Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov

Major Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov (Russian: Иван Райденович Райков) was a GRU major, second in command to Colonel Volgin at Groznyj Grad, Tselinoyarsk.

Early life and career
Raikov was born sometime during the mid 1930s to early 1940s. He later became an elite member of GRU. Although the Soviet military did not approve of Raikov's abuse of his rank against soldiers, Volgin's influence prevented them from doing anything about it. He also gained a bit of a reputation in the West for his abusive actions.

Because of his status as Volgin's lover, Raikov was also the only Groznyj Grad member not of Colonel class to have access to the West Wing of the Groznyj Grad production facility. Because of this, as well as being the soldier closest to Snake's build, EVA advised Naked Snake to steal Raikov's uniform and impersonate as him. Snake, after managing to infiltrate Groznyj Grad, had located Raikov and knocked him out. He then dragged him into a nearby locker and after stealing his clothing, leaving him in nothing more than a thong, locked him up in the locker. A bit later, he was discovered in the locker and relocated from Groznyj Grad.

Sometime after Naked Snake (Big Boss) completed Operation Snake Eater, Raikov lost his position due to his abusive ways against his soldiers and was imprisoned. He was then promptly exiled to the San Hieronymo Peninsula and imprisoned there. An unspecified time later, a spy unit belonging to Snake's resistance group, located Raikov, and he was later released by the team. After being questioned by subcommander Roy Campbell, Raikov angrily accused Campbell of working for Snake, as well as coming to the peninsula to mock him. However, he was caught by surprise when Campbell asked for his help, since his skills and experience as a GRU Major would be useful to them. Although initially hesitant, especially as their leader had killed Colonel Volgin, he later decided to join them, mainly to seek revenge on Gene's army for imprisoning him, and to redeem himself in the eyes of the Soviets. He also viewed working for the man who murdered Volgin as a better alternative to remaining in his cell, humiliated.

Trivia

 * As noted by Major Zero, in a radio conversation with Naked Snake, Ivan is a Slavic version of "John", of which "Jack", Snake's nickname, is the diminutive form. FOXHOUND operative Raiden, with whom Raikov shares his patronymic middle name (Raidenovitch), was also known as Jack.
 * According to a conversation between Snake and Sigint in regards to the Raikov mask, Raikov was originally going to be impersonated by another CIA agent, in order to steal secret documents from the Soviet Union, but the mission was aborted prior to the mask ever being used.
 * According to EVA, Raikov had a weak stomach despite having a large appetite.
 * Although EVA heavily implied that Raikov was homosexual, Naked Snake remained oblivous to it.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
In Metal Gear Solid 3, much humor is derived from the resemblance of Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov (イワン・ライデノヴィッチ・ライコフ) to his partial namesake, Raiden, from Metal Gear Solid 2. The character even looks directly toward the camera when EVA makes a subtle reference to this. Raikov was created in response to the controversy surrounding Raiden following his replacement of Solid Snake as the main character in Metal Gear Solid 2.

Another connection with the name "John" in Raikov's name is that his middle name Raidenovitch literally means "Son of Raiden." This could also be interpreted as meaning "Son of Thunder", which was another name for the Apostle John (referred to collectively with his brother James as "Sons of Thunder"). Raikov's thong also has a lightning bolt design on it, referring to the meaning of the word Raiden (thunder and lightning). The name "Raidenovitch" is also a rather crude Japanese pun; since there is no B/V distinction in Hiragana, the name can be read as "Raiden no bitch," or "Thunderbolt's bitch."

In a leaked voice casting sheet for Metal Gear Solid 3, Raikov was apparently originally supposed to hold the rank of Lieutenant, but was changed to Major nearing finalization.

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
While his recruitment into Naked Snake's resistance group in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops has not been officially confirmed as canon, the official strategy guide for the game covered the mission in the main walkthrough, while disregarding EVA's, Para-Medic's, or Sigint's missions. Hideo Kojima originally stated in the Metal Gear Solid 3 commentary that Raikov's fate was up to the player. Raikov losing his position in GRU, as revealed in Portable Ops, is a reference to Metal Gear Solid 3, where the player could attack Soviet soldiers without reprise when disguised as Raikov, as he was "just that kind of guy" from EVA's observations.

Even though it was stated that Raikov would be brought back into the Soviet military after he participated in stopping ICBMG's launch, during the San Hieronymo Incident, it was not revealed whether he actually did return to the Soviet Union, or if he ended up in America in the aftermath, like the other members of Snake's resistance. Raikov's stats indicate that he knows CQC at the A-level.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
The player has the option of either killing or knocking out Raikov. When the player returns to Groznyj Grad for the second time, there will be a prototype Sneaking Suit inside the locker in which Raikov's body was previously hidden.

Raikov's appearance and actions in-game contain many references to Raiden:
 * Inside the locker, in which Naked Snake hides Raikov's body, there is a Metal Gear Solid 2 promo poster, featuring Raiden.
 * If the player is attacked in close quarters by Raikov, he will use the same punch-punch-kick combo as used by Raiden, and may also perfrom the somersault maneover.
 * If the player interrogates Raikov using CQC in Subsistence, he will say several identical or similar to lines said by Raiden in Metal Gear Solid 2, such as "No, never heard the name before", "We'll tell them everything together" and "Today is the day I met you" (Said to Rose, during the ending of MGS2).
 * Shortly before the torture sequence, Volgin grabs Snake's crotch (while disguised as Raikov) in the same manner President Johnson does to Raiden in Metal Gear Solid 2.
 * During the battle with The Sorrow, if the player had previously killed Raikov when stealing his clothes, Raikov's ghost will be naked and will walk in the same manner as Raiden did when stripped naked.

Raikov also has many other notable behaviors in-game:
 * If Raikov sees the player wearing the Mask and the Scientist uniform, he will sometimes get very close and say "How beautiful." However, he will also sometimes remark "hey...!", and then unzip Snake's pants and grab his crotch.
 * If the player enters the bathroom that Raikov uses in Groznyj Grad with the Stealth Camo equipped and waits for him to enter, he will not use the bathroom and comment "I feel like someone is watching me."
 * If the player interrogates Raikov, he will admit that Volgin has an abhorrence towards Russian Glowcap mushrooms, which is correct. During the fight against Volgin, throw a few Russian Glowcaps at him and the mushrooms will absorb his lightning attacks, allowing for a few free hits. Further interrogation will also have Raikov reveal that Volgin is weak to water, which can also be exploited when fighting Volgin later on by shooting the pipes in the arena.
 * If the player attempts to distract Raikov with a magazine, he will only give a brief glance at it and walk away instead of reading through it.

In the original Metal Gear Online, bundled with Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, Raikov featured as a playable character.

Portable Ops recruitment
"A GRU officer, he patrols the east building of the Groznyj Grad arsenal. Real name is Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov. Although a major in rank, he is Colonel Volgin's favorite, and is treated as if he were a colonel. Known as a notorious glutton."

- Character description in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus

If given the option, and as noted above, the player can recruit Raikov. This section details how to recruit Raikov. This is one of the few missions that has a limited amount of availability (in this case, once the spy unit gives the report for this mission, the player must immediately partake in it, as if not, then it will be marked as a failure before it can even be attempted).

Shortly after discovering the location of the Guest House from either stealing a map from the Rail Bridge or interrogating a Government Official in the Town, a Spy Unit planted in the Town Area will send a report about learning from intel that a detailed map leading to a fortress in the wilderness at the west side of the peninsula is located in the Town. Making sure that they don't draw attention to the guards in patrol at the town, and ducking behind crates towards one of the upper level buildings, the Resistance manages to procure a map towards the Western Wilderness. Afterwards, the Resistance places a Spy Unit in the newly located Western Wilderness. Shortly after Snake is rescued from the Guest House, a Spy Report coming from the spy unit in the Western Wilderness comes in stating that a handsome Soviet Major has been sighted in the area and he is being held prisoner. Roy Campbell explains the report to the Spy Unit, as well as stating that this will be a perfect opportunity to recruit him, as he has had combat and field experience due to his rank of Major, as well as quoting the old Arabic adage "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Upon entering the Western Wilderness, the Sneaking Unit goes to the Cell that the rumored Soviet Major is found in, avoiding land mines with a mine detector along the way, and discover that the Soviet Major is none other than Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov. Campbell then guesses that he's Major Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov. Raikov then realizes that Campbell is American, and asks him why he's on the Peninsula. Campbell then tells Raikov to answer his question first: Why is Raikov being held prisoner in a place like the Western Wilderness. Raikov hesitates to answer, apparently out of embarassment. Roy Campbell then explains that he has heard stories about Raikov: that he often abused his rank to beat up his own men for sheer sport, remarking that he is a real piece of work, and that as soon as Gene took over the San Hieronymo Peninsula, his "comrades" turned on him, remarking how the mighty had fallen. Raikov still doesn't answer, so Roy Campbell then asks why a Major and GRU was out in the San Hieronymo Peninsula in the first place. He asks if he ended up on the losing side of one of the Red Army's internal squabbles, and then eventually guesses that with Volgin, his patron, dead, there was no one to protect Raikov from justice anymore, and that he ended up falling from grace and being shuffled to, as Campbell put it, "this God-forsaken Outpost." Raikov then reacts angrily towards Campbell, calling him a bastard and demanding how he could have known. He then realizes that Campbell must have been an agent of Naked Snake, the man (or Yankee dog, as Raikov called him) who killed Volgin at Groznyj Grad, and that they also must have arrived to mock him. Roy Campbell then reveals that they hadn't come to mock him. They actually came to rescue him and recruit him. Raikov is surprised and confused at the reason, so Campbell explains to Raikov that Gene has stolen a weapon made in America, and is planning on launching it at Russia as well as using the nukes in the base. He also reveals that they are there to stop Gene, and that they'd appreciate it if Raikov could join, as due to his being a former officer of the USSR, his skills in combat as well as his knowledge and experience would be invaluable assets to the rebellion. Raikov then asks if they are requesting that he join Snake, the "villain" who killed Volgin, and if so, he refuses. Campbell explains that all he's asking is that they call a truce and form a unified front. He explains what it would mean for Raikov: If he manages to help defeat the mastermind behind a possible nuclear attack on the Motherland, that would mean that he'd be hailed as a hero to the Soviet Union, and he could be welcomed back into the ranks of the Red Army, and soon thereafter, he might even receive a promotion. Raikov considers this, but still hesitates, so Campbell then asks if he wants to see Gene's men pay for what they did to him, although he acknowledges that if he wants to stay in the Western Wilderness humiliated, it's his call. Raikov ultimately decides after this that he'll join their group.

The PAL password, used as an alternative method to unlock Raikov, is "SKAZKA" (Russian for "fairy tale").