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DejaVuPortableOps Cropped2 "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.[?]
This article is about the former Soviet soldier. You may be looking for Jonathan, a member of Rat Patrol Team 01.

"I will follow you. Snake, give me my mission."
―Jonathan

Jonathan was a former Red Army soldier who originally served under FOX Commander Gene during the San Hieronymo Incident. He then had the distinction of being the very first recruit to join Big Boss and Roy Campbell in the early days of what would become FOXHOUND.

History[]

San Hieronymo Incident[]

Main article: San Hieronymo Incident

Private 1st Class Jonathan[1] originally served under Colonel Skowronski's Red Army command on the San Hieronymo Peninsula, Colombia. Prior to this, he used to be a rescuer during Soviet operations.[2] Once Gene took control of the peninsula and overthrew Skowronski, Jonathan and his other Red Army comrades followed Gene. During this time, he and other personnel began heavily drinking, resulting in hangovers that were amplified by the elevation of the peninsula.[3]

During Big Boss's infiltration mission on the peninsula, he overheard two soldiers expressing distaste for Gene's intentions to launch a weapon capable of targeting every single major city in Russia. After retrieving secret documents from Gene's files, he and Campbell decided that it would be beneficial to recruit soldiers on the peninsula to help them with their cause. Upon Big Boss' approach of Jonathan, he quickly subdued him and brought him back to Campbell's transport.

When he came to, Jonathan was true to Gene, despite his dislike for his politics, and immediately attacked Big Boss and Campbell. Grabbing Campbell in a choke hold and taking his weapon after a failed attempt at punching Big Boss, he was quickly disarmed and slammed down onto the bed of the truck by Big Boss's superior CQC. Impressed at Jonathan's quick thinking and recovery, he commented that he had been trained well. Big Boss explained to Jonathan that he and Campbell were not enemies and were fighting to stop Gene from not only destroying Russia but also America. After learning their mission, he laughed at their request to join them, causing Campbell to briefly fear that he and the personnel may have been brainwashed by FOX. Jonathan, after denying brainwashing, then told them that Gene's arrival was not the only reason he and his comrades had rebelled against the Soviet military - they had been abandoned at the San Hieronymo Peninsula as a result of détente and the Kremlin's decision to allow the SALT negotiations to carry on; despite the suffering they endured to construct the peninsula's missile base after the Soviets pulled out of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Gene had told the Red Army troops that he would create a nation for soldiers, one where they were never to be cast aside as pawns of the government, and one where they would always have a place to call "home."

After Big Boss told Jonathan the story of The Boss, and the ideals she lived before being betrayed and killed by her own country, his eyes opened. Through Big Boss, he realized that, while politics would always change, a soldier must always be true to himself and fight for his own cause. With Gene threatening his homeland, his life, and his family, Jonathan raised his hand in friendship to Big Boss and Roy Campbell and officially joined forces with them.

Jonathan death

Jonathan was killed in Metal Gear's assembly plant, while protecting Big Boss.

Soon after, Jonathan informed Big Boss of his suspicions that Campbell was suffering from a form of tropical malaria, based on his experiences of several of his comrades dying from it, with Campbell deducing it himself upon hearing it.[4] Because of this, Big Boss had to contact his "family doctor," Para-Medic, for information on how to prevent the disease from spreading. He also considered telling his friends about meeting and serving under Big Boss in the event that he managed to return to Russia.[5]

With the help of Jonathan, he was able to retrieve the necessary medicine and cure Campbell, as well as prevent the malaria from spreading to the rest of the unit. Jonathan would later come up with the idea of creating spy units to gather intel.

Later in the mission, after rescuing Snake from a prison cell, Jonathan, Big Boss, and the rest of Big Boss' unit encountered Gene in the hangar used to store Metal Gear RAXA. Gene used his supernatural powers of suggestion to convince all of the soldiers in the hangar to turn on each other and begin firing their weapons. One soldier fired at Big Boss, and Jonathan dove in front of his comrade, taking a bullet in the shoulder and head for him. Jonathan died in Big Boss' arms, causing Big Boss to scream in anguish. Jonathan was later one of the soldiers Big Boss thought about when refusing to go to the heliport and confronting Cunningham.

Behind the scenes[]

Jonathan (ジョナサン Jonasan?) is a major character in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. His Japanese voice actor, Takahiro Fujimoto, also voiced several of the male Soviet scientists in the game.

No matter which soldier the player captures first in Portable Ops, he will always be Jonathan. He will always look exactly the same: both sleeves rolled up, no gloves, and two over-the-shoulder harnesses. The name "Jonathan" is only mentioned in his customization screen/management menu, the codec screen during the "Communications Base" mission and the briefing after defeating RAXA (i.e. "Jonathan has died"), but he is never actually referred as "Jonathan" during cutscenes or text dialogue between characters (during the mission briefings, his name header refers to him as "Soldier").

Even though he is dressed like a regular enemy soldier, Jonathan is considered a unique character in the game due to his role in the plot. He cannot be discharged or killed under normal circumstances (because he is killed off in the story) and is the only character besides Snake that cannot be sent to Cyber-Survival mode. When he is killed during the story, he is removed from the player's team. Because of this, he is also the only unique character capable of blending in with enemy soldiers.

Jonathan shares his first name with Jonathan Ingram, the main character from Policenauts, another game by Hideo Kojima. It is never specified if this naming choice was a deliberate callback.

In Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus, during Infinity Mission, the player's Spy Unit can encounter Jonathan with Campbell sometimes commenting "You lucky son of a... You're alive!" If the player successfully completes the mission, Jonathan will become a playable character. In the European version, it is possible to gain Jonathan's maximum stats by using him in Boss Rush mode.

"A soldier in the Soviet Army, sent to the San Hieronymo Peninsula on a top-secret mission. He originally followed Gene out of resentment towards the country that abandoned him, but was persuaded by Snake to switch sides. A fine soldier with good judgment and well-honed combat skills."
―Official description in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ^ Jonathan is identified by this rank in his character stats in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops.
  2. ^ Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Kojima Productions (2006).
    Jonathan: I used to be a rescuer, so I'm pretty good at dragging people around.
  3. ^ This is mentioned in an optional radio conversation with Para-Medic, should she be recruited. She also says the same for any soldier who calls her who isn't Naked Snake.
  4. ^ Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Kojima Productions (2006).
    Soldier (Jonathan): Big Boss, Campbell's sick. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but his symptoms look like a form of tropical malaria that I've seen before. // Naked Snake: What? // Soldier (Jonathan): The first bout has subsided. He's lying down here beside me now. // Snake: Are you positive it's malaria? I know he took preventative drugs... // Soldier (Jonathan): I'm not a medic, so I can't say for sure. But judging by these symptoms... Hey! Don't try and get up! // Roy Campbell: Snake, it's me. I'm in bad shape. Malaria... Who'd have thought? // Snake: Take it easy, Campbell. // Soldier (Jonathan): What do we do now, Big Boss...? // Snake: ...The preventative drugs don't work. This could just be the beginning... If he's got some tropical disease other than malaria... Then there's not telling whether we might start showing the same symptoms. // Soldier (Jonathan): Good point... // Snake: ...I got an idea. Keep an eye on him. Give me a minute to consult with my "family doctor" about treatment. // Soldier (Jonathan): Huh? Family doctor? // Snake: Para-Medic. Let's head for the communications base. // Soldier (Jonathan): R...right. The communications base. Got it. // Campbell: Sorry... to be such a pain in the ass, Snake... // Snake: Save your strength. On the way we'll keep our eyes out for new recruits.
    At the time the conversation happened, Jonathan was the only soldier besides Snake and Campbell in the group.
  5. ^ Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Kojima Productions (2006).
    Jonathan: OK, it's my turn now. Wow, called on by Big Boss himself - this is going to make a great story when I get back.
    This comment is made when the player, whether due to their own volition or if Big Boss is put out of action due to being killed by the guards, first switched Big Boss with Jonathan during the mission to use the communications base to contact Para-Medic regarding malaria medication.


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