramatic Thunder: Thunder and lightning strikes when the boss makes its appearance.
  • Eldritch Abomination: A gigantic demonic creature that looks like it was made from the fabric of space itself. It also has a skull in its chest that serves as its weak point. In Metal Slug Attack, even the scythe it wields gets in on it and appears to be organic - and the aforementioned skull appears to be protruding out of its chest, breathing on its own.
  • Emotion Eater: According to Mira, the Avatar of Evil grows stronger by feeding on human emotions.
  • Evil Is Bigger: Barring Rugname, the Mars People's mothership, this thing is by far the largest boss in the franchise.
  • Final Boss: With 5 allegedly being the last in chronology, the Avatar of Evil serves as this for the series’ plot, as well as the last boss for 5 in general.
  • Flaming Skulls: The skull in its chest seems to be burning with an ethereal or cosmic substance.
  • Generic Doomsday Villain: Even by the standards of this series.
  • Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: There is no explanation if this entity was allied with the Ptolemaic Army, or if it was their leader, or if they were in a Religion of Evil and it's their God of Evil they were summoning to bring about The End of the World as We Know It. Attack seems to be pointing to the latter, as Ptolemaios summons it for his special attack, and later cements it by having the Avatar of Evil be the "Ultimate Boss" of the Ptolemaic Army. Prior to its inclusion as a unit, this entity didn't even have a name.
  • Hell Is That Noise: Produces a loud screech when it shows up to attack the heroes in 5, as well as when it's finally defeated.
  • Knight of Cerebus: Whatever this thing is, its design is very much Darker and Edgier compared the usual bosses that appear in the series and is actually very menacing.
  • Lean and Mean: The silhouette shows that it is a very thin being.
  • Made of Evil: It is even in its name.
  • Non-Standard Character Design: Whereas everyone else is a human, an alien or a robot, this thing is a towering entity that’s made of space itself.
  • Playing with Fire: Most of its attacks will burn you to death should they hit.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: It has a piercing gaze with red eyes.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When defeated, it flies back into its home dimension, preventing us from knowing what this behemoth is.
  • Sequential Boss: After fighting a Mini-Boss, the Dual Boss Mammoth Towers, the player gets sent to the top of a tower where the entity awaits, with little room to breathe in between.
  • Sinister Scythe: Which appears to be forged out of flames, or made of flesh in Attack.
  • Sinister Silhouettes: In 5, it is pitch black for the majority of its screentime, only shown off by the thunder strikes.
  • Winged Humanoid: It has large, bat-like wings.

    Ptolemaios 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/story_act_031.png
Debut: Metal Slug Attack

Originally meant to be the Final Boss of Metal Slug 5, Ptolemaios makes his true debut in Metal Slug Attack as the main villain for the "Ptolemaic Attack" event. He is the leader of the Ptolemaic Army, controlling his troops within the shadows. He uses Sol De Rokker's red jewel to create a tower for himself that attacks with lightning and rosetta stones.

A side story revolves him annihilating the Red Goblin society, with Red Goblin seeking revenge.


  • Bad Future: Ptolemaios is implied to be the winner in a future timeline. This results in two other characters going back in time where Ptolemaios has lower amounts of power.
  • Big Bad: Informally in 5. In Attack, he is this to Red Goblin.
  • The Cameo: Mostly unintentional, but his towers (as well as the Stone Turtle and the Elephants) can be seen in the background of Mission 5.
  • Came Back Strong: Every death he suffers results in him getting new attacks.
  • Death from Above: Drops Rosetta stones on top of the opposing team.
  • Expy: His younger self from Metal Slug Attack is a Long-Haired Pretty Boy with White Hair, Black Heart in the same vein as Sephiroth of Final Fantasy VII.
  • Hijacking Cthulhu: His Abyssal form's special attack is summoning the Evil Spirit Incarnate, also known as the Avatar of Evil.
  • I Was Quite a Looker: He returns to being a beautiful young man in the Extra Ops If/The Beginning.
  • Luke, I Am Your Father: "Diaphtora Genesis" reveals that Mira is his daughter.
  • Shadow Dictator: How his description in Attack handwaves his lack of appearance in 5.
  • Shock and Awe: The bottom of his tower produces lightning strikes.
  • The Unfought: Was intended to have a boss fight near the end of the game, but it was Dummied Out. As a result, right before the final battle, a tower can be seen blowing up by itself, presumably being his personal weapon.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: Due to 5's rushed state, he is not truly encountered.

Invaders

    Invaders 
Debut: Metal Slug 6

The Mars People's nemesis, they not only appear to be physically stronger and more diverse than the Mars People, they also seem to have better technology on their side as well. They form the second half of Metal Slug 6's plot, especially after their first appearance was snatching up two Martians and eating them.

Their king comes to Earth via an asteroid, and they are quick to set up an underground shelter for him. After one hell of a fight against the team, the king falls to his death, releasing an explosion that apparently kills the protagonists as well. Depending on which route you took in Stage 4, either Morden or Rootmars will save the player.


  • Alien Blood: They bleed purple, in contrast to the Mars Peoples' green.
  • Aliens Are Bastards: Even moreso than the Mars People.
  • Always a Bigger Fish: Right when both Morden and the Mars People have you captured, these guys then come in and make very short work of them. It even extends to the flashback where they make very short work of both the Rebel troops and Mars People.
  • Breath Weapon: The Winged versions can spit globs and globs of acid at the players.
  • The Dreaded: The Mars People cower in fear when these guys appear. And rightfully so, since Invaders will eat the Mars People and wipe the floor with them in all encounters.
  • Elite Mooks: Red Invaders are faster, stronger, and can soak up a lot more damage than regular ones, but they appear fewer in numbers.
  • Evil Is Visceral: They have an organic lair as opposed to the Mars Peoples' technological one.
  • Food Chain of Evil: The Invaders hunt the Mars People as food and serves as an arch-nemesis for them.
  • Giant Enemy Crab: The Crab-tanks and Vanguards.
  • Knight of Cerebus: The Mars People have an Oh, Crap! reaction when they show up and eat them at the end of Mission 2. The final mission also has a Dark Reprise of the classic "Final Attack" theme.
  • Heli-Critter: The Smashers, which spin their legs to fly in the air like a helicopter before inflating themselves to crash down on you.
  • Horde of Alien Locusts: Literal in this case, as most of them are insectoid in nature, and they come in droves.
  • Horrifying the Horror: The Mars People who were the dangerous main antagonists of 2/X and 3 are deathly afraid of them, cowering at first sight of the basic Invader drones.
  • Puppeteer Parasite: One of the Invader units is a small flying parasite-like bug that latches onto the heads of rebel troops and mind-controls them. In the final stage, a unique variant appears to have mind-controlled one of the non-selected player characters into fighting against the players.
  • Rolling Attack: The Invaders' basic attack most of the time.
  • Spin Attack: The Drones move around via spindashing.
  • To Serve Man: Invader Drones don't just eat Martians. Some of them can throw their neck forwards and will eat the player character whole if it connects.
  • Unique Enemy: There is a golden Hunter Walker encountered if you take a secret path in the final mission, killing it grants 50000 points.
  • Zerg Rush: The standard troops ambush in groups. In Mission 3, a large horde of them come spinning down from the right side.

    Invader King 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/invader_queen.png
Debut: Metal Slug 6

A huge alien that serves as the final boss of 6, and the leader of the Invaders.


  • Background Boss: Most of the boss is in the background. The heroes need to attack his head to damage him.
  • Big Bad: The leader of the Invaders in 6.
  • Bullet Hell: It spams two different waves of projectiles at you. One of them has a random pattern even.
  • Disney Villain Death: Falls to his death before blowing up in a massive explosion.
  • Eye Beams: Purple ones that aim at you.
  • Final Boss: Of 6.
  • Flechette Storm: Has an attack where he charges energy then releases it in crescent projectiles. Then they fly at the player from the left and right, or may even converge on them from all directions.
  • Hold the Line: The final part of the battle turns into a Free-Fall Fight where he is invulnerable, sending huge waves of destructible projectiles downwards at you.
  • Kaizo Trap: Upon being defeated, the Invader King will spam its attacks all over the screen while trying to drag the player with itself while falling to its death. The projectiles are destructible, but can also destroy you if they connect.
  • Large and in Charge: He is one of the biggest Invaders there.
  • Samus Is a Girl: Inverted. The stereotypes regarding alien hives led to him being misinterpreted as the Invader Queen in the past, but it's the Invader King.
  • Sequential Boss: The player has to fight his/her kidnapped teammate first. Immediately after that is a climb up to the shaft leading to the Invader King, with no enemies left in between. In the fight against the King itself, it starts as a cocoon-like state before waking up and breaking out of the shell to become a proper boss. And then the King smashes the floor several times during the fight, before he is near-death and falling in a chasm with you. Then he tries to take you with him.
  • Spoiler Cover: The PS2 covers blatantly show the Invader King. Using its sprite, this makes the King into an Evil Overlooker in the process.
  • Trick Boss: The heroes face off the pod where he is encased in. It stays there, doesn't do anything, and is periodically accompanied by the Invader Drones. When beaten, a bunch of Morden soldiers come in to celebrate with a victory music of sorts and suddenly, his eyes flash and destroy the soldiers.

Others

    Amadeus Syndicate 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/story_act_041.png
The leader of the syndicate himself, the Doctor.
Debut: Metal Slug 4

A mysterious organization whose main threat to the world is the release of the "White Baby Virus", a supervirus powerful enough to penetrate any mainframe's defenses. It also appears as though Morden is supporting their efforts, though they had made a robotics plant at their base, creating several Morden bots, possibly including the one seen in the opening sequence.

The main man himself supposedly died at the end of the game when his base was destroyed, making him the first antagonist in the series to die for good. However, the credits sequence showed an intact computer broadcasting something...


  • The Cracker: The Amadeus Syndicate are a team of cyber-terrorists.
  • Elite Mooks: The disguised Amadeus troops use Heavy Machine Guns in the final level.
  • Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The leader is referred as "Doctor" in Metal Slug Attack.
  • Evil Old Folks: The Doctor himself.
  • Framing the Guilty Party: Their soldiers dress up as Morden's troops, and they have robot Mordens and Allens, presumably to invoke this trope. In the last level, they instead dress up as Regular Army troops.
  • Mecha-Mooks: Employ a lot of these.
  • Palette Swap: In Attack, the Infantry are purple colored Rebel Soldiers.
  • Robot Me: Robot Mordens and Allen O'Neils.
  • Synthetic Plague: They managed to harness the Mummy and Zombie viruses from the previous games.
  • Villain Team-Up: With the Rebel Army in Attack. When Allen and Abigail were being ambushed by the robots, they assumed the Syndicate betrayed them. They were not; it was the Syndicate's supervirus doing all the dirty work for her own.

    Kewald Oguma 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/250px_oguma_2.png
Debut: Metal Slug 3D

Pronounced Ogma, he is the head of the ridiculously massive company named after himself, Oguma is apparently funding Morden's efforts, but is actually using him to help find a recording device deep underground, the Alator. It turns out that Oguma was one of few survivors of a long-extinct race, the Tuaha de Dunan, who are shown to be technically advanced.

His culture was said to self-destruct at the peak of their evolution; to combat this, they placed a recording device on a planet, then hibernated for 300 million years. If the information gathered by the device clashes with them in any way, they simply erase the world's history and start over, which has possibly caused some time-space problems.

Near the end of the game, after betraying Morden, he uses the Alator to release the Lugas, which then absorbs the information from Alator and begins its mission to erase history, prompting the crew to stop it. When Lugas is absorbed by a previous experiment, the Lieu (and beaten by the crew afterwards), it goes crazy as Oguma and his followers stay behind in an attempt to further stop it, despite Marco's protests.

At the game's end, as Rumi is about to head out, Oguma shows up out of nowhere and hands her his information disc before leaving, hoping the people would learn from his prior mistakes.


  • Abusive Precursors: Oguma and his people essentially began life on Earth, but they have no problem snuffing it out in pursuit of their goals and starting it all over again (with the very real possibility of them doing it again).
  • Affably Evil: Speaks in a very polite and calm voice. When beaten, he admits his people's time has come and gives his data to Rumi, since humanity won out.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: He is not present in Metal Slug Attack nor its predecessor.
  • Shout-Out: The Tuaha de Dunan are named for the pantheon of Celtic Mythology. Lugus, their secret weapon, is named after a major god.
  • SNK Boss: His previous experiment, Lieu, is this. They fire projectiles at the player very precisely, and will destroy a Metal Slug immediately when the player rides on it.
  • The Starscream: Betrays Morden halfway through the game after showing his true colors, and eventually becomes the game's Big Bad.

    Pharaoh's Arc and the Mummy Army 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/story_act_013.png
The ruler of the Mummy Army himself, the Pharaoh .
Debut: Metal Slug Attack

An expansion of the mummy enemies, the Pharaoh, Mummy Warrior, and Mummy Cat make their first appearance in the "Mummy" event.

Tropes for all three characters:

  • Actually Four Mooks: Subverted. While the Pharaoh's Arc consists of multiple mummies on a chariot, they are all part of the same unit.
  • Distracted by the Sexy: The Mummy Cats' main way of luring their enemies.
  • Dub Name Change: The Mummy Cats are called Sexy Mummies in Japan.
  • Enemy Summoner: The Mummy Cat's attack is to summon mummies that spit out poison bombs. If her third skill is unlocked, enemies hit by them have a chance to be stunned.
  • Kill It with Fire: The Mummy Warrior uses a long torch as his weapon.
  • Palette Swap: The Lovely Mummy is a red colored version of the Mummy Cat.
  • Support Party Member: The Mummy Cat is awkward to use, but three of her four skills involve increasing the strength of Mummies, Mummy Warriors, and Mummy Dogs.
  • Villainous Breakdown: The Pharaoh turns green in rage alongside his minions after being defeated. As the Tyrant Pharaoh, he starts commanding in a furious manner.
  • The Virus: Their poisonous breath can turn other people into mummies, bandages and all.

Support Characters and other notable NPC's

    Rumi and Madoka Aikawa 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msd___rumi_aikawa.png
Click here to see Madoka

Rumi originally joined the Regular Army to make use of their medicinal facilities to help her ailing mother, who had a weak heart, and her sister Madoka, who was physically ill. Due to a paperwork SNAFU, she was shipped to the front lines, and despite having never completed her training, she made it back unscathed, a miracle in and of itself.

She was offered the chance to leave and live life as a civilian, but she declined the offer, and was soon transferred to the Supply Division. Before each mission, she fills her backpack with various supplies, and treks out to deliver the goods to Regular Army Soldiers... but there's one problem. She's horrible with directions, and is likely to wander off and be found in a completely different location, earning her the nickname "The Wandering Ghost" by most soldiers. She later found out her sister Madoka also joined to become more physically fit, and was also placed in the Supply Division... and shares the same atrocious sense of direction her sister has.

Though mostly a background character in the main games, Rumi was given a bigger role in Metal Slug 3D, giving information to Marco and even allowing access to a Garage where the player could customize their own Metal Slug vehicle.


  • Action Girl:
    • Promotional art for Metal Slug Defense shows Madoka parachuting while operating a bazooka. She is not a unit in Defense but she is in Attack, using her bazooka from her backpack and throwing a medicine item to heal units.
    • Rumi turns into one in Metal Slug Attack. She throws grenades from her backpack to her foes and tosses support items to her allies. Madoka gets added later, packing a Bazooka with great range and a humongous rate of fire and healing the front line.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: These two have some obscenely powerful Normal attacks in Attack.
  • Butt-Monkey: A minor one, tagging either one of the sisters will cause them to fall to the floor and shooting them from the back tears their backpack open, dropping various items. The former also occurs when the player taps on Rumi on both tower defense games.
  • Combat Medic: Madoka's special in Attack heals friendly troops.
  • Cute Clumsy Girl: Given the above. It's taken even further in 3D when Rumi tries a dynamic entrance from a helicopter and screws it up.
  • Fanservice Pack: Apparently, they've been starting to unbutton their shirts since Defense, even though their sprites in Attack show them with their shirts buttoned all the way up.
  • Fingerpoke Of Doom: Rumi flails her hands like an angry toddler as her MSA melee attack. It does a lot of damage.
  • In-Series Nickname: "The Wandering Ghost"
  • It Runs in the Family: Both sisters being terrible with directions.
  • The Medic: Rumi is seen in the bad ending of Metal Slug 4 taking care of the characters who got caught in the final mission's explosion. The Recovery Support in Metal Slug Attack represents her in a nurse outfit. She later turns into a Combat Medic in the 2.3.0 update. In the 2.5.0 update, Madoka is literally this, as her special attack heals the players units on the map.
  • Motor Mouth: In 3D, Rumi is very talkative, impudent, and prone to going on tangents. She even sasses Marco after he gives her direct orders (she's a corporal; he far outranks her at Major), but she falls in line when he gets more direct.
  • Mukokuseki: Let's be honest, they look even less Japanese than Eri.
  • No Sense of Direction: Though they count as P.O.W.s, they are never caught by the enemy. They just happened to wander through the area.
  • Older Than They Look: Despite being a Palette Swap, Madoka is eleven years older than Rumi.
  • Out of Focus: Rumi has had more game appearances and cameos than Madoka. In both tower defense games, Rumi is the one who generates AP in the field and gets playable status in Attack. In Attack only, Madoka appears in the item support menu, but now appears as a playable unit alongside her sister in the 2.5.0 update.
  • Palette Swap: Madoka has brown hair and grey attire compared to Rumi's blonde hair and green attire.
  • Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Both walk and carry an overly large backpack holding various ammunition and food items. Downplayed as they seem to be struggling to keep balance.
  • Series Continuity Error: Metal Slug 3D has Rumi ranked as a Corporal even though she's a Sergeant in every game she appears in.
  • Timed Mission: If they are on screen long enough without being tagged, they will stop to salute and run away, not giving any credit to the player for rescuing them.
  • Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Both sisters tend to wander the active battlefield without any care for what's going on around them. It is not until they see one of the protagonists where they bail out of there.
  • You Don't Look Like You: Rumi first debuted in the console version of the first game, though here, she is portrayed as a long-haired brunette (except for her in-game sprite) rather than a blonde with a long ponytail. Her in-game sprite is radically different as she had a Super-Deformed look rather than her familiar, realistically proportioned sprite from 2 and onwards.

    Hyakutaro Ichimonji 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d4402fecff50a7305e907736da4e5569973b9abc_00.jpg

A Second Lieutenant of the Regular Army, he's a living legend among the soldiers. Pretending to be a captured POW, once he's "rescued" by the player, he helps out by firing homing Hadokens at the enemies and spin-kicking anyone else who gets too close. He will flee if you die, though.


    Pupipi 

A Martian who is one of the captives inside an Invader hideout, Pupipi will assist the players once freed from stasis imprisonment.


  • Ambiguous Gender: Pupipi's gender is unknown.
  • Energy Weapon: Pupipi's mini-UFO is armed with a laser shot and will shoot at enemies whenever a player fires their weapons or throws a grenade.
  • Guest-Star Party Member: Unlike Hyakutaro and Utan who will stay by the player's side permanently until they either die or transition to a new area, Pupipi will eventually leave the area should Pupipi fire about 20 laser shots.
  • One-Shot Character: Only appears in 6, and is completely absent from Attack.

    Utan 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cpr_zhww8aayag3.png

An ape that wears a diaper and carries an Uzi.


  • Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: He's an animal, so don't expect him to be as focused on the mission as you are.
  • Gag Penis: If you look at his Idle Animation close enough, you'll notice he pulls out 3 bananas out of his diaper and eats them, after which he tries it again but pulls out his monkey dong instead, blushes and quickly stuffs it back inside.
  • The Load: As noted above, he is not as combat focused as Hyakutaro as it takes a while for him to actually pull a trigger. While a single bullet is enough to off a Rebel soldier, he is next to useless against durable common enemies (such as Zombies, and Chowmein-Conga), and even against the former, don't rely on him too much when he is fighting alongside you.
  • A Lizard Named "Liz": An ape named "Utan".
  • Stock Animal Diet: Being a subspecies of monkeys, his favorite food is bananas.

Combat School Instructors

    Sophia Greenville 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msd___sophia_greenville.png

The drill instructor from Metal Slug 1 (Neo Geo CD and PSX).


  • Ascended Extra: While every instructor in the series shows up in Metal Slug Defense, Sophia is the only one that hosts the Combat School in Attack (along with new sprites for her).
  • Babies Ever After: Margaret, the instructor from Metal Slug X hints that Sophia retires to raise a family.
  • The Bus Came Back: Shows up with Margaret in the second and third Pachislot games in Japan. In the West, it is in Metal Slug Defense.
  • "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: Sings the vocal version of the first game's alternate ending theme, "Hold You Still".
  • Ms. Fanservice: There's a good amount of art dedicated to her in the art galleries of the home versions.
  • Passionate Sports Girl: What made her easily excel as a member of the Peregrine Falcons. Her favorite sport is Basketball, and also dabbles in bass fishing.

    Margaret Southwood 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msd___margaret_southwood.png

The drill instructor of Metal Slug X and Gimlet's mission control in Metal Slug: Second Mission.


  • Ascended Extra: Unlike other instructors, she has given larger roles in certain games. In Second Mission, she appears as mission control in the main adventure and even shows up in certain missions as the end goal. In Defense, she hosts the game's events.
  • Art Shift: Metal Slug Defense uses her sprites in X for the Events and her new artwork for the Combat School.
  • Drill Sergeant Nasty: A jerk to you on the lower ranks, although she'll soften up as you rise among the ladder.
  • Early Installment Character-Design Difference: Wore a green military dress in X before changing to a blue dress for Second Mission onward.
  • Easter Egg: Touching her breasts in Metal Slug Defense will cause her to react depending what rank you are in.
  • Eyes Always Shut: If she opens them, you've either impressed her, or you've made a complete ass of yourself.
  • Hair Color Dissonance: It's uncertain if her hair is blonde or light-ish brown but sometimes her hair is represented by a darker shade of brown.
  • Like a God to Me: Hitting the Super Devil rank will make her admire you to the point of calling you "Your Majesty".

    Riviera "Lilly" von Wittenberg 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msd___lilly_von_wittenberg.png

One of the two drill instructors in Metal Slug 6.


    Maryell "Mary" von Wittenberg 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msd___mary_von_wittenberg.png

One of the two drill instructors in Metal Slug 6.


Bosses

    In general 
  • Evil Is Bigger: Pretty much all of them dwarf the size of you and your Slug combined, the only exception being the Rebel Gigant (who's the same size as your Slug).
  • Vehicular Assault: Most of the bosses are a huge vehicle or robot of sorts that the player has to fight on foot or in a Slug.

Metal Slug

    Tetsuyuki 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tetsuyuki.png

The first boss of the game and series, the Tetsuyuki is a flying warship created by the Rebels for combat, equipped with heavy armor and weapons. One of these crash-landed onto the Villeneuve Mt. System, where it was fortified by the Rebels to serve as a base of operations. Some of its weapons are still operational.


  • Boss-Arena Idiocy: Its Wave-Motion Gun attack would be much more accurate if there weren't any platforms for the target to stand on.
  • Cool Plane: Albeit one that doesn't fly.
  • Stationary Boss: Doesn't move from its spot, due to having crash-landed and made into a stationary base of operations.
  • Warm-Up Boss: All its attacks are relatively easy to avoid.
  • Wave-Motion Gun: It can charge up with one of these and fire. Either crouch or stay on higher ground to avoid it.

    Hairbuster Riberts 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hairbuster_riberts.png

A prototype Rebel Army heavy bomber aircraft.


  • Boss-Arena Idiocy: Of all the places it could fight you in, there just had to be three rising platforms that gave you ample cover from most of its attacks.
  • Cool Plane: Unlike the Tetsuyuki, this one does fly.
  • Recurring Boss: It also appears in Metal Slug 3 as one of the minibosses in the final level. Allen pilots it this time.
  • Traintop Battle: Its encounter in Metal Slug 1 has you battle it on a moving train.
  • Villain: Exit, Stage Left: In Metal Slug 1, Morden's in the aircraft. When destroyed, he drops out of it, but a Rebel in a Flying Tara rescues him and exits the area.

    Tani Oh 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tani_oh.png

A giant self-propelled artillery tank armed with a twin-barrel rail cannon and a pair of Gatling guns/mine launchers.


  • Gatling Good: Besides its mine launchers, this boss also comes equipped with two Gatling guns on its sides.
  • Land Mine Goes "Click!": Its side launchers can fire landmines.
  • Meaningful Name: Tani Oh means "Valley King" in Japanese. Appropriately enough, you encounter it at the top of a valley.
  • Samus Is a Girl: Not the tank itself, but its pilot. In the Metal Slug pachinko game, it is revealed that its pilot is a blonde woman named Letta.
  • Tank Goodness: A huge Rebel army tank with a laser cannon/railgun type weapon and mine launchers.
  • Wave-Motion Gun: The main cannons fire some sort of laser or railgun type weapon that hits anything in its range instantly.

    Shoe & Karn 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shoe_and_karn.png

A pair of medium tanks created by Rebel Army for cooperative missions. They are each armed with one main turret-mounted cannon, two sub-cannon turrets on the front, and a missile launcher on the back. Two side-mounted hatches allow soldiers to help defend the tank as well, if their target is at the rear.


  • Degraded Boss: After fighting them as a boss, the following level has you fight a miniboss version of Shoe as it advances towards you from behind. You also have to fight Shoe as a miniboss in Mission 5 of X.
  • Developer's Foresight: Normally, a rebel soldier at the hatch will pop out to carry out an order to attack — pointing forward for the frontal guns, and pointing upward for the missiles. If the soldier in question is killed, the tank operators' attack pattern will become harder to predict.
  • Dual Boss: You fight both of them at the same time.
  • Mini-Boss: Shoe is encountered as one in Mission 5 of both the original game and X.
  • Tank Goodness: Two large Rebel army heavy tanks with a main turret and frontal cannons, and missile launchers.

    Iron Nokana 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/iron_nokana.png

A large multi-role armored combat vehicle created by the Rebel Army.


    Hi-Do 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hi_do.png

The Hi-Do is a gunship helicopter used by Donald Morden himself. Designed for testing purposes, it has heavy armor and is equipped with several weapons, making it a versatile combat vessel.


  • AKA47: It's basically a shrunk-down CH-47 Chinook.
  • Degraded Boss: It reappears as one of the many Mini Bosses of the final mission of 3, literally just as the Mars People make themselves known again (a Martian masquerading as Morden during the fight itself). It is fought in almost the exact same way, except the player has access to a mounted machine gun to make it even easier.
  • Destructible Projectiles: Both its bombs and missiles can be destroyed. A very good thing too, since it would be nearly impossible to avoid some of its attacks otherwise.
  • Death from Above: It's capable of using a carpet bombing attack where it drops bombs all over the area.
  • Final Boss: The last battle of Metal Slug 1, where Donald Morden himself pilots this.
  • Homing Projectile: Its missile attack will home in on the player.
  • Macross Missile Massacre: Has a missile launcher on its front that shoots a swarm of homing missiles.

Metal Slug 2/X

    Mosque Artillery 

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/missiletower.png

In the first mission of 2/X, after fighting through the first wave of enemies (Arabian soldiers or Morden's rebels, depending which game) the players will then reach a mosque which has been converted into a bunch of missile-spewing towers that serves as a mid-level boss.


  • Macross Missile Massacre: The towers are built with turrets that fires multiple (slow-moving) missiles on you.
  • Warmup Boss: Befitting it's nature as the first boss of the first level. The missiles are slow, the turrets have pathetic health, and right before the battle you're likely armed with a Heavy Machine Gun (X gives you an Enemy Chaser instead, though it's not advisable to pick that up immediately — save it until your HMG is out) allowing you to destroy one or two of those turrets easily. A rookie player should be able to destroy all three while suffering between minimal to zero lives lost.
  • Weaponized Landmark: In a way, since the level is set in the Middle East, and that it's a mosque which is being converted into a boss.

    The Keesi 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_keesi.png

The Keesi is a VTOL gunship meant to provide close air support to ground troops. It is equipped with anti-air guns on its wings and can drop heavy bombs (these weapons are not used in-game), and its size is enough to carry support tanks on its wings. The Keesi is also capable of using its jet engines to burn anything underneath it.


  • Demoted to Extra: In Metal Slug X, it is replaced by the Iron Nokana as the first boss, and is instead relegated to the miniboss of the third mission.
  • Car Fu: In Metal Slug X, it drops tanks on you as an attack.
  • Cool Plane: A large gunship with anti-air guns and can carry troops.
  • Clown-Car Base: In Metal Slug X, it can carry an unlimited number of tanks on its wings, and replenishes them after it drops them.
  • Flunky Boss: In 2, it will spawn Arab soldiers to attack you. Subverted by the bazooka soldiers that assist it once its health gets low, they cannot be damaged in any way.
  • Recurring Boss: It appears as a miniboss in Metal Slug X.
  • Tank Goodness: It is capable of carrying tanks on its wings, and they do attack with their cannons.
  • Warmup Boss: You're safe from the Keesi's Weaponized Exhaust as long as you're standing beneath its underbelly; the two bazooka mooks standing on it's wings are a bigger threat than the Keesi itself. Ironically, it's actually harder as a mid-boss in X.
  • Weaponized Exhaust: One of its more dangerous attacks is to fire hot exhaust from its jet engines, then sweep the area by moving left and right.

    Aeshi Nero 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aeshi_nero.png

A gigantic excavating machine resembling a cobra, created by the Rebel Army. Although it is primarily designed for digging tunnels, it can be re-purposed for combat in a pinch.


  • Advancing Boss of Doom: You will need to keep climbing upwards as the Aeshi Nero devours the tower you're standing on. If you're unfortunate enough to lose the Slugnoid you can obtain right before the Aeshi Nero appears, you're in for an excruciatingly tedious battle (you can only shoot downward while jumping, so get jumping).
  • Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance: It is an excavating machine that happens to resemble a cobra and also happens to be fought in an ancient Egyptian pyramid. Cobras were one of the animals worshiped by the ancient Egyptians.
  • Mechanical Monster: A giant excavator resembling a cobra that tries to "swallow" the pillar you're on.
  • Macross Missile Massacre: Can fire out a slew of homing missiles.
  • Platform Battle: The player has to jump from platform to platform as it chases them up the large pillar.
  • Reptiles Are Abhorrent: A giant cobra excavator mech that's hell-bent on "eating" the player characters.
  • Rise to the Challenge: It'll charge upwards now and then, and as such the player needs to move upwards as well to avoid electrical death.
  • Spell My Name With An S: Is it "Aeshi Nero"? Or is it "Assy Nero"?
  • Wave-Motion Gun: It is equipped with a laser cannon in its mouth. While it is originally used for tunneling through hard layers of rock, it can be also used for combat.

    Dragon Nosuke 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dragon_nosuke.png

A large quadruped tank designed to protect the Rebel Supply Train with its Gatling gun and flamethrower. The tank is also equipped with hydraulics within its legs, allowing it to crouch - crushing anyone or anything that happens to be beneath it.


  • Colossus Climb: If you're fighting the Dragon Nosuke on foot, you can avoid its flamethrowers and Gatling gun by jumping on its shoulders as soon as it sits down, and attack it from up close. Be warned, however, the Nosuke will retaliate by releasing homing fireballs from its shoulder hatch, and players will need to quickly jump off or risk getting incinerated.
  • Fire-Breathing Weapon: Its underside carries a flamethrower.
  • Flunky Boss: The tank is capable of spawning helicopter firebombs that home in on you and can be destroyed.
  • Gatling Good: Comes equipped with a Gatling gun that can fire either small or large bullets.
  • Ground Pound: If the player tries to be sneaky by hiding under its legs to avoid its gunfire, it will "sit down" on the platform and crush them instead.
  • Jump Scare: Non-horror variant. A Dragon Nosuke will normally vent its exhaust port before crouching if you are below it. However, in a rare instance, it will immediately crouch without warning which can serve as a nasty surprise for anyone who least expect it.
  • One-Hit Kill: Getting crushed by it will destroy your Slug and you instantly.
  • Spider Tank: A tank with four "legs" that allow it to walk or crouch.

    Big Shiee 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/big_shiee.png

A large amphibious tank, using its treads to travel like a conventional tank. It is armed with several 75mm APDS cannons, as well as a large main cannon which is hidden on the front. It literally serves as a land battleship.


  • Background Boss: It attacks the player from the background, never once entering the foreground.
  • BFG: It will occasionally reveal a HUGE cannon that fires a large, exploding, shells. Once its health gets low enough, the remaining turrets (if all of them weren't destroyed) will self destruct and will solely attack with its main cannon.
  • Military Mashup Machine: It is essentially a land battleship on tank treads, outfitted with lots of turrets, and an incredibly huge cannon.
  • Rocket Jump: Surprisingly, you can use the explosions from its BFG to boost yourself and get a better shot at it.
  • Tactical Suicide Boss: If it didn't open itself up to expose its huge cannon, it would be functionally invincible.
  • Tank Goodness: A cross between a battleship and a tank, and boasting lots of firepower that can give the Shoe & Karn a run for their money.

    Hozmi 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hozmi.png

A nuclear-powered submarine designed for naval battles. It is possible that the Hozmi was constructed with alien technology.


  • Abandon Ship: When defeated, Rebel soldiers can be seen jumping out of it and into the sewer water.
  • Down the Drain: The Hozmi is fought in a sewer, for some reason.
  • Shock and Awe: The main turret has an electrical cannon that fires an electrical laser, while it also fires electrical spheres at you.
  • Shows Damage: The sections of its body appear to become increasingly damaged as you fire at those specific sections.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Of Tani Oh, being equipped with a laser cannon-like weapon and the player has to shoot it from below.
  • Wave-Motion Gun: The main turret fires an electrical laser not unlike Tani Oh's cannon.

    Dai-Manji 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dai_manji.png

Large spherical spacecraft used by the Mars People, it is much larger than the Mini-saucers and boasts significantly more armor and firepower. The penultimate mini-boss of the final mission.


  • Bait-and-Switch Boss: Morden prepares to engage you in a new craft before the Dai-Manji blows it to bits and kidnaps Morden, beginning the actual fight.
  • Combining Mecha: Once beaten, the Rugname appears and the Dai-Manji attaches to its bottom hull, becoming the main weapon.
  • Degraded Boss: In Metal Slug 3, you have to fight them as Giant Mook enemies in the final stage.
  • Death from Above: Has a carpet bombing like attack similar to the Hi-Do, except this one fires indestructible energy bolts.
  • Flunky Boss: Constantly spawns Mars People in flying saucers to harass the player characters.
  • Meaningful Background Event: As soon as the Dai-Manji engages you, an aerial dogfight ensues between the Rebels and the Martians in the background. This continues on until the Rugname is destroyed.
  • Shock and Awe: Attacks with an aimed electrical laser attack.

    Rugname 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rugname.png

The Mars People's mothership and the final boss of 2/X. It is very heavily armored, and far too large to destroy with conventional Earth weaponry. It can be temporarily defeated by destroying an attached Dai-Manji. However, the only way to destroy the Rugname for good is by attacking the Martian leader Rootmars, who controls every aspect of the ship with his brain. Forcefully severing Rootmars from the ship results in total system failure, causing the ship to collapse in the atmosphere.


  • Flunky Boss: Constantly spawns Mars People in flying saucers to harass the player characters.
  • Mini-Boss: In Metal Slug 3, you have to fight it as a miniboss in the final stage.
  • Sequential Boss: Fought immediately after the Dai-Manji, with the latter attaching itself to Rugname's body, becoming its core and main weapon.
  • Shock and Awe: Attacks with an aimed electrical laser attack from its Dai-Manji attachment.
  • Shout-Out: The way it's defeated in Metal Slug 2/X is obviously a shout out to Independence Day, where an aircraft crashes into a weak spot.
  • Wave-Motion Gun: It is capable of firing a huge laser cannon below it.

Metal Slug 3

    Huge Hermit 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/huge_hermit.png

A giant mutated hermit crab originally from Dr. Moreau's Island. It was later captured by the Rebel Army and later weaponized by fitting a giant tank as its "shell".


  • Advancing Boss of Doom: It constantly advances towards the player characters, forcing them to keep moving lest they get crushed by it or fall into the water.
  • BFG: Once it Turns Red, the tank opens up and reveals a huge cannon that fires large bombs to destroy the terrain.
  • Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs: The first mission itself has you fight either the Rebels or giant crabs in two separate paths. Both concepts converge with the Huge Hermit battle.
  • Fireballs: What the tank shoots at the heroes in its first phase.
  • King Mook: Again, it's a larger, armored version of the mission's "regular" giant crabs.
  • Giant Enemy Crab: An enormous hermit crab with a tank as its shell.
  • Stealth Pun: It has a huge tank in place of a shell. In other words, it's a tank shell.
  • Tank Goodness: It carries an enormous tank on its back in place of a shell.
  • Warm-Up Boss: Its attacks are relatively easy to avoid, and you even get a Metal Slug or a Slugnoid at the start of the battle to assist you. It becomes even easier once it stops using the fireballs and starts using the large cannon.
  • Weaponized Animal: A huge hermit crab with an enormous tank for its shell.

    Monoeye UFO 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/monoeye_ufo.png
Monoeye UFO

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/monoeye_alien_ms.png
Monoeye Alien

A strange artifact of alien origin that was created to serve as a beacon for the Martians. It is occupied by the Monoeyes and possesses a strange energy that is capable of turning people into mindless zombies.


  • Abnormal Ammo: The Monoeye UFO attacks by dropping monoliths on the player characters.
  • Crosshair Aware: It targets a player with a green laser before dropping a monolith on them.
  • Cyclops: The Monoeye aliens that protect it all have a single eye.
  • Death from Above: Its sole attack is to drop monoliths from above that slowly sink into the ground and also act as obstacles.
  • Eye Beams: The Monoeye aliens attack by firing fireball like projectiles from their eyes.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: Using the zombie blood vomit can deal incredible damage to the Monoeyes and the Monoeye UFO. This is only usable if the player gets zombified, by the very energy the Monoeye UFO spreads around. In fact, certain versions of the game even give you an achievement for beating them as a Zombie.
  • The Monolith: Drops monoliths with alien inscriptions on the player characters. They act as obstacles that remove themselves over time as they sink into the ground (faster if shot at)
  • Sequential Boss: After fighting the Mini-Boss Monoeyes, the artifact comes to life and start attacking on its own.
  • Turns Red: When its health gets low, it starts glowing orange instead of green, and it drops monoliths at a faster rate.
  • The Virus: The Monolith is responsible for spreading a strange energy that turned the people in the level into zombies.
  • When All You Have Is a Hammer…: Unique for the series, both the Monoeyes and their UFO itself have only one attack apiece. They basically just use their single attack in different patterns or more quickly when damaged.
  • Wolfpack Boss: The first phase has six to eight Monoeyes appear and float around the structure, and coordinate their eye beam attacks. Thankfully they're not too durable.
  • Zombie Apocalypse: It is the cause of the zombie outbreak that has infected several people in the level and possibly the player.

    Jupiter King 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jupiter_king.png

A giant robot created by the Rebel Army to guard their secret factory. It is heavily armored in order to protect the nuclear reactor inside its body. The lightly-armored head (which resembles a toy robot's head) is the weak spot of the robot. The left hand of the robot is a missile launcher, allowing the robot to fire a large number of homing missiles. The right hand of the robot is a pincer claw, which is used to destroy the ground in front of it. The robot's eyes are also capable of firing lasers to vaporize the player. It also has a "belly button" that can create a rocket, which the robot grabs and plunges into the ground.


  • Attack Its Weak Point: It is only vulnerable in the head.
  • Boss Arena Urgency: Downplayed, but the Jupiter King uses its large missiles to destroy parts of the floor, sinking it into the molten metal. However, not only does the Jupiter King move backwards after the attack to give the players a little more room, but they can also jump on its own body.
  • Colossus Climb: Players can attack its head from up close, such as lobbing grenades, by climbing up the missile protruding from its chest. It's tricky, but can do greater damage than shooting from below.
  • Eye Beams: It is capable of sweeping a great area with electrical eye beams.
  • Fireballs: Every time it smashes the giant rocket on the ground, it'll explode into a slew of fireballs that rain down.
  • Hammerspace: Capable of horizontally drawing a missile longer than the body from which it is stored, multiple times.
  • Homing Projectile: The small missiles it fires out will home in on the player characters.
  • Killer Robot: A gigantic, weaponized toy robot.
  • Macross Missile Massacre: In place of its left arm is a multi-missile launcher that fires destructible homing missiles.
  • Shock and Awe: Getting hit by its eye beams will electrocute the player character.

    Sol Dae Rokker 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sol_dae_rokker.png

An instrument of the Sun God in Japanese mythology. This lifeform is in charge of protecting its ancient ruins from intruders. Due to the conflict of the Rebel Army and Regular Army around the ransacked ruins, Sol Dae Rokker became furious and started attacking anyone who is responsible.


  • And I Must Scream: Getting hit by its Wave-Motion Gun will turn the player character into a rain of coins.
  • Attack Its Weak Point: Its only vulnerable on the rather small Power Crystal on its forehead.
  • Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: You spend the entire level battling Rebels, before going into a pyramid infested with man-eating plants and giant insects. Then you fight an almighty Sun God annoyed by all the ruckus. What?
  • Power Crystal: This serves as its weak point and also allows it to fire its Flechette Storm attack.
  • Flechette Storm: Fires spiked projectiles of light from its crystal. Yellow ones are aimed at random while red ones are aimed at the player characters.
  • Lone Wolf Boss: It isn't associated with any enemy faction at all.
  • Meaningful Name: Sol Dae Rokker is a play on "Sol De Roca", which means "Sun made of rock" in Spanish.
  • Shaping Your Attacks: One of its attacks consists of summoning wolf spirits that act as explosive projectiles.
  • Turns Red: In both the literal and trope sense. It'll start turning red as it takes damage, and its attacks will also become faster.
  • Wave-Motion Gun: It is capable of firing one from its "mouth". Getting hit by it will turn the player into coins.

Metal Slug 4

    Brave Gurerrier 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brave_guerrier.png

A support blimp created by the Rebel Army and Amadeus Syndicate. It is used for carrying troops to the field and to give support fire from any range.


  • Background Boss: It assists the Sea Satan by firing missiles at you from the background, despite being heavily damaged from the previous battle.
  • Cool Airship: A huge airship constructed by both the Rebels and Amadeus Syndicate, and carries a plethora of weaponry.
  • Death from Above: All the blimp's attacks comes from above the player, from cannons to bouncing balls to missiles.
  • Five-Second Foreshadowing: The Brave Guerrier appears in the background deploying missiles that proceed to sink the cruise ship setting of Mission 4, which sets up the battle against the Sea Satan.
  • Not Quite Dead: Despite sustaining heavy damage from the previous battle (up to including having its bridge destroyed and the pilots killed), it somehow manages to find its way to the ocean and assists the Sea Satan.
  • Sequential Boss: You have to fight its dorsal section, then the rear half of the gondola, then the front half, in three separate phases.
  • Warmup Boss: It does have three phases as a boss, the first which is borderline zero-effort; two of it's three attacks are cannons capable of firing in a straight line, where it's guaranteed to miss as long as you stand on the screen's right. The third drops bouncing mines that can be blasted with the Heavy Machine-Gun you're conveniently given before the fight. It's second segment fires a homing missile that can be avoided by jumping, besides dispensing weak rebels you can slice up. The third and last segment is the only part worthy of a challenge, but it's nowhere as difficult as later bosses.

    Toschka Dalanue 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/toschka_dalanue.png

A pillbox tower that serves as a vigilance spot and a barrier against anyone foolish enough to cross its path.


  • BFG: The top section carries Big Shiee's huge cannon and fires similar explosive bullets.
  • Clown-Car Base: One of its segments can store an unlimited number of soldiers.
  • Sequential Boss: You have to fight five different "floors" of the tower.

    The Iron 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_iron_ms.png

A customized version of the Iron Nokana armored combat vehicle created by the Amadeus Syndicate. It is equipped with tank treads which allows the vehicle to move faster on any terrain, and has even more improved armor and firepower. Unlike the original Iron Nokana, the Iron lacks the ability to rise up on stilts and reveal any hidden weapons underneath.


  • Actually a Doombot: Not the Iron itself, but the Morden piloting the vehicle is revealed to be a decoy, as stated in Metal Slug Attack.
  • Chainsaw Good: One of its attacks is a foldable buzzsaw.
  • Flunky Boss: There will always be a single MH-6S Masknell helicopter assisting it, at all times. Which makes the battle difficult because players will need to avoid the Iron's attacks from the front simultaneously with the helicopter's assault from above.
  • Tank Goodness: A modified Iron Nokana that appears to be more tank-like instead of a truck.

    Big John 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/big_john_ms.png

Big John (Robotic Frame)

A giant animatronic originally belonging to an amusement park. It was later converted into a weapon by the Amadeus Syndicate, using a virus similar to the purple gas and Monoeye UFO's energy to turn everyone into mummies and zombies.


  • Hoist by His Own Petard: Using the zombie blood vomit can also deal incredible damage to it. This is only usable if the player gets zombified by the zombie virus bubbles it drops.
  • Sequential Boss: Step 1: Destroy its descending claw. Step 2. Blow up its cannons, which drops purple fireballs on you. Step 3. Survive an onslaught of the Big John's zombie virus while battling its main head.
  • The Virus: It releases bubbles filled with the zombie virus.
  • Zombie Apocalypse: It is the cause of the zombie outbreak that has infected several people in the level and possibly the player.

    Sea Satan 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sea_satan_ms.png

A huge submarine used by the Amadeus Syndicate. It can stealthily destroy ships or aggressively engage them head on, and can also kill any personnel aboard using its Gatling gun and dissipate its target using its missiles.


  • Dual Boss: Subverted; it's backed up by the Guerrier during the battle, where the airship will sic missiles from the background. But players don't get to finish off the Guerrier; once Sea Satan is down the level then ends.
  • Flunky Boss: For most of the battle, you'll be fighting rebel soldiers swarming out of it's hatches while avoiding it's missiles. It then changes tactics to launching rockets from under the sea, before resurfacing to unleash another wave of rebels. Rinse and repeat.
  • Gatling Good: Carries a Gatling gun that will fire at the player if they're on top of it.

    Amadeus Mother Computer 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/amadeus_mother_computer.png

Amadeus Type α

Amadeus Type β

The Mother Computer is the Amadeus Syndicate's main computer frame piloted by the Doctor.


  • All Your Powers Combined: The Mother Computer carries the attack patterns recovered from the Martians, as seen in the final mission of the previous game. As such, it can fire green energy rings similar to the Martian brain-pods, release projectiles similar to the Mini-UFO, and cover the screen in a hard-to-avoid circular blast much like Rootmars.
  • Background Boss: The computer's final form is situated in the background.
  • Beam Spam: The final form loves its lasers.
  • Chainsaw Good: Type β can deploy a giant buzzsaw that travels the entire length of the floor.
  • Chest Blaster: They're not completely robots, but the first two forms both have weapons on their main chest areas: Type α has missile launchers, while Type β uses miniguns.
  • Flunky Boss: The Type β can deploy airborne drones, while the main reactor can sometimes summon ground robots.
  • Load-Bearing Boss: Once the Mother Computer is destroyed, the heroes have to escape from the destructing base.
  • Reflecting Laser: One wave of the main reactor's laser attacks can bounce all over the screen.
  • Sequential Boss: The player has to fight the Type α Mother Computer, followed by the Type β Mother Computer, and then the main reactor.
  • Stationary Boss: All three forms are fixed to a single spot while attacking with projectiles.

Metal Slug 5

    Metal Rear 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/metal_rear.png

A gigantic SV-001 created by the Ptolemaic Army. It moves nimbly despite its gigantic size.


  • David Versus Goliath: You can bring a Metal Slug to battle where your Slug will be the David and Metal Rear will be the Goliath.
  • Evil Knockoff: A gigantic knockoff of the SV-001 created by the Ptolemiac Army after they stole the Metal Slug's blueprints.
  • Fireballs: Its main cannon fires large but slow moving fireballs out.
  • Gatling Good: It is armed a gatling gun in the same spot that the Metal Slug has a machine gun in.
  • One-Hit Kill: Getting crushed by it will instantly destroy the Slug you're in, as well as you.
  • Shout-Out: Its name may be a reference to Metal Gear.
  • Tank Goodness: It is essentially a huge version of the Metal Slug that you use, and comes with all the dangerous weaponry too.
  • Warmup Boss: The Metal Rear's cannons and gatling-gun are easily dodgeable, and serves to help you practice the game's new sliding move. You know the battle will be over in 20 seconds the moment a prisoner tags you with a Grenade Launcher.

    Shooting Ray 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shooting_ray.png

A large aircraft carrier created by the Ptolemaic Army that specializes in air combat.


  • Bullet Hell: One of its attacks consists of firing a storm of flak shots forwards, when then drift back towards you in a hard-to-avoid field of bullets.
  • Cool Plane: A gigantic aircraft used by the Ptolemaic Army.
  • David Versus Goliath: You can choose to bring the Slug Flyer to the fight, where your Slug will be the David and the far larger Shooting Ray will be the Goliath.
  • Flunky Boss: It is capable of spawning helicopter firebombs that home in on you and can be destroyed.
  • Weaponized Exhaust: One attack used by its rear section has it try to torch the player characters with its exhaust.

    Screamer 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screamer_ms.png

The Screamer is a mech specifically designed for climbing building walls. It is armed with multi-barreled missile launcher and a sonic cannon.


  • Exactly What It Says on the Tin: It is a machine that can unleash a shockwave strong enough to destroy a floor like a "sonic scream".
  • Flunky Boss: Every now and then, the commander will pop out and summon two Ptolemaic soldiers to attack you.
  • Glass-Shattering Sound: Uses a sonic cannon to demolish the current floor you're on.
  • Homing Projectile: The Screamer is capable of using a homing missile launcher that fires destructible missiles.
  • Spider Tank: A vertical version, but loosely based on an arachnid nonetheless.
  • Wall Crawl: The Screamer is fought at the side of a building where it crawls on.

    Sand Marine 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sand_marine.png

An amphibious vehicle created by the Ptolemaic Army that is specifically designed to travel in sandy terrain.


    The Black Hound 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_black_hound.png

The Black Hound is an unmanned variation of the SV-001/III Metal Slug created by the Ptolemaic Army using stolen tech and serves as a secret mid-boss.


  • A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Its AI goes rampant and starts attacking/killing its own Ptolemiac allies in the area before you face it.
  • Dark Is Evil: The enemy Metal Slug appropriately has a dark color scheme.
  • Discard and Draw: As an enemy, the Black Hound is capable of ramming, firing its main cannon, a laser, a mortar attack, and its own machinegun. As a playable unit in Advance, it retains its capability to ram enemies and fire its main cannon, but lacks the laser, mortar and machinegun. Instead, it has the ability to spam homing missiles.
  • Mini-Boss: The Black Hound first appears as an optional boss in 5 before becoming playable in Advance.
  • Optional Boss: Fighting the Black Hound is entirely optional in a secret area, and it gives no reward.
  • Promoted to Playable: In Metal Slug Advance, finding the Black Hound's card will allow the player to use it. Unlike its encounter in 5, it primarily uses homing missile spam.
  • Sapient Tank: It's a Metal Slug with Artificial Intelligence that is supposed to function autonomously. But its AI doesn't seem very good as it quickly goes berserk and kills its own allies.

Metal Slug 6

    Bull Drill 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bull_drill.png

The Bull Drill is a large excavator used by the Rebels and is primarily designed to dig underground with ease. It has both a bulldozer blade and drill, hence its name.


  • Construction Vehicle Rampage: It is a giant excavator-like vehicle weaponized by the Rebels.
  • Deadly Disc: Capable of launching a huge saw disc that advances towards you.
  • Death from Above: One of its attacks causes stalactites to fall from the ceiling.
  • Dishing Out Dirt: It is capable of firing boulders at the player. During the second phase of the fight it can also use its drill to cause stalactites to rain down on the player.
  • Military Mashup Machine: A cross between an excavator and a drilling machine.
  • This Is a Drill: It is capable of using its excavator drill to make rocks land on the area, and to attack.
  • Warmup Boss: It doesn't move about, fires ground-based projectiles that can be easily avoided, flings slow-moving rocks as a ranged attack, and goes down in no time.

    Iron Sentinel 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/iron_sentinel_ms.png

A giant mobile rocket launcher/tank piloted by General Morden. It is created with help from the Mars People.


  • Death from Above: One of its attacks has it launch a huge rocket into the air that will then crash into the ground and cause a fiery shockwave.
  • Hammerspace: Much like the King Jupiter, it can fire missiles larger and especially longer than the vehicle itself.
  • Interesting Situation Duel: You fight on the side of this thing as it slides down a hill.
  • Macross Missile Massacre: Most of its attacks consist of launching several rockets in various patterns at you.

    Brain Robot 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brain_robot_ms.png

A large Invader combat robot controlled by an artificial brain, which is housed inside a glass dome in order to protect and preserve it. It also has eyes connected to the brain through nerve cords.


  • Advancing Boss of Doom: It'll advance on the player, forcing you to keep moving ahead.
  • Berserk Button: Bait it into using its melee attack too often or take too long to defeat it and it will keep swinging its arms while moving, limiting the player's safe space. The player will know when it is enraged when it does an angry stomping motion.
  • Brain in a Jar: Its head appears to have a huge, artificially-made brain within that controls the robot.
  • Car Fu: One of its attacks consists of grabbing a wrecked truck from the sewage and tossing it at the heroes.
  • Energy Ball: Its brain fires these out forwards, which then stop before aiming and flying at the player characters.
  • Killer Robot: A large Invader-made, Brain in a Jar robot hellbent on chasing and killing the heroes. Prior to that, it simply wanders alone in the sewers.
  • Shock and Awe: It is capable of electrocuting the entire floor. To avoid this, the player need to stand on one of those crates that appear in the arena. It can also fire homing electric orbs at the player.
  • What the Fu Are You Doing?: For some inexplicable reason, prior to the boss battle, the Brain Robot will strike a Shaolin crane-style kung-fu pose, complete with standing on one leg, before deciding to pursue the players instead. It's weird, but then again you fought this guy in China...

    Elder Centipede 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/elder_centipede_ms.png

The Elder Centipede is an ancient arthropod with deadly acid spitting capabilities and some level of flight.


  • Attack Its Weak Point: Its head is the only vulnerable spot.
  • Colossus Climb: If you're on foot without the Slug Flyer, you will spend much of the battle running across its back while avoiding its attacks. It will even shed its skin in an attempt to shake you off, which will kill you if you fail to jump in time.
  • Outside-Context Problem: It is not part of the Invaders, being simply an Earth creature from ancient times and was likely disturbed during the invasion.
  • Sand Worm: A sea variant instead. It also acts as a Segmented Serpent. Metal Slug Attack would instead play this trope straight as it emerges from under the sand.
  • Super Spit: It is capable of spitting purple acid at the player characters or even spewing a huge stream of deadly microorganisms.

Metal Slug 7/XX

    Worm Mecha 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/worm_mecha_ms.png

A segmented, worm-like drilling machine piloted by Morden.


  • Clown-Car Base: Some of the segments can individually deploy soldiers.
  • Foreshadowing: The Kraken's tentacles are pretty much recolored and smaller versions of the Worm Mecha's sprites.
  • Segmented Serpent: Each of the segments are destructible and will help with lessening its firepower.
  • Warmup Boss: Comes in a variety of segments, but each of these segments has pathetic health.

    Crablops 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/crabclops_ms.png

Crabclops Type-Upper

Crabclops Type-Lower

A giant one-eyed crab-shaped mecha. Its head and arms can be separated from its body.


  • Attack Its Weak Point: Takes bonus damage if you can hit it in the head. To do this you'll either need to have brought Slug Trolley cannons, which can fire into the background, or else launch missiles from the minecarts below you.
  • Background Boss: In its first encounter, it attacks you from the background, to the point where only its hands are vulnerable. If you don't have the Slug Trolley you'll need to shoot the minecarts so they'll launch the missiles they're holding in the air that home in on it.
  • Boss-Arena Idiocy: Minecarts carrying rockets will constantly spawn at the bottom rails, and shooting them will cause them to launch a missile at Crablops for huge damage.
  • Cyber Cyclops: Like its name suggests, it has a single mechanical eye.
  • Detachment Combat: The second battle against it reveals that it can detach its head and torso from its legs, and both are fought as separate targets.
  • Dishing Out Dirt: Both encounters with it has it capable of grabbing a stalactite from the cave ceiling and dropping it on you.
  • Dual Boss: In Mission 3, its head and arms detaches from its body and you have to fight both of them.
  • Eye Beams: It attacks you with these in its first encounter.
  • Flunky Boss: Capable of deploying containers that spawn mole drones to attack you. The second time it's fought, it also drops exploding maggots and rebel soldiers.
  • Giant Enemy Crab: It is a crab-like mecha with the capability of splitting into two, and also has a lot of firepower.
  • Interesting Situation Duel: Partway through the second encounter, you'll board a diagonal platform lift. Once one of the halves is down, the other will attack you more relentlessly as the lift ascends.
  • Macross Missile Massacre: It has a multi-homing missile launcher on its head, which it'll use in its first encounter.
  • Meaningful Name: A crab-like robot with singular eye, hence it is a crab cyclops.
  • Not Quite Dead: When defeated in Mission 2, it is seen relatively intact, if powered down. Sure enough, it returns as the boss of Mission 3.
  • Puzzle Boss: In its first encounter, you can only attack its arms. In order to do good damage to it, you need to shoot the conveniently-placed minecarts so they'll fire the missiles they're loaded with straight at Crablops.
  • Recurring Boss: It's fought as both the second and third boss of the game, except in different situations.
  • Spider Tank: Its bottom half comes equipped with a BFG during the second fight.
  • Weaponized Exhaust: Its bottom half is capable of using an exhaust cannon during the second time it's fought, once the top half is destroyed.

    Fall Climber 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fall_mecha_ms.png

A gorilla/crab-like mecha designed to climb up cliffs. It is armed with several weapons such as missile launchers and a laser cannon.


  • Ambiguous Situation: It is left ambiguous if it was truly destroyed since it doesn't explode when defeated, instead using a Wave-Motion Gun to propel the player characters up to the level endpoint.
  • Colossus Climb: Literally, the entire boss battle is spent with you standing on its head and "arms".
  • Flunky Boss: It will often summon two turrets on the waterfall face that fire various types of attack at you.
  • In Case of Boss Fight, Break Glass: Its weakpoint is the glass-looking case in its middle, once its head armor is destroyed.
  • Interesting Situation Duel: You fight it as it climbs up a waterfall, and the platforms you stand on is the boss itself and its arms.
  • Killer Gorilla: A mecha that appears to resemble a gorilla in terms of body shape.
  • Not Completely Useless: The Drop Shot, one of the most useless and unreliable weapons in the game, works wonders on this boss, due to the players spending the fight standing on the Fall Mecha. Conveniently enough, during the battle a nearby prisoner will award players with a Drop Shot upon being tagged.
  • Wave-Motion Gun: Once its top armor is blown off, it becomes capable of firing one out down the middle. It also uses one upon defeat, although this doesn't hurt you and instead propels you to the level endpoint.

    The Union 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_union_ms.png

Union 01

Union 02

Union 03

A trio of autonomous vehicles consisting of a Head Tank (01), a VTOL (02), and a Slave Tank (03) with the ability to combine with each other. All three of them need to have their cores destroyed in order to be beaten.


  • Attack Its Weak Point: They're only vulnerable in the bright red cores on each of them.
  • Boss-Arena Idiocy: If the head tank didn't have a convenient platform at its base for the player to stand on, it would be far more difficult to hit the Slave Tank. Likewise, if it didn't have a convenient area to stand on right in front of its weakpoint, it would be a lot more tricky to hit.
  • Colossus Climb: You fight the Union while standing on them. Every now and then, you will need to jump between Union 1, 2 and 3 to either avoid attacks or to return fire.
  • Combining Mecha: The three of them can combine together into a larger form. While they aren't quite threatening in this form, they can crush any player characters between any of the parts when they do so.
  • Death from Above: The Slave Tank is capable of firing several bombs into the air that rain on the player.
  • Flunky Boss: The VTOL can summon elemental pods to attack the player.
  • Gatling Good: The VTOL has a gatling gun attachment on its front side.
  • I Can Still Fight!: Destroying the core on one of them does not take it out of the battle, and it can still attack and move like normal. The fight's only over once all three lose their cores.
  • In Case of Boss Fight, Break Glass: Their weakpoints appear to be red glass-looking cores.
  • Interesting Situation Duel: The entire fight takes place on the vehicle(s) themselves, where your player character uses them as makeshift platforms.
  • Killed Offscreen: When all three are defeated, your character leaps off as the trio move offscreen. After some explosion sounds and screen shaking, their wreckage then flies back on-screen from the right.
  • Meaningful Name: The trio is collectively known as the Union, can combine with each other, and all three of them need to be destroyed to defeat them.
  • Shout-Out: Being made of three different parts with an odd core-looking weakpoint in each of them, it's a reference to the fourth boss of RType.
  • Wolfpack Boss: You fight all three of them at the same time.

    Rebel Gigant 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rebel_gigant_ms.png

A huge mech that was developed by the Future Rebel army and bought into the present day. It is specifically designed to be controlled by Allen O'Neil. Despite its huge body and very tough armor, it has great agility. It's also equipped with various weaponry such as Homing missiles, and floating mines.


  • Duel Boss: The boss battle consists of the player's Slug Gigant versus Allen O'Neil's Rebel Gigant, with no flunkies between you and him. If your Slug Gigant's health goes down, you automatically die and respawn as another cockpit for the Slug Gigant.
  • Evil Counterpart: It's essentially a rebel army version of the Slug Gigant.
  • Humongous Mecha: It's far larger than most of the pilotable mechs in the series.
  • Macross Missile Massacre: It's equipped with a multi-homing missile launcher on its shoulder and Allen won't hesitate to spam it.
  • Mirror Boss: You face it when piloting your Slug Gigant. In fact, if your Slug's health gets depleted, you die and you'll respawn with another cockpit for the Slug Gigant.

    Kraken 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kraken_ms.png

The Kraken is the ultimate weapon brought by the Future Rebels to help launch another Morden coup d'etat. It is equipped with super thick photon armor which even protects it from lava as well as various weaponry from the future, such as cylinder grenades, and an ultra huge cannon. It is also equipped with armed tentacles for recharging its energy with lava.


  • Battle Amongst the Flames: You face it on a Lava Pit with floating scrap metal.
  • BFG: The main unit comes equipped with a huge cannon that destroys the scrap metal platforms on the lava.
  • Background Boss: The main unit stays in the distance while controlling its tentacles to attack the heroes.
  • Boss Arena Urgency: Subverted, both Kraken and its tentacles can destroy the metal scraps you're on, only for more scrap to show up to replace them.
  • Combat Tentacles: Eight of them, no less, and all of them are capable of using their own attacks. You need to destroy each individual one before the main head attacks you.
  • Death from Above: The main unit is capable of raining fireballs onto you or dropping cylinder grenades.
  • Foreshadowing: It can be briefly seen emerging from the time portal as it gets destroyed.
  • Gameplay and Story Segregation: It is capable of travelling under the lava, yet the Flame Shot will still damage it despite being less hot. Granted, you don't get the Flame Shot during the battle itself.
  • Marathon Boss: The fight is separated into five phases, the first four involve destroying two of its eight tentacles, and the last being an attack on the main machine itself. Each tentacle has a good bit of health to complicate things.
  • Sequential Boss: The first phases involve attacking and destroying its tentacles, before you can actually fight the main unit.
  • Shout-Out: Its design appears to be like that of the Trumpet Lillies from In the Hunt.


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