Metal Gear (weapon)
Encyclopedia
is the name for a series of fictional mecha
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...

 in the Metal Gear series
Metal Gear
Metal Gear is a series of video games.Metal Gear may also refer to:*Metal Gear , bipedal tanks appearing in the Metal Gear series-Metal Gear video game series:...

. In the series, a Metal Gear is defined as a bipedal nuclear equipped tank, but in the case of Metal Gear RAY, is a large bipedal tank designed to destroy other Metal Gear. While almost each game has a new Metal Gear with a different role, in Metal Gear Solid 3 the Metal Gear is replaced with the "Shagohod" (which is an unconventional tank, instead of a Metal Gear). The Metal Gears are typically autonomous nuclear launch platforms which the player must destroy in order to save the world and complete the game. Often (but not always), confronting the latest model of Metal Gear is one of the final challenges of each game.

Concept and creation

According to Kojima, the idea of the fictional "Metal Gear" weapon, a nuclear-capable walking tank, was conceived in response to the nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...

 hysteria during the mid-1980s that resulted from the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

, as the U.S. military had no mobile land-based nuclear weapons delivery
Nuclear weapons delivery
Nuclear weapons delivery is the technology and systems used to place a nuclear weapon at the position of detonation, on or near its target. Several methods have been developed to carry out this task....

 system at the time.

Overview

The Metal Gear weapon has been consistently described since the original Metal Gear
Metal Gear (video game)
is an overhead military action-adventure video game originally released in by Konami for the MSX2 computer standard in Japan and parts of Europe. Considered to be the progenitor of the stealth game genre, it was also the first video game designed by Hideo Kojima, who also directed many of the...

 as an all-terrain, nuclear-equipped, walking battle tank capable of launching a nuclear warhead from anywhere on the planet. In the first Metal Gear, the fortified military state of Outer Heaven, secretly led by Big Boss, attempts to achieve military dominance over the West
Western Bloc
The Western Bloc or Capitalist Bloc during the Cold War refers to the powers allied with the United States and NATO against the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact...

 and East
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...

 through the use of Metal Gear. The original Metal Gear concept was thought up by Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin (Metal Gear Solid 3), and later built by Dr. Pettrovich (changed to Dr. Madnar in subsequent sequels and re-releases), an Eastern scientist who was forced to build the weapon against his will. In Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
is an overhead stealth action game that was originally released by Konami in for the MSX2 computer standard exclusively in Japan. Metal Gear 2 was directed and written by Hideo Kojima, who also designed the MSX2 version of the original Metal Gear...

, another hostile nation, Zanzibar Land (once again led by Big Boss), uses an improved model (Metal Gear D) to raid nuclear disposal sites. This model was also built by Dr. Madnar, who built it willingly this time after his radical ideas were rejected by the Western scientific community.

In Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid
is a videogame by Hideo Kojima. The game was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and first published by Konami in 1998 for the PlayStation video game console. It is the sequel to Kojimas early MSX2 computer games Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake...

, a third model (Metal Gear REX) is introduced, this time designed by Dr. Hal Emmerich, who was misled into believing that Metal Gear would be used as an anti-nuclear device that would be capable of safely shooting down nuclear missiles. The railgun system that shoots nuclear warheads from Metal Gear was developed separately, without Emmerich's knowledge. The weapon was produced by the U.S. Army on Shadow Moses Island, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

. After the events of Metal Gear Solid, the data for REX is sold on the black market, leading to the proliferation of Metal Gear-like weapons and the creation of the Marines' Metal Gear RAY in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
is a stealth action video game directed by Hideo Kojima, developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 in 2001....

.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
is an award-winning stealth action video game directed by Hideo Kojima. Snake Eater was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2, and was released on November 17, 2004 in North America; December 16, 2004 in Japan; March 4, 2005 in Europe; and on...

 fills in the origin of Metal Gear. According to that game, the idea for Metal Gear originates with Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin, a Soviet weapons designer who compares it to the theory of the missing link
Transitional fossil
A transitional fossil is any fossilized remains of a lifeform that exhibits characteristics of two distinct taxonomic groups. A transitional fossil is the fossil of an organism near the branching point where major individual lineages diverge...

 between apes and men, having two design drawings (Metal Gear REX and Metal Gear D), calling it the missing link between infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 and artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...

. Infantry can go anywhere but are easily destroyed and carry limited firepower. Artillery can inflict and sustain far more damage, but are at the mercy of terrain. In short, for a tank to be perfect, it needs legs. The first built model (the Intercontinental Ballistic Metal Gear) and a test model (Metal Gear RAXA) appears in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
is a stealth game directed by Masahiro Yamamoto and written by Gakuto Mikumo, with series creator Hideo Kojima acting as a producer. Portable Ops was developed by Kojima Productions and published by Konami in 2006 for the PlayStation Portable. It is the third Metal Gear title for the PSP and the...

, though they're a quadrupedal design.

TX-55 Metal Gear

The model in the first Metal Gear
Metal Gear (video game)
is an overhead military action-adventure video game originally released in by Konami for the MSX2 computer standard in Japan and parts of Europe. Considered to be the progenitor of the stealth game genre, it was also the first video game designed by Hideo Kojima, who also directed many of the...

 is designated the "TX-55 Metal Gear" in the manual for the MSX2 version, although it is simply referred as "Metal Gear" in the game. No particular meaning is given behind this codename.

In the game, the player learns Metal Gear's weakness after rescuing its creator Dr. Pettrovich and his daughter Ellen. The player must a certain number of plastic explosives on Metal Gear's feet in the order stated by Dr. Pettrovich. This Metal Gear is stored in a room guarded by two laser cams and never actually becomes operational; the final challenge is instead a battle with Big Boss and a race against time to escape the self-destructing base.

The Metal Gear robot does not appear in the NES version of the game. Instead, the player has to take out a supercomputer which controls Metal Gear prior to the final battle with Big Boss. In Snake's Revenge
Snake's Revenge
Snake's Revenge is a stealth action game by Konami released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990. The game was produced as a sequel to the NES version of the original Metal Gear, made specifically for the North American and PAL market following the success of the first NES game...

, the non-canonical sequel to Metal Gear
Metal Gear
Metal Gear is a series of video games.Metal Gear may also refer to:*Metal Gear , bipedal tanks appearing in the Metal Gear series-Metal Gear video game series:...

 that was released in the west for the NES, mass-produced versions of the original Metal Gear (dubbed "Metal Gear 1" in the game) are stored inside an enemy cargo ship. The wreckage of the original Metal Gear makes a cameo in Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, an alternate sequel to the first game in the Metal Gear Solid series set in a rebuilt Outer Heaven.

Metal Gear D

The in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
is an overhead stealth action game that was originally released by Konami in for the MSX2 computer standard exclusively in Japan. Metal Gear 2 was directed and written by Hideo Kojima, who also designed the MSX2 version of the original Metal Gear...

 is a revision of the original Metal Gear from the first game, which is revealed to have only been a prototype. Metal Gear D is equipped with a Vulcan gun
M61 Vulcan
The M61 Vulcan is a hydraulically or pneumatically driven, six-barreled, air-cooled, electrically fired Gatling-style rotary cannon which fires 20 mm rounds at an extremely high rate. The M61 and its derivatives have been the principal cannon armament of United States military fixed-wing aircraft...

 and a six-missile pod. It is piloted by Gray Fox in the game and can only be destroyed by the player by throwing grenades over its feet. The mecha design of Metal Gear D was chosen through an internal contest between Konami's artists, with the primary criteria being realism. The final design is credited to Tomohiro Nishio.

A smaller, non-nuclear-armed mass-produced model dubbed Metal Gear G (or Metal Gear Gustav), was designed for Metal Gear 2, but rejected for the final game. They are mentioned in the game by Dr. Pettrovich as being under development.

Metal Gear D is visible as a blueprint on Granin's desk in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
is an award-winning stealth action video game directed by Hideo Kojima. Snake Eater was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2, and was released on November 17, 2004 in North America; December 16, 2004 in Japan; March 4, 2005 in Europe; and on...

 and has an appearance in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
is a video game developed by Kojima Productions for the PlayStation 3 console. The game was directed by Hideo Kojima and made its worldwide release on June 12, 2008, ten years after the release of Metal Gear Solid and twenty years after the North American release of Metal Gear.Guns of the Patriots...

 in a flashback.

Metal Gear REX

Metal Gear REX, designed by Yoji Shinkawa
Yoji Shinkawa
is a Japanese artist. He is most famous for his character, environment and mechanical designs for the Metal Gear and Zone of the Enders series....

, is the model of Metal Gear that appears in Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid
is a videogame by Hideo Kojima. The game was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and first published by Konami in 1998 for the PlayStation video game console. It is the sequel to Kojimas early MSX2 computer games Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake...

. REX differs from the preceding Metal Gear D in that its legs are heavily armored and reinforced, not vulnerable like its predecessors'.

Metal Gear REX has near-impenetrable compound armor, a pair of 30 mm vulcan cannons, anti-tank missiles, and a free-electron laser, to protect itself from conventional forces. Its primary weapon, however, is a magnetic railgun
Railgun
A railgun is an entirely electrical gun that accelerates a conductive projectile along a pair of metal rails using the same principles as the homopolar motor. Railguns use two sliding or rolling contacts that permit a large electric current to pass through the projectile. This current interacts...

 capable of delivering an untraceable nuclear warhead anywhere in the world, without the propellant trail or launch flare that gives away the launch position of a traditional ballistic missile
Ballistic missile
A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheads to a predetermined target. The missile is only guided during the relatively brief initial powered phase of flight and its course is subsequently governed by the...

. It also possessed a radome, a satellite-shaped object on the left side of Metal Gear REX that provides information about the environment outside of the cockpit while keeping the pilot safe from harm, and increasing the accuracy of all weapons as well. Destroying the radome is crucial to rendering the virtual reality interface useless and forcing the pilot to manually control REX. The pilot is also forced to expose himself to enemy fire, by opening the cockpit in order to see outside (In Metal Gear Solid, it was stated that this was intentional, declaring that nothing can be complete without a "character flaw").

In the story of Metal Gear Solid, weapons company ArmsTech president Kenneth Baker bribes DARPA
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new technology for use by the military...

 chief Donald Anderson to get covert U.S. government funding for development of Metal Gear REX for the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

, and sends a single prototype to be tested at a nuclear weapons disposal facility on Shadow Moses Island. However, the Shadow Moses facility is taken over by the rogue special forces unit FOXHOUND
Foxhound
A foxhound is a type of large hunting hound. Foxhounds hunt in packs and, like all scent hounds, have a strong sense of smell. They are used in hunts for foxes, hence the name. When out hunting they are followed usually on horseback and will travel several miles to catch their target. These dogs...

, who then attempt to use it as leverage to extort the U.S. government. Solid Snake
Solid Snake
Metal Gear, initially released in 1987, introduces Solid Snake, the rookie recruit of the elite special-forces unit FOXHOUND. Snake is sent by team leader Big Boss into the rogue nation Outer Heaven to rescue his missing teammate Gray Fox and discover who or what the "METAL GEAR" mentioned is, and...

 comes out of retirement, infiltrates the Shadow Moses facility in order to find out about REX's certain state. Liquid Snake and Revolver Ocelot
Revolver Ocelot
, also known as is a fictional character and antagonist of the Metal Gear series. He was originally introduced as a gunslinger-themed member of FOXHOUND from the former Soviet Union in Metal Gear Solid and was revealed to be an agent for The Patriots in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty...

 intended to use REX to hold the world hostage. Later, Liquid uses REX to fight Snake. Snake, with the help of Hal "Otacon" Emmerich (REX's engineer) and Gray Fox, eliminates FOXHOUND and destroys the mecha.

It's revealed in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
is a stealth action video game directed by Hideo Kojima, developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 in 2001....

 that the blueprints for REX were sold on the black market. As a result, variants of REX spread worldwide. The Metal Gear RAY is designed in response, to combat these variants of REX, and render them useless.

In Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
is an award-winning stealth action video game directed by Hideo Kojima. Snake Eater was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2, and was released on November 17, 2004 in North America; December 16, 2004 in Japan; March 4, 2005 in Europe; and on...

, Granin's original blueprints for Metal Gear REX are shown to Naked Snake. Later, Ocelot reveals he stole duplicates of these designs.

In Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
is a video game developed by Kojima Productions for the PlayStation 3 console. The game was directed by Hideo Kojima and made its worldwide release on June 12, 2008, ten years after the release of Metal Gear Solid and twenty years after the North American release of Metal Gear.Guns of the Patriots...

, Old Snake (Solid Snake) is sent back to Shadow Moses Island to re-acquire REX (which was left abandoned after the events of Metal Gear Solid), which has become Liquid Ocelot's newest target. Liquid plans to remove REX's railgun to launch nuclear weapons; since REX predates the SOP system, it has no ID lockout mechanism (with the exception of the PAL
Permissive Action Link
A Permissive Action Link is a security device for nuclear weapons. Its purpose is to prevent unauthorized arming or detonation of the nuclear weapon.The United States Department of Defense definition is:...

 interface). Arriving at the old hangar, Snake finds the damaged Metal Gear, but discovers that Liquid has already removed the railgun. Later, Snake confronts Liquid, who is piloting Metal Gear RAY. Even though RAY was developed as an anti-Metal Gear weapon, and REX being handicapped (its radome was still damaged and its railgun gone), Snake and REX manage to fight Liquid to a stalemate (Otacon credits this to his assistance). In a CODEC call to Otacon, REX is mentioned to have a "street fighter" program, allowing it to execute kicking moves. Liquid was apparently not aware that such a program was installed. REX is not seen destroyed and what happened to it after the battle is unknown.

Metal Gear REX, Metal Gear RAY, and a Gekko make cameo appearances in Super Smash Bros. Brawl's
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...

 Shadow Moses Island stage. It also made its appearance as the final boss from LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet, commonly abbreviated LBP, is a puzzle platformer video game, based on user-generated content, for the PlayStation 3 first announced on 7 March 2007, by Phil Harrison at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California...

 with the use of Metal Gear Solid Packs.

In Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
is a video game produced by Konami and Kojima Productions that was released for the PlayStation Portable in 2010. Peace Walker is the fourth Metal Gear title for the PSP, although it is only the second to be considered part of the series' main canon, following Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops...

, in the Isla Del Monstruo as part of a collaboration with Capcom's Monster Hunter
Monster Hunter
Monster Hunter is an action game for the PlayStation 2. The game was developed and published by Capcom. Monster Hunter was released in North America on September 21, 2004...

 series, defeating both the Rathalos and the Tigrex unlocks a monster known as "Gear REX", which heavily resembles its mecha counterpart.

Metal Gear RAY

Metal Gear RAY, also designed by Yoji Shinkawa
Yoji Shinkawa
is a Japanese artist. He is most famous for his character, environment and mechanical designs for the Metal Gear and Zone of the Enders series....

 is introduced in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
is a stealth action video game directed by Hideo Kojima, developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 in 2001....

 (although its first seen in an easter egg in Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions). It comes in two variants: a manned prototype version, developed to combat derivatives of Metal Gear REX, and an unmanned, computer-controlled version, refitted to defend Arsenal Gear.

RAY differs from previous Metal Gears in that it is not a nuclear launch platform, but instead a weapon of conventional warfare, originally designed to hunt down and destroy the many derivatives of Metal Gear REX that became common after the leak of the REX plans following the events of Shadow Moses. It is designed to be even more maneuverable and flexible in deployment than the REX, and can operate both on land and in the water. While RAY has a pair of gatling guns and missile launchers on its back and knees to defend itself from more conventional battlefield threats, its primary weapon is a powerful water jet cutter
Water jet cutter
A water jet cutter, also known as a waterjet, is a tool capable of slicing into metal or other materials using a jet of water at high velocity and pressure, or a mixture of water and an abrasive substance. The process is essentially the same as water erosion found in nature but greatly accelerated...

, which can cut through heavily-armored foes, such as Metal Gear REX derivatives.
The Metal Gear RAY is more organic than previous models, both in appearance and in function. Its streamlined shape helps to deflect enemy fire and allows for greater maneuverability both on land and in water. Its interior workings are also somewhat organic, as it has artificial fibers that contract when electricity is applied, much like natural muscle, instead of typical hydraulics
Hydraulic machinery
Hydraulic machines are machinery and tools that use liquid fluid power to do simple work. Heavy equipment is a common example.In this type of machine, hydraulic fluid is transmitted throughout the machine to various hydraulic motors and hydraulic cylinders and which becomes pressurised according to...

; this pseudo-muscle tissue makes it very maneuverable. It also has a nervous-system-like network of conductive nanotubes, which connect the widely dispersed sensor systems and relay commands from the cockpit to the various parts of RAY's body, automatically bypassing damaged systems and rerouting to auxiliary systems when needed. Another feature is its blood-like armor-repair nanopaste, which is secreted from valves and coagulates wherever the exterior surface is damaged. Particularly unusual is its "face", with two "eyes" and a gaping "mouth", only seen when the head armor is removed. The armor on Metal Gear RAY's exterior is made of a highly advanced Ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...

-Titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....

 Alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...

. However, there appear to be weak points.

During the Tanker chapter (the prologue of Metal Gear Solid 2), RAY was stolen by Revolver Ocelot
Revolver Ocelot
, also known as is a fictional character and antagonist of the Metal Gear series. He was originally introduced as a gunslinger-themed member of FOXHOUND from the former Soviet Union in Metal Gear Solid and was revealed to be an agent for The Patriots in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty...

 while being transported in a disguised oil tanker. The version that was housed on the tanker (which is an operational prototype) is labeled "MARINES
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

", has a cockpit (accommodating a single pilot) and a long tail. The RAY is an amphibious craft which allows for maneuverability on land and at sea: the long tail is intended for balance while making leaps or operating underwater. The entirety of the forward interior of the cockpit is a heads-up display, allowing the pilot to look around as if there were no obstruction between him and the battlefield.

After the events of the Tanker chapter, Revolver Ocelot delivers the stolen prototype RAY to The Patriots, an organization secretly running the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

During the Plant chapter (the second part of Metal Gear Solid 2), Arsenal Gear has a force of unmanned mass-produced Metal Gear RAYs ready for immediate deployment against any possible threats. The mass-production RAYs lack the tail of the prototype, have rounded knees and have only one sensory input or "eye" instead of two like the prototype version, and are labeled "U.S. NAVY". They are also painted in an olive-drab camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...

 pattern. Lastly, they're controlled by the AI known as GW
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

. When Solidus Snake took over Arsenal, the slave RAYs were also under Solidus's control, and he had them confront Raiden
Raiden (Metal Gear)
, whose real name is , is a video game character in the Metal Gear series of stealth games by Konami. Created by Hideo Kojima and designed by Yoji Shinkawa, Raiden was introduced in the series as the main playable character of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty...

, who manages to destroy an army of them.

In Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
is a video game developed by Kojima Productions for the PlayStation 3 console. The game was directed by Hideo Kojima and made its worldwide release on June 12, 2008, ten years after the release of Metal Gear Solid and twenty years after the North American release of Metal Gear.Guns of the Patriots...

, Liquid Ocelot pilots a modified version of the stolen Metal Gear RAY prototype, which exhibits a combination of both the prototype and mass-production models' characteristics: it now has rounded knees and lacks a tail, similar to the mass-production model, but retain RAY's two "eyes", a cockpit for manual control, and greyish-blue coloring. It is labeled "OUTER HAVEN". Despite being an anti-REX Metal Gear, RAY was immobilized during a battle with a handicapped REX. Additional mass-production RAYs, likely controlled by GW once again or the other AIs (TJ
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...

, TR
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...

, AL
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...

, and JD
John Doe
The name "John Doe" is used as a placeholder name in a legal action, case or discussion for a male party, whose true identity is unknown or must be withheld for legal reasons. The name is also used to refer to a male corpse or hospital patient whose identity is unknown...

), appear in the climactic battle sequence between Outer Haven and the .

Metal Gear RAY, Metal Gear REX, and a Gekko make cameo appearances in Super Smash Bros. Brawl's
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...

 Shadow Moses Island stage.

Arsenal Gear

Arsenal Gear (appearing in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
is a stealth action video game directed by Hideo Kojima, developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 in 2001....

) is a submersible, mobile fortress developed by the Patriots in the Big Shell, but it was made by the U.S. Navy. It has the ability to monitor, block, and tamper with Internet communications in order to further the goals of the Patriots. It is a metaphor for the change of warfare in the last decades of the 20th century, from nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...

 to a war of culture, information, and espionage.

Arsenal Gear is hidden under the Big Shell, and is controlled by an AI
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...

 named "GW", which was designed by Emma Emmerich. The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 actually reveals that the Arsenal below the Big Shell is not the only one, and each Arsenal is run by its own Patriots AI system.

Arsenal Gear is large enough to house - and also require - a significant force for its defense. The exterior is shown when Raiden
Raiden (Metal Gear)
, whose real name is , is a video game character in the Metal Gear series of stealth games by Konami. Created by Hideo Kojima and designed by Yoji Shinkawa, Raiden was introduced in the series as the main playable character of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty...

 and Solidus Snake are heading for Federal Hall
Federal Hall
Federal Hall, built in 1700 as New York's City Hall, later served as the first capitol building of the United States of America under the Constitution, and was the site of George Washington's inauguration as the first President of the United States. It was also where the United States Bill of...

 and see it speeding under many bridges before it crashes. The Arsenal Gear hidden under the Big Shell has an unspecified number of "Tengu
Tengu
are a class of supernatural creatures found in Japanese folklore, art, theater, and literature. They are one of the best known yōkai and are sometimes worshipped as Shinto kami...

 Commandos", soldiers clad in powered armor and armed with P90 submachine guns
FN P90
The FN P90 is a selective fire personal defense weapon designed and manufactured by FN Herstal in Belgium. The P90's name is taken from 1990, the year it was introduced...

 and high-frequency blades. It also has a squadron of 25 unmanned mass-production Metal Gear RAYs under the direct control of GW.

During the Big Shell incident, Raiden is actually being manipulated by GW but, as Emma Emmerich's virus slowly destroys GW, Raiden is able to enter Arsenal Gear and uncover the many layers of deception concealing the true meaning behind his mission to the Big Shell. Revolver Ocelot, being controlled by Liquid Snake via his transplanted arm, directs Arsenal Gear to crash into Manhattan Island at the end of Raiden's mission.

A scene in Metal Gear Solid 2 shows Arsenal Gear crashing through and destroying several buildings in Manhattan Island, but it was cut from the final version because of the terrorist attacks on September 11th
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...

.

Shagohod

The Shagohod (Russian Шагоход, "step-walker", occasionally referred to in English as "The Treading Behemoth") featured in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
is an award-winning stealth action video game directed by Hideo Kojima. Snake Eater was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2, and was released on November 17, 2004 in North America; December 16, 2004 in Japan; March 4, 2005 in Europe; and on...

, is not a true Metal Gear (being a parallel design instead), but has a similar design and role. Rather than a bipedal mecha
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...

, it is an unconventional tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...

, armed with an intermediate-range ballistic missile
Intermediate-range ballistic missile
An intermediate-range ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a range of 3,000–5,500 km , between a medium-range ballistic missile and an intercontinental ballistic missile...

 it can propel to intercontinental
Intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...

 ranges. Like the various Metal Gear variants, it can be crewed by a single pilot, although it has a station for a copilot.

The Shagohod has an articulated body, split into two parts. The front part uses screw propulsion, with a pair of Archimedes' screw
Archimedes' screw
The Archimedes' screw, also called the Archimedean screw or screwpump, is a machine historically used for transferring water from a low-lying body of water into irrigation ditches...

s on hydraulic
Hydraulic machinery
Hydraulic machines are machinery and tools that use liquid fluid power to do simple work. Heavy equipment is a common example.In this type of machine, hydraulic fluid is transmitted throughout the machine to various hydraulic motors and hydraulic cylinders and which becomes pressurised according to...

 legs, that pulls the bulky rear portion, suspended on a hovercraft
Hovercraft
A hovercraft is a craft capable of traveling over surfaces while supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air which is ejected against the surface below and contained within a "skirt." Although supported by air, a hovercraft is not considered an aircraft.Hovercraft are used throughout...

-style air cushion. While this is an unusual mechanism for propulsion, far more unusual are the Shagohod's rocket boosters. With a sufficiently large flat piece of land (such as a highway or landing strip), the Shagohod can fire its rocket boosters to build up speed (up to more than 480 km/h or 300 mph) before firing its primary weapon, a nuclear-armed intermediate-range ballistic missile. In doing so, it serves as an additional stage
Multistage rocket
A multistage rocket is a rocket that usestwo or more stages, each of which contains its own engines and propellant. A tandem or serial stage is mounted on top of another stage; a parallel stage is attached alongside another stage. The result is effectively two or more rockets stacked on top of or...

 for the rocket, allowing it to strike at targets nearly anywhere in the world (a range of over 6,000 miles [9,600 km]). The Shagohod also has parachutes in the back to help in slowing it down after a rocket-boosted missile launch.

Besides its single SS-20 "Saber" IRBM (which has to be reloaded after firing), the Shagohod has defensive weaponry, including three 12.7mm DShK
DShK
The DShK 1938 is a Soviet heavy machine gun firing the 12.7x108mm cartridge. The weapon was also used as a heavy infantry machine gun, in which case it was frequently deployed with a two-wheeled mounting and a single-sheet armour-plate shield...

M machine guns to defend against aircraft and infantry, six 9K112 Kobra surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...

s to protect against aircraft, and a 100-barrel volley gun
Volley gun
A volley gun is a gun with several barrels for firing a number of shots, either simultaneously or in sequence. They differ from modern machine guns in that they lack automatic loading and automatic fire and are limited by the number of barrels bundled together.In practice the large ones were not...

 to defend against armor.

The Shagohod's most evident weakness is in its propulsive screws; when they are blocked or damaged, the tank becomes nearly useless. Also, its need for a long, flat surface to accelerate seriously impairs its versatility.

While Naked Snake talks with its designer, Sokolov in the west wing of the weapons lab in Groznyj Grad, Sokolov mentions that Volgin was planning to mass-produce the Shagohod and ship it to all the countries of the Eastern Bloc. At that same point, Sokolov also mentioned that Volgin also was planning to use the Shagohod as bait to foment armed uprisings among dictators, ethnic insurgents and revolutionary groups throughout the Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...

.

The Shagohod is not a precursor to the Metal Gear series of mecha
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...

, but instead a parallel development; it is developed by Sokolov at a secret base in Tselinoyarsk. His peer and self-proclaimed rival Director Granin conceives of the Metal Gear concept at approximately the same time, but Colonel Volgin favors Sokolov's design over Granin's, and funds the production of a prototype. This is possibly due to the fact that, though a walker like Metal Gear would ultimately prove to be a far more versatile system, the Shagohod was only an unusual combination of technologies that already existed at the time (tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...

s, ground effect
Ground effect
As it pertains to fixed wing aircraft, "ground effect" refers to the increased lift and decreased drag that an aircraft airfoil or wing generates when an aircraft is about one wingspan's length or less over the ground...

, IRBMs, and booster rocket
Booster rocket
A booster rocket is either the first stage of a multi-stage launch vehicle, or else a strap-on rocket used to augment the core launch vehicle's takeoff thrust and payload capability. Boosters are generally necessary to launch spacecraft into Earth orbit or beyond...

s), as opposed to an unrealized idea requiring years or even decades of research as well as incredibly large amounts of money to produce.

Intercontinental Ballistic Metal Gear

The Intercontinental Ballistic Metal Gear, or ICBMG as it is referred, is the featured mecha in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
is a stealth game directed by Masahiro Yamamoto and written by Gakuto Mikumo, with series creator Hideo Kojima acting as a producer. Portable Ops was developed by Kojima Productions and published by Konami in 2006 for the PlayStation Portable. It is the third Metal Gear title for the PSP and the...

. In the fictional chronology of the series, the ICBMG is the first built Metal Gear prototype, predating the TX-55 from the first game. Its design, completed by Dr. Sokolov, is based on the original blueprints created by Granin (the same one seen in Metal Gear Solid 3). Unlike the future bipedal models, ICBMG's design is quadruped
Quadruped
Quadrupedalism is a form of land animal locomotion using four limbs or legs. An animal or machine that usually moves in a quadrupedal manner is known as a quadruped, meaning "four feet"...

al. Its nuclear function is to act as a mobile launching device for MIRVs
Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle
A multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle warhead is a collection of nuclear weapons carried on a single intercontinental ballistic missile or a submarine-launched ballistic missile . Using a MIRV warhead, a single launched missile can strike several targets, or fewer targets redundantly...

. While therefore capable of making nuclear strikes against several targets at once, its range is limited, and unlike the Shagohod, is unable to compensate for it with speed. Thus, it must be physically transported to a point within range of the target(s) first. This is accomplished by having the ICBMG itself attached to the top of a rocket
Saturn V
The Saturn V was an American human-rated expendable rocket used by NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. A multistage liquid-fueled launch vehicle, NASA launched 13 Saturn Vs from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida with no loss of crew or payload...

, launching it, detaching the unit at 3000 ft above the intended landing point, and having it parachute back down to the ground, launching its nuclear payload afterwards.

Naked Snake (Big Boss) encounters two models in the game. The first is Metal Gear RAXA, a non-nuclear equipped test model which the player destroys as a boss. The actual model appears attached to a reproduced Saturn V rocket in the game's ending, which Snake destroys in the cut-scene with the help of a defecting group of Red Army soldiers.

Gekko

is the new mecha featured in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
is a video game developed by Kojima Productions for the PlayStation 3 console. The game was directed by Hideo Kojima and made its worldwide release on June 12, 2008, ten years after the release of Metal Gear Solid and twenty years after the North American release of Metal Gear.Guns of the Patriots...

. The Gekko is a mass-produced unmanned bipedal unit manufactured by ArmsTech Corp, and designated "Irving" by the U.S. Military; this stems from the American codename for the Nakajima J1N "Gekko" twin engine night fighter aircraft from WWII. Their frequent use by PMCs
Private military company
A private military company or provides military and security services. These combatants are commonly known as mercenaries, though modern-day PMCs refer to their staff as security contractors, private military contractors or private security contractors, and refer to themselves as private military...

 has caused it to be a replacement for tanks as a means of conducting armored warfare in urban areas. The Gekko is used particularly by the Werewolf company, although the Gekko have widespread use within the PMC community.

Although not a literal Metal Gear, the top half of this mecha is reminiscent of the Metal Gear REX design while the organic legs are somewhat similar to that of Metal Gear RAY. It is unmanned and uses two large cameras as its "eyes", one mounted on its head, the other at the front of its hip assembly. These are backed up by other sensors, mostly passive. New features include a small robotic tentacle used to pick up small objects or grab targets. The Gekko is incredibly agile and maneuverable, thanks to a pair of flexible limbs that can act as either legs or arms. The legs are made from artificial muscle tissue cloned from embryonic stem cells of ungulate
Ungulate
Ungulates are several groups of mammals, most of which use the tips of their toes, usually hoofed, to sustain their whole body weight while moving. They make up several orders of mammals, of which six to eight survive...

 embryos. With these legs, the Gekko can pick up a man and throw him hard enough to penetrate a brick wall, deliver a kick that can overturn a 6x6 truck, dodge an RPG and kill its shooter, climb walls, crouch to enter buildings, run at speeds equivalent to a motor vehicle, and leap huge distances through the air. This model comes in multiple variants. Two of these variants are designed for standard combat; both carrying anti-personnel machine guns mounted inside the "nose", while one carries heavier machine guns and missile launchers. A third variant is the special purpose "Suicide Gekko", designed to invade enemy facilities in groups before self-destructing en masse.

Similar in combat terms when compared with traditional Metal Gear models, relatively little firepower is needed to actually destroy one. A quick blast with an assault rifle may cause one to trip if shot in the legs. Corresponding shots to the "neck" can destroy a Gekko with small arms such as a M4 Carbine
M4 Carbine
The M4 carbine is a family of firearms tracing its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 designed by Eugene Stoner and made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle, with 80% parts commonality.It is a gas-operated,...

 or FN P90
FN P90
The FN P90 is a selective fire personal defense weapon designed and manufactured by FN Herstal in Belgium. The P90's name is taken from 1990, the year it was introduced...

. However, when a Gekko falls, it can quickly regain its footing even if tripped onto its head. Nonetheless, a heavy weapon such as any rocket-launcher, an M82A2, or the Rail Gun, can be used against the Gekko without requiring it to be collapsed.

The Gekko makes use of sound in psychological warfare, particularly animal noises (such as cicada
Cicada
A cicada is an insect of the order Hemiptera, suborder Auchenorrhyncha , in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with large eyes wide apart on the head and usually transparent, well-veined wings. There are about 2,500 species of cicada around the world, and many of them remain unclassified...

s while on the prowl to create an atmosphere of unease, and bull
Bull
Bull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.Bull may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Bull , an original show on the TNT Network* "Bull" , an episode of television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...

 sounds in direct combat as a means of unnerving the enemy). They feature characteristics that are biomechanoid to some degree, as they have been shown to "bleed" when sliced at the legs (understandably as the machine could use a blood-like self-repairing nanopaste like the RAY), though severe wounds on seemingly mechanical components have been known to "bleed" as well. In addition, they expel a green liquid, which may be lactic acid produced by the artificial muscles.

In a pre-release interview, Metal Gear director Hideo Kojima
Hideo Kojima
is a Japanese game director originally employed at Konami. He is currently the director of Kojima Productions and was promoted to Vice President of Konami Digital Entertainment in early 2011...

 stated that the Gekko are not the game's titular Metal Gears, stating that they are more like a jeep
Jeep
Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second...

 or a tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...

 compared to the conventional Metal Gears such as REX and RAY.

Metal Gear Mk. II and Metal Gear Mk. III

A robotic companion to Snake called Metal Gear Mk. II appears in Metal Gear Solid 4. This Metal Gear Mk. II is similar (albeit a bit more angular in appearance, uses an OLED screen and has wheels instead of feet) to the Snatcher version (see below) and is controlled by Otacon. This version of Metal Gear is not meant to be a weapon, instead he uses it to provide ammunition and advice to Solid Snake. The Metal Gear Mk. II can also be used as a recon device, turn invisible, and shock enemies knocking them unconscious. However, it also runs on batteries which run out of juice due to consumption while in operation. The Metal Gear Mk. II is automated in the game, but can be controlled by the player if needed. After the Eastern Europe mission, the Metal Gear Mk. II is destroyed by Vamp, and replaced by the similar Metal Gear Mk. III, which accompanies Snake at Shadow Moses and Outer Haven. The Mk. III has the same body as the Mk. II, but with a red-colored exterior, and serves the same function.

Outer Haven

Outer Haven (appearing in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
is a video game developed by Kojima Productions for the PlayStation 3 console. The game was directed by Hideo Kojima and made its worldwide release on June 12, 2008, ten years after the release of Metal Gear Solid and twenty years after the North American release of Metal Gear.Guns of the Patriots...

) is a stolen Arsenal Gear submersible ark manned by Liquid Ocelot. The ark features a Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States...

-like sculpture of Solidus Snake, Solid Snake (Old Snake), Liquid Snake, and Big Boss. As it turned out, Haven contained the rebuilt AI GW in its server room. It made its first appearance in the "Twin Suns" chapter. In the "Old Sun" chapter, Liquid Ocelot planned on using the ruins of GW (which was still in the Patriot system but not recognized by its main core AI JD or the other AIs (TJ, TR, and AL), which had labeled GW as destroyed) to take control of the Patriots by using Metal Gear REX's railgun
Railgun
A railgun is an entirely electrical gun that accelerates a conductive projectile along a pair of metal rails using the same principles as the homopolar motor. Railguns use two sliding or rolling contacts that permit a large electric current to pass through the projectile. This current interacts...

 to destroy the satellite JD was contained in. Using the railgun he could stealth-launch the missile (with pure magnetic energies and no chemical propellants), thus protecting it from Patriot countermeasures.

Metal Gear ZEKE

Metal Gear ZEKE (appearing in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
is a video game produced by Konami and Kojima Productions that was released for the PlayStation Portable in 2010. Peace Walker is the fourth Metal Gear title for the PSP, although it is only the second to be considered part of the series' main canon, following Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops...

) is a Metal Gear built in the Militaires Sans Frontieres base. Although it is AI-controlled in its testing stages, in the game's true ending, Paz modifies Zeke to be manned and uses it to attempt a nuclear strike on the US east coast, forcing Big Boss/Naked Snake to defeat her and heavily damage the unit. Developer Huey Emmerich and Kazuhira Miller named the mech in honor of Granin's "Metal Gear" design philosophy and the Zero fighter, which was codenamed Zeke by the Allies in World War II. The unit is also the series' second Metal Gear that the player can use in any capacity, as it can be fielded in the Outer Ops missions once all the parts have been installed. Zeke is armed with a railgun mated to a radome, three machine guns, and a number of guided missiles. Zeke's nuclear weapon was salvaged from the remains of Peace Walker.

Zeke is a combination of AI technology built by Strangelove and the scrap parts of the game's four main boss mechs. All four, which are detailed in order of appearance, have large red-and-black cylinders called Reptile Pods that houses each mech's AI
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...

 core. One unique trait of the AI weapons (also carried over to Zeke) is their ability to "sing" (due to the in-game Vocaloid
Vocaloid
is a singing synthesizer application, with its signal processing part developed through a joint research project between the Pompeu Fabra University in Spain and Japan's Yamaha Corporation, who backed the development financially—and later developed the software into the commercial product...

 software programmed on it).
  • Pupa (GW-PUPA 5000) - A smaller version of the Shagohod from Metal Gear Solid 3, the Pupa features a taser gun on the forward section, conductive mines, automated machineguns on its shoulders and rear, and sports a metal-gray color. The Archimedes screws have been replaced by caterpillar tracks. The Pupa has the ability to run on extremely sloped surfaces and attack a very wide area by dispensing its conductive mines and running electricity through them.

  • Chrysalis (TJ-CHRYSALIS 6000) - the only large VTOL
    VTOL
    A vertical take-off and landing aircraft is one that can hover, take off and land vertically. This classification includes fixed-wing aircraft as well as helicopters and other aircraft with powered rotors, such as cyclogyros/cyclocopters and tiltrotors...

     unit in the game, the Chrysalis first appeared in the 2009 E3 trailer by facing four Naked Snakes and in the Tokyo Game Show 2009 trailer by carrying the Peace Walker. The Chrysalis has the ability to quickly dodge unguided rocket weaponry when it is in attack mode, and is referred to as "El colibri" (The hummingbird) by the Sandinistas. It is equipped with a railgun, chain gun, kidnapper drones, and missiles.

  • Cocoon (TR-COCOON 7000) - The Cocoon is a giant land battleship lined with numerous fixed gun ports, six main Gatling guns, missiles, hedgehogs
    Hedgehog (weapon)
    The Hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War II, that was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers to supplement the depth charge. The weapon worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings...

    , a large-caliber cannon, and a robotic arm equipped with a chainsaw and machinegun. Its slow movement is compensated by its firepower and armor. Due to the power needed to move its bulk, its radiators need to deal with immense heat, thus making them weak points.

  • Peace Walker/Basilisk (AL-AURELIA 8000) - Also known as Basilisk, the Peace Walker was first seen in a trailer that debuted at the Tokyo Game Show 2009. Because it is mostly covered by a tarpaulin
    Tarpaulin
    A tarpaulin, colloquially tarp, is a large sheet of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas or polyester coated with urethane, or made of plastics such as polyethylene. In some places such as Australia, and in military slang, a tarp may be known as a...

     in the trailer, the mech's most prominent feature is a glossy sphere
    Sphere
    A sphere is a perfectly round geometrical object in three-dimensional space, such as the shape of a round ball. Like a circle in two dimensions, a perfect sphere is completely symmetrical around its center, with all points on the surface lying the same distance r from the center point...

     where the words PEACE WALKER and a butterfly
    Butterfly
    A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...

     logo is emblazoned. Although it is initially shown as a bipedal mech, Peace Walker is eventually revealed to be a quadrupedal design. Aside from its nuclear payload, the unit is equipped with drill missiles, S-mine
    S-mine
    The German S-mine , also known as the "Bouncing Betty," is the best-known version of a class of mines known as bounding mines. When triggered, these mines launch into the air and then detonate at about . The explosion projects a lethal spray of steel balls and fragments in all directions...

    s, a rocket launcher, flamethrowers, a paralysis beam, and an EM
    Electromagnetic pulse
    An electromagnetic pulse is a burst of electromagnetic radiation. The abrupt pulse of electromagnetic radiation usually results from certain types of high energy explosions, especially a nuclear explosion, or from a suddenly fluctuating magnetic field...

     pulse field which can deflect rocket-based weapons. Peace Walker is depicted in the game as the end-product of a research program being conducted by the Peace Sentinels in Costa Rica, as the "ultimate deterrent" to nuclear war. It can also be a deep-strike unit that will self-destruct in enemy territory by detonating the sphere, which is a hydrogen bomb more powerful than the Tsar Bomba
    Tsar Bomba
    Tsar Bomba is the nickname for the AN602 hydrogen bomb, the most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated. It was also referred to as Kuz'kina Mat , in this usage meaning "something that has not been seen before"....

    . Although the unit has an AI core under the sphere, Strangelove used information on The Boss' entire career as basis for programming a second AI core located at the back of the unit, called a Mammal Pod.

Models in other games

These models are not part of the mainstream Metal Gear series continuity, either because they appear in a non-canonical
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...

 game (Snake's Revenge
Snake's Revenge
Snake's Revenge is a stealth action game by Konami released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990. The game was produced as a sequel to the NES version of the original Metal Gear, made specifically for the North American and PAL market following the success of the first NES game...

, Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
Metal Gear Solid, released as in Japan and Asia, is a 2000 stealth action game produced by Konami for the Game Boy Color. Based on the PlayStation game of the same title, the Game Boy Color version of Metal Gear Solid is not a conversion of the previous game, but an original game produced...

 and Metal Gear Acid
Metal Gear Acid
is a turn-based collectible card video game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan for the PlayStation Portable handheld game console. The game was first unveiled at E³ 2004 in May, and was released in Japan on December 16, 2004, in North America on March 22, 2005 and in Europe on...

) or because the game in which they appear is not a Metal Gear game at all (Snatcher
Snatcher
is a cyberpunk-themed graphic adventure game produced by Konami, originally released in Japan for the NEC PC-8801 and MSX 2 computer platforms in 1988. It was followed by a CD-ROM-based remake released for the PC Engine video game console in 1992, which was subsequently ported and localized into...

).

Metal Gear Mk. II (Snatcher)

The Metal Gear Mk. II in Snatcher
Snatcher
is a cyberpunk-themed graphic adventure game produced by Konami, originally released in Japan for the NEC PC-8801 and MSX 2 computer platforms in 1988. It was followed by a CD-ROM-based remake released for the PC Engine video game console in 1992, which was subsequently ported and localized into...

 is the robotic sidekick of the game's protagonist, Gillian Seed, a JUNKER agent. He is a navigator built by JUNKER engineer Harry Benson to assist Gillian and facilitate his investigation. According to Harry, he was designed after the "Metal Gear menace from the 20th century." He is equipped with a forensic analyzer, as well as a videophone
Videophone
A videophone is a telephone with a video screen, and is capable of full duplex video and audio transmissions for communication between people in real-time...

 Gillian uses to communicate with his wife and other characters. The Metal Gear is voiced by Mami Koyama
Mami Koyama
Mami Koyama is a veteran seiyū and J-pop vocalist who was born in Nishio, Aichi. She was once married to fellow seiyū Tōru Furuya, her co-star in Mobile Suit Gundam, Urusei Yatsura, Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya, and Casshern Sins...

 in the Japanese versions and by Lucy Childs in the English-language Sega CD version. A hand-size model appears in the spinoff SD Snatcher
SD Snatcher
SD Snatcher is a role-playing video game by Konami for the MSX2 computer platform in exclusively in Japan. It is a spinoff of the original Snatcher, adapting the same storyline into a different genre...

 named Petit Metal, its function in the game is to display statistical data during battle.

Metal Gear 2

The Metal Gear 2 from Snake's Revenge
Snake's Revenge
Snake's Revenge is a stealth action game by Konami released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990. The game was produced as a sequel to the NES version of the original Metal Gear, made specifically for the North American and PAL market following the success of the first NES game...

 is a successor to the original Metal Gear described as "seven times more powerful" than the original. It is a bipedal mech similar to the original equipped with a large missile cannon, although its precise specifications are never revealed. Snake is told of its existence by his helicopter pilot after completing his initial objective. In the game's end sequence, Metal Gear 2 becomes active and initiates a countdown sequence, announcing to launch a series of nuclear missiles around the globe, starting with New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

 and Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

. The path to Metal Gear 2 is blocked by a fence and the player can only destroy the mech by firing guided missiles into the air duct.

Metal Gear GANDER

The Metal Gear model in Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
Metal Gear Solid, released as in Japan and Asia, is a 2000 stealth action game produced by Konami for the Game Boy Color. Based on the PlayStation game of the same title, the Game Boy Color version of Metal Gear Solid is not a conversion of the previous game, but an original game produced...

. Metal Gear GANDER is the result of the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

's "Project Babel" after the U.S. Government procured the data from the original prototype in Outer Heaven. It is stolen by the Gindra Liberation Front and taken to their fortress of Galuade (the former Outer Heaven). Its armament consists of two nuclear warhead-launching rail guns (similar to Metal Gear REX), two vulcan cannons, six guided missile pods, two automated flying attack pods, a pair of spread fire cannons, and a close range flamethrower. While GANDER had a railgun similar to REX, it required an entire power plant to operate. Secretly, its most powerful weapon was a satellite-based data link system that allows it to launch nuclear missiles anywhere in the world, though, likewise, it took the same amount of power to function. The design is based on one of Shinkawa's unused Metal Gear REX concepts.

Metal Gear KODOQUE

Metal Gear KODOQUE is the Metal Gear model featured in Metal Gear Ac!d. Its name is derived from the Japanese word "Kodoku" or "Isolation". One of the larger Metal Gear models, KODOQUE has two armor-like plates on each of its arms that come equipped with a remote control missile launcher. There are four slots for missiles on each arm, coming to a total of 8 missiles at one time. When not being used, these arms can form a protective cocoon around the Metal Gear. It also comes with a beam cannon near the legs, and can fire a plasma shot from its head when both arms are destroyed. This beam can be interrupted if 4 rods in a control room are destroyed.

The inside is also different from Metal Gears: It comes equipped with a control room, and has sentry bots for security. It also has multiple controls when compared to previous Metal Gears having a cockpit. This Metal Gear is also unmanned and is simply controlled by an AI.

In Metal Gear Ac!d², KODOQUE's wreck was salvaged and brought to the SaintLogic facility. The Metal Gear is activated by one of Koppelthorn's Test subjects, Golab. It is kept in the 4-story Metal Gear Prototype building, which is destroyed by Snake and Venus. Before destroying the building, Snake and Venus have to defeat KODOQUE before the time limit runs out.

Chaioth Ha Qadesh

Chaioth Ha Qadesh is the Metal Gear model which appears in Metal Gear Ac!d². The name Chaioth Ha Qadesh is derived from the Keter
Keter
*Keter in Kabbalah, is one of the ten Sephirot *Keter or kether כתר is the Hebrew word for "Crown ", as worn by a king or queen* Keter Publishing House is a book publisher based in Israel...

, a high level in the Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...

, a mystical offshoot of Judaism. The name refers to a group of angels, called The Holy Living Creatures (Chayot Ha Qadesh - "חיות הקדש" in Hebrew). Originally designed as a way to control Model 3 test subjects, Chaioth Ha Qadesh uses the EGO (Enhanced Governing Organization) Operating System to control various modified soldiers and guard robots. SaintLogic developed the Metal Gear for that purpose, but Dr. Thomas Koppelthorn stole Chaioth Ha Qadesh as a means to get revenge for his wife Lucinda and kill all involved in the Praulia Massacre.

Like other Metal Gears, Chaioth Ha Qadesh can fire a nuclear missile from any area of the world to its target. However, one difference is that it mainly uses Neutron Bombs as its main weapon, and also contains the data on all test subjects in the SaintLogic institute. It has a missile launcher on its back, and can fire bullets from the Vulcan Cannons on each of its arms. It also has a slot on the top for launching energy that can cause any equipped cards to be destroyed. Metal Gear Chaioth Ha Qadesh uses nano chip expansions so the player can see what cards the Metal Gear has and will use. The cockpit, located in the upper zone of Metal Gear's head, can be ejected, which Lucy uses to kill Koppelthorn by launching him out of Chaioth Ha Qadesh and then destroying the cockpit (and what was inside it) with a missile. At the end of the game, Snake empties its equipped nuclear warhead, hides inside the casing, and launches himself into the ocean to escape US soldiers.
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