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"Hmm, I don't remember that one. It mustn't be that important." This article is about a subject from outside Hideo Kojima's core "Metal Gear Saga." Its canonicity within the continuity is disputed, therefore reader discretion is advised.[?] |
The Mastiff was a type of Unmanned Gear deployed in the late 2010s by the private military companies Desperado Enforcement LLC. and World Marshal Inc. They were designed to replace infantry in next-generation wars.
Possessing a hulking humanoid appearance, the Mastiff's hands were encased in armor and it was armed with Mk 19 grenade launchers mounted on its wrists. They were also adept in close-quarters combat, capable of pummeling opponents into the ground, putting them into a single arm stranglehold, and executing dropkicks with both feet to knock them back.
History[]
World Marshal Incident[]
- See also: Raid at World Marshal, Ambush in Africa, Abkhazian Coup, Investigation in Guadalajara, Raid in Denver, and Operation Tecumseh
In 2016, Samuel Rodrigues, encountered several Mastiffs during his raid of the HQ building.
As an agent for Maverick Security Consulting, Inc., Raiden managed to locate design specs relating to the Mastiff prior to his mission in Africa. While recovering data from Raiden's damaged cybernetic arm, relating to his time at Force XXI, Maverick stumbled upon corrupted files containing two blueprints of the Mastiff, bypassing the password encryption. One of these blueprints detailed the Mastiff's head.
In 2018, several Mastiffs were assigned to Abkhazia to aid in the Abkhazian Coup. However, thanks to Mistral's machinations against fellow Desperado ally Khamsin, the Mastiffs were all destroyed by the then-AWOL LQ-84i, which led to Maverick's mission against Desperado being made much easier.
During his investigation in Guadalajara to locate a research facility, Raiden was ambushed by a Mastiff in the sewers, although he quickly destroyed it to prevent it from alerting Desperado. Several more Mastiffs were also nearby patrolling the sewers, which Raiden ambushed/evaded via the catwalks above. The Mastiff's presence, alongside the Dwarf Gekko and Vodomjerka UGs, were to collect combat data for use in VR simulations for UG development, and not for actual guard duty, contrary to Maverick's initial theory.
Several Mastiffs later patrolled an abandoned Denver rail line dating back to the 1800s, in anticipation of Raiden's infiltration through the area. They were also deployed to defend the World Marshal HQ directly during this time to prevent Raiden's escape.
Their overall behavior, including their running movements and beating of their chests in an aggressive stance, are similar to gorillas. It was largely because of this that they were considered for replacing common infantry at most, as they did not resemble humans in terms of behavior.
Behind the scenes[]
The BB Corps concept artwork in Metal Gear Solid 4 that served as the basis for the Mastiff.
The Mastiff (マスチフ Masuchifu) is an enemy that appears in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. It first featured in the E3 2010 trailer for the game, then known as Metal Gear Solid: Rising, in which Raiden ambushes and cuts it apart with his sword, before removing and crushing its spinal cord to absorb its energy, via Zandatsu.
The Mastiff was based on designs by Yoji Shinkawa that were originally intended for the Beauty and the Beast Unit in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Its head is similar to the helmets used by the Haven Troopers. It originally had a short-barrel Browning M2HB, but this is replaced with a custom Mk 19 grenade launcher in the final version.
The Mastiff was first identified by a command key code required to access artwork that was uploaded to the "Make It Right: decryption" viral marketing website. The in-universe explanation given on the Metal Gear Solid Facebook page was that Maverick had located an encrypted file cluster that was password protected, and had found clues to the password in the names "Anatolian", "Alpine", "Bully Kutta", "Cane Corso", "Bordeaux", "Pyrenean", and "Neapolitan", all of which are breeds of mastiff-type dogs.
Destroying 10 Mastiffs in a playthrough will award the player with the achievement/trophy "Silverback," a reference to their gorilla-like nature.
In the Piggyback strategy guide, the normal Mastiff variant is identified as a Special Forces variant.
The Mastiff also appeared in the Versus Battle feature on the official series website.
- "STRENGTHS: Brownings, Armor, Gorilla-Strong
WEAKNESSES: Big and Bulky
FEATURED FACT: If a Mastiff pummels you or even just grabs you, it can crush you with a single arm
FEATURED GAME: METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE" - ―Mastiff description in Versus Battle
Appearances[]
Gallery[]
