Summary
The bosses in theMetal Gearseries are famous for their stellar designs and interesting gameplay. There aren’t too many games that have a man who controls bees, an ancient sniper who runs on photosynthesis, and a Vulcan cannon-wielding Inuit shaman. Still, once players figure out the trick behind many of the bosses, they can be dealt with quickly.
But their gameplay strength is one thing. Their lore strength is another. How wouldMetal Gear’s bosses fare against each other if they were in a Death Battle-like rumble all against each other? Who would be its strongest contenders? Judging by their in-game feats and stats, these would be the toughest of the bunch.
10Grey Fox
Starting life as a child soldier, Frank Jaeger was rescued by Big Boss, only to be turned into “Null” - an emotionless drone that made short work of the grunts and fought off Big Boss. Freed once again, he became the first member of FOXHOUND to attain its highest rank ofGrey Fox. He’d take a young Solid Snake under his wing, only to fight against him when he joined Big Boss' side inMetal Gear 2: Solid Snake.
He was tough both in the seat of Metal Gear D and in hand-to-hand combat. All the cyborg exoskeleton did inMetal Gear Solidwas make him faster, more durable, and prone to seizures and fits. Not that it stopped him from cutting off Ocelot’s arm, killing multiple troops, fighting Solid Snake one more time, and destroying REX’s radome. Unlike later cyborgs, his body couldn’t withstand REX’s weight, which finished him off with a stomp.
9Liquid Snake
Solid Snake took out two Metal Gears, two Hind-Ds, a helicopter, and multiple elite units before the events ofMGS1. At that time,Liquid Snakewas captured during the first Gulf War and then handed off to the Americans to join FOXHOUND. However, he did inherit his father’s smarts, having outwitted Venom Snake and Master Miller with his troops inMGS5: The Phantom Pain.
He was also quite skilled with machinery, piloting two Metal Gears, and flying a Hind-D to take out two F-16s in a blizzard.That’s not to mention his tenacity. He survived being shot down in said Hind, getting blown up in Metal Gear REX, getting kicked off the top of REX, machinegun fire, and a jeep crash. All so he could finally finish Solid Snake off. If it weren’t for FOXDIE finishing him off, he’d still be chasing him today.
8Peace Walker
It feels strange comparing the human bosses to their mechanical counterparts. It’s like asking people if a single, highly trained soldier could win a fight against a tank or a Harrier jump jet. Technically, any of the Metal Gears could beat human threats by stomping on them, let alone launching their payload. Still, most of the Metal Gears still required human pilots to run.
Peace Walkerstood out by having an AI controlling its motions. That made it smart enough to use its S-mines, drill missiles, flamethrower, and bullet-deflecting EM Pulse to its advantage and was the only mech capable of firing its nuke mid-battle. Still, it was ultimately shut down by a single super soldier. Even with its smarts, it might not hold up well against other soldiers or later Metal Gears.
7Metal Gear ZEKE
Though it’s technically preceded byMGS: Portable Ops’ Metal Gear RAXA,Metal Gear ZEKEis much closer to the classic bipedal nuclear tank design. It’s also Big Boss’ first personal weapon, and the only one to be used against him when Paz modified its controls. With a human pilot, it’s pretty tough. But it was originally designed to be run by an AI like Peace Walker.
With a full collection of AI boards, it would pressure its opponents with its stomps, boosters, and machinegun fire, only drawing back to use its railgun and missiles. That said, it likely didn’t reachits full potentialin lore, as it’s implied it was destroyed along with Mother Base at the end ofMGS5: Ground Zeroes.
6Metal Gear RAY
Designed as the Metal Gear to end other Metal Gears,Metal Gear RAYhas had a few different models in the series. The mass-produced ones weren’t as durable as the Marines' original model. They had weak knees that, when hit, made the RAYs open their mouths, which were even weaker points. But said mouths contained a hydro-cutter that used a high-pressure jet of water to slice through targets, and they could fire homing rockets.
They were also quite agile, able to leap back and forth, swatting opponents with their arms, legs, and tail. The models were also amphibious, able to attack from the water and on land. Despite that, the original model got shut down by its supposedly inferior predecessor REX inMetal Gear Solid 4, and byMetal Gear Risingit was no match for one cyborg and their high-frequency blades.
5Metal Gear REX
Metal Gear REXwasn’t the first bipedal tank, but it’s become the most iconic of the bunch. The likes of ZEKE and Sahelanthropus precede it chronologically but are ultimately derivative of its original, chunky, angular design. In real life, giant mechs like REX wouldn’t work out too well. Yet its tough armor and cutting-edge weaponry almost make one believe it could. That is until Otacon’s purposefully built “character flaws” come into play.
Without its radome, the pilot would have to open its beak to see what was in front of them, exposing them to bullets, bombs, and missiles to destroy REX’s interior. However, its insides are strongerthan Otacon let on. Even after being destroyed, he was able to bring it back online with a few updates inMGS4, where it was tough enough to beat RAY with just its old rockets and its hefty build.
4Solidus Snake
That said, it’s hard to tell how REX would do against the humans who also managed to beat RAY. George Sears, better known asSolidus Snake, was the lesser-known third “Les Enfant Terrible” after Solid and Liquid Snake. He was an evenly balanced clone of Big Boss, right down to his military acumen, which he used to lead an army during the First Liberian Civil War. However, his strongest feats came via his Muscle Suit.
It made him strong enough to withstand gunfire, and quick enough to leap on top of the RAYs and blast them in their CPUs. Its rocket-firing tentacles were handy too. Even without its advantages, his swordsmanship was swift enough to deflect RAY’s bullets. Unfortunately for him, his Muscle Suit is weaker at the back than the front. His former apprentice Jack, aka Raiden, finished him for good by slicing through his spine.
3Jetstream Sam
Solidus was great with his twin-blade katana style.Jetstream Samonly needed one. Even before he gained his cyborg exoskeleton, he was good enough with his Murasama blade to take out 10 fully-armed men on his own. With his exoskeleton, he took out Bladewolf, RAY, and a whole army of cyborgs and machines with minimal fuss and plenty of style.
He also beat Raiden, a cyborg capable of throwing RAYs into the air. He took his arm and eye, then got in his head via his mind games. Even without his sword, Sam could dash in a flash and chuck his opponents around like rag dolls. Still, unlike his Desperado colleagues, he was ultimately a man in a cyborg suit. He didn’t need to be sliced and diced to be finished off. Raiden just had to stab him once in the heart to end him.
2Big Boss
CouldBig Boss, the “greatest soldier of the 20th Century” in theMGSUniverse, really handle cyborgs and Muscle Suits? He couldn’t move faster than Sam’s Blade Mode, and he was more familiar with a combat knife than a katana. Then Solid Snake set him ablaze with a can of lacquer spray and a cigarette lighter. However, Big Boss hadkeen wits and enough charismato build multiple armies, so he knew how to pick his battles.
Even then, he was strong enough to hold up a Metal Gear long enough to avoid getting squished, something Raiden and Grey Fox had to become cyborgs to do themselves. With his backup, skills, and strength, he was able to overcome multiple mechs, including Metal Gears. Sam and Solidus, with their obvious weak points, don’t seem so tough by comparison.
1Senator Armstrong
Big Boss could theoretically kill former President Solidus Snake, butSenator Armstrongcould likelybreak both of them in two, so long as he had his nanomachines. Ordinarily, he’s a rather burly politician, standing 6ft 7 and weighing 498lbs. He could give the more human opponents a run for their money, but Big Boss, Solid Snake, etc., have bested similarly-sized foes with their bare hands alone.
But in his powered-up form, he becomes a muscular behemoth strong enough to destroy Metal Gears with a single punch, while also being very fast for his size. The nanos also harden his skin in response to physical trauma, making him impervious to any external threat. Only Raiden was able to slice through him by striking faster than his nanos could activate, and that took a whole new cyborg body and Sam’s Murasama blade.
