A Weapon To Surpass Metal Gear — In-game scene from Metal Gear Solid showing the main character in tactical stance with Metal Gear REX system visible.

A Weapon To Surpass Metal Gear

2013Catchphrase / video edit / image macrosemi-active

Published March 30, 2026

"A Weapon to Surpass Metal Gear" is a catchphrase from the extended E3 2013 trailer for *Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain*, spoken by the character Revolver Ocelot1. The line went viral as a caption and video format, applied to absurd contraptions, glitchy machines, and ridiculous weapons that are jokingly presented as superior to the fictional Metal Gear mech3. It's one of the most enduring memes to come out of the *Metal Gear* franchise, peaking between 2014 and 2018.

metal gear memes catchphrase memes gaming audio memes e3 memes

Overview

The meme centers on a single dramatic line from the E3 2013 trailer: "He claims what they're doing in Africa is the missing piece, a weapon to surpass Metal Gear." Revolver Ocelot delivers the narration over footage of Snake riding off in a weaponized mech suit3. The phrase works as a meme because of its over-the-top gravitas. People pair it with footage or images of ridiculous, janky, or hilariously impractical machines and weapons, playing Ocelot's audio in the background for maximum comedic contrast1. Videos often use the game's soundtrack, particularly "Sins of the Father" or "Nuclear," to amplify the dramatic tension3.

The format is simple: show something absurd, label it "a weapon to surpass Metal Gear." The humor comes from the gap between the deadly serious delivery and whatever silly contraption is on screen.

Origin & Background

Platform
YouTube (E3 trailer), 4chan /v/ (meme discussion)
Creator
Unknown
Date
2013

On June 10, 2013, Konami presented an extended trailer for *Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain* at Microsoft's E3 panel2. The full trailer showed gameplay, story sequences, and key characters, including Big Boss, Ocelot, and Kaz Miller2. At the very end of the trailer's credit sequence, Ocelot's narration drops the now-iconic line about "a weapon to surpass Metal Gear" as Snake rides away in a mech suit3. Konami uploaded the extended trailer to YouTube on June 11, 2013, where it picked up over 3.1 million views3.

Discussion started immediately on 4chan's /v/ board, where users debated what the "weapon" could be, with several speculating it referred to the Les Enfants Terribles project3. Threads also popped up on the Metal Gear Wikia, Metal Gear Informer, IGN, GameFAQs, and Reddit's r/metalgearsolid1.

How It Spread

The phrase stayed within the *Metal Gear* fan community for about a year before someone turned it into a video meme. On June 23, 2014, YouTube user Yuyu13379 uploaded a video titled "A weapon to surpass Metal Gear" that paired Ocelot's trailer audio with footage of a remote-controlled spinning device approaching a woman's car window3. The video pulled in over 450,000 views and kicked off a wave of similar edits where everyday machines got the dramatic Metal Gear treatment1.

On August 19, 2014, YouTuber Slendermang posted a *Garry's Mod* version that cracked 400,000 views3. Two weeks later, AirplaneRandy uploaded a mech-suit Hitler edit that hit 50,000 views3.

The meme hit a new peak in early 2015 when YouTuber João Mostarda uploaded "A /v/ to surpass Metal Gear" on February 2, featuring absurd *Besiege* contraptions set to the trailer audio3. That video reached over 719,000 views1. Image macros also started spreading. On April 3, 2015, FunnyJunk user joelizardman posted Carl Wheezer from *Jimmy Neutron* riding a two-legged vehicle with the caption, pulling in 4,700 views3. On May 7, Imgur user TrijezniMujo posted a glitched *Red Orchestra* character as their take on the format3.

February 2016 brought two of the biggest viral hits. On February 10, YouTuber Red Shyguy posted a video of a tentacle-like machine wildly swinging a knife, which hit 1.3 million views3. Less than two weeks later, on February 23, supramanx1997 uploaded the now-classic crab wielding a knife version, also reaching 1.3 million views1.

By 2018, the format had spread well beyond YouTube into Reddit. On September 23, 2018, Redditor /u/Saffronthes posted a comically modified Solid Snake figurine titled "Cursedsnake a weapon to surpass metal gear" to r/BossFight, earning over 19,000 upvotes3. On October 17, /u/Anarchist_Leon posted "Hidden cat, a weapon to surpass metal gear," also to r/BossFight, pulling in over 19,100 upvotes3.

How to Use This Meme

The format is flexible but typically follows one pattern:

1

Find footage or an image of something absurd, overcomplicated, or threatening in a funny way. Think: a Roomba with a knife taped to it, a janky robot, a cat in an aggressive pose, or a bugged-out video game character.

2

Pair it with the phrase "A weapon to surpass Metal Gear" as a caption or title.

3

For video versions, overlay Revolver Ocelot's audio narration from the E3 2013 trailer. Adding "Sins of the Father" or "Nuclear" from the *MGSV* soundtrack sells the dramatic contrast.

4

The joke lands hardest when the "weapon" is obviously pathetic, harmless, or ridiculous compared to an actual Metal Gear.

Fun Facts

The extended E3 2013 trailer was specifically labeled for "mature audiences" and included torture scenes, child soldiers, and body horror, making the meme's lighthearted afterlife a sharp tonal contrast2.

Revolver Ocelot's voice in *MGSV* was performed by Troy Baker, marking a transition between the character's young voice in *Metal Gear Solid 3* and his raspy older voice in later games2.

The trailer debuted during Microsoft's E3 panel, but the extended cut with the key Ocelot narration wasn't released until the next day2.

The crab-with-a-knife variant became so popular it essentially spawned its own sub-meme, separate from the Metal Gear connection3.

Big Boss's in-game watch is a Seiko. Creator Hideo Kojima bought matching watches for himself and character designer Yoji Shinkawa2.

Derivatives & Variations

Crab with a knife videos:

One of the most iconic sub-formats, featuring real or animated crabs holding knives. supramanx1997's 2016 version hit 1.3 million views[3].

Garry's Mod edits:

Users built absurd machines in *Garry's Mod* and paired them with the trailer audio. Slendermang's 2014 video was an early example[3].

Besiege contraption videos:

João Mostarda's "A /v/ to surpass Metal Gear" using the medieval siege engine sandbox game *Besiege* became one of the most-viewed versions[3].

r/BossFight crossovers:

The phrase became a go-to title for posts on r/BossFight featuring everyday objects or animals that look oddly menacing[3].

Tacticool overlap:

The meme shares DNA with the "tacticool" format, where mundane objects get excessive tactical gear or weapon attachments[3].

Frequently Asked Questions