Gekko



Gekko, nicknamed Lizards, and code-named IRVING by the U.S. Military, were a mass-produced Metal Gear variant mainly in use during the time of the War Economy. They were produced by ArmsTech, the same company that worked with DARPA to create Metal Gear REX. Although not a traditional Metal Gear, it shares many of the same characteristics such as legs and assault weaponry, but is designed to be more of a tank, and to act as a squad. The unit employs several psycholoigcal warfare techniques via sound in order to lull targets into a state of distraction, unreadiness and confusion. These include:
 * Humming like a Cicada;
 * 'Mooing' like a bovine when alerted;
 * Footfalls designed to emulate the sound of horse hooves.

Physical Characteristics
The Gekko model is comprised of a mechanical 'head' and body, each separate and connect by a small mechanical joint, joined to long legs and clawed feet composed of artificially created muscle tissue. A dome atop the machine spins in a 360 degree, and is equipped with advanced sensors and imaging devices. They each appear to have a least one mounted gun and grenade launchers mounted on their 'head'. They have not been shown attacking with these weapons except against Raiden and Snake. They have been shown leaping into the air to travel long distances, and to crush enemy soldiers. They've also been shown to kick, slap and slide tackle enemy infantry and vehicles with almost sadistic brutality. They are also extremely flexible and agile, capable of maneuvering through small corridors and rooms originally designed for humans that would otherwise be inaccessible.

After combat maneuvers, the Gekko are seen to excrete an amount of luminous green fluid. This could be excess lactic acid built up by the muscles in the legs. They are completely autonomous, sporting an Artificial Intelligence that are capable enough to chase a target through multiple levels of a building, recognize and investigate signs of a target's presence, manipulate objects and enemies with a robotic tentacle or play dead. Gekko are so effective in combat that they are starting to phase out main battle tanks.

Gekko Variants
The standard Gekko variant is highly modular, capable of mounting a number of weapons in various combinations on it's "head". There is also a "Suicide" variant, apparently the mobile vessel for an internal nuclear weapon. The Suicide variant are used to destroy REX's hangar after Liquid steals REX's railgun.

Dwarf Gekko
See Scarab

The Dwarf Gekko (also known as Scarabs) are spheres with a single optical unit that have three small arms with human looking hands attached to the end. They can give off a shock that appears to be emmitted from the optical unit. A shock from this can throw people off balance. Gekko are also seen carrying Dwarf Gekko on the back of their "heads".

Combating Gekko
Gekko are heavily armored and highly agile, capable of making great leaps, swift sprints and climb buildings. They are capable of attacking with their legs, their whip-like manipulation arms and whatever mounted weaponry they have, which typically consists of at least one machine gun housed in the 'nose' as well as heavy-machine guns and anti-tank rockets. They also seem to have similar technology that Fortune (and in one point Ocelot) utilized during the Manhattan Incident, being able to sometimes reflect rockets shot at them. The best method of eliminating Gekko is to fire at their relatively unarmored legs until they weaken and collapse, then destroy them with an anti-tank rocket. It is also possible to destroy them with a railgun, as the projectile typically travels too quickly for them to dodge. The M82A2 is capable of killing a Gekko with a single shot to the weak point in their neck. However, the best strategy is to simply avoid combat all together, avoiding them whenever possible. It is also possible to tranqualize a Gekko. It takes about four to five shots on the front of the legs and one to two in the back of the knee of the Gekko using the tranqualizer gun.

Behind the Scenes
The term "gekkou" comes from 月光, the Japanese word meaning "Moonlight", while the US codename "IRVING" stems from the American codename for the Nakajima J1N "Gekko" twin engine night fighter aircraft from WWII. In a recent interview, Hideo Kojima stated that the Gekko are not Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots titular Metal Gears, stating that they are more like a jeep or a tank compared to the actual Metal Gear.

Other Apperances
Gekko is one of the three metal gears, along with Metal Gear REX and Metal Gear RAY to appear in the Shadow Moses Stage in [[Super Smash Bros. Brawl].

Completing All-Star Mode with 10 characters will unlock a Gekko trophy with the following description: "A Metal Gear with a pair of animal-like legs. Gekko are mass-produced weapons used in military combat. Its distinctive legs allow Gekko to move at high speed, jump incredible distances, and even cling to walls, giving it unprecedented mobility. Other noteworthy features of this model include prehensile tentacles strong enough to pick up soldiers and its signature deafening roar."

Appearances

 * Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
 * Metal Gear Acid 2
 * Super Smash Bros. Brawl