Metal Gear Solid 2 Originally Had A Balding Mechanic For Raiden

Metal Gear Solid as a series is filled with neat, oftentimes goofy little details. In Metal Gear Solid 2, you can take explicit pictures using the in-game camera to send them to Otacon, Raiden can slip and fall on bird poop, ice cubes melt in real-time, and things like that. One detail that did not make it into the game, however, was that Raiden could go bald if he caught on fire during the fight against Fortune, the first proper boss of the game.

Unused MGS2 idea: If Raiden's hair catches fire, he will eventually lose it all & be bald for the remainder of the game. From Hideo Kojima's Diary Entry – January 18, 2001

"Raiden's clothes were on fire at the Battle of Fortune. I came up with the idea of seeing that. Raiden's… pic.twitter.com/AVL5G5gnzz

— BadHumans (@BadHumans) July 30, 2023

This detail comes from a diary entry of Hideo Kojima translated by a Metal Gear Solid fan on Twitter by the name of BadHumans. The entry further stipulates that upon losing his hair, Raiden would be permanently bald for the rest of the game, including the cutscenes. To counteract this, players could find wigs across the level and use them on Raiden.

According to the entry, the idea was later rejected as the development staff were against it. 

Raiden’s clothes were on fire at the Battle of Fortune. I came up with the idea of seeing that. Raiden’s long hair, which he is proud of, is also on fire, and if he leaves it alone, his head becomes bald at this point. After that, he will be shaved completely, including in the Cutscenes. However, various “katsura” (wigs) are available as items. Naturally, some of them have Raiden’s hair style. There is also the “Bakadono” wig. If you wear a wig, it will fall off whenever you perform actions such as cartwheels and somersaults. The wig that falls to the floor becomes an item box again on the spot. The good-looking protagonist becomes bald at the first boss battle. Very interesting. It could also be reflected in the poly demo. However, the staff is against it. Is it useful?”

As far as cosmetic changes are concerned, the series would dabble into it with later titles such as Metal Gear Solid 3, Peace Walker, and Metal Gear Solid 5, where Snake could change his outfits to better blend into the environments. Even if it’s very likely untrue, I would personally like to believe that the camo system from the later games evolved from the scrapped wig mechanic from Metal Gear Solid 2. 

Metal Gear Solid 2 continues to be mined to this day for its many secrets and optional details. The game also recently received a mod that brought the third-person camera from Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence into the second game.