Joystiq

Ninja

Fact: Ninjas are awesome. Fact: Cyborgs are awesome. But cyborg ninjas? Well, as interesting as Metal Gear Solid's explanation of Ninja's tortured screams and unrelenting death wish is -- he's Snake's old war buddy, Gray Fox, resurrected, drugged up and experimented on -- we think he simply can't handle the sheer magnitude of awesomeness inherent in being a ninja in cybernetic armor. After dis-arming Revolver Ocelot and scaring the living daylights out of Otacon, Ninja aids Snake in taking down Metal Gear REX.

Special abilities: Thanks to his technologically advanced suit, Ninja is capable of incredible acrobatic feats, super strength and invisibility.

Weaknesses: Unfortunately, with great power comes frequent bouts of insanity. There's an awful lot of noise in this guy's head, leaving him susceptible to good ol' hand-to-hand combat. His invisibility is also easily foiled by a pair of thermal goggles or some chaff grenades.

Trivia: With many roles being repeated throughout the Metal Gear Solid series, it's no surprise to see the cyborg ninja crop up in every sequel. Olga Gurlukovich dons the armor in Metal Gear Solid 2, and Raiden has been seen cavorting with a sword and robotic parts in Metal Gear Solid 4.

09/06/08