Big Boss (Metal Gear)

Big Boss (Japanese: ビッグ・ボス, Hepburn: Biggu Bosu) is a fictional character from the Metal Gear series created by Hideo Kojima and developed and published by Konami. He was first introduced in the 1987 Metal Gear game as the commanding officer and father of Solid Snake, featuring in a twist as the game's main antagonist. He is later featured in the prequel games (starting with Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater) as a younger version of the character named Naked Snake (ネイキッド・スネーク, Neikiddo Sunēku), an American Special Forces Operator and decorated war hero. Political manipulations cause him to be disillusioned when facing his own mentor, and he gradually develops his own private mercenary company.

The concept of Naked Snake was an attempt to distance him from Solid Snake, despite both being physically similar through their characterizations. He has been voiced by Akio Ōtsuka in the Japanese version, and by David Hayter and Kiefer Sutherland in the English translation. Critical reception to Big Boss has been positive, due to his role as a villain and his enmity with Solid Snake. His younger persona has been praised as likeable, with critics generally enjoying the execution of his character development in the series designed to shape him into a villainous icon.