open/close all folders
Main
Gillian Seed
- Japanese voice: Yusaku YaraEnglish voice: Jeff Lupetin
A man who was recently transferred to JUNKER HQ after going through extensive military training ever since being found in Siberia, by the Russian military, three years before the game begins. He does not remember anything about his life before then, and hopes that his assignment as a JUNKER could help regain his memory. The only thing that comes off as a clue of his past is his apparent marriage ring with Jamie, and the term: Snatcher.
- Accidental Pervert: One scene has Gillian walk into his own shower, thinking that a Snatcher may have infiltrated his apartment, only to accidentally see a nude Katrina. His expression and tone doesn't hide his appreciation though.
- Adaptational Badass: While already a badass to begin with, later ports remove some comedic moments (such as him holding onto Random bike instead of chasing it) and added him down to earth. He even tried to kill some snatchers in the post-Sega CD ports when he was protecting Metal!
- Badass Longcoat: He looks pretty cool with one on. Helps that he has a blaster to go with it.
- Big Eater: In one optional scene, Gillian orders four bowls of ramen. The vendor suggests that two is more than enough, but Gillian insisted and quickly eats it all up. In another optional scene, he is in utter dismay when his Neo Kobe Pizza never rose up from the soup, making him feel disgruntled cursing the city. You can also eat a lot of buffalo/whale meat at Outer Heaven.
- Chivalrous Pervert: Very much so in the Japanese versions, but not so much in the Sega CD version.
- Cool Old Guy: Subverted. In Act 3, Gillian turns out to be 79 years old and was one of these all along.
- Dogged Nice Guy: The player has the ability to call up Jamie at virtually any time during the game to make small talk. Eager to rebuild their marriage, Gillian can also ask Jamie out on a date––perhaps dinner, or a play, or the beach, or...? No matter how many date ideas Gillian throws at her, and no matter how many times he asks, Jamie will always politely listen to Gillian's invitations... and decline every single time.
- Expy: Who could a man in a brown trench coat with a snarky attitude who fights cyborgs who look like humans possibly be an expy of?
- Good Is Not Nice: Played straight in Ivan Rodriguez's apartment. After getting shot at by Ivan, who was presumably defending his stash of illegal drugs, Gillian shoots back in self-defense and decides to conduct his questioning the hard way, with his blaster shoved into Ivan's mouth. When it's time to leave, he ignores Ivan's pleas to call an ambulance, instead letting the narcotics squad (who are already on the way) look after him.
- It's All My Fault: He feels guilty for not helping Jean, and for the Snatcher menace after destroying their main lair.
- Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: When Gillian goes to interrogate Ivan, he shoves his blaster in his mouth. Even when Metal proves that he isn't a Snatcher, he still does it. To be fair, Ivan did try to kill Gillian in hopes to conceal his drug habit.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Gillian contracted this sometime while in cryogenic sleep.
- Mr. Vice Guy: Mostly Played for Laughs in the Sega CD version, where the worst thing Gillian can do is go overboard while having dinner and drinks at Outer Heaven. In the Japanese versions, Gillian's behavior towards the women he meets is potentially quite selfish and distasteful, depending on the player's choices, therefore playing this trope straight.
- Quest for Identity: One of the reasons he joined JUNKER is because the word "snatcher" keeps popping into his mind, and he thinks they have a connection to his past.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Invoked after Harry is killed by Snatcher-Cunningham.C-Cunningham! No, SNATCHER! I'll get you for this!
- Sir Swearsalot: The character who swears the most during the game.
- Took a Level in Badass: Played straight in the 32-bit versions. During the climax of Act 3, after Metal shows up to guide the phased particle beam aimed at the Snatchers' church, the 32-bit versions extend the sequence a bit by depicting Gillian shooting down some of Elijah's Snatcher Mooks.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Had it not for him being involved the Snatcher project in the 1980s, Elijah wouldn't started the Catastrophe and restart the project. Though this would also go for the CIA for sending him in undercover to begin with. Gillian was just doing his job — it's just that he was looking in the wrong direction, watching Petrovich Modnar and his research, while Elijah was the one to release Lucifer-Alpha... thus creating a world in which the Snatcher project pretty much became the threat that they always thought it would be.
- Vocal Dissonance: His Japanese voice is deeper than his English voice.
- Walk It Off: After an action scene, any damage he takes is immediately restored. This gets discussed and invoked if Gillian does take a hit in the first sequence, as Metal Gear injects him with Nanomachines to help boast his natural recovery.
- What the Hell, Player?:
- If you try hitting on either Katrina or Mika, with the former kicking you out of her house.
- Spending too much at Outer Heaven, with the Chief scolding you.
- Trying to shoot Ivan, though that's Gillian own move, and not the player's.
- A minor example, but if you insist on practising your shooting while Gillian and metal are trying to track down the Snatcher who is impersonating Chief Cunningham late in Act II, Metal will remove the "Practice" option from the menu.
- Shooting Jamie in Act III, which will make you restart at the last save point.
- You Don't Look Like You: Like with most games, his depiction on the cover doesn't look anything like he is in the game.
Metal Gear Mk.II
- Japanese voice: Mami KoyamaEnglish voice: Lucy Childs
A personal navigator robot designed and built by the JUNKER engineer, Harry Benson. Metal, for short, becomes Gillian's partner through out the game to provide crucial information and assistance whenever possible.
- Buddy Cop Show: Metal is the (sort of) sassy cop to more risky Gillian.
- By-the-Book Cop: Despite Gillian being understandably mad towards Ivan, Metal reminds him that he still has to abide by the book since they have no evidence that Ivan is even a Snatcher. In Act III, Metal informs Gillian that he may be forced to restrain him the moment their legal jurisdictions are revoked.
- Heroic Sacrifice: In Act III, Metal convinced the summit to use him as a beacon for a phase particle beam to eradicate the cathedral, in order to spare Neo Kobe of a nuclear strike. He does get better though, thanks to Random...
- It Has Been an Honor: Metal blurts this out to Gillian before the government's phase particle satellite levels the Snatcher church.Metal: Gillian, it has been most recreational being your partner!
Gillian: Oh, Metal! - I Will Only Slow You Down: In Act I, Metal was too shaken up to move and tells Gillian to leave the factory without him. Gillian takes him anyway and manages to escape in a nick of time. Your ear drums may have barely survived though.
- Leitmotif: When he first appears, his entrance music is "Theme of Tara" from Metal Gear.
- Painting the Fourth Wall: In the factory, Metal encourages you to turn up your TV volume to make out the beeping noises. All other sound effects, and even voice acting, has been turned down as well to further encourage you to do this. By the end of it, it comes back to bite you with a loud explosion.Gillian: Ahhh, my ears are ringing.
Metal Gear: That's because you left the voulme turned up.
Gillian: Damn Snatchers... - Retractable Appendages: Metal has retractable claws that are used to pick items up.
- Ridiculously Human Robots: Despite his rather utilitarian function, Metal is by all appearances completely sapient and has a fully humanlike set of emotions. Some scenes also suggest that he can eat, though we never see how.
- You Didn't Ask: Metal knew of Gillian's past the whole time, but since it is classified information and Gillian lacks the proper security clearance level, he was forbidden to tell him. In the beginning of Act III, since Gillian IS the high ranking officer at the time, technically, he was allowed access to said information.
Supporting
Jamie Seed
- Japanese voice: Kikuko InoueEnglish voice: Susan Mele
Gillian's wife. She was awakened from cryogenic sleep along with her husband. She too has amnesia and decides to split from Gillian for the time being, having little to base their relationship on. She is still supportive for Gillian though and is available for contact most of the time.
- Dude, Not Funny!: Judging by her outgoing videophone message, Jamie has one wicked sense of humor.
- Happily Married: She would probably be if she remembered why she married him.
- I Have Your Wife: After she regains her memories, she is forced to work with the Snatchers, especially after they tell her that they have her son hostage. Unfortunately, Harry (her son) ends up dead long before Gillian received the call...
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Just like Gillian.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: She lashes out Gillian Seed as she thinks he was the reason for the Catastrophe to happen. While she was somewhat right, Jamie also forgot that she was also indirectly responsible for it as well as it was the both of them for Elijah to start having feelings for Jamie, which started the whole thing.
Mika Slayton
- Japanese voice: Miina TominagaEnglish voice: Kimberly Harne
The receptionist at JUNKER HQ, running the front desk, and make calls to other Junkers.
- Brainy Brunette: She helps out on Act III helping Gillian and Metal find the main headquarters of the snatchers.
- Damsel in Distress: This happened to her when Snatcher-Benson grabs her hostage.
Benson Cunningham
- Japanese voice: Gorō NayaEnglish voice: Ray Van Steen
The chief of JUNKER HQ. He authorized Gillian's transfer and is a nice, stand-up guy.
- As You Know: Act II beings with Cunningham recapping everything that has happened in Act I.
- Dead All Along: Later in Act II, Gillian learns that the chief was killed, and snatched a month prior to the events of the game.
- Hint System: A living example. If you find yourself stuck, the chief may offer advice on what to do next.
Harry Benson
- Japanese voice: Ryuji SaikachiEnglish voice: Ray Van Steen
The engineer of JUNKER HQ. He is the oldest member of the unit and provides Gillian with his navigator, Metal Gear, and his blaster. He is also good friends with Jean Gibson.
- Drowning My Sorrows: Invokes this the moment he learned of Jean's death.
- The Engineer: He invents the weapons and navigators for JUNKER.
- Have We Met?: The first thing Harry asks when he meets with Gillian. Turns out they have, about thirty years ago, as his son...
- I Just Want to Have Friends: Type A. He tells Gillian that despite winning a lot of rewards in his life, all he ever wanted was friendship.
- Luke, You Are My Father: In Act III, Metal Gear reveals that Harry was the son of Gillian and Jamie. Harry died thinking he would never find them ever again...
- Younger Than They Look: He's the same age as Jean Jack Gibson, but looks somewhat older. He explains this is due to brain stimulants he took as a kid, which helped him become a brilliant engineer, but also sped up his aging process as a side-effect.
Jean-Jack Gibson and Little John
- Japanese voices: Isao Inoguchi (Jean-Jack Gibson, Snatcher), Akio Ōtsuka (Jean-Jack Gibson, Sdatcher), Hideo Kojima (Little John, Sdatcher)English voices: Jim Parks (Jean-Jack Gibson)
A JUNKER who was working for a while joined with his robot partner Little John. He joined the organization after finding out what happened to his wife Alice. He got killed just moments after Gillian arrived at the abandoned factory.
Both Gibson and Little John are the main protagonist for the prequel radio drama "Sdatcher".
- The Chessmaster: Despite being dead early on, he has a lot of clues that helps the player about a few things (eg, who killed him and where the snatchers' hospital is. Not to mention the chess piece he left in his coat.
- Genius Bruiser: Aside from being a JUNKER, the information he stored in the floppy disk shows he has a good grasp of biology and anatomy.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After Jean killed Robin Goodman, a bomb detonated a plane from Tokyo. Gibson broke down in tears after what he caused...
- Hero of Another Story: While both Gibson and Little John's motives are the same Gillian and Metal would deal with (killing the snatchers), their reasoning are different.
- Off with His Head!: Pretty much his demise when meeting him.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: In the game, we don't know much about Gibson other than that his wife was killed by snatchers. This was averted after the release of "Sdatcher".
- The World's Expert (on Getting Killed): JUNKER's top field agent, (and until Gillian showed up, their only field agent) and thus the expert on hunting Snatchers. Gets killed by them moments into Gillian's first mission.
Katrina Gibson
- Japanese voice: unknownEnglish voice: Lynn Foosaner
Jean's daughter.
- Age Lift: She was 14 in the original, but changed to 18 when localized. And there's a good reason.
- Modesty Towel: She has to hurriedly slap one on after Gillian accidentally walks in on her in his own shower.
- Unable to Cry: She states she can no longer cry after her father's death.
- Whatever Happened to the Mouse?: It was never explained what happened to her after Act 2, though she does appear at the climax in the post PC Engine ports with a happy ending.
Napoleon
- Japanese voice: unknownEnglish voice: Jim Parks
A Chinese immigrant who supplied info to Jean-Jack Gibson. After Gillian takes over Gibson's investigation, Napoleon continues his role as an outside informant.
- Magical Asian: Subverted. Gillian resents having to rely on Napoleon for leads, and openly considers arresting him instead of paying him for information. He's also confused by Napoleon's nickname, and doesn't get an explanation until their final meeting at Outer Heaven. Naturally, Napoleon doesn't even get a chance to explain his moniker before Metal jumps in and explains it himself.
- Named After Somebody Famous: He's named after the French leader. Mostly because he sneezes to SNOW-9, and Bonaparte was defeated due to the cold.
- New Job as the Plot Demands: He changes jobs around Neo Kobe, though this is because he's trying to protect himself from snatchers.
- Whatever Happened to the Mouse?: It was never explained what happened to him after Act 2, though he does make a voice cameo in Act 3 of the Sega CD port.
Random Hajile
- Japanese voice: Kaneto ShiozawaEnglish voice: Ray Van Steen
A bounty hunter who has been following Gillian Seed closely, preferring him to do the investigations before he comes in to wipe out the Snatchers.
- Badass Biker: He rides a unicycle.
- Empowered Badass Normal: Being similar to a Snatcher is how he survived his own suicidal explosion.
- Big Damn Heroes: He ends up saving Gillian before he gets choked out by a Snatcher. He does this the second time by rescuing Gillian from his sabotaged Tricycle.
- Heroic Sacrifice:
- Performs one at Queens Hospital to get Gillian and Metal Gear out, as well as demolish the maintenance facility and the surrounding Snatchers.
- Pulls it off again at the end of the game by threatening the Snatchers to kill Elijah, their god.
- Identical Stranger When looking at a portrait of Elijah, and Elijah himself, Gillian sees some similarities between him and Random. He isn't far from the truth at all.
- Living MacGuffin: Elijah reveals that Random was manufactured by his father to combat the Snatcher threat, and even provided him with the advanced artificial skin Elijah needs to perfect his Snatchers. Fortunately, Random isn't gonna give it to him lying down.
- Made of Iron: He is able to survive a suicidal explosion just fine. Justified since he happens to be something better than a Snatcher!
- Mysterious Benefactor: Not so mysterious, as he revealed to Gillian at the end of Act I that he's been following him, and will continue to do so just to sniff out any Snatcher he may come across, and earn some cash money out of it.
- Ridiculously Human Robots: Dr. Modnar built him so well, injecting him with memories of Elijah's youth, providing him with the artificial skin his son has spent years trying to perfect, all to the point where Random believed to be 100% human.
- Robot Me: Elijah reveals that Random is this to him, only more awesome and less of a douche bag.
- Spared by the Adaptation: SD Snatcher has him survive Act III, where he dies in the original game.
- Sdrawkcab Name: Random Hajile = Elijah Modnar
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: Random gives this to Elijah, and even taunts him when Jamie leaves.
- Unperson: As Cunningham states at the beginning of Act II, it's discovered that Random is a unregistered bounty hunter, with no records. If you actually managed to look up his name on JORDAN, there's no records of him, with Metal assuming that he's probably an illegal drifter. Then we see later in Act III why he doesn't exist...
Antagonists
Elijah Modnar
- Japanese voice: Kaneto ShiozawaEnglish voice: Ray Van Steen
The third survivor of a cryogenic pod. Presently, he is kept alive by machinery as he is worshiped by his own creations, trying to make Snatchers perfectly adaptive in society. In the past, he was obsessed with both his research, and his love to Jamie, but has out grown his love years later as he focused on dominating the world by replacing world leaders with Snatchers, whom he could control remotely.
- Big Bad: While he wasn't the real creator of the Snatchers, Elijah's responsible for completing them. He was also responsible for "the Catastrophe".
- Emperor Scientist: Played very straight. Suffering from a god complex, Elijah actually believes that replacing the entire human race with robots is his ticket to becoming the supreme ruler of planet Earth. He cannot understand why Gillian and Jamie don't see things his way.Elijah: Jamie, the human race is composed of fools! But I? I am different. I will be its savior––indeed, not just of mankind, but of all life on the planet!
- Identical Stranger: When Gillian sees a portrait of him, and in person, he immediately thinks of Random Hajile.
- Love Makes You Evil: His primary motivation, plus his research's imminent destruction, caused him to unleash Lucifer alpha and seal himself, along with Gillian and Jamie, in cryogenic pods.
- Motive Decay: While the snatcher relaunch remained the same from the initial plan, Elijah's reasoning why he restarted it became different over time.
- Was It Really Worth It?: Gillian calls him out on what was the purpose to restart the snatcher project in the first place.
- Walking Spoiler: Brought up very late into the game, but crucially important from then on.
- You Don't Look Like You: His younger self in both the Japanese and English exports are different from each other. His Japanese counterpart looks more American with short gray hair, while his English looks more animesque.
Snatchers
- Japanese voice: unknownEnglish voice: Jeff Lupetin
Half robotic and half organic beings, these creatures are made to take over another life, hence their names.
- Alien Blood: In the PC Engine and versions after that, green blood comes out of their mouths if they hadn't got their skin yet.
- Attack Its Weak Point: The head is where they can be killed.
- Bowdlerise: In the Sega CD version, their eyes were changed to green, along with green sections.
- Calling Card They leave traces of SNOW-9, a pollen created by the military. It isn't intentional; they happen to be built in the same area where the pollen was created, and it rubs off on them.
- Expy: Their designs are direct lift from the Terminators, while their purpose is similar to that of the Nexus-6 replicants.
- Kill and Replace: They kill other human beings and take their place.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: If shot, their minds become blank. So if you want to find out their memory banks, good luck on that.
- Never Hurt an Innocent: They only snatch certain types of people (eg. VIPs, political leaders, regular size adults).
- Turned Against Their Masters: They only did this in SD Snatcher. In Snatcher itself, they're doing exactly what they were built for.
- Weakened by the Light: One of their weaknesses is the sun. Their artificial skin develops cancerous sores when exposed to it.
