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 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 the only Groznyj Grad member below the rank of Colonel 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 within the East Wing of the weapons lab during his rounds around the premises, 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.

Personality and characteristics
Raikov outwardly appeared to be polite and mild-mannered, although he was described to be "the kind of person who sits in his room and admire his bug collection." Until the aftermath of Operation Snake Eater, Raikov was also extremely abusive towards his subordinates, frequently using his position as Major as a means to punch his soldiers for his amusement. He also had a handsome appearance. He was also well known in Groznyj Grad as a glutton, frequently eating any food he finds on the ground, although he carried a weak stomach and thus would immediately run to the bathroom upon eating. He was also the favorite soldier of Colonel Volgin, sometimes being referred to as a "precious pet" of his, and is also his lover.

By the 1970s, however, he was shown to be hesitant about talking about why he was on the San Hieronymo Peninsula, as well as reacting angrily whenever anyone deduces that it was due to exile. It is implied that his reactions were the result of having guilt, or at least embarrassment, relating to his frequent abuse of rank that led to his exile as well as being humiliated by the soldiers on the San Hieronymo Peninsula. He also held some anger and hate at Naked Snake for his part in Colonel Volgin's death, as well as his indirectly being responsible for his exile, and initially refused to aid Snake specifically because of his role in Volgin's death, although he changed his mind when both considering the possibilities of being redeemed in the Soviet eyes as well as viewing working with Snake as being a far better alternative than to remain humiliated.

Trivia

 * Raikov's middle name "Raidenovitch" is patronymic, according to Russian cultural tradition, and means, "Son of Raiden."
 * As noted by Major Zero, in a radio conversation with Naked Snake, Ivan is a Slavic Christian name equivalent to the English "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. Similarly, EVA also implied that he had some sort of interest in bugs.
 * Although EVA heavily implied that Raikov is homosexual, Naked Snake remained oblivious to it.
 * When Snake strips Raikov and puts him in the locker, a lightning bolt can be seen on his underwear (a reference to his intimate relationship with Volgin, or perhaps to Raiden ["Raiden" is Japanese for "thunder and lightning."]).

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. His similarity to Raiden is further referenced in the Secret Theatre film, Metal Gear Raiden: Snake Eraser, when Raiden, after failing to intercept and kill Big Boss in Groznyj Grad's prison in a manner similar to The Terminator. He ends up encountering Volgin, who mistakes Raiden for Raikov and is implied to have assaulted him.

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). If the player attempts to hide in a cardboard box while disguised as Raikov in an enemy soldier's path, and the soldier investigates, he will instead salute Raikov instead of sounding an alert, implying that Raikov may frequently use the cardboard box trick.

In a leaked voice casting sheet for Metal Gear Solid 3, Raikov was apparently intended to hold the rank of Lieutenant, but was changed to Major nearing finalization. Other characters also appared to have had their ranks changed.

According to a commentary by director Hideo Kojima, the photo that EVA shows to Snake depicting Raikov and Volgin, was taken while Volgin had his hand inches from Raikov's groin, but it was cut off from the photo's edges.

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. 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. Although the player can fool the guards, scientists, and officers when wearing the disguise prior to the backfired rescue attempt, it will not fool attack dogs, causing dogs to raise an alert after smelling the player. If the player is killed during alert mode while disguised as Raikov, the soldiers will nonetheless salute Raikov despite knowing that it wasn't him.

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 perform 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 Rosemary, during the ending of Metal Gear Solid 2). He also says "April...30th...", referring to the day Rosemary and Raiden met.
 * 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.
 * Snake's Raikov disguise will become useless after caught by Volgin due to both the Groznyj Grad personnel being aware about Snake's previous attempt to infiltrate by disguising himself, as well as his losing his officer's hat during the beatdown. In Metal Gear Solid 2, Raiden's Gurlukovich disguise will become useless after Richard Ames' death because Ocelot took away Raiden's balaclava as well as Raiden's attempt at disguising himself being exposed as a result.

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 is featured as a playable character. He himself carries the XM16E1.

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).''

After discovering the location of the Guest House, either by stealing a map from the Rail Bridge, or interrogating a Government Official in the Town, a Spy Unit planted in the Town will report that a detailed map leading to a fortress in the wilderness, at the west side of the peninsula, is located in the area. After heading towards one of the upper level buildings, the map towards the Western Wilderness can be procured.

Place a Spy Unit in the newly located Western Wilderness, and after Snake is rescued from the Guest House, a Spy Report will come in stating that a "handsome Soviet Major" has been sighted in the area and he is being held prisoner. Locate the underground cell in which the Major is imprisoned, avoiding the land mines with a mine detector along the way, to discover that he is none other than Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov. Raikov ultimately decides to join Big Boss, after some persuasion by Campbell.

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