Dog tags are identification tags worn by military personnel. They are often worn around the neck. Their primary purpose is the identification of the dead or wounded as a result of battle. They are usually worn in pairs so that, in the event that a casualty cannot be moved, one tag can be collected while the other remains with the body.

Usage Edit

As part of the U.S. military, the wearing of dog tags was mandatory for members of FOXHOUND,^[1] the Next-Generation Special Forces, Green Berets, and U.S. Marines, operating in the field. U.S. Army operative Raiden threw away his dog tags shortly after the events of the Big Shell Incident, claiming to have never heard the name listed on them before.^[2]

Dog tags were also worn by various mercenary groups, such as the Gurlukovich Mercenaries. By 2014, Vamp of Outer Heaven carried five dog tags on his person. By 2018, dog tags were installed with ID chips, as a leftover from the then-long discontinued Sons of the Patriots system. The Desperado member Khamsin wore dogtags.

Behind the scenes Edit

Appearances Edit

For a list of the collectable dog tags featured in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, see here.

Dog tags briefly appear in the intro for Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake alongside a combat knife.

The Premium Packages for both the Japanese and European versions of Metal Gear Solid include dog tags.

In Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, almost all enemy soldiers carry collectable dog tags. If Solid Snake or Raiden holds up a guard, then threatens them by pointing a weapon at the guard's head or groin, he will give up an item. If that guard carries a dog tag, it will invariably be the first item. Some bosses also carry dog tags, either their own (such as Olga Gurlukovich) or that of another character (for example, Fatman carries Peter Stillman's dog tag). In the HD Collection version of the former, getting one dog tags will unlock the achievement/trophy "Animal Control," while getting all dog tags will unlock the achievement/trophy "Great Dane." Similarly, in keeping with the "dog" portion of the item's name, getting all of the items that are unlockable via a certain amount of dog tags will result in the achievements/trophies "Yorkie" (when getting the bandana), "beagle" (for unlocking the brown wig), St. Bernard (for unlocking the Orange Wig), Poodle (for unlocking the Tanker Chapter stealth camouflage), and Shiba Inu (for unlocking the Plant Chapter stealth camouflage).

Although dog tags do not appear in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, they are referenced by one of the GRU soldiers if interrogated, with the implication that they would not show their tags, even under duress.^[3]

A limited edition bundle of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker included Militaires Sans Frontières dog tags.

Both the 20th and 25th anniversaries for the Metal Gear series utilized dog tags as part of their logo (the former being the primary logo, and the latter reusing it for a secondary logo).

Acquisition and rewards Edit

Whether or not an enemy soldier holds a dog tag can be realized in several ways. If there is indeed a dog tag on the guard's person, it will be indicated by a quick flash on their chest. It will also be blatantly visible with thermal goggles. If a guard does not hold a dog tag, then obviously none of these signs will appear, but this can be easily determined using the scope or the digital camera: if the player presses O (or Y for the Xbox version of Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance) whilst looking at a guard through one of the aforementioned, the guard's name will appear (provided Raiden/Snake has that dog tag).

The dog tags serve no actual purpose in-game. Rather, if the player has collected enough, they will be awarded a special item upon completion of the game, for use in their next playthrough on the same save file. This is only the case of Metal Gear Solid 2; although dog tags can be collected in The Twin Snakes, there is no reward for doing so. Rewards for collected dog tags include:

Snake (Tanker):

• Infinite bandana - 33 dog tags
• Stealth camouflage - 78 dog tags

Raiden (Plant):

• Brown Wig (infinite ammo) - 100 dog tags
• Stealth camouflage - 120 dog tags
• Orange Wig (infinite hanging meter) - 170 dog tags
• Blue Wig (infinite O2 gauge) - 218 dog tags

Names Edit

The names on all the regular dog tags are taken from Konami contest winners and the game's designers, and one dog tag in the Tanker chapter is named for J-Rock singer Gackt, who also did a Japanese television commercial for Metal Gear Solid 2. The player can find the Gackt dog tag on easy mode at the Deck 2 Port. If viewed in the dog tag viewer, his blood type is AAA. Another one of the Dog Tag identities, Kaori Yae, referred to a character from the Konami-made dating sim Tokimeki Memorial 2.

As aforementioned, there are additional dog tags that can only be collected in unique circumstances. In addition to Olga and Fatman, Solid Snake, the dog tag of whom can only be collected by knocking him out and shaking him down after meeting him in Arsenal Gear, carries a different dog tag on each difficulty level: Iriquois Pliskin on Very Easy, Meryl Silverburgh on Easy, Solid Snake on Normal, Liquid Snake on Hard, and Hideo Kojima on Extreme/European Extreme. Each of these special dog tags can be obtained by shaking down the character's body after knocking them out (or, in Fatman's case, killing him). Specially required dog tags can also be procured in The Twin Snakes, with the bosses requiring them to be shaken up upon defeating them (i.e., Sniper Wolf and Psycho Mantis), present shortly after the battle (Vulcan Raven), or by knocking the boss off Metal Gear REX temporarily (Liquid Snake). In addition, similar to Iroquois Pliskin in Metal Gear Solid 2, the player can also acquire two dog tags from Meryl under specific circumstances: her own dog tag when tranquilizing her shortly before arriving at the door to the Commander's Room, and Johnny Sasaki's dog tag when tranquilizing her and shaking her up while she is still in her Genome Soldier disguise.

Notes and references Edit

See alsoEdit

• Cyborg commander