Big Boss (Metal Gear)

Big Boss
Metal Gear character
Promotional illustration of Big Boss for Metal Gear Solid
First game	Metal Gear (1987)
Created by	Hideo Kojima
Designed by	Yoji Shinkawa
Voiced by (English)	David Hayter (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker) Richard Doyle (Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots) Kiefer Sutherland (Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain)
Voiced by (Japanese)	Akio Ōtsuka (Metal Gear Solid 3, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and Metal Gear Solid V) Chikao Ōtsuka (Metal Gear Solid 4)
Motion capture	Mizuho Yoshida (Metal Gear Solid 3) Akio Ōtsuka (Metal Gear Solid 4) Mio Tanaka (Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker) Erik Brown (Metal Gear Solid V) Rudy McCollum (Metal Gear Solid V [Prologue: Awakening]) Kiefer Sutherland (Metal Gear Solid V [facial only])
Fictional profile
Real name	John
Aliases	Jack Naked Snake Vic Boss Ishmael "The Man Who Sold The World"
Nationality	American
Affiliations	Outer Heaven / Zanzibar Land (Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake) Green Berets (pre-Metal Gear Solid 3) FOX and CIA (Metal Gear Solid 3) FOXHOUND (Portable Ops) Cipher (post-Portable Ops / pre-Peace Walker) MSF (Peace Walker and Ground Zeroes)

Big Boss is one of the central characters in the Metal Gear video game series. He was introduced in the original Metal Gear games for the MSX2 as the commanding officer and subsequent nemesis of Solid Snake. He is later featured as Naked Snake, the protagonist of Metal Gear Solid prequels where he is initially depicted as an American Special Forces Operator and decorated war hero until political manipulations cause him to be disillusioned, and he started his own private mercenary company. Big Boss's character has been praised by video game publications for his role as a villain as well for his relationship with Solid Snake. As the series' chronology progressed, his exact allegiance and motivations became increasingly complex; his first appearances are depicted as a traitor dreaming of a world of perpetual war, but subsequent appearances have revealed him to be a key figure in an ideological dispute that shaped the latter half of the twentieth century and a man whose conscience was disturbed by the attitude of leaders towards soldiers, prompting his decision to become a and Venom Snake's mental template.

In the series' Japanese versions, Naked Snake is voiced by Akio Ōtsuka (Solid Snake's voice actor) while Big Boss is voiced by Chikao Ōtsuka (Akio Ōtsuka's real-life father) in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. In the English versions, Naked Snake is voiced by David Hayter (Solid Snake's voice actor) while Big Boss is voiced by Richard Doyle (in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots) and by Kiefer Sutherland (Venom Snake's voice actor).

Big Boss (ビッグ・ボス, Biggu Bosu^?) is introduced in the original Metal Gear game as the Special Forces Unit FOXHOUND's leader and Solid Snake's commanding officer. He initially acts as a radio contact who provides Snake with information about mission objectives, as well as weapons and equipment. But after Snake destroys the titular TX-55 Metal Gear weapon despite Big Boss's discouragement, Outer Heaven's militia leader confronts Snake near the base's escape route in a final battle only to be defeated.