Summary
- Metal Gear's cast grew richer over the decades, with complex characters and behind‑the‑scenes allies.
- Iconic pairings include Solid Snake & Otacon, The End and his parrot, and Venom Snake with D.D.
- Both heroes and villains form duos—sometimes human, sometimes animal—across both main games and spinoffs.
Metal Gear began in 1987, and even with the initial version, there were a lot of characters involved in the story. It was ahead of its time as a Japanese PC game, and these characters only got more elaborate as time went on. While Solid Snake and other heroes mostly faced their challenges in the field alone, they did have help behind the scenes.
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The Metal Gear franchise houses some of the best characters in fiction, and here's a selection of some of the most iconic.
Also, the villains in Metal Gear tend to work solo but as part of larger organizations. Were there any that worked in pairs? Let’s go through the decades of Metal Gear characters and find if there are any memorable duos out there on either the good or bad side.
Solid Snake And Otacon (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty)
The Philanthropy Founders
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
- Released
- November 13, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Animated Blood, Animated Violence
- Genre(s)
- Stealth
After the events of Metal Gear Solid, Solid Snake and Hal Emmerich, aka Otacon, went their separate ways from their previous allegiances and started Philanthropy. It was a peaceful organization aimed at stopping anyone who threatened the balance of the world.
They formed a strong bond in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, as Otacon served as Snake’s go-to contact while he was in the field. That bond grew stronger in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots as the two continued their efforts to keep the peace despite Snake’s aging body.
The End And His Parrot (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater)
Beware His Squawks
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)
- Released
- November 17, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is full of memorable boss battles, and for some, The End is their favorite. The End is a skilled sniper who is at the end of his life in the game. He’s accompanied by a parrot whose job is to keep him awake during battles, as The End is constantly slipping in and out of consciousness.
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Savvy players can also use the parrot as a guiding beacon to find The End, who is also a master of camouflage and is hiding in a dense jungle throughout his boss fight. The parrot ultimately leads The End to the finale he deserved as a loyal soldier. Today, new players can experience this dynamic duo in the game's remake, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater.
Drebin And Little Gray (Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots)
Monkeys Love Soda
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
- Released
- June 12, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Crude Humor, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Stealth
Drebin served as Solid Snake’s weapon handler in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. He could make any weapon usable by Snake by altering the weapon’s ID chips. While hiding in his back alley shop, Drebin typically sent out his monkey pal, Little Gray, on errands.
Little Gray did whatever he was told because Drebin provided him with all the soda he could drink. Soda was probably not the best thing to give to a monkey, but Little Gray and Drebin had a good working relationship going on. Drebin may have been a stone-cold weapons dealer, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a soft spot for Little Gray.
Venom Snake And D.D. (Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain)
Diamond Dogs Are Forever
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
- Released
- September 1, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Action, Open-World
In Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, Big Boss was rebranded as Venom Snake, and players could take a couple of different partners into the field with them. The one most players fell in love with was D.D., or Diamond Dog.
D.D. Was a wolf pup that Snake saved early in the game, and after some training at Mother Base, Snake could then take D.D. Into the field. Even though Snake didn’t talk much, and D.D. Obviously couldn’t talk, as he's a dog, it was still clear that they had formed a good partnership.
Kazuhira Miller And Revolver Ocelot (Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain)
Building A Better Tomorrow
Revolver Ocelot was bested by Big Boss in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, but later joined his ranks in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain with Big Boss’ acting under a new name, Venom Snake.
Now an older and wiser man, Ocelot became Snake’s advisor and right-hand man. He took care of mission planning and strategizing at Mother Base alongside Kazuhira Miller. Even though Snake was technically in charge of Mother Base, Miller and Ocelot were definitely the heart and brains of the operation, since Snake was a man of few words and made the biggest impact out in the field rather than around the war table.
Solid Snake And Teliko Friedman (Metal Gear Acid)
A Hit Of Acid
Metal Gear Acid
- Released
- March 22, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+
- Genre(s)
- Stealth, Digital Card Game
Metal Gear Acid is one of the odder spinoffs in the franchise. It’s an alternate history game et apart from Metal Gear Solid’s events, and it’s a tactical card-based RPG. Solid Snake is eventually accompanied by his female partner, Teliko Friedman, who is his one and only party member.
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In Metal Gear Acid 2, Teliko gets replaced by Venus. Both serve the same functionality for Snake, but Teliko is the more likable partner, as she often challenges Snake’s beliefs. It’s a unique dynamic since most games don’t give heroes like Snake partners.
Slasher Hawk And Bunjil (Metal Gear: Ghost Babel)
More Like Boomerang Hawk
Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
- Released
- May 5, 2000
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Genre(s)
- Stealth
Metal Gear: Ghost Babel is another spinoff with alternate events to the main Metal Gear Solid timeline. It’s still a top-down stealth-action game, but the missions are level-based for more bite-sized consumption on the Game Boy Color.
Slasher Hawk is one of the main bosses of the game, accompanied by his hawk, Bunjil. In the first phase of the battle, Snake has to dodge Hawk’s boomerang, and in the second half, he has to dodge the boomerang and Bunjil. While things don’t end well for Hawk, he and Bunjil had a good run together as soldiers.
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The Metal Gear Solid games span across decades, though not in chronological order. This should clear the timeline up.