# A Weapon To Surpass Metal Gear > A Weapon To Surpass Metal Gear is a 2013 catchphrase from the Metal Gear Solid V E3 trailer, spoken by Revolver Ocelot, applied across image macros and video edits to joke about absurd improvised weapons and glitchy contraptions. "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 Ocelot[1]. 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 mech[3]. It's one of the most enduring memes to come out of the *Metal Gear* franchise, peaking between 2014 and 2018. ## Origin On June 10, 2013, Konami presented an extended trailer for *Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain* at Microsoft's E3 panel[2]. The full trailer showed gameplay, story sequences, and key characters, including Big Boss, Ocelot, and Kaz Miller[2]. 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 suit[3]. Konami uploaded the extended trailer to YouTube on June 11, 2013, where it picked up over 3.1 million views[3]. 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 project[3]. Threads also popped up on the Metal Gear Wikia, Metal Gear Informer, IGN, GameFAQs, and Reddit's r/metalgearsolid[1]. - **Platform:** YouTube (E3 trailer), 4chan /v/ (meme discussion) - **Creator:** Unknown (community-created from Konami's *Metal Gear Solid V* trailer) - **Date:** 2013 ## 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 suit[3]. 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 contrast[1]. Videos often use the game's soundtrack, particularly "Sins of the Father" or "Nuclear," to amplify the dramatic tension[3]. 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. ## 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 window[3]. The video pulled in over 450,000 views and kicked off a wave of similar edits where everyday machines got the dramatic Metal Gear treatment[1]. On August 19, 2014, YouTuber Slendermang posted a *Garry's Mod* version that cracked 400,000 views[3]. Two weeks later, AirplaneRandy uploaded a mech-suit Hitler edit that hit 50,000 views[3]. 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 audio[3]. That video reached over 719,000 views[1]. 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 views[3]. On May 7, Imgur user TrijezniMujo posted a glitched *Red Orchestra* character as their take on the format[3]. 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 views[3]. Less than two weeks later, on February 23, supramanx1997 uploaded the now-classic crab wielding a knife version, also reaching 1.3 million views[1]. 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 upvotes[3]. On October 17, /u/Anarchist_Leon posted "Hidden cat, a weapon to surpass metal gear," also to r/BossFight, pulling in over 19,100 upvotes[3]. ## How to Use 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 contrast[2]. - 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 games[2]. - The trailer debuted during Microsoft's E3 panel, but the extended cut with the key Ocelot narration wasn't released until the next day[2]. - The crab-with-a-knife variant became so popular it essentially spawned its own sub-meme, separate from the Metal Gear connection[3]. - Big Boss's in-game watch is a Seiko. Creator Hideo Kojima bought matching watches for himself and character designer Yoji Shinkawa[2]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is "A Weapon to Surpass Metal Gear"? It's a catchphrase from the *Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain* E3 2013 trailer, spoken by Revolver Ocelot. The line is used as a meme caption over absurd or ridiculous weapons and machines[1]. ### Where did "A Weapon to Surpass Metal Gear" come from? The phrase originated from Konami's extended E3 trailer for *Metal Gear Solid V*, presented on June 10, 2013, at Microsoft's press conference. Ocelot narrates the line at the end of the trailer[3]. ### What does "A Weapon to Surpass Metal Gear" mean? In the game's context, it refers to a new super-weapon being developed by the villain organization Cypher. As a meme, it's used ironically to present something absurd or clearly non-threatening as if it were an unstoppable weapon[1]. ### How do you use "A Weapon to Surpass Metal Gear"? Find an image or video of something hilariously impractical or threatening-looking, then caption it with the phrase or overlay Ocelot's original audio from the trailer. The bigger the contrast between the "weapon" and the serious tone, the better[3]. ### Is "A Weapon to Surpass Metal Gear" still popular? The meme peaked between 2015 and 2018 but still appears on Reddit (especially r/BossFight) and YouTube. It's not as widely circulated as it once was but pops up whenever someone encounters an absurd contraption worth sharing[3]. ### What is the original quote from the trailer? Ocelot says: "He mentioned something interesting. Cypher is pursuing new research. He claims what they're doing in Africa is the missing piece, a weapon to surpass Metal Gear"[3]. ### Who voiced Revolver Ocelot in the trailer? Troy Baker voiced Ocelot in *Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain*, taking over the role to bridge the character's younger and older voice[2]. ### What songs are used in "A Weapon to Surpass Metal Gear" videos? Most video edits use "Sins of the Father" or "Nuclear" from the *MGSV* soundtrack to match the dramatic tone of the original trailer[3]. ### What's the most popular version of the meme? Some of the highest-viewed versions include the crab-with-a-knife video by supramanx1997 and Red Shyguy's tentacle-knife machine video, both reaching over 1.3 million views on YouTube[3]. ### Why did the meme take off a year after the trailer? The phrase sat mostly within the *Metal Gear* fan community until mid-2014, when Yuyu13379's humorous video edit showed the potential of pairing the dramatic audio with absurd footage, inspiring a wave of imitations[1]. ## References 1. [A Weapon to Surpass Metal Gear – Meaning, Origin, Usage]() 2. [Metal Gear Solid V Extended E3 2013 Trailer Analysis]() 3. [A Weapon to Surpass Metal Gear - Know Your Meme]() 4. [Characters of the Metal Gear series]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/a-weapon-to-surpass-metal-gear Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library