GamesStealthMetal Gear SolidHideo Kojima originally had “no plans” for a character like Metal Gear Solid’s Cyborg Ninja until Yoji Shinkawa’s art had him saying “hell yeah, a ninja cyborg!“When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesStealthMetal Gear SolidHideo Kojima originally had “no plans” for a character like Metal Gear Solid’s Cyborg Ninja until Yoji Shinkawa’s art had him saying “hell yeah, a ninja cyborg!“When 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.
Metal Gear Solid’s Cyborg Ninja is one of the 1998 game’s most memorable characters, backflipping all over protagonist Snake with his chiseled exoskeleton and hissing haunting musings about life. But the cerebral humanoid soldier might not have ever got the chance to stick a katana in your face if directorHideo Kojimahadn’t been so enthusiastic about character designer Yoji Shinkawa’s art.
“From the very first [design] plans I drafted, Shinkawa was in there changing things on his own,” Kojima told PlayStation in arecently resurfaced interview from 1998. He cited Cyborg Ninja as a product of his and Shinkawa’s “push-and-pull” creative process, explaining that he originally had no plans for a totally jacked android man.
Despite this, Shinkawa felt compelled to draw one because, as he explained to PlayStation, “it’s cool.”
“I thought he would just be a normal soldier enemy,” Shinkawa continued. “I had a number of different patterns in mind, and I thought I’d try drawing something cyborg-ish, and this ninja-looking guy is what came out. Once I gave him a katana, the character really came to life for me.”
“There were a lot of things added like that,” Kojima said. “‘Hell yeah, a ninja cyborg!'”
In the end, Metal Gear Solid became stocked with Kojima’s and Shinkawa’s most wayward ideas like an overflowing costume closet. An eye patch here, some camouflage there…
The psychic antagonist Psycho Mantis, for example, would never have been glued to his recognizable, menacing gas mask if Shinkawa hadn’t spontaneously added one to his design.
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“Why a gas mask? I don’t know,” Kojima said. “And then Shinkawa was saying how underneath the mask he has no face. Why no face? Beats me.”
“For my part, I wasn’t against adding [these details],” Kojima continued. “Unexpected things like this are part of the fun.”
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 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”
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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”
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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”
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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”
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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”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”