Akio Otsuka, the renowned Japanese actor who has been the voice behind Snake in Metal Gear Solid for years, recently opened up about his bond with director Hideo Kojima, his profound connection to Snake, and his wish to portray the character in “just one more game” during an interview with Bushun Online.
Otsuka has brought Snake and his various iterations to life since the 1998 release of Metal Gear Solid, with his final appearance as Snake in 2018’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Given his extensive time voicing the character, he admits to holding a special place in his heart for Snake among the multitude of roles he has taken on. “No matter what transpires between Director Kojima and Konami, to fans, Snake will forever be Akio Ōtsuka. When I consider the fans… Well, it truly puts me in a difficult position,” he shared.
When discussing his relationship with Kojima, Otsuka fondly recalled how their close collaboration during recording sessions led to legendary ad-libs such as “Kept you waiting, huh?” Kojima also directed the memorable father-son reconciliation scene between Snake and Big Boss, where he surprisingly cast Otsuka’s real father, Chikao Otsuka, as Big Boss (the two were rumored to have a strained relationship). Despite joking about “falling right into Kojima’s hands,” Otsuka expressed gratitude to the director for the experience.
Otsuka also showed empathy for the struggles and uncertainty Kojima faced when he parted ways with Konami in 2015. Besides leaving behind numerous unfinished projects, Kojima would later establish Kojima Productions with his own funds. Otsuka felt his friend was “fighting the fear” of what would happen if Death Stranding failed. Fortunately, Death Stranding was a success, and Otsuka remembered how he couldn’t help but tear up during the game’s 2019 launch event.
Regarding future Metal Gear projects, Otsuka reiterated his position that he would not participate in another game without Kojima at the 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 expressed a desire for Kojima to create one more Metal Gear game, noting that “fans all over the world are eagerly anticipating it.” When asked if he has discussed the possibility of a new game with Kojima, Otsuka chose to leave it to the readers’ imagination.