PoorJohnny Sasaki. He’s a literal punching bag for jokes in theMetal Gear Solidseries, whether it’s getting beaten up and being stripped of his uniform by Meryl, or having a nasty case of diarrhea in the worst possible places at the most inopportune times. Which, unfortunately for him, is very often.
Nevertheless, Johnny remains an iconic piece of comic relief in the series, and actually got a proper character arc in the fourth game. Besides, there’s a lot more to this goofy trooper (and his similarly-named relatives) than some may not know, like how he was intended to have a much bigger role in the second game, and his quirky cameo in a virtual reality mission.
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Johnny is the only Genome Soldier inMetal Gear Solidto actually be credited with a name during the credits - both in the original and its respective remake. The rest, in comparison, are blank slates. Interestingly, there was a developer on the team who shared his surname. It’s far from a coincidence, however.
The developer in question is Hideki Sasaki, who inspired the creation of the character because of his slack-off behavior, which got him a bit of a reputation. As a result, they used his surname for the silly character in question as a bit of an inside joke.
9The MGS1 Novel Says He Wasn’t Always Working For The Enemy
Whether or not this is canon is debatable, yet it does make for an interesting nugget of information nonetheless. According to the officialMetal Gear Solidnovelwritten by Raymond Benson and published by Del Rey Books in 2008, it turns out Johnny wasn’t always one of the bad guys.
In fact, he was working as a head computer technician at Shadow Moses, but, when FOXHOUND took over, he ended up jumping on their side. It’s never explained why, but Otacon believes that “the terrorists brainwashed him or something to work for them”. Again, there’s no confirmation from series creator Hideo Kojima himself, so take it with a pinch of salt.
Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions(orSpecial Missionsin the UK and Europe) featured a brief, non-canon cameo from Johnny during one of the Mystery missions. In them, Snake must examine a clue near a crime scene and deduce which of the potential suspects is the killer, before dragging him to the exit.
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Mission 06 has a clue written in blood on the floor; “JOHNNY”. The only way to decipher which of the guards is the killer is to knock them out. As seen in the base game, Johnny collapses in a rather comical way, face-down and backside tilted upwards, and it’s no different here.
Speaking of which, in the GameCube-exclusive remakeMetal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Johnny cannot be killed by Snake when he has beenknocked out and stripped of his clothingby Meryl after the encounter with the DARPA chief. He’ll, once again, be left in the corner, unconscious and laying on the floor in a rather embarrassing fashion.
Since the game runs on the same engine as the second official entry in the series, Snake can enter first-person view mode to fire his weapon. However, any attempts to do so at Johnny will result in the camera pulling itself away each time.
6He Was Originally Going To Be A Patriot Spy
Johnny does appear, albeit voice-only, inMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Libertytwice: once on the toilet, and another while Emma Emmerich is being protected with sniper fire. Both of these instances are Easter eggs, offering further comic relief and references back to the events of the first game.
He originally had a much bigger role in the game, which was scrapped. Raiden was to speak to him during a hostage situation. Being a Patriot spy, he would fill him in on things going on. Afterwards, the player would eavesdrop on a conversation withRevolver Ocelot, but then Johnny would die of a pacemaker malfunction. He would be replaced with the character Richard Ames, and, thankfully, Johnny lived to star in a future entry.
5His Grandfather Will Imitate A Game Over Sequence
Naked Snake finds himself incarcerated behind enemy lines inMetal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and the guard watching his cell is none other than Johnny’s grandfather, who shares his name. In acutscene, he explains that, while his family is American, he has Russian heritage. Sadly, revisiting the country proved to be a big mistake as he was conscripted.
Funnily enough, if Snake is killed during his escape from prison, Johnny will end up rushing over to his body. Shocked, he will yell “don’t give up on me, Snake!” Shortly afterward, he’ll scream his name aloud, just like his allies during a game over sequence.
Johnny is revealed to be back inMetal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriotsfighting alongside Rat Patrol Team 01. The player likely won’t pick up on the fact for the first time, as he is referred to as “Akiba” by the squad leader, Meryl.
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It’s an abbreviation of Japanese slang. “Akiba-kei” refers to the Akihabara in Chiyoda, Tokyo, a hotspot for nerd culture, including things like manga, anime, video games, and so much more. So, essentially, it’s like how Otacon nicknamed himself after an Otaku Convention. In this case, though, it’s more of a jab at Johnny for being a dork.
3Johnny’s Grandfather Was Going To Cameo In MGS4
At the end ofMetal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The PatriotsJohnny gets married to Meryl. It was certainly not expected with the fans, but it is what it is. Anyway, the rest of Rat Patrol Team 01 make it to the wedding ceremony as well.
Johnny’s grandfather was intended to appear at the wedding as a cameo as well, as denoted by concept art of him (which appeared inMetal Gear Solid 4: Master Art Works)being old and withered. Perhaps he was unavailable due to his chronic bowel issues causing issues for him (just like how it affects everyone else in his bloodline)?
Metal Gear Onlinewas a standalone entry in the series, offering players a chance to fight alongside and against one another. It was based on the setting, mechanics and general gameplay of the fourth game. Johnny was actually a playable character in this, where he could scout for traps, turn them into something useful, and could unleash a fart cloud after killing a number of players (which would cause nearby enemies to splutter).
In the expansion packMetal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plusfor the PSP, Johnny’s grandfathercould be recruited as a potential soldierfor Big Boss here as well. While his stats are pretty high, his passive ability attracts tougher enemies to appear in missions.
1A Tape In MGSV Refers To His Bowel Problems
There are a few references to Johnny in both the fifth entry andMetal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. In the ‘Déjà vu’ mission in the latter, groaning can be heard inside one of the portable toilets in Camp Omega. Calling Miller will eventually result in him saying “is that… Johnny? … No, forget I said anything.”
A tape of a soldier having serious toilet issues can be found inMetal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain, which is also a nod to Johnny. Playing it whileVenom Snakeis hiding in the toilet will deter potential threats, who will think it is in use and that the poor person inside needs some privacy.
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