Outer Heaven

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Outer Heaven is a fortified state which serves as the setting of the original Metal Gear. Outer Heaven is located 200km north of the fictional region of Garzburgh, South Africa. It was founded in the late 1980s by a legendary mercenary who was considered to be heroic and demonic at the same time.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In reality, Outer Heaven was a mercenary-dispatching company founded by Big Boss (FOXHOUND's commander-in-chief at the time) with the money he accumulated during his mercenary days. In 1995, Outer Heaven attempted to achieve military supremacy with the development of the Metal Gear TX-55 prototype, but Big Boss' plans were thwarted by a single soldier, Solid Snake.

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Mercenaries of Outer Heaven

Prior to its downfall in 1995, Outer Heaven boasted an elite group of mercenaries from around the world that guarded the fortress in addition to a conventional armed force. In spite of this, none of them were able to survive in battle against Solid Snake, who was still a rookie during Operation: Intrude N313. Note: All the names used here are from the modernized version released for mobile phones in Japan and for PlayStation 2 as part of Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. The names are identical in the MSX2 and NES versions unless otherwise noted.

Shotmaker (Shoot Gunner (sic) in the MSX2 version and Shotgunner in the NES version) - Served in the Spetsnaz prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union. A master of the riot gun, he was the warden of the top secret prison where Gray Fox was kept during Operation: Intrude N313.

Machinegun Kid - A former SAS commando that prefers machine guns.

Fire Trooper - Former GSG9 operative who specializes in flame throwers. Bears a more than a passing resemblence to The Fury from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. There are soldiers in MGS3 who look like him.

Dirty Duck (Coward Duck in the MSX2/NES versions) - A former leader of a terrorist group known as Egg-Plant. He earned his name due to his cowardly tactics of using hostages as shields. His main weapon was a boomerang.

Bloody Brad (Arnold in the MSX2/NES versions) - The codename of the TX-11 series of bioroids built by Dr. Petrovich for Outer Heaven. They were invulnerable to conventional firearms and could only be taken out with a rocket launcher.

• Twin Shot (Exclusive to NES version, replacing the Hind D) - Two twin commandoes who guarded the prison celles on the roof. They use sit-down machine gun turrents as their weapon of choice. They are vulnerable to the grenade launcher (just like the Hind D)

• Big Boss - Secretly served as mercenary leader of Outer Heaven, while working as commander of FOXHOUND.

Vulcan Raven was also a member of Outer Heaven, but did not confront Solid Snake during Operation: Intrude N313.

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Resistance Movement

Prior to the Outer Heaven crisis, a resistance movement was already established opposing Outer Heaven's regime. The movement was led by a man named Kyle Schneider, who previously worked as an architect for the fortress' interior, but left when his family was killed due to undisclosed circumstances. During the Outer Heaven crisis, the resistance movement provide their guidance to Snake.

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Known Operatives

• Kyle Schneider - Resistance leader. His former occupation as Outer Heaven's chief architect provided him with valuable insights on the layout of the fortress. Was fatally wounded by hostile forces during the Outer Heaven crisis and presumed dead.

• Diane - A former member of a positive punk called "Thin Wall", who inexplicably possessed a large amount of intelligence on Outer Heaven's mercenary force, including their weaknesses.

• Jennifer - A resistance member who infiltrated Outer Heaven as part of its medical staff to find her missing brother. She supported Snake covertly within the fortress during the Outer Heaven crisis.

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References in Subsequent Games

Although the only canonical game to take place in Outer Heaven was the original Metal Gear, subsequent games by Kojima have made various references to it. It is often referred to as Big Boss's dream of a world where soldiers would have everlasting value in a conflict that would have rapidly expanded into the 21st century.

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In Metal Gear Sequels

• In Metal Gear Solid, Liquid Snake defiantly renames the Shadow Moses base "Outer Heaven" in spite of Big Boss' memory. In addition, the Genome Soldiers are seen wearing Outer Heaven tags on their vests (some of them were former members).

• Metal Gear: Ghost Babel is set in the fortress of Galuade, which is located where Outer Heaven used to be. In the game's alternate continuity, it is revealed that the original Outer Heaven was actually a CIA-backed mercenary dispatching company to ward off Anti-American forces for foreign clients, as well as to fund the development of the TX-55 Metal Gear. After Big Boss turned renegade and was eliminated by Solid Snake, the U.S. government continued funding Outer Heaven when General Augustine Eguabon retook the fortress and turned it to Galuade, the headquarters of the Gindra Liberation Front.

• In Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, "Outer Heaven" is the codename of Solidus Snake's plot to destroy New York City's financial center with the EMP from a nuclear weapon detonated over Wall Street.

• In an upcoming trailer for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Outer Heaven is revealed to be the name of the parent company of the five largest private military companies in the world. Their weapons and equipment are supplied by ArmsTech (Kenneth Baker's company in the first Metal Gear Solid). Its headquarters is located in the Middle East.

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In other games

• In Snatcher, Outer Heaven was the name of a popular nightclub which the snatchers used to look for victims. Outer Heaven would often hold cosplay parties during certain hours (depending on the version, the party visited by the player has either a sci-fi theme or a Konami theme).