Snake’s Japanese Voice Actor Seeks Another Metal Gear Game, But Only with Kojima’s Involvement
Akio Otsuka, the voice behind Solid Snake, boasts a rich and varied career in voice acting, having lent his talents to characters like Master Xehanort in the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts and Blackbeard in One Piece. At 66, he stands as a seasoned veteran in the industry. Recently, he shared insights about his journey in a multi-part interview, reflecting on how he entered voice acting and his complex feelings regarding the future of the Metal Gear franchise, especially in light of his loyalty to Kojima.
Otsuka’s path to voice acting was somewhat serendipitous. After dropping out of college, he found himself working as a truck driver for Nissan. His father, a former theater actor, even suggested he pursue a career as a tuna fisherman, a plan that fell through due to dental issues. This twist of fate led him to follow in his father’s footsteps into theater.
“I had no money and no education, and my options for the future were shrinking,” Otsuka recalls. “If I wanted a fun life, I felt I had to become either a musician or an actor. It sounds good to say I put it all on the line, but I wasn’t really thinking about anything. I was a bit of an old-era fool.” His theater experience eventually opened the door to voice acting. Although he initially dreamed of movie stardom, the allure of earning a full day’s pay for voice work in a comfortable studio environment won him over.
Otsuka was handpicked by Kojima to voice Solid Snake in the original Metal Gear Solid and has continued to embody the character in every subsequent installment. He fondly remembers the early recording sessions, where they captured Snake’s iconic catchphrase, often translated in English as “Kept you waiting, huh?” For Otsuka, Snake remains one of his most cherished roles. “No matter what happens between Director Kojima and Konami, to the fans, Snake will always be Akio Otsuka,” he states. “When I think about those fans, in a way I feel a little trapped in the middle.”
This sentiment reflects the ongoing public feud between Kojima and Konami, which led to Kojima’s departure to establish his own studio, Kojima Productions. Since then, aside from the spin-off Metal Gear Survive, the only new content has been a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, utilizing existing voice lines. Otsuka has not recorded new lines for Snake in recent years, including for his appearances in Super Smash Bros. However, he did reunite with Kojima for Death Stranding, an experience that deeply moved him during the game’s launch event.
“When Kojima left Konami, he must have felt really lost, right?” Otsuka muses. “He lost work on projects he never finished. So he built a small boat named Kojima Productions and set sail, facing turbulence on his travels. Sony then came to his aid, and the destination he found was Death Stranding. He went through a lot of hardships leaving that company and managed to finish such a big project. When I think about it, it brings tears to my eyes. We’ve been working together for so long, after all. Kojima is the same age as my younger brother, so he’s only a little bit younger than me. We lived and grew up during the same era, so our mentalities are similar. He’s in a position where he has to lead his team, but he had just gone independent with no money. I think he was fighting a fear of what might happen if Death Stranding failed. If it did, he could have had debts that he wouldn’t be able to pay off even if he worked his whole life.”
Otsuka’s bond with Kojima instills a profound loyalty to both the director and the character of Snake, surpassing his other roles. While he would have been open to recording new lines for Snake in Super Smash Bros., he felt that it was a different scenario than a new Metal Gear game being developed without Kojima’s involvement. “Our job as voice actors is to do what we’re told,” he explains. “But with the Metal Gear series, that’s something Kojima created, and I take pride in helping build that. It’s why I’ve said I don’t want to do a Metal Gear game that Kojima isn’t involved in. Now I’ve said it, I can’t change my mind!”
Despite his strong convictions, Otsuka hopes to see one more game in the series for the fans, while remaining true to his principles. He has not confirmed whether he has discussed this idea with Kojima, preferring to leave that to speculation, but he wishes to uphold his loyalty while also seeing the franchise continue.
In Japan, it’s customary for voice actors to reprise their roles throughout their careers unless they step away, which may influence the likelihood of Metal Gear returning without Kojima, as well as potential fan backlash against a new title without his guidance. While Kojima’s return to the series seems unlikely, his current project, Physintis, is rumored to evoke themes reminiscent of Metal Gear. Perhaps there’s a chance for the two to collaborate again in some capacity on that project?
