Dog Tag
From the Metal Gear Wiki
Dog Tags are identification tags worn by soldiers around their necks. The purpose is to identify the dead or wounded as a result of battle with minimal hassle. They are usually worn in pairs so that, in the event that a casualty cannot be moved, one tag can be collected whilst the other remains with the body.
The wearing of Dog Tags was a requirement for members of FOXHOUND, including the Next Generation Special Forces. They were also worn by the Gurlukovich Mercenaries, as well as some U.S. Marines, evident during the Manhattan Incident. They were, however, not worn by PMC troopers, probably as the SOP system carried out the same function much more efficiently.
In The Twin Snakes and Sons of Liberty, almost all the guards carry collectable Dog Tags. If Raiden/Snake holds up a guard and then threatens them by pointing a weapon at the guard's head or groin, the guard 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).
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 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 Sons of Liberty; 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 ammo bandana - 33 dog tags
- Stealth Camouflage - 63 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 underwater) - 218 dog tags
The names on all the regular dog tags are taken from Konami contest winners and the games designers, and one dog tag in the Tanker Episode is named for J-Rock singer Gackt, who also did a Japanese television commercial for MGS2. You can find the Gackt dog tag on easy mode, Deck 2 Port. If viewed in the dog tag viewer, his blood type is AAA.
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 or 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).
