Poor Johnny Sasaki. He’s a literal punching bag for jokes in the Metal Gear Solid series, 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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10 A Lazy Developer Inspired Johnny’s Creation
Johnny is the only Genome Soldier in Metal Gear Solid to 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.
9 The 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 official Metal Gear Solid novel written 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.
8 Johnny Makes A Cameo In A VR Mission
Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions
- Platform(s)
- PS1
- Released
- September 23, 1999
- Developer(s)
- Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
- Genre(s)
- Stealth , Action-Adventure
Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions (or Special Missions in 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.
7 The Remake Refuses To Let Snake Kill Him
Speaking of which, in the GameCube-exclusive remake Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Johnny cannot be killed by Snake when he has been knocked out and stripped of his clothing by 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.
6 He Was Originally Going To Be A Patriot Spy
Johnny does appear, albeit voice-only, in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty twice: 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 with Revolver 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.
5 His Grandfather Will Imitate A Game Over Sequence
Naked Snake finds himself incarcerated behind enemy lines in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and the guard watching his cell is none other than Johnny’s grandfather, who shares his name. In a cutscene, 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.
4 In MGS4, His Nickname Is Japanese Slang
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
- Platform(s)
- PS3
- Released
- June 12, 2008
- Developer(s)
- Kojima Productions
- Genre(s)
- Stealth
Johnny is revealed to be back in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots fighting 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.
3 Johnny’s Grandfather Was Going To Cameo In MGS4
At the end of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots Johnny 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 in Metal 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)?
2 He Is A Playable Character In Spin-Offs.
Metal Gear Online was 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 pack Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus for the PSP, Johnny’s grandfather could be recruited as a potential soldier for Big Boss here as well. While his stats are pretty high, his passive ability attracts tougher enemies to appear in missions.
1 A Tape In MGSV Refers To His Bowel Problems
There are a few references to Johnny in both the fifth entry and Metal 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 in Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain, which is also a nod to Johnny. Playing it while Venom Snake is 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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