The Boss Revealed: Jaw-Dropping Secrets About Metal Gear Solid You Never Imagined!

Highlights

The Boss' design, including her sneaking suit and black cloak, is symbolic and represents her complex nature and hidden motives.

The Patriot, the preferred weapon of The Boss, had distinctive characteristics aimed at adding complexity to her persona. The Boss' interaction with Snake in Metal Gear Solid 3 serves as a cautionary message regarding disguises and the risk of losing one's true identity, potentially hinting at her eventual betrayal.

Among all the female characters in the Metal Gear Solid series, The Boss is undoubtedly one of the most adored by fans. Known for her unwavering dedication to her mission and her unwavering loyalty to her country, she has endured countless hardships and manipulation. She is truly a determined and resilient soldier.

Debuting in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, The Boss has left a lasting impression on both fans and journalists over the years. Her defeat is often cited as one of the most emotionally challenging moments in the series. Although her past remains shrouded in mystery, there is a wealth of fascinating information to discover about her both in the game and behind the scenes.

10 Her Design Is Symbolic In A Lot Of Ways

The Boss is a complex character, and this complexity is reflected in her design. As stated by series creator Hideo Kojima, her sneaking suit is white, symbolizing purity, just like her Andalusian horse. However, her mentor Naked Snake can find a black version of the suit, representing their division. Additionally, her cloak is black, concealing her outfit and suggesting that she may be hiding her true intentions as a double agent.

During the scene where she destroys Snake's drone with the Patriot, she persists in shooting at it even after it explodes. This action implies that she is releasing her anger and emotions.

9 The Boss’ Weapon Of Choice Had Some Cut Features

The Patriot is an extremely lethal weapon, being a fully-automatic XM16E1 assault rifle that possesses a shortened barrel, a stock that has been removed, and a barrel designed in the shape of an 'infinity' symbol. This is believed to be the reason why it is equipped with unlimited ammunition.

The purpose of its sound was to mimic the shaking of a rattlesnake's tail, referencing the belief that anyone who hears this sound will meet their demise. Additionally, there was an intention for the snake-like tattoo on The Boss's body, resulting from a cesarean section birth, to give the appearance of laughter while she fired the gun. However, both of these concepts were omitted from the final product.

8 Snake Is Warned By The Boss When Captured

Snake's attempt to infiltrate the Groznyj Grad weapons lab is thwarted when his disguise is revealed. The Boss reprimands him, asking, "What is this fairy disguise?" Despite the peculiar comment, she continues, saying, "It will influence you and make you lose sight of your true self."

In the Japanese version of the script, she says, "If you hide behind a disguise for too long, it will gradually consume you." Kojima has publicly stated that these lines subtly reference her own defection to the Soviet Union, as if to warn Snake of a similar fate.

7 Her CQC Moves Were Motion-Captured Twice

Mori Motosada, a military advisor, was hired to perform motion capture animations for Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater. He executed The Boss' technique, CQC (Close Quarters Combat), twice - once with Motosada himself executing the stuns, and another with Kenichi Yoshida, the motion actor for Snake, performing them. The majority of Mori's stunts were chosen for the game due to their intense visual impact.

The filming of the scene where The Boss encounters Naked Snake after Operation Snake Eater proved to be particularly challenging for Hirata Eriko, who also provided motion capture for the character. After reading the script, she burst into tears while uttering the line "Go back!" In the English version, this line was adapted as "go home!"

6 Star Of Bethlehem Flowers Reappear In The Series

Snake and The Boss engage in their final battle at Rokovoj Bereg, amid a meadow of grass lilies also known as the Star of Bethlehem. The pure whiteness of these flowers symbolizes purity, while the passing of their seeds represents The Boss' inevitable demise and the emergence of a new generation. Initially, the fight was planned to take place in a sunflower field, but this idea was abandoned due to the incorporation of the contrasting themes of black and white.

In Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, Snake finds himself confined to a hospital in Romania. Adorning the bedside of the player is a Star of Bethlehem, paying homage to the location of The Boss' defeat.

5 Volgin Is Scared Of Her

It might not be readily apparent to players, particularly during the initial playthrough, but Colonel Volgin of the USSR harbors a genuine fear towards The Boss. Even after defecting to the Soviet Union, he continues to be apprehensive in her presence, despite his imposing stature and muscular physique.

Kojima mentions that he purposefully maintains a certain distance when they stand together, which becomes even more pronounced when he observes The Boss engaging in combat with a disguised Snake, utilizing CQC - a fighting style that he struggles to comprehend (misinterpreting it as a form of self-defense martial arts like Judo). However, once she departs, he confidently and relentlessly proceeds to subdue Snake through a relentless assault.

4 Goofy Clips Of Her Can Be Found In The Secret Theater

The updated release of the third installment, Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, includes an array of exclusive features. Among these is the Secret Theater mode, which showcases alternative versions of the original game's cutscenes.

One such scene, titled 'The Joy,' portrays her being overwhelmed by hornets unleashed by The Pain, a fellow Cobra member. This causes her to plummet off a cliff just before her micro-bomb detonates. In another scene called 'The Ultimate Weapon,' she becomes unhinged after repeatedly losing in rock-paper-scissors against Snake. As a result, she resorts to firing a Davy Crockett nuclear warhead at him from close range.

3 She Has Unused Dialogue From Her Boss Fight

In the dramatic climax, Snake must confront The Boss and fulfill his mission by using her own gun to execute her. Players are compelled to remain motionless, taking aim with the Patriot, and the game will advance only when they finally pull the trigger.

Within the game's files, there are unused dialogue lines in which The Boss would inquire about Snake's target and encourage him to shoot her accurately. Presumably, this was intended to address situations where players attempted to avoid aiming directly at her while firing. However, in the final version, the gun remains fixed on her and cannot be redirected.

2 The Boss AI Makes Numerous References

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker reintroduces The Boss' voice through an AI pod. Interacting with the pod, damaging it, and removing memory parts lead to glitchy responses from the AI. These glitches may include The Boss reciting names of Japanese train stations, similar to the Colonel AI in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. The AI may also make references to FOX, FOXHOUND, Zero, and Big Boss' conflict, along with estimated guesses about the value of pi. Lastly, the AI may utter "kill me now," which were her final words before Snake shot her.

1 The Fifth Game Was Supposed To Be About The Boss

After the shipment of the fourth entry, Kojima began brainstorming ideas for what would eventually evolve into Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. His original vision revolved around the wet works missions of The Boss and the Cobra Unit after their landing in Normandy during WWII.

However, the team at Konami, particularly the younger and less experienced developers, were hesitant to proceed with such a project without Kojima's involvement. During this time, Kojima and the other developers who had worked on Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots decided to take some time off. As a result, a completely different concept emerged and was developed into Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.