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Liquid Snake
Liquid Snake
Liquid Snake
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Liquid Snake
Metal Gear character
Liquid Snake from Metal Gear Solid
First appearanceMetal Gear Solid (1998)
Last appearanceMetal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)
Created byHideo Kojima
Designed byYoji Shinkawa
Voiced by
  • Banjō Ginga (Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2)
  • Yutaro Honjo (Metal Gear Solid V)
Motion capture
  • Mark Musashi (The Twin Snakes)
  • Vincent Giry (The Phantom Pain)
In-universe information
Full nameEli
Aliases
  • Liquid Snake
  • White Mamba
NationalityBritish
American

Liquid Snake is a fictional character from the Metal Gear franchise. Along with protagonist Solid Snake, he is a product of Les Enfants Terribles, a top-secret government project to artificially create soldiers by cloning the legendary soldier Big Boss.[1] He first appears as the main antagonist in the original Metal Gear Solid, where he leads the rogue FOXHOUND unit in a hostile takeover of a nuclear disposal facility in Alaska. The character returns in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain as a child mercenary nicknamed the White Mamba with his real name revealed to be Eli.

Appearances

[edit]

Metal Gear Solid

[edit]
Further information: Metal Gear Solid (1998 video game)

Liquid Snake (Japanese: リキッド・スネーク, Hepburn: Rikiddo Sunēku) was raised in the United Kingdom following his birth, and served as an operative for the British SAS and later became the field commander of FOXHOUND during Metal Gear Solid, leading Revolver Ocelot, Psycho Mantis, Sniper Wolf, Vulcan Raven, Decoy Octopus and the Genome Soldiers.[2] He leads the hostile takeover of Shadow Moses Island, Alaska to acquire Big Boss's remains and use his genetic information to treat the mutations affecting his subordinates, the Genome Army. Liquid harbors a strong resentment towards Solid Snake, as he mistakenly believes that Snake received Big Boss's superior genes while he was given only the flawed genes. In reality, it is Liquid who carries superior genes.[3]

Snake first meets Liquid after he is taken captive by the enemy and imprisoned in a medical room. The two battle each other multiple times throughout the story. First, Liquid tries to kill Snake by piloting a Hind D and pursuing him across the Communication Towers but Snake destroys the helicopter with anti-air Stinger missiles. Afterward, Liquid manipulates Snake into activating Metal Gear REX by disguising himself as Master Miller. Snake destroys REX but falls unconscious in the aftermath which allowed Liquid to take his brother to the top of REX's ruins and challenge to a fistfight. Snake prevails but Liquid survives again and pursues Snake in a jeep chase that results in a crash outside the island's facility. Just as he approaches Snake, Liquid suddenly succumbs to the same FOXDIE virus that had also been injected into Snake. Liquid's death leaves Snake in doubt of his own survival, as FOXDIE targets victims based on specific DNA.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

[edit]
Further information: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Liquid's presence still had an influence. His right arm was transplanted posthumously as a replacement to Revolver Ocelot.[4] This resulted in Liquid's voice and mannerisms to be utilized by Ocelot whenever Solid Snake is nearby, such as when his host is confronted by Snake during the hijacking of Metal Gear RAY from the disguised tanker.[5] The rest of Liquid's body was being kept by an unspecified agency until being stolen by Hal Emmerich to fake Snake's death.[6] Liquid's personality took over Ocelot once again during the climax of Solidus Snake's takeover of the Big Shell with the intent of rebelling against The Patriots.[7] Liquid was the one to send Arsenal Gear crashing into Manhattan.[8]

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

[edit]
Further information: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Liquid's consciousness seemingly takes over his host's body as Liquid Ocelot. However, Liquid's personality is ultimately revealed to be an elaborate facade by Ocelot made possible through a process of self-hypnosis, in order to trick the Patriots' AIs.[9] The rest of Liquid's remains were used as spare body parts for Big Boss's restoration.

Metal Gear Solid V

[edit]
Further information: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Liquid Snake's next official appearance is in a prequel. The youth is a 12-year-old child soldier named Eli (イーライ, Īrai) who fled from his home in England after learning about his nature as a clone. He becomes an active mercenary in the Angola-Zaire border region in Central Africa where he sets up his own mercenary unit consisting entirely of children, nicknamed the White Mamba (ホワイトマンバ, Howaito Manba) or "Nyoka ya Mpembe" due to being the only white child soldier in the region.

Venom Snake first encounters Eli in Masa Village after it is taken over by Eli's group. After being subdued, he is taken into Mother Base where the Diamond Dogs staff try to re-educate him and integrate him into normal society along with the other child soldiers. However, Eli resists this treatment and rebels against the Mother Base staff, focusing his hostility on Venom Snake, whom he believes to be his biological father (unaware of Venom Snake's true identity as Big Boss's decoy).

When Eli sneaks into a chopper during Snake's deployment to OKB Zero in Kabul, he catches the attention of the young psychic known as the Third Child, who uses Eli's will to activate Sahelanthropus and attack Snake. After Sahelanthropus is neutralized and transferred to Mother Base, the Third Child infiltrates the place and befriends Eli, giving him a vial containing the English strain of Skull Face's vocal cord parasite. The two plot out an elaborate escape plan which involves helping other child soldiers escape and fixing Sahelanthropus with the assistance of its creator Dr. Emmerich. Ultimately, Eli succeeds in reactivating Sahelanthropus and hijacks the Metal Gear from Mother Base, escaping alongside the Third Child and the other child mercenaries.

"Kingdom of the Flies"[10] shows Snake pursuing Eli's group in an unnamed African island surrounded by saltwater, where the English strain of the vocal cord parasite has been spread to prevent access to adults. Snake confronts Eli and a battle ensues between Sahelanthropus and a battalion of Diamond Dogs soldiers. Eli is defeated but Snake is forced to abandon him when he displays signs of infections, as Eli has lost his immunity to the parasites as a result of undergoing puberty. Before Eli can die, the Third Child arrives and uses his psychic powers to remove the parasite within him. The two youths escape just as Diamond Dogs launches a Napalm airstrike to cleanse the island of the parasites. An image of the Manhattan skyline is seen while Eli vows revenge.

Concept and design

[edit]

Physical appearance

[edit]

Liquid Snake is almost identical to Solid Snake in terms of facial appearance and physique, with the only difference between them being Liquid's darker skin tone and medium-length blond hair. He has a tattoo of a snake entwined around a sword on his left arm, with concept art also showing a small piercing on his left ear and dog tags around his neck.[11] For most of Metal Gear Solid, Liquid is dressed in a brown trenchcoat but fights shirtless when he confronts Snake at the end of the game. When he disguises himself as Master Miller, he ties his hair in a ponytail and wears a pair of sunglasses, changing the tone of his voice as well. In Metal Gear Solid 2, when Liquid possesses Ocelot, his physical appearance changes as well, exposing the surgically attached right arm and letting his hair loose.

Eli in Metal Gear Solid V wears a wardrobe similar to his older self, consisting of a green jacket with no shirt and shorts. The back of his jacket has a drawing of a pig with an eye patch meant to resemble Big Boss and the phrase "Never Be Game Over" atop of it. Underneath the pig, the kanji 液体人間 (ekitai ningen), which means "liquid person", can be seen. He carries in his belt a conch, a reference to the novel Lord of the Flies.

Casting

[edit]

In the original Metal Gear Solid, Liquid Snake was voiced by Banjō Ginga in the Japanese version and by Cam Clarke (credited as James Flinders in the PlayStation release) in the English version. Both actors would reprise the role in Metal Gear Solid 2. Stuntman Mark Musashi provided Liquid Snake's motion capture for Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. The character's young version in Metal Gear Solid V was voiced by Piers Stubbs, who also provided facial capture, while his motion capture was performed by Vincent Giry. Yūtarō Honjō dubbed the character's voice for the Japanese version.

Reception

[edit]

In 1999, readers of GameSpot voted Liquid Snake into the list of top ten video game villains.[12] IGN included him in their 2011 list of top 100 video game villains, as number 53.[13] He was ranked as the 16th-coolest video game villain by Complex in 2012.[14] GameDaily ranked him ninth on their "Top 25 Evil Masterminds of All Time".[15] Liquid ranked first on IGN's 2008 list of the Metal Gear series' top ten villains,[16] also placing as seventh on their list of top ten Metal Gear boss battles.[17] Play ranked Liquid Snake the fifth-best Metal Gear character, adding he "has become one of the most iconic villains of the franchise and is still one of its most popular characters."[18]

Liquid was included on GamesRadar+ 2008 list of "outrageously camp bad guys" at fifth place,[19] also giving honourable mention on their list of "mega plot twists you never saw coming" to finding out Master Miller is actually Liquid Snake.[20] In 2011, UGO Networks ranked Liquid as the fourth-scariest fictional terrorist in entertainment,[21] also featuring him revealing himself in Metal Gear Solid on the list of the most shocking twists in gaming.[22] In 2012, GamesRadar+ featured both him and Solidus Snake at second place on the list of most evil clones in gaming, commenting that "as evil clones go, the ones that threaten the world with thermonuclear war and eradication rank as some of the worst,"[23] and also listing him and Solid Snake as having one of the best brotherly rivalries in gaming.[24] IGN also remarked their rivalry, saying "Few rivalries in games have spanned as massive and confusing a timeline as Solid Snake and Liquid Snake".[25]

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Liquid Snake

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Liquid Snake is a fictional character in the Metal Gear video game franchise, developed by under the direction of . He is one of three clones created from the DNA of the legendary soldier as part of the top-secret project, serving alongside his genetically identical twin brother and the later-created Solidus Snake. Born in 1972, Liquid Snake possesses an IQ of 180 and is characterized by his long, white-blond hair, positioning him as the polar opposite of the more stoic . A professional assassin with mastery over diverse forms of warfare, including , piloting, infiltration, and weapons handling, he exhibits , endurance, and mobility in combat. Liquid Snake first appears as the primary antagonist in Metal Gear Solid (1998), where he leads a rogue faction of the elite special forces unit in seizing Alaska's Shadow Moses nuclear weapons disposal facility to demand the remains of and threaten a on the U.S. He joined following the Zanzibar Land Disturbance of 1999 and Solid Snake's resignation from the unit, quickly rising to leadership through his exceptional combat prowess and strategic acumen. Throughout the game, Liquid engages in multiple confrontations, driven by a personal vendetta rooted in their shared origins and his belief in his genetic superiority. Liquid Snake's legacy extends beyond Metal Gear Solid, influencing key events in later installments of the series. His consciousness possesses the body of in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001) and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008), where he pursues global domination through manipulation of AI systems and arms control. His early years as the child soldier Eli are depicted in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015), highlighting his rebellious nature and early encounters with on Mother Base.

Appearances in video games

Metal Gear Solid

Liquid Snake is introduced as the main antagonist in Metal Gear Solid (1998), where he leads a rogue splinter group of the special forces unit during the Shadow Moses Incident. On December 24, 2005, Liquid orchestrates the hijacking of a nuclear weapons storage facility on Shadow Moses Island, , holding key U.S. officials hostage, including the chief Donald Anderson and ArmsTech president Kenneth Baker. His demands include the body of legendary soldier —revealed to be his genetic father—$1 billion in cash, and the detonation codes for a nuclear warhead to showcase the power of REX, an advanced stealth nuclear tank developed at the facility. This uprising threatens a on the U.S. unless the government complies, marking Liquid's bid to expose and challenge the shadowy Patriots organization controlling global affairs. As Solid Snake infiltrates the island to neutralize the threat and rescue the hostages, Liquid engages in psychological warfare through radio communications, taunting Snake about their shared origins as twin clones created via the Les Enfants Terribles project from Big Boss's DNA. Liquid expresses deep resentment, claiming he received the "inferior" recessive genes while Snake got the dominant superior ones, driving his obsessive rivalry and desire for a decisive confrontation to prove his supremacy. He commands the Next-Generation Special Forces (NSF), a elite unit of young, ideologically driven soldiers disillusioned with modern warfare, whom he deploys strategically to impede Snake's progress and protect REX. Liquid's plan hinges on using REX to launch a nuclear attack that would cripple the Patriots, whom he holds responsible for his manipulated existence. The game's climax unfolds after Snake disables Metal Gear REX with assistance from engineer Hal "Otacon" Emmerich. Liquid, having survived the destruction, confronts Snake in an intense hand-to-hand fistfight atop the wrecked machine, armed only with a knife initially before resorting to fisticuffs. Despite appearing to overpower the weakening Snake—due to the effects of the injected into him earlier—Liquid succumbs to the same virus moments later, collapsing dead beside his brother as the island's self-destruct sequence activates. In their final codec exchange before the fight, Liquid mentions his upbringing in Britain under strict conditions that honed his survival instincts, adding a layer of personal tragedy to his villainy. Snake escapes via with key allies, leaving Liquid's body behind amid the inferno.

Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes

Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (2004), developed by and for the Nintendo GameCube, preserves Liquid Snake's central antagonistic role from the original Metal Gear Solid, where he orchestrates the takeover of the Shadow Moses nuclear disposal site to seize control of the Metal Gear REX weapon and advance his vision of a world dominated by the strong. The remake maintains the core plot, including Liquid's impersonation of Master Miller via to manipulate and his climactic revelations about their shared origins as clones from the project. Cutscenes featuring Liquid have been entirely reimagined with technology adapted from Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, directed by Japanese filmmaker , resulting in more fluid and cinematic sequences that emphasize dramatic tension during confrontations. These enhancements include dynamic camera angles, slow-motion effects, and heightened expressiveness in Liquid's movements, such as during his taunts atop REX, where his model exhibits more nuanced facial animations and gestures to convey his seething resentment toward his twin. Boss encounters involving Liquid's subordinates, like the Psycho Mantis fight, incorporate updated visuals and mechanics drawn from MGS2, such as illusory fire effects that amplify Mantis's telekinetic displays and subtly reinforce Liquid's iron-fisted command over FOXHOUND's fractured ranks. The final duel with Liquid on REX features refined animations for his agile dodges and attacks, integrated with the remake's improved first-person aiming and close-quarters combat options, intensifying the personal stakes of their without altering the outcome. Additional optional codec conversations expand marginally on Liquid's backstory and drives, including brief insights into his ideological disdain for weakness inherited from Big Boss's shadow, delivered through updated voice lines that align seamlessly with series canon. These calls, accessible during key areas like the blast furnace, provide contextual depth to Liquid's leadership without introducing contradictions, enhancing player understanding of his psychological motivations amid the enhanced audiovisual presentation.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

In Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Liquid Snake exerts a posthumous influence on the narrative through , who underwent surgery to have Liquid's right arm grafted onto his body following the events of the Shadow Moses Incident. This transplant, intended to replace Ocelot's lost limb, results in noticeable personality shifts, with Liquid's will periodically overriding Ocelot's control and altering his behavior during key moments. The arm's integration introduces an element of psychological and physical possession, manifesting as sudden changes in Ocelot's demeanor and speech patterns, which hint at Liquid's unresolved ambitions persisting beyond death. The most prominent demonstration of this influence occurs at the conclusion of the tanker's chapter. After Solid Snake infiltrates the George Washington to expose the shipment of the Metal Gear RAY prototype, Ocelot pilots the unmanned RAY unit in a confrontation against Snake. Following the intense battle, Ocelot injects himself with a substance to suppress pain, but Liquid's arm rebels, seizing control of his body. Ocelot's voice shifts to Liquid's characteristic tone as he declares, "No... I'm Liquid!" before laughing maniacally and escaping aboard the commandeered RAY, destroying parts of the sinking tanker in the process. This scene underscores Liquid's enduring vendetta against Snake and establishes the possession as a driving force behind Ocelot's subsequent actions. Throughout the Big Shell's plant chapter, Liquid's lingering will continues to affect , particularly in his role as a to Solidus Snake and the so-called . Ocelot's dialogue and decisions occasionally reflect Liquid's strategic mindset, such as his manipulations involving the Arsenal Gear system and veiled references to the Patriots' control over global information. These shifts imply that Liquid's consciousness is intertwined with the Patriots' AI network, subtly guiding events toward disrupting their authority while advancing a broader agenda of chaos and revelation. For instance, Ocelot's interactions with other characters reveal tactical insights reminiscent of Liquid's leadership during Shadow Moses, blending his own cunning with Liquid's ideological drive. Radio conversations further tie Liquid's legacy to the unfolding plot, with supporting characters like Otacon providing brief context on the arm's origins and its connection to past events. These mentions, often delivered during moments of tension, reinforce the Shadow Moses ties without overshadowing the current crisis, emphasizing how Liquid's influence serves as a narrative bridge between the game's and main storyline.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

In Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, manifests as the dominant personality possessing , creating the hybrid entity known as Liquid Ocelot, whose goal is to overthrow the Patriots' AI system and commandeer the Sons of the Patriots (SOP) network to reshape global warfare. This possession originates from Ocelot's surgical grafting of Liquid's arm in the aftermath of Metal Gear Solid, enabling Liquid's will to gradually subsume Ocelot's mind and body. Liquid Ocelot amasses influence by absorbing the world's largest private military companies (PMCs)—Praying Mantis, Pieuvre Armement, Raven Sword, and Werewolf—into his Private Force under the holding company Outer Heaven, positioning himself to inject a virus into the Patriots' core AIs via escalating hacks of GW, JD, and finally the orbital platform REX. Key events underscore Liquid Ocelot's campaign, including his seizure of the supertanker from which he launches an attack on the system, disrupting global and sparking chaos. Solid Snake pursues him across war zones in the , , and , culminating in confrontations such as the boss fight incorporating salvaged parts from REX at Shadow Moses, where Liquid Ocelot pilots a makeshift Metal Gear hybrid to test Snake's resolve. The arc peaks with Liquid Ocelot's command of the Outer Haven, which he deploys to approach the Patriots' orbital platform, leading to intense shipboard skirmishes and a symbolic rematch echoing past conflicts. The final showdown unfolds on the deck of the in , where Snake battles in a brutal, multi-phase hand-to-hand and vehicular assault, culminating in Ocelot's apparent victory through the . However, Otacon and Snake's FOXALIVE virus ultimately neutralizes the threat. In a pivotal revelation, Ocelot confesses that the possession was an elaborate deception; he had reattached 's arm deliberately to feign control by , using hypnotic and nanomachines to maintain his own psyche while luring the Patriots into vulnerability. This ruse allows Ocelot to destroy the AIs, purging 's will in the process and redeeming his loyalty to through via the virus activation.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain

In Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, set in 1984, Liquid Snake appears as the 12-year-old child soldier Eli, a survivor of the Les Enfants Terribles project born in 1972 as a clone of Big Boss alongside his twin brother David (later Solid Snake). Eli is first encountered in Angola as the leader of a band of child soldiers known as the "Kingdom of the Flies," operating under the moniker "White Mamba" for his ruthless efficiency in combat. Recruited to Diamond Dogs' Mother Base by Venom Snake after a confrontation in the Masa Village, Eli displays early sociopathic traits, including manipulation of his peers and an intense obsession with nuclear-equipped bipedal tanks like the Sahelanthropus Metal Gear, viewing it as a symbol of power and revenge against oppressors. During his time on Mother Base, Eli integrates into the ranks but grows increasingly defiant, rejecting authority figures like Venom Snake—whom he provocatively calls "Lord of the island" or "father"—and fixating on piloting Sahelanthropus to prove his superiority. In The Phantom Pain's Chapter 2, Eli orchestrates the theft of the damaged Sahelanthropus, allying with Colonel Volgin (the "Man on Fire") to reactivate the weapon on an offshore platform. This act culminates in a destructive rampage, forcing Venom Snake to confront and defeat Eli in a boss battle aboard the Metal Gear, after which Sahelanthropus self-destructs. Following the incident, Eli escapes Mother Base via helicopter with a group of child soldiers, fleeing to an abandoned facility in to form his own parasite-equipped unit, further embracing his "White Mamba" identity. There, he and his group become infected with the vocal cord parasite strain derived from English, which mutates their voices and ties into his future motivations as Liquid Snake, enhancing his linguistic mimicry and ideological drives. This portrayal establishes Eli's origins as a product of separated from his twin at birth, highlighting his innate resentment toward figures of authority and his path toward becoming a key antagonist in the series.

Portrayals in other media

Adaptations and spin-offs

Liquid Snake features prominently in the 2008 novelization of Metal Gear Solid by , published by , which adapts the game's storyline while expanding on his role as the leader of FOXHOUND's revolt at Shadow Moses. The narrative delves deeper into Liquid's psychological motivations, including his resentment toward and the Patriots, as well as his tactical deployment of nuclear threats and special forces operatives. Benson also authored the 2009 novelization of Metal Gear Solid 2: , which continues Liquid's story through his possession of , exploring themes of manipulation and global control. The character appears in the official comic book adaptation Metal Gear Solid, a four-issue limited series published by in 2004, illustrated by and written by various contributors under Konami's license. In this canon adaptation, Liquid is depicted as the primary , orchestrating the Shadow Moses Incident with a focus on his charismatic leadership and confrontations with , mirroring the game's events but in a visual narrative format. Liquid Snake has been represented in various official merchandise lines, including the 6-inch from released in 1999, which captures his appearance from the original Metal Gear Solid with accessories like his rifle. Additionally, Square Enix's Play Arts Kai line includes a detailed 9.5-inch figure of Liquid Snake from 2013, emphasizing his and blonde hair design, while variants of his Liquid Ocelot persona from Metal Gear Solid 4 appear in collectible statues and figures from Konami's own merchandise series.

Voice acting and motion capture

In the English-language versions of Metal Gear Solid (1998) and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001), Liquid Snake is voiced by , who adopted a distinctive British accent to differentiate the character from Solid Snake's American timbre provided by . Clarke reprised the role in the remake Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (2004), maintaining the accent to underscore Liquid's aristocratic during taunts and confrontations. His performance was selected for its ability to convey arrogance and rivalry, with Clarke using vocal inflections to emphasize Liquid's disdainful mannerisms. In Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008), the character reappears as Liquid Ocelot, voiced by , who blends elements of Liquid's bombastic delivery with Revolver Ocelot's smoother tone to reflect the possession's psychological fusion. This shift maintains narrative continuity while adapting to Ocelot's established vocal profile, highlighting Liquid's lingering influence through altered phrasing and intensity. For the Japanese dubs, provides Liquid Snake's voice across Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, delivering a deep, commanding presence that aligns with the character's villainous charisma. In Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (2014) and The Phantom Pain (2015), the young version of Liquid, known as Eli, is voiced by Yutaro Honjo, capturing the child's precocious intensity and emerging antagonism. The English dub for Eli features Piers Stubbs, whose youthful British-inflected performance foreshadows the adult character's accent and demeanor. Motion capture for Liquid Snake emphasizes his theatrical arrogance, with stuntman performing the role in Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes to animate exaggerated gestures like sweeping arm movements and poised stances during boss encounters. In Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Piers Stubbs also contributed facial for Eli, enhancing the child's expressive facial animations to convey rebellion and cunning. These performances integrate real-time captures to heighten the character's physicality without relying on pre-rendered animations. In non-game media, reprised his role for Liquid Snake in the Japanese drama CDs associated with the series, such as Drama CD Metal Gear Solid, preserving the vocal consistency across audio adaptations. As of November 2025, the live-action film remains in development with cast as , but no actor has been announced for Liquid Snake, leaving potential portrayals open to further updates.

Concept and development

Creation and backstory

Liquid Snake was conceived by series creator Hideo Kojima as the primary antagonist and narrative foil to protagonist Solid Snake in the 1998 video game Metal Gear Solid, designed to explore themes of familial rivalry and genetic determinism through their shared origins as clones. Kojima intended Liquid to represent the "strongest enemy" capable of surpassing Solid, emphasizing a clone-based conflict where the two brothers embodied opposing states—solid versus liquid—to heighten dramatic tension and symbolize fluidity in identity and power. In the established lore of the series, Liquid Snake was born in 1972 as part of the secret U.S. government initiative known as the project, which aimed to produce superior soldiers by the legendary operative using accelerated growth techniques and his genetic material. The project, overseen by and involving EVA as the surrogate mother, resulted in the birth of artificial twins: Liquid (given the name Eli at birth) and , with Liquid separated and raised in the , where he developed a profound resentment toward his origins after being indoctrinated to believe he inherited Big Boss's "inferior" recessive genes, while Solid received the dominant ones. The character's backstory was significantly expanded and retroactively integrated in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015), portraying a young Eli as a 12-year-old British child soldier in 1984, fleeing trauma inflicted by Cipher (Zero's organization) and harboring early vendettas against figures like Venom Snake, whom he viewed as a surrogate father figure. This prequel addition included details of Eli's infection with the English strain of vocal cord parasites, which fueled his isolation and ideological radicalization, providing deeper context for his adult motivations rooted in revenge and a quest to prove genetic supremacy. Thematically, Liquid Snake serves as a key embodiment of the Metal Gear series' exploration of the nature versus nurture debate, particularly in the context of cloning and personal identity, with his obsession over genetic inheritance contrasting Solid's triumphs through environmental and experiential factors, underscoring Kojima's intent to critique deterministic views of heredity.

Design and physical appearance

Liquid Snake's design, crafted by longtime Metal Gear series artist Yoji Shinkawa, emphasizes his status as a clone of Big Boss, making him visually nearly identical to Solid Snake while incorporating subtle distinctions to highlight his perceived superiority. These include fairer blonde hair, tanned skin, and a leaner physique, which contrast with Solid Snake's darker hair, paler complexion, and more robust build. Shinkawa's artwork portrays Liquid with sharp, angular features and a poised demeanor, reinforcing his role as a charismatic antagonist. In Solid, Liquid's iconic attire consists of a tilted to one side, a tactical vest loaded with pouches and holsters, and the standard sneaking suit adapted for his command role, evoking elite aesthetics. This outfit is practical yet imposing, with the serving as a signature element that underscores his leadership of . By Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Liquid reappears in the form of Liquid Ocelot—a symbiotic fusion with —featuring Ocelot's facial structure augmented by Liquid's severed arm, clad in a long brown over tactical gear, blending stealth elements with a more theatrical, villainous flair. The character's younger incarnation as Eli in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain adopts a starkly different aesthetic suited to his child soldier backstory, with disheveled blonde hair, dirt-streaked face, and ragged, makeshift clothing pieced from scavenged , capturing the harsh realities of conflict zones. This design evolves slightly across the game's chapters, showing Eli transitioning from feral youth to a more organized leader, but retains the raw, unpolished look. Since Metal Gear Solid V in 2015, Liquid's core design has seen no major revisions, though the 2023 announcement and August 28, 2025 release of Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater—a of Metal Gear Solid 3—does not feature the character, preserving Shinkawa's original visions without alteration as of November 2025.

Reception and legacy

Critical reception

Upon its debut in Metal Gear Solid (1998), Liquid Snake was widely praised by critics for his charismatic villainy and the intense rivalry he forms with , elevating the game's narrative tension. Reviewers highlighted how Liquid's articulate monologues and strategic manipulations made him a compelling antagonist, with later ranking him as the top villain for his understandable motivations rooted in resentment over his cloned origins. The English , provided by , was also commended for delivering Liquid's lines with conviction, contributing to the character's memorable presence amid the game's strong overall localization. In subsequent entries, particularly Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001) and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008), Liquid's evolution into Liquid Ocelot drew mixed responses, with critics often noting the convoluted plot twists surrounding his possession of Revolver Ocelot's body as both frustrating and iconic. described the storyline involving Liquid Ocelot's scheme to subvert the Patriots AI system as a "tangled tale" and "mess," requiring glossing over intricate details like the arm transplant and consciousness transfer to follow the action. Despite the complexity, the character's role in delivering spectacle-filled confrontations, such as the climactic Metal Gear REX versus RAY battle, was seen as memorable, tying back to the series' themes of identity and control. The release of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain (2014–2015) depicted Liquid's early years as the child soldier Eli, adding tragic depth to his arc by portraying him as a rebellious figure influenced by Skull Face's linguistic and shaped by trauma. This perspective emphasized the project's ethical failures, showing Eli's defiance against as a foundational step in his descent into antagonism. Scholars and analyses have further explored Liquid Snake's role in examining and genetic determinism, positioning him as a foil to in debates over . In rhetorical examinations of the series, Liquid's —advocating a world for "superior" warriors free from modern constraints—is critiqued as a militaristic perversion of legacy, underscoring themes of inherited violence and . Retrospectives in the , including IGN's 2023 boss battle rankings, have reaffirmed Liquid's enduring impact, noting how his confrontations remain benchmarks for dramatic storytelling in stealth games.

Cultural impact and fan reception

Liquid Snake has achieved iconic status within the gaming community, frequently appearing in lists of top villains due to his intense rivalry with and complex motivations rooted in themes of and destiny. In IGN's 2008 ranking of the top ten villains, Liquid Snake was placed first, praised as the "polar opposite" of the protagonist, embodying arrogance and a warrior's that mirrors yet subverts Solid Snake's heroism. More recent assessments, such as Hardcore Gamer's 2024 list of the best villains of all time, ranked him seventh, highlighting his tragic depth and enduring appeal as a foil to the series' heroes. FandomWire's 2024 article on gaming's greatest antagonists similarly positioned him among elite villains like , emphasizing his blend of charisma and menace. The character's taunts, particularly his rants about "superior genes" during confrontations in Metal Gear Solid, have become a staple in gaming memes and parodies, often remixed in humorous contexts on platforms like and Twitch. A notable example is the 2021 YouTube video "Liquid Snake Explains BIG CHUNGUS," which edits Liquid's over the popular , amassing widespread shares and views for its absurd humor tying into the character's genetic obsession. These edits frequently portray Liquid Ocelot's mannerisms in exaggerated and streams, contributing to his meme legacy beyond the games. Fan theories surrounding Liquid Snake remain vibrant in online discussions, particularly debates over his apparent survival after Metal Gear Solid 4 and potential ties to events in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, fueled by ambiguous lore elements like cloning and AI possession. As of 2025, this engagement persists, evident in convention panels like New York Comic Con's Metal Gear Solid voice actor retrospective, where fans queried the cast on unresolved aspects of Liquid's arc. Liquid Snake features prominently in non-canon crossovers and fan content, extending his reach into broader pop culture battles. In fan-made scenarios inspired by the Death Battle, he has been pitted against villains like from , showcasing his combat prowess in hypothetical matchups that highlight his series' tactical depth. His enduring popularity is further reflected in merchandise, with limited-edition items like enamel pins and apparel continuing to sell steadily, bolstered by the franchise's 2025 resurgence via Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater's million-unit launch sales.

References

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