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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.[?]

The Men In Boxes (MIB) were a group of cyborgs that were active in 2018. Their most notable trait was that they hid inside cardboard boxes. The members were similar in appearance to the soldiers of Desperado Enforcement LLC., although rumors circulated that they originated from Area 51.

Behind the scenes[]

The Men In Boxes appear in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, hidden in various locations within cardboard boxes. Locating them all serves as an optional challenge for the player. After attacking the boxes to reveal the hiding soldiers, the player can either kill them or leave them begging for mercy. Revealing them results in the individual soldiers' character models appearing in the Collection menu, assuming poses that are reminiscent of artwork seen throughout the Metal Gear series. There are five in total that are required for completion, and locating all five will unlock the Peekaboo trophy/achievement, as well as the High Frequency Wooden Sword. It is only necessary to reveal them in order to unlock these rewards; they do not have to be killed.

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Men In Boxes member in the Collection menu of Metal Gear Rising.

These types of enemies first appeared in the VGA 2011 trailer for Metal Gear Rising, with developer statements initially indicating that they would have used the cardboard box to attempt to ambush the player, although this was not retained in the final version. In the E3 demo, the player encountered an MIB character who possessed the necessary key code to access a laptop containing data.

The group's name and initialism is a reference to the Men in Black, men dressed in black suits who claim to be government agents and who feature in UFO conspiracy theories. This is corroborated by Kevin Washington's claim of there being a rumor about them originating at Area 51, itself a subject of conspiracy theories due to the facility's top secret activities.

When the player finds the first MIB, Kevin will call Raiden, saying "Hah, nice hiding spot. Wonder where he learned that from..." Likewise, upon locating the last MIB, Kevin will call in, saying "Another MIB? Listen, Raiden, we're gonna have to forget we ever saw all this, okay?"

The Man in Box Nº 1 is probably a reference to Gray Fox's pose shown in Yoji Shinkawa's official character art for the original Metal Gear Solid.

The Man in Box Nº 2 is probably a reference to Raiden's pose shown on the Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty game art shown here.

The Man in Box Nº 4 is probably a reference to Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, because the cyborg's pose resembles the same pose of Old Snake in the main artwork for the game's title.

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