Auteur theory is where the director of a project (usually a movie) is considered its entire driving force. Alfred Hitchcock and Quentin Tarantino made movies with common traits and techniques because their personal authorial style is part of the appeal. It’s fallen out of favor because, aside from that label not being a guarantee of quality (Michael Bay and Tommy Wiseau are auteurs too), there are more people on creative projects than the shouty man in the chair.
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For example,Hideo Kojimafamously did a lot of work asMetal Gear’s director, producer, executive producer, writer and original creator among other roles. Yet, by his and others’ admissions, he was just one of many people that made the series famous. From its highlights to its lowlights, these are some ofthe people behindMetal Gearthat aren’t Hideo Kojima.
10Yōji Shinkawa
While this list can’t fit everyone who worked on the series, it wouldn’t be right to start it off without mentioning Yōji Shinkawa. Much of the series’ look fromMetal Gear Solidonwards is due to his work as its lead character and mecha designer. He’s why the likes of REX, RAY, and the Shagohod look more angular and threatening than the comparatively cutesy Metal Gears from the MSX games.
Shinkawa would also throw in some narrative ideas, which could get ridiculous. He’s often been credited for the “Ocelot gettingpossessed by Liquid Snake’s arm" subplot inMetal Gear Solid 2.Shinkawa also thought Raiden should have long, double-jointed limbs and eat bugs. That got rejected, but would become the basis for The Fear inMetal Gear Solid 3.He still works with Kojima today on theDeath Strandinggames.
9Chihoko Uchiyama
Shinkawa may be the lead art designer, but he isn’t the only one on the payroll. FromMGS3up toMetal Gear Solid 5, Shinkawa’s designs were tweaked and adapted by concept artist Chihoko Uchiyama. On top of that, she produced her own designs, which would sometimes get picked over her senior colleagues. Like the Fear who, while based on Shinkawa’s idea, received his final look from Uchiyama’s drawings.
The same goes for The Pain, The Sorrow, Sokolov,Metal Gear Solid 4’sDrebin, Sunny and more. Though her alternate concepts for Characters could be quite curious, like her Volgin being a heavily-scarred figure who had to wear a mask to breathe. Or her Raiden forMGS4being all human, wearing a helmet called “Evil’s Sckall”, a baggy coat that could shrink against him in “HG Mode”, and a baby (likely Sunny) in a baby carrier on his back.
8Yuji Korekado
Uchiyama and Shinkawa may have both left Konami for the new Kojima Productions. But some of the old staff stayed behind. Yuji Korekado took over asMetal Gear’smain producer after Kojima’s departure, where he worked onMetal Gear Survive…and got surreptitiously insultedin a secret messagein the game alongside its director Yota Tsutsumizaki. Nonetheless, he’s been an instrumental part of the series since its early days.
Related:Metal Gear Survive Was Probably a Nail in the Coffin for MGS6
He was the lead programmer, where he and the others had to turn Kojima’s ideas into workable code, from the level design to the crazy boss battles. The only game he didn’t work directly on wasPeace Walker,and that’s because he was busy leading production onMetal Gear Rising: Revengeanceinstead. He helped save the project when it was on the brink of cancelation. So, his “cunning” has its positives too.
7Tomokazu Fukushima
Fukushima is a curious case, as there’s a subsection of thefandom who consider him the series’ true genius. He worked as a co-writer on the first threeMGSgames, then left Konami duringMGS4’s development. With the subsequent game’s nanomachine love, singing robots, and snipers who breathe through their skin, it left those fans thinking Fukushima was the one keeping the ship stable narratively.
However, there isn’t much evidence to support this. His main responsibility on the series was to write extras, like the non-mandatory Codec calls, the backstory files (e.g.MGS2’s “In the Darkness of Shadow Moses”). But he would write for the Game Boy ColorMetal Gear Solidgame, and direct most ofMGS2’s Snake Tales. So, he wasn’t the brainchild behind the best games like people thought. But he was behind much of its personality and passion.
6Shuyo Murata
Shuyo Murata was perhaps as integral toMetal Gearas Fukushima, if not more so. Aside from beingMGS4’s unofficial co-director, he’s worked on the series as a writer, planner, designer, researcher, storyboard artist, and the guy behind the instruction manuals. He also worked onZone of the Endersand directed its sequelThe 2nd Runner. Like Fukushima, he wrote most of the extra dialogue like Codec conversations, cassette tape scripts, briefings, etc.
His biggest contributions tended to be weird, like “The Shocking Conspiracy Behind Shadow Moses”, an Alex Jones-like retelling ofMGS1players had to read before Fukushima’s recap inMGS2. While Kojima likedhis “IdeaSpy 2.5” storyfor the GBCMGSgame so much he played the title role for an audio drama CD. The pop duo Two-Han (2.5) Princess behind the song that made the B&B Corps inMGS4dance were also named after Murata’s character.
5Jeremy Blaustein
Blaustein is better known as one of theoriginal members of Team Silent, where he localized theSilent Hillgames from 2 to 4. That and the original translation work forCastlevania: Symphony of the Night(“What is a man?! A miserable little pile of secrets!”). Afterward he became the chief localizer forMGS1, where he captured its tone in a way the later games didn’t. WhenThe Twin Snakescame out, the new lines felt much more stilted by comparison.
Related:Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes Fan is Restoring the Original Voice Acting
Sadly, the retranslation was due to drama behind the scenes. WhenMetal Gear Solid: Integralintroduced the English dialogue to Japan, Kojima discovered the translation wasn’t as close as he liked. Blaustein tried to explain it was to make the lines sound more natural in English, but ultimately Kojima found the localization to be too local regardless. Blaustein was banned from future Kojima projects, where they got more exact yet more awkward translations.
4Rika Muranaka
Luckily, Rika Muranaka had a more amicable departure from the series. She simply found new opportunities producing music for movies and TV shows. But while she was at Konami, she produced some ofMetal Gear’smost iconic music. Some of which impressed Kojima himself. When he said he wanted to endMGS1with a song in a language other than Japanese or English, Muranaka suggested Gaelic, and he said “What the hell is Gaelic?”.
The result was “The Best is Yet to Come”, written and arranged by Muranaka. She also created “Can’t Say Goodbye to Yesterday” forMGS2,and “Don’t Be Afraid” forMGS3. She was also instrumental in bringing movie composer Harry Gregson-Williams into the series, who’d work on the games long after her departure. She also helped producethe most famous song inMetal Gear, but someone else came up with the composition and lyrics.
3Norihiko Hibino
Admittedly, the lyrics to “Snake Eater” don’t make much sense. Not compared to Muranaka’s more fluent work anyway (How is “crime” the “way I fly to you”?). But it passes because composer Norihiko Hibino nailed everything else about the song perfectly. Kojima wanted aBond-styletheme and Hibino’s composition gave him that even before Cynthia Harrell’s fantastic vocals kick in.
Hibino also composed most of the music forMGS2andMGS3. He’s the one who played the saxophone for Fortune’s Theme, devised the dramatic “Yell Dead Cell” boss theme, and created the bouncy Caution/Alert themes inMGS3. While Harry Gregson-Williams got top billing for his work, chances are that most people’s favoriteMetal Gearinstrumentals were actually by Hibino.
2Motosada Mori
Sometimes, two contradictory ideas can be true at the exact same time. InMetal Gear, the guards are both rock-stupid grunts who are easily distracted by racy magazines, and well-oiled machines that follow proper military protocols like fast rope descents, hand gestures, and security patrols. This is largely thanks to military advisor and writer Motosada Mori.
Related:Metal Gear: How Snake’s CQC Evolves Throughout the Games
He originally came in duringMGS1’sdevelopment, and would continue to serve as an advisor untilMGS5. Fans who got hold ofThe Document of Metal Gear Solid 2could see him direct the developers on how to perform room clearings. Then inMGS3, he provided mocap work for the CQC moves. Considering he’s also regarded as one of the best members of the International Close Combat Instructors Association, his techniques were invaluable to the game.
1Etsu Tamari
Finally, we end with another writer. Etsu Tamari essentially had the same duties as Shuyo Murata and Tomokazu Fukushima in providing flavor writing forMGS4,Peace Walker, Ground ZeroesandMGS5. Perhaps being around for the insanity of mooing tanks and singing machines served as inspiration when he became the scriptwriter forMetal Gear Rising: Revengeance.
Yuji Korekado and PlatinumGamesmay have righted the game’s development. But the game’s gags were Tamari, a Kojima staff member, mixing jibes with the drama. Some are goofy, like Raiden’s attempts to blend into Mexican society, while others are more pointed. Even the biggestMetalGearfanatics could sympathizewith Jetstream Sam’s comment about having “heard enough speeches about higher causes by now”.
