Vulcan Raven

Template:Character Infobox

> Ravens aren't scavengers like most people think. They're simply returning to the natural world that, which is no longer needed. Sometimes they even attack wounded foxes.
>
> Vulcan Raven prior to fighting Solid Snake in the warehouse, Metal Gear Solid

**Vulcan Raven** was a member of FOXHOUND who participated in the unit's revolt on Shadow Moses Island in 2005. He was a shaman and was raised in the cold state of Alaska.

## Biography

### Early life and career

Vulcan Raven was born to Native Alaskan American and Inuit parents. He had a tattoo of a raven on his forehead and petroglyph tattoos across his body. His body was able to withstand freezing temperatures. Raven was raised as a shaman by his people, giving him shamanic intuition and spiritual abilities.

Raven was a graduate emeritus from the University of Alaska and spent a few more years living in his homeland. He took part in the Eskimo-Indian Olympics at Fairbanks every year, and won many Muktuk eating and Ear Pull contests; an event where two opponents pull each other's ear while enduring the harsh cold, intended to test both spiritual and physical strength. He was also alleged to have excelled in the Four Man Carry event, having been able to accomplish it with six men, as well as having won it as well as the Stick Pull for three years straight. As a hobby, Raven enjoyed trapping deer within Alaska's perilous Brooks Mountains. On one trip across the frozen Bering Strait to Siberia, Raven met then-GRU operative Revolver Ocelot.

After that, he joined the Soviet special forces unit Vympel. After the fall of the Soviet Union, he was demoted along with other Vympel operatives following Boris Yeltsin's coup in 1993. Raven decided to flee Russia and become a mercenary for hire, eventually joining Big Boss's mercenary dispatch company Outer Heaven.

Following the destruction of Outer Heaven, Raven, on the recommendations of Revolver Ocelot, joined FOXHOUND himself, becoming the unit's heavy weapons/explosive ordnance specialist. During his FOXHOUND years, he excelled at using a portable modification of the M61A1 20mm multi-barreled autocannon, the origin of his codename, which is widely used on American military tactical aircraft, such as the F-16.

Template:MetalGearSolid

In February 2005, Raven and the other members of FOXHOUND, along with the Next-Generation Special Forces, initiated an armed takeover of Shadow Moses Island. Ex-FOXHOUND Solid Snake was dispatched to the deal with the renegade unit, and encountered Raven while making his way to the island's warhead storage facility. Commanding an M1 Abrams tank, Raven battled Snake. However, the tank was destroyed after Snake threw grenades into the open hatch, while the gunner and loader attempted to deal with him. Raven survived the explosion and reported to Liquid Snake, indicating that the battle had been intended as a test of Snake's capabilities. The battle's aftermath also allowed Snake to recover a card key, as part of a plan to trick him into carrying out FOXHOUND's objectives. Following Snake's later capture by Sniper Wolf, Raven called Liquid's cell phone to inform him of America's lack of response to their demands.

 File:Raven face.jpg
Raven later faced Snake a second time within an underground warehouse. Here, he managed to briefly curse Snake with the raven on his forehead, stating that he now had the mark of death. Raven also commented on Snake's ancestors having originated in Mongolia, similar to himself, and that he possessed "blood from the East" (referring to Snake's Japanese heritage). He then fought Snake with his M61 Vulcan cannon, though was ultimately defeated. Upon losing, having been mortally wounded, he came to believe that his own existence was no longer needed among the living, and handed Snake a card key for the underground maintenance base. In his final moments, Raven offered Snake "a hint," telling him that the DARPA Chief, whom Snake had met and saw die earlier, was actually FOXHOUND member Decoy Octopus. Raven did not explain why or how Octopus was killed, nor why the latter was disguised in the first place, telling Snake that he had to solve the rest of the riddle on his own. He also vaguely alluded to the fact that Snake was an artificially conceived clone, stating that he and Liquid were "from another world," one which he did not wish to know.

> The path you walk on has no end. Each step you take is paved with the corpses of your enemies... Their souls will haunt you forever... you shall have no peace... Hear me, Snake! My spirit will be watching you!
>
> Vulcan Raven's final words to Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid

As he made this declaration, he was eaten alive by his own ravens, becoming "one with [them]."

## Unconfirmed history

Template:Canon?Shortly before fighting Solid Snake in the canyon, Vulcan Raven surveyed the area from on top of a nearby glacier, and also wondered why the U.S. Government would build the Shadow Moses facility in a remote and harsh place. However, he decided that it was not his place to question the antics of the politicians and military of America, as he held his allegiance to the Russians in spite of America being his birthplace.

## Behind the scenes

Template:Nihongo appears in *Metal Gear Solid* (*MGS1*), where he is fought by the player during a boss battle. He is voiced in Japanese by Yukitoshi Hori, who would later portray The Sorrow in *Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater*, another character who has spiritual abilities.

 File:Vulcanraven.gif
If the player ends up hit by Raven's tank shell during the battle, Raven will pop out of the hatch and proceed to laugh before going back in. In *MGS1*, killing any of the ravens prior to Snake's second fight with Raven will make him chastise Snake for "killing his friends." In the remake, *Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes* (*TTS*), his dog tag appears near his Vulcan Cannon after he is defeated.

In *MGS1*, during the cutscene where Snake first encounters Raven in the tank, he said "Let's fight!" before the boss fight begins. In *TTS*, he says the line and forgets to close the hatch. A few seconds go by before he closes the hatch.

In *MGS1*, Naomi Hunter erroneously says "Bimpel" instead of "Vympel" when describing the special forces group Raven worked for. This was fixed in *TTS*.

In Millennium Books' strategy guide for *MGS1*, the *Official Mission Handbook*, it is claimed that the raven on Vulcan Raven's forehead is a birthmark, contradicting previous official biographies for the game that describe it as a tattoo. The birthmark account is referenced in the description for the MacFarlane Toys Vulcan Raven action figure, and later, the *Metal Gear Solid 4 Database*. Conversely, the tattoo account is retained in Raven's *TTS* biography. As a result, this article assumes that the tattoo account associated with the original game and its remake is the correct one.

The McFarlane action figure of Raven appears in the Tanker chapter of *Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty*. It is positioned in front of a flashlight, giving not only the player, but also Snake and Otacon, the impression that Raven himself is standing around the corner, M61 in hand. Shooting it will cause it to "speak" and fire small BB pellets. These pellets are shot out of the toy M61 Vulcan autocannon at a very low velocity, so they don't pose much of a threat. The action figure also appears in one of the flooded rooms in the Big Shell, where it floats among other pieces of debris.

In Act 3 of *Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots,* Raven's quote *"Blood from the east flows within your veins"* from *Metal Gear Solid* can be heard when Big Mama told how Snake was created. In Act 4, he will appear as a "ghost" in the canyon on Shadow Moses if a specific area is photographed with the Camera. In addition, his quote about "the killing [never ending]" can be heard if Snake walks to the door of the room where they fought.

Raven is referenced in the Déjà Vu Extra Op from *Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes*, his dialogue from *MGS1* imitated and paraphrased by Kazuhira Miller during the end quiz segment.

While Raven doesn't make an appearance himself in *Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain* or *Metal Gear Survive*, his raven tattoo can be applied to the player's avatar.

Vulcan Raven also appeared in Versus Battle, where he competed for fan votes against Psycho Mantis.

> STRENGTHS:
> Fierce, Cold-Blooded, Shamanic Killer
> WEAKNESSES:
> Impervious to the Cold, but to Fire?
> FEATURED FACT:
> Raven’s tremendous strength allows him to brutally wield the M61A1 20mm multi-barreled “Vulcan” auto-cannon from an F-16
> FEATURED GAME:
> METAL GEAR SOLID: THE LEGACY COLLECTION
>
> Vulcan Raven's bio on Versus Battle.

* The Twin Snakes
* Metal Gear Solid
Raven, as he appears in The Twin Snakes.Raven, as he appears in the original Metal Gear Solid.

## Appearances

* *Metal Gear Solid*
* *Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty* (mentioned, action figure)
* *Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes*
* *Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots* (mentioned, voice, flashbacks and non-canon ghost)

## Gallery

Mgs-sketch63-raven.gifVulcan Raven's *Metal Gear Solid* concept art.Mgs-sketch30-concept.gifVulcan Raven battle sketch.Mgs-sketch49-raven.gif534512 10150646914715986 285152375985 9697420 1410533085 n.jpgVulcan Raven concept art.Mgs-vulcan-raven.jpgCharacter design by Yoji Shinkawa.Vulcan Raven.jpgVulcan Raven's *Metal Gear Solid* artwork.Mgs-sketch-raven.jpgArtwork used for promotional postcards.Foto+Metal+Gear+Solid +The+Twin+Snakes.jpgVulcan Raven as he appears in *The Twin Snakes*.
## References

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1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `vr`
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `bio`
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Template:Cite web
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 *Metal Gear Solid: Official Mission Handbook*, Millennium Books (1998).
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 *Metal Gear Solid 4 Database* ("Vulcan Raven"), Kojima Productions (2008). [1]
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 *Metal Gear Solid*, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (1998).
Liquid Snake, while disguised as Master Miller, explains this to Solid Snake in an optional Codec call during the latter's fight against Vulcan Raven.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 *Metal Gear Solid*, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (1998).
 **Vulcan Raven:** You live in Alaska too. You know of the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics? // **Solid Snake:** Yeah, I know it. You must be a real threat in the "Muktuk Eating" contest. // **Raven:** Yes, you are right. But there is another event that I excel at. It is called the "Ear Pull." It is an event where two opponents pull on each other's ear while enduring the harsh cold. It tests spiritual as well as physical strength... // **Snake:** You want to pull each other's ears. // **Raven:** The form is different but the spirit is the same. Rejoice, Snake! Ours will be a glorious battle. // **Snake:** This isn't glorious. It's just plain killing. Violence isn't a sport! // **Raven:** Well, we will see if there is iron in your words!!
8. ↑ *Metal Gear Solid*, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (1998).
**Vulcan Raven:** This is Raven's territory... // (Raven comes out of the hatch of the tank) // **Raven:** Snakes don't belong in Alaska... I will not let you pass... Send him a message! // (Snake successfully dodges a round the tank fires at him) // **Raven:** Ha ha ha ha ha ... That's right... You belong on the ground. You should crawl on the ground like the snake you are! // (Raven goes back inside the tank) // **Raven:** Come, let's fight!
9. ↑ *Metal Gear Solid*, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (1998).
**Vulcan Raven:** Well, Boss, I hope you are happy. He got the card. // **Liquid Snake:** ...We'll play with him a little longer... // **Raven:** You would be wise not to underestimate him. // **Liquid:** What did you think of him? // **Raven:** He is just as you said. In battle, he is as if possessed by a demon. Much like you, I would expect no less.
10. ↑ *Metal Gear Solid*, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (1998).
**Liquid Snake:** There definitely is a resemblance. Don't you think, little brother? Or should I say big brother? I'm not sure... Anyway, it doesn't matter. You and I are both the last surviving "sons of Big Boss". // (Liquid Snake receives a call on his cell phone, which he answers) // **Liquid:** It's me... Really? Then what? (Ugh) Those idiots! Alright, Raven. I'll be right there. // (Liquid hangs up the phone; he then talks to Revolver Ocelot and Sniper Wolf) // **Liquid:** They're not responding to our demands. We'll launch the first one in 10 hours as planned. // **Sniper Wolf:** Damn Americans!!
11. ↑ *Metal Gear Solid*, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (1998).
**Vulcan Raven:** The ravens and I were testing to see what kind of man you were. The judgment is decided. The ravens say you are a true warrior. // **Solid Snake:** Am I hallucinating? I... I can't move... // **Raven:** The Raven has put the mark of death upon you. Blood from the East flows within your veins. Ah... your ancestors too were raised on the barren plains of Mongolia. Inuit and Japanese are cousins to each other... We share many of the same ancestors, you and I...
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 *Metal Gear Solid*, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (1998).
**Vulcan Raven:** Just as the Boss said... It is my existence which is no longer needed in this world. But my body will not remain in this place. My spirit and my flesh will become one with the ravens. In that way, I will return to Mother Earth who bore me. Snake! I will be watching you... Understand? Snake, this this security card. It will open that door [to the underground maintenance base]. **Solid Snake:** Why? // **Raven:** You are a Snake which was not created by Nature. You and the Boss... you are from another world... a world that I do not wish to know... Go and do battle with him... I will be watching from above.
13. ↑ *Metal Gear Solid*, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (1998).
**Vulcan Raven:** First I'll give you a hint... The man who you saw die before your eyes... // (flashback of the DARPA Chief's death is shown) // **Raven:** That was not the DARPA Chief. It was Decoy Octopus. A member of FOX-HOUND. He was a master of disguise... He copied his subjects down to the blood. So he drained the Chief's blood and took it into himself. But he wasn't able to to deceive the Angel of Death. // **Solid Snake:** The Angel of Death? But why go to so much trouble? Why impersonate the Chief? // (Vulcan Raven chuckles) // **Raven:** That is the end of my hint. You must solve the rest of the riddle yourself.
14. ↑ *Metal Gear Solid* novelization by Raymond Benson, Del Rey Books (2008).
15. ↑ *Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty*, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (2001).
**Otacon:** Snake, that shadow -- it's -- // **Solid Snake:** It's him, no doubt about it. // **Otacon:** But [Vulcan] Raven was -- you know, out in Shadow Moses... // **Snake:** I know. Maybe it's the last of his nine lives, or maybe his Maker decided to give him another chance... // **Otacon:** You're not serious, are you? // **Snake:** Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Either way, we'll find out soon enough. // **Otacon:** Snake, watch your step, okay...?