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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.[?] |
Raiden's custom cyborg body.
This custom cyborg body was used by Raiden during the World Marshal Incidents in 2018. After sustaining severe injuries in a fight with Samuel Rodrigues, he underwent a full-body cybernetic conversion by Doktor, following the departure of Maverick's previous cybernetics specialist for unknown reasons, discarding the few remaining organic parts he had left in favor of a 100% cybernetic body. He was later fitted with a more human exoskeleton after the events of the World Marshal Incursions. The human exoskeleton could be compared to his body following the Guns of the Patriots Incident. The new human body featured more human looking artifical skin and shared working to any other normal cyborg body.
Design[]
The system retained all the functions of Raiden's original body including boosted strength and enhanced reflexes. It also included a number of standard features for military cyborgs such as pain inhibitors which dulled the debilitating effects of pain while still making the user aware of damage to their body. However, they can also be deactivated remotely at the user's request, as evidenced by Raiden, having been overcome by his "Jack the Ripper" persona ordering a reluctant Doktor to disable them prior to fighting Monsoon. The new body was manufactured by a company called "TransHominid Systems GmbH."
Raiden using "Zandatsu" to refuel his body.
The new body used an MCFC (Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell) power source, with a built-in ability to absorb electrolytes from other cyborgs linked to both Raiden's HF Blade and at least one of his hands. This ability allowed the use of Raiden's Zandatsu technique, which used precise slashes to expose an opponent's fuel cell to allow maximum electrolyte absorption; in addition, the fuel cache also contained biotic nano-repair paste, a technology originally developed for Metal Gear RAY, allowing instantaneous healing. The Zandatsu technique could thus power Raiden's own fuel cells and repair the cyborg body from even major damage. Doktor explained that he did not include any conventional healing functions, largely because such a device would only slightly accelerate his body's natural healing abilities, and because once expended a nanorepair cache is simply dead weight inside the cyborg's chassis. Raiden's body, Doktor explained, eliminated all "non-essential" systems in pursuit of speed, maneuverability and instantaneous healing.
Raiden with custom cyborg body and blade drawn.
A direct link between Raiden's internal fuel cells and his reflexes allowed a state referred to as Blade Mode, in which the apparent passage of time slowed to allow for super-fast or high-precision cuts with the HF Blade, also boosting Raiden's strength in this state. Blade mode depleted Raiden's fuel cells rapidly while in use, requiring regular recharging from his enemies or disposable electrolyte packs.
The body also featured an internal Codec device with high-level encryption and an Augmented Reality (AR) display which could feed images directly to Raiden's optic nerve and touch sensations to his fingers, allowing it to create objects which Raiden could touch despite them only existing in his mind. The Codec menu and the slider for Raiden's digital optic zoom functioned in this way. The AR system also functioned as a broad-range sensor, allowing the construction of an augmented image using data from outside the visual spectrum and analysis of possible threats and points of interest.
Raiden in Abkhazia, with visor lowered.
Raiden's missing eye was replaced with a 200 megapixel compound image sensor, which resembles a bandage during the actual operation. The cyborg body also features a two-piece sensor visor which closed over Raiden's face in battle or to allow use of his AR vision mode.
His sword sheath was mounted on an articulated arm which automatically switched between his back and hip for a faster draw, much like the sheath used by Jetstream Sam. This sheath also mounted what appeared to be a smaller knife, about the size of a Japanese Tanto blade, but it is not clear if this was an HF blade or just a stylised handle for picking up the sheath when it was not attached to Raiden's body; Raiden never drew it, casting some doubt on whether it was a weapon.
Raiden's custom cyborg body, circa 2018.
Raiden's body also allowed connection to Unmanned Gears, either acting as a relay for his support team or directly. Fine control was only possible with the former method, which Doktor used to give Raiden direct control over a Dwarf Gekko after interfacing with it using a USB-like connector, Raiden commenting it was creepy since it felt like he actually was the UG. Less precise control appears to have been possible without support, with Raiden taking rudimentary control over both a Slider UG while fighting Sundowner and an MQ-320 drone shortly afterwards by plunging his sword into their AI cores. This does not seem to have allowed him to do much more than steer the UGs.
Raiden's body was also extremely durable, capable of surviving even a fall large enough to leave an impact crater unscathed. This was best demonstrated during Raiden's escape from Denver, Colorado, when Raiden was forced to fall into the cityscape due to the chopper's handrails giving way to his body's mass and survived. The cyborg chassis was even capable of resisting heavy damage from Senator Armstrong's extremely powerful punches, kicks and strikes from his nanomachine-enhanced body, even through Raiden's AR visor had been completely destroyed.
Behind the scenes[]
The custom cyborg body was to have appeared in Metal Gear Solid: Rising, which originally took place between Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, and would have explained Raiden's transformation into a cyborg. Although the overall design of the body was retained when the game was reworked into Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, its backstory was altered, owing to the game events being moved forward to four years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 4.