It’s hard to think of games with more creative boss battles than the Metal Gear series. There have been bigger, more difficult, or more threatening encounters in other games. But they’re rarely as interesting as a magnetic cyborg that can detach his limbs, a man who controls bees, or a sniper that has to be out-sniped or out-lived by leaving the game alone for an actual week.

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These soldier-to-soldier encounters could often be trickier than the titular bipedal nuke tanks themselves, as they required more consideration to defeat than “shoot rockets at it.” But some troopers are tougher than others. So, who are the strongest human bosses in the Metal Gear series? Here are some worthy contenders, ranked by their tenacity, skills, and feats of strength.

10 Vulcan Raven

Strongest Metal Gear Humans- Vulcan Raven

Raised by an Inuit shaman, Raven grew strong enough to endure the subzero temperatures of Alaskan life, hunting and trapping deer across the Brooks Mountains. It was on a sojourn to Siberia that Ocelot recruited him for the Russian special forces, and then to Big Boss' Outer Heaven before becoming part of FOXHOUND.

He was strong enough to carry an M61 Vulcan aircraft cannon like it was nothing and shrug off grenades at point-blank range. Solid Snake’s only hope against him was to use every explosive in his arsenal, from C4 and Claymore mines to Stinger and Nikita missiles. Even then, he had to use them smartly, or he'd be ripped apart by Raven's cannon.

9 Dr. Pettrovich-Madnar

Strongest Metal Gear Humans- Dr Pettrovich-Madnar

Okay, this looks like a joke, but it isn’t. Dr. Drago Pettrovich-Madnar was the creator behind the machines in the original Metal Gear games. At first, he was a hostage forced to work in Outer Heaven. Then he became a willing collaborator in Zanzibar Land, killing off Dr. Kio Marv before Snake could get the secret to OILIX, a microbe that could’ve solved the world’s fuel crisis.

Pettrovich grabbed Snake in a chokehold. His grip was too strong for the ex-Green Beret to fight off, leaving Snake no option but to fire remote-control missiles into his back. After 8 or so rockets, the doctor finally went down. But unlike Raven, he’d not only survive but also help Snake out off-screen in Metal Gear Solid 4 as a mea culpa. They don't make scientists like him anymore.

8 Solidus Snake

metal gear solid 2 solidus snake

Special accessories don’t disqualify anyone from this list. Nor do they have to be a difficult boss fight to count. They just have to be tough in general, and Solidus Snake was particularly tough. The third clone of Big Boss, Solidus honed his skills in the Liberian Civil War. Once it ended, he was recalled back to the US, where he became the Patriots' Presidential pawn before he began plotting against them.

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His Muscle Suit made him strong and fast enough to fight off Metal Gear RAY, and durable enough to withstand its attacks. It also came with octopus arms that could choke people out with a clinch, and fire missiles. Even without them, he was an expert swordsman who fought with dual katanas. He taught Raiden well in Liberia, and Raiden used those skills to take him down.

7 Grey Fox

Screenshot of Gray Fox with sword from Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes

In life, Grey Fox was FOXHOUND’s first elite agent. His heel turn to join Big Boss in Zanzibar Land made him a formidable foe, be it piloting Metal Gear D or in hand-to-hand combat in a minefield. Snake seemingly left him for dead afterward. That was until Dr. Clark (formerly Para-Medic) revived him with her genetic experiments and cybernetic implants.

His exoskeleton made him fast enough to outrun gunfire, and strong enough to hold up a Metal Gear. While REX would eventually crush him, Fox was able to soften it up enough for Snake to finish it off. It wasn't until his ninja successor Raiden came along that he managed to outdo this feat with Metal Gear RAY in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

6 Jetstream Sam

Strongest Metal Gear Humans- Jetstream Sam

Even without his cyborg exoskeleton, Sam was skilled enough with a katana to kill 10 men armed with automatic weapons. With his exoskeleton on, he could dice up cyborgs, Unmanned Gears (UGs), and Metal Gear RAY with just a few strikes. That’s putting aside his victory over Raiden, a cyborg capable of throwing Metal Gears in the air, in their first encounter.

However, he’s still largely human, with his exoskeleton giving him just a strength and agility upgrade over his Desperado comrades’ gimmicks. They had to be completely dismembered to be destroyed. Sam just needed one nasty stab to the chest. It took a lot of work for Raiden to get that stab in, but he got it all the same.

5 Liquid Snake

Liquid Snake Metal Gear Solid One Standing In Front Of Metal Gear Rex

The last leader of FOXHOUND likely wouldn’t have done well against Grey Fox or Jetstream Sam outside of REX’s cockpit. Then again, despite his inferiority complex, Liquid Snake fought his conflicts to the end no matter how many odds were stacked against him and often came out of it well. For example, when he took on his brother Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid, he bounced back each time.

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Crashing in his Hind-D? Came out without a scratch. Trapped in an exploding Metal Gear? He was fine enough to carry two people up on top of it. Taking a fatal fall from it did nothing either. It took multiple gunshots and a car crash just to exhaust him until FOXDIE conveniently finished him off with a heart attack. He cheated death until it cheated back.

4 Vamp

The only step up from a man who wouldn’t die is a man who couldn’t die. Dead Cell’s Romanian knife wizard gained a taste for blood when it became his only source of sustenance when he was trapped under the rubble of a church explosion. Combined with his abnormally low body temperature and inability to die, he became the closest thing in Metal Gear to a real-life vampire.

The secret to his survival was nanomachines that could heal any wound, even bullets to the head. Outside of that, he could read his target’s movements by their body language, pin them by their shadow, and slice them up before they could react. He was fast and strong enough to keep up with Raiden, even after Snake shut down his nanomachines with an injection. Ultimately, Vamp finished himself off with another injection, seeking peace in death.

3 Big Boss

Strongest Metal Gear Humans- Big Boss

Big Boss may be the series’ Legendary Soldier, but he didn’t need to be super-strong to earn that title. He saved the world multiple times with his cunning and firepower than his muscle. Even when he fought his estranged son Solid Snake, he skipped the fist fighting in favor of an assault rifle while Snake had to search for a lighter and something flammable.

However, he probably should've put up his dukes instead. In Peace Walker, Big Boss could counter the Cocoon, a giant tank, by holding it up when it tried to crush him. He could stop Peace Walker from stomping on him in the same way too. The only other characters who could match that were the cyborgs Grey Fox and Raiden. If Snake had trouble fighting off old man Pettrovich, Big Boss would’ve finished him with strength like that.

2 Senator Armstrong

Revengeance Meme Senator Armstrong Nanomachines Son

If only politicians were as impressive as their fictional equivalents. They’re usually just boring suits than maniacal muscle men. Without his nanos, Steven Armstrong was already a big man strong enough to break the President in two. He used to play college ball at the University of Texas after all. Could’ve gone pro if he hadn’t joined the Navy.

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With his nanos, he became a giant strong enough to lift and throw helicopters without trouble. He could handle Raiden’s attacks with nary a shrug too because his nanomachines hardened his body as soon as they connected. Blades, bullets, explosions, and more couldn’t do a thing to him. The only way Sam and Raiden could get the upper hand was to strike faster than his nanos could move, which was easier said than done.

1 Psycho Mantis

psycho-mantis-CROPPED

Yes, the strongest person in the series is a guy who could barely carry a bag of sugar. If he only had his physical strength to rely on, he’d be out of luck as his muscles atrophied from lack of use years ago. But his mental abilities are so strong that the only way to beat them is through either having brain surgery in advance or by figuring out how “plugging the controller into Port 2” works in-universe.

Without mental shielding, he could turn everyone else on this list into his puppets. He was able to possess Meryl and use her against Snake and control the B&B Corps from beyond the grave. Then his telekinesis was strong enough to move Metal Gears on their own. If Snake didn’t figure him out, Mantis could’ve run REX by himself.

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