The Metal Gear Solid franchise is often seen as a masterpiece of cinematic gaming. A big reason for that is Hideo Kojima's iration for filmmaking, which he incorporated into these games more than almost any other series from the same era. There are even times where gamers put down the controller for an hour or so at a time, just watching events unfold.
These games feature some of the most memorable characters in history and each of them have almost countless scenes that feel like they were pulled out of films. However, one moment for each stands out as the most iconic.
The Boss - Final Fight (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater)
In of a main antagonist, The Boss was arguably the best for a single game in this series. The story connecting her to Naked Snake as her mentor made this rivalry incredibly personal and she spent most of the game beating Snake at every turn, besting him mentally and physically.
Although her true plan as a hero was revealed in the end, The Boss was still the final fight for Snake in this game. Not only is the battle great but it's dramatic, uses the CQC that she taught Snake, and is beautifully shot in a field of flowers. It's about as cinematic a fight as you'll find.
Vamp - "I Can't Die Twice" (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty)
As soon as Vamp debuts in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, it's clear that he's not your typical villain. He's incredibly fast, especially vicious, and is basically a vampire. However, the full extent of the truth about him wasn't completely known until right after you fight Fortune. Vamp enters the room and says he'll take over but Raiden tries two more shots at Fortune.
They swerve away from her, hitting Vamp in the stomach and head. After Raiden leaves, Vamp shocks everyone by taking in a breath and coming back to life saying, "I died once already, I can't die twice." It let the player know that this game was going to get really weird and that Vamp was somewhat supernatural.
EVA - The Truth Is Revealed (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater)
Throughout the majority of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, it's evident that there's something going on between Naked Snake and EVA. They flirt a lot as she works undercover to help him on his mission. By the end of the game, the two spend the night together only for a twist to follow.
Snake awakens alone and EVA leaves behind a recording that explains her part in the entire mission. Not only was she not KGB or NSA but she was actually working for China the entire time. EVA tricked Snake in her attempts to find out where Volgin was hiding the Philosopher's Legacy to steal it, giving the game a memorable ending.
Meryl - Saving Snake (Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots)
While Metal Gear Solid is the game that is most associated with Meryl Silverburgh, she was often relegated to the damsel in distress/love interest roles. She is constantly called a rookie and is used as a pawn by Psycho Mantis before being shot several times by Sniper Wolf.
Her return in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots revealed a soldier with more training. She got a great chance to be the hero near the end of the game, staying behind to fight off enemies so Snake could destroy GW. Meryl had some excellent fighting moments there before her future husband Johnny ed her.
Solidus - The Metal Gear RAY Battle (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty)
Since he showed up last, it feels like too many people consider Solidus Snake to be the least important of the Les Enfants Terribles project. Though that might be somewhat true, he was a formidable foe in the sequel and had some great moments. His sword fight against Raiden was excellent, as was his introduction before the Harrier Fight.
However, if there's one moment that truly showcased how much of a badass the former President of the United States was, it was when he took on the Metal Gear RAY army. After already doing something memorable by executing Olga, the army of RAYs went haywire and he managed to take them all down on his own in impressive fashion.
Ocelot - Stealing Metal Gear RAY (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty)
Although he has been featured in each game, it wasn't until the sequel that Revolver Ocelot really shined. He was a relatively simple boss in the first game but became a focal point of the second even if you never fight him. That became clear right at the end of the Tanker section of the story.
After Snake takes the photos of Metal Gear RAY, the marines' presentation was interrupted by Ocelot. He revealed his plan to steal the machine, turned on his comrade Gurlokovich, and blew up the tanker. Though Liquid took over shortly after, it was still a moment that proved how big of a part Ocelot would play this time.
Liquid - Master Miller Reveal (Metal Gea Solid)
It's rare that something legendary happened in this franchise during a Codec sequence. The sequel had Col. Campbell making no sense over nanocommunications but other than that, the Codec was mostly used to over basic information. Surprisingly, Liquid Snake had his best moment through it though.
In the first game, Liquid had some tremendous scenes as the primary antagonist. The true shocker came near the end when he revealed that he was impersonating his brother's mentor Master Miller and had been talking to him the entire time. It hammered home how cunning Liquid was.
Big Boss - Death (Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots)
Although he's the protagonist of the third entry, Big Boss is kind of an entity throughout the franchise since he's the soldier from who Liquid, Solid, and Solidus were born. That's why he doesn't have a ton of iconic scenes.
His appearance right at the end of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots holds extra resonance due to how little he shows up otherwise. Big Boss comes up to Snake at a graveyard and has one final conversation with him before he ultimately dies, giving him a sendoff worthy of the character.
Raiden - First Ninja Appearance (Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots)
Many fans were pretty upset when Raiden took over as the protagonist of Sons of Liberty because they wanted to play as Solid Snake. He was a good hero but there was something cool about Snake that was unmatched. Thankfully, when Raiden returned in Guns of Patriots, he was totally different.
With Snake in a tough spot, it was Raiden who showed up but by this point, he had gone through several hardships that had turned him into something of a cyborg ninja. It's hard to top the moment of seeing this incarnation of Raiden be a total badass for the very first time.
Solid Snake - Fighting Liquid (Metal Gear Solid)
It's incredibly difficult to pin down the greatest scene for Solid Snake. After all, he's the protagonist of the series, a pop culture icon, and there are just so many to choose from. At the end of it all, it came down to the ending of Metal Gear Solid, where he had a classic hand-to-hand fight.
Not only did Snake get to fight his brother Liquid without any guns or anything like that but he also got to do it on top of Metal Gear REX. That's pretty much the most Metal Gear Solid thing that can possibly happen and it's arguably the best moment of the franchise.