Hideo Kojima is well-known as the man behind theMetal Gearseries, a series that fans the world over enjoy for its frequently strange plot twists and persistently labyrinthine story — as well as great stealth gameplay andamazing soundtracks. Even with the series having been dormant for several years, fans continue to come up with theories about the series' lore.
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Some theories are explicitly rendered false by later plot developments and some are simply strange theories that never have any reasonable basis beyond amusement for the writer, but some fan theories not only fit well, they actually explain plot holes and offer additional insight into the world beyond the video game itself.
10Raiden Didn’t Escape Patriot Control In Metal Gear Solid 2’s Ending
The ending ofMetal Gear Solid 2is infamous for being strange and difficult to piece together, but the very end is at least unambiguous — Raiden is living under his own free will, free of external influences. But according to this fan theory, even that is something he doesn’t actually achieve.
Up until the very end of the game, Raiden is still doing what GW wants him to do, but this theory posits that the plan was ultimately to ensure Raiden wound up refusing to be a puppet… by doing exactly the opposite of what he thought the Patriots wanted. In other words, even his acts of rebellion were ultimately part of control.
9Snake’s Revenge Is An In-Universe Dramatization
The American-only sequel Snake’s Revenge: Metal Gear 2 has generally been excised from canon in favor of the later Kojima-helmed sequel, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. But this theory holds that the sequel existed as an in-universe piece of media telling the story of what happened during the actual sequel.
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Several bits of dialogue imply that the public thinks they know what happened during Metal Gear 2 without actually having the information right. This would explain what people thought happened while also displaying the immense gulf between the truth and reality.
8The Twin Snakes Is A VR Mission
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is an update rerelease ofthe possibly best PlayStation game of all time,Metal Gear Solid, on the Gamecube. It’s broadly the same as the original game but with some changed voices and sequences. This fan theory argues that the game is canon, but it was the VR version of the Shadow Moses incident that Raiden played through. (Which certainly putsupcoming real-world VR gamesinto perspective.)
Raiden states that he was familiar with Snake’s mission in Shadow Moses but occasionally seemed unclear on details or to not understand the point of the events. It would make sense if the version he had experienced was slightly more of an action film and not completely true to the individuals in that actual crisis.
7Otacon Was The Patriots' Failure
There is debate about whether or not the Patriots ultimately succeeded at their goals, but this fan theory holds that Big Boss and Solid Snake were not ultimately the forces that brought down the Patriots. Instead, it was the fact that Hal Emmerich, better known as Otacon, ultimately evaded their control.
Later games have made it clear that Otacon’s family and history were inextricably intertwined with the Patriots, but rather than Otacon growing up as a broken man, he grew up with a strong sense of justice and a need to make things right. His help enabled Snake to continually foil the Patriots' plan, ultimately causing their downfall by assisting Solid Snake.
6The War Economy Was The Patriots Malfunctioning
Metal Gear Solid 4(which sadly never left the PlayStation 3) extensively discusses the war economy and the nature of a world at war, as well as revealing that the Patriots were by the end of the game beings that existed solely as AIs. But what if the reason for the perpetual war was actually a glitch in the programming?
Essentially, the theory posits that since the Patriots were created by people who admired Big Boss, even though he disagreed with their ultimate goals, the AIs in question were trying to create a world where people like him could be needed. Thus, instead of pursuing peace, the system wound up pursuing perpetual war to serve contradictory inputs.
5The Trippiest Parts Of Metal Gear Solid 2 Are GW Malfunctioning With Raiden
The GW AI at the heart of Metal Gear Solid 2’s plot manipulates him throughout the game in various ways, but by the end of the game, it becomes extremely vague and surreal regarding what is happening, including fake mission failure screens. Why? Because GW is being attacked by a virus at the time.
Raiden, like Snake before him, has a nanomachine payload that allows him to access features like the CODEC and radar displays. This theory posits that the trippiest parts of the game for the player are still more examples of failures on the part of Raiden’s nanomachines. It doesn’t make sense because Raiden’s own perceptions are suspect at the time.
4Metal Gear Solid 3 Is A VR Mission
Why is the far more advanced design of Metal Gear REX visible inMetal Gear Solid 3, which has a story predating the original Metal Gear that REX was based on? Why do you get a game over for causing a time paradox? BecauseMGS3is another VR mission.
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Aside from explaining oddities like causing time paradoxes where there’s no reason to worry about that, this would also explain some details of the plot that otherwise are odd or difficult to explain. It also explains why some things like Big Boss theoretically helping to form the Patriots aren’t explicitly included with the plot without the real-world issues of different projects coming out later.
3Sam Planned The Events Of Metal Gear Rising
In many ways,Metal Gear Risinghas an unusually straightforward plot compared to other entries in the series… unless one takes this fan theory as true, in which case Raiden’s rival, Sam, actually set things into motion to help Raiden bring down Desperado and World Marshal.
Sam was recruited by Armstrong despite his misgivings, but this theory essentially says that Sam never stopped planning Armstrong’s downfall and saw Raiden’s appearance as a convenient tool to manipulate. Although World Marshal wasn’t destroyed in the end, ultimately Armstrong was indeed defeated by Sam’s sword in Raiden’s hands.
2Senator Armstrong And President Sears Worked Together
It’s unknown exactly when Senator Armstrong was elected as a Senator from Colorado, but fans have noted the fact that his own ideals about a completely Darwinist might-makes-right society fit in well with the ideals former President George Sears, AKA Solidus Snake, presents in Metal Gear Solid 2. According to this theory, that’s not a coincidence.
While it seems unlikely that Armstrong was already in the Senate during the Sears presidency (the two games are separated by more than a decade, and Armstrong doesn’t appear to be all that old inMetal Gear Rising), it would make sense if the two ran in similar political circles, and so there is a fan theory that Armstrong was Sears' protégé.
1The Patriots Are Still Around After Metal Gear Solid 4
In many ways, the ending of Metal Gear Solid 4 is an odd wrap-up wherein mysteries are explained after the factvia lengthy cutscenes. It is perhaps unsurprising that a fan theory posits this was all smoke and mirrors, and the Patriots actually made it through the game’s conclusion just fine.
Not only does this clarify the seeming contradictions in the explanations of the organization’s backstory, it also explains why Armstrong seems exactly like prior people fighting against Patriot control… because he’s still a part of the system. The Patriots manufactured a conflict they would appear to lose, everyone fighting them directly would assume they had won, and the world continues on as before. All according to plan.
