George Kasler

George Kasler was a member of FOXHOUND during the events of the Zanzibar Land Disturbance. He is a well-known mercenary who possesses intel on every active mercenary in the world, and it is said that those who are not aware of who he is are not worthy of being recognized as part of the elite.

Early career
Kasler participated in various regional conflicts for South African mercenary companies and the French Foreign Legion. He also briefly served as a military adviser for FOXHOUND. Kasler fought for Zanzibar Land's independence during the Mercenary War against the CIS Army, but suffered a deep wound to his right leg, ending his career. Afterward, Kasler worked briefly as a hostage negotiator and lent his field experience to work as an expert in military intelligence.

Kasler was hired to work as an arms adviser for FOXHOUND during the Zanzibarland Disturbance. For Operation Intrude F014, he provided Solid Snake with information on Zanzibar Land's mercenary forces and military hardware. Kasler later informed Snake of Gray Fox's true identity towards the end of the mission, and told him that he would pass on the story among the mercenary community, if Snake won the duel against Fox. During Snake's fight with Big Boss, Kasler had doubts as to whether Snake could defeat the renowned mercenary leader, contributed to by rumors that Big Boss had undergone cybernetic surgery.

Despite working against Zanzibar Land's interests during the incident, Kasler still wore his bandana from his days fighting in the Mercenary War, emblazoned with the state's symbol.

Behind the scenes
The surname of George Kasler (ジョージ・ケスラー) has three different spellings depending on the source: "Kasler" is the spelling used in the re-released versions of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake; in the original MSX2 version, his surname is spelled Kesler; while in the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database, it's Kessler.

If Snake attempts to contact Kasler during the final fight with Big Boss, he will mention a rumor about Big Boss being turned into a cyborg. This is a reference to Snatcher a previous game that series director Hideo Kojima worked on. Another reference to the game occurs when Roy Campbell warns Snake not to ask Kasler about "whale cuisine." In Snatcher, the protagonist must investigate the death of a murder suspect, whose stomach contents contained whale cuisine (changed to buffalo meat in the English localization).

In the MSX2 version of Metal Gear 2, Kasler's character model is based on actor Dolph Lundgren's role in the film Red Scorpion. His surname was presumably inspired by the main character, Frank Kessler, in the novel Crossfire, from which other influences can seen in the game's story.