Sundowner

"We're just suppliers... We don't create the market for war... Did you think every battle in history was all part of some big ol' conspiracy?"

- Sundowner

Sundowner is a renegade Cyborg Ninja who serves as the unofficial leader of the PMSC Desperado Enforcement LLC. involved in the events of 2018, as well as one of the members of the Winds of Destruction, alongside Mistral and Monsoon. His name was derived from the wind condition that occurs in Southern California. Donning a specialized custom cyborg body, the immense Sundowner wielded two high-frequency machetes known as "bloodlust." In addition, the two machetes could also be merged into a scissors-like contraption to cause further damage to the enemy. He was also nicknamed "doom", and was feared by several other cyborgs. His cyborg serial number is 978-AZQEE.

Early career
Sundowner's past is unknown, although it is known that he had previously operated as a mercenary during the advent of SOP. After SOP was shut down in 2014, and thus the war economy had waned down, he was unhappy with it, as he felt his participating in war and fanning it was his livelihood.

Africa
During his PMSC activities, Sundowner had arrived to capture the African Prime Minister, N'Mani, with the intention of killing him, in order to ensure that Africa descends into war once again. After Desperado's RAY arrived and attacked with a plasma cannon, flipping over the Prime Minister's limo, he attacked N'Mani's bodyguards as they were attempting to help out the Prime Minister, cutting one up to pieces with both of his Bloodlust machetes, and the other he decapitated by turning the machetes into shears after disarming them. He then grabbed the Prime Minister, where he then encountered Raiden, whom he recognized as Jack. After explaining his motivations, he faked Raiden out by taking out one of his machetes, although he assured Raiden that he'll spare the prime minister "while he's still useful" before making his escape, also siccing RAY on him to force Raiden to let him escape. After Raiden defeated the RAY unit, Sundowner ended up pursued by Raiden, although he was able to evade Raiden after RAY was revealed to still be in operation. Eventually, he ended up surrounded by several Maverick personnel. However, he then escaped onto a passing train, with Raiden just barely managing to board it, with Samuel Rodriguez also rendezvousing with Sundowner on the train. After Raiden arrived, Sundowner cited that N'Mani's usefulness has long been expended, before cutting his throat, strangling him, and then, after releasing him from his chains, impaling him through the back before letting him fall off the train down near the tracks. While doing this, he also got into a rant about how war had its benefits. He then made his escape via his tiltrotor, also allowing Sam to fight Raiden. He then had his tiltrotor arrive to extract Sam nearing the conclusion of the battle.

Eventually, Sundowner encountered Raiden at a heliport at Colorado, and commenced a final duel with Raiden using all available tools in his arsenal. Eventually sensing that Raiden will win, he then utilized a Hammerhead as a last ditch effort to take down Raiden, with Raiden using a Slider. After Sundowner was defeated, his Bloodlust weapon was later copied after careful analysis of his battle data.

Personality and traits
Sundowner is best described as a warrior, constantly desiring conflict, even openly referring to himself as a warmonger when meeting Raiden.

When encountering Raiden, he commented that his group only acted as suppliers for the group, as they did not create the environment that required their services before mockingly asking Raiden if every battle that ever happened was "all part of some big ol' conspiracy." He then stated that he likes child soldiers because kids could be molded into committing all sorts of atrocities, and that atrocities allowed for a war to keep on happening. Sundowner displayed a sadistic personality, evidenced by his reaction to harming N'Mani.

When not undergoing combat instances requiring him to use weapons, he wears a Trenchcoat that is matte black with red on the bottom. In addition, his custom cyborg body can equip, through the holes in his back, six shield-like platforms with explosive armor to further repel attacks and give him a slightly similar appearance to a Japanese shogun.

Behind the scenes


Sundowner first appeared in the E3 2012 trailer for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, which fans saw early on May 31/June 1, as part of Konami's pre-E3 show. Fans originally thought he was Fatman due to their resemblance though Fatman was killed by Raiden in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. His name was revealed in the September Famitsu issue, and his role was expanded in the TGS story trailer. He will be voiced in the English version by Crispin Freeman, who previously did bit roles in the series. Freeman voiced him with a heavy Southern accent.

The late January 2013 issue of the Chinese version of Famitsu, a scan of which had been leaked earlier, depicting Metal Gear Rising coverage focused on Sundowner as well as the Jack the Ripper element of the game. In addition, some screenshots in the same scan have him fighting Raiden while the latter was enveloped in a red aura, hinting that Raiden would fight Sundowner while in his reemerged Jack the Ripper persona.

Sundowner's boss theme is "Red Sun." Its lyrics include a soliloquy about a man who is slowly becoming more machine than human being, and whom all animals retreated from and any killed in his path are left to vultures in the red sun.