Synopsis
Nine years after the events of Ground Zeroes, in which the Legendary Soldier (Big Boss) and his army are attacked by an unidentified military unit at their headquarters, Mother Base, the One Eyed man awakes in a hospital wondering where he is and how he got there. As he coldly observes the hook that has replaced his left arm, a man whose face is concealed by bandages and who identifies himself as "Ishmael" explains that he has watched over him during his lengthy period of unconsciousness and that it's time for them to go; the hospital they are in has been invaded by troops (perhaps those that attacked him and his men nine years earlier), as well as by mysterious - perhaps supernatural - entities, such as an ominous figure engulfed in flames and an androgynous one that phases through ceilings.
Having barely gotten out the hospital and lost his only-recently-learned-of comrade, Ishmael, the atrophied warrior finds himself at the edge of a forest, on the ground, and looking up at a familiar face: Ocelot - a stylish gunman who has a preference for revolvers. The cowboy-like Ocelot aids the only-recently-awakened Big Boss in completing his escape, steering a horse while the One Eyed [and now One Armed] Man rides on the back and takes out their pursuers with shotgun blasts.
Already saddened by the recollection of the slaughter of his men and the destruction of their base nine years prior, Big Boss is plunged into even darker spirits when Ocelot informs him that his right-hand-man, Kazuhira Miller, is being held captive in Afghanistan by an unknown faction. So, after improving his poor physical condition and being encouraged by Ocelot, Big Boss takes it upon himself only weeks (or perhaps months) later to find Kaz in a one-man sneaking mission in the middle eastern country.
Big Boss rises to the occasion, successfully rescuing Kaz and proving that he still lives up to the legend surrounding himself. Unfortunately, however, Kaz - like him - has lost parts of his body, now having only one arm and one leg. Lamenting all of the losses they have suffered - their comrades, their home, and their limbs - Kaz weeps in response to the pain that these no-longer-existent pieces of themselves continue to inflict upon them: The Phantom Pain.
Their agony compels them to rebuild themselves and seek revenge. They form yet another army, Diamond Dogs, rebuild their home, Mother Base, and carry out numerous missions to defeat whom they believe is responsible for their loses, Cipher (A.K.A. Zero A.K.A. The Patriots). Alas, however, in the midst of their campaign, Big Boss is driven deeper and deeper into the depths of hell, transforming himself into a demon: Venom Snake.
Cast
1. Big Boss (Kiefer Sutherland | Akio Ōtsuka): The protagonist of The Phantom Pain. He is driven by revenge for the loss of his comrades and his home by the hands of Skull Face's mysterious XOF unit. In his quest for vengeance, his anger grows and gradually consumes him, changing him from a noble warrior to a heartless demon who has love for no one other than his fallen brethren. In The Phantom Pain, he will awake with a large piece of shrapnel embedded in his right frontal lobe and protruding out his forehead, which will perhaps play a factor in his psychological and moral downfall. He will also sport a bionic left arm, as his organic one will have been lost due to currently unknown reasons. Also unknown is the code name he will use while carrying out field operations, as he has been referred to by two of them in promotional footage and images thus far (Punished Snake and Venom Snake).
2. Kazuhira Miller (Robin Atkin Downes | Tomokazu Sugita): A primary supporting character in The Phantom Pain. As Big Boss's right hand man, he is the second in command of Diamond Dogs, the newly formed military unit created to replace Militaires Sans Frontieres, and is also his best friend. In the Phantom Pain, he will be missing two of his limbs (his right arm and his left leg) and will subsequently share the phantom pain that Big Boss suffers from. Undoubtedly, his suffering will be one of the key motivating factors in Big Boss's quest for vengeance and his subsequent psychological and moral downfall.
3. Ocelot (Troy Baker | Satoshi Mikami): A primary supporting character in The Phantom Pain. His allegiances are questionable, as he appears to be working alongside Big Boss this time around but has worked alongside Big Boss's enemy, Cipher (A.K.A. Zero A.K.A. The Patriots), in the past. Based on promotional footage, he seems as if he's going to have a considerably high rank in Big Boss's military organization (he has been shown barking orders to members of Diamond Dogs and carrying out torture sessions alongside Kazuhira Miller). Perhaps he genuinely seeks to assist Big Boss or perhaps he has been dispatched by Cipher to deceive and manipulate him. Only time will tell, as his ultimate role in The Phantom Pain will undoubtedly remain a mystery until the game is released.
4. Quiet (Stefanie Joosten): A supporting character in The Phantom Pain. Having rescued Big Boss in a currently unknown context, the One Eyed Man chose to spare her life despite Kaz's insistence that they kill her for learning the location of their new Mother Base. However, as a compromise, Big Boss responded to Kaz by declaring that he himself will kill her "when the time comes." Quiet is a sniper who will provide cover for Big Boss while he is out on the battlefield. She, as her name implies, is mute and has the ability to render her body partially or entirely invisible. Based on promotional footage, it appears that the degree to which she is clothed affects her ability to become invisible, with her ability becoming greater as the degree to which her skin is exposed increases; this explains why she dresses in scantily clad attire (which has been a source of criticism).
5. Eli [A.K.A. Liquid Snake] (Piers Stubbs | Yutaro Honjo): A possible antagonist. Wearing a vest on the back of which is written "Never Be Game Over" and being described as "a youth who curses his fate," it is quite obvious that this character is Liquid Snake in his youth. "Never Be Game Over" alludes to the well-known line that Liquid utters in the final bout of Metal Gear Solid (1998), 'It's not over yet', and his resentment for his future alludes to Liquid's confessed hatred of his belief that he was the weaker of Big Boss's first two viable clones. Leaving no room for doubt, the Chinese characters at the bottom of Eli's vest translate to "Liquid Man." Upon meeting his older, genetic "twin," Eli engages him; he pins him against a wall and attempts to attack him with a knife, but his opponent reverses the attack, slamming him to the ground, taking the knife, and turning it against him. It is not known what Eli's overall role in The Phantom Pain will be and undoubtedly this will remain the case until the game's release date.
6. Dr. "Huey" Emmerich (Christopher Randolph | Hideyuki Tanaka): A possible antagonist. Working as a mechanical engineer, he developed bipedal locomotion for AI-driven machines that were created through the Peace Walker Project. In promotional footage of The Phantom Pain, he has been shown walking with the aid of bionic legs, possibly created using the aforementioned technology. He has also been shown being tortured by Big Boss, which indicates that he is suspected to have valuable information concerning Big Boss's enemy, Cipher.
7.Code Talker (Jay Tavare | Osamu Saka): A possible antagonist or supporting character. Next to nothing is known about him other than that he is wise and has been denied repatriation to his homeland. Based on the ethnicity of his American voice actor, Jay Tavare, we can conclude that he may be Native American and that his homeland, from which he has been denied repatriation, is North America.
8. Skull Face (James Horan | Takaya Hashi): An antagonist. A Hungarian man deformed to such a degree that his face resembles a bare human skull; he gained his injuries when he was a child and as a result of being trampled upon by people escaping a bombed factory in which his parents had worked. His injuries were worsened and compounded by others at a later point in his life when he was held captive and tortured by unknown factions. It is his military unit, XOF, that is responsible for the attack on Big Boss's private army, Militaires Sans Frontieres, at the latter's military headquarters, Mother Base. His reasons for carrying out the attack are unknown.
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