What is the message of the Metal Gear series?
The Metal Gear series, created by Hideo Kojima, is at its core an anti-war and anti-nuclear story. It argues that war is driven by politics, money and control rather than heroism, and that soldiers are used and discarded by the systems they serve. Across the games, the central idea is that people should not let genes, ideology or the information they're fed decide their lives, but choose for themselves what to believe in and pass on.
Main themes by game
Kojima has described each Metal Gear Solid game through one theme:
- Metal Gear Solid (1998) — gene: whether we're defined by our genetic inheritance. Solid Snake and Liquid Snake are clones of the same soldier.
- Metal Gear Solid 2 (2001) — meme: what ideas and culture we pass on, and how controlling information can control society. Its warnings about information overload and filtered truth are often called ahead of their time.
- Metal Gear Solid 3 (2004) — scene: how the time and political situation we live in shape us, set during the Cold War.
- Metal Gear Solid 4 (2008) — sense: the war economy and soldiers controlled by technology.
- Peace Walker (2010) — peace and The Phantom Pain (2015) — race and revenge: what "peace" means for soldiers without a country, and how revenge and language divide people.
Recurring messages
- Nuclear weapons: the Metal Gear machines are walking nuclear launch platforms, and the games repeatedly warn about deterrence and proliferation.
- Soldiers as tools: heroes are manipulated by governments and secret organizations like the Patriots.
- Legacy: each generation must decide what to keep from the past and what to leave behind.
Is Big Boss a villain?
He's a tragic figure. Metal Gear Solid 3 and the prequels show a loyal soldier betrayed by his country and mentor, who then builds a nation for soldiers. By the original Metal Gear games he is the antagonist, but the series asks you to understand how he got there.
FAQ
What does "Metal Gear" mean?
It's the name of the bipedal, nuclear-armed tanks that appear in almost every game in the series.
Why is everyone called Snake?
"Snake" is a recurring codename for FOXHOUND and related operatives, and several characters are clones of or connected to the original Big Boss, also known as Naked Snake.
What was the controversy with Metal Gear Solid V?
Its development ended with Kojima's split from Konami, and the final game felt unfinished to many players, with a planned final mission cut. Quiet's character design was also criticized.
Why was Metal Gear Survive criticized?
It was the first Metal Gear made after Kojima left, turned the series into a zombie-style survival game, and charged real money for an extra save slot.
Why were Metal Gear Solid games removed from stores?
In 2021 Konami temporarily delisted some Metal Gear games because licenses for real-world historical footage used in them had expired; it later updated and re-released them.