| This article is about a non-canonical topic in the Metal Gear series. |
Marionette Owl was a member of Black Chamber who, due to a genetic mutation, was born with night vision on par with that of an owl. As a result, he was extremely proficient in nocturnal combat, and was a master of the silent kill; however, because his eyes shimmered in the dark like a cat's, he always wore tinted goggles, even in the dark.
Owl always carried a pair of Japanese Bunraku dolls, named Osan (オサン?) and Koharu (コハル?), which he would often compulsively take apart and put back together during spare time; in battle, the dolls served as decoys, and were equipped with automated internal defense mechanisms. In truth, the marionettes were crafted from the severed limbs of victims he murdered as a serial killer, known to the media as "the Spectre Killer". He had slain numerous women and was featured on the Most Wanted list in the United States, until he was cornered by the FBI, at which point Black Arts Viper recruited him into Black Chamber.
Biography[]
The man who would become Marionette Owl once had a friend named Laura. However, at the age of 12, Laura was murdered by a serial killer, and he found her dismembered remains strewn about a field. The memories of this tragic event would haunt him for the rest of his life, frequently manifesting as nightmares.
Eventually, the mental strain caused the man to snap, and he became a serial killer himself, as a morbid way of coping with the pain and madness. Despite genuinely caring for his targets, who were all female, his traumatized psyche forced him to kill them despite of that, or rather because of it. He used the remains of his victims to create his Bunraku dolls, Osan and Koharu. He eventually killed enough women to become wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as was called the Spectre Killer by the media. He eventually ended up cornered by the FBI, at which point Black Arts Viper prevented his arrest in exchange for him putting his deadly skills to a better use as a member of Black Chamber, a special forces unit of the U.S. Army. Grateful for a chance to redeem himself and satiate his madness, the man agreed, and was given the codename of Marionette Owl.
Silhouette of Marionette Owl.
Marionette Owl's newfound purpose did not last, however, as Black Chamber became victims of an ambush at the hands of FOXHOUND in 2000, shortly after quelling a terrorist threat in South America. The attack wiped out all but five members of the unit. Alongside three of the other survivors of the ordeal, Owl turned to mercenary work, biding his time to exact revenge on FOXHOUND and the person responsible for orchestrating the attack, known only as "Anonymous". While not much is known about Owl's activities during this time, he was said to have once single-handedly wiped out an entire military unit in Eastern Europe in a night-time ambush.
Galuade Incindent[]
Snake encounters Marionette Owl.
In 2002, the remnants of Black Chamber set their plans into motion by aiding the Gindra Liberation Front in hijacking the U.S.-developed Metal Gear prototype, GANDER, while it was en route to South America. They later wiped out most of the Delta Squad team assigned to aid Solid Snake in infiltrating Galuade. However, Black Chamber intended to use the incident for their own agenda, which was to find out the identity of and exact revenge on "Anonymous", as well as kill millions of people in the United States using GANDER as punishment for their civic complacency in the face of corruption of their political and military leaders.
Marionette Owl encountered Solid Snake in the barracks of Galuade during a power blackout. After boasting of his his ability to see in the dark unaided by machines, Owl expressed an interest in Snake's clavicles and femurs, which he intended to give to Koharu. He then attacked Snake in the darkness, using flashbang stun grenades to render Snake's night-vision goggles useless. After Snake changed to thermal-vision goggles, Owl used Osan and Koharu to trick him into attacking the dolls instead of him, as they appeared nearly indistinguishable from Owl. Despite these impediments, Snake overpowered the trickster mercenary and won the battle.
Marionette Owl's final moments.
Defeated and critically injured, Owl revealed his tragic past to Snake, and explained that Black Chamber were seeking vengeance against "Anonymous", the man responsible for the attack on the unit two years ago. Owl then accepted his death as a release from torment, and appeared to witness a vision of Laura in his final moments. However, his last words were cries of desperation, which Snake believed to be a sign that "the gates of Heaven were closed to him".
Personality and traits[]
Marionette Owl seemed to be quite aware of his madness. Because of his traumatic past, Owl's victims were exclusively female; before locking Dr. James Harks in a prison cell, Owl noted that he only spared him because Harks wasn't a girl.
Behind the scenes[]
Marionette Owl (マリオネット・アウル Marionetto Auru?) appears in Metal Gear: Ghost Babel as an antagonist to Solid Snake, and is fought by the player during a boss battle. Depending on whether Snake has the night vision or thermal goggles equipped, the cutscenes relating to Marionette Owl will appear slightly different. With the thermal goggles, Owl will appear as a red silhouette, whereas the night vision goggles will reveal his appearance in full.
According to an official Japanese strategy guide, Marionette Owl was designed as a unique, handsome-looking young man that would appeal to the demographic of Game Boy users. He is also the only character whose nationality is not revealed in the game's official website.
Owl's marionettes may have served as an inspiration for Screaming Mantis and Lena Arrow.
The names of his dolls, Osan and Koharu, are a reference to the wife and extramarital lover characters from the Japanese play The Love Suicides of Amijima.[1] However, Koharu's name appears to have been mistransliterated as "Kohal" in the game.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Marionette Owl (Ikuya Nakamura).jpg (27 KB)")
