Summary
Kazuhira “Kaz” Miller made his debut as an informant in theMetal Gear Solidseries withMetal Gear 2: Solid Snakefor the titular legendary protagonist, but he really didn’t get some proper screen time until a futureMetal Gear Solidgame, withMetal Gear Solid: Peace Walkeronward, where his younger self guides and supports Big Boss during their days as paid-for-hire mercenaries, all the way up to the fifth mainlineentry in the series.
RELATED:Metal Gear Solid: Interesting Facts About Code Talker
Miller’s character became a lot more developed and fleshed out over time, with plenty of memorable discussions, details on his backstory, and some rather peculiar moments that have helped cement the character as a bit of a fan favorite of sorts. But, how much do his fans and admirers really know about the blonde-haired trooper?
1He Is Of Japanese-American Descent
Kazuhira is Japanese for “Peace”. His father was an American GHQ officer, but his mother was a Japanese sex worker. He goes on into a lot of detail about his past and upbringing with Snake inMetal Gear Solid 5: Peace Walker, whereby players canlisten back to cassette tapes featuring conversations between Naked Snake(AKA Big Boss) and other members of Mother Base.
He was very supportive of his mother, even when she became riddled with an amnesia-inducing sickness, and managed to meet his estranged father in the USA, receiving a college degree during his time there. Soon after, he joined the military to pay for his mother’s hospital bills. When she passed away and his father committed suicide, he eventually ended up as a drill sergeant for revolutionaries in Columbia.
2His First Encounter With Big Boss Was As Enemies
The conversations on the tapes sound casual and conversational between Miller andthe real Big Bossas they describe their dramatic first encounter. Snake was fighting as a commander for his private militia Militaires Sans Frontières, and got Miller’s unit killed. Thwarting a suicide attempt with a grenade, Snake encouraged him to join his ranks. Eventually, they decided on it via competitions involving fishing, fighting, and more.
Big Boss bested him in all of these. However, Miller used this as an opportunity to trap and recruit him. However, Snake put his fighting skills and silver tongue to good use to encourage Miller’s own troops to join his side instead. After Miller deserts them out of embarrassment, the two have one last fight (Miller unsurprisingly lost) before finally agreeing to join MSF.
3His Favorite Food Is Curry
Miller is a bit of a foodie. While many may remember his attempts to create the perfect burger during the events of the fifth game, he’s actually always been a fan of curry, which is a researchable option for rations duringMetal Gear Solid: Peace Walker,one of thebest Konami games.
RELATED:Facts You Didn’t Know About Solidus Snake In Metal Gear Solid
In the Japanese version of the game, there was a discussion where Miller introduced ready-made curry to Snake, who is amazed by the flavor and the quick preparation of such a meal. The two can be heard enjoying a curry together in a second call. This was likely cut because of copyright issues; the curry meals in the Eastern version use actual Japanese brands via product placement.
4Big Boss Can Romance Kaz
Anunlockable Side-Opsmission involves going on a date with Miller. He likes hearing Snake shout out compliments and inspiring quotes, enjoys a bit of roughhousing, and makes some suggestive quips after being knocked to the ground and crawled on.
Should he be knocked out and patted, a schematic for the Patriot (a weapon with infinite ammo, favored by Snake’s mentor, The Boss) will pop out. Plus, getting the highest rank will unlock his clothing. MSF mercenaries can wear it during missions for double the health recovery speed. Plus, when selected, Snake can be heard exclaiming “Kazuhira!”
5Miller Will Go Ballistic When Snake Enters A Battle Naked
Stripping Snake naked (with little-to-no clothing, not completely nude) and starting a mission while wearingswimming trunksisn’t wise from a tactical point, as it offers no camouflage bonuses whatsoever. Although, it does result in some ridiculous responses from Miller when he’s called repeatedly.
At first, he’s shocked at why Snake is not wearing clothing and promises to stop making jokes about his codename, all the while begging him to dress up again. It’s not long before he presumably strips naked as well on his end, before angrily exclaiming “No more uniforms! From now on, we’re all going NAKED!”
6Miller Breaks The Fourth Wall About “Kojima Is God”
An interesting conversation can take place after listening to a tape with French ornithologist Cécile Cosima Caminades. When talking about the meaning of her name, Miller interrupts, mentioning how “Cosima” sounds like the Japanese name “Kojima”.
Furthermore, he mentions how it sounds like “Kojima, kaminandesu” which is Japanese for “Kojima is God.” In the English dub, he mutters it repeatedly in shock. In the Japanese version, he encourages Cécile to join in by chanting it aloud enthusiastically repeatedly, almost like a sports chant, much to Snake’s confusion on both versions.
7He Can Be Heard Impersonating Various Characters
Playing the unlockable Side-Ops inMetal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroeswill result in some interesting responses from Miller. In ‘Déjà vu’, he can be heard quoting and straight-up mimicking characters from the series, like Colonel Campbell, Liquid Snake, Drebin, and more.
Meanwhile, during the ‘Jamais Vu’ mission, he’ll impersonate characters fromMetal Gear Rising: Revengeance, like Kevin and Boris. It makes sense since the player gets to control Raiden in this crossover/spin-off level. Still, he’s quite good at what he’s doing, even if it is just fan service for the player.
8Miller Has Sensitive Eyes
Miller’s trademark aviators aren’t merely for looks. He has sensitive eyesight and wears them a lot both indoors and outdoors. According to the officialMetal Gear Solid: Peace Walkerradio dramas that were exclusive to Japan, he’s a bit clumsy, often forgetting to take them off in the shower or a dark room.
In the cutscene at the end of Chapter 1 inMetal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, Miller delivers a speech to the Diamond Dogs forces that they’ll be his eyes. Players speculated that, due to his gray eyes, he became blind. However, a Konami representative responded to a fan who asked about this on Facebook, stating that he actually has photophobia but wasn’t completely robbed of eyesight.
9His Rivalry With Ocelot Leaves Them Divided In Opinion
During the events ofMetal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, both Miller andRevolver Ocelotwill be working under Venom Snake’s new army, Diamond Dogs. Their support for Big Boss is the only thing keeping them from being enemies, though they still do not like each other.
This results in them feeding Snake opposing opinions. Ocelot suggests using the Honey Bee rocket launcher against the Skulls, while Miller insists the task was to retrieve but not use it. Miller demands Big Boss execute the sniper Quiet upon defeating her, though Ocelot believes she could be recruited. During the rescue of Huey Emmerich, Ocelot suggests using the prototype Walker Gear, while Miller dismisses it as one of Emmerich’s “toys”.
10Miller Trained Solid Snake
At the end of the fifth game, a conversation can be heard between Ocelot and Miller. Ocelot reveals that Venom Snake is actually a decoy, and the real Big Boss is creating a new army to exist as a nation: Outer Heaven. Miller, feeling betrayed, states how he’ll send Big Boss to Hell someday by training one of his sons to do so.
That son would be Solid Snake,one of Big Boss’ clones. Miller would meet him as a drill instructor during both of their time under the black ops unit FOXHOUND and would offer support inMetal Gear 2: Solid Snake. Ocelot, in response, would aid the other child, who would grow up to be Liquid Snake.
