Bandana

A bandana or bandanna is a type of large kerchief, usually worn on the head of a person. They are often used to hold hair back and to absorb sweat, keeping it from reaching the eyes, for practical purposes.

Usage
In Tselinoyarsk, 1964, Naked Snake dueled his former master The Boss, before being thrown into the river below the Dolinovodno bridge. Just before he fell, Snake grabbed and pulled The Boss's bandana from her head, and later used it as a sling for his broken arm. When meeting The Boss again, during Operation Snake Eater, she scolded Snake for wearing it and clinging to their former relationship as mentor and student. Subtly attempting to prepare Snake for what she knew would happen, she told him to let go of the past as well as the bandana, and accept her as his enemy. Snake did neither.

Naked Snake, later known as Big Boss, then wore The Boss's bandana for a time. He continued wearing it during the San Hieronymo Takeover. Cunningham also wore a bandana during the takeover. He briefly removed it to the winds over Lake Nicaragua after coming to terms with her death in 1974, though he continued to wear one for a time afterwards. He eventually took it off for good sometime in his later years.

As a member of FOXHOUND in the 1990s, Solid Snake wore a bandana, as part of the unit's field uniform. Gray Fox and Holly White also wore bandanas during Operation Intrude F014.

Following the 2005 Shadow Moses Incident, Meryl Silverburgh gave the infinity bandana to Solid Snake. Becoming Snake's favorite, the bandana was embroidered with the symbol for infinity (∞) and Kanji characters meaning "infinite."

In 2014, Solid Snake still wore his original bandana in action, though it had become faded with age, reflecting Snake's equally aged appearance. Meryl Silverburgh, now commander of Rat Patrol Team 01, also wore a bandana during this time.

Behind the scenes
Solid Snake's character sprite in the original Metal Gear depicts him wearing a bandana, though his transceiver picture does not make this apparent.

Throughout the series, the Bandana appears as a special item that gives the user infinite ammo for all weapons.

Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
In the mobile phone and PlayStation 2 re-releases of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, the Bandana can be unlocked by completing the game.

"Bandana Solid Snake's Bandana. ∞ (infinity) symbol is sewn in."

- Bandana description for Metal Gear

Metal Gear Solid
The Bandanna can be obtained as a secret item in Metal Gear Solid. If the player does not submit to Revolver Ocelot's torture earlier in the game, then Meryl will give Snake the Bandanna in the game's closing scene. When the player starts a new game on the same save file, the Bandanna will be in the inventory. Wearing the Bandanna gives Solid Snake infinite ammo.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
In Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, only Solid Snake can use the Bandana, during the Tanker chapter. It can be obtained after collecting 46 Dog Tags. Wearing it, as in other games, gives Snake infinite ammo. Raiden's equivalent of the Bandana is the Brown Wig. Snake directly references the Bandana's infinite ammo properties to Raiden, after meeting up with him on board Arsenal Gear.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
In Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, the Bandana does not make an appearence as an unlockable item, but instead was featured as a small part of the plot. The Infinity face paint takes the traditional function and place of the Infinity Bandana in this game.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
The Bandana is a secret item in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. It can be obtained by completing game without killing a single person. Alternatively, it can be bought from Drebin's shop for 5,000,000 DP, following completion. The price is reduced to 2,500,000 DP only during Act 5. After obtaining the Bandana, the Kanji characters for "infinity" can clearly be seen by using the zoom function in the item viewer.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
The Bandana is a secret item in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. It can be obtained by achieving the "S" rank for Extra Ops [119]. Also, unlike Metal Gear Solid 2, any player character can use the Bandana and not just Big Boss. Also, wearing the Bandana does not affect the score/mission ranking system, meaning the player can acquire an "S" rank even if wearing it and not be penalized due to wearing it. Developing the Bandana requires that the Combat Unit and R&D Teams be level 88 or higher.

"Special bandana that supplies an endless amount of ammo while equipped"

- Infinity Bandana description from Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker