Metal Gear Solid Makes a Strong Argument Against Nuclear War
Japan has a flair for bizarre combinations, especially in video games. Mario is an Italian plumber from Brooklyn tasked with safeguarding the Mushroom Kingdom against a giant turtle. Sonic is a blue hedgehog who runs fast fighting against a mad scientist. Metal Gear is a story about highly skilled soldiers specialized in infiltration whose trump card is hiding in a cardboard box.
Truth be told, that's probably the most condensed one-sentence summary possible of Metal Gear's absolutely mind-boggling storyline. After all, even Kojima didn't have the entire plot in his head when the first Metal Gear was released in 1987. On the surface level, Metal Gear tells the story about Big Boss, Venom Snake, and Solid Snake. On a deeper level, it's a story about soldiers trying to fight for their own sake. However, on a thematic level, somewhat ironically, it's a stark warning against nuclear weapons and war itself.
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The story of Metal Gear closely follows real history: All the major canon historical events of the game, whether it's the World Wars, the Manhattan Project, or the Cold War that nuclear proliferation brought about, take place in the timeline. Despite fears of nuclear annihilation, the only country that has ever been on the receiving end of such a weapon is Japan. It's hard to understate how much the ensuing tragedy scarred the psyche of that country. Even to this day, such an event heavily influences the beliefs of Japanese people, hence their politics and their media.
The Metal Gear series was always political, but it was never a singular condemnation of America, the Soviet Union, mercenaries, secret societies, or even imperialism. Metal Gear is about
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