Metal Gear’s Akio Otsuka Craves New Game But Insists It Must Come from Hideo Kojima

The man who gave Solid Snake his unmistakable Japanese voice, Akio Otsuka, has expressed a heartfelt desire to return for a brand-new Metal Gear game — while insisting he would only do so if series creator Hideo Kojima is at the helm. In an interview with Japan’s Bunshun publication, translated by IGN, Otsuka reflected on his enduring bond with the franchise and its famously estranged creator, reigniting one of the most quoted declarations from the Japanese gaming community since Konami and Kojima’s acrimonious split.

Otsuka, who performed both the voice and motion capture for Snake across multiple entries in the series, said he remains deeply attached to the character and would welcome a fresh entry from Konami. Yet that enthusiasm comes with an unmistakable caveat. Famously declaring after his departure from the company that he would not work on a Metal Gear title without Kojima, Otsuka acknowledged he cannot walk back those words now.

“I Can’t Take It Back”

Reflecting on his relationship with the man who created the series, Otsuka spoke about the weight of artistic ownership. “My job as a voice actor is to do what I’m told,” he said. “But when it comes to the Metal Gear series, it was created by Kojima, and I take pride in having helped bring it to life. So I [previously] said, ‘I don’t want to do a Metal Gear that doesn’t involve Kojima.’ Now I’ve said that, I can’t take it back.”

“My job as a voice actor is to do what I’m told. But when it comes to the Metal Gear series, it was created by Kojima, and I take pride in having helped bring it to life.”

Akio Otsuka

Given how far from amicable Konami’s split with Kojima proved — a parting that reshaped the industry and led to the founding of Kojima Productions — it appears increasingly unlikely that the director will ever return to steer another Metal Gear Solid game. When asked whether he had conveyed his wish for Kojima to make a new entry, Otsuka offered only a coy reply: “I’ll leave that to your imagination.”

Surreal Family Moments and Iconic Adlibs

Looking back over his years as Snake, Otsuka revealed the origins of one of the series’ most celebrated lines. The now-legendary “Kept you waiting, huh?” exchange — “mataseta na” in Japanese — was actually an adlib recorded during the original session, a flourish so well received that it later found its way into s. David Hayter’s English rendition would go on to become equally iconic for Western audiences.

Otsuka also recalled a deeply personal moment from Metal Gear Solid 4: his real-life father, veteran voice actor Chikao Otsuka, voiced Big Boss during the game’s finale while Akio provided the motion capture. “When I arrived on set, my father’s eyes widened at the sight of me in the motion capture suit, and he asked with surprise, ‘Am I actually going to be voicing you?’ It was rather amusing,” he said.

A Defending Kojima

Throughout the interview, Otsuka expressed profound empathy for his former collaborator. Referencing Death Stranding, Kojima’s post-Konami debut that faced enormous uncertainty in its development, Otsuka recalled: “He went through so many difficulties after leaving Konami yet managed to finish making this major game. After all, if Death Stranding had failed he could have easily ended up with debts that he wouldn’t have been able to pay off even if he continued working for the rest of his life… So when the game was finished and they announced its release, I burst into tears.”

Otsuka also defended former members of Kojima’s team who remained at Konami rather than joining his new studio. On the June 2023 episode of his Nameless Mouse podcast, he urged fans to view them fairly: “I want the fans to understand this. I don’t want them [the remaining MGS staff at Konami] to be made out to be villains. The people who stayed at Konami were part of the crew on Kojima’s ship. These people, who inherited the director’s legacy, want to protect Metal Gear.”

Looking Ahead

“I certainly have a deep attachment to Snake,” Otsuka concluded. “After all, to the [Japanese] fans, Snake will always be Akio Otsuka, regardless of what happened between Kojima and Konami. When I think of the fans… well I’m really caught in the middle.”

Kojima remains occupied with new projects including O.D. and Physint, yet Konami has made clear it still holds a strong interest in Metal Gear. Last year’s Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater revived Otsuka’s original 2006 performance from MGS3, though that approach differs sharply from producing an all-new entry. Still, the actor appears open to returning for fresh work should Konami choose to expand beyond remasters and remakes of the groundbreaking stealth series.