5. The Cobra Unit
KonamiThe Cobra Unit were introduced in Metal Gear Solid 3 and continued the series' tradition of using supernatural elements to add variety and characterisation to the storyline. Each member of the Cobra Unit has their own unique skillset and behaviours; best represented during their respective fights with Naked Snake/Big Boss. They're all highly memorable too as, perhaps with the exception of the Boss (well, she does have that strange scar...), each member rivals Vamp for Weirdest Metal Gear Solid Character. The Pain, for example, is the first Cobra Unit member that Snake defeats and he can control swarms of hornets at will. Bizarrely, they could also enter his body through ventilation holes in his suit; he grew "bullet bees" inside his body which he could shoot out and burrow into enemies. The Fear underwent surgery to turn himself into a freak of nature (forked tongue, double joints, gold reptilian eyes...) and he likes to move around the battlefield in a spider-like manner. He's a strange guy. The End is a 100 year old sniper who is asleep for most of the game, as he wants to conserve his last energy for his battle with Snake. The Fury is a pyromaniac whose defeated ghost chases Snake down a tunnel in arguably the most bizarre scene in the game. The Sorrow is definitely the pick of the bunch though; he actually dies before the events of the game and appears as a spirit in several scenes. His boss battle sees Snake travelling down a river while the spirits of everybody he's killed in the game try to attack him; Colonel Zero seems to think Snake's lost his mind and it's hard to disagree really. The fact that this group of misfits are considered to be elite soldiers is bizarre enough; thankfully, the intrigue surrounding them means that their inclusion in Snake Eater is a big factor in why the game is such a masterpiece.