Akio Otsuka, a Japanese actor and the longtime voice of Snake in Metal Gear Solid, recently talked about his relationship with director Hideo Kojima, his deep attachment to Snake, and a desire to play him for “just one more game” in an interview with Bushun Online.
Otsuka has played the role of Snake and his permutations since 1998’s Metal Gear Solid, with his last game as Snake being 2018’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Given his long tenure as the character, he admits to having a particularly strong attachment to Snake among the countless characters he has voiced. “No matter what happens between Director Kojima and Konami, to fans, Snake will always be Akio Ōtsuka. When I think about the fans… Well, it really puts me in a tough spot,” he commented.
Regarding his relationship with Kojima, Otsuka reminisced about how their close collaboration during recordings brought about iconic ad-libs like “Kept you waiting, huh?” Kojima also directed the famous father-son reconciliation scene between Snake and Big Boss, where he unexpectedly cast Otsuka’s actual father, Chikao Otsuka, as Big Boss (the two were rumored to have a strained relationship). Although he jokes about “playing right into Kojima’s hands,” Otsuka says he was grateful to the director for the experience.
Otsuka also empathized with the hardship and uncertainty Kojima endured when he left Konami in 2015. Aside from having to leave many of his unfinished projects behind, Kojima would go on to form Kojima Productions out of his own pocket. Otsuka felt like his friend was “battling the fear” of what would happen if Death Stranding failed. Thankfully, Death Stranding was a hit, and Otsuka recalls how could not help but cry during the game’s 2019 launch event.
On the topic of future Metal Gear projects, Otsuka reiterated his stance that he will not do another game without Kojima at the director’s helm: “When it comes to the Metal Gear series, it’s something director Kojima created, and I take pride in having helped build it.”
That said, Otsuka wishes that Kojima would just make one more Metal Gear game, commenting that “there are fans everywhere eagerly waiting for it.” When asked whether he has talked to Kojima about the possibility of a new game, though, Otsuka said he’d leave it to the readers’ imagination.
