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Solid Snake's Real Name: Inspired by Snake Plissken (Escape from New York)
creator confirmed
Solid Snake (ソリッド・スネーク) 本名: Inspired by Snake Plissken (Escape from New York) (スネーク・プリスキン)
Answer: Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima has said Solid Snake was inspired by Snake Plissken, Kurt Russell's character in John Carpenter's film Escape from New York (1981).
Hideo Kojima created Metal Gear (Konami, 1987) and its hero, Solid Snake. Kojima is a famous film fan and has openly said that Snake was inspired by Snake Plissken, the eye-patched antihero played by Kurt Russell in Escape from New York. In Metal Gear Solid 2, a character even uses the alias "Iroquois Pliskin," a nod to the film.
The early box art of Metal Gear was also based on a film image, reportedly of Michael Biehn in The Terminator.
Solid Snake was voiced in Japanese by Akio Ōtsuka and in English by David Hayter.
FAQ
Who was Solid Snake based on? Snake Plissken from Escape from New York, according to Hideo Kojima.
What is the Iroquois Pliskin alias? A nod to Snake Plissken used in Metal Gear Solid 2.