GamesStealthMetal GearMetal Gear Solid17 years before unleashing Quiet on the world in Metal Gear Solid 5, Hideo Kojima said he didn’t want “dishonest” designs like “female characters with huge busts” in the seriesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesStealthMetal GearMetal Gear Solid17 years before unleashing Quiet on the world in Metal Gear Solid 5, Hideo Kojima said he didn’t want “dishonest” designs like “female characters with huge busts” in the seriesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Konami Digital Entertainment)
Over the years, Metal Gear Solid’s iconic character designs have become a hallmark of the series, and it all stems from directorHideo Kojima’s rather rigorous requirements for the first instalment.
In a 1998 interview with The PlayStation magazine, now available onShmuplations,Metal Gear SoliddirectorHideo Kojimaand designer Yoji Shinkawa discussed the duo’s approach to character design, and how Kojima’s requirements ended up causing Shinkawa more than a bit of trouble.
When asked about what kinds of character design requests he had, Kojima frankly answers “Hardboiled. It’s a serious, heavy story, and I wanted characters who could handle that world.” Further to this, he adds a few caveats for what he wanted to avoid in a character design, laughing that “Designs that are ‘dishonest’, weird, or that are just meant to be visually stimulating - like female characters with huge busts - I don’t like those.”
The reason for these strict criteria was simple. “I wanted characters who, just from looking at their clothing you’d be able to tell what kind of person they were, and what their motivations were,” he explains. Shinkawa chimes in to say “That’s one reason why I struggled a bit with Snake’s design,” to which Kojima replies “I remember. You struggled a lot. (laughs) The first design looked like Captain Future, and he was orange-colored.”
Of course, one could argue that Kojima broke this streak withMGS 5’s Quiet, who has received criticism for being over-sexualised in her design, though it would be hard to dispute that her design hasn’t since become iconic in its own right. With Kojima having now leftKonamipermanently, however, it remains to be seen whether or not his stringent design philosophy will be present in any future Metal Gear Solid titles.
If you’re a Metal Gear Solid fan, check out our list of thebest stealth gamesto play right now.
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Death Stranding and Metal Gear Solid lead Hideo Kojima once said “everything I make ends up feeling somewhat like a movie” because he’d “grown up with them"Nobody at Konami believed in Metal Gear until Hideo Kojima showed them the exclamation point: “This is gonna work!”
Death Stranding and Metal Gear Solid lead Hideo Kojima once said “everything I make ends up feeling somewhat like a movie” because he’d “grown up with them”
Death Stranding and Metal Gear Solid lead Hideo Kojima once said “everything I make ends up feeling somewhat like a movie” because he’d “grown up with them”
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Nobody at Konami believed in Metal Gear until Hideo Kojima showed them the exclamation point: “This is gonna work!”
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now"2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3
Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5
Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”
1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”
1
Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”
2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”