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Characters of the Metal Gear series#Otacon

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+#REDIRECT [[Characters_of_the_Metal_Gear_series#Otacon]]
-{{distinguish|text=the fan convention, [[Otakon]]}}
-{{sources exist|date=July 2023}}
+{{Redirect category shell|
-{{Infobox character
+{{R from fictional character|Metal Gear}}
-|name=Otacon
+{{R to section}}
-|image=Otacon.png
-|image_size=150px
-|caption=Otacon from ''[[Metal Gear Solid (1998 video game)|Metal Gear Solid]]''
-|firstgame = ''[[Metal Gear Solid (1998 video game)|Metal Gear Solid]]'' (1998)
-|series=[[Metal Gear (series)|Metal Gear]]
-|creator=[[Hideo Kojima]]
-|designer=[[Yoji Shinkawa]]
-|voice=[[Christopher Randolph]] (Credited as Christopher Fritz in ''Metal Gear Solid'')<br/>[[Hideyuki Tanaka]] (Japanese)
-|nationality=American-British
 }}
-{{Nihongo|'''Dr. Hal Emmerich'''|ハル・エメリッヒ|Haru Emerihhi}}, nicknamed {{Nihongo|'''Otacon'''|オタコン|Otakon}}, is a fictional character from [[Hideo Kojima|Kojima]]'s [[Metal Gear|''Metal Gear'' series]]. Created by [[Hideo Kojima]] and designed by [[Yoji Shinkawa]], Otacon was introduced in the series in ''[[Metal Gear Solid (1998 video game)|Metal Gear Solid]]''.
-In ''Metal Gear Solid'', Otacon, an ArmsTech employee who designed [[Metal Gear (mecha)#Metal Gear REX|Metal Gear REX]], becomes a close ally of [[Solid Snake]] upon learning of REX's nuclear strike capabilities. After the events of ''Metal Gear Solid'', he helped Solid Snake form [[Philanthropy (Metal Gear)|Philanthropy]], a group whose main objective is to prevent proliferation of [[Metal Gear (mecha)|Metal Gear]]-type weapons. Snake and Otacon infiltrate the military installations and facilities of the world, delving into their compounds through stealth and cyber hacking. In a sense, Snake is the brawn and Otacon is the brains behind "Philanthropy."
-A devoted fan of [[anime]], Hal's chosen nickname is the short form of the [[Otaku]] Convention, with reference to [[Otakon]] held in [[Washington, D.C.]] each year. The name "Hal" is a direct reference to the computer [[HAL 9000]] from Kojima's favorite film ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/death-stranding-director-hideo-kojimas-five-favorite-films/|title = Death Stranding Director Hideo Kojima's Five Favorite Films}}</ref> one of several references to the film which is present in ''Metal Gear Solid''; in the Otacon ending of the game, Hal and Snake make direct comparisons to the film. Critical reception of Otacon has been positive, with praise being particularly directed towards his and Snake's friendship.
-==Concept and design==
-"Hal" is a tribute to ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]''.<ref name="Making">{{cite game|title=The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2|year=2002|developer=Kojima Productions|publisher=Konami|level=Making of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty}}</ref> Kojima states that he created Otacon as his way of glorifying the [[otaku]] stereotype by having a character who fights the terrorists with his intellect rather than his brawn.<ref name=mgsagavol1>{{cite video|title=Metal Gear Saga Vol. 1}}</ref> He added that the original idea for Otacon was to make him "heavier, wearing a cap, and programming while eating a chocolate bar". However, the design Shinkawa did for the character was a slender one instead.<ref name=mgs1handbook>{{cite book|title=Metal Gear Solid: Official Mission Handbook}}</ref> Lead character designer Yoji Shinkawa stated in an interview that Otacon was designed to look somewhat "tougher" than he did in ''Metal Gear Solid'' for the [[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty|second game]].<ref>{{cite web|author= Colin Williamson|date = December 12, 2000|access-date = January 1, 2007|url= http://ps2.ign.com/articles/088/088856p1.html|title = Yoji Shinkawa interview}}</ref>
-==Appearances==
-{{more citations needed|section|date=October 2020}}
-Hal Emmerich was born in 1980 to [[List of characters in the Metal Gear series#Huey|Dr. "Huey" Emmerich]] and [[List of characters in the Metal Gear series#Strangelove|Dr. Strangelove]], a pair of former scientists. When Hal was still young, Huey attempted using him as a test pilot for the [[Metal Gear (mecha)#Sahelanthropus|Metal Gear ST-84]], as the machine could only be piloted by a child. Strangelove vehemently opposed this, leading to an argument between Hal's parents and to Huey ultimately killing Strangelove. Years later, Huey married a British woman named Julie Danziger with a child of her own ([[List of characters in the Metal Gear series#Emma Emmerich|Emma]]). Hal and Emma were close, as they had no other friends. Huey later committed suicide by drowning himself in the family pool, and attempted to drown Emma as well.
-After the incident, Emma became estranged from her stepbrother, blaming him for not saving her. Shortly afterwards, Hal ran away from home and did not see any of his family members until several years later. Choosing not to continue school, he began to educate himself via the Internet. He became a big fan of [[anime]], and started calling himself Otacon, short for the "[[Otaku]] Convention", which he never misses. He [[matriculation|matriculated]] at [[MIT]] and earned his [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]] from [[Princeton University]]. During his college years, he was recruited by the [[FBI]]'s Engineering Research Facility, but was fired from his job after hacking into their classified database. Otacon was hired by Armstech, Inc. to be the lead engineer for the Metal Gear REX project.<ref>"Snakes and Gears: A Metal Gear Overview," ''Game Informer'' 182 (June 2008): 108.</ref> He jumped at the chance to make an actual [[mecha]] type robot, which appears frequently in the anime he enjoys. He was led to believe that it was a mobile defense system, but in reality it was a nuclear [[doomsday weapon]].
-In 2005, during the Shadow Moses incident (the events of ''[[Metal Gear Solid (1998 video game)|Metal Gear Solid]]''), Otacon encountered [[Solid Snake]] who had informed him of the true nature of Metal Gear REX. Devastated, Otacon realized that he had written yet another chapter in his family's dark history—his grandfather had worked on the [[Manhattan Project]], and his father was born on the day of the [[atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|Hiroshima bombing]]. Otacon had developed a strong attraction to [[FOXHOUND]] member [[Sniper Wolf]]. Distraught that Snake would have to kill her, Otacon eventually came to terms with her, himself, and his position in life. With Otacon's assistance, Snake was able to destroy REX and defeat the terrorist uprising. According to the in-universe novel ''In the Darkness of Shadow Moses: The Unofficial Truth'', Otacon had allegedly left for Great Britain after the events of the terrorist uprising to visit relatives.<ref>{{cite game|title=Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty|developer=[[Konami|KCEJ]]|quote="[...]Dr. Hal Emmerich did not return to ArmsTech following his rescue from Shadow Moses. His whereabouts are unknown, but there is some indication that he made his way to England where he has family members."}}</ref> After the schematics for Metal Gear were placed on the black market by [[Revolver Ocelot]], Snake and Otacon formed Philanthropy, an organization dedicated to the end of the proliferation of Metal Gear-type weapons.
-In 2007 (the events of ''[[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty]]''), Otacon received an email from his step-sister Emma, informing him of a new prototype [[Metal Gear (mecha)#Metal Gear RAY|Metal Gear RAY]]. The e-mail was actually a trap for [[List of characters in the Metal Gear series#The Patriots|the Patriots]] to lure Solid Snake out of hiding and frame him for terrorism, by having Ocelot hijack RAY and place the blame on Snake with forged evidence. When the tanker was destroyed by Ocelot, Otacon took a boat and managed to save Snake, as well as [[List of characters in the Metal Gear series#Olga Gurlukovich|Olga Gurlukovich]]. Otacon was forced to fake Snake's death after he was framed by the Patriots. Using connections he had with an organization, he managed to steal [[Liquid Snake]]'s corpse (which was missing its right arm) and dumped it into the sea. He continued to manage Philanthropy's activities while keeping Snake's survival a secret from the public.
-In 2009, he received another anonymous e-mail, this time from Liquid (while taking over Ocelot's mind), informing him about the development of Arsenal Gear in the Big Shell. When [[List of characters in the Metal Gear series#Solidus Snake|Solidus Snake]] seized the Big Shell, he infiltrated the facility with SEAL Team 10 to find Emma, who was among the hostages. He managed to be reunited with her, but she died shortly afterwards, due to stab wounds inflicted by [[List of characters in the Metal Gear series#Vamp|Vamp]]. Before her death, Emma admitted to always admiring Hal and wanting to follow in his footsteps. Despite falling into deep despair, Snake encouraged him to move on and rescue all the hostages held in the Big Shell. Apparently, he was successful in this and stays in contact to support [[Raiden (Metal Gear)|Raiden]] until he defeated Solidus. When Snake met Otacon at their hideout he was given the disk that contained the data of the Wisemen's Committee to look over, which included their names and whereabouts. After this (the ending note) Otacon told Snake about the information on the disc: the twelve Wisemen had been dead for about 100 years.
-Otacon appeared once more as Old Snake's support man in ''[[Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots]]'', set in 2014. He and [[List of characters in the Metal Gear series#Sunny|Sunny]] built a robotic companion to Snake called [[Metal Gear (mecha)#Metal Gear Mk. II and Metal Gear Mk. III|Metal Gear Mk. II]], which he controlled remotely. The Mk. II was taken from a robotic character of the same name in ''[[Snatcher (video game)|Snatcher]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.konami.jp/kojima_pro/event2007/index-en.html |title=Kojima Productions event site 2007 |access-date=July 24, 2007 }}</ref> He became romantically involved with [[List of characters in the Metal Gear series#Naomi Hunter|Naomi Hunter]] through the course of the story although he once again lost her upon her suicide, thus forcing him yet again to witness the death of a woman he cared about. In the finale, Otacon told Snake that he will live with Snake for the remainder of his life, to serve as a witness of his existence. By the time of ''[[Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance]]'' in 2018, Otacon is mentioned to have officially adopted Sunny.
-Outside of the ''Metal Gear'' series, Otacon has made guest appearances in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', where he was one of Solid Snake's support crew available through taunting.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cheatcc.com/wii/supersmashbrosbrawlcheatscodes.html#.UXXGkrXvs_g|title=Super Smash Bros. Brawl|publisher=Cheat Code Central|access-date=April 22, 2013}}</ref>
-==Reception==
-Otacon is widely regarded as one of the best [[sidekick]] type characters in video games. As such, he was declared the best "buddy in gaming" by [[Machinima.com]] in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|author=Machinima|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4ZOdMRaSx4 |title=Top 10 Best Buddies in Gaming|publisher=YouTube.com |access-date=June 28, 2013}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead YouTube link|date=February 2022}}</ref> [[Cracked.com]] included him on their 2010 list of six video game sidekicks that are actually more effective than the actual hero at number four, stating: "Really, Otacon doesn't need Snake at all. The only thing keeping us from ''Metal Gear Solid: Nerdy Mouthbreather'' is the fact that Otacon pees all over himself when he's scared and has sex with his stepmother."<ref>{{cite web|last=Wong |first=David |url=http://www.cracked.com/article_18870_6-video-game-heroes-made-useless-by-supporting-characters.html |title=6 Video Game Heroes Made Useless By Supporting Characters |publisher=Cracked.com |date=December 2, 2010 |access-date=June 28, 2013}}</ref> In 2011, [[UGO Networks]] ranked him the sixth best video game companion, comparing him to [[Q (James Bond)|Q]] of [[James Bond]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Saathoff |first=Evan |url=http://www.ugo.com/games/best-video-game-companions?page=2 |title=Best Video Game Companions |publisher=UGO.com |date=November 23, 2011 |access-date=June 28, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307012853/http://www.ugo.com/games/best-video-game-companions?page=2 |archive-date=March 7, 2014 }}</ref> while ''[[Maximum PC]]'' listed him among 25 of gaming's greatest sidekicks, commenting that "Snake wouldn’t be half the man he is without Otacon backing him up."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/thanks_buddy_25_gamings_greatest_sidekicks#slide-19 |title=Thanks Buddy!: 25 of Gaming's Greatest Sidekicks |publisher=Maximum PC |date=November 22, 2011 |access-date=June 28, 2013}}</ref> In 2013, Hanuman Welch of ''[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]]'' ranked Otacon and [[Meryl Silverburgh]] ''ex equo'' at fourth place on a list of video game sidekicks that deserve their own titles.<ref>[http://www.complex.com/video-games/2013/07/13-video-game-sidekicks-that-deserve-their-own-titles/mg 13 Video Game Sidekicks That Deserve Their Own Titles], Complex.com, July 12, 2013.</ref> In [[GameSpot]]'s poll "All-Time Greatest Game Sidekick", Otacon got to the semi-finals, before losing to [[Albert Einstein]] of the ''[[Command & Conquer: Red Alert series|Command & Conquer: Red Alert]]'' series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/greatest-video-game-sidekick/standings/index.html?tag=content_nav%3Bsubnav%3Bresults |title=All-Time Greatest Game Sidekick- Current Standings |publisher=GameSpot.com |access-date=June 28, 2013}}</ref>
-Otacon was ranked the fourth best ''Metal Gear'' character by ''[[Play (UK magazine)|Play]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.play-mag.co.uk/features/top-ten-metal-gear-characters/|title=Top 10 Best Metal Gear characters|author=Smith, Sam|work=[[Play (UK magazine)|Play]]|access-date=April 22, 2013}}</ref> [[1UP.com]]'s Scott Sharkey ranked Otacon's reaction to the death of Sniper Wolf at second place in his 2009 list of the series' "most awkward" moments, calling it "the world's most embarrassingly stupid case of [[Stockholm syndrome]]."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/features/metal-gear-top-5-awkward |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019163635/http://www.1up.com/features/metal-gear-top-5-awkward |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 19, 2012 |title=Metal Gear's Top 5 Awkward Moments from |publisher=1UP.com |author=Scott Sharkey |year=2009 |access-date=February 17, 2013 }}</ref> Among other reception, Marissa Meli of UGO placed him at third place on her 2010 list of the greatest Jewish characters in video games<ref>{{cite web |last=Meli |first=Marissa |url=http://www.ugo.com/games/the-greatest-jews-in-video-games?page=4 |title=The Greatest Jews in Video Games |publisher=UGO.com |date=August 9, 2010 |access-date=June 28, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213003945/http://www.ugo.com/games/the-greatest-jews-in-video-games?page=4 |archive-date=December 13, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and Ryan Woo of ''Complex'' ranked him as the sixth most stylish video game character for his ''Metal Gear Solid 4'' outfit in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2011/09/the-25-most-stylish-video-game-characters/|title=The 25 Most Stylish Video Game Characters|website=Complex}}</ref> In 2012, ''Complex'' also put him and Solid Snake at second place on their list of "Most A**-Kicking Video Game Duos",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.complex.com/video-games/2012/10/the-25-most-a-kicking-video-game-duos/snake-and-otacon|title=The 25 Most A**-Kicking Video Game Duos|date=October 5, 2012|author=Vincent, Brittany|work=[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]]|access-date=April 22, 2013}}</ref> [[GamesRadar]] included him among the "13 unluckiest bastards in gaming".<ref>{{cite web|author=Mikel Reparaz|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/the-13-unluckiest-videogame-bastards/ |title=The 13 unluckiest bastards in gaming |publisher=GamesRadar |date=April 13, 2012 |access-date=June 28, 2013}}</ref>
-==References==
-{{Reflist|30em}}
-{{Metal Gear series}}
-[[Category:Characters designed by Yoji Shinkawa]]
-[[Category:Fictional activists]]
-[[Category:Fictional American diaspora]]
-[[Category:Fictional British people in video games]]
-[[Category:Fictional hackers]]
-[[Category:Fictional roboticists]]
-[[Category:Metal Gear characters]]
-[[Category:Fictional scientists in video games]]
-[[Category:Male characters in video games]]
-[[Category:Video game characters introduced in 1998]]
-[[Category:Video game sidekicks]]
-[[Category:Hackers in video games]]