Summary
- Otacon's original design was supposed to be physically bigger, but was changed to a slim figure inspired by Hideo Kojima's physique.
- Christopher Lambert, the voice actor for Otacon, originally auditioned for Solid Snake, but was chosen for the role of Otacon due to his resemblance to the character's design.
- In the remake of Metal Gear Solid, Otacon's character underwent changes that replaced his subtle growth with slapstick comedy, which disappointed fans of the original game.
A legendary super soldier like Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid didn’t simply save the world on his own merits. He received plenty of help from his allies - not to mention a certain shy scientist with a brilliant mind. Dr. Hal Emmerich, better known by his nickname Otacon, would be rescued by the protagonist in Metal Gear Solid, and, in the sequel, they would become partners to take down any and all Metal Gears to keep the world safe.
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They have been coined as one of the most iconic pairings in video gaming history, and fans of the series have cited Otacon as one of the best and most important characters in the series. Of course, there’s plenty to learn about this humble, otaku-loving genius.
10 Otacon Was Originally Going To Have A Notably Different Design
Otacon wasn’t always intended to be a thin gentleman with messy gray hair and circular glasses like how he was depicted in Metal Gear Solid. Series creator Hideo Kojima pictured a bigger, heftier sort of character with a chocolate bar in his hand.
Lead artist Yoji Shinkawa gave the character a more slimmed-down look, inspired by Kojima’s own physique. While he would have neater brown hair in later entries in the series, he would still retain a familiar habit: readjusting his glasses with his finger. This, too, was inspired by the game’s creator.
9 His Voice Actor Originally Auditioned For Solid Snake
Christopher Lambert is the voice of Otacon and delivers a soft voice to the character. Shockingly, his voice actor actually attempted to voice the rugged Solid Snake himself! That is, along with several other characters that he sent auditions for.
Naturally, he was selected to voice Otacon and has reprised the role in every game the character has appeared in. Randolph has stated in interviews that the developers chose him as he resembled the character’s design, which is actually not too uncommon of a reason to hire a voice actor for a game in Japan.
8 The GameCube Remake Made Him The Butt Of Visual Jokes
Metal Gear Solid was remade with the same engine and similar mechanics as Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty. This would become Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, which featured re-recorded dialogue from most of the original cast, and completely reanimated cutscenes, bringing more love to characters like Revolver Ocelot, but leaving behind Otacon.
The problem was that the re-recordings didn’t have the same emotional weight as the original sub had, and the reanimated cutscenes were made to be more action-packed, likely to compensate for the copious amounts of dialogue. Otacon’s subtle changes in body language as he grew to become more independent and confident were replaced with slapstick comedy, having him pushed around by Snake when they meet, and falling down multiple icy slopes before the boss battle against Sniper Wolf.
7 Otacon Will Get Nostalgic (Or Angry) When Snake Climbs Into A Locker
In Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty, during the Tanker chapter, Snake can hide inside a locker. Calling Otacon over the codec will result in a nostalgic conversation occurring between the two, recounting that this is how they met, albeit with Otacon in the locker originally. Otacon states that it makes the two even, to which Snake responds “Not unless I wet my pants”. Embarrassed by that embarrassing detail, he’ll hurtfully respond “That’s a low blow, Snake!”
He’ll also have some choice words for Snake if he climbs into a locker with the bikini model poster. The hero will do some creepy stuff, while the doctor will splutter out a response in shock.
6 He’ll Share Interesting Responses When Sent Photos
The objective of the Tanker Chapter in Metal Gear Solid 2 is to take photos of the Metal Gear RAY in development by the American military in order to expose them online. Such is the goal of the duo’s team, not violence, but philanthropy.
The player can also send photos of other sights, like a soldier who is missing his trousers, posters of both a female and male model (both resulting in flustered responses from Otacon, who decides to “make a backup of this one”), and a ghost of Hideo Kojima. Sending too many photos of Commandant Dolph Jackson will result in Otacon cheekily suggesting that he could print it out for Snake to keep under his pillow to help him sleep at night.
5 He Invented A VR Headset
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance introduced a wreath of new content for the second game, and that included some non-canon Snake Tales that allowed players to play original missions as the hero of Shadow Moses himself.
‘External Gazer’ is the most bizarre one of the bunch. In it, Otacon reveals how he invented a virtual reality headset for Snake to partake in virtual reality, though it’s revealed that it’s capable of altering events in different universes. Increasingly bizarre events start to unfold, including Solidus Snake from a different universe destroying Otacon’s hideout and trapping Snake in a series of VR battles before reenacting the final fight of the second game, this time against Snake directly.
4 He’s A Big Fan Of Captain Falcon
While this isn't technically canon, it’s still a hilarious conversation to hear between Snake and Otacon. In the Shadow Moses stage of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, while playing as Snake against Captain Falcon of the F-Zero series, the player will trigger a codec call after taunting repeatedly.
Otacon will fill Snake in on all the important details about the purple-clad racer, before agreeing to do their best imitations of the character. Soon enough, the pair will shout out “Falcon Punch!” and “Falcon Kick!” with gleeful enthusiasm. A fun detail is that Otacon and Captain Falcon share the same voice actor in Japan: Hideyuki Tanaka.
3 Otacon Was Originally Going To Die At The End Of The Fourth Game
The original ending for the Metal Gear series, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots, was a controversial decision that Kojima wanted to end the game (and, potentially, the series) on. After saving the world and shutting down the Patriots’ AI programming, Otacon and Snake would’ve turned themselves in for what they did and would be sentenced to execution.
However, the development staff were dead-set against this. Not only did they veto the decision made, but also threatened to strike if it was pushed. Thankfully, it never came to fruition. It’s likely that the ending would’ve gotten some serious pushback from the fans, had it been implemented.
2 Time Spent With Snake Was Explained In the MGS4 Novel
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots was one of the best in the series, and had an official novel written by the late Satoshi Itō, also known as Project Itoh. The fan fiction he created was enough to impress Kojima, who hired him to write an officially licensed novel for the fourth entry.
Written from the perspective of Otacon, he touches on a number of details surrounding the in-game universe, as well as some personal details involving living with Snake. He states that the pair enjoyed having a walk before going on a mission, that Snake made terrible jokes about him being blue-collar and Otacon being white-collar, and often used the doctor to practice his throws and grapples, much to his dismay.
1 He Becomes A Ladies Man
Whether or not this is canon is debatable, as it’s from hack ‘n’ slash spin-off Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. According to a conversation between Raiden and child prodigy Sunny Emmerich, who is also Otacon’s adoptive daughter, she mentions how “it doesn't seem like he has too much trouble keeping busy on Saturday nights.”
That’s not to say he’s keeping the ladies around long-term, likely because of how women in his life end up getting killed, like Sniper Wolf and Naomi Hunter, so it makes sense how he developed this “really bad habit of keeping the ladies at arm's length,” as Sunny puts it.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1
- Released
- October 24, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Konami
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Action, Stealth
